Float Day!!!

No, it's not a parade, but my "spa afternoon": a 60 minute "float" in a sensory deprivation tank followed by a 30 minute "rest" (I'm sure I'll be exhausted), and then a 60 minute massage. All very Dutch, I guess, and all for 75 Euro! Mitch will get his revenge by spending the afternoon shopping - after all he really needs some more shirts and shoes!

Yesterday we took the train to Rotterdam. It was about an hour ride, and then a 15 minute walk through the city to get to the museum. The city is totally modern, having being destroyed in the war and completely rebuilt. You could be anywhere in the world, really, and it is the shopping capital of the region, so on a Sunday before Christman, it was packed. The museum was very good and definitely worth the trip. (Note to Zach: the painting that is the star of the book "The Forger's Spell" that I sent you is hanging in that museum. I didn't know that and I was so excited when I saw it, and believe me, it IS a very bad painting!).

They have the coolest "cloakroom" at the museum: There is a large circular "machine" that has long chords hanging from the ceiling going through slots on the machine. On the ceiling are hangers. You select a chord, unlock with with a key, and pull the chord (like you would pull the chord to ring a huge church bell), and the hangers lower down. You put your coats on the langers and then let go of the chord and they "float" high up. Then you lock the chord in place and keep the key in your pocket. All the coats (and there are hundreds) stay high up out of everyone's way and they don't have to have an "attandent." It was really ingenious.

Then we took the train home and the tram back to our hotel; we are really learning our way around here on the trams. They are very easy to navigate. We ordered a pot of coffee and a pot of tea in our room, and just relaxed for a couple of hours. Mitch went for a pre-dinner walk, I FINISHED THE SUNDAY NY TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE (!!!!!), and then at 8 we went to an Indonesian restaurant for dinner.

It was fabulous - a traditional Indonesian "Rijstaffel" (rice table) where they present you with about 15 or 20 small dishes of the most wonderful, flavorful food, all for a very reasonalbe price. We ate like kings, had a nice bottle of wine, a glass of beer, a bottle of water, shared a dessert, and had 2 cups of coffee, and it was 115 euro! No tip or tax! Amazing.

The we walked around a bit. The city at night is so beautiful, with all the lights reflecting in the canals.

Today we are going to the Rijksmuseum, where all the famous Dutch paintings are hanging. That will be wonderful. We were there a few years ago and the place is STILL under construction, so all the great paintings have been moved all together into a few rooms. You can see the entire collection in an hour! Very convenient.

Then I'll begin my "spa afternoon." We are going to another Indonesian restaurant tonight, which is supposed to be the best one in Amsterdam, but I don't know how it can be any better than last night!

That's all for now!