|
2004-01-29 - 10:15 a.m. Yesterday we drifted through the snow to the Historical Museum, where we followed the story of Amsterdam through the ages. In the late 1500s room, we saw a large picture of a man receiving a prize ox for killing the most parrots in an annual contest. The parrots in question were not described but I'll presume it means that the introduction of the Rose-Ringed Parakeet occurred much earlier than I believed and that Rembrandt himself could have enjoyed the sight of a lively flock chattering around his windmill. In the snowy afternoon we wandered aimlessly for hours. The shops were less exciting than the prices would have you believe; perhaps there is another area with more exciting shopping or perhaps Vegas has spoiled us. So we barely spent a euro as we drifted from scenic old street to scenic old street, at one point stumbling upon the ancient castle built in (I believe) 1488. I wish BF could have seen it. In later years, after no longer being needed as a fortified castle complete with window slits, it became a weighing station. Today it is a restaurant/cafe that boasts free wireless internet for anyone who turns up prepared with a fully charged laptop. This category, alas, did not include us, but the sad story of our battery charger failures will have to be told another day. At another point, we paused in an atmospheric brown cafe to enjoy a beer, the colorful stained glass, and the even more colorful characters who seemed to know the words to every song no matter what the language. There were, of course, countless opportunities to enjoy the product for which Amsterdam is best known, but I was already paranoid from the Larium and constantly convinced that I was about to be run over by a mad bicyclist, so I did not partake. In fact, having seen a man eat a pizza while riding his bike in the snow, I now feel that I have finally seen it all. A couple of places actually had plants growing in the windows, which caused me considerable amusement, considering the lack of light in the city. In one shop, the window "light" was enhanced by flourescents, and these plants looked a thousand times healthier than a scrawny pathetic example that we observed languishing in near darkness next to a surly ficus. The snow was falling in atmospheric flakes through the darkness as we walked to dinner. It looked like a movie but it felt brrrrrr-y cold. We dined in a pleasant French restaurant called Restaurant Het Melkmeisje. I'd never remember that name except that they gave me their card. Whew. It was a place of candlelights and stained glass, crusty hot bread and a superb tomato soup. I had a duck with calvados dish to die for. And now for the dreaded flight back. It would be a good time for a transporter. I can't wait to get my Kenya pictures online.
All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2002-2017 by Elaine Radford
|