Dec 26
Wednesday
Train from Amsterdam to Brussels
An overcast day but not wet or particularly cold. Been very lucky with weather.
Christmas Day was colder but generally tolerable as we walked about the museum area.
I was delightfully surprised at the number of people out on Christmas Day. But after all, the holiday village was open so we bought some spiced warm wine. Then off to the first of the two museums we would visit.
The Moco museum features contemporary artists and it had a special showing of the street artist known as Banksy. Edgy and thought provoking. The perfect art for me on a day, on a month, of being open to looking at the world in a different way.
Also featured were the works of Iranian artists Icy and Sot. They were quoted as saying, repression affects the artists first because they depend upon freedom to express themselves.
In particular I was drawn to the image of a woman who had removed her burka headwear and a hundred birds of freedom flew from her hair.
Then it was off to one of the greatest art museums in Europe, the Rejksmuseum.
We should have done the two museums in reverse order.
The building itself was a medieval work of beauty and strength. Paintings were well curated. But the realism of the art of 16th and 17th Dutch masters was no competition for the challenging art I had viewed earlier that day.
We headed to a supermarket to buy snacks for later in the evening and the next days 3 hour train ride. I love seeing the subtle differences of grocery stores in various countries. Many more selections of cheeses and freshly baked breads for example.
After dropping off the groceries at our room, we headed out to see what was open for dinner on Christmas Day. Actually quite a bit. Seems Amsterdam is popular for holiday visits. We settled again on an Indian restaurant, as we had in London. We found a nice place not far from our hotel. The waitress apologized for not having a full bar given they had just opened. I thought that was a good sign to find a place looking to establish its reputation. As it turned out, food was wonderful.
We headed back to our room for red wine, potato chips and tv. This time the movie was the updated version of karate kid.
So what did I learn? The Dutch embrace bikes more than I had imagined. They have their dedicated bike lanes and ride very fast.
Unlike the US, the Dutch — like most countries I’ve visited in Latin America and now Europe — also seem to embrace self responsibility. There are no rail crossing gates. There are no fences around the many many canals. (The sidewalk goes to to edge of a canal where there is no barrier or edge. Just a drop off of ten feet into the canal). It is expected you will behave as a responsible adult and not walk into a moving train nor fall into canals.
Reminds me of the story I was told of an American tourist visiting Mexico who tripped and seriously injured himself on a broken section of sidewalk. He sued the Mexican City and a court hearing was set for two days from then.
The American took the stand and showed photos of the broken sidewalk and a report from a doctor on the extent of his injuries.
In defence, the city hires two day-laborers who spent the day counting the hundreds of people who walked the sidewalk without injuring themselves.
The judge ruled the accident was the result of the American who didn’t pay attention.
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