Letter from Amsterdam 6-7 May

The Bluvan shuttle (navatte) came right on time and with our bags loaded the two of us were off to Orly to pick up our rental car. Traffic was light and before long we found ourselves wending our way to the Avis car rental desk. After a few minutes’ wait we set off in search of our Nissan Juke, according to some perhaps the ugliest car in Europe. But it came with a GPS, a particular feature that would have seriously implications for our trip and marriage.

After a very short tutorial by one of the Avis folks on how to use the GPS we were out of the garage and heading off north to Amsterdam. Traffic was light as we left Orly Rungis and made our way to the peripherique around Paris, eventually getting off on the A1 to Lille and points north.

We paid just one toll (€16.60) near Lille before leaving France — the roads in Belgium and the Netherlands are all free — and were pleased with how comfortable the Nissan was, how good the roads were and above all how reliable and incredibly useful the GPS was: (Female English voice) “Keep next left and stay on the A1.” No arguing, bickering or last minute scramble to figure out which way to turn or when; just the calm, soothing voice of our own personal driving assistant helping us travel north to meet family and friends.

Some six hours’ later we found ourselves driving in the heart of Amsterdam and were soon at the Apollo Museum Hotel. After checking in our car and while waiting for the valet service to pick up the car Richard and Pauline strolled by — they had been out on a short walk and just happened by on their way back to the hotel.

After leaving the car with the valet we looked for our room to drop our bags off. Right away we noticed that the air conditioner made an annoying persistent sound whenever it functions and in the heat that day we sensed this was going to be a serious problem. After the manager came to check the problem out for himself he decided to simply assign us a different room.

Once settled we met up with Richard and Pauline and the four of us set out to stroll the nearby canals looking for a place to eat.

We were staying the “museum quarter” and many of the bars and cafes catered to a tourist crowd. Unfortunately we had not planned for such an eventuality and that evening at dinner at a borderline tacky place called Casa de Sergio. Located on a street lined with steakhouses touting Uruguayan steak, Argentinian steak, Albert’s steak or just steak, we settled for Italian and were moderately disappointed.The experience convinced us that we need to be more diligent during the rest of our stay, finding places away from the Casino, Hard Rock Cafe and other assorted bear-and-burger places.

Still, were were dining outside and it was good to be back with friends. The four of us had a rousing evening of catching up on news, thinking about what was to happen next to us and just enjoying each other’s company in a place most of us had never been before.

The four of us were eventually fueled and ready for the day. From the hotel it was a five-minute walk to the Rijksmuseum — location being one of the primary factors in choice of accommodation. Thanks to Pauline we already had tickets in hand and were soon inside. For the next 3-4 hours we enjoyed some of the world’s most incredible art. In fact at one point we stopped and sat down at one of the museum’s small cafes to have a coffee before plunging back into the fray.

Susan, Richard and Pauline

Pauline and Richard

Watching the Night Watch by Rembrandt

making our way to the featured exhibition

Once revitalized we headed off to the featured exhibition: “High Society,” portraits of the nearly-great or merely wealthy of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Mary Hartopp Countess Howe (1732-1800) by Thomas Gainsborough, 1763-64

Marchesa Luisa Casati (1881-1957) with greyhound, by Giovanni Boldini, 1908

Pauline, Susan and Richard with Dutch friends

just outside the museum entrance was this group playing Vivaldi with gusto!

After a wonderful tour through the museum and feeling our spirits lifted by such powerful works of art (I spent 15 minutes just staring at the portrait of Luisa Casati) we walked across the street and got on board one of the numerous canal cruise boats. For the next 90 minutes or so we sat in the sun and took in the sights of the city, meandering down one canal after another and past several fantastic buildings.

cruise of Amsterdam's canals

three-storey parking garage -- just for bikes!

once up the A-dam tower you can pay a little extra and swing out over the harbor

Many others have said this before me but it bears repeating: bikes are everywhere. And if you don't pay attention you might find them more dangerous than cars.

After disembarking from the boat we strolled to a nearby cafe along one of the canals for an aperitif. From there we made our way back to the hotel before heading out to dinner. For this evening we were going to try Indonesian and one place that came recommended by the hotel staff was just a short couple of blocks away in the vicinity of the Rijksmuseum: Sama Sebo. The four of us had rijsttafel, which is apparently a bit of everything on the menu -- or so it seemed to us. Anyway, we thought it quite tasty, certainly filling and after dinner it was a quick walk back to the hotel and bed.

aperitif time!