Letter from Amsterdam 9 May

Our last full day in Amsterdam began as usual with queuing for coffee during breakfast. we all thought the food actually quite good, even the mini-croissants were nicely done, but the absence of supervision for cleaning the tables, which filled up and emptied with equal velocity, not to mention the whole coffee thing had us stumped.

After breakfast we walked the few short blocks to the Van Gogh Museum and close to the Rijksmuseum and Concertgebouw. Our tickets were assigned a 1030 entry time and once inside we spent the next 1-2 hours learning the life and work of a man who couldn’t sell art to save his soul or his life.

After leaving the museum we walked a bit on the Museumplein, a fantastic green space bordered by Concertgebouw, the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art and the Van Gogh; the Rijksmuseum is just a bit further north a block or so and the Diamond Museum is nearby as well.

As I was starting to feel a bit under the weather, I headed back to the room for a nap.

our hotel looks nicer from the outside than it really is

Later that afternoon Susan and I met up with one of her mother’s Dutch cousins, Dick Van Halsema and his wife. We enjoyed not only their company but they treated us to our first taste of a Dutch specialty: bitterballen.

Dick Van Halsema and Susan

Later that evening we met up with Richard and Pauline and the four of us once again strolled along the canals, finding a place to sit in the dying sun and enjoy an aperitif before dinner.

Our final night together found us at a place named Van Puffelen for dinner and as usual a good time was had by all. I know it sounds like a cliché but truer words have never been spoken. We’re going to regret having to say goodbye but for the moment we’re enjoying the casual conversation, the sharing of life’s experiences and just laughing about the foibles of the world around us.

statues dedicated to some of Amsterdam's favorite musicians