pot

One thing Amsterdam is known for is being able to smoke pot legally and for the coffee shops that are not for coffee but for selling pot. We walked by many of them. Just guessing but maybe twenty. They were small and dingy and did not seem to be happy places. Usually there were blank-faced people sitting on chairs in front or standing in the door smoking. Not appealing. I am more into stroopwaffels. This is one of the better looking pot places.

Oude Kerk

The day before we left, we decided to visit the Oude Kerk (Old Church), the oldest building in Amsterdam, built in the 1300s. I loved the book Pillars of the Earth about cathedrals built around that era, so that was the draw for me. It was not the same, but the architecture and history were interesting. It is now to be found in the middle of the red light district. The floor seems to consist of flat grave stones or markers. One is marked Saskia. She was the beloved wife of Rembrandt van Rijn who memorialized her in many drawings and paintings.
For some photos.

Jemgum

I neglected to post pics of the trip across the border into Germany to the little village of Jemgum.
It was nicer and newer than I envisioned.
After seeing the Jemgum sign, we stopped at the Rathaus, the town hall, where several cars were parked. Inside there was a dignified party going on. We chatted just long enough to find out they were celebrating the ending of a very long war that took place in the seventeenth century. They didn't seem to invite us to stay so we went elsewhere, explored, went to a grocery store, and I think we were probably fodder for conversation the rest of the day.
There was one old windmill in town, still being used. A nice guy let us look in it.

Airport waiting

We had our last NH Dutch breakfast, finished packing, checked out, and shuttle driver picked us up on time as expected. Then we began a trip around the city, even passing once again our hotel. Was he lost? He explained that many roads were blocked, and I can see that. The roads are not meant for cars but for bicycles and trams/trollies. Thankfully we left in plenty of time so we got to the airport without rushing. We went through the various ID processes, a real pain but at least I was not molested like I was when I left the US. Now we are waiting at Gate 3. In about nine or ten hours, we should be in Atlanta. We have had a wonderful adventure.

Friesland Cows

random street scene

Big outdoor market

Only about a mile away, but since we were going to be walking the whole time we were there, we took the tram to the Albert Cuyp Market. It was a couple of blocks long at least, and we found some of the must-dos of when in Amsterdam. Fresh stroopwaffels, the fish things, lots of flowers, etc.
We stopped at a corner restaurant to refresh ourselves, and it turned out to be a juice bar with delicious bagels! What a stroke of "luck."
I have had a hard time keeping up with my tram ticket. Not that I have lost it, but I have a bag with way too many pockets, and I can never remember which pocket I put things in, especially since I am always taking pictures. I am also having trouble posting pix. They are taking forever!
There are a few more places to go today before we leave for the US tomorrow.

boats

fishing village - Volendam

Zaanse Schans

Dutch Fowl

some things we have done

One full day left in Amsterdam, and what will we choose to do?
There were two main things, and I did them. One was to get a better sense of part of my heritage, and the other was to go to the Van Gogh Museum. I can check both off my list.
And when you tell people you are going to Amsterdam, the standard response has something to do with the red light district. Check to that, too.
We have eaten French fries with mayo and poffertjes from street venders, and Indonesian Rice Table from one of the best restaurants in town. Tomorrow we are in search of some street stroopwaffles.
Trip has done more exploring that I have. I defer to his youth! He is the one who knows which tram to get on and which stop to get off. Thank goodness! I feel like I have mostly walked and eaten!
The hotel has a fabulous breakfast, and its location is in a busy interesting location.
I am choosing not to bring some things back that maybe I should. Like cheese. Especially Gouda..
And by the way, it is not really pronounced goo da. It starts with a hard guttural G followed by an emphatic ow then a da. How stupid I have been all these years!!
Today we took a tour of some towns and villages that still live the way the we old timers learned about. Every place had chickens! Some had pretty black and white cows, goats, swans swimming, sheep, ducks...
I will post a few pix.

Breakfast

The hotel breakfasts are to die for!
I am back in the room after indulging myself on a specially prepared omelette, European breads, and the most delicious yogurt mixture. I try something different every morning, and everything has been wonderful. I will take pictures tomorrow. Trip keeps commenting on how the coffee is the best he has ever had, and it is truly so much better than anything we have in the US.

At noon we plan to leave for a "Countryside Tour" that I reserved before we left. It looks like we will be riding a bus to places that we think of as traditional Holland, old windmills, fishing villages, cheese shops, and places where wooden shoes are made. Sounds like a lot of photo opportunities.

Jemgum, our Saturday excursion, was so much prettier than I had imagined. It was all green, picturesque, relaxing. There were some newer neighborhoods of red brick two story houses that were very close together. The streets were brick also and narrow. I think it is primarily a farming village, hopefully dairy as we saw a lot of back and white cows that looked full of milk. The main person we talked to was a Nederlander named René who was sitting on a ledge overlooking boats on the River Ems. He had spent a lot of time in America when he was in his twenties, but was in his sixties now. He told us things about the history of Jemgum, and we found it all interesting.

Hillsong

When I learned that Hillsong church met two doors down from the hotel we are staying in, I knew I had to go. Like many of us who enjoy CCM, I have been singing their music a long time and was aware of its phenomenal success.
Last night I wondered how the restaurant and bar named Escape would become transformed enough to hold a Sunday church service! But it did. My early-bird son was out this morning and saw the people diligently setting up. I watched the tram stop several times right in front letting off a lot of nice-looking young people, and a little before noon, the doors opened and Hillsong Escape church began with a full congregation.
Afterward, I went across the street to an art market and was talking to one of the artists. I told her I had been to church, and she said she wondered what was going on every Sunday she is there. She said she always sees people leaving and they seem so happy! It was a treat to go.

around the museums

I don't know how many museums there are, but they are clustered together and form a plaza or district that is pretty and has a fun, lazy vibe. When we left the Rijkmuseum, there were musicians playing their instruments, a guy blowing bubbles for the kids, people sleeping on the grass

or climbing on top of the I am Amsterdam letters.

Museum Day

Today we visited the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. Both were wonderful, but since I love Vincent, it was my favorite.
Here we are standing in front of the same photo op place. We could take pix only at designated areas and none of the art.
The top pic is of the outside of the Van Gogh. It was glass and reflected what was around it. By the way, we did not have any trouble getting tickets.
The bottom one is the black-eyed Susans on the table at the cafe. They were cute.

Later in the day

At Rembrandtplein. 

And an Amstel beer at the corner restaurant where we had supper. Like the beer, the city got its name from the Amstel River.

Made it to Amsterdam

Trip and I met at the Atlanta airport as our plane overseas was loading.
Who wants to hang around anyway!
No complaints about the fight. It was smooth, the flight attendants couldn't have been nicer, and the fellow passengers were enjoyable.
We got to our hotel maybe about ten am, left our bags, and then walked around the city for the following four hours. Oh my aching feet!
Now after naps, we are a little more chipper.
Bicycles are everywhere, and that cannot be overstated. Stylish young women with flowing blonde hair weave and out of traffic as they talk on their cell phones. We quickly learned that pedestrians do not have the right of way. And to walk on the edge of sidewalks, to look and listen.
A pic of a canal here.

Traveling

On Wednesday, Trip and I will be flying to Amsterdam. We are so excited about it!
We have some Dutch in our ancestry and are going to see if there are some people who look like us.
And besides, who wouldn't want to go to Amsterdam! It looks both modern and quaint with lots of color, canals, art, and adventure. I will post some pix to this blog and maybe tell some stories if I have time.

A Fairy Ring

...in a neighbor's yard.
I haven't seen one of these mysterious mushroom patterns in a long time.

Now what?

Today I stopped by a fish market in the 'hood and saw a beautiful display of Spanish mackerel, my favorite fish. I decided to get the smallest one.
"Do you want it cleaned?" the young man asked.
"No thanks. I'll do it myself."
"You want to do it yourself?" He asked.
"I don't want to, but I am going to."
I have often watched other people gut them and cut off their heads, and I figured it was time for me to grow up. It wasn't too hard. The poor guy was already dead, so it wasn't like I was killing him.
And I knew it wouldn't go to waste.
The result? It wasn't pretty. But I baked it with lemon juice and butter, and it tasted good!

shadows across the garden

Since I had to be at the Arboretum at six pm, I went a little early to take a picture.

a nearby park

More like a "green space" with a walking/running/cycling path.
Found a fall leaf already!

church

It has been a pleasure for me to attend the church of my early childhood, the one I would drive by over the years when I was in Wilmington and long to enter.
It is a little different from the one formal service held when I was a little girl.
A second service at 0900 was added several years ago that is more relaxed and has a band that engages the congregation in contemporary praise music. (I think my grandmother would have approved.)
Because of the later 1100 hour, I attend the "traditional" service, and it give me the chance to participate in the regular choir. I love the old hymns and the anthems we sing. It is lovely and causes me to reflect on the way it was, but it is a relic of the twentieth century that will probably die out eventually. America doesn't seem to treasure propriety or protocol or much about good history.
But God's church, his body of believers, will always be, and all cultures will find a way to gather together and worship. God will always have his people.

rain rain

Yesterday's drive to and from Laurinburg was under an canopy of a bright blue sky filled with freakin' awesome majestic white clouds that looked ready to burst. I have come to recognize them as a sign a hurricane or hard summer storm is imminent. Today the sky was gray, not sunlit, and the clouds fulfilled their duty. The rains came and the winds blew and now it seems to be over, the hurricane traveling inward and upward.
I didn't mind as I had an excuse to wear my new rain jacket for the first time. The timeless shimmery brown one I had went missing. I had it for so long and must have taken it for granted and become careless. I must have left it somewhere, under a seat or on a hook at some place I rarely go. I kept hoping it would magically appear in my closet as it has before, but I finally let go of my denial and accepted the truth of its demise. My new one is actually prettier, and I hope I will enjoy it for twenty-five years like I did my other one. Who knows.