A Day In Town

 Goededag!

It rained while I was having breakfast, and it’s raining now, but in between times except for a drip here and there it was dry.  Because I am moving tomorrow and there’s a crucial mountain stage of Tour de France, I decided to stay in town and give myself a fairly easy day.

I returned to the Rijksmuseum.  Yes, for the third time. I’m moving back to the Jordaan tomorrow and wanted to take advantage of the proximity as the museum is right across the canal and street.  I got there just as the museum opened at nine.  Because of my museum card, I get in for free, and I had a room full of Rembrandts all to myself for quite a while.  And I got to put my nose nearly on the paintings and look a long time.

Wow.  How does he do it?  The texture he manages to evoke of skin, cloth, fur, and whatever else he paints is truly marvelous.  I was also impressed by the way he gets his gold and gems to glint and glitter even in the dim light he generally creates.

The tour groups started coming, but I was able to dodge around them and spend more time with the Vermeers as well.  And I don’t want to forget the other charming genre paintings and landscapes, some wonderful van Ruisdaels among them.

As the museum began to fill up I headed out for a market.  Yes another one.  This one was largely a flea and clothes market, but I did amuse myself by imagining the reaction of the United States Customs Service upon finding cannabis lollipops in my luggage.  I didn’t buy anything though.

Except for the gelato.  I had cinnamon and chocolate, a combination I heartily endorse.  Lekker,  as I said to the young man who served me.

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the streets, licking windows, and going into some of the stores.  I squirted myself with some Jicky, so I smelled a lot better than I looked.  Several of the streets in central Amsterdam are pedestrianized and consequently crowded with walkers.  They have a lot of tourist-oriented shops and eating places, but also some real life Dutch stores, which I enjoyed snooting around in.  I planned to have an easy day, but I think I ended up walking four hours straight.

Smoking cheese is a practice that goes back at least to the Romans, and I think even they would be glad to get their hands on this smoked goat cheese.  It’s got a strong flavor and is definitely smokey. It’s also soft and spreadable on the cracker.  I’m having it with Hoegaarden Witbier.  White beer, I have since learned, should have limejuice squirted in it.  I have none, but it’s still pretty refreshing and goes well with the cheese, and anyway I would find it hard to dislike something that originated in the fifteenth century.

Dag!