Wednesday, 18th
A relaxed breakfast always makes me happy and going for the day. We had ham, cheese, omelet, toast and juice, which was pretty much became our regular breakfast over the next few weeks, with variations and additions here and there.
Today we had a lot of places to visit. Some planned, some spontaneous.
The first place that we went visiting was the Van Gogh Museum. For a change we took a ride on the tram. The driver also doubles up as the ticket collector in Europe. When we asked him tickets for two for the Van Gogh museum he gave is such a blank stare as if he has never heard of him. After we spelled it out to him, he gave a chuckle and with a loud coughing sound mentioned.. you mean Van Kho (stress on Kho as if someone is coughing loud). It was our turn to stare and chuckle.
There was a serpentine queue outside the museum. We waited patiently for about 32 minutes before we entered the huge hall with the masters paintings hanging everywhere. Truly an art enthusiasts delight. There were benches in each display area. From his early works till about his last they were all on display. The potato eaters, the sunflower and other works were staring at us and the guide alongside was mentioning about the little nuances of most paintings and the importance. Like how a particular chair in "potato eaters" has the four legs painted at an angle and how it is difficult to portray the same otherwise.
Bonus, bonus on display was the early works of Monet by the sea.
After a few hours of art, with dizzied heads we browsed through the art shoppe and picked up few.
We were bound to be hungry and thank heavens there was a hot dog vendor right outside (happiness)
It was afternoon so we wanted to explore the city further. A quick inquiry at the information booth (our lifeline, as you would realize later, why) G figured there is the little hamlet - the windmill village about 45 minutes away from the city. The adventurers that we were we started towards that direction. We boarded this bus which took us through the city. Entire neighborhoods looked so similar with similar structured houses, canals, decorated gardens and window sills. Similar upholstery, tulips, lamps and knick knacks adorning the windows. The drive was a breeze and much jokes later we got of at McD joint from where we had to change bus for Zaanse Schaan. McD tempted us with coke, french fries and fillet o fish and the bus came along. Wham !! were we struck by the scenic beauty!! Five windmills in a row by the river. There were this beautiful hamlet with shops selling variety of cheese (smoked and yummy), wooden clogs, antique stuff, wooden tulips etc. The sun was setting and it was a bit breezy by the water. The ducks made a line towards home. It was all o picturesque.
As we chilled on the bench there was a man playing with his dog in an enclosed area. We burst out laughing at him and his dog. Just.
Two hours had passed and reluctantly we also packed our stuff and made a move towards the hostel. we took the same buses back to the hostel. It was pretty crowded at the cafeteria. We had some tea and chips while the choir assembled around the piano. The funny man who sang along with the bible and kept punctuating with O was also there.
Post our tea and shower, we walked the neighborhood. The sex shops dotted the street along the canal. Bright rooms with painted ladies against huge glass windows. A hoard of tourists were making a crowd observing them and clicking pics, although its strictly against the policy. Anyways we hung around for a while and then strolled back to the hostel for a quiet sleep.
A day well spent and tomorrow was another day. We decided to meet at 5 am in the morning to head towards Aalsmer - the world's largest flower auction place. Now waking up at 4 is tough and is another story
A relaxed breakfast always makes me happy and going for the day. We had ham, cheese, omelet, toast and juice, which was pretty much became our regular breakfast over the next few weeks, with variations and additions here and there.
Today we had a lot of places to visit. Some planned, some spontaneous.
The first place that we went visiting was the Van Gogh Museum. For a change we took a ride on the tram. The driver also doubles up as the ticket collector in Europe. When we asked him tickets for two for the Van Gogh museum he gave is such a blank stare as if he has never heard of him. After we spelled it out to him, he gave a chuckle and with a loud coughing sound mentioned.. you mean Van Kho (stress on Kho as if someone is coughing loud). It was our turn to stare and chuckle.
There was a serpentine queue outside the museum. We waited patiently for about 32 minutes before we entered the huge hall with the masters paintings hanging everywhere. Truly an art enthusiasts delight. There were benches in each display area. From his early works till about his last they were all on display. The potato eaters, the sunflower and other works were staring at us and the guide alongside was mentioning about the little nuances of most paintings and the importance. Like how a particular chair in "potato eaters" has the four legs painted at an angle and how it is difficult to portray the same otherwise.
Bonus, bonus on display was the early works of Monet by the sea.
After a few hours of art, with dizzied heads we browsed through the art shoppe and picked up few.
We were bound to be hungry and thank heavens there was a hot dog vendor right outside (happiness)
It was afternoon so we wanted to explore the city further. A quick inquiry at the information booth (our lifeline, as you would realize later, why) G figured there is the little hamlet - the windmill village about 45 minutes away from the city. The adventurers that we were we started towards that direction. We boarded this bus which took us through the city. Entire neighborhoods looked so similar with similar structured houses, canals, decorated gardens and window sills. Similar upholstery, tulips, lamps and knick knacks adorning the windows. The drive was a breeze and much jokes later we got of at McD joint from where we had to change bus for Zaanse Schaan. McD tempted us with coke, french fries and fillet o fish and the bus came along. Wham !! were we struck by the scenic beauty!! Five windmills in a row by the river. There were this beautiful hamlet with shops selling variety of cheese (smoked and yummy), wooden clogs, antique stuff, wooden tulips etc. The sun was setting and it was a bit breezy by the water. The ducks made a line towards home. It was all o picturesque.
As we chilled on the bench there was a man playing with his dog in an enclosed area. We burst out laughing at him and his dog. Just.
Two hours had passed and reluctantly we also packed our stuff and made a move towards the hostel. we took the same buses back to the hostel. It was pretty crowded at the cafeteria. We had some tea and chips while the choir assembled around the piano. The funny man who sang along with the bible and kept punctuating with O was also there.
Post our tea and shower, we walked the neighborhood. The sex shops dotted the street along the canal. Bright rooms with painted ladies against huge glass windows. A hoard of tourists were making a crowd observing them and clicking pics, although its strictly against the policy. Anyways we hung around for a while and then strolled back to the hostel for a quiet sleep.
A day well spent and tomorrow was another day. We decided to meet at 5 am in the morning to head towards Aalsmer - the world's largest flower auction place. Now waking up at 4 is tough and is another story
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