Last Day in Amsterdam

and not sure what to do...

I wandered around this morning and ate strawberries with a fresh croissant.

I bought my train ticket to the airport tomorrow and double-checked my flight details. I'll write a little bit now, then maybe wander some more.

I went to the Van Gogh Museum yesterday and saw many original works including pencil drawings and lots of self-portraits. The museum also has work by Van Gogh's contemporaries, collaborators, and friends, including Gaughain, Monet and others. Very nice collection, and the timing of the day worked out perfectly, because I was able to walk from the hostel to the museum area and it started pouring rain only after I was already inside the museum! The restaurant and gift shop also provided cover from the storm and I happily passed several hours in the museum.

I took the tram to Dam Square and walked to Niewmarkt, where I got tasty Indonesian food at the place Toshi and I discovered on our first trip together here in February. They have sticky rice wrapped around chicken and also krokets "(minced meat surrounded by crunchy breaded layer). But my favorite are these eggs in a red sweet and spicy sauce.

Just down the street is a Shanghai massage place where Toshi and I had foot massages the last time we were here. Toshi and I also visited and got foot, head, and shoulder massages this weekend. Since it is so affordable and so healing, and I was right there and I was sooo tired after walking around all day and then the museum... I got a full body massage and the lady wrung me out like a tube of toothpaste. She dug in to all my knots and tight places in my muscles, and after that I walked home and went happily to sleep.

I was the only one whose bed had stuff on it in th hostel dorm room (4 beds) when I went to sleep, but 3 girls showed up late at night; they had come from Berlin where they told me they had "experienced the nightlife."

There is a motion sensor light in the bathroom (each dorm has its own bathroom attached!) so you don't ever have to fumble for the lights in the dark. very nice. I got up in the night to go, and opened the door... the light flashed on to the 3 girls all sitting on the floor, huddled around their cameras and cell phones, laughing and looking at photos. I jumped and they screamed and it was very funny. In the morning they apologised a lot for frightening me, but I said it only suprised and amused me.

This morning I woke up refreshed and quite happy! also I figured out that I am leaving in the late afternoon, not the early morning tomorrow! and that makes such a difference!