"Cheese"

When I was alone in Amsterdam, I came upon this incredible photo exhibition of pictures of animals in the wild and they were spectacular huge prints.

I kept trying to take a photo of myself in front of the pictures, and failing miserably at getting a reasonable pic of myself and enough of the animals to tell what they were.

for example, this was the best one... sad but true!

A nice german couple came over and i tried to ask them in English to take a photo, and they tried to ask me in halting english if I wanted them ot take a photo. but something was lst because we couldn't understand each other enough to accomplish the photographic endevour.

Then I had one of those fantastic gestalt moments (to use some of my limited German in meta-application...) where everything became clear... I remembered overhearing some German people asking other German people to take a photo when we were in Germany earlier this year.

So I opened my mouth and said exactly what I remembered, "bitte, maken foto?" (please, make a picture?)

The gentleman from the Geman couple smiled the biggest smile and nodded his head vigorously. He took the camera and I posed for this photo.



After he took the photo, the gentleman smiled a small quirky smile and said, "cheese?..."

I nodded, understanding he was talking about what silly americans say when they pose for pictures.

He grinned broadly and exclaimed, "yes, CHEESE!"

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!

2 Stuks

Back in Amsterdam, enjoying tasty fresh juices with chunks of fruit in the juice (they are so yummy!). Our favorite is a limeade/bannana shake with chunks of pineapple in it!

The label says "2 stuks frut" and that is how we identify the best tasty juice in the universe. I bought a ridiculous number of thm last night (they are affordable, healthy, and did I mention... tasty!) and we have a fridge in the apartment (yes, apartment!) where we are staying in Amsterdam.

More soon...

Amsterdam: Just My Size!

OK, so I feel like Goldilocks a bit in Amsterdam because everything is... "just right" for my tiny self-- tiny houses, tiny sinkes, tiny toilets... which is funny because the Dutch seem to be kinda tall and big people, but enough about that.

I took a lovely canal ride from Anne Frank House towards the museums and had a little lunch by a moss-covered fountain outside the Rijks museum.

I went out at night with a really cool girl I met at the hostel named Leslie, who has been traveling alone in London and Paris for a while. The most amazing things were coincidental-- she went to Cal, she had my exact same luggage (except smaller, because she's smarter than me), and she is interested in women and war/human rights law and other topics you all know I dig (but most other people don't). So we had a great time going out.

She and I both wanted to take a look at the famous red light district, but didn't want to venture alone and female in to that environment. so it was very informational and eye-opening, and we were both glad to be there together because we were pretty much the only women in sight not for sale... bizarre........ and hopefully Leslie'll email me the pictures she took so you can see the craziness too.

After a long day of fun and walking everywhere (so many canals!), I took a free shuttle to the beach (about halfway between Amsterdam and the Hague) and will stay at a hostel there for 2 nights. More soon...