Back from Old Amsterdam

Hello everybody-thank you for my birthday blog Dad and thanks G&G for birthday blog wishes. Fingers crossed for a summer as hot as '77!

Amazing that we mailed our e-message from a giant Heineken can in Amsterdam to Dad's phone, then he uploaded it to the blogger all in a few minutes! 10 euros also means 3 beers & free gift at the end (your very own beer glass!).The happiest barman in the world works there-his sole job to serve as much free beer as you're allowed. The funniest bit of the tour was a moving platform ride in front of a video screen that you stood up on, as you were knocked about in a simulation of what it's it like to be Heineken bottle -all the way from the production line to the dark ride in a cardboard box via lorry & ship then opened at a party! Cue Kool & the gang's Celebration song.

Well we had an fantastic time away. Love & thanks to Clive whose treated us- ain't he lovely. The flight was only 40 mins & our bags were first off the plane! We stayed in a converted catholic orphange in the east of the city. It has had a chequered history as the Nazis impounded it during the occupation, then it was an old peoples home & now its had the modern treatment & converted into a cooly designed hotel. All original wooden floors & wrought iron staircases. First night we headed to Rembrantsplein past the Casse Opera house on the canal. The famous tilt bridge wasn't lit up when we reached it & just as i declared disappintment at this the bridge's fairy lights lit up! There followed a well earned steak & beer in The Old Bell. Everyone was so nice and you don't get a chance to try your hand at speaking any dutch as everyone is at least bi-lingual there.
On my actual birthday after opening my cards that had been secretly exported/stashed in the luggage we started with a lunchtime drink by sipping a cool glass of Amstel in the bright spring sunshine-sunglasses on & overcoats off! (Beer was a strong theme running throughout this week!Toasting 28 yrs & the end of a long winter sitting in the square in front of the Rijksmuseum watching the world & the trams go by.
Then onto Van Gogh museum. As well as the VG's work they had a photo exhibition of the places that it was known VG lived. So there was a great one of VG's flat in Brixton with the current tenant, an old lady in her housecoat making a pot of tea. Of course everyone likes 'Sunflowers' but my favourites are 'Irises', 'Almond tree' & 'Peach blossom tree'. VG painted it as a gift for his brother Theo's new born son Vincent. Apparently it hung in pride of place over the piano! The Rijksmuseum next door was also impressive with Rembrants 'The Nightwatch' & Vermeers 'The milkmaid' having pride of place. We had an indonesian dinner that evening (there are plenty to choose from in Amsterdam Grandad- a result of their imperial past, as well as many chinese, japanese & thai places).
Thursday we visited the Hortus Botanicus (one for you Uncle Pete). Founded in 1682 they have 3 huge glass houses (with a cactus that must have been 20 ft high) & a butterfly house. The butterflies were as big as your hand & colours ranged from bright orange to a dowdy brown. They had a habit of resting on the damp floor making it hard to see them so you had to be careful where you stepped. They also have the world's oldest pot plant there. A palm that is 300 yrs old & was brought back from the tropics when it was a seed.
Further up the road was Rembrants house. They have recreated the inside of the house by using a list of his belongings that the bank made shortly before they made him bankrupt. He bought his house for 1300 guilders at the time a fortune, but he could well afford it with his success but he found more exciting & sinful things to spend his money on & defaulted his mortgage repayments. They had a set up of his studio with an easel, powdered paints & a marble board that the paint is ground on, so the whole room smelt of wet paint & turps-like he had momentarily just popped out the room! That night after our canal cruise we indulged & had dinner in a tapas bar. We had the best waitress in the world who just kept bringing out plates of food & then insisted we had to try the home made sangria! Lovely.
Bizarre sight of the week was the 60 Geordie men waiting to check in as we checked out of the hotel. They were all wearing tuxedos & red fez's! So our guesses are either Tommy Cooper fan club/ Sons of the Desert fanclub (Laurel & Hardy style) or a rugby trip! So needless to say there was plenty of looking round the markets & having a relaxed 'een pils' in the spring sun shine.

Any one for a bit more Easter Egg? No okay then scoff scoff love to all Gem xxxx