A half day in Amsterdam
We got up and packed up what little we had to pack, left our baggage with the doorman and went out to see some of Amsterdam. We headed straight for the Van Gogh museum, because this was the only “must do” on my list for this town. We got lost (just a little out of our way, because of canals and such, not lost per se) and some helpful people moved us along the right
My mother would have loved this museum because they start with Vincent first learning to draw and taking lessons, which I didn’t realize he did and how he developed different techniques. It was like an art class just moving through the exhibits and you got to see Van Gogh’s style develop over time. We planned our return to the hotel through the Red Light district of Amsterdam and, again, I was surprised how it creeps up on you. I kept going past these windows with thick red curtains and was surprised when the next one had a naked woman in it trying to get attention. There were two main thoroughfares that were a mile long and every alley between the two also had these establishments with sex shops and bars in between them. The walkers around us soon started to become predominantly male and I was amazed at the women that did walk through here pushing strollers because this is just part of the town here. 
disappointed. We made it back to the hotel, got the baggage and dragged everything back to the train station. We got our tickets to Middleburg to visit David and Margaret Aiken who moved there two years ago.
path. In the museum area the marijuana was not as pervasive as closer to the train station and it started to look like a normal town the further out you went. Our noses brought us into a bakery, but unlike I had hoped, there were no bacon rinds like in the Dutch Oven bakery in Michigan. I didn’t seen any almond paste type things at all, but there were still some damn good apple turnovers, phyllo pastry with sausage and cheese in it, and
other goodies. The Van Gogh museum is currently being housed at the Hermitage while they are renovating, but you couldn’t tell that this was a temporary home at all. And because it is Van Gogh, you move through the room and read all the things, get really close to the works and see the hundreds of colors he actually used, then step back and see the wonderful world that is Vincent.
My mother would have loved this museum because they start with Vincent first learning to draw and taking lessons, which I didn’t realize he did and how he developed different techniques. It was like an art class just moving through the exhibits and you got to see Van Gogh’s style develop over time. We planned our return to the hotel through the Red Light district of Amsterdam and, again, I was surprised how it creeps up on you. I kept going past these windows with thick red curtains and was surprised when the next one had a naked woman in it trying to get attention. There were two main thoroughfares that were a mile long and every alley between the two also had these establishments with sex shops and bars in between them. The walkers around us soon started to become predominantly male and I was amazed at the women that did walk through here pushing strollers because this is just part of the town here.
Of course we had to go watch the obligatory sex show where the window opens and closes on you when time is up and went in the stores that had incredibly expensive toys in them. Not only were they expensive to start with, but then when you thought about the fact that this was the price in Euros, it was easy to walk out empty handed. So, all of you who were expecting a gift from Amsterdam of any seed or sex persuasion are going to be
disappointed. We made it back to the hotel, got the baggage and dragged everything back to the train station. We got our tickets to Middleburg to visit David and Margaret Aiken who moved there two years ago. 
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