Day 11 - Amsterdam to SFO

We were up by 5:00, out the door at 6:00 and on the train to the airport by 6:30. Mom and I had a little time to do some shopping in the airport before our flight from Amsterdam to Zurich. Once in Zurich we thought we'd have time for lunch, but it took the majority of our layover to circumnavigate the huge airport to find our gate. Once at the gate, there was little time for much of anything and before we knew it, we were flying home to San Francisco. The flight was tough for me because we had to stay awake so that I'd be able to go to sleep upon landing in SF. It was a 12 hour flight. I have never stayed awake for a 12 hour flight. I normally sleep for at least 8 hours. I learned that watch 6 back-to-back movies will make your brain feel like oatmeal. Mom had a few cat naps, so did Matt. By the time we landed in SF, I was so happy to be standing in the fresh air. It was good to be home.

It had been a good trip. 800 miles, 3 countries, 10 days. I think we all have good memories that will be with us for a very long time.

Day 10 - Amsterdam

Mom and I left the houseboat early in the morning, hoping to get into the Anne Frank house. By 8:45, there was already a long line so Mom chose not to go (I've toured the house twice). Instead we went for a morning walk while Matt got a little extra sleep. We paid a visit to the Tulip Museum and stopped by a lovely pastry/cheese shop. We got pastries for breakfast and sandwiches for a picnic lunch. They also had cheese samples. Cheese samples are very dangerous for Mom and I since we "MUST" try them all.

Since it was easily becoming the coldest day of the trip, we opted for an indoor activity. I was worried that 1 museum per day was too much for Mom and Matt, but with the weather so cold, it was either the Rykes Museum or staying inside a pub and drinking beer. I love the Rykes Museum. They have some beautiful paintings by Vermeer. They also have a great app to tour the pieces. A visitor can type in any painting by number and a thorough audio description is spoken by the museum's director as well as other specialists. The main gallery which ends at Rembrandt's famous painting, "The Night Watch," was filled with lots of school children quietly listening to the app on their iPads provided by the museum. Mom and Matt wandered the gallery learning about different paintings while I lingered around some of my favorites.

We enjoyed our picnic lunch in the Museum's atrium. Outside the museum Mom and I popped into a little museum store while Matt stayed outside checking out the skating rink.

All of a sudden, Matt came running into the store. From the look in his eyes, I thought something was horribly wrong. Then Matt blurted our, "Phil's here!!!!" He grabbed my hand and we ran out of the store with Mom in tow. It was true, there stood Phil Keoghan at the Amazing Race mat. I totally lost my mind!!!! Matt had noticed them because he saw an arm crane with a camera wrapped due to the cold. We watched as they blocked their shot and practiced his dialogue. I was completely giddy. My dream would be to compete on the Amazing Race, but I know they would not take Matt and I because we have been to so many countries. We had also joked that with the amount that we travel, the odds were good that we would someday run into the show being filmed.

We wondered around the filming and found the Pit Stop. All the bikes had GoPro cameras. The teams had apparently just checked in and were off filming their post-leg interviews. At one point, Phil took a break and was trying to keep warm. I called out to him asking if he was warm enough. He walked over to us and said, "You looked dressed correctly, are you from Canada?" He then commented on Matt's boots and then began to visit with us. We talked to him about his homeland of New Zealand and renting Maui camper vans. When I get star-struck, I lack the ability to produce any type of coherent dialogue...my brains basically dump out of my head onto the ground like a pile of oatmeal. Fortunately, Matt spoke up for me and asked if I could take a photo with Phil. While standing next to him, I blathered out some idiot statement about how he had the best dream job and if he needed any help, I'd be up for it. Phil noticed Matt had an iPhone 6 Plus and asked to see it. He wanted to know how much bigger it was than the 6, so I handed him mine. Phil held both phones and engaged in some tech talk with Matt after learning that Matt worked for Apple. I just stood there freaking out in my head thinking, "OMG!!! Phil is holding my phone!!! I will never change that case!!" After Matt sold Phil on the iPhone 6, he returned to filming.

As Phil continued to block his shot, I discretely positioned myself to be in the shot behind him. When Season 26 airs in Winter 2015, keep an eye out for me in the background.

Once filming was complete, Phil ran off the ice with his production crew. The Amazing Race Mat was just sitting there alone and unguarded. Matt & I climbed over the rink's railing and made our own episode of the Amazing Race. This was so awesome!

The temperature had dropped to 28. Mom had left the filming area to seek warmth in the little lodge on the other side of the rink. We joined her and warmed up with hot chocolate topped with fresh cream and hot lava cake.

Since it was so cold, we did not get to walk through Vondlepark as I had planned. Anita had emailed us and was going to be returning to city center with her kids. She wanted to meet up at the Apple Store and have dinner together.

We met Anita at 5pm at the Apple Store. Walt was so big and he looked exactly like Ivo. Donna was beautiful and looked like Anita. While Matt helped Anita pick out an iPad with his friends and family discount, I tried to make friends with the kids. Anita had told me they were shy and might not talk to me. She also said that Walt would not attempt to speak English to me. As they were playing on the iPads, I came up to Walt and showed him a Dutch translator app I had. I began typing in sentences and having them translated and then tried to read the translation in Dutch. The translations were so funny that he began laughing and without missing a beat, spoke English to me. His English was excellent. He was so funny and smart. He spent most of the time explaining  Sinter Claus to me, including how Black Peter comes down the chimney and leaves candy in their shoes. Donna was fully engrossed in playing an ipad game.

Anita and Matt were victorious in purchasing an iPad. The kids were really excited about it too. It was also time for the kid's dinner, so since Wagamama was next door and Anita had never been there, we took them to our favorite spot. Everyone loved their dinner. Walt watched me use chop sticks and did very well at using them himself. Donna had fun taking sneaky photos of us with Anita's phone. I was glad the kids liked their dinner. In addition to visiting the Apple Store and having dinner, Anita had also promised the kids a visit to Ben & Jerry's. Since Walt had explained the story of Sinter Claus, Matt told Walt the story of Ben & Jerry. It was so cold outside, I don't know how the kids were able to eat ice cream. Once the last drop of ice cream was licked clean, we said our goodbyes and watch them jump on the tram to head home. The 3 of us popped into a few souvenir shops and then headed home to pack our bags for an early morning departure.

Day 9 - The Hague

Rain was coming and each day was getting colder with the wind chill. We decided today would be a good day to take a 45 minute train to The Hague. It was also a chance for Mom to see some of the countryside. We sped through fields that were formerly filled with tulips and saw many miniature gardens behind people's homes that were growing winter veggies. Upon our arrival at The Hague, the storm clouds were threatening rain. We had a 20 minute walk through the pedestrian streets. It was Sunday morning and the town was very quiet.

The Hague is the home of the Mauritshuis Museum. "The Goldfinch" and the "Girl with the Pearl Earring" as well as the only landscape by Vermeer are the highlights of the collection. The Museum closed in January 2012 and reopened in June of 2014 after undergoing a massive renovation. The Mauritshuis Museum is decribed as ‘the smallest of the great museums, and the greatest of the small museums’.

The last time I visited this museum was in 2006. I was very excited to visit with some of my favorite paintings and my favorite artist, Vermeer. The Museum had a great visitors app, so we each were able to use our phone and ipad to learn more about each painting. Again, Matt quietly enjoyed the paintings while letting me have my own time to visit with my friends. "The Goldfinch" is still a painting that combines sweetness and sadness for me. I love this painting but I hated the Pulitzer Prize winning novel about the painitng. This was my 3rd visit with "The Girl with a Pearl Earring." I never get tired of seeing her. My favorite Vermeer painting hangs in Dublin's National Museum of Ireland called, "Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid." We are very good friends.

During the museum's renovation,  "Pearl Earring" was on tour and spent some time at the DeYoung in San Francisco. I took Mom to see the painting there, but the experience of seeing her behind glass and not getting any closer than 10 feet, was not at all the same as when I saw her in 2006 at the Mauritshuis. It was good to see her back where she belonged where I could be as close as I liked. Mom enjoyed seeing her here much more too.

One surprise was "Appelles Painting Campaspe" c. 1630 by Willem van Haecht. The incredible detail in this painting kept the 3 of us transfixed while trying to comprehend how this was painted. The details in the smaller paintings were incredible.

Prior to leaving the museum, we popped into the gift shop. I am constantly surprised at how great works of art are demeaned by being turned into swag. I truly do not think Vermeer would be happy to see "The Rubber Ducky with a Pearl Earring."

We said goodbye to our friends and were back on the quiet streets. Matt asked if I had ever seen the Panorama Mesdag Museum? I had no idea what it was, so he walked us to the museum feeling that it was something I would appreciate. Turns out the museum closed after Matt's visit in 2003 to undergo a 10 YEAR renovation! It took so long because no one really knew how they would save the panorama painting.

The Panorama Mesdag (1880) is a cylindrical painting (also known as a Cyclorama) more than 14 meters high and about 40 meters in diameter (120 meters in circumference). From an observation gallery in the center of the room the cylindrical perspective creates the illusion that the viewer is on a high sand dune overlooking the sea, beaches and village of Scheveningen in the late 19th century. A foreground of fake terrain around the viewing gallery hides the base of the painting and makes the illusion more convincing.

Each time I walked the deck, I would notice something new. The biggest question was "how did he do this?" The narrative audio that would cycle through was in Dutch. I wish they would have had an English version for us to hear.

It was time for lunch and we found a cute little Italian Deli with Paninis and good coffee for Mom. The owner was lovely and her daughter spoke at least 5 languages. We learned she was once a flight attendant for Lufthansa. Back on the streets, the skies opened up and we got a good dousing of rain as we made our way back to the train station. On the train ride home, I think we all dozed off at times.

We returned to Amsterdam ahead of the rain. We had some time to get a bit cleaned up and enjoy some more Kriek Beer before heading out to meet our friends Anita and Ivo for dinner. It was so good to see them both. It had been almost 10 years since I had seen them. When I met them, they had a 1 year old, named Walt. Walt is now 11 and he has a 7 year old sister named Donna. They also had gifts from Sinter Claus for us...Marzipan iPods. We enjoyed cocktails and snacks at Anita's favorite bar. We went to dinner down the street from the bar. We all really enjoyed our meal and a great visit with friends!

Day 8 - Amsterdam

Bundling up in all our layers, we ventured out into the cold morning. Across the canal from our houseboat was an outdoor market selling fresh bread, cheese and produce. The smell of the bread and pastry was intoxicating. Yes, these items would go into our bellies for breakfast!

We walked through the Jordan, enjoying the crocked buildings and the lovely canals, making our way to the Van Gogh Museum via the morning tram. I was on a mission to get there early before the crowds arrived. Upon our arrival, we walked right in (upon our exit, there were lines down the sidewalk-good job us!).

For me going to any museum is a very personal activity. If it's a museum that I am returning to, I feel like each painting is an old friend as well as the artist himself. So upon entering the museum after 8 years since my last visit, it really felt like I was walking into a friend's home. Matt is really good about my need to visit privately with each painting. When I finish my visit with a set of paintings, we regroup and talk about any paintings he has an interest in. It really means a lot to me that he understands how I need to experience a museum and the artist on my own. Thank you Matt for letting me visit with my friends.

The most momentous change in Van Gogh’s life was triggered by his younger brother Theo, who advised Vincent to become an artist. As time passed, Theo also gradually assumed the role of ‘wise older brother’ and became his art dealer. He died only 6 months after Vincent. The museum has a treasure-trove of personal items, including Vincent's paint and pallete, hundreds of letters, and his ink well and writing desk. Jo van Gogh-Bonger, Theo's wife, is the reason why we have so many personal items of Vincent's. After her husband died, she took over the Van Gogh family estate, saved all the items from Vincent's life and managed his collection of paintings. She keenly sold only a few pieces as needed to fund the estate. But for the most part, this collection is intaked because of her foresight. The Van Gogh family was deeply involved in every aspect of building the museum. Each level of the museum allows you to follow the progression of the artist through his paintings and his letters to his brother. It's a wonderful museum.

NOTE: if you are a true Van Gogh fan, you MUST make a day trip out to the Kroller Muller Museum. It's a private collection, over-shadowed by the VGM, but it has "Cafe du Nuit" and "Starry Night." Helene Kröller dreamt of a ‘museum-home’, a dream that came true in 1938 when the Kröller-Müller opened its doors. Helene Kröller-Müller was its first director. We had wanted to make it to this museum, but by doing so, we took a big chance on missing our drop-off appointment for the car...that would be bad. Also, both Matt & I had visited the Kroller Muller in the past. I just wished we had the time to visit my "friends" there again.

We said goodbye to our friend, Vincent. I think Mom enjoyed the layout of the museum. Outside of the Museum was...surprise...an ice skating rink. The little ones had special skates that had 2 sets of blades like a sled. They could go straight, but turning was near impossible. Again, behind the idyllic setting of children ice skating was the Cocaine Warning sign. It will also be in every tourist's iconic photo with the "I AMsterdam" sign.

Although it was not tulip season, we made our way to the Flower Market. Bulbs with the seal for export to America are now only sold in the springtime. Of course, all the really cool and unique bulbs can't be exported. On past visits, I've had a 50% success rate in getting my "illegal bulbs" home.

Cheese, Cheese, Cheese and MORE cheese! I love cheese, so does Mom. I think we ate an entire day's worth of calories while sampling all the varieties at one of my favorite cheese shops. The Kaaskelder Cheese Shop had so many varieties and all so delicious! The unanimous favorite was a smoked sheep cheese and an aged Gouda. As we filled our basket with cheese, I asked, "Can we fit all this in our bags?" Mom responded, "Oh yeah, we will make it fit!"

In staying with today's theme of introducing Mom to some of my favorite artists, we stopped by Rembrandt's house. The house has been beautifully restored. When Rembrandt went bankrupt and had to liquidate his household assets, however, meticulous records were kept of what was sold and its location in the home. Many of the pieces were recovered and returned to their place in the home. His studio has some of the most perfect light to paint by. While there, we had a demonstration on how Rembrandt made his paint and what material was used. Who knew that burnt rabbit bones made the best black and that boiled rabbit bones made his primer. Blue was the most expensive color for him to make from Azurite so it is used very sparingly. He used a total of some ten pigments: white lead (very poisonous), bone black, Kassel earth, umber, yellow ochre, lead tin yellow, vermilion, madder, smalt and azurite. He stored his self-made paint in pig's bladders.

Walking back to the boat was a good walk. I think we burned off some calories from all the cheese we ate earlier.

It had been a long day with lots of walking. The market we had stopped at in the morning was getting ready to close for the evening. We picked up some more bread and along with our cheese, we decided that we wanted to make dinner in our little houseboat. Plus, the evenings were averaging 32 but felt colder due to the wind. Mom stayed at the boat enjoying some wine while Matt and I went out to forage. Finding a grocery store similar to "Safeway" was a big challenge. The first 3 grocery stores that we found were high-end Whole Foods-type of stores. Matt said, "A store that does not sell Pepsi will not have what we want." Finally, after another long walk, we found a store, but it was packed with shoppers...all who were like us and did not want fancy foods. We got some Minestrone soup, salad, potato salad and an ice cream like dessert that we saw other people buying.

Dinner was perfect. The cheese and bread went great with the soup. Mom and Matt began the first night of their Cherry Beer tasting. I enjoyed my dark beer, but tried theirs. The Extreme Cherry tasted like cherry cough syrup to me. Conversely, Mom and Matt thought my dark beer tasted like wet burnt wood.

After dinner, Matt and I had a night out to ourselves. We walked through the streets lit with Christmas lights and eventually made our way to the Red Light District. We had a good time people watching and popping in and out of the shops.

Ten years ago, I was visiting the Red Light District and walking down a VERY narrow alley way. The alley narrows down so that only 1 person at a time can pass comfortably. As I waited for my turn, I looked into the window I was being pushed against to see the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She was stunning. I mouthed the words, "You are beautiful." She replied simply with "Thank You." I returned to Amsterdam a year later and she was in the same spot, I smiled at her and she smiled back. In my little fantasy world, we were friends who visited over tea while she shared stories with me about her "clients." While walking through the District, Matt and I went back to her window, but a new girl was now there. She was not nearly as pretty. I wonder what ever happened to her.