Amsterdam for Four Days, or, The "Widow" Bartlett explores!

John and I bid good-bye to Moshi once again and boarded the night flight to Amsterdam.  It was a long but not horrible journey as we both got some sleep at least and arrived to find Amsterdam quite cool, but not freezing and the sky was chrystal clear. The first roadblock was managing to get a room in our hotel as John had to immediately head to his first meeting of the day.  We persisted in reminding the clerk that we had reserved an early check-in and finally were told that "Well, there is one room over in the annex but...."  Actually, we wound up with quite a nice room if a bit subterranean.  I am sticking the number in my brain to ask for it again as it was nearly twice as big as previous rooms, which were more plush & located more conveniently. This one was quieter, and actually had a bathroom more than 10 steps from the bed! So, once unpacked,  off we went, John to his meetings and me to walk.  I had decided that I would avoid the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh and head to some of the more historical museums within walking distance.  I found gold mines without a doubt.

First I went to the Cat Museum which was a bit of a joke, but there were lots of cat pictures and 3 live cats.  Most interesting to me was the traveling cat litter box donated by J P Morgan, who apparently visited Amsterdam quite a lot.

fabulous oblivious cat lying in the sun

Many cat posters (written in Dutch)

Traveling Kitty litter with leather case

Ode to the black cat

Next I visited the Amsterdam Historic Museum, and that took most of the rest of the afternoon.  When I ventured back, I walked through the huge flower kiosks, promising me that buying bulbs, hemp, seeds, etc., would not cause a bad outcome as I went through customs in the US.

Lovely canal shot

flowers, all kinds

And more flowers

and yet more flowers

I found the Amsterdam Historic Museum to be most interesting.  Starting with the16th century and working up to the 20th century, the museum was filled with ancient paintings, gold, silver, nautical things, globes, etc., and the way that we were guided through the museum was with our map and a QR code that showed I was English speaking--very clever, you just put it to a reader and voilàfull history.  At any rate, I had several hours of joy in this museum and when I returned to the hotel, tried to remember all that I had done.  When John returned we left for the Pilek Restaurant which was across the bay, and you had to take a ferry to get there.  This of course proved to be a disaster because none of the people who were to meet us were there (turned out they had problems with buses and trains) and so we headed out on our own.  I am reasonably sure that this was billed as being a "fun" adventure, but it was cold, and when we found that others had arrived much earlier because they had driven cars we both said a big  "Ummmm.."   However the restaurant was really good and we had a fun time there.  Highly recommend it as you can sit very close to the water and in the summer would be great to sit outside.  I'm also sure that it is a regular "after work" place.

My second day was another adventure.  I had decided that I was very interested in the Jewish Quarter and headed out in that direction to see what I could see.  What I found was extremely interesting.  At the Jewish Historical Museum, I learned about the history of Portuguese Jews coming to Netherlands to seek religious freedom.  These Jews had been forced to convert to being Catholic and were executed (most gruesomely) if caught practicing any Jewish traditions.  Many amazing artifacts came with them, and as time went on the Jews became more assimilated into Dutch culture, and even the "King of Netherlands" Louis Napoleon (Napoleon Bonaparte's brother) granted equal rights for the Jews of Netherlands.  The "Golden Age" seemed to be alive and well for the Jews in Netherlands.  Of course Hitler changed all that and Netherlands is still suffering from the horrible WWII. I particularly loved some of the personal stories regarding traditions.  Since I am a tradition person myself, I loved seeing how these traditions had been handed down over the course of time.

Home of old Torah

Beautiful Silver materials

I moved from the Jewish Historical Museum to the Portuguese Synagogue and the statue for Port workers who went on strike in 1941 and galvanized the resistance movement.  The Synagogue is beautiful and being inside felt very peaceful and somehow sacred.  The whole day was moving, but in particular this Synagogue was a standout.

 All different angles of the Portuguese Museum.

Here is the grieving room where the coffin with the dead would be placed

Statue of the Port Striker 1941

This statue symbolized the port workers who struck for the end of violence towards Jews.  As a result many people were killed and over 500 Jews deported, thus beginning the horrific story of over 75% of the Jewish population of Amsterdam being killed.  But, it also began the story of the Resistance movement.  People who hid families, Newspapers who printed against the Nazis regardless of the dangers that they faced, false papers being made, children being secreted away and adopted in Christian families, those courageous enough to speak out and many times be executed.  It was an overwhelming day.

Holland Schouwburg Theatre

This Theatre was selected by the Nazis to house Jews prior to their deportation to the death camps.  A theatre that continued to have live shows even during the early time of the housing, in a theatre to hold 300, sometimes over 1300-1500 people were jammed in for several days waiting to be sent to the death camps.  Children were separated from parents because of their screams--they were moved across the street to a place called the Creche.  Theoretically when the family was called up  to join the others in the trains, the children would be reunited, but secretly nurses would sneak to the parents to request permission to hide the children and move them to families in the countryside where they might either be hidden or adopted. Most parents agreed, though many parents could not be contacted in that case, everyone descended into the hell that was the death camp. The theatre became the ironic symbol of the theatre of the absurd.  But, even there, people in charge of the papers for the people who were to be deported the next day, would move them back, change the numbers, read them quickly so the numbers would read....101, 102,103,105,107.108......and each day about 200 would be saved.  OMG.  As a theatre lover, it was overpowering.  But, even then I determined to move on to the Holocaust Museum.

names, eternal flame

eternal flame

I watched a 30 minute video here about the Holocaust from the Netherlands; then looked at the memorial.  At this one, you can type the name of a person you suspect to have been deported or killed during the war, and in many instances more of a story of this person's life will come up.  I was pretty overwhelmed by this time, but what was so interesting about this memorial was the dedication of the staff who really wanted you to be part of this piece of history that is fading away, even as the Vietnam War history is fading away.  Talk about stumbling back to the hotel!  But, a very good day for learning and vowing never to forget.  Bless Amsterdam for having these memorial sites.

John and I were treated to the most amazing dinner I have ever had in Leiden.  I'm still waiting for the name of the restaurant for it was incredible.  First of all, the trip to Leiden was great.  Beautiful fields ready for planting or just planted, and then the adorable city.

Too cute????

We had dinner in a restaurant at which you had to ring a bell.  When answered you were invited to a quaint comfortable bar, and then a small restaurant with the best food (and we had the Chef's choice) that I have ever eaten.  I have no idea how much it cost but with each course was wine.....chosen by the chef.  wow.  Tobias and his wife Lisette knew the place and took us, treated us, and we loved them (not for the dinner but just because....I swear we could have eaten hamburgers and loved them....but this dinner....ohmygod)  I think that the head waiter was just as bad a photographer as I am as he took 5 pictures and this one is the best.  (awful)

Our next day I determined to continue the resistance thread and returned to the area of the Holocaust Museum.  There, I had to pass the Botanical Garden, no time, and the zoo (don't like seeing animals in captivity anymore) and head to the Dutch Resistance Museum.  What I found there was amazing.  In fact, overtly the Dutch are not credited with having many resistors, but I in fact found the amazing resourcefulness of the resistance movement to be undeterred against all obstacles.  Something like 8 resistance newspapers continued to churn out press; papers were continuously forged to get people out; little insurgencies went on all the time; children were evacuated to the country, not for escape from bombs, but for escape from deportation; the dykes were flooded; the parachuters  shot down; illegal radio (especially Radio Free Europe) were hacked into; and on and on.  I had not realized that the Dutch people, too were starving especially in what was left of Rotterdam and Amsterdam.  Beetroot became the meal of the day, and was described as something so horrible that you had to stop your nose to swallow it.  Some families resorted to eating grass and dirt.  It is a bit hard to swallow.  I had thought to take pictures but I just couldn't.  So when I left the museum, I just took some pictures at a small park around.

cute funny park outside Dutch Resistance Museum

cute park outside Dutch Resistance Museum

From this park I went a bit of "yang" and headed to the flea market.  Fun fun fun.  I had conversations with everyone about where I came from and where I was going, etc.  Even why I wanted this little set of earrings because all mine had been stolen.  Such crazy people, but so cool in their own way.

check the old men on the far left

Flea market has everything

flea market even sells bicycle parts

I still had this fancy house the Wilet--Holthuysen on my brain.  The thanks to Kelly Deal for pointing it out.  I do have to say at the onset that I felt like it was over-priced, and while Trip Advisor said to show your other museum receipts and you would get a discount-I did not, but have my suspicions about this childless marriage of largess and $$$$$.  But it is an interesting house.  I loved the kitty.

Camouflage Kitty--I love them

Men-no brain??? at Wilet-Holthuysen  house

This collar, no head picture is my favorite of them all.  What is better to express the non-entity the men have in this particular family.

So, thus ends my fabulous 4 days in Amsterdam.  John and I found a cheap Indonesian Restaurant in Rembrandtplein which in itself is pretty nice (mostly restaurants and a big statue of Rembrandt that I won't post because he looks like everyone else with birds all around.  But great to have the time to see so much of the city.

Delicious Indonesian Dinner...sigh last night.

I seriously suggest finding a hotel near the center (and read Trip Advisor to find) and just walking everywhere.  There is so much to see.  You can certainly take the train, but you don't have to.  Almost everything in Amsterdam is within 10 minutes walk.  Just do it!

And FYI, I watched "The Imitation Game" on the way home.  Perfect to tie up yet another side of the war.  Horrifying...even Britain and in turn most of the western world were cruel and horrible to the poor LGBT community no matter how smart and contributing to the salvation of the Western World.  Oh My Goodness!