The Trip of a Lifetime: July 8 to 14, 2022 - Dreiländereck and Amsterdam

July 8, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 82; Amsterdam, the Netherlands
I lied to Roz. I told her she would only have to take one short flight during this adventure; from Rome to Barcelona. Well we flew from EuroAirport Basel to Amsterdam Schiphol very early this morning. She got through it like a champ for three reasons: 1. The prayers prayed over her yesterday afternoon in Germany by some evangelical Christians we met who were doing a local outreach. 2. Her determination to complete this journey. And 3. Xanax.
We heard horror stories about air travel in general and Schiphol in particular. The EasyJet area bag drop and departure terminal were both crowded, but we were processed in an orderly fashion. Roz’s bag was over, but they averaged the weight out, and didn’t make us move clothing around. We could only guess before, but we are now traveling with 100 pounds of stuff.
Everything said masks were required on the plane but no one had them on. No one bothered you about it. Everyone was coughing and sneezing. I think we’ll all survive. They did say to remove your mask before putting your oxygen mask on…I think if you need that warning, you may be as stupid as the person who is making the flight attendants say it.
We had eggs for brunch. They came with the most delicious bread. I should have saved a piece for this evening because we soon came across a coffee shop and I had an edible. So I apologize in advance for any mental lapses, vague passages, or egregious spellcheck fails in this blog. I have an excuse. And remember. I wasn’t the most drugged up member of the family today.
And only one weird thing happened after I ate it. When we were leaving the coffee shop, a low flying pigeon glanced off the brim of my hat. I asked Roz, “Did that just happen? Did a pigeon just hit me in the head. Stay tuned. I’ll tell you her answer tomorrow…
tot morgen

July 9, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 83; Amsterdam
We set out do the hop on bus this chilly morning. There were a hole bunch of people at the stop and a bus didn’t come for 45 minutes. It was soon filled. We couldn’t get on the next one either, so we walked to where we wanted to go., which is a flee market. It was fun. We got delicious Vietnamese spring rolls.from a stand. I got a hat and a shirt.
We finally hopped on the bus at 3:30 and rode it around to our stop, grabbed street food and came back to the hotel. It’s pretty cold and windy out and we’re exhausted. Going to stay close to home this evening. Roz is feeling better, but isn’t 100% yet, so I night of rest will be good for her.
tot morgen

July 10, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 84; Amsterdam
Roz is getting a little better each day. Hopefully she will be 100% by the day before her birthday, which is July 14th; our last day here. We did wash again. This time it was easy-peasy. 11 euros a load for them to do it. We had two loads. It usually costs us at least that much to do it ourselves.
I got a run in. I went the opposite way of the tourist stuff and it was fairly uncrowded and there weren’t a lot of bikes. It’s more of a commercial office area. That’s okay. I prefer not much scenery and also less traffic to the opposite.
We went to an open air concert down the street that I found while jogging. It turned out it was a rock concert for kids and by kids. The music would have been really good, if it was one of our children in it. Since we didn’t, it wasn’t, so we headed for parts unknown. We wound up running into a pho place Roz found when we did wash. We had linner there.
Vietnamese coffee is amazing. I asked for hot, and got it cold, but that was a blessing in disguise. It’s the best coffee I’ve had on the trip. It made me homesick for my cold roast. It was good because it reminded me of home. It reminded me of coffee I already make. We spent some of this morning booking tickets in Amsterdam and trying to find accommodations in England. I should have researched the Anne Frank house. No tickets available for weeks out. We’re bummed.
Prices are still skyrocketing and we aren’t finding suitable places in London in desirable areas. We are thinking outside the box and we’ll see how it goes. Maybe go off the beaten path. Hopefully we will have a home, however temporary, for the next couple weeks.
tot morgen

July 11, 2022: No Captain’s Log

July 12, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 86; Amsterdam
We visited the Rembrandt House today. It was a very interesting place. It doesn’t have much in the way of his paintings, but it has a lot of etchings by him, and by those who were influenced. Who knew? He had a whole etching studio, with a printmaking machine. This is the second time I’ve run into Rembrandt on this trip. The first time was in Madrid at the Prado Museum.
There, a single Rembrandt outshone all the masters in the entire museum, and that was a lot! This time it was the etchings. So intricate. So, our plan is to go to a popular, touristy museum and then wander around until we discover not on our bucket list. But could be cool. Today we found the Red Light Secrets Museum of Prostitution.
It was different. Informative…I’m a libertarian - so I think it should be legal everywhere - but prostitution is always a horrible career choice; even here. I’m not a big fan of prostitution as a business model, but also as a social issue. I’ve always believed it is unfair to women…but not the ones on the pole. I’m talking about the mom at home trying to make ends meet, while her husband is blowing his paycheck on go-go girls and prostitutes. I’ve known some guys like that.
Plus, they make it seem like everything is so safe in Amsterdam, but I bet it isn’t. I’m sure people have horror stories. They also try to act like they are in the vanguard of the fight to end sex trafficking. I bet people involved in the business here are still plugged into the global network, no matter how much they virtue signal.
Roz is getting better each day, but now I’m starting to lose my voice and felt a little out of sorts today, so we just went back to the hotel room, got a little room service and crashed.
tot morgen

July 13, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 87; Amsterdam
Roz is almost back to normal, but now our seasonal allergies have kicked in, so we both are miserable. We’ve had occasional small bouts with them during this trip, but this is like a double barrel pollen shotgun going off in your face. The flowers are beautiful, but pollen is the downside.
We visited the Van Gogh Museum today. What an amazing collection. We learned so much more about Vincent than we knew already, and he is up there as one of our favorites. He was influenced by Japanese art, it influenced some of his work, and he also tried his hand at some of the traditional stuff and nailed it!
He also had some soul searching paintings, like a Pieta. There was a time, while in the looney bin, that he made his own versions of famous works of those who came before him. The struggle comes out in every one of them.
After the museum we headed to the hood to look for black hair care products and a curling iron…for the birthday girl, not for me. She got everything she sought, but still wasn’t happy. Maybe some day I’ll understand, but I seriously doubt it.
We celebrated Roz’s birthday this evening, just like 16 years ago today, when we celebrated another big birthday in Paris on the eve of July 14th. We ate at Nomad Restaurant. It’s across the street from the hotel. We saw crowds queueing up there each night, so we knew the food is good. It was a five course meal. Every one from a different part of the world. You had to guess where. Its was a great place, great food, great chef and great staff.
tot morgen

July 14, 2022: Captain’s log: star-date 88; Amsterdam
Happy real birthday Rosalind D Clark. We visited the Moco Museum this morning. It is a contemporary art museum. The big attraction is Banksy, who I’m only slightly familiar with. Roz is a big fan. One theme I noticed throughout the museum is a one world order, over the top political commentary bent in their messaging.
I’d rather the art tell me to be an activist for some cause than the curators of a museum. I wouldn’t listen to the art either. But at least the artist has some talent; the back room folks don’t.
We are both still reeling from seasonal allergies, so we did some wash and a little souvenir shopping, and then retired to our room to pack and rest up for the long journey tomorrow…and then we decided to do a comedy club. Why not? Don’t have to get up until 4:15 to catch a train…I guess I’ll be sleeping on that train.
tot morgen
Frank

July 15, 2022: No Captain’s Log; star-date 89