We were able to wakeup this morning without any effects of jetlag. That means my tried (twice before) and true method of staying up as late as you can on the first day and having several drinks before sleeping, does consistently work. We had an excellent breakfast of scrambled eggs with herbs, toasted rolls, asparagus wrapped in meat (mine in bacon and Mary's in chicken), coffee with steamed milk, tea, raspberry and pear smoothies, and freshly squeezed orange juice. After eating, we walked to the Dam tram station (as in Damrak, not damn) and took the number 5 tram to the Hobbemstraat stop. We admired paintings by Rembrant, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Gaugain, and Loutrec and learned about Dutch history at the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum.
When we finished our Dutch art admiration, we decided to stop and try hot waffles with ice cream, which tasted even better than you think. The waffles were completely different in consistency than any I have ever had. They were flaky, Mary thought they were more like a pie crust, but chewy.
Later in the afternoon we decided to go to the Het Grachtenhuis, a museum about the design and construction of the three outer canal rings and a restoration of a classic canal house. This museum was fantastic, it was unlike any prior museum experience I had ever had. Mary believes this is the best museum, by far (she is an urban planner). They used some interesting audio visual techniques to bring the story alive. On a American history note, John Adams had spent some time negotiating with the owner of the house, a bank owner, to help finance our developing nation. When we finished with this museum we returned to the Damrak.
Before heading back to our B&B, we decided to stop off at a convenience store where I ended up buying a pair of €14.50 scissors to trim my beard. Unfortunately, they were not clearly marked and I handed over a €20 note. As I was counting the change and reviewing the reciept out on the street, I realized my mistake. To make matters worse, I did a hack job on my burgoning beard with the scissors and ended up shaving it all off. I was really starting to enjoy people thinking I was Dutch before they started talking to me. Oh well, now I am clean shaven for our fancy dinner cruise on the canal.
As a note to fellow vacationers, always come prepared. A pidgeon relieved itself on my shirt and Mary's purse. Luckily she had wet wipes, which did a great job of cleaning the mess. Once we got back to the room, I washed the shirt. Well that's all I have for now, so Tot ziens (goodbye).
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