Rijksmuseum

Off we set to peruse some art. What a place! We first took photos of the" I Amsterdam " letters which grace the front of the Rijksmuseum. Heidi stood behind them and poked her face through them. We then took some of the building that is truly magnificent.

Then in we went. What a fabulous space greeted us. Lovely pale stone and simplistic.

What sights greet the eyes as paintings of exquisite images from centuries past hung in elaborate gold frames on steel grey walls. The effect was stunning. 

We saw Van Gogh's and Vameer's soaking up all the highlights. 

You knew when you were near something exciting as there was a crowd gathered around the art piece. It was hard to take it all in. We took photos to remind us of what we saw. The museum was over three levels and full of delights. I especially liked the special collection filled with antiques, ceramics, watches, jewellery, musical instruments, light boxes, glass, weaponry, armour, ships, silverware, locks, boxes and door handles. Things like these I had seen on the Antiques Roadshow so it was with great interest to see them up close. At lunchtime we decided to leave, so quickly made a visit to the museum gift shop. I purchased a tiny picture - one of Vameers, a plastic tray with a different Vameer and a tin plate with two birds on it. Also bought some peppermints in a small tin with Rijksmuseum on it. Off we went to search for some lunch. Being a hot day we decided on a hot dog in the park. A chicken sausage in a bun with ketchup and mustard. We sat and ate it with delight.

Tired and happy [ seeing so much makes you ravenous ] we had a rest and soaked up the atmosphere. Next came the Van Gogh Museum but the queues were horrendous we decided to give it a miss as we had seen some in the morning. Instead we continued on to Vondel Park to a small section that took us up to the main road.

We wandered the streets stopping at a coffee shop for a chai. The proprietor was very nice and told us where to go to a weed shop. It was only five minutes away. The place was called the "Blue Lagoon"and was dark inside with a smoking area in the front of it.

 

We looked at the menu which was well stocked and informative. We were served by a lovely guy who asked me if I had pain. He recommended hash so I bought a pre-rolled. They were only three euros which I thought was cheap. We ventured into the smoking room filled with young guys from the Netherlands and one older lady who looked like she was from the Caribbean. It was a relaxed atmosphere filled with smoke and the heady aroma of marijuana hung in the air. We spent a pleasant time there and very quickly  [about four puffs] my pain started to dissipate with feelings of tingling running up and down my legs. I felt relaxed and pain free. The best that I had felt in years. Walking back to the hotel my bones felt light - a great sensation as they usually feel heavy like lead and very uncomfortable. Spending the afternoon in our room relaxing was wonderful and I watched the BBC news cast. Hunger hit at six so we wandered round the corner to a small Indian curry house. We ordered rice with dahl and potatoes and mushrooms. It was delicious. As we had half a joint left we decided to return to Vondel Park and finish them off there. We sat under a large statue with a multitude of coloured tulips beneath it and chilled out smoking. The same effect took over my bones and I felt so much better. My bones appreciated the rest from constant pain. The walk back to the hotel was easier and less painful and we had a cup of green tea in the small dining room then retired to bed to write and watch TV. Tomorrow held the tulip farm and then off to the boat.