UK and Europe '24 Day 9 - Cheating death by bike in Amsterdam, Rembrandt and Veronica

Those travelogues that show sweeping vistas and casual cycling through Amsterdam are inaccurate. It's a fantastic way to get around the small city, but you do have to have your wits about you, and be a little wary of Google's navigation skills if you're looking to simply get from A to B. Having said that, we're in explorer mode, so all wrong turns are new adventures, and LOOK OUT FOR THAT TRUCK! We set off after 8am this morning and turned left when we disembarked from the ferry, which took us down past the international cruise terminal. We decided to look for the nine streets district, which is a favourite spot for the locals. I'm not sure we actually found it in the end, but as we glided thorough the streets of Amsterdam we passed through some residential areas before rolling by everything from cafes and fashion to sex shops and magic mushroom providores. 

Time for coffee and something to eat, so we dropped into Toastable at Nieuwendijk and sampled their fine faire. The Legend (chicken, bacon, bell pepper and cheese) and a good strong coffee. 

We decided to have a little wander up the street, since we had parked the bikes in a safe spot, and sat for a while at Golvende Fontein, watching one of the local kids play near one of the subterranean water outlets, waiting for the inevitable. He got drenched and immediately ran to mum to dry off with her cardigan. Just beyond the fountain is a beautiful old structure, Haarlemmerpoort, which was finished a day before King Willem II's inauguration in 1840, and through which he triumphantly rode.

We casually wandered back to our bikes, Chris stopping in to a clothing shop fr some retail therapy, and thought we'd see if we could get in to the Anne Frank Museum. Sadly it's booked out until after we leave, so we'll have to take that in next time, but we saw a swan in the canal nearby while we decided where to next.

As I mentioned, bike riding can get a little hairy at times through the city with all the confident riders whizzing by from every direction. Then you hit the busy areas. Let me tell you navigating with phone in hand while trying to give hand signals and dodging pedestrians, cars and trucks is no easy task, but we made it in one piece over to Rembrandt's House. I'm pretty sure we did a few circles of Amsterdam in the process, including an unexpected walk through a flower market.

Rembrandt''s House is a museum now, preserved so we can have a glimpse into how he lived. As a successful artist he was able to live in a beautifully appointed home. Entry for the tour is through the kitchen, which we're assured Rembrandt would have rarely entered, if ever. As you climb up to the other levels, you see living areas and his work spaces, some lined with his work and other works by his apprentices and contemporaries. 

The north facing view from his studio looks over the canal. North was the favoured orientation for artists due to the light quality, four windows full of which fill Rembrandt's work space.

As a special treat, there was an artist there today giving a demonstration on how paints were mixed in the days before tubes of paint were available. He conducts art lessons there regularly, and demonstrated the process of crushing ochre (or whatever other medium is being used) before mixing it with linseed oil to make oil-based paint. blue paint was the most expensive, the pigment derived from lapis lazuli which requires a much longer, complex process to extract, due to the impurities found in the stone.

The rain had started by the time we exited the museum, so we grabbed our bikes and rode home via the free ferry. Time to pop some washing on and think about tonight's culinary adventure

We rode down to the NDSM renovated shipyards for dinner which is where you'll find the graffiti and street art museum, as well as an artist's collective housed in one of the old warehouses. 

At the end of the pier is an old ship, the name Veronica in white against it black hull. Curious, we stepped on board to discover a bar (Club Cabana) that also serves food. Dutch burger and a mixed entree platter to share was our order along with a Mojito for Chris and Limoncello Spritz for me. I knew there had to be a story associated with the boat, so asked the bar tender on the way out. Veronica was a pirate radio ship that operated from international waters from 1960 when radio services, other than state licensed ones, were banned in the Netherlands. Radio Veronica now broadcasts from land and also has a TV station, both of which are still very popular. 

We made another friend on the way out named Lydia. She thought we were cycling through Europe (LOLS) and we had to reiterate we were making use of the Air BnB host's bikes. She did, however, tell about a place not too far out we're planning to visit tomorrow... stay tuned!