European Chronicles - Day 5

Today was a late start as we all slept in a bit more... this 6 hour time difference is manageable, but definitely noticeable as well. After breakfast we headed to the Van Gogh Museum. It's not as big as the Rijksmuseum, but was worth the trip.

I never realized just how troubled Van Gogh was throughout his life, nor how young he was when he died (from suicide). The museum has an excellent collection that clearly illustrates how his technique developed over time.

Most of the day was spent strolling sections of Amsterdam we had not yet visited (e.g. closer to the "Red Light" district). There are many side streets and alleyways loaded with shops to explore. We saw numerous ones, but didn't stray too far -- and only came across one "worker" displaying her goods in the window...

The afternoon was spent on another boat cruise thru the city - a good clip of which is posted to the right, about the "Golden Bend" stretch of the Herengracht canal. As you watch it, the speaker goes thru Dutch, German, then English scripts.

Our evening was fairly quiet... a basic sushi dinner, then back to the hotel. One more day here should suffice. I think we're almost ready to come home.