Amsterdam

In Amsterdam I saw the house in which Rembrandt lived. They had many of his drawings and even had a demonstration on how he made prints from his etchings. Rembrandt is one of my very favorites. They also had a painting of his that is somewhat controversial on whether or not it can officially be attributed to him. It was a self portrait of Rembrandt laughing. I liked it very much and I would feel safe in betting that is his painting.

I also saw the Anne Frank house and the Van Gogh museum. I really enjoyed the Van Gogh museum and much of the background of his life. I was surprised to find out how short his career as a painter was. Not just the fact that he died young, but he started so late! Also, he loved Japanese art so much.

And the things Amsterdam is notorious for:

I walked through the Red light district in the middle of the day. It seemed like the middle of the day would not be appropriate for that type of business, but I think Amsterdam does not distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate. There did not seem to be any internet cafes in town. Well, there were not any shops that were only internet cafes. I walked in one place to use the internet, but it was also a "coffee shop." It was so smoky inside I decided I did not need to use the internet after all. Just in case you are unaware of what Amsterdam's coffee shops are, I will give you an idea: the shops are almost always playing Bob Marley music and you can smell them from a block away. They seem to be the only shops other than McDonald's that are included in the street signs that point you to places of interest. Well, McDonald's has its own signs, but it is funny to see arrows pointing you to: <-- Anne Frank house, or --> Rijks-museum, and then <--coffee shop. It just seemed kind of strange.