Bike Envy

While I might like my blue and white one-speed coaster bike (I’ve never owned a bike with hand brakes), it’s my Dad who *really* likes bikes. When out in public with him, his gaze will wander when he sees a vintage-looking bike, preferably a coaster bike. I refer to this as ‘bike envy’. Here in Amsterdam, my Dad has serious bike envy. There is pretty much any kind of bicycle imaginable here and some things you didn’t know existed. About the only thing we haven’t seen on a bike yet is a banana seat, but it’s only a matter of time.

The city has narrow roads and is well set-up for travel by bicycle, so there are a lot of bikes here. And when I say a lot I'm really not exaggerating, as you can see from this photo I took at Dam Square...

 

There are bicycles that are decorated with bright paint jobs and graphics...

 

 

Bikes are often used for more then one passenger. Sometimes people ride on the parcel rack on the back, sitting side saddle. There are also lots of child and baby seats often mounted in front of the rider...

 

But our favourite are the basic, utilitarian bicycles. They are beat up, rusty, and well-loved means of transportation...

 

This black model, which really is representative of many different bikes all over the city, is possibly our favourite...

 

I guess you can say that the Anderson's really appreciate a good shit kicker bicycle. Once I saw the rusted, backwards light I knew I had found a winner.

 

Rijks Museum

Today’s museum trip was to the newly re-opened Rijks Museum. Like many national museums, it contains a lot of incredibly famous and beautiful works of art, design, and decorative arts. It displays everything from Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’ to models of ships from when the Dutch ruled the high seas. It also has rooms of pottery, an epic display of ivory pistols, and a gown decorated in thin brass strips from the early 1800’s. My favourite room was on the second floor, which had two incredibly detailed doll houses from the 1600’s (as my friend Jenn Bowser has witnessed at Windsor Castle, I go all mushy for historical doll houses)...

 

But what I’d like to show you is some of the architectural changes that were made to the building during its recent renovation. The outside entrance still looks similar to when it originally opened in 1885....

 

 

 

And some spaces inside are still frozen in time, such as the museum’s (still functioning) library...

Other areas have received a full restoration, such as the Great Hall on the second floor. All of the paintings, stained glass, and stonework look as they would have when the building was new...

Depicted in the windows are patrons who had made donations to have the museum built in the late 19^th century...

But what I really liked was how the new ground floor area merges new with the old architecture seamlessly...

 

And finally, the Rijks Museum is quintessentially Dutch with this feature...

On street level, a bike path runs through the centre of the building.

Eccentric Vehicles

I have encountered a number of eccentric little vehicles today in Amsterdam. The streets here are very small, particularly the side streets, so it makes sense that I would be small vehicles.  There are the tiny cars...

 

There are tiny electric garbage trucks...

 

And then there are some vehicles that are just eccentric and not just because of their size. I saw this little truck through the ripple-glass window of the restaurant I was in and fortunately it was still there after I left so I could take a photo of it...

 

That`s a different version of a food truck- much better then back home, where a hot dog stand has to be packed up and towed at the end of the day.

I also saw, but did not manage to get a photo of, a quad ATV bike that one would normally associate with back roads and rough terrain, on the city streets. Speaking of bikes, the weirdest thing I saw today (twice) was this motorcycle...

 

That`s the back end of it. It has a flatbed extension on the front of it. Not sure how well it handles but it sure looks interesting.

Royal Palace in Amsterdam

I’m spending a few days in Amsterdam for the first leg of my trip. After taking a tour of the city on a canal boat, we went to the Koninklijk Paleis or Royal Palace. There are so many interesting museums and historic buildings in the city and we have so little time, so we found ourselves in Dam Square and basically said ‘look, a pretty building, let’s go in it’....

 

I need to point out that it is a lovely place and I enjoyed my visit, but the palace has a number of challenges that makes it difficult to tour. I only have limited photos because they don’t allow flash, so I could only take pictures in brightly lit areas.

Firstly, it’s still actively used by the royal family, so all of the displays and barriers have to be removed easily. Almost all of the information is conveyed by audio tour and there is very little signage along the visitor route, which is a bit confusing. It also means that in rooms with historic interiors there are tv’s, phones, and other modern features. I’m not entirely sure why all the wire tires were needed on this light fixture, but I’m sure it was useful at some point...

 

 

Secondly, the building has been used for a number of purposes over the years. From the mid 17^th century to 1808 it was Amsterdam’s town hall. The most spectacular part of the building from that era is the Burgerzaal or Citizen’s Hall.  It is nothing short of amazing- the ceiling is covered in carvings and paintings...

 

 

And the floor is decorated with three maps...

The map of North and South America is interesting because at that point in time only some of the territory was know, so Canada is rather small...

 

The hall was accessible by members of the public from Dam Square until the building was annexed by King Louis Bonaparte when France ruled the country in the early 19^th century. Most of the furniture on display in the rooms is from this era, although often in different rooms then it would have been used in at the time. So, it means most rooms have three different purposes: what they were used for as a public building, its use in the early 19^th century, and its current use. Take, for example, the Insurance Chamber...

 

The audio guide explains that the room was originally used to issue insurance for trips for expeditions. When the French were living in the palace, the room was used as part of the dining hall. And presently, it’s used as a bedroom with the furniture set originally used in Louis Bonaparte’s private quarters. Confused yet? So were some of the visitors. The lady behind me asked ‘why do all these rooms have beds?' (although I have to say, what a stunning bed!)

Finally, the guide map is the most useless map I have ever used. And other then the cues in the audio guide, it’s the only way you know what direction to travel in because the visitor route isn’t marked....

So in short, it’s a lovely place to visit but by a museum perspective it will kind of drive you nuts. But beautiful carvings and lots of interesting details...

 

 

A Photo Worth Sharing

A short story...

I had the pleasure of being bumped up on my flight (thank you British Airways) and I am sitting in their fancy airport lounge. Next to me is my Uncle Frank. I was scrolling through my photos of Dani (my laptop, yes, she has a name). And as I was looking through my photos, I found this....

 

Meet Guinness, who is my Uncle’s dog.

I was house-sitting for my Aunt and Uncle for a week in April when I was at my lowest point with mono. I was truly feeling like death. Nothing was funny, except how one dog could possibly sprawl out to cover an entire sofa. It was the elegantly crossed front paws that really struck me (there are many words to describe Guinness and anyone who has met him will tell you ‘elegant’ is not one of them).

So I took a photo and completely forgot about until now.

Everyone's Favourite Girdle

So I’ve realized part of the problem with my lack-of-blogging. I have too many distractions in my regular life. Stick me in an airport with a 45 minute delay and I promptly start blogging.

So really, I just need to visit airports more often. Problem solved.

Anyway, I’m catching up on some of the things I’ve been meaning to post. This is from October. I had intended to take some photos of one interesting piece from some of the exhibits at work and write a post about them. I’m partially doing this because I work in a department of one, so there really isn’t anyone else to show off my handiwork to. Also, generally if I’m done my job well most museum visitors will not notice how I’ve prepared a piece, which is the point- people come to museums to look at the pretty objects not the mounts they are displayed on. I’m also a big nerd who gets excited about conservation, so any excuse to share is good in my book.

This is from the show ‘Natural Resources’ and it’s how to make a heavy and fragile rain cape float. This rain cape from Japan, to be exact....

It’s mainly a back piece that is held by a strap that the wearer holds as he bends over and walks wearing what is generally a ceremonial piece. My problem is that my mannequin can’t hold anything with that degree of accuracy. Or bend over at all. My solution? Meet what I called the ‘man girdle’.

 

 

I sewed a large rectangle of cotton fabric around the mannequin’s waist area, with four straps sewn to it to keep it from shifting which were securely tied around his naughty bits. I then sewed a loop to the girdle which hooked around the strap of the rain cape to hold it in place. This made sure that nothing would shift but was also invisible when the kimono was wrapped over it.

 

Perfect. The cape may have lost some bits from unwanted visitor touching, but it didn't shift during the exhibit.

You Can't Do That

Let's try this again.

I know I'm prone to blog relapses, with long spans of inactivity. Let's see how long this stretch lasts.

This weekend I'm over the border in the area of Buffalo, NY. Last time I was here I noticed something interesting...

Generally, when you ask the average person for differences between Canadians and Americans, one of the answers you will get is Canadian are more polite. No one can really prove if that's true, but one thing I can tell you is Canadian signs are nicer then the signage I see here.

In a parking lot back home, you might see a sign that says something 'Parking Only for Patrons' or '3 Hour Parking Limit'. Here:

I saw this sign in a grocery store parking lot. I'm afraid to blink too much for fear of retribution:

And evidently teenagers are running wild and crazy in the malls. Walden Galleria has the following rules and don't you dare try to slip them a fake i.d. They have that covered:

Finally, my hotel has made sure to clearly label anything just in case you use it in an inappropriate way. This is in the pool:

Although yesterday I say a kid drag a ball from the workout room into the pool. I'm sure that's not allowed, perhaps it needs a sign?