Amsterdam Archives

We are SO ahead of our time!

When we were in Amsterdam last month, we of course went to the Rijksmuseum. They have lots of Rembrandt's, some Vermeers - it's worth the effort, trust me. It's a museum that will linger in our memories for the rest of our lives.

But there was one thing there that really caught my eye - our TICKETS!

Both of the paintings are in fact details from The Night Watch by Rembrandt - arguably the crown jewel of the Rijksmuseum collection. But note the color schemes on the left side, drawn from the paintings! Remind anybody of our Start With Art?

These two bit posters were outside the entrance to the museum. The first is colors taken from The Milkmaid by Vermeer:

And this is colors taken from The Night Watch. ... View the Post

Where we Stayed, What we Ate: Amsterdam

Go to the shop on the corner. Walk to the back of the tiny shop floor, and climb the very steep and narrow stairs...

When you get to the top, you find a delightful little slice of Amsterdam paradise - this was our room at Maison Rika.

Rika is a designer, and she has two shops on the same street in Amsterdam. Upstairs from one of the shops, she has two guests rooms. Just two. This is not the place to get room service at 2 a.m. This is much, MUCH nicer.

When you check in, they give you keys to the store on the ground floor. You can come and go as you please, and you immediately feel like a member of the Rika family. If you can navigate these stairs, I can warmly recommend that you join the ... View the Post

Shopping in Amsterdam and Paris, September 2014

I did not shop the first four days I was in Europe, because I was escorting my two photographer friends, and we were BUSY finding great locations and walking, walking, walking! (there will soon be a new header for The Vivienne Files!)

But once B and I got to Amsterdam, I began to look about. I didn't throw myself madly into the process; I waited until I saw things that had whappage; if I hadn't found anything at all that really had appeal, then I wouldn't have wasted my very hard-earned money. It's important to remember how long it takes to earn money when you go to spend it - is object "X" worth 3, 5, or 14 hours of your effort? Sometimes, you just have to conclude that the answer is NO. (screamed loudly, ... View the Post

Lessons Learned: Amsterdam and Paris

What an adventure THAT was! Belovedest and I had a wonderful time - of course we did - we were together. And we learned some things that I think are worth sharing...

If you're connecting from a plane to a train, buy your train tickets in advance, even if you can't guarantee that you'll be on time. (and of course, you can't guarantee, because you're flying in, and planes are delayed) It's MUCH less expensive to purchase train tickets in advance, and you'll be assured of a seat. B and I had been promised by a couple of different people that it was ALWAYS easy to get train tickets from Paris to Amsterdam - au contraire, my friends!

When buying train tickets, even if you don't know your return time for sure, buy ... View the Post