Author: admin

A two-part adventure; back to the US

Since March we have felt something akin to being locked out of the house as a teenager; you could still do some things that you want, you could still even have fun; but, you still just really want to go inside that house. That is how I felt about the United States. We have had so much fun in both London and now Amsterdam, that cutting our time short here is not really an option – but we do miss people and places in the US. It was my understanding, that because the US border with the EU is closed, anyone who has been out of the US more than 14 days would be required to quarantine for 14 days upon entering the US. (Turns out, and please use your best Pirates of the Caribbean voice for this: these are just ‘guidelines’.) For folks without a home anymore, that just seemed like an awful lot of room service. But, on the other hand, an AirBnB would not require room service.  Still 14 days of quarantine in the US and then 14 days upon returning to Amsterdam just seemed like more than I wanted to invest.

But as the pandemic wears on, it began to seem doable; in fact, seemed the only option that does not involve waiting years. My niece Lori said she would bring me dinner, and that sounded like a good deal. If I went to Minnesota, I could see my extended family there and follow the CDC “guidelines” in an AirBnB with a view of open space at off-season rates. Once the fourteen days were up, I’d be able to do some shopping (back to Macy’s for a new pair of black jeans) and then make my way to Dallas to see Aj – in person, not just FaceTime. Reservations were made, new face masks were purchased; I was on my way back to the USA. And then, Covid cases shot up in Amsterdam and Andy was back on full-time work from home – so why couldn’t he work from Minnesota? He could; make that reservations for two.

Pelican Rapids, Minnesota: https://www.pelicanrapids.com/ is in the heart of Otter Tail County, Lake Country: https://ottertailcountymn.us/visitors/

In the center of Pelican Rapids is Sherin Memorial Park and Campgrounds: https://www.pelicanrapids.com/?SEC=45AD276D-20AB-492E-BEF4-80071C6D04B1

Visiting Pelican Rapids Minnesota is rarely exciting; lots of outdoor time and lots of catching up on family stories, including our first trip out to Lori and Kimo’s new lake property. And then, it snowed. Not too much, 5 – 7 inches, but it took all day and then the un-ploughed areas turned to ice. Beautiful.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We walked out during the snow storm to take some pictures as well as visiting Maplewood State park a few days later. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00229#homepage

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We did not feel threatened by air travel. There are not yet so many people traveling, especially from Amsterdam to the US, that you cannot maintain a good distance at the airport and our part of the plane was only about 25% full. At the airport we rented a car, keeping to ourselves; only stopping when the highway was closed for an accident. We did hug family, but then we all backed up six feet. We have gone places together – only apart, in our own cars. It was not like the ‘good ole days’, but we are old enough to know that nostalgia is a fantasy – these are the ‘good ole days’ now. We talked, we walked; we ate, we laughed; we had a great time with the Minnesota contingent of family, ending our stay with a socially distanced dinner held in the church’s social hall – and then we left that bit of family, and the snow, to visit Aj and Aaron in much warmer Dallas, Texas.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The Light of Amsterdam, by David Park

Selected at the “Books set in Amsterdam” section of Waterstone’s Books on the Kalverstraat, this book has its characters visit many of Amsterdam’s main tourist sights. Some you have seen in other Book Trail postings such as: Centraal Station, the Kalverstraat, and the Red-Light District. Some are new locations specific to the story of this book. Click this link for an interactive version of the map below: The Light of Amsterdam Book Locations

The book follows three sets of characters; a newly divorced father with his teenage son, a mother who is joining her twenty-something’s daughter’s ‘hen do’ before her wedding, and a couple taking a well-earned break after working hard at their own business for many years. During the story all visit various locations and occasionally interact with each other too.

We begin with Centraal Station. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_Centraal_station) While all three groups travel to Amsterdam via plane from Belfast, the train station is nonetheless the geographic center of the story’s start.

• 

• 

Our first couple, Marion and Richard, cross town to find their hotel. They pass Dam Square, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dam_Square) finding the American Hotel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Hotel,_Amsterdam) on the Leidesplein. Marion is happy that their room does not face the noisy tourist area.

• 

• 

It is The Bulldog Coffeeshop (https://www.thebulldog.com/) that is the first stop for the hen party with Karen, the single-parent-mother-of-the-bride in tow. The local chain has many locations, but from the story I assume they go to the one on the Leidesplein which is visible to Marion and Richard from their hotel.

• 

• 

Alan, the divorced dad, and his son Jack also begin their journey at Centraal Station. From there they are looking for food. Jack is not interested in any Amsterdam specialties; they find one of the many Burger Kings in the city and join the queue.  (https://www.burgerking.nl/)

• 

After eating their burgers, father and son reach their ‘mid-priced’ hotel in the Spui (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spui_(Amsterdam)). There are many hotels over the various restaurants and shops in the square; I do not have a guess which of them the father and son may have actually used, but I do have some pictures of the area. The Spui Square is also the home of the Boekenmarkt, a used book fair held every Friday for more than 30 years. https://www.deboekenmarktophetspui.nl/

• 

• 

Vondelpark (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vondelpark)  figures heavily in all three of the intersecting stories. Known for its trees, paths, sculpture, and cafes; all characters make it to this, the largest of the many parks in the city, at some point.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Museums are part of the story setting also. We visit the huge and beautiful Rijksmuseum (https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en) where Karen becomes fascinated by Vermeer’s ability to paint the light on a women’s face as she appears to read a letter by a window, (https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/search/objects?q=vermeer&p=1&ps=12&st=Objects&ii=1#/SK-C-251,1) and the Van Gogh, (https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en) where Alan hopes to find inspiration for his own art-based project on which his teaching job depends.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

During their visit to the city, Alan and his teenage son, Jack, visit a large open market which has multiple sellers of used clothing. There are many open-air markets in the city, but I believe they visited the Waterlooplein Market (https://waterlooplein.amsterdam/en/historie/ ). Originally the Jewish Market, it is now known for the large selection of used clothing among other, mostly used, items.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Marion and Richard spend their time visiting the floating flower market, bloemenmarkt, (https://www.holland.com/global/tourism/destinations/amsterdam/floating-flower-market.htm ) and a year-round Christmas shop as they go from one end of the Kalverstraat at Dam Square to the other at Munt Tower. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munttoren) Marion alone visits the ice rink at the Museumplein. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museumplein) (No, the ice rink is not currently set up for the winter, so no pictures.)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

In a chance meeting, Alan (the newly divorced father of Jack) walks Karen (mother of the bride) around some parts of the city. He shows her a hidden garden circled by houses next to a church; I believe this to be the Begijnhof, one of the famous almshouses of Amsterdam. (https://www.fodors.com/world/europe/netherlands/amsterdam/experiences/amsterdams-hofjes–the-historic-almshouses-83466600)

• 

• 

Lastly, Alan’s teenage son declares that he would like to see the Red-Light district. https://www.amsterdam.info/red-light-district/  While uncomfortable with visiting the area on a Saturday night – the two make their way to the multiple blocks by the Oude Kerk where prostitution is legal and advertised by sex workers in canal house windows.  Note that it is not just uncomfortable to take pictures of the workers in the windows, such picture taking is illegal. All my picture taking of this beautiful area are made during the day which reduces, but does not eliminate, the likely hood of running into the neighborhood’s residents plying their trade.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

At the end of our story all participants are back on the plane, back on their way to Belfast. All, of course, as in any good story, are changed in some way by their experiences in Amsterdam – the personal note here would be that it is probably changing us in some ways too.

A journey of a hundred miles, begins with a single step; and reservations with a good travel company. (paraphrase from Tao Te Ching)

I could fill this page with quotes and phrases to echo the times we are living in – but so could you. I’ll jump to the part where we said to each other: “We have to go somewhere; we need to see more of Europe. We need to be distracted.” But how? We are not trying to catch Corona or spread it to others; how do we make an adventure and be responsible citizens?  We had talked for some time of taking a hiking holiday so we could see more of a place up close; specifically, Austria was the plan. But that did not work out. Working with a specialized travel agency we decided to go hiking in the Black Forest.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Forest This is a hikers paradise. There are plenty of well-marked trails and you are never truly very far from a spot of civilization, yet never really in a crowded place either. We put our money down and hoped the pandemic would not interfere with our plans. (Yes, we have travel insurance 😊)

For your introduction and relaxation, I suggest either or both of these weblinks: https://youtu.be/yWYs3DpaKsY or this one, https://youtu.be/E5dP-B7198Y They are YouTube videos with views of the Black Forest including the instrumental song from 1960’s of the same name. Or, you might refresh your childhood memories of The Brothers Grimm and their collected stories here: https://anomalien.com/the-brothers-grimms-black-forest/ For ourselves, we watched videos on hiking like this one: https://youtu.be/gvdgWd1Yg_Q

The plan: 1,000 sets of stairs worth of elevation change, 100 miles of circular and hotel-to-hotel hiking, 10 days, 4 hotels, and at least 2 waterfalls. We purchased new hiking pants and jackets (luckily never needed the jackets) and our first sets of hiking poles. Backpacks were inventoried; water bottles, snacks, masks, sanitizer, and handi-wipes. We were good to go.

• 

• 

• 

Note, that we also took about a thousand pictures between us. They all look essentially the same, beautiful trees, miles of vistas, story-book houses and buildings, and shimmering water. This recap is just a smattering of our favorite pictures or locations.

Flying into Basel, Switzerland we were transferred to our first hotel in Feldberg-Falkau, the Hotel Peterle. We used the remainder of this first day, which was not pre-routed for us, to make our way to Lake Titisee. A beautiful, glacier-formed, but also fairly touristy (especially by the bus parking), lake in the Black Forest. https://www.black-forest-travel.com/landscape/titisee.html

• 

• 

• 

• 

The next day, it was on to the top of Mt Feldberg. This was just part of a challenging day which totalled over 13 miles of hiking. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldberg_(Black_Forest)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The next day’s planned walk was to Lake Schluchsee. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schluchsee  As we followed the pre-planned trail though, we met a local who thought we might enjoy visiting the local brewery while we were out; so a quick change of route had us visit the Rothaus Brewery https://www.rothaus.de/ not too far from the lake.

• 

• 

• 

There was no choice on where to walk the next day, it was time to head out for our next hotel in Alpersbach. https://www.outdooractive.com/en/route/hiking-route/schwarzwald/around-alpersbach-rund-um-alpersbach-/13294503/ This was an adventure of a walk, which turned out to be over 15 miles because a critical bridge we needed to cross had been removed. It took a bit of time, plus a bit of local apple tart, but we located a disused alternative and made it to Alpersbach while the sun was still shining.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

From our Alperbach hotel we followed our planned route to and around The Ravenna Gorge. We are talking waterfalls here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenna_Gorge  A wonderful day of hiking that we would recommend to anyone.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The following day, it was on to the third hotel, the Sonne Restaurant and Hotel in Kirchzarten. Andy made a new friend at the top of the meadow as we made our trek across the hills. We had a lovely three days of planned hiking in the local area; to the Wasserfall, https://www.hochschwarzwald.de/Attraktionen/Todtnauer-Wasserfall to visiting St. Peter’s Abbey, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Saint_Peter_in_the_Black_Forest and then on to our last stop, Freiburg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freiburg_im_Breisgau  After finding the Wasserfall, Andy also found the Hasenhorn Coaster of Todtnau. https://hasenhorn-rodelbahn.de/  Wheee …

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Our last day was not hiking, it was more like wandering. We had directions for a self-guided tour of the town center which served as a basis to find the local landmarks. Major landmark is the Munster. https://www.freiburgermuenster.info/ A gothic cathedral whose initial construction dates back to the 1200’s. It is the towering feature of the town and anchor of the central square.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Did I mention the food on this trip? Our first six nights at the hotels included dinner. This was very helpful as we really did not want to look for food after walking ten or so miles; and as it turned out, the meals were great. The Black Forest is very close to France which has impacted the restaurants in the area. We could not have done better on our own. However, we did find a few meals on our own; we needed to try the local specialties.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We did it! We followed almost every hike the company had prepared for us – with just our own detour for the brewery and their detour for the missing bridge keeping us from being 100%. A hundred miles in ten days. We did the hiking, the eating, the drinking, and the marveling at the scenery the travel company had promised. And we would do it again.

To end this post with another quote, this one attributed to J.R.R. Tolkien:

“Little by little, one travels far”

• 

Andy and Linda Benjamin, waterfall hunters, Black Forest Germany, 2020

The Pilgrims were in the Netherlands; for 11 years

We had never heard of Leiden until Aj said we had to go there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiden  This is a township of about 150,000 people with suburbs adding another 50,000. It is about 30 miles south of central Amsterdam. Aj did not know about the town’s Pilgrim history, he was recommending a museum that happened to have an exhibit on Pilgrims, the Lakenhal. https://www.lakenhal.nl/en  A two-night hotel room, with air conditioning, was secured. Next weekend, off on the train we went.

So, the first thing I wanted to know was, what is the connection between Leiden and the Pilgrims? Doing my own research, I learned that wanting to escape religious prosecution and persecution, about 300 Puritans initially came to the Netherlands which was more religiously tolerant than other countries at the time. Some never left, but about a third were in Leiden about 11 years. They feared assimilation, particularly of the young folk and decided to head for open land, where outside influence on the community would be minimal; they went to the new world. https://www.visitleiden.nl/en/discover-leiden/specials/pilgrim/the-pilgrim-story

We began our Leiden visit at the American Pilgrim Museum. http://www.leidenamericanpilgrimmuseum.org/index.htm  Amazing. This is not a large ‘home’ so under current rules only four people are allowed at one time, plus the docent. Our timeslot had only one other person, a local who is fluent in languages of the middle ages. (amazing, yes) The docent showed us actual bibles used at the time of the pilgrims, including an original copy of The Geneva Bible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Bible; our fellow visitor could read it. Such a treat to see and understand up close these pivotal items from four hundred years ago. They do not know for sure if actual members of the Mayflower party lived in this particular house, but they do know they lived on this street. Through happenstance the house has been preserved, without physical renovations all four hundred years; now updated with period collectibles such as the books and bibles, stoneware and metalwork.  The docent may have been the most knowledgeable museum presenter I have ever encountered. Her goal is to answer all visitor questions, regardless of what those might be. More amazing.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Whew, our brains were full after that!  Looking for air and the Burcht Castle remains which should not be too far, we set off. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burcht_van_Leiden  It is a small park, surrounded by buildings, but in the middle are the Castle keep remains. There is not a lot to see and the center is dominated by a huge tree (very welcome on a hot day), but you can climb up to walk the perimeter of the walls to look at the town from all directions. Posted signs explain the buildings in each view.

• 

• 

• 

Crossing town, we headed for our appointment at the Rijksmuseum of Antiquities https://www.rmo.nl/ – a top-ten item on the list of things to do in Leiden and quite the treasure trove of Egyptian, Roman, and Greek art. It was a surprising find of significant collections of sculpture, pottery, and mummies.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Completed our day by having dinner on the canal and then playing tourists on a sunset canal cruise.

• 

• 

• 

Sunday morning brought another meal on the canals of Leiden. It is the prettiest of the cities we have seen in the Netherlands, and we just could not be outside enough.

Then off to the botanical gardens. They too are celebrating the 400^th anniversary of the pilgrims. Special boards explained to us the food and plants taken on the crossing, food and plants they found upon arrival, and the food and plants they cultivated as they settled in. We were reminded that the pilgrims that survived that first winter, did so because they raided the local tribe’s food stash.  Not because they were self-sufficient upon arriving.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Finally, it was time to visit the Lakenhal, the museum, and subsequently the Pilgrims to America exhibit, that drew us here in the first place. https://www.lakenhal.nl/en/story/pilgrims-to-america  https://youtu.be/vsbM3VeOc4A  We found the exhibit fascinating, insightful, and very well put together. Seeing the US through a different lens is a big part of why we like being in Europe. And, to Aj’s point, the building is quite interesting – having recently completed a major renovation. https://www.lakenhal.nl/en/story/the-building  You just don’t get to see buildings with so much history in America.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Looking for dinner, again on the canal, we stopped at the Waag (The Weigh House), https://waagleiden.nl/ (Note from above, this is where the Pilgrims actually landed in Leiden) This YouTube video https://youtu.be/rhn9lbtzbPc  is in Dutch and is focused on the history of the Waag; but the first part is also a beautiful overview of the town of Leiden and makes good use of graphics so much is still understandable. At the 2:07 mark in the video the Opa (grandfather) points to a large stone embedded in the street. They are the medieval markers which set off boundaries at the time. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/leiden-stones  How cool is that?

• 

After Waagíng, we felt we had done enough for one weekend, it was time to go back to the train, back to Amsterdam. As we walked around the town, and back to the train, we noted a unique outside decoration; some of the buildings have poetry. Words are so important. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_poems_in_Leiden

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Not sure when, but we do hope to come back to Leiden; maybe for Thanksgiving as that feels appropriate.

Another reason we need Aj to help us find things to do

In discussing things to do and places to go around Amsterdam, Aj mentioned that we had to go to the Lakenhal Museum in Leiden, Netherlands; a great building. He suggested we go soon while they still had their special exhibit on the Pilgrims. What? I learned in grade school that the Puritans left England for the New World. They didn’t go to the Netherlands, they went to America. We even ate at the Mayflower Pub https://www.mayflowerpub.co.uk/ in London which is very proud of their small part in the Mayflower story of having been the location the Pilgrims left from.

As the temperature hit 90 degrees here; here where it is never this hot, so there is no air conditioning, it seemed like a good idea to sleep a few nights in an air-conditioned hotel room. The overnight to Utrecht went well, we would double down for two nights. We would stop in Leiden on our way to The Hague which is one of the cities we ‘must’ see while in the Netherlands. But, as I looked at things to do in Leiden in addition to the Lakenhal Museum, there was easily a weekend’s worth of amusements – ah, but there were no open hotel rooms.

So, instead we spent the whole weekend in The Hague. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hague There is easily enough to do there for a weekend too. The Hague is known for its place in world affairs via the Peace Palace and the Court of Justice. It isn’t known for canals, it isn’t known for being cute, it isn’t known for food or shopping; but it does have some of all those things.

We arrived Friday night via the train from Amsterdam Centraal. To guarantee a place with air conditioning, I selected a room in the tallest building; the 30^th floor of The Penthouse at the Hague Tower which is adjacent to one of the three train stations within the central city. Ahh, nice and cool with a view of the city.

• 

• 

• 

It was from the Penthouse that we walked to the  Mauritshuis (Museum of Dutch Golden Age paintings)  https://www.mauritshuis.nl/nl-nl/ for our early afternoon admission appointment. We passed the Binnenhof, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binnenhof, the parliament building, on our way to the Mauritshuis; but no tours are offered during the Covid restrictions. A couple things of note re: Mauritshuis; there are Rembrandts, Vermeers, and Hals works of art in this museum – the original Girl with a Pearl Earring is here. Secondly, it is almost completely without revision from the original house which became the museum; a huge, beautiful palace. A cloakroom and ticket counter have been added at the base. And, it is named for the owner of the house (huis), Johan Maurits. An accomplished business man of the golden age, the museum was his personal house; but it is noted that his wealth was based on the use of slaves on his Brazilian sugar plantation, diminishing his accomplishments in art, science, and government. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maurice,_Prince_of_Nassau-Siegen

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Next we walked around the building and over to the Escher in Het Paleis – graphic arts https://www.escherinhetpaleis.nl/ A learning experience for me. I thought all Escher did was pictures of staircases that morphed into each other; setting up the future design of Hogwarts dormitories. But he did more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._C._Escher

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

After our cultural experiences of the day, it was time to relax. The restaurant at the top of our building, on the 42^nd floor, had just reopened so I booked us a table with a window view. Normally, during the new normal Covid times, we do not eat at indoor restaurants, but this was very social distancing friendly. We had a whole section to ourselves with the restaurant at about 25% capacity: probably bad for them, great for us.

• 

• 

• 

Next day, it was a hike over to the Kunstmuseum Modern and Contemporary art (Largest collection of Mondrian Art. Lots of Delftware. All in an interesting building from the 1930’s.)  https://www.kunstmuseum.nl/en?q=www.hubeiymcd.cn  A full couple hours of modern art, plus more Delftware.

• 

• 

• 

• 

On to the Peace Palace Center of Justice funded by Andrew Carnegie. https://www.vredespaleis.nl/ I was really looking forward to this tour, as this is what I think of when I think of The Hague, the Center of Justice. It was more crowded than we have become used to, it was hard to maintain distances with other visitors – annoying. They have an audio tour which accompanies large multimedia presentations on the walls – interesting, but not energizing and slow, slow pokey walking. After half an hour we were ready to see the rest of it; only to learn that that was it. You never get to go in the building. The only actual tours are of the gardens and they are quite limited. We got to see a movie, but I wanted to be in the room where it happened. That didn’t happen.

• 

• 

• 

It was now late Sunday afternoon, so on we go, back through town, generally heading toward the train station. It was still hot, but not bad in the shade. We turned a corner, staying on the shady side, when we thought we heard live music. That can’t be – no live music during a pandemic, but as we walked closer, we saw exactly what was happening. A barge full of musicians had moored up to a canal-side restaurant. People were still spaced and separated by plexiglass, and the music could be heard for blocks along the water. We took up a spot on the canal and were able to have a nice adult beverage as the Sunday afternoon jazz played on. And then they upped anchor and went to the next restaurant.

• 

• 

• 

• 

We tried to follow them, but boats are faster than feet, especially since we still needed to pay our bill; we watched them finish their last song at the next location. As they left, the crowd on the canal-side restaurant also left, so we sat down for a quiet dinner on the canal. With that, we felt that we had ‘done The Hague’ and it was time to head back to the train station, back to Amsterdam, back to the un-air-conditioned apartment.

What about Leiden?  We had to put that off for a week and will put off writing about it until blog 46.

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Just like The Coffee Trader blog entry, (blog 40) this is more about the places from the book than the actual book itself. I again selected a book from the: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4284.Books_Set_in_Amsterdam list available online. I did not check the Book Trail website before selecting it, and was surprised after reading it that this book showed up on it also. https://www.thebooktrail.com/book-trails/

The Miniaturist is similarly set during the Golden Age of Amsterdam, so it’s locations are similarly set in the older, central, part of the city. https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/about-amsterdam/amsterdam-neighbourhoods/centre This is super convenient for tracking down the various locations. Similarly to the experience of looking for Coffee Trader locations, searching out where The Miniaturist takes place also forced me to look at buildings I had been just walking right past.

I have modified the map from the book trail website, just a wee bit. I have added a few more places mentioned in the book, most were not key locations, but may add interest. I put the red flag next to their names on the list and the revised map locations. https://www.thebooktrail.com/book-trails/the-miniaturist/ 

Going in order then, our first stop is The Oude Kerk, or Old Church. https://oudekerk.nl/ This is where the novel opens as we witness a very simple, yet surprisingly well attended, funeral service. As was custom, the church is used not only for the service but also for the burying; as in this case the deceased is lowered below the stone floor in the less desirable location of the east corner. The old church is old; it was founded in 1213 and consecrated in 1306. It remains a dominant building within Amsterdam (Red Light District) and since its re-opening in 2013 performs various cultural functions making it central to the community. When I visited it a few weeks ago, the quarterly art installation was “Poems for Earthlings”; an immersive experience which made seeing the actual insides of the church, as a church, difficult as it was dark, lit only by candlelight.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Item B on the map is the Herengracht. Petronella Oortman has married the owner of the house, Johannes Brandt, and come to live with him on the Golden Bend of the Heregracht. The Gentleman’s Canal is indeed identified by the “B” marker on the map – but this part of the canal is not The Golden Bend of the Herengracht. I have added a red marker to the map to indicate the actual location of the Golden Bend which is further east in the newer half of the canal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouden_Bocht

• 

• 

• 

The Kalverstraat is next. It is here that Petronella finds the Miniaturist’s shop and is introduced to the bakery of Hanna and her husband Arnoud by her maid, Cornelia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalverstraat  Just as it was 400 years ago, this is a street filled with small shops selling all types of items; though many now are of the “chain” variety – H&M, Zara, Foot Locker, and of course, McDonalds.

• 

• 

• 

Stay with me here as we skip two points of interest from the maps list of locations, and spend a few words on The Royal Palace, item number F on the list. https://www.paleisamsterdam.nl/ Previous to becoming royal, this was the City Hall (Stadhuis) which also housed the treasury and dungeons. It is here that Johannes’ friend/enemy, Meermans, works and it is here that Johannes is imprisoned and ultimately sentenced for his crimes.

• 

• 

• 

Next, after skipping item G, is my added location of The VOC (Dutch East India Company) on the old Hoogstraat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oost-Indisch_Huis In our story it was here that Johannes Brandt maintained his work office and it was here where a pivotal encounter took place, on which much of the story hinges.

• 

• 

• 

During a dinner held at Petronella and Johannes’ home on the Heregracht, Agnes Meermans displays her piety by expressing her gratefulness to God that she is not among those who commit petty crimes and are sentenced to work for the city, and for their souls forgiveness at the Spinhuis for women, https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinhuis_(Amsterdam) or the Rasphuis for men. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasphuis (See red markers on list and map)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

As they are out shopping, Cornelia takes Petronella past her old home which carries the sign of children dressed in black and red grouped around a dove, it was the orphanage. We don’t learn much about the maid’s childhood, but we can visit the location – it is now the Amsterdam Museum. https://www.amsterdammuseum.nl/en

• 

• 

• 

As we return to the list of locations provided by the book trail, we find we have reached the end of locations actually in the book. Item D, The Rijksmuseum, is not part of the story; but is credited with giving the author the idea for it when she viewed the Doll House (curated between 1686 and 1710) which belonged to the real Petronella Oortman, among the collection. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronella_Oortman

• 

• 

• 

Item #E is the Vondel Hotel. Just off the canal zone and steps away from the Vondel park, this small hotel is typical of accommodation in this area; notwithstanding the huge Marriot down the street. I have not been inside this particular hotel – but, if I were guessing, the rooms are modern, clean, and very small. It is included because it is said the author, Jessie Burton, stayed in this particular hotel while writing the book.

• 

• 

Albert Cuyp Market, Amsterdam’s most famous street market, is the final stop on our book trail. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Cuyp_Market While it is old, it dates only back to 1905; 250 years short of the Golden Age. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Golden_Age  It has been added to the list for a particular shop at the market selling the tasty Poffertjes which Cornelia makes for Petronella. http://www.poffertjesalbertcuyp.nl/ These small pancakes are a Dutch treat available not only at Albert Cuyp, but all over the Netherlands.

• 

• 

• 

With this, another book trail is complete. Putting The Miniaturist in the Little Library down the street, I am moving on to The Light of Amsterdam, by David Park. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13449104-the-light-of-amsterdam I know little of this book other than I have already checked, there is not an existing book trail posted for it and it is not set in the Golden Age; a reading change of pace.

But wait – surely there must have been more than one reference to the ‘gable stones’ (blogs 39 and 40) in this book too; why yes, yes there were. At the “sign of the sun” on Kalverstraat is how the Miniaturist describes their shop location in the Smit’s List. In her first letter to the Miniaturist, Petronella signs her note ‘’at the sign of the dolphin, Herengracht”. It is at the sign of two sugar loaves that they find the confectioners, Hanna and Arnoud. And the text: “Sign of the fox on Prinsengracht” identifies the home of the Meermans.

As you can see below, I have looked pretty hard for these four signs; anything close to a dolphin eludes me still:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

A night in a hotel

The day trip to Delft went so well, we decided to up our game; we planned an overnight trip to Utrecht. What is “Utrecht”? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utrecht Utrecht is about 25 miles south of Amsterdam. The phrase we had heard from many folks is that: “Utrecht is Amsterdam before all the tourists”. It is small, very walkable, and the canals are different from those in Amsterdam; they are two levels. It also has a train museum which is a ‘Benjamin friendly’ attraction. It sounded like a good place to go without actually going too far.

• 

• 

• 

Off we went taking the national rail out of Amsterdam Central, we were in Utrecht by 9:30 am on a Saturday morning. Utrecht Centraal station is the busiest in the Netherlands, but it is a beautiful and functional new building; easy enough to navigate – if only we could go the right direction out the right door the first time we leave a train station. Nonetheless, we wound our way around to find our hotel (total 10 rooms) on the Oudegracht (old canal). Dropping off our overnight bags we were ready to explore the town.

Our first stop was at the Reitveld-Schroeder house. https://www.rietveldschroderhuis.nl/nl/rietveld-schroderhuis?set_language=en Even though this is one of the ‘top-ten’ things to do in Utrecht, it is not likely I would have found it if Aj had not said we should see it. Even today, this is a modern house with walls and windows that retract allowing great flexibility in how the house is used – it was built in the 1920’s. We learned a lot about the house and its architect, Rietveld, which came in handy on our next stop.

• 

• 

• 

Next stop, Utrecht Centraal Museum. https://www.centraalmuseum.nl/nl  The museum has multiple furniture items designed by Rietveld. He was a furniture designer before the newly widowed Mrs. Schroeder gave him the opportunity to design her new home. From there, he went on to become one of the most famous designer/architects of the Netherlands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrit_Rietveld In addition to Rietveld, the museum also had an exhibit on sixty-five years of Miffy. https://www.miffy.com/  https://www.centraalmuseum.nl/nl/tentoonstellingen/65-jaar-nijntje  This was great fun and even included the recreation of the artist’s (Dick Bruna) design studio, which I always find interesting. For the record, there was also a special exhibit on Surrealism and the Sexes, which I intellectually understand – I did not care for it. https://www.centraalmuseum.nl/nl/tentoonstellingen/de-tranen-van-eros

• 

• 

• 

We ended our day by walking back on the Oudegracht and finding a great tapas restaurant right down the canal from the hotel.

• 

Next morning, no hurry; I had arranged breakfast in our room. Yes, a tiny bit ‘bougie’, but also kept us out of the germ pool in the breakfast room of the hotel; win, win. We walked the canals back through town, even finding Andy a new pair of shoes – he has to have ‘work clothes’ again now that he is on the “B” rotation back into the actual Coty building. Then on to the train museum. https://www.spoorwegmuseum.nl/  What fun. Giant locomotives and a special exhibit on ‘diners’. A favorite diner car was from Belgium, the BarDisco. A party train carriage that went to the Mediterranean with disco ball, velvet seats, full bar, and flashing lights with music all the way.

• 

• 

• 

From there we had a rest in the park, they even had anchored lounges, until it was time to go to Dom Tower. https://www.domtoren.nl/en This is the highest (112 meters) church tower in the Netherlands. How flat is the Netherlands? We could see Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam from the top of the tower; amazing.

• 

• 

• 

Another dinner at another outdoor restaurant and then it was time to head back to Amsterdam. Mission accomplished; a holiday weekend with a stay in a hotel all safely completed with distancing, hand gelling, and masks on public transportation.

What did we learn during the London Ikea adventure? (See Blog 1) First, it is a whole day thing. We don’t live in Towson anymore. We don’t have a car anymore. Second, know your public transportation options and stops. We got soaked in the rain in London because we had no idea where to catch the bus and kept running from one stop to the next – in the rain. Third, be ready to commit. Know what you need, know that you are not coming back next weekend; take detailed pictures and notes. And, lastly, know it all turns out fine in the end; we found a very good restaurant very close to our initial London apartment because we (me) were too wiped out to walk very far for dinner after the trip to Ikea; this part could happen again, be ready.

The previous paragraph was written on Friday before our Ikea trip on Saturday. We thought we were so much smarter now; turns out, we may be a little smarter, but we are far from being ‘homies’. We scoped out the tram and metro options, which are nothing compared to London, more comparable to Baltimore. There are a few tram lines and two metros. We decided on a combination of tram and metro to keep ourselves above ground. No worries; we have our cards, we have our required masks for public transportation, we have our iPhones for maps. We caught the tram not far from our apartment at Dam Square, easy enough. But, after a while we saw that the tram itself was not staying on the map line – we learned it can be confusing if you don’t speak or read the local language; omleiding in Dutch means detour in English. Luckily, the detour ended before our stop at the intersection with the metro; the trip taking over an hour instead of about 20 minutes.

So, it took longer to get there, but we had time and no rain. The Ikea is huge. Because of Covid, they are set up to limit the number of folks inside at one time, but no need; it was not crowded. We made our way finding a couple chairs for tv watching, a side table for our entry way, a desk for me in the dining room, and a butcher block for a soon-to-be-purchased microwave in the kitchen. Before we got too tired, we made sure we were on the route to the Ikea café. We knew a sit down with coffee and a snack would be helpful in maintaining our sense of humor. We found the café – oops, I forgot to check the website for all Covid required changes the store has in place; café is now take away only for smoothies, bottle drinks, and muffins, no meatballs, no seating. Taking one of each we made our way on to the next section. Luck intervened, and we found a bench next to what used to be a children’s play area which is also closed for Covid. Our Ikea shopping crankies were averted.

We finished our trip without incident and returned via the metro without a problem. Yes, we were empty-handed. We can’t begin to take Ikea items back to our apartment. With the delivery costs the same, its actually easier to order online than wait in person to arrange delivery. The items are in the online ‘winklewagen’ (shopping cart) almost ready to be brought in to the apartment; (waiting on a Netherlands phone number to complete the online ordering requirements) leaving only the problem of putting it all together, but everyone who reads this already knows how that part going to go. And dinner? We stretched out the trip, so it was almost dinner time as we walked back from Centraal Station. As we walked down the Harlemerstraat we settled into an outdoor seat at a restaurant we’ve had our eye on anyway and had some wine as we waited to order our food – on the whole, a successful trip.

Not a big adventure. A lesson about language for sure; and generally, not worth writing too much about. There aren’t even any pictures, but it feels like a circle is complete; so there’s that.

And, it’s only 40 miles from Amsterdam

Netherlands, and the whole of the EU, are in a phased reopening after the extreme lockdowns of the spring and early summer. Wearing facemasks, we can begin to travel for non-essential reasons. We started small.

We both appreciate pottery. Many fun nights were spent with Jay WSC and Dr. Frank in Blaise DePaolo’s pottery courses at Morgan State University. https://www.morgan.edu/college_of_liberal_arts/departments/fine_and_performing_arts/visual_arts/faculty_and_staff/blaise_depaolo.html We know how to roll, cut, throw, scrafitto, and paint at various levels of accomplishment. We know how to cry when things do not come out of the kiln as expected. We know how to celebrate as items are sold for fundraising purposes. We do not though, ‘collect’; especially now as even more of our belongings are ending up in storage boxes. But a few souvenirs from our time in Europe are in order. Our first month here we ordered a set of Delft Blue dishes. A practical move, a souvenir we can use now and later. Yet we remained interested in the process and the history of this unique style of creating decorative arts.

So off we went for our first day trip in months. We scheduled factory tours at the two remaining in the region. We began with the Royal Delft factory (and showroom). The buildings are original, as are the examples of pottery through the centuries in the display cases. This is truly the big time in pottery and yet during the tour we could have easily reached out to touch, and possibly destroy, a multitude of items. https://www.royaldelft.com/  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2q_BR7QF-FozVuSAp3hd_A

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

After a lovely lunch at an outside café, we followed the canal path to Heinan Delfts Blauw https://dedelftsblauwfabriek.nl/  Technically, this factory is not in Delft, it is in Rijswijk right next door. A much smaller operation, but still amazing in the handcrafted work produced.

• 

• 

• 

While we resisted shopping at the Royal Delft, our need for souvenirs ran right into a sale at Delfts Blauw. Always need a new pig. And, it came with free shipping.

• 

• 

Taking advantage of the coffee and cookies available at the entry desk of Delfts Blue, we were recharged and ready to make our way back to the center of town with just enough time to visit the Vermeer Museum. https://www.vermeerdelft.nl/nl/  This is a very small museum, with none of his original artwork; yet it presents an interesting and fairly detailed look at the times, the man, and the art. He is a great example of ‘hometown boy does well’, and they are justly proud. We both felt like we learned so much; much more than watching The Girl With The Pearl Earring movie. The next day, back in Amsterdam, we went to the Rijksmuseum (https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/ ) where a few of the Vermeer originals are displayed; his work in depicting light was groundbreaking at the time and amazing to see still.

• 

• 

• 

Following our pattern of the day, a little learning, a little eating; it was time to eat again after Vermeer. The center square of Delft is a very large open area bookended by a church and a city hall and framed by two sides of shops and restaurants. We found a table in the sunny outdoors and reviewed our day over some wine and beer.

• 

• 

• 

We know we are doubly lucky; not only to be in Europe, but to also be in a region where we can begin again to travel around for pleasure; it was just a day trip, but it meant a lot to us and we are happy to share some of this experience with you.

How do you learn about a new city?

A city like Amsterdam has hundreds of years of history, art, and architecture. Where to begin? We are visiting museums using the social distancing access options available here since June 1. We are watching YouTube videos. We are eating different foods and Andy is drinking the different beers. And, of course, reading.

Several websites list the most popular books set in Amsterdam. One example is: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4284.Books_Set_in_Amsterdam  From this list, I selected The Coffee Trader as my first intentional Amsterdam read. While looking at the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, mentioned early in the book, it occurred to me that I could document Amsterdam book locations in some way, maybe in an Excel spreadsheet. But first, I Googled “The Coffee Trader book locations Amsterdam”. Turns out documenting book locations is not an original idea:  https://www.thebooktrail.com/book-trails/the-coffee-trader/ What follows is an overview, with pictures, of some of the locations the main characters visit in this story. This is not a book review posting, this is a book trail posting. To learn more about the book itself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coffee_Trader

Miguel, the Coffee Trader, is a commodity and futures trader on the Amsterdam Exchange in the mid-1600’s, the golden age of Amsterdam. We begin our tour at the site of the Exchange. The actual commodity exchange building referred to in the Coffee Trader no longer exists. That building was built in 1611 and remained in use for over 200 years. https://www.amsterdamredlightdistricttour.com/amsterdam-stock-exchange/ The building was replaced with the De Beurs van Zocker building which in turn has been replaced by the Amsterdam Stock Exchange Beurs van Berlage (The Bourse) still in existence, although now functioning as an events space and home to several restaurants. An adjacent new building, Beursplein 5, is the current home of the Euronext Exchange, combining Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Lisbon, and London trades.

• 

• 

• 

Not far from The Bourse is Dam Square. In the 1600’s the square functioned as an open-air market. The square remains and is now the central congregating point of the city with its wide-open area surrounded by restaurants and significant buildings.

• 

• 

One of the significant buildings Miguel visits on the square is the Town Hall; the brand-new building which first welcomed employees and visitors in 1655. Impressive by any scale at the time or even now; the Town Hall was built to represent the prosperity of the city. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio/timeline-dutch-history/1600-1665-amsterdams-prosperity So impressive, that when Louis Bonaparte arrived in 1806 it was converted into the Royal Palace, which it remains today. No pictures are allowed to be taken inside. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Amsterdam

• 

• 

• 

The Palace is adjacent to the New Church on Dam Square. New in this case being relative, it was consecrated in 1409. https://www.nieuwekerk.nl/en/

• 

• 

• 

Miguel frequents locations on the Warmoesstraat. One of the oldest streets in Amsterdam, today this is a main artery through the red-light district, but “Warmoesstraat used to be an aristocratic street with dignified shops. In the 18th century it became the center of the trade in coffee and tea.” https://www.amsterdamoldtown.com/places-of-interest/warmoesstraat 

• 

• 

• 

Rosengracht, a street with bars and shops where Miguel, as a Jew, could not be seen – but was. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rozengracht

• 

• 

• 

In our story, Hanna, Miguel’s sister-in-law, who thought she was Catholic until the day she was married to a Jew, who then told her she was Jewish; makes secretive trips to a hidden Catholic church. It was hidden in a canal house and may have been one of these; hidden no more. Note she was secretive so other Jews would not see her, it was not illegal to be Catholic, just not ‘supported’; many churches were hidden in canal houses. https://www.amsterdam.info/museums/museum_lordattic/ and http://bettinasimpressions.blogspot.com/2014/01/hidden-churches-in-amsterdam.html

• 

• 

• 

And, it was the Coffee Trader who first introduced me to the ‘gable stones’ or gevelstenen (see blog 39); as Miguel walks along the Herengracht canal admiring the plaques on the houses identifying some owners or their businesses.  It’s possible I may have become obsessed in my search for more gable stones. (the spreadsheet idea is not out of the question, yet) https://www.gevelstenenvanamsterdam.nl/  https://youtu.be/r6-SL5CABkg

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•