Today we felt ready for a bit of culture so we headed for the Dutch national art collection at the Rijks Museum or as the Dutch call it, the Rijksmuseum. They have a particularly fine battle swan. The museum provided a commentary sheet calling attention to the care and detail with which the swan poop had been rendered. Ah, those Dutch Masters. They have a special offer on Rembrandt this month, with every single Rembrandt work in their collection on…
We spent most of the day at the Artis Zoo, which is only two blocks from the place we are staying. I fell in love with the southern ground hornbills, mostly because they are the only bird I have ever seen with eyelashes. There was also their song, a deep booming duet that echoed round the zoo. The first bird goes “HOOT hoot-hoot” and the second one replies “HOOT hoot-hoot-hoo-ho” trailing away into silence before the first bird takes up…
This morning we set off for the Begijnhof, the home from the 15th century to the 20th of a community of Catholic women devoted to good deeds. I would like to image that Begijnhof is Dutch for Penguin House after the black and white costumes worn by nuns, but alas in the 15th century the penguins were not a common sight on the streets of Amsterdam, and anyway these were not nuns. There are some interesting decorative details. The Virgin…
Today we had our first Stroopwafel. It’s a thin cinnamon flavored waffle, sliced in half with surgical precision, filled with gooey caramel, stuck back together, and then (for an extra €0.50) half covered in chocolate. Delicious. We also learned how to pronounce “Gouda” which sounds something like a cough followed by that thing you ride elephants in. That layer of protective wax is to keep the cheese safe from spittle. There are feral parrots here, the same Ring Necked Parakeets…
Amsterdam seems like a relaxed place. It’s not so much all the coffee shops selling pot (though that probably helps) but the fact that so many people bicycle everywhere. There seem to be lots of bikes for every car, which means less noise, no traffic jams, and less frustration for everyone. The buildings pay very little regard to verticality. They lean out over the street to grab a little extra floorspace, or snuggle up to their neighbors as if they…
People of Colombia, I have a message for you. Pizza is not made with tortillas. I’m sorry, but it has to be said. The world will be a better place when you come to terms with that. Let’s not talk about lunch any more. Today was our last day in Cartagena. We leave early tomorrow. Goodbye Señor Perezosa. Adios Señorita Ardilla. Goodbye Señor Hard-To-Identify-Flycatcher (but probably Rusty-margined or Piratic) Farewell strange excuse for a squared rigged ship… … and slightly…
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood. Welcome to Colombia’s smallest active volcano and day spa. Legend has it that the volcano used to spew fire and lava, but the local priest exorcized it and turned it into a mud bath. Why is that man not a saint yet? If that doesn’t constitute a miracle worthy of canonization I don’t know what does. The hell with turning a few jugs of water into wine, turning molten lava into mud…
After the excitement of the past few days we decided to take it easy this morning. At lunchtime we wandered over to a nearby house that was formerly the home of Rafael Wenceslao Núñez Moledo, President of Colombia in the late 19th Century, and author of the Colombian national anthem. The house is now a museum devoted to Núñez. A fair number of the signs include an English translation, which for once seems to have been proofread by a native…
Today we visited the new Colombian National Aviary. Here are some of our favorite birds there.
First stop today was the Museum of Gold, which was closed, but they had the best of the indigenous art on display in a bank across the street. My favorites were the animal and human figures. The Amazonian Wheeled Dragon… … Bicycle Repair Man… … Samurai Frog… … Lady Bigears… … and The Amazing Lobster Men. Next we went on to the church and museum devoted to Saint Petrus Claver. I must admit I spend a fair amount of time…