Of Memories And Amsterdam

Can one revisit the past? Well, Thursday in Amsterdam after three years, we returned to two of our favorite places. After checking in at the Banks Mansion Hotel, we walked to a new attraction, the Amsterdam Museum, which highlights the history of the city. The gigantic statue of Goliath (1648) and the photo of the first GLBTQ marriage in the world (2001) show the enormous diversity found in this amazing city. Then we returned to a favorite restaurant, Haesje Claes, for its authentic Dutch food. Jim had the seafood stock pot, with salmon, shrimp, and mussels, while Dan ordered the codfish, pan fried. Then it was on to the Willet-Holthuysen house, a museum of a wealthy 19th century art collecting couple, who left all to the city. Our final visit for our first day was a return to the Rembrandt House. Though we'd visited this museum many years ago, it has greatly expanded its collections of objects Rembrandt might have collected (including a stuffed armadillo!), plaster casts of statues, his prints, and paintings by his contemporaries. It was the best attraction of the day. In the evening we dined at Sumo, a favorite Japanese restaurant just across from our hotel. - Dan