Monday, July 21 - Tuesday, July, 22, 2014

Monday - Linda decided she just couldn't stay in the house all day, even though it was cloudy and raining off and on and the forecast was for rain all day.

So, after some sax practice, we decided to eat lunch so we wouldn't want to eat later and caught the train for Amsterdam. 

This is our local train station: Soestijk, about three blocks from the house.

 This is what you see out of the train window on the way to Amsterdam in the rain. All the trains are electric, therefore the overhead wires.

The purpose was to visit Weijntjes store to talk to them about a missing part for our doorbell. This is what the city looked like when we arrived and stepped out of the Centraal station. We were prepared.

Using Google maps, and our Amsterdam guide book, we hopped on the #5 tram from Amsterdam Centraal, got off at a stop just past the Dam, walked a half block and there the store was. Linda, my navigator, put us right at the spot.

As soon as we walked into the store, we saw the part on the wall that we were looking for. A young woman was right there to help us and she knew what she was talking about. We discussed the various options for installation, how to use the metal post we were after and decided to buy two of them just in case we needed them. Our helpful clerk told us we could return anything we didn't use. We talked a little with another woman staffer, maybe the manager, about the age of the building and that the business had been in that building for 100 years. 

Even though it was still pouring rain, we stepped out of the shop and stood under the awning. 

Being Amsterdam, the rain only seemed to slow down the tourist. The Dutch just go about their business.

A few minutes standing there and then we walked around the corner and caught the #5 tram. The tram stops are covered. So, we waited for a less crowded tram than the first one. After two stops we spotted an area that had a large group of cafes with large umbrellas protecting the tables. We hopped off and found a table with protection from the rain. A beer, a water, and some french fries to pass the time. We had to move a couple of times to better places so we didn't get splashed from the water coming off the edge of some of the umbrellas.

There were people scurrying around but not frantically. Some were holding their umbrellas as they rode their bicycles and others just used coverings with head protection.  

The rain was quitting and so we decided to walk for a few blocks. It was between 5:30 and 6:00 and shops were closing, but there was still stuff to see. A little window shopping. 

Linda is always fascinated with the bikes - they are everywhere and so many and different types.

On our walk, we passed this canal with these beautiful houses along it and the rear of vendor kiosks at the water's edge painted with ad hoc murals.

Then we caught the #5 again and back to the Centraal train station. We've done this trip often enough to know that spoor (platform) #11 is the one we want to get to Baarn. Five minutes after we arrive the train pulls out. Connect at Baarn to Soestijk and one hour and five minutes later we're back at the house. 

A nice, and successful little excursion.

Tuesday - Its market day in Baarn and Linda has a sax lesson with Peter in Baarn too. So, after she practices a little and we have lunch, we drive off to Baarn for shopping, then an espresso at our regular cafe just off the main square. Then, we drove over to Peter's house and Linda had her lesson.

Some reading, a little dinner and Linda goes off for a walk. While she's gone, Noor shows up at the front door. She comes right in - very comfortable in this house. I think that's because Joke plays with her on a regular basis. She asked for Linda and I told her Linda was out walking. Noor had brought a small jigsaw puzzle and we worked on it together. But she did most of the work. I'm not very good at these things and it was obvious, Noor had solved this puzzle a few times. Then we watched part of the Simpsons and she said goodbye.

Linda showed up a little later with a story of a helicopter landing in our little park down the street to pick up a guy who had crashed his bicycle into a traffic pole. For some reason, the medics put the victim in one of the two ambulances that had arrived instead. I heard there was a lot of blood. On Wednesday, Linda got more of the story from the Osteopath at the corner where it happened. There happened to be a nurse there and the Osteopath ran down our street and got another nurse and brought some wet towels while they waited for the emergency personnel. 

The man was not breathing very well until the Osteopath put her hands on his hips. Then, the nurse said he was breathing better. The nurses were surprised at that.

Big event for the evening.