Nothing happened today. I stayed in and Linda went walking over to the south of town to shop. While she was gone, Duco and Noor came over and told me they had lost their ball on top of our shed. I could see it but couldn't reach it, even with a broom and a step ladder. Eventually, I lifted Duco up onto the top of the shed and he climbed over the edge and found their ball plus another one they had lost earlier.
When Linda returned she said she had found a massage parlor which also does reflexology next to the health food store we use. I got excited and made us an appointment for next Tuesday. Something to look forward to. Linda had already made herself a reflexology appointment for July 27, when the boss returns from vacation.
We're using the computer to watch movies on Netflix and others on Youtube.
Quiet evening. Actually, all of our evenings are quiet.
Saturday:
This is what we look like early in the morning.
We needed to do something today. The weather was bright and sunny and in the 60's. After some research, we decided to take the train to Utrecht and visit the Museum Speelklok: a music box and clock museum.
Once we arrived on the train, we stopped to have frites.
This was in the street as we walked toward the museum. We found out later that this was a promotion for the museum.
This is what a Utrecht street looks like.
We think that The Tour de France came through here this year. So, there was a lot of advertising about it around town.
The bunnies of Utrecht. Dick Bruna is an author who wrote children's books about a rabbit named Miffy (Nijntje), a small rabbit drawn with heavy graphic lines, simple shapes, and primary colors. There are bunnies of various sizes all over the place - on signs and in squares a sculptures.
The museum is housed in an old church which gives the rooms a certain unique character. It has carillon clocks, music boxes, and pianolas. We joined a tour in progress that was partially in English. The guide showed us several very large organ grinders and he played 3 of them for us.
These things are really big and very loud.
This very large combination unit contained 3 full-size violins in addition to a piano. There was a circular set of brushes that rubbed against the strings and ingenious tabs that held the strings as if it they were being played by a human. I asked the tour guide how much one of these would have cost. He said you could buy this unit or a very nice villa. It was made in Liebenz, Germany.
One, he had to manually push the wheel to make it go. He also showed us a Steinway piano that was played with a paper programmed role. These had been the center of home entertainment at the turn of the last century. All before gramophones became available.
After the tour, we walked around the remainder of the museum and saw the progression of how it was possible to have music in the home - first, with a music box, then with metal discs like one I have at home, then player pianos, then player pianos that could be played and punch paper tape so that there are renditions of Gershwin playing Gershwin, and then finally, gramophones put them all out of business. Upstairs in the museum we saw a lot of music boxes and organs. And - much of the descriptions were in English. That made the experience even better. Nice museum, we enjoyed ourselves.
This is the oldest clock in the museum (1450 - 1535)
This music box is almost exactly like the one I have in Florida. It was made by Thorens and plays metal discs. You wind it up and then flip the on switch. The company went out of business in the 1960's. Sad - people had too many other options for listening to music.
These are the more fancy and expensive ones which use metal cylinders. I think Linda's mother's 2nd husband had one of these. This is the type of thing that you don't think about until you're reminded by an exhibit like this and then you wonder what ever happened to it.
This looked like a set that was looking for a church bell tower to live in.
One of the player pianos.
The museum's library of music rolls for playing their pianos and organs.
Fresco on the church wall depicting a scene from Matthew.
After that, we found a cafe near a canal. Linda had a uitmitijer (ham and egg sandwich, but this one was with roast beef) and I had a burger which was actually cooked and had a fried egg on it - plus a slice of cheese (yes, I'm afraid it was cheese) and onion and some special sauce that was really good. And, of course, we each had a beer. Today, we just ordered a beer and let the waitress bring us what she wanted.
As we ate our lunch, we were serenaded by a hippie troubadour with 60's and 70's songs: Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul, and Mary, John Denver. It was comforting. Linda thinks she remembers eating at the same place and hearing the same guy last time we toured Utrecht.
After eating and watching a very large parade of people strolling by, we decided to look for paddle boat rentals on the canal. After walking back and forth and asking several people, we found the correct kiosk but no one was there and there were lots of people waiting. Not going to happen today.
Here's another promotion for The Tour de France juxtaposed with the famous Utrecht bell tower that we have climbed in the past.
We started back toward the train station and stopped for an espresso for both of us. It was hard to find a place for coffee because it was after 5:00 and the stores close at 5:00 on Saturdays. More people watching and then back to the train and "home".
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