One Big Dutch Master Work of Art

As we have traveled across Holland and Belgium, and spent time in Amsterdam, I am always aware that I am living in a painting. The sea, the sky, the windmills, and the ships are a canvas for light to play on. In Amsterdam, the facades of the old buildings, the canals, bridges and canal boats are always another photo op, a photo being my way to capture what the old masters put onto canvas with paint. It is early spring here and the linden trees that hang over the canals are just showing a green fuzz of blossom ( enough to activate out allergies). People are dressed in coats and scarves, but they were coming off today and the outdoor cafes were becoming crowded with the arrival of the first warm day. We have been doing museums: Rijksmuseum, with Vermeer and Rembrandt and many other old masters, an old house museum to see how the rich lived in the last three centuries, the history museum for the Amsterdam story, and the Anne Frank House to remind us that there are many stories here of people who have suffered in this beautiful setting. Amsterdam is a free city, and you can find just about everything here. But they do understand that freedom also requires tollerance. We visited the Van Gogh museum earlier. Now we move on to France, where I am sure I will feel myself living in an impressionist painting. I'll see light as dabs of paint. And there will be lots more museums and another beautiful city. (Jill, I hope I sent an email. I tried to. Let me know if you didn't get one for April 21.) Linda