Bits and Bobs

  Bits and bobs is what they call collections of small items in England. Bits and bobs is what I gather on trips to Europe. I like refrigerator magnets. Also postcards and medals of saints. Things that won't make my suitcase any heavier. 

  I also end up with my memory full of bits and bobs which once home I try to put together like pieces of a puzzle. I think this is why I travel- to gain insights while seeing the world from a different angle. 

  It helps to talk about what I’ve seen, but an acquaintance bumped into in the grocery store can only spare so much time. Their kids are waiting for dinner, or so they say. 

  It’s better to flip through my hundreds of trip pics and embody my thoughts in the form of a blog post. 

  Allerlei dingen is what they call bits and bobs in the Netherlands.  I wondered while walking around Amsterdam why the city felt like such a human place. For one thing the streets were not dominated by cars. Everyone seemed to be getting around on bikes. 

  Bikes in Amsterdam are a conscious decision. After World War II, some people saw that cars were taking over their city and they convinced the authorities to favor bikes. 

  It seemed like everyone who was not on bikes was either riding the tram or walking. There were definitely cars and delivery trucks but they were in a minority. 

  In November the city felt cozy, with cafes and coffee shops on every corner. It might get too cozy in summer when the tourist arrive. I don’t know. I won’t be there. 

Museums:  Museums are a problem for me. They're time consuming and expensive. I read once about an old man who when he visited a museum, stood in front of one painting for an hour and then left. How silly I thought. Now I am that old man. Or I would be if it didn't cost twenty dollars to get into the museum. I'm a cheapskate. Yes we can afford it, but it wouldn't be prudent. If I'm going to pay that much I'm going to stay half a day and I'll be in a bad mood and won't enjoy it so why even go.

  We did go to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam just because it was there and we had developed an affinity to Van Gogh on a trip in Provence earlier. The museum is a huge likable place. It was crowded even on a week day in the off season. The Van Gogh phenomenon is odd. This building which has cost close to half a billion to build celebrates the work of an artist who sold one painting in his life and killed himself at age 37. The museum's star attraction, Starry Night, was on loan in New York. One more reason for disgruntlement.

At the Van Gogh, Three Views

  We skipped the nearby  "not to be missed," Rijksmuseum and had lunch in a cozy cafe with odd denizens to ogle. We took the touristy canal tour on a long narrow boat with a glass roof. There was lots of room to spread out. Many people live in houseboats along the canals. There are also smaller motor boats. We saw several small boats on the verge of sinking. As long as the annual docking fee is paid, no one complains.

Tulip boat

Pezzi e cianfrusaglie is what they call bits and bobs in Italy. Next time