The Bailey Expedition

Amsterdam

With very little time until the end of our grand voyage, we had one last destination pulling us north. Amsterdam has a reputation as one of the more exciting cities in Europe and was very different than most of the other spots that we had visited. The trip from Paris to Amsterdam took us through Benelux, a lush green region that moves from rolling hills to the flat fields of Tulips and other flowers characteristic of Holland. It also marks the linguistic transition from French to Dutch, and one last language for us to negotiate and enjoy. Strangely enough there are many windmills once you get into Holland, and although the poppy season had passed, there were hundreds of fields of flowers still evident. To view all our photos of Amsterdam go to the photo page.

Once we arrived in Amsterdam we immediately found ourselves relaxed, comfortable and enjoying ourselves. While this city has a long rich history, it does not seem constrained by it. It is teaming with young folks who seemed unencumbered and relaxed. We were never given a second look and after we found a nice little hotel in the most centeral part of the city we proceeded to explore. Coffee houses, pubs, restaurants from all over the world, it was a wonderful place to wrap up what has been an extraordinary adventure.

Today is our only full day here and we set out to visit Anne Frank's house. Since most of you are familiar with the story, I will only mention our impressions. Having been to Dachau, we felt that this building brings Anne's story to life and makes it all the more poignant. It is now well preserved with the house, the staircase and original copies of her writing carefully displayed and protected. The interactive CD ROM that the curators have developed about Annne's story is accessible on a dozen computers at the end of the tour and is also available for purchase (it is a great teaching/reference tool).

This is a city who's central core is ringed by canals originally created for the defense of the city. We spent much of the afternooon on a boat touring the canals and getting a chance to see the city from a different perspective. Like so many of these older cities, there is a classic style to the arcitecture (narrow tall gabled houses with steep stairs), and a distinctive sense to the city. We managed to find a great restaurant for a last supper and headed back to pack.

Our intent was simply to ease out of town in the morning, however Pamela's affinity for Vermeer and Marks for Van Gogh impelled them to head to the Rijksmuseum. With little fanfare and a visit of less than 2 hours we were treated to a morning with the Dutch masters. Rembrant and then rest of his pals wowed us with their dark introspective portraits, their flowery still lifes, and their bright full landscapes. While we would have liked to have spent more time (and also paid homage to Vincent's museum, this visit fit everyone's needs and left us feeling inspired as we headed out to Frankfurt and the final leg home.

The flight home offered the final bit of excitement. We arrived at the airport to find that even though we had made reservations 8 months ago and confirmed a week earlier, we were listed as standby (along with 27 others). After a hour of uncertainty, we were seated in perfect seats at the window. It was a wonderful flight. We passed over Greenland and northern Canada before turning south and passing over Mt. Rainier and into Oregon. Along the way we flew over massive ice and water flows in Greenland, icebergs, and the desolation of the tundra and forests of Canada's Northern Territory. Two movies and 10 hours later Quinn turned to us and said "when I get off the plane I want to kiss the ground". It is good to be back.

To quote a famous sage "What a long strange trip its been"