Asterdam Day 2

We rose slowly, me trying time reading 'Anathem' which started out quite slow but is building up a good head of steam. The campsite has it's own flock of ducks which go about begging from campers; these are the two youngest of the beggars.

They get quite precosious and one has to be careful to keep the tent door closed otherwise they would be inside having a gander at our food.

We caught the graffiti train into Amsterdam and then the same tram as yesterday but got off at the next stop because I wanted to go and have a look at the Van Gogh museum. Caron wasn't particularly keen so she went and found a coffee shop while I ambled around. I loved it, there is something about his work which I really like. I think that it is the simplicity and the colours because it certainly isn't his ability with perspective. Anyway, whatever it is or was I really enjoyed seeing so many and seeing his development over the 10 years or so that he painted.

The other gallery that I wanted to see was the FOAM gallery where, the advertising said, I could see examples of great phtographers including Henri Cartier-Bresson but the advertising was misleading (isn't it always; it must be the aim of advertisers that they get it right so often; else they're just incompetent) and I ended up seeing an exhibition of a South African artist. All the way to Amsterdam to see pictures taken not 20km from where I live. 7.50EUR of not funny! Once again, Caron waited patiently outside the gallery but this time not for so long.

We managed to find a coffee company which had free internet as long as you bought some coffee; we didn't need any second invitation and spent a good hour and a half posting and catching up with email. This is the kind of place I could get used to, we sat at a window and watched the boats going up and down the canal while we each downloaded email and sorted our internet lives out.

Our final outing for the day was to go on a cruise around the canals which takes about an hour and although it is totally canned, touristy and the driver wasn't so hot at getting around some corners, it was definitely worthwhile.

We also got to see Heerengracht street from the water instead of on the land. At the end of the tour the canned announcement made a plea for a tip for the captain for treating us all so well but the plea was nullified by the captain driving into a dock about 30 seconds later so, no tip. Anyway, what is the captain doing with a British accent.

Back home I dived back into Anathem in between supper and coffee and watching three teenage english girls setting up camp a little way off complete with two cases of beer. People seem to drink quite a bit here.

Didn't finish Anathem but I'm hopeful for tomorrow.