Amsterdam: Kickin' It

While waiting on the Wilco show, Jill did some homework in the local Amsterdam weekly - so today we headed out for some smaller art exhibits more or less without a plan.

We visited the Stedelijk Museum and saw a very thought-provoking and interesting exhibit by Paul Chan, an American artist. His show, 7 Lights - actually only featured six installations. Later, we found a book on this exhibit which was interesting to look at and read. Each exhibit was essentially a movie shown on the floor of the room, with objects 'falling' into the screen. The most riveting was a recreation of what it would've been like to be inside the World Trade Center on the top floors after the September 11 attacks. You stand before the window and see debris falling, and occasionally, a person falls past the window - in one part, two people fall, holding hands. Along the walls were studies of the shapes he used in the films. Though it doesn't sound particularly uplifting, good art doesn't always make you feel good - but rather, it makes you think. This did the job - we were both glad to have experienced it.

From there, we walked on and enjoyed a particularly nice day weather-wise. We headed to the newer portion of Amsterdam, saw the Waterlooplein market, visited some bookstores, had our requisite coffee, strolled past the Bloemenmarkt, etc. and then headed back to the B&B for a siesta before dinner. Tonight, we had the Indonesian Rijsteffal - something I didn't do last time and have regretted ever since. We took our host's recommendation and had a fantastic meal to celebrate our last night in Amsterdam!














Random shots of Amsterdam; some of hte Paul Chan exhibit...and me, looking annoyed but not: rather, it was me squinting into the sun!