Sunday 23 September 2007 - Amsterdam

Greetings fair readers,
I am in Amsterdam at the Bulldog Hotel. Nice place just on a canal about 10 minutes walk from the central train station. I flew in last night on KLM and got a couple hours sleep so am fighting fatigue at this time but I will be up for a while, a shower after I was able to check in @ 1500 sure helped. I got tho the hotel @ about 14000 this am and they let me drop my pack and then I wandered around, got my reservations for the high speed to Beziers sorted. Wandered about, had some Belgian frites with mayo and then found my way to the Van Gogh museum. WOW is all I can say about that.
Truly amazing to be so close to so many incredible works by not only Vinnie but some of his contemporaries as well; Gaugain, Millet, Picasso, Sezanne, etc. I spent a few fascinating hours there.
Amsterdam is a whole new world, my hostel is associated with a chain of coffee houses where the main product is not necessarily coffee but as the website reads "vegetation and plant resins from around the world". I am sitting in the bar and there are people all around me partaking of that product where you order off a menu and sit with people and have fun. Also, my hotel is on a canal and there have been boaters heading up and down it all day it being a lovely sunny Sunday. Just on the other side of the canal the red light district starts and there are all sorts of shops that I can see that are advertising all sorts of assortment of various films and toys and private rooms and shows and, and, and... As one of the fellows I met in the bar here let me know, Amsterdam has anything anyone could want.
I've been chatting up a couple of fellows here from Dublin and they come over every few months for a "men's weekend" and appear to be pretty experienced with the various availabilities of this city.
I have taken some photos but do not have my camera to upload the images with me so that will come later, stay tuned.
I believe the evening is about to come to an end for me soon, I'll be heading out to find something to eat and then make an early night of it. Tomorrow I think I will take in the Anne Frank House if I'm up for it (hears it's really depressing) and maybe a canal tour where I can take lots of photos and if I have time the Ryksmuseum or the Rembrandt house.
Signing off now, more to come as I can find a login available