Just come back from a week-end in Amsterdam - it was bitterly cold! Spent Saturday perusing the shops and then found an alley - reminded me of the "Wynds" in Edinburgh, so we decided to have a walk down. It was literally just wide enough to walk in single file. About half way down I spotted a door and a lady behind it in a bikini. "I hope she's not going out like that", I told Wendy, "she'll catch her death". "I don't think she's going out", said the She Who Must Be Obeyed. "Ah", I said, wisely, "topping up her tan is she?", "No", came the reply in a dangerously measured tone. "What are the UV lights for then?", I wondered aloud. "Oh for pity's sake! We're in the Red Light District", said my better half, whilst clutching me by the collar. Well, I can tell you, I didn't know where to look for the best. Come to think of it, there were plenty more doors too. By Jove! It gave me an idea, "How would you like a door frame, UV lamp and leopardskin print bikini for Christmas then?", I asked tentatively. "How would you like to wear the said door frame?". Oh well, perhaps not then. Actually, it was quite interesting (from a pure research point of view, you understand) - apart from the blokes on Stag Night's (all trying to get up the courage to talk to one of the ladies), there were parties being led along on a tour of the district. I saw one sign saying "Window to let ring XYZ". It didn't feel an unsafe area at all. Wendy laughed when she heard one Old Dear saying, "They're obsessed with it; they need to take something!".

Well, Sunday was "culture" day, so off we pop to the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. The VG also included a comparison between Rembrandt and Caravaggio and was interesting because they both seemed to have a penchant for really horrible death scenes. Don't ask me why. They were good exhibitions but very busy (Sunday I guess) and I'll give you a hint if you plan to visit these museums. - go to the nearest Tourist Information and buy a ticket in advance - we avoided the (long) queues that way. The VG collection was mostly early stuff with a few (i.e. one room) of his later (and, to me, more interesting) work. The Rijskmuseum impressed me because they had a room full of "Rembrandts" (13 or so) that they had bought that all turned out to be fakes (or done by his students, so are not considered "real" paintings), and how they worked it out using Art Experts and Science. Fascinating. The "Night Watch" (which is huge at 5mx4m) and a smaller copy - I thought the copy was better, but what do I know about Art?

BTW, we flew with Jet2.com - a cheap airline flying from Manchester and Leeds and I think it's the best cheap airline We've flown with.