Right then GardenStew mates--my gardening season is drawing to an end and that means that the day-trip season is beginning. A couple of days ago my bride and I decided to have a day in Amsterdam. The focal point of the visit was the Hortus Botanicus. What IS the Hortus then? It is sort of like a mini-KEW. Did I say. "mini"?....shall we add a few more mini's to that then. Website Hortus: http://dehortus.nl/en/home For you who do not know what the Royal Botanic Gardens, KEW is, you ought to have a look. http://www.kew.org/ It is for me THE most impressive botanic garden that I have ever visited. Ach, but I really am digressing here. Let me first go and get a nice cup of tea and a cookie or two to nibble on. Back. I am now all comfy and installed here to relate the events of the day before yesterday to you. The night before we would take the train to Amsterdam, we were busy sitting around and chatting about this and that in a sort of an excited way. We were looking forward to this trip, and discussed the various possibilities the gardens and the city offered. We have not been there for quite a while now. It was an early night to bed then, as we wanted to take the first train after the rush hour in order to have a full day. A full day, but I had to be back before 20.00 to attend a beekeeper' meeting. The Hortus is located smack in the middle of Amsterdam, one reason that it has remained so small, I guess. We paid and entered, this was the very first thing we saw once through the gate: The first glasshouse that we looked in had a typical canal view. One can right away see that we were in the middle of the city. It was a desert setting and had plants typical to that milieu. Here is a well-known plant that is so typical of a hot and dry climate in the northern hemisphere. We stopped for a moment and thought back at how many of these we have seen and in the various places. My bride remarked that she almost didn't recognize what plant it was, because along roadsides or in public places in many countries...where this plant stands within reach of the public, it seems that the urge to carve one's initials is irresistible. We left the dry heat of the desert house and was greeted with the refreshing mep of the cool outdoor climate. Strolling along the paths, we came to where they keep bees. They have their own bees! What a surprise. We heard an adult; leading a small group of kids, tell about how there were five hives there... but three had died out during the winter because the weather was so "soft". We just stared, dumbfounded at each other, and said, wha-a-a-t?? Moving along the path, we came upon a pool with this remarkable water lily pond. We have seen these before in several different countries, but they are always so interesting to see. They look as though they could support the weight of a child. We were not there five minutes when another group of kids rolled-up...oohing and ahing and chatting in a really excited way. Once the little group of ten or so all managed to find a place around the edge of half of the pool, the teacher shouted, "Attention children! Take your tablets and take a picture". They all went silent for about two seconds, klikked their cameras and then went back to their excited remarks, pointing and noticing the water plant's stems under the water and the single flower. It made us smile. Those large lily pad leaves are very stiff and strong feeling, but still how can they support the weight of birds? Someone had removed a leaf at some point and it was lying at the side of the pond, turned upside down. Just look at those square compartments on the underside--they can hold trapped air, which would make them just that much more buoyant. Other greenhouses had various sorts of speciality plants, or in this case...butterflies. I will do a separate posting of the butterfly house later. The tropical rainforest house was mysterious and quite enchanting, with its amazing plants and paths. They were filled with the most lovely flowering plants... ...and just plain green ones: There were dangerous-looking spiky-barked trees Jungly-looking plants Tall palms with a backlit elegance... As we strolled along one of the dark and steamy paths we saw a dark pool with a log poking up out of the dark depths...and what was on that log? Well, it was a relief to get out of that last place. We had actually begun to perspire in there. If it wasn't bad enough down on the forest floor, they had high walkways up above everything. It was REALLY hot and humid up there. Whew!...but what a nice view. Now, naturally we walked all the paths and saw all the plants that they had to show; but of course in October, very little was still blooming. We said to each other that we could still imagine how it would look when they WERE in bloom. We spent a number of hours walking around and looking at everything. It was indeed exciting and enormously interesting. It was so amazing that the Hortus has been there for 375 years. Well, I can tell you after slentering along the paths there for a few hours, my legs were tired and my tummy empty. We had taken the tram from Central Station to Hortus, but wanted to walk back. There is a lot to see in the city...but of course, it was time for FOOOOOOOOD. There are so many little cafés and and terraces in the city, but we wanted a new one--one that we had not eaten at before. We were walking down the Utrechtsestraat on our way to the Rembrant Square and the floating flower market by the Munt Tower....and there it was--Café de Huyshkaemer. A cute little place with a small terrace out on the sidewalk; and inside, seating in a loft and on the ground floor to choose from. We chose the private little alcove under the stairs. Cozy and romantic. The menu was a good one with loads of choices of bistro-like food. I chose a Sloppy Joe and she went for the exotic sandwich, creamy goat cheese with fig jelly and red opnions. It was all good. It looks a bit yukky on the foto, but that is because I thought too late to take the foto. Sorry. I was half way through. It was hardy and tasted really good. I didn't really know what to expect from my dish, but it sounded good to me, and it was. As we often do with desserts--we have them in a place other than where we eat the main meal. We would be taking our dessert in the hotel terrace that is sort of a tradition for us...but I am getting ahead of myself. I paid the bill and we put our feet in the street again and headed for Rembrantplein. Here is the link: http://rembrandtplein.com/ You can klik on the small dots on the bottom of the picture to see a couple of other pics. Rembrant Square has always been a bit of a noisy and a tad rough in the past, but now it is quite nice. I believe that this is largely due to the presence of statues that have been erected on the grass there. You have all perhaps heard of the painting called, "The Night Watch". It is a large and famous painting by Rembrant, which hangs in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The painting: The statues are of the figures featured in the painting, but spread out a bit so that visitors can walk in-between them, look and touch, and be photographed. It is a capital idea and draws so many tourists that the scruffy aspect of the square has now become very nice and pleasant. A frontal foto: Some character details: ...and finally the central figure, Frans Bannick Cocq: Actually all the characters in the painting are known and you can find their names here, should you be interested...well, everyone except for the "child". There has been speculation about her identity for years: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Nachtwacht We spent quite a while walking around in-between the tourists looking and examining...taking foto's and viewing the display from a distance. There are benches to sit on close-by and one can observe the visitors, the painting sellers and of course the statures. This place is something that we can be so proud of. Well, all good things must come to an end, so we were ready to head back towards the train station. A bit of shopping was in order though, and of course a visit to the floating flower market. The flower market was shoulder-to-shoulder, as usual...but none-the-less interesting to see and look at. There are a couple of terraces there and a couple of shops that we like. The Munt tower looks so reliable-- standing tall, presiding over the hectic foot, bike and auto traffic punctuated by busses and trams. It sounds chaotic, and it is in fact...but such fun. At the other end of the market one can then go down into the main shopping street. You can walk this street and the two parallel streets on either side of it to the station. On the way down the street we came by a large department store called "the Bijenkorf" (beehive). The little lady was looking for a purse, among other things. We moved along the fragrances, make-ups the clothing and to the handbags. Her eyes fell upon one and I heard a peep...followed by a gulp. Then a sigh. Then a tut. "What is it"?, I called out. "Its this bag...I thought it would be a good one, and I saw that it was only 108 euro's; but when I looked closer, I saw that it was not 108 euro's, in fact it is 1008 euro's. Tch I'm not paying more than 1000 euro's for a handbag, come on!" Well, we went on and on about that purse and its price. But really ladies, 1008 euro's for a purse? Can it be worth it for anyone? The times, they are a-changin', I suppose. We headed out into the street again after checking out night clothing and a few other items. I was becoming a bit edgy...I was ready for my dessert, and the Roode Leeuw (Red Lion) Hotel and restaurant was across the street. We took a place in the enclosed terrace. I ordered my traditional apple tart with whipped cream, the bride settled for a chocolate mousse. I was a happy camper. All was good and we would make the train before the serious rush hour would begin.
Very interesting outing with your Bride Sjoerd....but I do have to add a little about the purse. I have a couple that I have paid more than I would like to admit and they hold up and last for so long....but with the price of that one I understand fully , my husband might of grabbed my arm and helped me out of the area. Great photos
Thanks SHERRY-- for your comments. It was a lovely day and that business with the purse was later laughable. We sat eating our tarts and marvelled further at the price. 2OF-- Thanks for reading the thread. I'm glad that you liked the Hortus piccies. It was indeed a totally relaxing day. Thank you DONNA--You are most welcome, meid.
Now why haven't I been to the Hortus I ask myself. Ian and I have wandered all over Amsterdam but somehow managed to missing it completely!! After seeing your photographs and reading all about it I think we need to plan another trip to Holland. By the wayI wouldn't have paid 1008 euro's for the purse either no matter how suitable.
Great trip S. Thanks for taking us along.. About that purse...??? I have a spare, can I send it? it may not be what she was exactly looking for, but the price is right.
I really enjoy your day trips... this one was no exception. I was impressed with those water lilies... never saw any like that.
You tell the story of your trip so well and I enjoyed every bit of it! Thanks so much for sharing. It is wonderful to see places that you would never get to see in person.
EILEEN--Yes, I definitely think that you need to plan another trip to Holland. There's still lots to see. Thanks for the bag support. You are welcome, CAROLYN--Yeah, the price is right for your spare bag alright. I'll tell the bride. hahaha. Ahhh, thanks so much, CHERYL--Those water lilies really ARE something aren't they. They look even more remarkable in real life. CHRISLE--you say the nicest things. Thank you so much. I'm glad that you enjoyed the posting this time.
Thank you for sharing your day out with us Sjoerd :-D The Hortus looks very interesting.The tree with the spikey bark looked really quite sinister. I really like what has been done with The Night Watch.Accessible works are art are very important IMHO.The more that people know about them the more likely they are to care about their heritage.
Thanks for your comments, KIAS--you are so welcome. What is or are "IMHO"? I like what they have done with the painting as well. I find it unique and as you say, perhaps folks here will learn and care more about their heritage, Have you ever seen the painting in real life?
