Now where did I leave off from our first full day in this Venice of the north? Some cultural observations first. This is a very old city but very youthful energy and very social people are hanging out, either in cafes, or just in front of their homes to all hours of the day and night. The city is very compact, with homes closely connected to the since of vibrant connections certainly impressed this traveler that the social cohesion is a very attractive aspect of this city. But on to the activities of the first full day. The bikes are a must for getting around, although they have an excellent public transit, the bikes really immerse you immediately into this energized place. The bike lanes parallel the canals which set the layout of the city and boat traffic is another means of getting around, boats and live aboards are docked along the side of the canals. We have dined well and taken advantage of the beer gardens and based on this current heat spell these watering holes are very popular destinations. Of course the Heineken green is everywhere.
Both the Van Gough Museum and the Eye Film institute are very interesting sharp angled photogenic buildings, although the current exhibition at the Eye of avant guard artist and filmamker Alex Van Warmerdam, who experiments with narrative form in his films, left this observer in the proverbial plebeian dust! But the institute itself is very impressive, with over 200 staff curating and preserving film. To beat the heat we took in 2001 in full 70 MM splendor. Kubrick was a master of narrative.
Day 2 begins and I end here more later!
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