Woke up late yesterday. I think I was so run down that I just needed to crash. I didn't wake up until three, but I was going to wake up at one. Oh well. Once I got up, I headed to Amsterdam Central to get the Amsterdam Pass. After that I went to the Magna Plaza and found a shop called "America Today." The best thing about that place is that they had imported American candy. I haven't had a Butterfinger in seven months, so I had to buy one. In the evening, we went out for a quick drink before coming home. Short, but sweet day.

Today I woke up early to use my pass. I first went to the Rijksmuseum. I must say, that I was very impressed. The section I appreciated most had the be the one for Asiatic art. The sculptures of Ganesha and Vishnu was excellent. The rest of the stuff was all right. I saw "Night Watch," but I can't say I was that impressed, besides the fact that it was huge. Rembrandt is cool and all, but "Massacre of the Innocents" was ace.

After I left the Rijkmuseum, I headed to a placed called Cobra. Marius told me that if I had time, I should use the restroom there. I didn't understand why until I got there. When I got in, the only thing I noticed was that the stall doors were completely clear. Not exactly the most reassuring feeling, eh? But then I noticed something in Dutch on the door handle, so I got inside and locked the door. Sure enough, it went from transparent to opaque... Very cool... heh

Following that side-adventure, I went to the Van Gogh Museum. I was tired, so I kind of shuffled through it. I did see a really cool Monet painting that I liked, but couldn't buy a postcard of. The best sculpture was De Boer and the best Van Gogh was "Glass of Absinthe and a Carafe".

After the Van Gogh Museum, I went to the Amsterdam Diamond Group. Not really worth it. I think they were expecting me to buy something. Sh'yeah right...

Although, after the ADG, I went to a place to sit down and had a pint of Grolsch. I was looking forward to it. I wanted to try one of my favorite lagers in the country it's originally from. It didn't disappoint. Smooth and strong, just like myself... ;)

After the Grolsch experience, I went for my free canal cruise. It was pretty cool, but the most interesting thing to me was when the guide pointed out that there are hoists on the rooftops of every house. That is because the stairs are built small to save space, so hoists are used to move heavy things up to the top story.

After that, I headed back to the Magna Plaze to get my free postcards and then across the street to get my free alcohol. All in all, a productive day in the city...