Plan B (aka Amsterdam day two)

The day started off according to plan:  appfelbeignet from the cart (apple fritter like with donut/batter/pastry around it - nice, but too sweet) and coffee (not as good as yesterday which is actually good because now I can try other cafes).  It all went a bit pear shaped from there.  The queues for the Von Gogh and Rijk museums were astronomically long so I ditched that idea and went to the Heinekin experience instead - quite fun and you get three free beers (shame I don't like beer that much) - and then on to the Tassenmuseum, the Museum of bags and purses. 

You know when you walk into a handbag shop and there are one or two purses that you *love* and the rest are just all a bit meh?  Turns out a museum of them is a little bit the same.  The old stuff was quite interesting (a social history of handbags anyone?) and I was particularly taken with the chatelaines (items that hung from chains on the lady of the house's belt - keys, scissors, knife, etc.)  Possibly not quite fashionable on the Paris runways today.  The more recent stuff was interesting too, but not in a oh-my-god-I-have-to-have-it kind of way.  There were several in the shop that I felt that way about, but they were a wee bit beyond my budget.  The most interesting exhibits were the lit up handbags that were part of the light festival.  I would happily walk around with one of those over my shoulder.

The red light district was next.  Scantily clad women in their bra and knickers in windows. Many that I saw were busily chatting on their cell phones. I was somewhat fascinated and unashamedly peered in a few windows.  Not nose to the window kind of peering, just turning my head and looking.  I was on my way to see Our Lord in the Attic church but seemed to have got myself lost until I stumbled upon it.  It's quite an interesting building with a Catholic church in the top three floors that was used when Catholicism was banned in Holland.  Has quite a good audio tour as well. 

I finished the day with a canal boat tour around the light festival tours.  It starts with pea and pork (looked like sausage to me) soup with is apparently a Dutch dish (very nice) with a bun and cheese and a glass of mulled wine.  All served in plastic cups but still very welcome as it had started to rain.  About 50 of us then piled into a boat and around the canals we went.  There were a lot that I hadn't seen the night before and it was nice to see the city by night in the boat.

It was still raining when the tour finished and I should have caught the tram.  But I've not yet figured out how they work and I like walking so I bundled up in my hoodie and scarf wound three times round my neck and headed off.  It was a good decision.  I started off freezing, but soon warmed up and you see so much more of a city when you're walking.  I went past a tacky but nice winter wonderland display (I was still too cold at this point so didn't take my hands out of my pocket to take a picture), some interesting shops (all having sales, but I resisted), and I finally found the supermarket just around the corner from me.  I noticed a bunch of people parking their bikes and heading into this little door so decided to follow them and investigate.  A real supermarket!!!  Clearly hidden away so the tourists can't find it.