Last days: Amsterdam to Brussels

Hello! This is Eli in Europe. Well, not anymore. Yesterday we returned from our trip to Europe. Due to my parents' reluctance to pay $19.95 for internet on the airplane, I have some catching up to do on this blog. This post will describe my final two days of vacation.

On Wednesday, we went to the Rijksmusuem, which has art from the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th century. Unlike the van Gogh museum, many artists have their work in the Rijksmusum.

After this, we realized what had been approaching for the last few days: we had to leave. With all our luggage in the trunk, we were ready to depart Amsterdam for the airport hotel in Brussels.

The sun had set, making driving more difficult.  In addition, we were trying to make reservations for dinner. It was new years day, and not many restaurants were open in rural Belgium. The process was to use a map to find a town close to the highway, then use the internet to find a restaurant in that town. This method was not very effective, as we called seven restaurants a one wrong number with no luck. Finally, after an hour of searching and calling, we called up a place that was open and had a table for five people. As we entered the town, we saw it was very rural, and my mother joked that we may be eating dinner at someone's house. 

Het Hertebos - Ambient!

When we found the restaurant, it did look like a house from the outside, except for a sign announcing "Het Hertebos" (the name of the restaurant. ) The restaurant had a wonderful atmosphere, and zero tourists were be found. The waitress did her best to explain the menu, sometimes acting out a food item. It was an enjoyable and delicious way to have our last meal in Belgium.

The next day, on the airplane, I had my last memorable meal of the vacation. It was specaloos ice cream. Specaloos is a Belgian syrup, similar to the one in stroopwaffel.

The trip has come to a close, but many lasting memories have been made. Thanks for reading the blog and maybe I'll be able to make another one day... Something like Eli in Tokyo. (Sponsors welcome!)

This is Eli in Europe, signing off.

Best airplane food ever...

Van Gogh

Hello, this is Eli in Europe.

On Tuesday, before insane Amsterdam new years, we visited the Van Gogh musuem.

After a short tram ride we arrived at the Van Gogh musuem. Suprisingly, the Dutch pronounce van Gogh like "van Hachhhh." (Make a gutteral sound at the end) Despite the pretentiousness of this pronunciation, the van Gogh museum was quite enjoyable.

When we entered the museum, we watched a film that described the life if Vincent van Gogh. In case anyone is unfamiliar with the story, here is a very condensed version of it:

Vincent van Gogh was an aspiring artist. His brother Theo encouraged him to paint in different styles. Vincent and Theo have a strong connection and exchange over 800 letters during their lives. Unfortunately, van Gogh only sells one painting in his life, The Red Vineyard. Later, van Gogh gets into a confrontation with another artist, and decides to go to a mental hospital. While there, van Gogh's style changes. After leaving the hospital, he lives for four months before fatally shooting himself in a field.
Note: This version is far from complete. For details on van Gogh's life, click here.

After the depressing video, we explored the museum from van Gogh's first drawings to his last unfinished painting.

In the gift shop, one of van Gogh's paintings was on a backpack, a tote bag, and an iPad case. I wonder how van Gogh would've reacted if he had seen this. Would he be elated because his artwork is world renowned? Or would he be disappointed because his image has been made into a brand, and he never wanted that?
I was perplexed by this question, while standing on the line to buy my Vincent van Gogh postcard and notebook. Oh, the irony. 

It was only 6:00, but after we left the van Gogh museum, we decided to return to our hotel. The new years festivities start as soon as the sun sets in Amsterdam.
For more details on New Years, you can see the previous two posts.

Amsterdam New Years Fireworks

These are the official fireworks- we couldn't record the illegal fireworks because it was too dangerous to stop walking. With no warning, a firework could be shot off a few feet away from you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF9uxGxR0Vk&feature=youtube_gdata_player