Instead of the quick hour-long nap I intended, I wound up sleeping for three and a half hours, so I decided to do the Rijksmuseum the next day and walked over to the Jordaan, which is a funky little neighbourhood near the Anne Frank Huis. I spent the first part of my walk learning how not to get run over by cyclists.
Here's the thing: there are no stop signs in downtown Amsterdam. A few major intersections have lights, but mostly you count on common sense to
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
That's more like it: First morning and barely a hitch... sort of...
Note: Not every photo I took will be posted in the blog. To see them all, click on the link to my photo albums.
Tuesday morning: I got off the plane, and despite being one of the last off, managed to be one of the first at the customs gate. I presented my passport, was asked how long I was staying, stamped, and passed through in a matter of minutes. I was ready for a bit more of an inquisition. But no "how will you be returning?" No "how do you intend to support yourself while you're here?" Just a "you need a visa to stay more than 90 days. Have a good visit." To tell the truth, I was a little disappointed. I'd practiced and everything! Getting my luggage was also really quick; my bag was the fifth one off the plane. Wow! If the rest went this smoothly, I'd be walking around Amsterdam in about an hour...
My next bit of fun was finding the ticket machines to catch the train from Schiphol airport to Amsterdam Centraal. I knew, from reading
Tuesday morning: I got off the plane, and despite being one of the last off, managed to be one of the first at the customs gate. I presented my passport, was asked how long I was staying, stamped, and passed through in a matter of minutes. I was ready for a bit more of an inquisition. But no "how will you be returning?" No "how do you intend to support yourself while you're here?" Just a "you need a visa to stay more than 90 days. Have a good visit." To tell the truth, I was a little disappointed. I'd practiced and everything! Getting my luggage was also really quick; my bag was the fifth one off the plane. Wow! If the rest went this smoothly, I'd be walking around Amsterdam in about an hour...
My next bit of fun was finding the ticket machines to catch the train from Schiphol airport to Amsterdam Centraal. I knew, from reading
Oh, that was very nearly not a good start...
I'm here! Hello, Amsterdam. Thank you for not raining yet.
So, Aged P drove me to the airport yesterday, and after we left I realized that I'd forgotten to do several important things, like empty the rest of the tea from the pot and toss the veggies and milk that won't keep from the fridge -- oh, yay, something to look forward to when I get home! However, I couldn't worry too much about it because I WAS ON MY WAY!
Having checked in online, I got through the dropping off the bag process very quickly, although my suitcase seemed to have gained a kilo on the way to the airport. The very nice lady behind the counter said "Well, we can't
So, Aged P drove me to the airport yesterday, and after we left I realized that I'd forgotten to do several important things, like empty the rest of the tea from the pot and toss the veggies and milk that won't keep from the fridge -- oh, yay, something to look forward to when I get home! However, I couldn't worry too much about it because I WAS ON MY WAY!
Having checked in online, I got through the dropping off the bag process very quickly, although my suitcase seemed to have gained a kilo on the way to the airport. The very nice lady behind the counter said "Well, we can't
Monday, 29 March 2010
Saturday, 27 March 2010
This is how I roll...
I have a problem. It's not a full-blown addiction, yet, but I know it's only a matter of time. My name is PhysicsGirl, and I like pretty, shiny things.
Earrings, mostly. Some women have a shoe thing; I have an earring thing. Ever since I finally talked Aged P into letting me get my ears pierced at age thirteen, I've been collecting dangly ear baubles. I have decided that my major souvenirs from this trip will be earrings. Which means I have another problem.
Earrings, mostly. Some women have a shoe thing; I have an earring thing. Ever since I finally talked Aged P into letting me get my ears pierced at age thirteen, I've been collecting dangly ear baubles. I have decided that my major souvenirs from this trip will be earrings. Which means I have another problem.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Better finished than perfect
Back at the dawn of the history of my 4 over 5 (so, um, five years ago), I thought "wouldn't it be neat if I, having spent some time in Paris and other parts of Europe, didn't have to fly home with all my carefully considered purchases but could sail home across the Atlantic, as they did in the olden days?" It turns out you can, on the Queen Mary 2.
Part of the fun of the voyage on a transatlantic liner is that you get to dress up for the occasion. There are
Part of the fun of the voyage on a transatlantic liner is that you get to dress up for the occasion. There are
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Ada Lovelace Day: Caroline Herschel probably didn't have to worry about the pronunciation...
In honour of Ada Lovelace Day, which you can read about here, I've pledged to blog about a woman in science. In keeping with the theme of this blog, I'll tell you that one of the sights I hope to see in Bath is the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, former home of Caroline and William Herschel. William Herschel was the guy who discovered a planet he called "George's Star," but which later became known as Uranus, thereby ensuring grief for future science teachers.
His sister, Caroline (1750-1848), was a medal-winning astronomer in her own right, as well as a lovely singer. She was the first woman to officially discover a comet (she discovered a grand total of 8) and did a lot of the grunt calculations for her brother. She even got paid as his assistant when William was appointed King's Astronomer (which in my uneducated opinion was pretty good for that time).
You can read about her on MacTutor here. I like the idea of Gauss visiting her in her old age, because "when you hear the name Gauss, you must bow."
I leave you with a link to a poem by Adrienne Rich. Happy Ada Lovelace Day, everybody!
His sister, Caroline (1750-1848), was a medal-winning astronomer in her own right, as well as a lovely singer. She was the first woman to officially discover a comet (she discovered a grand total of 8) and did a lot of the grunt calculations for her brother. She even got paid as his assistant when William was appointed King's Astronomer (which in my uneducated opinion was pretty good for that time).
You can read about her on MacTutor here. I like the idea of Gauss visiting her in her old age, because "when you hear the name Gauss, you must bow."
I leave you with a link to a poem by Adrienne Rich. Happy Ada Lovelace Day, everybody!
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