I really didn’t know what to do for Ryan’s birthday until the last minute. We were in Amsterdam, so throwing a surprise party was out of the question. Most of the shopping we saw was small boutique stores and tourist gift shops. He wouldn’t like any of that. An Amsterdam t-shirt isn’t much of a birthday present, but I did get him a vulgar t-shirt that he absolutely loves. He hasn’t worn it in Hong Kong yet and I’m hoping he never does.
I decided that my gift to him would be a full day where he could do whatever he wanted without any complaints or judgment from me. My only rule was that I didn’t have to be there. So while he went coffee shop hopping – that’s what they call the places where you can buy happy brownies – they’re nothing like Denny’s – I went museum hopping. I wasn’t interested in watching him get stupid and he wasn’t interested in visiting exploring culture, art and history.
I went to the Rijksmuseum, which is in the middle of a massive renovation project. Only a tiny fraction of the art is on display, but it was still incredibly impressive. I’d love to go back when they’re finished in a few years and see it in all its glory. I also went to the Van Gogh Museum, right next to the Rijksmuseum. It was impressive in its own way. They had a lot of his art displayed in an easily navigated building. Most museums are like mazes – you usually have several different directions you can go. The Van Gogh Museum is kind of laid out like Ikea. You start at the beginning and end at the ending.
At the end of the day – late in the night really – Ryan came back to the hotel happy and wet. It hadn’t been raining, so my guess is he fell in one of the canals. I never asked him about it. I think the less I know, the better.
No comments:
Post a Comment
No hate, please. There's enough of that in the world already.