A Bookworm's Delight

I absolutely love books! I could spend all day in a library. There’s something magical about standing in the middle of all those books, knowing that knowledge is just waiting to be absorbed. Those darn books whisper my way, daring me to reach out to them for new ideas – I get goosebumps just thinking about them. However, the truth is that I don’t spend a great deal of time at libraries – in fact, I go months without visiting one. And certainly not when I’m on vacation. Now really, who goes to a library while on holiday?

Well, as it turns out we happened to visit one while in Amsterdam, so let me introduce you to Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam, one of the coolest libraries that I’ve ever been in. This library is shiny and new and sits next to the Central Train Station on the Ij River. Visitors must cross a bridge to reach it. There are seven floors with restrooms (and attendants) on the first floor; a restaurant and theater on the seventh floor; and books and multi-media in between. To top things off, there is a “public” piano in the lobby that begs to be played.

It was a treat to visit this library. I just wish I was a little better at reading Dutch.

When It Absolutely Has to Get There

This afternoon I went on a little shopping spree with my sister. As I was hauling a bag full of sale items to the car I thought about my Dutch relatives across the pond. Almost everything they buy, pick up, drop off or transport is done on foot or by bicycle, regardless of the weather. It’s second nature to them, as it is to most Dutch people. If the load is a little bigger than normal, they simple pull out “the Chevrolet,” a bike with an oversized bucket on the front. Move a load and get a workout – it’s a win-win (as my husband likes to say).