The first few days of a trip to these time zones are tough due to jet lag so we usually keep the schedule light and get to the activities in the early afternoon. Of course staying up watching The Netherlands play Costa Rica made for a late in the FIFA World cup did not help. Nor did the fact that the game went into penalty kicks making it an even longer evening.  I have no idea when we went to bed but we loved hanging out with the locals and watching the eventual Nederland victory.

The goal for today was easy, the Rijksmuseum which contains Dutch Masters paintings and historical artifacts. Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gough, all represented well. There was even a Warhol painting of Queen Beatrix that was an interesting addition rounding out the collection to include a modern portrait that is relevant to this country.

Kim and I seem to be doing ok with the jet lag.  Not so Sydney, had a rough morning. She is ususally much better. Watching her transition from a jet lag zombie to flitting humming bird was funny though.

Dinner tonight was at Resturant d’Vijff Vlieghen, a recommendation from Mark Lambert. Extending through five houses some of which were built before the United States founding father’s fathers were born. I would have thought the place would have been more crowded, the staff told us told us July is light because many of the regulars are away and visitors to Amsterdam do not come in great numbers. Their loss is our gain, we had a great meal that included a kitchen tour. Thanks for the tip Mark!

More pictures from the Rijksmuseum are in the Rijksmuseum tab in the top menu.