Post Three: Redruth to Amsterdam

March 2023

This journey was the residue from covid.  We had been booked to travel by Eurostar to Ghent back in 2020 but lockdown had put a stop to that.  Eurostar had banked the tickets and we decided to change them to visit Amsterdam where neither of us had been before.  We had also been delayed in going away as work had been truly busy with the re-launch of The Writers’ Block https://thewritersblock.org.uk/ in the Ladder https://theladderredruth.com in Redruth.  What a week that was! 

In true fashion, we missed the early train by a minute.  Good start! Our fault.  The train left on time and we could only wave it off, recover our breath from running up the hill dragging loud suitcases and sit in the waiting room with small gaggles of schoolchildren all on their phones.

The only way of catching a train I have ever discovered is to miss the train before … GK Chesterton. Take comfort in that!

Once pride and irritation had subsided our spirits were buoyed up in the station café by bacon sandwiches and coffee.  We did need to catch that train as we were also booked into a matinee performance in London; a friend had a lead role in To Kill a Mocking Bird on Shaftsbury Avenue.  To add to the stress, the tube drivers were on strike in London.  So all my careful planning went out the window and I knew we would have to walk and arrive late at the theatre.  I studied in London decades ago, so the minute I step off the train, I feel like I’m twenty again (feel not look) and up my speed.  Tony doesn’t have quite the same reaction, poor man.  I mentally plotted a route from Paddington to The Gielgud Theatre – am not a whizz on google maps.  As expected, the roads were gridlocked so there was no point in getting a taxi or bus.  So off we strode through the mizzle, dragging our faithful suitcases.  We arrived 15 minutes into the performance along with a small group of others.  Security opened the cases on the street, then they were whisked away to the cloakroom and we were ushered to our seats still steaming from the exertion and rain.  It was a fabulous production which was captivating from the first, even if we missed the beginning.  Our friend, Anna Munden, as Scout was brilliant and the set awesome.  That evening we met my brother, Jonathan, in a lively Italian restaurant near King’s Cross, slept in a Travelodge and were up bright and early for the Eurostar.

Amsterdam is such a pretty, floral, easy-going city.  We were welcomed by the number 12 tram, with an English speaking conductor, which took us direct to our delightful Hotel Jan Luyken in the museum quarter; first glimpse of canals.  First evening we had to get used to dodging the bikes; they seemed to come from all directions.

Glorious day in the Rijksmuseum – felt so privileged to be able to view close up such incredible paintings, sculptures and amazing dolls’ houses.  It was fascinating to see the newly restored Nightwatchmen by Rembrandt. It was called that because the setting was so dark but once cleaned a whole interior was revealed. It is a huge painting but was apparently even bigger when painted but was cut down in the City Hall to fit a particular wall. Rembrandt wasn't commissioned again by the City as some of the men were upset for having been depicted in the shadows... I won't, or can't, describe all the amazing art but I wanted to note how the Museum is facing up to the country's slavery history. Portraits are labelled where the sitter owned plantations or made their wealth trading in sugar or spices that depended on slave labour. Not easy for anyone but the right thing to do.

We had coincided with a Vermeer exhibition which all the world also wanted to view; we were too tardy getting tickets.  We later met two German women from Munich who travel around Europe for exhibitions and performance – they go to London for theatre and bag a couple of exhibitions at the same time.  They, of course, had managed to get tickets. Van Gogh museum was also sold out that weekend. Such a lot of visitors in a small city.  In fact, the authorities were just about to clamp down on rowdy stag and hen groups. 

Other highlights were the Saturday market in Jordaan which was so lively and colourful.  We ate the biggest stroopwafel!  Rembrandt’s House which had just reopened after restoration.  The Museum with the Chapel in the Attic; a secret catholic chapel built by a wealthy German merchant when Protestantism became the dominant religion.  These chapels were tolerated and hidden in plain sight. This is the only one left but there were a host of them in the area, along with synagogues.  Also an incredible feat of engineering… It seems that Amsterdam is a city of many secrets behind the beautiful facades …

When I worked for Kneehigh Theatre many years back, I would book them to perform in the Vondelpark each summer but never got to go with them.  So it was a joy to see where they would have performed and hung out.  Lasting memory of everyone out running and masses of birds especially parakeets.

Felt sad to leave the next morning just as we were just getting to understand the geography of the city and at least two tram routes.  Next time we will get bikes! On the Eurostar we travelled through four countries to arrive back in London by lunchtime.

Back in London we visited the Tate Modern but were too tired to make the most of the rich offering of ideas and concepts. We stayed with dear friends in Greenwich and the next day we happily wandered round Greenwich Park and paid homage to the Cutty Sark which felt fitting after being in another maritime city.

Then it was back to Paddington for the train home which for some reason took seven hours as we were re-routed through Wiltshire. At least it gave me the time to finish the fabulous Shadow Play by Joseph O'Connor. Not sure if I had noticed before just how good the air smells as you get off the train in Redruth!