Amsterdam- A city of contrasts

What is a trip to Holland, without a visit to the dutch capital. From food and fashion to art and architecture, this vibrant city has it all. Amsterdam has an eclectic atmosphere that's infectious. One of Europe's most radical cities in the 1970's. Amsterdam's illicit image has diminished quite a bit over the years-prostitution was legalised in 2000, and while cannabis is still sold in coffee shops around the city, few locals indulge in public. Despite it's reputation, though, there's more to the dutch capital than a liberal lifestyle-it's an eye opener for art aficionados and architecture buffs, and the picturesque canal-side cafes, intimate nightclubs and bustling squares offer plenty of opportunity to soak up the city's cool vibe. Gary and I go our separate ways in the City as Gary would like to look around the red light district and I really want to visit the Anne Frank House. This is not my first visit to Amsterdam. I have spend a day here with the De Groot family, in the 80's and walked around the red light district back than. When I was a young girl, I read Anne's diary and her story touched me deeply. Not only because of her but all those others who lost their lives during the war. I am on my way as soon as possible, camera in hand. I arrive at the Prinsengracht 267. This is the house where Anne and her family hid to escape deportation by the Nazis during the war. After paying the admission fee, I follow the others inside. No one is taking any photos and the visit is very thought provoking. The house has been left as it was on Otto Frank's return and it is amazing to think that 8 people shared this tiny place for such a long time. The thought of me having to share with 8 people, having to be mouse-still and so full of life is unimaginable. Anyway I want to see the chestnut tree, Anne writes about in her diary but that area has been closed of due to renovations as that section had some safety concerns at the time. After a long visit, I leave without having taken any photos. It felt terribly wrong to take pictures of a family's suffering. I catch up with Gary and we have a meal before returning home again.

Bessie has some exciting news

Our property has been teeming with domestic animals lately. Our neighbours are having a few problems with wild dogs. One of their calves had been attacked and is being cared for at their place. Since they had another 2 calves who were at risk of further attacks and a heavily pregnant cow, it was decided to move all these animals to our property. Gary and I own 2 donkeys and they make good herd protectors. Donkeys. Well there are a lot of dogs in our neighbourhood, who have developed a very healthy respect for Jack and Bonnie and avoid them like the plague ( Wild dogs included). Anyway we have been observing Bessie the cow for a while and yesterday, the big moment finally arrived. Our cow Clover was calling out and was very upset, as she had lost her best friend. Naturally, I thought it was a bit odd as they are always together. I have been reading up, as to what to expect, with calving etc and knew that a cow would look for a place to have her calf away from the rest of the herd. I believed she must have had it already but this was not the case. I decided to move her into a smaller enclosure near our house, to keep an eye on her. A few hours later around 8.20 AM, I noticed a sack hanging out from her behind and I realised, she was about to give birth. Back to the house to fetch the camera and check on time. Apparently if the calf hasn't arrived within the hour she needs assistance. I have managed to capture the entire birth on film and made some photos as well. It was a beautiful moment. The calf is just very cute and like all babies it just drinks, sleeps and plays a tiny bit. Here are the photos of Bessie and calf.

Say Cheese and smoking pipes

Whilst in Gouda, we visit the cheese museum and get a glimpse of how that famous Gouda cheese is made. The cheese is made from cow's milk that is cultured and heated until the curd is separate from the whey. Some of the whey is then drained and water is added. This is called "washing the curd" and creates a sweeter cheese, as the washing removes some of the lactic acid. About 10 percent of the mixture is curds which are pressed into circular mounds for several hours. The cheese is then soaked in a brine solution which gives the cheese it's rind and distinctive taste. The cheese is then dried for a couple of days before being coated to prevent it from drying out, then it is aged, depending on age classification, for a number of weeks for young cheese, to over 7 years for a vintage variety, before it is ready to eat. After watching an informative video and a guided tour in dutch as the volunteer present that day doesn't speak English. His only visitors (except me) are English speaking people but no problem, I have become an interpreter to help the visitors and guide along. Gary and the others want to know everything and my English is being tested. Immigrants tend to learn what is needed to get along in their new country. I have never discussed cheese making procedures with anyone in English before and it shows at times. Immigrants also learn to be descriptive when necessary and in the end we all get there. We leave the cheese making museum and look around in the other areas and notice all these smoking pipes being displayed. This gets us curious and we approach this guy to ask him about the smoking pipes and their significance. He informs us to hang around as there will be a demonstration in clay pipe making very soon. This guy speaks English and as Gary is interested he is given a very informative talk about the smoking pipes. Well here it is.

Clay smoking pipes museum

The material and shape of a pipe has a profound influence upon the aesthetic of a smoke. (I never thought I would write anything like this, as I am a non smoker) Many materials have been used for pipe making, but Gouda is famous for it's clay pipes. Top quality clays are hand made in a labour intensive process that requires beating all the air out of the clay, hand rolling each pipe before molding it, piercing it with a fine wire and careful firing. Traditionally, clay pipes are unglazed. Clays burn "hot" in comparison to other types of pipes, so they are often difficult for most pipe smokers to use. Unlike other materials, a well made clay pipe gives a "pure" smoke, with no flavour addition from the pipe bowl. Clay pipes were once considered disposable items and large quantities discarded in the past are often used as an aid in dating by industrial archaeologists.