On a side trip to the town of Delft, we were able to go through the "factory" where the famous and lovely blue Delftware is made. The ancient frame building is three stories high and one must climb very narrow ladders to go from one floor to another and upon leaving, use an outside wooden stairway because the interior ladders are too narrow for people to pass going opposite directions! The women of the town come with large baskets to take home the plain white ware on which they hand-paint all the lovely designs, then return them to the factory for final glazing -- a truly amazing "cottage industry" in these modern times. I coveted every piece I saw, but Tim reminded me about packing space to get them home, so I limited myself to a few flat trivets that would fit easily into our bags.

One morning we went to Paulus Potter Straat in Coster, the diamond center of Amsterdam, to visit the Nederlands Diamond-Cutting factory. A guide took us through (no one is allowed in without a guide and there are armed guards in every room) and explained each operation in the cutting process. Next we were taken to a large display room where showcases filled with a variety of diamonds and diamond jewelry for sale lined the walls. In the center of the room was a square glass case dramatically mounted on a tall black pedestal. Inside was the largest and most brilliant diamond I have ever imagined. The guide said it was valued at more than 10 million dollars! No wonder they have armed guards!

We spent all of one memorable day at the Rijksmuseum (sounds like RIKES). This very old national museum is visited by hundreds every day, seemingly by as many local people as visitors from far away places. The wide stone stairways between floors are hollowed out by the footsteps of many generations. Locals seem prone to bringing bags or baskets of food and sitting on the many stone benches for hours, just drinking in the beauty of the paintings. We, of course, wanted especially to see the Night Watch room where the most famous painting of Rembrant is hung. I never knew that the official title of it is "The Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch". It portrays, with extraordinary clarity, a group of soldiers preparing to go on watch under the command of their colorfully uniformed captain. One whole wall of the room is devoted to this huge canvas, beautifully framed. Standing in front of it in absolute awe, I did not realize I was holding my breath until Tim poked me in the ribs and said, "Breathe!!" The area in front of the painting is roped off with thick red velvet cords and a guard stands by to prevent anyone from taking flash pictures and perhaps damaging the valuable canvas. In fact, flash bulbs are not permitted anywhere inside the museum. (I took the picture below on one of the stone landings, without a flash.)

One thing Tim could not get over was walking through the walletjes (accent on LET), the red-light district of Amsterdam where the women display their ample wares by lounging in the doorways or sitting on the wide sills of the street-level windows, because they are not allowed to solicit on the street. Prostitution is legal in Holland and the women have regular, official medical check-ups and are protected by the police. No pictures are allowed unless the ladies give permission (for a price, of course.)