Amsterdam

Canals






Old architecture (see how they get furniture into homes? Hint - look at the top of the roof.)



Memorial of a heroic naval captain.


Lunch


Amsterdam has the best public library. Free use of computers (both Mac and HP) for internet.


The cafe on the top floor has the best views of the city.


I also found some fiber shops. De Afstap carries Rowan, Lang and other brands. It is also carries needlework supplies.









Nearby is the Otherist - which used to be called the Egg Mercantil. They have a small cupboard of mainly Manos.







Even gravestones provide pattern inspiration.



My room - with its own little balcony overlooking a garden area.



Supper one night. Very delicious! Meatballs and gravy with mashed potatoes that had broccoli in them.



While they don't have peanut butter, you can get fruit flavored sprinkles to put on your toast.

Knitter's Utopia

Leaving Köln on Friday, I arrived in Gießen in the morning and in the afternoon left again, heading south to Munich. I didn't do much sightseeing as I arrived late and headed out early on Saturday.

This looks like a typical small Bavarian town.

Nice station...



with a nice town square...



that has a market on Saturday mornings.





But I wasn't here to buy fruit and vegetables.

I definitely was here for fiber...

but not the edible kind.



The shocking thing is...this is their local yarn store for some lucky, lucky knitters. When the shop is open, knitters come in, chat, drink coffee, etc.







I was able to do that only after about an hour (OK, maybe longer) of going around the room, feeling up all the yarn. When I was asked if I needed help, I was close to blurting out, "I'll take ten of everything...in every color." It's one thing to see the colors over the internet or to see the colors of the one or two precious skeins you may have been lucky enough to buy over the internet. But to see it all jumbled together in one place!

While there, I met Claudia, who owns Wollmeise, and Sheri, who owns the Loopy Ewe in St. Louis, MO.

They are both camera shy - with their backs to the camera, Claudia is on the left and Sheri on the right.


I also met Arlene - as in Arlene's World of Lace. You should see the samples of her lace knitting patterns in person...I think I've queued every single one of her patterns that I found on Ravelry.

She is also extremely camera shy - and was standing to the right of Claudia - I promised not to take her photo.

If you're ever lucky enough to get there, don't leave without using the bathroom. It is Pepto Bismol pink and there are permanent markers provided so that you can write on the walls.





This is what one gets when they bring their spouse along.


Obviously, some knitters do not believe that ignorance is bliss, especially regarding spouses and yarn purchases.

Did you know that the Hermitage's collections are so vast that they can only show about 5% of their collections at a time?

It's the same with my purchases.

This is a small representation of the my entire collection.



These are from the "Nobody is Perfect" collection. Claudia calls them this as they've got one knot in the skein. I call it a bargain.

L to R - Luscious purple laceweight, green Twin, black/brown/red 100% merino, and Twin Wild Thing in the color "Amazonas."

Mission accomplished.

Now, to get it all home...

Köln

Leaving Bruges, I stopped in Köln for overnight to break up the trip (and to leave enough time for me to check into my housing in Gießen, then get back on a train, heading south to The Knitter's Utopia). But more on that later...

Back to Köln -

This is St. Mariä Himmelfahrt Missione Cattolica Italiana which was between my hotel and the Cathedral in Köln. The doors were open, so I stopped in.





Next, the Cathedral (Dom). Building on the Dom began in 1248. During the wars of the religious reformation, pilgrimages (and with them funds for building) no longer came to the Dom. For 300 years the finished end of the nave was walled off to use as a church. The Prussians paid to have the church finished - using 700 workers it was completed in 1842-1880.

















Why pilgrimages to the Dom?

The Gero-Crucifix - which is the oldest surviving monumental crucifix from north of the Alps. It was carved in the 970's.



The Shrine of the Magi - in the 12th century, Köln acquired the bones of the Three Kings, now stored in this reliquary.



The third reason for pilgrimages (which I didn't get photo of as the evening service was being conducted) is the Madonna of Milan sculpture from 1290.

I see inspiration for lace patterns in these photos-







In the Roman-Germanic Museum behind the Dom, there is a large window - very handy for tourists who arrive after closing time. Peering through the window, one can see the museum's prized piece - the mosaic dining room floor of a rich Roman merchant in it's original position because the museum was built around it.