Friday

I slept in to 8:30 this morning and got grief for it.  Slacking on the job again! 

We went out looking for a clue from the Da Vinci Code today.  Last night Christian told us about a secret door in “Spui” Square.  Actually its not, but hardly anyone knows about it, except for those in the know.  It leads you in to a secret courtyard with a church from the 1400’s.  A church that was for the longest time a cloister for women.   

Spui square is a crowded outdoor market area filled with noise and action from every side, but several doors down from the corner American Bookstore (No really, there is a store called that!), you will find this large old wooden door.  You open it and slide into a world of quiet.  Once inside the courtyard opens up to accommodate the church and a large lawn encircled by old brick houses, most, of which have elaborate flower gardens. 

Rick immediately set up his easel to paint and within a few minutes was told by an elderly lady to take it outside. No photos or painting allowed in here.  As she put it, its private residences and we like our piece and quiet.  One certainly can’t have a noisy artist painting.  I just think Rick was getting too close to the Da Vinci Code.

 We were forces back out into the noisy square.  I set up next to a hotdog stand to work on this piece.  One of those stands where if they would have offered me a hotdog, I would have declined.   Most of the time I had large trucks in my way as they loaded and unloaded goods for the market.  One guy took the pleasure of walking over to me and pointing to his watch, he showed me the sign for a full hour.  That’s when I looked at the driver and he understood the situation better.  He parked across the street and gave a funny look back to his assistant.  “I would have fired him myself!”

 

At noon the place really became crowded with shoppers and I had to quit.  No point trying to paint something that’s blocked by hundreds of human bodies.  

We ate our lunch in the square there and then left for a quieter location for the afternoon piece.  The clouds were also moving in and we wanted to be near the protection of large trees.  I found this spot looking across Kaizersgracht at some interesting architecture. 

Now we are relaxing back at the apartment. As Rick puts it “It’s Miller time”…….not !

“Its Duvel Time”    I’ll settle for 8.5% any day. 

Richard Boyer