Little-known Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam poses thought-provoking questions regarding Nazi occupation of the Netherlands

Well-preserved items from World War II help tell a compelling story of the Nazi occupation of Holland at the Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam. Photo by Bob Vernon

Amid the staggering beauty of the art in the famed Rijksmuseum and neighboring Van Gogh Museum, the lurid attraction of the Red Light District, and the haziness of the cannabis coffeehouses can be found a true gem. Discover Amsterdam’s best-kept secret — the Verzetsmuseum or the Dutch Resistance Museum.

Located across the street from the Artis Royal Zoo in the Plantage neighborhood and only a short ride on Tram 14 from the Central Station, the Dutch Resistance Museum offers a detailed and straightforward look at Holland during the Nazi occupation during World War II. It does so by utilizing an approach that is as much a pillar of the Dutch culture as wooden shoes, windmills and tulips — by provoking discussion.

Discover Amsterdam’s best-kept secret

In some parts of the world, particularly the United States, the words “Dutch resistance” are considered oxymoronic, like “jumbo shrimp” or “near miss.” One would never consider the Dutch resistance to the Nazis to be the stuff of legend. And to its credit, the Dutch Resistance Museum does not go out of its way to thump its Dutch chest or pat itself on the back for its efforts. What it does do is pose a provocative question: What would you do?

In a 10-minute film prelude to the exhibits, the historical situation is presented. In 1940, the Nazis wanted Holland to fall in line with other European countries and align itself with Adolf Hitler’s regime. The Dutch, naïvely thinking they could opt out of any conflict, as they had in WWI, proposed to take a neutral stance à la the Swiss. On May 14, 1940, Hitler responded by bombing Rotterdam, killing 800 people and leaving 80,000 homeless. In an effort to prevent further loss of life and property, the Dutch capitulated and the Nazis overran the Netherlands.

The story becomes familiar from that point. Democracy was abolished, freedoms were slashed, and the Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses, dissidents and homosexuals were persecuted.

Nazi Occupation: What would you do?

And it is at this point during the film that the museum’s theme comes into sharp focus. Faced with such a horrific situation, what would you do? Adjust? Join? Resist? Or in Dutch: Aanpassen. Meedoen. Verzetten.

The exhibits personalize these choices through the stories of different families and individuals who each chose one of these paths. The consequences of their choices were tragic, dire, and almost always sad. Acts of heroism, great and small, are on display, as are many items that display the desperate ingenuity of an oppressed people.

Do-or-die decisions

The Dutch Resistance Museum is a short tram ride from the Amsterdam Central Station and is located across the street from the Artis Royal Zoo. Photo by Bob Vernon

Stories of those who collaborated tell of do-or-die decisions that resulted in unexpected and painful outcomes for the individuals and their loved ones. The plight of the Jews is described in a straightforward manner that neither sensationalizes nor trivializes their predicament or the quandary of the non-Jewish Dutch famed, then as now, for their tolerance.

And while many of the exhibits are less about Dutch Resistance and more about how the Dutch existed day-by-day under the Nazi rule, in instance after instance, the question is always there: “What would you do?”

The museum also has a revealing section dedicated to the War in the Pacific, where the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies was incredibly brutal. It is interesting to note that after Japan’s surrender in August 1945, the Dutch’s treatment of the indigenous people bore strong similarities to the way its own subjects were abused by the Nazis. Again, to its credit, this museum does not scrub history, whitewash it, or attempt to reframe it; it simply exhibits the details and lets the tulips fall where they may.

Concentration camp

Camp Vught was a transit camp for Jews en route to extermination camps in Poland. Many children were separated from their families at this SS concentration camp. This exhibit lists the names of those children. Photo by Bob Vernon

An additional exhibit features the gut-wrenching tales of the Jewish children sent to Camp Vught. One of only two SS concentration camps located in Western Europe outside of Germany (the other being Natzweiler-Struthof in occupied France), Camp Vught served as a detention camp, as well as a transit camp for Jews before they were sent to extermination camps in Poland. Many Jewish families were sent to Camp Vught, only to be separated from their children. Several of their stories are detailed here.

All the exhibits offer details in Dutch and English. There also is an audio tour that provides greater detail and color for the various exhibits.

The museum also offers a children’s section called the Resistance Museum Junior. It’s the country’s first children’s museum focusing on WWII. The exhibits here center on the stories of four children who were eyewitnesses to the Nazi occupation. Target age for the children’s museum is age 9. As with the main museum, all texts and audio in the children’s museum are in English and Dutch. The Verzetsmuseum Junior is well worth a visit, even if you are no longer a kid.

Perfect complement to tour of Anne Frank House

The Dutch Resistance Museum is a truly a hidden treasure in Amsterdam’s long list of attractions. It provides an ideal complement to a visit to the Anne Frank House and doesn’t require reservations or long queues. Admission is only 8 euro for adults, and it’s free if you have the Amsterdam Card or the Museumkaart. Budget at least two hours for your visit.

So go ahead, explore and discover Amsterdam’s best-kept secret. Then, after you step outside, ponder the question. If you found yourself in a similar situation, what would you do? Feel free to comment below.

Dusseldorf’s Classic Remise shifts car tourism into a higher gear

If you’re a fan of vintage cars, then a visit to the Classic Remise vintage car showroom is an absolute must-see stop on a tour of Dusseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Bob Vernon)

Have you ever experienced a classic cargasm? You know, a cargasm.

That’s when you’re in a place where there are so many outstanding vintage cars that your heart races madly, you go weak in the knees, and upon seeing the car of your dreams, you make that face that is typically reserved for more private encounters.

Well, I just experienced one, and though I don’t smoke, I think I need a cigarette.

Experience a ‘cargasm’ at Classic Remise in Dusseldorf

It happened on a recent trip to Dusseldorf, Germany. I had been researching unique vacation ideas, when I came across a posting that identified Classic Remise as a “must see” attraction. Not only that, it carried an admission price that caught my eye – FREE!

What? Vintage cars? Free? Yes, please!

To say that I was skeptical was an understatement, and it didn’t help matters that finding this place required a couple of train/tram transfers and a GPS-guided hike through a neighborhood. But I have to say, it was worth the effort. I mean talk about auto erotica!

Wienermobile or Bratmobile?

Could this be the long, lost German cousin to the American Oscar Mayer Wienermobile? This vehicle greets you outside the Classic Remise in Dusseldorf and is just a hint of what awaits you inside. (Photo by Bob Vernon)

Upon arrival, the first vehicle I witnessed out front was a whimsical, not-to-distant German cousin of the famous Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. With a giant bratwurst atop a delivery van, it must’ve been the original Bratmobile. With that vehicle as an appetizer, I suspected I was in for a five-course, four-wheel treat, and I was not wrong.

Now to enter, you must pass through a lovely biergarten and enter the foyer, where a VW microbus awaits, but that’s just a tease for what lies ahead. Think of it as 4-on-the-floor play.

Located in a historic roundhouse for locomotives, Classic Remise is part vintage car showroom, part service center, part auto storage, part exhibition hall, part restaurant, part retail clothing shop, and part conference center – not to mention the biergarten – with a Ducati motorcycle showroom/repair shop thrown in for good measure.

Literally hundreds of classic cars could be found in showrooms, stored on lifts, displayed in the open and tucked away behind glass on two levels.

Unique Vacation for a vintage car smorgasbord

At Classic Remise in Dusseldorf, you can pick up this 1929 Phantom I Boat Tail Tourer for a mere $178,000. (Photo by Bob Vernon)

The usual suspects were all in the lineup: Ferrari, Jaguar, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, MG, Alfa Romeo, Rolls Royce and so on. But there were also American surprises, like Cadillacs, Corvettes, and Cobras. Oh, my!

You can wander through the showroom among these spectacular vehicles, but understand that it’s a “look but don’t touch” arrangement. However, there are price tags on the cars in the showroom, so if your pockets are deep enough, you can not only touch, but you can even drive one of these bad boys home should you so desire.

And while my wife threatened me with the stink eye of death should I even attempt to summon a sales representative, I did notice some rather attractive pricing.

Squeals on wheels

Now I mentioned that the self-guided tour is free, but if you are seeking a more extensive, in-depth, behind-the-scenes guided tour, the price is steep. Cost is 95 euros (almost $130 US) for an escorted 45-minute tour that includes a history of Classic Remise Dusseldorf, the building, an overview of the facility’s dealers, shops and services, plus a glimpse inside the workshops where the vintage vehicles are being serviced and repaired.

So if you’re a vintage car enthusiast romping along the Rhine, there’s no better bet in Dusseldorf than to stop by Classic Remise.

Trust me, the juice is definitely worth the squeeze.

My pedal-to-metal wife found the vintage car she wanted at the Classic Remise in Dusseldorf, a Cobra Ram 427. Sorry, babe, I left the checkbook at home. (Photo by Bob Vernon)

Take the family on a journey through the history of cinema on the banks of the Rhine

For fans of filmmaking, a visit to the interactive Dusseldorf Film Museum is a must. Experience the history of cinema and storytelling. (Photo by Bob Vernon)

If you’re into learning the evolution of modern filmmaking, then a visit to the Dusseldorf Film Museum is in order.

Located in the Old Town (Altstadt) only steps from the bank of the Rhine River, this intimate interactive museum provides a delightful overview of how ancient storytelling evolved from puppets and shadow theater to today’s digital productions. There are several hands-on exhibits, including operating a Zoetrope, catching a peep show, and trying your hand at storytelling and editing on the montage wall.

Dusseldorf Film Museum shows technology of storytelling

The Dusseldorf Film Museum has wonderful historical exhibits of some of the first filmmaking technology, including this Magic Lantern, which represented the earliest technology in film projection. (Photo by Bob Vernon)

On this journey through the history of film, you’ll see the expected costumes, props and awards (Oscar included) of film legends, but delightfully you’ll also see a balance of European and Asian greats. So you can learn more about Akira Kurosawa, Francois Truffaut, and Ingmar Bergman, as well as getting a more personal glimpse of Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.

Founded in 1993, the Dusseldorf Film Museum is divided into four floors. The first (or as American visitors would term it, “the second floor”) is dedicated to directors, costumes, personal items, and a model of what was in its time the world’s largest silent film theater, with room for 6,200 theatergoers.

The second floor delves deeply into the roots of cinema. From Asian shadow puppetry, through peep-boxes, dioramas and lithophane, the methods and technological advances in storytelling are displayed. Besides the Zoetrope, there’s also a Praxinoscope and a Kinetoscope you can operate. The “magic lantern,” the first device to enable the projection of images, was particularly interesting. You can even crank the flick-book photo wheel on the Mutoscope and watch Fred and Ginger dance. And if you’re a camera freak, then the optical hardware on display here will truly charge your batteries.

Tour the film studio

Spin the handle on the Mutoscope at the Dusseldorf Film Museum and watch Fred and Ginger dance. (Photo by Bob Vernon)

On the third floor, visitors can enjoy a taste of life in front of and behind the camera in the replica film studio. You can see the sets, camera and lighting used on actual film sets. You also can check out the wind machine that helps blow the flowing locks of your favorite actress. And for animated film fans, there’s also a exhibit that reveals the secrets behind special effects. Or you can hang out in front of the “blue screen,” where the performances of live actors can be mixed with existing footage.

All in all, it’s a gem of a museum and a great place to visit, especially at the low price. Admission is 5 euros for adults and with those under 18 getting in for free. If you have purchased the Dusseldorf Welcome Card, you can gain free admission to this and many other attractions in the city. There are guided tours and film workshops for children, teens and adults. The film museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays. Check here for details.

Unfortunately, the biggest drawback for this museum is that there is very little in the way of English descriptions of the exhibits and no handheld or smartphone-enabled audio tours. That oversight will make it less appealing to the English-speaking tourists. But the exhibits are largely self-explanatory, so don’t let your Deutsch deficiency hold you back.

Have you been to the Dusseldorf Film Museum? If so, let me know your impressions below.

Put the kids on ice in the ‘Frozen Suite,’ inspired by Disney’s hit movie

The Walt Disney Studios and Quebec City’s Hotel de Glace (Ice Hotel) unveil a special experiential “Frozen” themed guest suite and activity cave for the 2014 Winter Season. (PRNewsFoto/Walt Disney Studios)

Talk about a chilly reception!

If your kids are fans of the  latest Disney hit film, Frozen, then you’ll receive anything but a chilly reception when you tell them you’ve booked them a trip to the Frozen-inspired suite at Quebec City’s famed Hôtel de Glace.

The “Frozen Suite” is modeled after the bedrooms of Anna and Elsa, the main characters in the film, and it has been created entirely out of sculptured ice and snow. The design was supervised by Michael Giaimo, the film’s art director. In addition to the suite, kids will also enjoy the “Frozen Activity Cave,” which the Disney press release assures will “bring the wonder of Disney’s wintry tale to life like never before.”

Frozen suite inspired by Disney hit film

The suite is already available to the public and will remain open until March 23.

For those unfamiliar with the film (where have you BEEN?), it offers a fresh and contemporary take on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic winter story, “The Snow Queen.” The film debuted in time for Christmas and was a massive hit with kids and parents alike.

The Frozen Suite was designed in conjunction of the Feb. 25 release of Disney’s “Frozen” on Digital HD and 3D, as well as it’s Blu-ray Combo Pack and On Demand March 18. For more information about the release, check out Disney.com/Frozen.

Hôtel de Glace perfect place for chilly reception

The Hôtel de Glace is the ideal place to host this Frozen attraction. Located about 10 minutes from downtown Quebec, the “Ice Hotel” is a must-see attraction every winter with its huge snow vaults and crystalline ice sculptures. The hotel offers cool (literally) behind-the-scenes tours so you can take a peek at how the place was built. It also offers an outdoor ice slide and snowshoe trails.

OK, I’ve frozen my cheeks off in some crazy hotels before, but this would be the first time I ever deliberately sought out a sub-zero accommodation. But I’m betting that I would be Grandfather of the Year if I took my grandkids to experience this attraction.

How about you? Would you like to put your kids on ice? Let me know.

Wacky California mansion is an intriguing curiosity, but beware the price of admission

If you’re into architectural oddities or haunted houses, then the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, should be high on your list. Photo by Bob Vernon

If you’re a sucker for roadside curiosities (largest ball of twine, Museum of Velvet Art, or the Cathedral of Junk), and you happen to be in the Silicon Valley in Northern California, then you’re in luck. The Winchester Mystery House is your kind of attraction.

The house was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester. She was the widow of the legendary rifle magnate, William Wirt Winchester. And as such, she was incredibly wealthy. She also was incredibly wacky.

Tragedy prompts Winchester weirdness

First, a little backstory. Sarah suffered the death of her only child in 1866. When her husband died in 1881, she consulted a psychic named The Boston Medium, who told her to travel west from her home in New Haven, CT. He suggested that because her great wealth originated from Winchester weapons that it was blood money. Therefore, he proposed she purchase a home out west, where she would be required to build continuously on the house for the spirits of those who had been killed by Winchester rifles. Furthermore, the fortune teller warned her that if she ever stopped construction on her home, she would die.

And so, Sarah moved to Northern California, where she purchased an unfinished farmhouse in the Santa Clara Valley in San Jose. In 1884, she began construction. She hired a construction crew that lived on-site and worked 24 hours a day, without interruption, for 38 years until her death on Sept. 5, 1922.

That’s one crazy crib

From the time she began construction until her death, the house grew from an 8-room Queen Anne style farmhouse to a Victorian mansion that featured 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms, a creepy seance room, 47 fireplaces (with at least 17 chimneys), more than 10,000 panes of glass, three elevators, 13 bathrooms, and one shower that was never used. To protect the largely redwood house from fire, there are now 7.5 miles of modern sprinkler system installed.

Considering today’s super-sized celebrity cribs, having a house this size might not seem so unusual, but the oddity here is that the widow Winchester, who had no formal training in construction science or architecture, served as her own architect and dictated construction based on whimsy, impulse, and possible spiritual inspiration.

The result is one of the oddest, most confusing abodes on the planet.

Build it and the Grim Reaper won’t come

Yes, that’s a door that opens outside with no balcony. Why? Only Sarah Winchester knew. Photo by Bob Vernon

There are windows that face walls, doors that go nowhere, and even a staircase that goes up to the ceiling. A tiny woman (4-foot-8), Sarah built the house to her size and to accommodate her progressive arthritic condition, so the stairs can be a bit tricky for tourists with big feet because they were built to her dimensions. The same is true of the shower. It was built for her frame, but she died before she could use it.

Throughout the house, there are repetitions of the number 13. Sarah was superstitious about this number, so many features of the house represent this obsession, including the famed “spider web” window, created by the Tiffany Company. As is typical of this house, the window was never installed, but can be seen in what is referred to by the tour guides as the “$25,000 storage room.” That was the appraisal of the items at the time, but at today’s prices, that number requires at least another zero.

Tiffany rainbow window wasted

To be sure, Sarah Winchester did not skimp on accessories for the house. In fact, she commissioned Charles Lewis Tiffany to create a gorgeous window that was designed such that in a certain light, the room would be bombarded with thousands of rainbow prisms. Sarah, however, placed this majestic piece in a location where the sunlight never strikes the window, so the true beauty of this gorgeous object has yet to be witnessed.

At one point, the Winchester House reached a height of seven stories, but after the 1906 earthquake, Sarah had the home reduced to only four stories.

Though clearly peculiar, Sarah Winchester was not totally out to lunch mentally. When she bought the house, it sat on 162 acres of prime farmland (the estate is now only 4.5 acres). Sarah had 140 acres of orchards and sold the produce. She didn’t need the money, of course. At the time of her husband’s death, she inherited more than $20.5 million and nearly 50 percent of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. That amounted to an income of roughly $1,000 per day, which is the equivalent to about $30,000 per day in 2014 dollars.

Hammer time all the time

“She treated her staff well,” said tour guide Patrick Hilt. “Because of the round-the-clock construction, she allowed the workers to live with their families on the premises. She paid them well above the going wage, so they were content to fulfill her construction demands.”

Upon her death, Sarah Winchester bequeathed all of her possessions to her niece, Daisy, except for the house itself. Daisy kept those items she wanted and sold the rest. Reportedly it took six trucks working eight hours a day for six weeks to remove all the furniture from the building.

Today the house is a tourist attraction, but for how much longer it is difficult to say. There’s a gift store, of course, and a small restaurant. There’s also a very nice rifle museum dedicated to the Winchester on the premises. But at $33 per head for the Mansion Tour, the price of this attraction is steep. For $7 more, you can go on the Grand Estate Tour, but that’s only if you really want to go behind the scenes and down into the “haunted” basements. I did both tours and while the expanded tour was worth $7, I’m not sure the $33 fare for the Mansion Tour carried similar value.

Ticket price is steep

Then again, if ghosts are your thing, then the Winchester Mystery House is worth a look. If there’s one house that probably deserves to have unsettled spirits, then this one would definitely qualify. In fact, it ranks near the top on some of the world’s ghostliest places. So maybe $33 is worth it for a little paranormal thrill. But you can’t bring your Ghostbusters equipment and you can’t take any photos inside the house, so keep your camera phone in your pocket.

But will people really continue to come to see this quirky place? That’s hard to say. Boomers? Probably. Millennials? Hmmm, that’s a stretch.

“Basically we get three types of people,” Hilt, my tour guide, said. “The first group are people who are fascinated by the story and the house. The second group are people, particularly young people, who are bored and play games on their phones during the tour. The last group are people who are disappointed because there aren’t scary people and things popping out at them, like some sort of haunted house at an amusement park. This is not that type of tour; it’s not what we do here.”

So, if you’re a fan of American oddities, you might just want to stop by. But be sure to hold on to your wallet or you might be the next person to lose your money at the point of a Winchester.

If you’ve been to the Winchester Mystery House, let me know your impressions.

Visit to this Wonder of the World is amazing and exhausting

Taking a trip to the Great Wall of China is truly a Bucket List item. Photo by Jan Vernon

Most tourists gasp at the Great Wall of China.

I gasped on the Great Wall of China.

Considered one of the Wonders of the World, the Great Wall certainly lives up to its billing, and tourists flock from around China and all over the world to experience this incredible structure.

For some, a visit to the Great Wall is an opportunity to experience history. For others, it’s a chance to check off another item from their Bucket List. For many locals, it’s a photo op for engagements, family photos or cute selfies. For my wife, it was an opportunity to experience a historical aerobic workout.

And for me, it was a chance to hear my heart pounding in my chest like a taiko drum.

Great Wall is a remarkable vacation destination

The Great Wall tops the mountain ridges of China from Liaoning Province all the way to the Gansu Province; a total of more than 2,500 roller-coaster miles of fortification that roughly skirts the southern edge of Inner Mongolia.

Essentially, the Great Wall is a series of walls, each constructed during different periods of history by several different Chinese emperors beginning with the comparatively short Qin Dynasty in 221 BC, continuing through the Han and Jin dynasties, and culminating with the nearly three-century long Ming Dynasty in 1644.

Though most of the Great Wall lies in the desert regions of China, the segments of the Wall most recognizable to tourists can be found outside of Beijing.

We assaulted the wall in Badaling, the most-visited section of the wall about 50 miles northwest of Beijing. This segment of the Wall dates back to 1505 during the Ming Dynasty.

More than a million tourists visit the Great Wall each year

This portion of the Wall has undergone extensive restoration. It is very much a tourist destination, and as such it is accessible via the car or bus along Badaling Expressway or by taking Line S2 of the Beijing Suburban Railway (access from the Beijing North Railway Station).

In China it is said: “He who doesn’t reach the Great Wall is not a true man.” I’m not sure why visiting the Wall is a test of manhood, but it does draw a huge crowd. Consequently, embarking on a Wall walk at Badaling means you’ll encounter plenty of human congestion. Some folks walk a short distance (hey, just getting on the Wall counts when scratching off Bucket List items), some hike up to the highest watchtower (a height of 3,330 feet above sea level), and some, such as my bride, like to scurry up to the top.

Now as you ascend the stairs from the street below to the lowest point of the wall in the valley between two peaks, you have a choice of two directions in which to begin your assault. One direction is longer and higher. The other direction is short, but the pathway is steeper.

To climb the Great Wall, leave yourself some time

After jogging up the Great Wall, Jan finally takes a break to pose. Photo by Bob Vernon

The itinerary of our tour allotted only a short period of time in which to visit the Wall. So most of us realized we would need to choose one route or the other. My wife and I chose the long route first and began our climb.

I’m OCD about some aspects of life, and stairs are one of those things. I count. But the pace we were setting, the unevenness of the steps, and the teaming masses along the route made counting stairs a futile enterprise.

Li, our tour guide, a twig-thin whippet, said he could reach the top in 31 minutes. My wife and I did it in 33 with several self-initiated photo stops so I could catch my breath.

And to be honest, you owe it to yourself to stop and breathe in not only the air, but the amazing scenery. Seeing this wall up close and marveling at the enormity of the task the emperors imposed upon their subjects, is indeed breathtaking.

Once we reached the highest watchtower, where the pathway is sealed, we could go no farther. We posed for a couple of pictures, then started to make our way down in a leisurely fashion.

As we approached the bottom, some friends we passed on the way down asked us if we were going to climb the other side? I was thinking that we were done, but my bride had other ideas.

The Great Wall features some steep ascents

And so, realizing our time on the Wall was growing short, we took off toward the shorter-but-steeper path. Halfway up the second assault, it was time to stick a chopstick in me because I was done.

Now please understand, I train regularly on various styles of cardio and resistance exercise, so it wasn’t as if I had just jumped from the couch and tried to sprint the Great Wall. But at this point, I felt as if I had maxed out on back-to-back treadmill stress tests. I know many Chinese died building the Wall, but I sure didn’t want to be someone who died on it.

My wife, a former marathon runner and elliptical beast, had yet to break a sweat. So I sent her on. She left me wheezing and waiting for my pulse to stop pounding in my ears, my legs awash in lactic acid.

A few curious Chinese wearing street shoes and smoking cigarettes (seriously?) looked me over to see if I was OK. I forced a smile, waved them on, then stared straight up at the diminishing sight of my wife sprinting to the top.

What’s on your Bucket List?

But I wasn’t going to go all Justin Bieber and have people carry me up the Wall. So I sucked it up, rallied, then took it slow and steady as I trudged up the final steep segments, making generous use of the handrails. And eventually I reached the top.

“Aren’t you glad you did it?” my wife exclaimed as she all but jogged in place inside the watchtower at the trail’s peak.

Honest answer? Well, let’s just say I lived to write about it and the photos turned out pretty nicely. Would I recommend a trip to the Great Wall? Absolutely. But make sure you leave yourself enough time to enjoy the majesty of this incredible structure. And maybe do a few stretching exercises first.

For more about the history of the Great Wall of China, click here.

If you have a Great Wall story, feel free to post it in the comments below.

So what’s on your Bucket List?

An original Vincent Van Gogh painting stored in attic soon to be on display

This newly discovered painting by Dutch Master Vincent Van Gogh, entitled “Sunset at Montmajour,” will go on display in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam beginning Sept. 24, 2013. Image courtesy of Van Gogh Museum

Here are words you thought you’d never hear: A new painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

Seriously, it’s like finding another musical composition by Mozart, a lost Elvis track, or Da Vinci’s early sketches of an iPhone.

But thanks to an Norwegian art collector, who had the painting stored in his attic, a new work from the one and only Vincent Van Gogh is making headlines.

Newly discovered Van Gogh painting stored in attic

And with the discovery of this long-lost painting, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam now offers yet another reason to visit.

The painting, entitled “Sunset at Montmajour” is a landscape that depicts shrubs, trees, and sky. The Dutch master described the painting to his brother, Theo, in a letter, noting that it was painted July 4, 1888. It’s the first full-size canvas work by van Gogh discovered since 1928.

Interestingly enough, the painting was once before rejected by the Van Gogh museum in the 1990s. One reason was that it wasn’t signed, and the research techniques at the time couldn’t provide verification.

According to a story in USA Today, new research techniques and more evidence enabled the museum to authenticate the painting as an original van Gogh.

Researcher Teio Meedendorp said he and other researchers “have found answers to all the key questions, which is remarkable for a painting that has been lost for more than 100 years.”

The painting was listed among Theo van Gogh’s collection as number 180, and that number can still be seen on the back of the canvas. The work was sold in 1901.

The size of the painting is 36.7 inches by 28.9 inches. In his letters, van Gogh was less than pleased with his effort, according to reports. The location of the landscape has been identified as Arles, France, near Montmajour hill. Ruins from the abbey located there are visible in the painting.

New Van Gogh artwork another reason to visit museum

Van Gogh, who sold only one painting during his lifetime, died of a self-inflicted gunshot in 1890. His masterpieces can be seen in museums around the world. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam houses 140 of the legendary artist’s works.

Now the museum can display one more.

The painting will be on display at the Van Gogh Museum for a year, starting Sept. 24. It will be part of the current “Van Gogh at Work” exhibition.

Visit The Hague and tour this worldwide icon of peace and justice

Though tours are typically available only on weekends and special occasions, securing a tour to the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands, is definitely worth the effort. Photo by Bob Vernon

When considering a visit to The Netherlands, tourists tend to focus on the great museums, artwork, windmills, tulips and wooden shoes. However, in The Hague, there exists a worldwide icon that often escapes attention, and yet is truly worthy of your time. It’s the Peace Palace, and it is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year with a variety of celebrations.

Founded as a temple of peace, the Peace Palace (or Vredespaleis in Dutch) houses the International Court of Arbitration, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the voluminous Peace Palace Library. As such, it is often referred to as the seat of international law. The Palace was conceived with the hope of establishing a Permanent Court of Arbitration; a place where disputes between nations could be decided without war, as put forth in the 1899 Hague Peace Conference. The building was financed by industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who donated $1.5 million.

Tour the Peace Palace in The Hague

The building took six years to build. Ironically, one year after the grand opening of the Palace in 1913, World War I erupted.

Because the Peace Palace is a work operation, this means it is in daily use and, therefore, not accessible most days. However, a few weekends a year the Peace Palace opens its doors to the public. Book a tour and enjoy a peak inside the Palace, as a guide will tell you about the building and the institutions housed within. A guided tour will take 45 minutes and is offered in Dutch and English. To score tickets for a guided tour, check the website of the Peace Palace.

Peace Palace Visitors Centre is highly informative

If you can’t secure a tour spot, the Visitors Centre is open from Tuesday until Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm. There’s an informative film at the Visitors Centre that details the history of the Peace Palace as well as the institutions housed there. Best of all, admission is free.

Should you not be able to tour the Palace, don’t fret about missing out on some great photography. Cameras are not allowed inside. In fact, you’ll be required to stow your bags and purses in a locker before entering.

Events planned for Peace Day

Sept. 21, 2013, is designated as Peace Day, and there are three major events in The Hague on that day. Lace up your shoes for the Peace Run The Hague and join 10,000 other runners. Choose from four distances: 1.5K and 2.5K (for children) and 5K and 10K for adults. The runs begin at noon and all courses run past the Palace.

At 2 pm at the Grote Markt, there will be a musical concert, followed by the Peace One Day Celebration Concert in the garden of the Peace Palace that will feature several performances by international artists.

So when traveling to The Netherlands, be sure to give Peace Palace a chance. You won’t be disappointed. And if you do tour the Palace, you’ll enjoy a rare experience.

And if you’ve had the opportunity to tour the Peace Palace, please be sure to comment below.

Amazing guide takes me on a wild and fabulous tour of Thailand’s most fascinating city.

Tommy Somchai W poses above the Damnoen Saduak District Floating Market in Thailand. Tommy takes pride in adding value to your Thai experience. Photo by Bob Vernon

Personal Tour Guide enhances Thailand vacation experience.

Five minutes after Tommy Somchai W, my personal tour guide Bangkok, shook my hand, we were off and literally running to and through the colorful, vibrant and chaotic world of Bangkok. What started out as a personal tour turned into be three days of hi-speed tourism, back-alley bushwhacking, and traveling on just about every type of transportation short of the famed Bangkok “helicopter” (aka motorcycle cab). What follows is a tortuous travelogue that shows how a personal tour guide can add to a travel experience.

When my wife Jan and I arrived in Thailand, we knew we were limited on time. My wife, because she had business meetings, was even more limited than I. So we took the advice of friends and associates who had made this type of whirlwind trip before. They suggested we hire a personal guide in Bangkok. That’s how we ended up with Tommy.

Tommy had come highly recommended by Jan’s boss, who had utilized the guide’s services on several occasions. On the day that we were scheduled to begin our relationship, Tommy already had a morning gig scheduled, so we agreed to meet at the famed Jim Thompson House after I had completed my tour of the historic home.

Personal tour guide Bangkok

Dancer performs traditional Siamese dance at the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok. Photo by Bob Vernon

After visiting the home of the legendary Jim Thompson, who basically brought the Siamese embroidered silk trade to the world (thanks in part to his involvement in a little movie entitled, The King and I), Tommy arrived sporting jeans, an umbrella, and a bright pink polo shirt with popped collar. Though we’d never met, he quickly picked me out of a crowd of farangs (the Thai description of anyone of European ancestry). He quickly clasped his hands, raised them to his forehead and bowed in what is known in Thailand as a wai. The higher the hands are raised to the forehead, the deeper the respect. I returned Tommy’s wai, and he quickly led me out of the courtyard of the Thompson house, then hustled me down a walkway to a canal, where he flagged down a passing khlong (canal) boat. No fancy gangway, no crew in uniforms. Just a boat filled with people, none of whom carried any of the trademark tourist tells. We scrambled onboard, grabbed a railing, and hung on tightly as the boat roared off down the polluted canal.

Now please understand, these khlong boats are not the tourist types you find out on the big river, the Chao Phraya, that wends its way through the heart of the city. No, this was more of a local commuter vessel. Tommy was heeding my wishes and taking me native right out of the gate.

“It’s midday, so there isn’t as much traffic on the canal as in the mornings and the evenings,” Tommy said, as we held up a heavily worn piece of plastic tarp to keep the spray from the speeding boat’s wake from drenching all inside. “This is how many Thai people get to work each day.” Bangkok features an extensive network of canals. Long before automobiles, canals provided the fastest way to transport goods, services and people around the city. In fact, Bangkok was once known as the Venice of Asia. So taking the “local” was a step back in time for me, but a daily commute for many locals.

Experience the Venice of Asia

The fee for the boat ride was minimal, and having already been stuck in a taxi cab in the endless, choking auto-jam that is BKK traffic, this mode of transportation seemed practically supersonic. Traveling on a khlong boat is also a team effort. Not only do you have to raise and lower the tarp, you also work with the rest of the passengers as part of the ship’s crew in lowering and raising the convertible top when negotiating a bridge, as the support structure is too tall. So as we roar up to a bridge, everyone shoves the cover frame backwards, then ducks, if you happen to be standing, to enable the boat to safely slide under the bridge. Once on the other side, up comes the frame and the cover. It’s an interactive experience.

Along the canal, Tommy pointed to clothes hanging from wire screens.

“This is where locals come to shop,” he said. “You can buy clothes for you and your entire family for incredibly cheap.”

One glance told you that the clothes offered here were knockoffs of major labels. There were racks and racks of handbags, T-shirts, jeans, shoes, shorts, swimwear, watches, CDs and DVDs. I’d seen markets such as this in Russia, Egypt, Buenos Aires, as well as in the United States. But I wasn’t really here to shop. I wanted to see and experience Bangkok in a way that a traditional tour bus couldn’t provide. And Tommy was just the guy to make that happen.

You ask, Tommy makes it happen

Officially, Tommy works for a couple of different tour companies. His English is pretty good, and he’s a local, so he knows how to navigate the congested city that is Bangkok. More importantly, he listens to your desires, then does everything he can to make sure he delivers.

Today, my request was to see the Grand Palace and the Wat Phra Kaew, as well as the Reclining Buddha. Tommy wasted no time. We emerged from the khlong, Tommy flagged a cab and we hopped in for a short ride to the Grand Palace entry. Tommy chatted with the cabbie in Thai and we emerged only steps from the entrance.

I asked Tommy why we’d taken a regular cab when we could’ve taken one of the little 3-wheeled tuk tuk cabs instead?

Don’t get taken for a ride in a tuk tuk

Tuk tuks are a great way to travel in Bangkok, but stay away from them around tourist areas as the prices go way up for tourists. Photo by Tommy Somchai W

“Never take a tuk tuk by a tourist attraction,” he said. “They gouge you on the pricing. Tuk tuks are fine away from tourist attractions, but never near a temple or any sightseeing place.”

The Grand Palace complex is comprised of several impressive and ornate buildings. The opulence is astounding. Giant warrior creatures guard the entrances of many of the buildings to ward off evil. Gold filigree is abundant.

One of the key sites inside the Grand Palace area is the Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Here the small (26 inches in height) Jadeite statue, the most sacred object in Thai Buddhism, sits high above his worshippers. The Buddha is adorned with three sets of gold clothing, which are changed according to the three local seasons – summer, rainy season, and winter (or cool season). By the way, only the King of Thailand (the longest-reigning monarch on the planet and a wildly popular guy here) is allowed to change the Buddha’s clothing.

After checking out the other buildings at the Grand Palace, Tommy hurries me out the gate and we jump on a local bus. This bus, Tommy informs me, is how the “poor people” in Bangkok travel, and I believe him. The the seats are seriously worn, the floor is made of well-worn plywood, and there is no air conditioning, so the windows are down. We be goin’ local, fer sure.

Check out the Reclining Buddha

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in Bangkok is about as long and as wide as an NBA basketball court. Photo by Bob Vernon

In less than 5 minutes, we hop off the moving transport (it slowed just enough for us to hop off), then it’s on to Wat Pho and the Reclining Buddha.

Wat Pho is considered one of the oldest and largest temples in Bangkok. The Reclining Buddha is huge. The statue is nearly 50 feet tall and 160 feet long, which makes him about the size of an NBA basketball court. His feet are a Buddha Shaq-like 9 feet high and 14.7 feet long, the soles of which feature 108 symbols of Buddha inlaid in Mother of Pearl.

Heads up for tourists, there are 108 arranged bronze bowls in the corridor of the temple running almost the length of the Buddha. Visitors are encouraged to change a 20 baht note for coins so you can deposit a coin in each of the bowls for luck. Additionally, this site is quite popular among tourists and pilgrims, so there is a heightened pickpocket warning.

The wat also features more than 1,000 Buddha images and is allegedly the birthplace of the famous (and sometimes infamous) Thai massage. The grounds also feature mounds that contain the ashes of the royal family and some of the larger ones contain ashes of Buddha.

Tommy escorted me out and we take a tour through the  Tukgawee walled compound, which is a working Buddhist monastery with monks strolling the grounds in saffron robes, as well as students dressed in white. Tommy  explained that when a young man turns 18 in Thailand, he attends schooling at a Buddhist monastery. Training might be as short as a month or as long as a year or even a lifetime, if the student chooses to devote himself. Thailand has the largest Buddhist population on the planet, Tommy said.

Bangkok’s expansive flower market

Leaving the monastery, we take a short hike over to the flower market, where it’s a sensory overload as we wander through a facility that looks as if it could be a staging area for every float in the Tournament of Roses Parade. Flowers from the countryside arrive by truck, motorcycle and tuk tuk, where they are stacked up in unimaginable heights. How anyone can pack that many flowers on a 150cc motorbike is beyond me.

Tommy points out that many of the laborers pushing wheelbarrows through the warehouse are from neighboring Myanmar or Burma, if you prefer. Battles with the Burmese over the centuries have shaped Thailand.

The Hangover 2 Sky Bar

By this point, the heat, the humidity, and the frantic pace have worn us both down. We grab a tuk tuk (not a tourist one) for a ride to the Chao Phraya River, where we catch a hotel boat back to our pickup spot past the wildly popular Lebua at State Tower Hotel, whose Sky Bar was made famous in The Hangover 2 movie.  It’s been fast, furious, and fun, and it’s only been Day 1.

On Day 2, I have two key goals. First, I want to visit a jade emporium. Second, is to find out what this whole fascination is surrounding the legendary Thai massage. So, Tommy whisks me away to the Gems Gallery, which advertises itself as the “World’s Biggest Jewelry Store.” I’m not sure if that claim is true, but it’s certainly a large and bustling place. A parking lot full of massive travel coaches tells you this place is a major stop on any BKK tour. It’s also a bling overload.

Jewelry store offers jungle gems

One of the really cool things about the Gems Gallery is that you get to see the jewelers at work. The craftsmanship is truly hands-on. I’ve traveled to other jewelry hubs – places such as Antwerp – where so much is done electronically or by machine. What you see at the Gems Gallery is the ancient craft in action. And watching them create exquisite pieces of jewelry from the jade that has been locally sourced from the soil in the Thai jungles is fascinating.

Of course, once you’ve examined the factory, next you are provided a tour guide and ushered into the showroom, where your tour guide morphs from a gem educator into a high-pressure sales pro. If you’ve ever bought a car or been drawn into a time-share presentation, then you have a pretty good idea of what the next hour of your life is going to be like. Still, there’s some serious bling available at factory-direct pricing, so it’s not so bad.

After I escape the Gems Gallery, Tommy gathers me up and we head off to see the Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon or the famous Golden Buddha. Located near Chinatown in the temple of Wat Traimit, the Golden Buddha is impressive. At nearly 10 feet tall and weighing more than 5 tons, the statue is estimated to be worth more than $250 million. Not only is the statue incredible to look upon, the story surrounding it is also pretty amazing.

Gawking at the Golden Buddha

The Golden Buddha is located in the temple of Wat Traimit in Bangkok, Thailand. It stands nearly 10 feet tall and weighs more than 5 tons. The statue has a colorful history. Photo by Bob Vernon

Though the origins of the Buddha are not fully documented, it is thought to have been created in the 13th or 14th century. At some point (probably in the 1700s), the statue was covered over in plaster and stucco, presumably to keep it from being stolen. In 1801, Bangkok was established as the capital of the Kingdom of Siam, and the statue was transported to Bangkok and a new temple was built to house it At that time, no one alive knew of what lay hidden beneath the plaster and stucco. Several decades later, another temple was built to display the Buddha, but the facility fell into disrepair, so the statue sat under a plain tin roof for nearly 20 years.

At this point, the Golden Buddha had stayed hidden beneath its plaster cloak for nearly 200 years. In 1955, during its installation in a new temple building, the statue crashed to the floor and the outer layers cracked, revealing the gold beneath. Once the Golden Buddha was revealed, its significance shot way up on the list of national shrines, and on February 14, 2010, the Golden Buddha was unveiled in its current building.

What to wear while visiting Buddhist temples

As with all the temples, they are sacred places, so when visiting, be sure to dress accordingly. Shorts are OK for men, but should go at just below the knee. Women should be have their shoulders covered (a simple T-shirt will measure up) and their legs should be covered to just below the knee. I recommend taking a sarong along in a handbag or backpack. It is great for a quick coverup at religious sites around the world, such as Buddhist temples, Hindu shrines, and even St. Peter’s Basilica, and it will act as a shawl in air-conditioned places. If not, many of the temples have garments for rent. Be prepared to remove your shoes at all the temples.

From the Golden Buddha, Tommy took me on a tour of Chinatown. Again, each shop, stall or kiosk is jammed high and tight next to the adjoining business. It’s tight, hot, loud and cramped, and occasionally you have to shift to allow a wheelbarrow full of products or a motorscooter to squeeze past.

After a quick bite inside the China marketplace, Tommy dropped me off at a massage parlor.

What’s so cool about a Thai massage?

OK, so let’s be clear about this deal; there’s a huge difference between a traditional Thai massage and the “special” Thai massage you can get in the Red Light districts, which can be found all over this city. In a traditional Thai massage, a woman with fingers of iron attacks pretty much everything from the bottoms of your feet to the follicles on your scalp. She does, in fact, walk on you (a pretty interesting feeling), but all your private parts remain private and (blessedly) not subject to those vise-like digits. For the “special” Thai massage, well, I have been told that you can let your imagination and your wallet run wild. Just sayin’.

After two hours, every muscle in my body was on fire, and Tommy decided that my tastebuds needed the same treatment. So he took me by local tuk tuk to the local market, where I was, once again, the only farang in the place. Tommy and I drew up a couple of pickle buckets to a table at a food stall in the midst of a swirling mass of locals shopping, cooking and dining. He ordered a variety of foods, and began to dig in.

I have to admit, the initial shock took my breath away, but once I’d conquered that first bite, the meal was three-alarm delicious. Tommy explained that he had asked them to make it mild for me. What a guy!

Muay Thai boxing beats Siamese musical

My wife was finished with her meetings and was free to have dinner and enjoy the evening. As we have both studied martial arts, we thought an evening watching Muay Thai boxing would be ideal. Tommy had other ideas. You see, Tommy loves musicals and pageantry. In fact, when you ride with him in his car, be prepared to listen to great love songs from the 1970s. I have to say, I haven’t listened to Helen Reddy and Anne Murray in decades. So, he nixed our martial arts plans and orchestrated an evening at Siam Niramit, an elaborate large-scale theater production on the history of Siam and Thailand. Against our better judgment (and to be polite), we agreed.

If presented with this option on your trip to Thailand, I encourage you to consider other opportunities. While the production was indeed elaborate (it features live elephants, chickens, goats and other live critters, as well as a river flowing across the stage), Bangkok has so many other entertainment options that probably would be more appealing.

By the time the show was over and we had battled the maddening BKK traffic and two CDs of Dan Fogelberg and Englebert Humperdink back to our hotel, we were ready to call it a day. Besides, Tommy had a full day of sightseeing planned for our final day, so we needed to get our rest.

Sightseeing Marathon in Bangkok

OK, I’m going to fault us for what happened on Saturday, our final day in Bangkok. On our list of must-see sights were a floating market, the ancient capital of Ayutthaya, and a ride on an elephant. Hey, we don’t ask for much.

The problem was that the floating markets are located south of Bangkok, while Ayutthaya is located north. Considering the traffic snarl and the distance, there would be a lot of time on the road. But, as I said earlier, Tommy aims to please, so he enlisted his nephew to drive, while Tommy handled the tour guide duties. Good thing, too. Tommy’s nephew didn’t say a word the entire day, but he drove like Jimmie Johnson.

Maeklong Market: A Train Runs Through It

The first stop of the day was the Maeklong Market. For those of you who are YouTube fans, you probably have seen the videos of this market. It is set alongside a train tracks of the Maeklong Railway. When the train passes through the market, which it does eight times a day, a massive, orchestrated and immediate transformation occurs, as awnings are pulled back, baskets of produce or fish moved quickly, and people scurry to avoid the oncoming locomotive. In many cases the produce nearest the track is arranged so that the train itself passes over them without disturbing nary a single hair on a furry rambutan.

Thailand’s Famed Floating Markets

Merchant prepares to sell her wares at the Thakha Floating Market in Thailand. The Thakha market is smaller and much more intimate the some of the more famous larger markets. Photo by Bob Vernon

Floating markets are basically markets where the goods are sold from boats. They can be found mostly in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market in Ratchaburi, Thailand, is one of the most famous and draws the biggest crowds. James Bond fans will recognize it from the movie, The Man With the Golden Gun. Knowing our desire to actually experience the market from one of the canoe-like vessels, Tommy bypassed Damnoen Saduak for the smaller and less known Thakha Floating Market. Here, we were able to enjoy a leisurely ride along the uncrowded floating vendors in a traditional row boat.

Once we’d finished up our boat ride, Tommy escorted us to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market and I understood his reasoning for taking us to Thakha first. By the time we arrived, the roads were choked with tour buses and the canal looked like the Bangkok traffic congestion had been transported to the waterway. While the boats that lined the dock were mostly merchants, the rest of the boats ferried tourists at a pace that was much more stop than go.

Photo op with pythons

Still, it was possible to walk along the dock and sample the wares. You could buy fruit, vegetables, fish, baskets, and a wide assortments of trinkets and other Thai curios. There were even several vendors who brought along their pet pythons to wrap around your neck for a photo op. Our time here was short because we still had to make the long haul north to Ayutthaya, and because Jan hates snakes. Tommy’s nephew had the motor revved and ready.

Established around 1350 AD, Ayutthaya became the second Siamese capital. It was chosen for its location. Situated halfway between China and India on the Gulf of Siam, Ayutthaya was located on an island surrounded by three rivers and far enough upstream to discourage Arab and European interests. It became a significant economic and trade center in the region. In 1767, it was destroyed by the Burmese, burned to the ground and its citizens dispersed. Today what remains at this UNESCO-protected site are the prang or reliquary towers.

Take a ride on an elephant

It is here at Ayutthaya that Tommy has arranged for us to check off the last item on our list – the elephant ride. The elephant is revered in Thailand. Indeed, it is a significant national symbol. There are numerous opportunities to interact with these popular pachyderms throughout the country. There are roughly 3,500 wild elephants roaming the countryside, but don’t worry; you won’t be encountering these creatures. However, you can find various venues where you can ride elephants, play in the river with elephants, feed elephants; you can even give money to begging elephants on the streets of Bangkok.

We were short on time, so we settled for a brief elephant ride along the streets of Ayutthaya. We bought our tickets, climbed the platform, and were soon seated atop our wrinkly road warrior and headed out for a leisurely walk.

What you need to know about riding elephants in Thailand

If you want to ride an elephant in Thailand, there are plenty of opportunities. The mahout or driver is very skilled at helping position you for a great photo, but at a price.

The fee for the elephant ride is about 500 baht, but if you want an official picture, then there’s an extra fee. That’s OK; you get a professional photo of you on an elephant, and if you don’t have any other way of getting that shot, then it’s certainly worth the few extra baht you’ll have to pay. Of course, if you have your own camera, then the mahout or driver will flag down another mahout heading the other way. You hand your camera to the other mahout and he snaps your photo. These mahouts are really sharp. They know the right places to stop to get the best photo angles. Also, they get the elephants to pose on cue, so you’re pretty much guaranteed a great shot. But be advised, you will need to pay the mahout for taking the photo. About 5 baht is sufficient, but if you have larger bills only, then don’t expect them to make change. The same is true once you finish the ride, as your mahout will ask you to offer a tip to the elephant. Sure enough, the elephant is trained to reach up, take the baht from your hand with the firm grip of its powerful trunk, then hand it to the mahout. Again, make sure you have plenty of smaller bills to take care of the elephant and rider. These elephants are smart, but they can’t recognize a 5 baht note from a 20 baht note, and they don’t make change either.

But that’s not the end of it. As with all tours, this one exits through the gift shop. If you can escape the gift shop without dropping a few more baht, you will be given the opportunity to either pose with an elephant (and they do a tremendous job of posing) or you can feed the elephants. Each one of those opportunities also comes at a cost. I’m guessing if they weren’t already selling the manure as fertilizer, you’d get a chance to pay for the privilege of cleaning up after the elephants as well.

By the time we’d finished the elephant ride, we were satisfied. The sun was rapidly approaching the “golden hour,” and we were still quite a ways from the city. So we let Tommy’s nephew grind the gears and return us to our hotel.

The value of a personal guide

At the end of the day, did we save money going with Tommy? Yes, we did, especially considering the combination of places he took us that were not part of a regular tour. Additionally, he remained flexible with regard to our requests. But the cost wasn’t the important aspect of Tommy’s services. The value he brought to our experience trumped any savings.

In a city the size of Bangkok, with the transportation challenges, language barrier and cultural differences, it’s nice to have someone act as your own concierge and personal guide.

Just make sure you bring him some new music.

So what has been your experience using a personal guide? Did you feel it added to your experience? Was it worth the cost? Feel free to share your experiences below.

After a decade-long facelift, Amsterdam’s historic museum emerges looking fabulous

After a decade-long renovation, Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum has reopened to outstanding reviews. It’s definitely a “must see” when visiting Holland. Photo by Kelsey Vernon

It had been eight years since I’d visited the famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. And at that time, as the venerable state museum of the Netherlands was in the early stages of a 10-year renovation, the tour was unfortunately and unavoidably abbreviated.

Now that the renovations are complete and the entire facility is open to the public, the time was right for a return visit. And I must say, the make-over is as impressive as the contents of the museum are breathtaking.

Returning visitors will not immediately grasp the extent of the renovations upon approaching the museum, as its familiar neo-Gothic facade remains intact. But once you cross the threshold of the building via the ground-level passageway, the changes become immediately apparent. Giant glass windows have replaced the brick walls that previously lined the path and prevented passersby from peeking inside. Now the public can easily see into the spectacular new museum entrance.

Rijksmuseum make-over worth a visit

Created by connecting two courtyards previously divided by the public passageway, this majestic stone atrium soars to great heights and spectacular effect. Hats off to the Spanish architecture firm Cruz y Ortiz for creating the space.

In addition to the classic works inside Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, there is a fantastic exhibition of Henry Moore’s sculptures outside in the garden. Photo by Bob Vernon

Hats off also to Taco Dibbits, the Director of Collections, at the Rijksmuseum, for organization of the more than 8,000 objects on display. The Rijksmuseum is a huge place, and there are 80 galleries displaying the collections. Thanks to Dibbits, the items are displayed in chronological order, as opposed to by material, as is the traditional approach. Credit Dibbits also with acknowledging hi-tech without displaying it. It was Dibbits who realized that, thanks to smartphones and electronic tablets, visitors to the museum already arrive equipped with their own gadgetry. As a result, the presence of computer screens and video presentations, which are increasingly popular at many museums, are conspicuously absent. Instead, an app (of course) enables visitors to organize their own self-guide tours according to a variety of themes. Want a family tour, a 3D tour, a narrated tour in any of seven languages? It’s all available through your own phone or tablet.

According to the Rijksmuseum website, the app has a simple principle: See More.

Rijksmuseum app adds to the experience

The app works as a magic window, revealing remarkable stories and surprising details about the Rijksmuseum’s collection as well as its architecture. With the Rijksmuseum app, your smartphone is transformed into a magnifying glass, a set of binoculars, a time machine, an infrared scanner and sketch pad, or a magic wand.

So if you have come to gaze upon Rembrandt’s “Night Watch,” which hangs in its traditional spot in the massive “Hall of Honor,” or gaze upon the beauty of Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid,” you not only can locate its exact position in the museum, but you can learn exhaustive details about each painting through your smartphone.

See More? You have no idea how much there is to see.

Free hi-res images available for downloading

In keeping with the See More philosophy, the Rijksmuseum has taken a bold and unprecedented step toward the digital age by making high-resolution images of 125,000 of the museum’s works available for free on the museum’s website. While other museums offer low-resolution images or ones with watermarks, the Rijksmuseum offers hi-res images to anyone who wishes to download (and presumable reprint) them.

As Rijksmuseum Director Wim Pijbes said in a Steffie Nelson’s New York Times blog story: “This collection is in the public domain; it’s the national collection. So if the painting belongs to everybody, why doesn’t the image of the painting belong to everybody? Why not share it? I’m fine. Since we have the original, I’m fine.”

Dibbits put it this way in a press release: “If they want to have a Vermeer on their toilet paper, I’d rather have a very high-quality image of Vermeer on toilet paper than a very bad reproduction.”

So make plans to visit the newly reopened Rijksmuseum. If you’re seeing it for the first time, you’ll be amazed. If you’re a returning visitor, be prepared to enjoy this extensive collection in greater depth and with greater appreciation than ever before.

And who knows, you might return with a desire to create some 2-ply toilet tissue worthy of the Dutch masters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uswltlxoRJU