Tulip Mania With a Side of Kaas
So, early in March B took me to Amsterdam to celebrate his birthday (thanks, B! Happy Birthday!). I also managed to pry Sinéad’s little paws from their theoretical grasp around Jane and Edward (her cat idols) and convince her to come along for the ride.
[If you don’t know who Sinéad is, you can catch up on her backstory here. But in short, she’s a woolly little Irish creature handmade by CrawCrafts Beasties.]
Unfortunately, Sinéad spent the first couple of days sulking (about missing the cats) and trying to get this metal cow in the Airbnb to talk to her. Therefore, she totally missed out on some fine FINE art at the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum.
I acted like she was being absurd for lamenting the absence of Jane and Edward, but meanwhile I secretly took up the creepy new hobby of photographing cats through strangers’ windows.
Anyway, on day 3, Sinéad pulled up her invisible socks and insisted that we take her to some museums.
Errrrr……we were sort of out of real museums at this point so……… we told Sinéad we would take her to the Cheese Museum. Fortunately, she was THRILLED with this prospect.
BANG-clunk BANG-clunk BANG-clunk
As we were pulling on our coats to head out, we turned to see Sinéad attempting to lug the metal cow down the steps of the Airbnb.
‘What are you doing?????’
‘I’m taking her with us so she can see all the little cheese babies that her kin have made!’
‘That’s not how… she doesn’t… Sinéad! Put it back!’
Now, it turns out the the curators of the Cheese Museum are using the term ‘museum’ very loosely. It’s really just a shop that sells cheese with a room in the back that has some cheese-related props and a video clip of people saying, ‘We love cheese!’ that repeats every 15 seconds.
But Sinéad was in heaven.
She enjoyed a Beastie-sized hayride while B and I completed the entire museum tour in about 2 minutes.
‘Come on, Sinéad, we’re ready to go.’
Throwing herself prostrate across a giant cow, Sinéad wailed, ‘Noooooooooooooooo I’M NOT LEAVING HIM!!!!!! HE NEEDS MY HELP!!!!’
‘I don’t think that cow needs saving. How about a little wine on the canal?’
‘Ooooohhhh wine!’
Sinéad’s dramatic activist streak tends to be instantly tamed by the mention of a refreshing beverage, but who can blame her?
After consuming a glass of wine the size of her head, Sinéad was ready for more tourism. On exiting the Cheese Museum, she had (unfortunately) caught sight of a similarly situated (as in, also just a shop with a ‘museum’ in the basement) ‘Tulip Museum’, and she spent the better part of the supposedly relaxing afternoon begging to go back.
So we did.
The Tulip Museum was perhaps slightly more informative than the Cheese Museum, but I couldn’t really tell you anything I learned, as I spent most of the time trying to wrangle Sinéad away from various displays. The wine had really gone to her head at this point, and I could tell she was feeling like a god.
‘Get away from… whatever that is supposed to be!’
‘Sinéad? Sinéad! I can still see you behind that plant! Get out of there!’
‘Where is she now–AUGH! Get your woolly bum away from that puffer fish!!!!!!’
‘But I loooooov—‘
‘No! You don’t love him! Get down right now! Shoot, where did she go?’
‘Ahhhh! You’re really creeping me out! Just be normal!’
It was truly exhausting work trying to keep track of a slightly inebriated Beastie in a museum…. I don’t know how Helen and Tammie manage it so often. I can’t say I wasn’t ready to acquiesce when Sinéad jumped into a prop tankard and howled, ‘Barkeep, BRING ME SOME ALE!!’
‘Okay, okay, I think we’ve had enough, that is enough, we are leaving now!’
Of course, with such a cute little face, I couldn’t stay exasperated with Sinéad for long. I was soon giving in to her requests for real ale. After all, it’s not hard to convince me to enjoy a post-tourism tipple!
Needless to say, Sinéad spent most of the following day in bed… but I think I can still confidently say that we all had a splendid time in Amsterdam.
Have any of y’all been on fun travels, Beastie or otherwise, lately? I wanna hear about them in the comments!
And if you’re looking for more fun (and informative) Beastie adventures, I implore you to visit the Creator of All Beasties (aka Helen)’s blog and website at crawcraftsbeasties.com !!!! Hey, you could even commission a Beastie for yourself or your loved ones and join the #beastiefamily !
xWG
Winter-Maker 
Yaaaaay! Beastie Tourism! And Sinéad did such a great job of planning your day’s activities for you/completely commandeering a chunk of your much-needed time off! 😂 But seeing her hugging her new bovine friends and playing hide and seek in the mysteriously tulip-free displays of the Tulip Museum really made me chuckle. Oh, and great sneaky cat pics, too! 😀 Hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip while Sinéad was sleeping off those human-sized drinkies!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha tulips really were hard to come by in the Tulip Museum! At any rate, she kept me entertained while B at least pretended to read some plaques. I’ve got some Victorian cemetery action planned for us in May…. she’s already packing her bag! Whoop!
LikeLike
Oooh, exciting times! I love a good graveyard, and the Beasties have been known to appreciate a cemetery visit as well. Can’t wait to see those pictures! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
OMG, I take pictures of random cats while on vacation too! And Finn has gotten brave enough to start posing with them…just to warn you for what to expect with Sinead. I attended the opening of the Alkmaar Cheese Market and went to the Cheese Museum there. Let’s just say, from the looks of it, that one was a little more impressive than the Amsterdam version. Which is why I’m still glad we opted for the Sex Museum instead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooooohhh I know Sinead would be up for a pose! I’m really bummed that we passed up the Sex Museum… guess there’s a reason to go back. But I don’t know what you’re talking about – that Cheese Museum was super impressive. If you’re not afraid of lice, there was even an opportunity to put on a foam hat shaped like a block of cheese and get your picture taken! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry, I meant no offense to CheeseLandia. I know those cute little cows worked hard to put it together. I can’t believe Sinead resisted the hat! Now that I think of it though, it probably smells like cheese. Ew. Yes, next time get to the Sex Museum where Sinead can pose with a six-foot tall penis. Oh the photos you’ll have!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hhahah ewwwwwww! but true. It was truly a rank foam-cheese-hat (that is clearly haunting me). Hahaha I dunno… lil Sinead might faint straight off at the sight of a six-foot… member!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, at least the giant thingie wasn’t made of foam. I believe it was a nice, easily cleanable plastic. That doesn’t mean it still won’t haunt you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great pictures, Weekes! I’m glad to read that Sinead had some time off from her usual diplomatic mission work to enjoy some good, old-fashioned mischief and museum-going. It looks like she made many a new pal in Amsterdam (several of the bovine variety!). What a big heart she has! Ooh, I like that puffer fish, too, but understand why a woolen Beastie ought to keep her distance. 🙂 And, if I ever visit Amsterdam, I’ll be sure to pop by the tulip museum and see that puzzling display (I’m not sure what that is, either, but it looks very interesting!!). I had a big chuckle from the picture of Sinead hiding behind that circle thing. The expression that you captured there is perfect! What was your favourite thing to do in Amsterdam? Thanks for sharing the adventure. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha yes, if you can figure out what that tulip museum is all about, please let me know! Hmmmmm my favourite thing? Well, seeing so much Van Gogh in one place was pretty special… and it’s always amazing to see Rembrandt in person. But I also love just walking around and afternoon drinks–I really enjoy sampling different Belgium beers! My favourite day was probably when we went to Vondelpark, had some beers in the waning sunlight, and then found this amazing vegan burger place. Simple but perfect! Do you plan to make it there someday? Thank you for dropping in on Sinead’s shenanigans!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds wonderful; nothing beats simple but perfect. I miss Europe — specifically the ability to find a beautiful spot in a park and enjoy a drink (can’t do that here, unfortunately, it truly is one of life’s great pleasures). It would be so nice to visit one day. After reading your post, I feel Amsterdam prepared!
LikeLike