Antique Shopping

Antique shopping is a popular activity in America. There are many antique shops in almost every town. Some shops are very big and many shops are quite small.

Some antique items are small daily use items, some are dishes or vases, and some are large pieces of furniture.

This weekend we will be antique shopping in Kyoto. Antique shopping doesn’t seem to be as popular in Japan, but there are some good shops around.

We are hoping to find a small table for our small dining area, chairs with no arms for the same small area, and a getabako. A getabako is a kind of cabinet with places to store many shoes. In Japan we store the shoes in the entry hall because shoes are considered dirty and should not come into the house.

Do you have antiques in your home? Do you like antique shopping? Do you have a getabako?

Bicycling in Amsterdam

Yesterday I went bicycling in Amsterdam. Near the central train station there is a shop that rents out bicycles. They only cost about 10 Euros for a whole day.

Amsterdam is very flat. There are no hills, so it is very easy to ride a bike. Also, there are bicycle paths near the roads, so it is very safe. The humidity is very low and and there are many trees along the canals, so it is very comfortable.

There are many bicycle thieves in Amsterdam, so I was a little nervous; however, the bicycle had two very strong locks.

I ate Middle Eastern food for lunch. I took a nap on a bench near a pond in a park. I saw many antique shops. It was fun and it was cheap.