This is really great – I´m presently aboard our boat in Enkhuizen harbour, and thanks to a helpful neighbour I can connect to the ‘net and write a blog tonight. Wonder of modern technology – again!

I took a book with me for holiday reading that promises to be a real find. It’s called ‘Rembrands Eyes’ and it is written by a man named Simon Schama. Which is a Dutch name, but I don’t think he is Dutch. I’ve read the first 80 pages – it is a real biggy of a book – and I love it. Schama gives a lot of  intelligent detail about the influences on Rembrandt, for example the 80 years war of liberation against Spain, protestants against catholics,  also writes about Rubens, the italians versus the flemish painters et cetera. So interesting!  Great to read about how painters were trained in those days. An example: they were made to sketch eyes for weeks and weeks, then graduating to other parts of the body until they could draw a human anatomy practicallx from memory. HKU, eat your heart out!

The fun thing is that we are visiting all these Rembranteske villages and towns this holiday. I am surrounded by 17th century architecture!  Will do my best to capture some of it for this blog – it is such a great combination of reading history and living in it.