VICKI & DON FROM HOME IS WHERE TO HEART IS: IN ROTTERDAM. KLEIWEG 170A 3051SJ ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

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1 VICKI & DON FROM HOME IS WHERE TO HEART IS: IN ROTTERDAM. KLEIWEG 170A 3051SJ ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS DAILY DATA REPORT: VOLUME 2018, EDITION - AUGUST DATA FOR MONDAY, AUGUST 20TH, 2018 THROUGH TUESDAY, AUGUST 21ST, 2018 EPISTLE RESEARCH OF DON ALLEN TO STEAL IDEAS FROM SOMEONE IS PLAGIARISM. TO STEAL FROM MANY IS CALLED RESEARCH. THOUGHTS OF MARK TWAIN Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. 1 PAGE So throw off the bowlines.sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.

2 MONDAY AUGUST 20TH FROM HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: IN ROTTERDAM. MONIQUE S LOVELY STUDIO (AIRBNB) ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS THE PLAN OF THE DAY: WE UP AT 05:00, ALL DAY AT HOME, EPISTLE WORK, NO PHOTOS MADE, DID A STUDY ON JAN VAN EYCK, MY NEW HERO! 2 PAGE

3 JAN VAN EYCK ( ) WAS AN EARLY NETHERLANDISH PAINTER ACTIVE IN BRUGES AREA. HE IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF EARLY NETHERLANDISH PAINTING AND ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT REPRESENTATIVES OF NORTHERN RENAISSANCE ART. 3 PAGE

4 TUESDAY AUGUST 21ST FROM HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: IN ROTTERDAM. MONIQUE S LOVELY STUDIO (AIRBNB) ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS THE PLAN OF THE DAY: WE UP AT 05:00, CATCH THE 08:30 TRAIN TO AMSTERDAM, TO GO TO THE ROYAL PALACE AND THE RIJKSMUSEUM.. THESE THREE LITTLE SISTERS SAT ACROSS FROM US ON THE TRAIN. THEY WERE FLAT DARLING! 4 PAGE

5 IT IS GREAT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER. WE KNEW EXACTLY WHICH TRAM TO TAKE TO THE DAM SQUARE. WE KNEW THE PALACE WAS SITTING ON DAM SQUARE. SO WE WENT TO THE DAM SQUARE, GOT OFF THE TRAM AND WALKED ACROSS THE DAM SQUARE TO THE PALACE. WE SO VERY SMART. WE WERE THERE AT THE TIME THEY OPENED IT: AT 10AM.. 5 PAGE

6 ARTUS QUELLIJN ( ) EVERY SCULPTURE AND RELIEF YOU SEE IN TODAY S EPISTLE WAS MADE BY THIS MAN OVER A 15 YEAR TIME LINE. 6 PAGE

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14 THE ROYAL PALACE OF AMSTERDAM IS ONE OF THREE PALACES IN THE NETHERLANDS WHICH ARE AT THE DISPOSAL OF THE MONARCH BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT. IT IS SITUATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF DAM SQUARE IN THE CENTRE OF AMSTERDAM, OPPOSITE THE WAR MEMORIAL AND NEXT TO THE NIEUWE KERK. THE PALACE WAS BUILT AS A CITY HALL DURING THE DUTCH GOLDEN AGE IN THE 1650 S.. THE BUILDING BECAME THE ROYAL PALACE OF KING LOUIS NAPOLEON AND LATER OF THE DUTCH ROYAL HOUSE. (THINK ABOUT THIS: THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE PALACE OR GENERAL AREA, DURING WWII.) DURING MY AUCTION LIFE I ONLY AUCTIONED ONE PIECE OF EMPIRE STYLE FURNITURE.. A STUFFED CHAIR THAT WAS BEAT UP. I THINK I GOT $ PAGE

15 TO THINK ABOUT BY DON ALLEN IN 1808 LOUIS NAPOLEON, BROTHER OF THE FRENCH EMPEROR NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, BECAME KING OF HOLLAND AND CONVERTED THE TOWN HALL INTO A PALACE. THE SUPERB COLLECTION OF EMPIRE FURNITURE, CLOCKS AND CHANDELIERS DATE FROM THAT PERIOD. THE COLLECTION OF EMPIRE FURNITURE IS ONE OF THE BEST PRESERVED AND MOST COMPLETE COLLECTIONS IN THE WORLD. 15 PAGE

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21 WINSTON CHURCHILL STAYED IN THIS BEDROOM FOR A WEEK. 21 PAGE

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23 THOUGHTS BY DON ALLEN THE EMPIRE STYLE FURNITURE WAS ONLY BUILT BETWEEN 1800 TO 1815 ALL IN FRANCE, HAND BUILT I WAS VERY EXCITED OVER THIS ART. I DON T CARE WHO YOU ARE. THIS IS A MUST-SEE IN AMSTERDAM. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A COLLECTION OF FURNITURE, CHANDELIERS, AND CLOCKS LIKE THIS COLLECTION. IF YOU ARE AN ANTIQUE NERD, IT IS FOR SURE A MUST-SEE ENOUGH OF THE FURNITURE. NOW FOR THE OTHER ART.. YOU AIN T SEEN NOTHING YET. SO HANG ON! I LL START WITH THE TWO CLOCKS. THESE ARE CALLED DEATH CLOCKS. THEY WERE MADE BETWEEN 1790 AND 1820 S. THE CLOCK MAKER DIED AT A VERY EARLY AGE DUE TO MERCURY POISONING. IN 1830 THE FRENCH GOVERMENT OUTLAWED THE PROCESS. YES, SOMEONE DIED FROM MAKING THESE CLOCKS. SO THESE MERCURY GOLD CLOCKS NOW ARE VERY RARE. SEE THE TWO BELOW IN THIS GREAT COLLECTION. TO SEE 2 AT ONCE IS STUNNING! 23 PAGE

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26 THE SCULPTURES WERE EXECUTED IN ANTWERP BY ARTUS QUELLIJN OVER A 15 YEAR TIME. THE INTERIORS, FOCUSING ON THE POWER AND PRESTIGE OF AMSTERDAM, WERE COMPLETED LATER. PAINTINGS INSIDE INCLUDE WORKS BY GOVERT FLINCK, JACOB JORDAENS, JAN LIEVENS AND FERDINAND BOL. SEVERAL OTHERS WERE PAINTED FOR THE CITY HALL, INCLUDING ONE BY REMBRANDT. THEY ARE IN ART MUSEUMS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE FRENCH DIRECTOR IN THE 1800 S DID NOT LIKE THEM FOR WHATEVER REASON I WILL JUST SHOW SOME OF THE PAINTINGS THAT I CONSIDER HIGHLIGHTS. 26 PAGE

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34 I WILL STOP THE PAINTINGS WITH THIS PAINTING BELOW WILHELMINA BECAME QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS AT THE AGE OF 10. HER.. HER MOTHER WAS REGENT RULER UNTIL WILHELMINA TURNED 18. THIS WAS THE FOR-TRUE QUEEN WILHELMINA, AGE 18, IN HER ROBE OF AUTHORITY IN PAINTED BY PIETER JASSELIN DE LONG 34 PAGE

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36 ARTUS QUELLIJN ( ) HE WON THE COMMISSIONS IN AMSTERDAM AND, FROM 1650 ONWARDS, WORKED FOR FIFTEEN YEARS ON THE NEW CITY HALL TOGETHER WITH THE LEAD ARCHITECT. NOW CALLED THE ROYAL PALACE ON THE DAM, THIS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, AND IN PARTICULAR THE MARBLE DECORATIONS HE AND HIS WORKSHOP PRODUCED, BECAME AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHER BUILDINGS IN AMSTERDAM. THE TEAM OF SCULPTORS THAT ARTUS SUPERVISED DURING HIS WORK ON THE AMSTERDAM CITY HALL INCLUDED MANY SCULPTORS WHO WOULD BECOME LEADING SCULPTORS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. 36 PAGE

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41 41 PAGE THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND: THIS IS THE BEST SCULPTURE WE HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST FOUR MONTHS. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF VATICAN CITY, I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS MUCH SCULPTURE. IT IS INDEED A MUST-SEE FOR ANYONE COMING TO AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS.

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49 WE WENT OUT AND CAUGHT THE TRAM TO OUR NEXT DESTINATION: THE RIJKSMUSEUM. WE ENTERED AND WENT TO THE CAFE AND ORDERED A BIG MEAL.. THIS WILL BE THE ONLY MEAL WE HAVE THIS DAY. WE ORDERED THEIR SPECIAL OF LAMB S KNUCKLE. WOW! 49 PAGE

50 WE HAD THINGS TO DO: GO TO GALLERY OF HONOR AND SEE REMBRANDT S WORK, VERMEER S WORK, STEEN S WORK, HALS WORK AND THEN GO HOME TO ROTTERDAM. 50 PAGE

51 WE GOT AS CLOSE AS WE COULD TO THE NIGHT WATCH AND LOOKED AT IT ABOUT AS HARD AS WE COULD! AND SAID GOSH THAT IS GREAT! WE TURNED AROUND AND REALIZED THAT THE WHOLE GALLERY OF HONOR HAD BEEN CHANGED WHERE SOME OF REMBRANDT S WORK HAD BEEN, IT WAS ALL CHANGED IT WAS A TOTAL SHOCK. WE REALIZED THE TWO REMBRANDT PIECES (HIS ONLY FULL SIZE PORTRAIT WORKS) THAT WE HAD SEEN LAST JULY IN A SPECIAL EXHIBITION WERE PRESENT NOW IN THE GALLERY. WE HAD THOUGHT THEY HAD GONE TO THE LOUVRE IN PARIS. IT JUST SHOWS HOW VERY WRONG A PERSON CAN BE. HERE MARTIN AND OOPJEN STOOD IN ALL OF THEIR RADIANT GLORY. HOW VERY SHOCKED AND HAPPILY SURPRISED WE WERE. 51 PAGE

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63 BELOW IS THE LAST JUDGEMENT BY LUCAS VAN LEYDEN. THIS GREAT ALTAR PIECE IS KNOWN AS THE NIGHT WATCH OF THE 1500 S IT IS HERE FOR 2 YEARS BECAUSE THE LEIDEN MUSEUM IS BEING REBUILT. 63 PAGE

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66 THIS WAS A NEAT SURPRISE. WE HAD MET NICOLAAS AND HIS LOVELY WIFE ADRIANA ROCKOX AT THEIR HOME IN ANTWERP AT THE ROCKOX/ SNIJDER HOUSE MUSEUM. WE HAD HEARD THAT PETER PAUL RUBENS WAS THEIR FRIEND AND THAT HE HAD PAINTED THEM BOTH. WE DID NOT DREAM IT WOULD BE IN THE GALLERY OF HONOR. 66 PAGE

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69 WE SAID GOOD-BYE TO OUR GALLERY OF HONOR AND TOOK SOME SHOTS OF THE CEILING ART THAT OUR NEW FRIEND, ARCHITECT CUYPERS, HAD HAD PAINTED.. SINCE THE RIJKSMUSEUM OPENED, 130+ YEARS HAVE PASSED. CUYPERS MESSAGE IS STILL TRUE: THE GALLERY OF HONOUR IS NOT ONLY A PASSAGEWAY WHERE WE CAN LOOK AT BEAUTIFUL PAINTINGS; IT IS AN INVITATION TO SEARCH FOR THE CREATIVITY IN OURSELVES. 69 PAGE

70 WE ARE VERY BLESSED BEING ABLE TO TRAVEL AND SEE GREAT PLACES LIKE WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO SEE TODAY. WOW! WHAT A DAY! IT IS TIME TO FINISH THIS DATA. THIS EPISTLE IS DONE. SO LET IT BE WRITTEN: SO LET IT BE DONE. HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS LIFE IS GOOD! LOVE IS BETTER! 70 PAGE