Boys of Zummer tour August 7, 2015

The Basiliek Van De H. Nicolaas, or St. Nicholas Basilica was in the center of the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam, surrounded by the hotels and shops, and across the way to the Central Station. It was dark brick with white stone trimmings, and clearly a building of worship from the most moment a traveller laid eyes on it, as it was adorned with intricate carvings of crosses and lobed leaf motifs hearkening to Greco-Roman architecture, as well as stained glass windows visible from the outside in circular patterns and gothic arches. It was an imposing figure, taller than all the other buildings in an otherwise very tall town. Its domed peaks to its towers were topped with small towers adorned with crosses. There were three doors at its entrance in front of a gate, and large metal bolts stubbornly holding down ancient planks of wood. They were impossibly tall, as if they had made for something the height of three men to walk through with ease. The door on the far right was the only one open, and inside it was dark, the soft, gray light from the street not quite making its way into the hallway. Once inside the hall, it was a simple matter to find one’s way into the church itself. A sign in many tongues bid those entering remain quiet, and each carefully placed footstep seemed deafeningly loud in the entrance hall. The sound of a low voice, androgynous only because of its rolling, deep timbre echoed through the large chamber, reaching to the back of the pews with seemingly little effort. The inside gave the impression of being very dark due to gold etched black pillars that stretched up to the raised ceiling and the large black dais raised in front of the pews and the center of the room. The floor, too, was of black marble, but interspersed with white and cream to lighten the effect and reflect the light of the space upwards. The edges of the cathedral were painted with intricate murals depicting religious iconography in muted colors; gorgeous in their details and soft pallets that did not draw away from the brick of the walls or the green that adorned the walls that were not taken up by stone or mural. These paintings were accented with painstakingly carved, life-like statues of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the apostles. Beneath them, stone basins of holy water and softly flickering candles stood, testaments to the visitors that prayed there not long before. However, the detailed paintings and stonework, nor the rich fabrics and golden items that adorned the holy space did not best represent the richness of the cathedral. The most intricate and remarkable aspect of the Basilica was the stained class windows through which brightly colored, filtered light touched the organ, the wooden pews, the bowed heads of the worshipers. The windows were vibrantly colored, depicting famous biblical images in reds, golds and blues. They stretched into the vaulted, painted ceiling in a most breathtaking fashion, and were striking enough to draw small, polite gasps from the new arrivals.

Today is a Saturday so I slept in.... Sort of. I woke up at 10. My mom, sister, and I went to Walmart and a few other stores. For once we didn't fight and get mad at each other. Then we ate at a Chinese restaurant and played this one quarter machine game that we always obsess with. And then we went looking for cars because my sister just got her drivers license. My mom is seriously thinking about getting a $10,000 car for my sister and me if I got my license. It's a nice car for the price, but oh well. Then shopping during the day makes me tired so I took almost a 3 hour nap. During my nap, my friend texted me and asked if I wanted to go to Orange Leaf but I was asleep so she went with someone else. :( I found some ground meat and tried to make tacos, but my sister are half of the meat :( so here I am typing away on my phone while eating a cosmic brownie. Today's lesson: Don't lie to me

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