I spent last week in the Netherlands, attending the Conference of Europeanists. There were many excellent panels, particularly focusing on issues related to immigration, EU integration and the current fiscal crisis. As I noted in my previous blog post, the crisis is hitting hard in the Netherlands, as can be seen in this representative picture of the shopping district in central Amsterdam:
Many shops, including high-end designer boutiques, were advertising sales as much as 70% off, or as in this shop, 50% off. As noted in this report by Bloomberg, the Dutch economy is contracting as consumer spending is down, and they suffer their third recession in four years.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-25/dutch-economy-contracts-more-than-initially-estimated.html The government is implementing an austerity package that will impact employment and retirees.
On the brighter side, Amsterdam remains a beautiful city, Leaving the University of Amsterdam, I passed by the Hotel de L'Europe where the Amsterdam Treaty was signed. Being in Northern latitudes, the nights were long, but I managed to stay up late to see the lights on the canals.
At the train station, there was a diverse crowd, Amsterdam is a city of many cultures, including Indonesian -- we ate rajstafel a few times during the conference.
The Rijksmuseum is recently refurbished, and is a stunning display of Dutch art and history.
"Night Watch" is perhaps the most famous painting in the museum, and has it's own wall in the "Gallery of Honor"
I have a fondness for still life paintings -- this one was my favorite:
I also have a fondness for Dutch ceramics, and the museum had several displays of amazing artistry:
On the brighter side, Amsterdam remains a beautiful city, Leaving the University of Amsterdam, I passed by the Hotel de L'Europe where the Amsterdam Treaty was signed. Being in Northern latitudes, the nights were long, but I managed to stay up late to see the lights on the canals. 
