HOW lovely to read that Bill Hearld (April 11) and his wife had used their time so well in Amsterdam, visiting "galleries, museums and tulip gardens".

It put me in mind of my own trip.

Because it was only a day trip, my companion and I were terrified of missing the coach. Keep a landmark in sight at all times, I thought, choosing the railway station. We never saw a gallery, museum or a single tulip, so obsessed were we with the station. Come to think of it, we never even saw a red light, drug or the floating flower market.

I had a guide book and planned to spend time exploring the Van Gogh Museum. We never saw that.

I have always had the romantic notion that Vincent's dramatic incident with an ear was a cry for help and that if only I had been there to understand him it would never have happened. I once mentioned this to an outspoken neighbour. He said: "Don't be so silly - he would have cut your ear off as well."

We did manage an enchanting canal ride on a boat with a transparent top. There are snapshots somewhere, we look like clients on day-release from Rampton.

We also had a snack at the station. Sitting next to me was a person with long hair who was having a session of head-scratching. This knocked the shine right off my hot sausage roll.

The sum total of our purchases: a few postcards, clogs for my grandchildren and a couple of plates. The plates got chipped on the way home. There really is no excuse for not seeing more and the residents of Amsterdam speak immaculate English, we found, better than ours.

Margaret Lawson,

Marjorie Waite Court, York.

Updated: 10:14 Wednesday, April 19, 2006