Amsterdam

Amsterdam in the sunshine - a new experience for us!

Rijksmuseum

One of the great art museums of the world, the Rijksmuseum is currently undergoing major renovations.  As a result, what is considered to be the cream of their collections (“Masterpieces”) are on display in a small section of the museum.  This mainly concentrates on 17^th century Dutch art – Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals, Jan Steen and the like.  Although small, it is easy to spend a few hours there.

I'm not really a porcelain person, but the detail in this was amazing.

You can't go to the Rijksmuseum and not see these (the Night Watch by Rembrandt and the Kitchen Maid by Vermeer)

Tour to North and South Holland

We decided to spend one day seeing beyond the Amsterdam city boundaries.  The easiest way of doing that without a car was on an organised tour, although as a rule we tend to avoid such excursions.  We came across a company called Lindbergh at a kiosk near the central station.  They had an all day excursion called North and South Holland.  Whilst a little bit of the “if it’s morning it must be the wooden shoe shop” variety, it certainly packed a lot in and enabled us to see another aspect of the Netherlands. 

In the morning and early afternoon, we covered the wooden shoe factory with picturesque windmills, traditional cheese making and the fishing villages of Marken and Volendam on the Ijsselmeer.  In the later afternoon and early evening we then visited Delft (home of the pottery), drove through the Hague and finally spent an hour at the model village of Madurodam – “Holland in a Nutshell”.  Madurodam is vary impressive and highly recommended – the more you look, the more small detail you see.

What is a page about the Netherlands without wooden shoes and windmills ... ?

The Netherlands in miniature.

Hermitage Amsterdam

Although we were planning on seeing the real thing in a week or so, we paid a quick trip to the Hermitage outpost in Amsterdam.  This is a small, traditional museum, which was showing a high quality selection of art themed around Venice.

The Maritime Museum

The Scheepvaart concentrates on the nautical history of the Netherlands.  There is a large selection of ship models, the oldest current vessel in the navy (the royal barge), lots of information about the Dutch East India company, and, most impressive, moored alongside a full size replica of the Dutch East Indiaman, the Amsterdam.

The Royal Barge and the Amsterdam.

Dave in his natural position on the Amsterdam.

Go this way - no - go that way!