"Like a band of Gypsies we go down the highway ~~ We're the best of friends ~~ Insisting that the world keep turnin' our way…" Willie Nelson – Johnny Cash
The Art Museums
On our final day in Amsterdam we visited the two major art museums, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. The Rijksmuseum has on display 8,000 objects of art and history, from their total collection of 1 million objects from the years 1200–2000, among which are some masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch Masters. The ambience is very different in the two museums. The Rijksmuseum is in a very old, traditional building, whereas the Van Gogh is quite modern. Both museums were terribly overcrowded with visitors, which dampened the experience a bit. It was sometimes difficult to get close to the artwork because of the crowds. We both agreed that we have preferred our visits to smaller, less well-known museums where the crowds are not so stifling.
Photos of the art of the Dutch Masters in the Rijksmuseum:
Description of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.
Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch”
The Threatened Swan.
The Threatened Swan.
Festoon of Fruit and Flowers.
Festoon of Fruit and Flowers.
The Wardens of the Amsterdam Drapery Guild
The Wardens of the Amsterdam Drapery Guild
The Meagre Company by Frans Hals
The Meagre Company
Detail of The Meagre Company
Detail of the Meagre Company
Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman
Detail of the lace collar in Portrait of a Woman
Detail of the cuff and jewelry of Portrait of a Woman.
Still Life with a Gilt Cup by Willem Claesz Heda
Still Life
Detail of Still Life
Detail of the fabric in Still Life
The following photos are sites we saw every day as we walked from our hotel near Leidseplein to sight-see and to find places to eat. We had breakfast a couple of times in the lobby of The Stadsschouwburg and lunch once in Cafe Americain.
A pedestrian walkway off Leidseplein
Amsterdam buildings at sunset
Amsterdam buildings at sunset
The Stadsschouwburg (Dutch: Municipal Theatre) of Amsterdam is the name of a theatre building at the Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The building is in the neo-Renaissance style dating back to 1894, and is the former home of the National Ballet and Opera
Bar menu in The Stadsschouwburg lobby bar
The Stadsschouwburg lobby bar
The ceiling in the lobby of The Stadsschouwburg is festooned with photos of actors. We had breakfast here a few times, just a couple of blocks from our hotel.
This fountain is in front of the Cafe Americain (http://cafeamericain.nl/en) where we had lunch one day. It is 2 blocks from our hotel, located in Leidseplein.
Dutch restaurant where we ate traditional Dutch fare.
