when in amsterdam
The first thing we saw in Amsterdam was Van Gogh. His face, his hat, his hands, his hair, his shoes, and his suit were all painted copper. He stood as still as a statue in the middle of Dam Square until someone put some money in his hat. Actually the square was full of living statues, but after his cigarette break, Van Gogh broke character and had a conversation with Susie. We sat eating our lunch out of white paper bags on the cobblestones, listening to Van Gogh talk about his training as a mime and his work with puppets. He recommended a book to Susie, and made a note of it in her little blue notebook. He smiled mischieviously and pulled a severed ear out of his copper pocket. We left with Susie beaming and talking as we walked down the street with our group. We walked through the square many times after that, but we never saw Van Gogh in person again.
I was really struck by the Rembrandt portraits at the Rijksmuseum. There was something about the sharp focus of the eyes... This old man, wrapped in a brown fur blanket-- long since dead-- was somehow able to look back at me with this lingering, knowing expression. I could see the fine lines of his face and the soft blue veins in his softly worn hands. Rembrandt had painted each hair of his long, white beard-- the man was completely made of impossible brushstrokes... We stayed at the museum for two hours, before going out to dinner-- all 81 of us-- to an Indonesian restaurant. The window panes were bright primary colors, and the dishes of the rice table came one by one until we were finally full.
I was really struck by the Rembrandt portraits at the Rijksmuseum. There was something about the sharp focus of the eyes... This old man, wrapped in a brown fur blanket-- long since dead-- was somehow able to look back at me with this lingering, knowing expression. I could see the fine lines of his face and the soft blue veins in his softly worn hands. Rembrandt had painted each hair of his long, white beard-- the man was completely made of impossible brushstrokes... We stayed at the museum for two hours, before going out to dinner-- all 81 of us-- to an Indonesian restaurant. The window panes were bright primary colors, and the dishes of the rice table came one by one until we were finally full.