Amsterdam
There are times when Joanne and I "click," mostly when we proceed to do something excessive. So it was yesterday.
We both were eager to see the modernized Rijksmuseum -- home to Rembrandt's famed "Night Watch" and other gems. We'd each been to Amsterdam before we met three decades ago, and were here again on a business trip soon after we connected in Rome.
ANYWAY, yesterday -- after flying from Spain on Thursday and our first night in the monster Ramada hotel* -- we reaquainted ourselves with the wonderful tram system. We went downtown and lunched in a quaint bar overlooking a classic downtown canal. And we got there just as a fierce rainstorm hit, counting ourselves lucky to be protected by a big umbrella.
We had booked on-line for the Rijksmuseum, so took an expensive cab there to avoid getting soaked -- and, given thr crowd, were glad we'd reserved.
Long story short, the modernization is amazing! The chronological layout, roughly a century per floor, works well. As with the equally famed "Mona Lisa" upgrade at the Louvre in Paris, "Night Watch" manages again to stun you with its historical presence!
Unlike "Lisa," of course, it is physically huge** -- and fits elegantly into Holland's 17th-century tradition of celebrating their citizen militias. Rembrandt himself painted other big pieces commissioned by such other military groups -- archbow-men, fusiliers, whomever, (Many are displayed nearby, along with thousands of other historical items -- like our own Smithsonian, it's "the nation's attic" recounting our respective pasts.)
So, four hours later, we finish up with a snack and a glass of wine in their new and elegant cafe -- something we especially enjoy in European museums. And we decide that, yes, we'll tackle the OTHER great art museum here, the one dedicated to Van Gogh, which is open late. (We know it's hugely more crowded on weekends...)
So, walking over there, we managed to take in their FOUR floors dedicated to Van Gogh's tragic life and his ever-more-popular genius. It's fascinating to see that Van Gogh's family was mainly responsible for safeguarding his reputation, not least for creating the foundation that built the museum a century after his suicide.
At that point, we wearily staggered back to the Ramada, and both slept soundly for no less than ten hours (and Joanne never sleeps more than 6-7 hours a night!).
_________
* By far, at 17 stories tall, the highest building in downtown Amsterdam. At over $180/night, it is less pricy that the city's other good hotels. But I miss the classic small places on the city's canals...
** I somehow hadn't known that, nearly a century after it was painted, it was notoriously cut to fit a smaller display space. The Rijksmueum does a great job explaining this crazy move, including showing a 4'x6' painting (by another artist) that meticulously copied the original BEFORE it was cut down. So we know exactly what was lost...
We both were eager to see the modernized Rijksmuseum -- home to Rembrandt's famed "Night Watch" and other gems. We'd each been to Amsterdam before we met three decades ago, and were here again on a business trip soon after we connected in Rome.
ANYWAY, yesterday -- after flying from Spain on Thursday and our first night in the monster Ramada hotel* -- we reaquainted ourselves with the wonderful tram system. We went downtown and lunched in a quaint bar overlooking a classic downtown canal. And we got there just as a fierce rainstorm hit, counting ourselves lucky to be protected by a big umbrella.
We had booked on-line for the Rijksmuseum, so took an expensive cab there to avoid getting soaked -- and, given thr crowd, were glad we'd reserved.
Long story short, the modernization is amazing! The chronological layout, roughly a century per floor, works well. As with the equally famed "Mona Lisa" upgrade at the Louvre in Paris, "Night Watch" manages again to stun you with its historical presence!
Unlike "Lisa," of course, it is physically huge** -- and fits elegantly into Holland's 17th-century tradition of celebrating their citizen militias. Rembrandt himself painted other big pieces commissioned by such other military groups -- archbow-men, fusiliers, whomever, (Many are displayed nearby, along with thousands of other historical items -- like our own Smithsonian, it's "the nation's attic" recounting our respective pasts.)
So, four hours later, we finish up with a snack and a glass of wine in their new and elegant cafe -- something we especially enjoy in European museums. And we decide that, yes, we'll tackle the OTHER great art museum here, the one dedicated to Van Gogh, which is open late. (We know it's hugely more crowded on weekends...)
So, walking over there, we managed to take in their FOUR floors dedicated to Van Gogh's tragic life and his ever-more-popular genius. It's fascinating to see that Van Gogh's family was mainly responsible for safeguarding his reputation, not least for creating the foundation that built the museum a century after his suicide.
At that point, we wearily staggered back to the Ramada, and both slept soundly for no less than ten hours (and Joanne never sleeps more than 6-7 hours a night!).
_________
* By far, at 17 stories tall, the highest building in downtown Amsterdam. At over $180/night, it is less pricy that the city's other good hotels. But I miss the classic small places on the city's canals...
** I somehow hadn't known that, nearly a century after it was painted, it was notoriously cut to fit a smaller display space. The Rijksmueum does a great job explaining this crazy move, including showing a 4'x6' painting (by another artist) that meticulously copied the original BEFORE it was cut down. So we know exactly what was lost...