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Published: August 16th 2011
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August 15th, 2011
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Yesterday we visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
I have loved the art of Vincent van Gogh for as long as I can remember. Studying his works in art school only intensified that love, and I finally got to see them in the flesh. Lots of them. A feast of them. I was able to drink in the colours, to imagine how each brushstroke was formed; to just breathe in the beauty.
After arriving in Amsterdam by train from Veenendal, a 45 minute trip, we set off by tram to the museum district, passing by the ‘dam’ of Amsterdam, (where the Amstel river is dammed, the name being first used in the 1200’s) where can be found the dam palace, the dam church and the dam shopping district.
Exiting the tram, we stopped for breakfast of waffles and coffee at a small kiosk calling itself the Rembrandt van Gogh, in a square near the museums. Thus fortified, we set off to queue with other excited tourists eager to see the works of the genius. Entering with our 14 euro tickets, we had to pass through metal detectors before being allowed in
to see the exhibition which took us on a journey from his early influences, to his early works and through to the flowering of his style; a time span of only a bit over a decade, but a monumental journey in the development of art. About half way through the exhibition, I walked around a corner in the gallery to view the next stage of his art development, from the year 1888, took one look at the paintings on the wall, and burst into tears. There I stood, in the middle of the crowded gallery, moved, literally, to tears, which were rolling down my cheeks (and spreading the carefully applied mascara all over my face), holding my nose to prevent the sobs that were rising from being too noticeable. I was totally thunderstruck at my own reaction. The power of beauty is amazing. It can move us when we least expect it and take our breath away. WOW what an experience; better than any carnival ride I’ve ever been on. I’ll take that over any adrenalin rush anywhere.
Much restored to equilibrium after a spend up at the gallery shop, we headed off to the nearby P.C.Hooftstraat, which is home
to ALL the famous labels: Chanel, Gucci, Hermés, Louis Vuitton, Chopard, Cartier for lunch at Maxime’s, a cute little bistro at the corner of Chanel and Louis Vuitton, where we watched people (who could actually afford to make purchases at these shops) passing by. After Lunch, we window shopped and dreamed our way down the street to the tram, and back to the centre to catch a canal tour boat.
These are numerous, and for about 13 euro and take tourists for an hour long trip on the canals of Amsterdam. For the purposes of this event, my sister (who has lived in Holland for twenty years, and had thought that these tours would be a bit TOO cheesy) also played the role of the Aussie tourist, and spent as much time happily taking snapshots of everything we passed as all the rest of us (official) tourists. The tour took us past lots of landmarks, including the maritime museum behind which is the world renowned red light district of Amsterdam.
The views of the canals and overspanning bridges, the tall, narrow buildings in neat rows along the edges were everything that picture postcards show Amsterdam to be. Bicycles by the
hundreds, tied to the lamp-posts, bridge railings and overspilling bicycle racks, pay testament to the favourite means of transport among the Dutch.
After the tour we took a walk to the ‘arty’ section of the town the Jordaan, in the old Jewish quarter, where the house of Anne Frank can also be found . There were boutiques with unusual crafts, second-hand shops, vintage clothing boutiques, specialist cheese shops deli’s and café’s and lots to touch, try, and look at. Interspersed among the boutiques and café’s, were ‘coffee’ shops – where the legalised pot trade goes on. All along the streets of Amsterdam, you’re not far from the whiff of cannabis being indulged. In one tourist shop there was a t-shirt which proclaimed: “It’s legal to buy it, it’s legal to smoke it, it’s legal to sell it and to possess it, and it doesn’t matter because if the cops stop you, it’s illegal for them to search you. I love Amsterdam”, emblazoned around a cannabis leaf.
After being on our feet for most of the day, it was a relief to sit down for a dinner at a canalside restaurant featuring an art nouveau décor. We elected to sit outside,
next to the canal in the early evening sunshine, watching people cruising along the canals in all manner of vessels from large canal tour boats to small dinghy’s filled with young tourists, drinking beer by the carton, and having a great time. One vessel was clearly home made: a wooden deck erected over blue plastic drums, with an outboard motor attached, carrying a group of young men with the inevitable box of beer. We figured – engineering students. Families also were out enjoying the warm summer evening, kids in life vests, mum having a relaxing drink and dad carefully steering the little boat along the canals. There were also pedal powered hire boats which looked to be fun, until overtaken at a canal intersection by the large tourist vessels, manouvering in three point turns around the sharp corners of the canals. At these times the pedal power boats looked in danger of being shoved into the walls, and many needed to do some quick peddaling to get out of the way. There are also hundreds of houseboats moored along the edges of the canals, some look way too large to pass under the bridges, with flower gardens in tubs, chairs
and tables set to enjoy the outdoors, and look to be permanent residences, at least in summer.
It seems that everyone in Amsterdam likes to get out on the water.
The dinner of roast Black Angus beef with mushrooms and cognac tarragon sauce was divine, the italian pinot gris cool and dry, and a perfect end to an amazing day full of sights, sounds, smells and experiences like nowhere else. I love Amsterdam.
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Rose Morton
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Drinks & Nibbles Catering
Hi Sari, Now we want chocolate shoes and handbags for with our wine please : ) Love all at The Centre xxx