Advertisement
Published: September 26th 2007
Amsterdam canals
This is just before duskJay and I wanted a weekend away to relax so we flew to Amsterdam
Although it is one of the important European financial and trade centers and a very popular tourist destination, Amsterdam is a quiet city. There are few cars and even fewer parking spaces. The main modes of transport within the old central part of the city are bicycle, streetcar, canal boat, and on foot. There are only a million permanent residents. The Dutch are mostly courteous, helpful, and laugh readily. Many of them are very good looking (think Rutger Hauer). All that walking and cycling must keep them in good physical shape, because I didn't see one person who was obese. Blue jeans and black leather jackets are the popular fashion for Autumn here.
Our hotel, die Port van Cleve, is on Dam Square, a tourist area near the Central Train Station. You would think that location would be very noisy. We asked for a room away from the street. It was quiet at night and we slept more soundly than we have in England. Hotel restaurants are usually too expensive and the food mediocre. Our dinner at this hotel was delicious. Jay had steak and
Bicyclists on Canal
There are hundreds of bicycles changed to fences all over the city. All of them are beaten and old. A new expensive bike would be stolen very quickly. No one wears sports clothing when they ride I had scallops wrapped in bacon. The produce in the salads was fresh, there wasn't too much dressing, and the bread was crispy on the outside and soft one the inside (just like it should be). Jay had researched the hotel on Internet travel websites and read the user reviews. We thank all those travelers who wrote about their experiences - very helpful.
After dinner that night we went on a cheese and wine canal cruise. We were too full to eat much, which was fortunate, because the cheese and sausage Jay sampled were the low quality stuff you would expect to be served to tourists. The red and white table wine was forgettable. But we didn't care. Cruising the canals at night and seeing all the bridges and buildings lit like Christmas tree was romantic.
The next morning we went to the Rijksmuseum. The collections of paintings, sculpture, historical artifacts, and furniture dates mostly from the 17th century, a golden age when Amsterdam was enjoying what the Dutch call "An Embarrassment of Riches." The city was wealthy from trading all over the world. The 17th century is also known as "The Golden Age of Painting." The Netherlands
had two of the best painters from that period, Rembrandt and Rubens (although Rubens lived in the Catholic part, which is now Belgium).
When I visited Amsterdam in 1989, it took hours to go through the Rijksmuseum because the building and collection are huge. I didn't see everything because I got a big case of Stendhal's syndrome (a.k.a. sensory overload). This time there were only 14 rooms open and we had to go to the back entrance. The museum is being completely renovated and won't be finished until sometime in 2009. We did get to see some of the masterpieces such as Rembrandt's "Night Watch" and "The Jewish Bride."
"The Jewish Bride" (see photo) is one my favorite Rembrandt paintings because it shows everything that makes the artist a genius. The gesture of the man placing his hand gently on breast of his bride shows more effectively than any words the bridegroom's love, tenderness, and protectiveness. Rembrandt predated youtube.com by four hundred years because his paintings are like videos that play in a continuous loop. The sleeve of the man which is closest to the viewer is painted in thick impasto. It makes the arm look like it
Rembrandt- Prophet Jeremiah
We could see silver in the painting, which is not visible here is projecting out into the viewer's world. Blurred strokes on the outline of the man's sleeve creative a mysteriously effective illusion of movement. The thickly layered paint of the flesh tones makes the skin look more convincingly real than a photorealistic painting does.
In terms of pure technical mastery, Rembrandt's painting of the prophet, Jeremiah, was the best in the show. The gold tones around the figure glowed with a spiritual light. The reflections on the metal container seemed to sparkle in silver (it's difficult to believe this effect is only paint). You won't see this in the photo because photographic reproduction diminishes, rather than enhances painting.
We were not overly disappointed that there was so little of the Rijksmuseum collection on display because it was a beautiful sunny day (sunshine can never be taken for granted in Northern Europe). We had lunch at an outdoor cafe on the Museumsplein (museum square) and then visited the Van Gogh museum.
In 1989 I spent a glorious week at the Van Gogh museum doing a field study for my B.A. The guards were great. They knew I was studying and would let me come in and look at the
paintings before opening hours. I was a little concerned that this time might be disappointing. But I need not have worried. Van Gogh's paintings are so moving. I forgot how beautiful the surface quality of the paint is and the vivid complementary colors. I have never seen a photo reproduction of his work that even begins to capture the texture.
The sight of his painting of the skyline of Paris from Montmartre made tears come to my eyes. I'm not sure why because the scene itself was not so emotional. It has been a long time since any art exhibit made me care. I looked around at the faces of other viewers and saw how moved they were. Van Gogh is one of the few painters who successfully conveys his emotions to any viewer, not just art professionals.
After the Van Gogh museum, we were really tired of standing so we took another canal cruise. The passengers on this boat consisted mostly of a group from China. They photographed everything and became especially excited when we cruised past a wedding taking place on a house boat. The pilot made an unannounced stop at a diamond factory and the Chinese
Anne Frank House
We had planned to visit but there was a line of people around the block even before it opened in the morning group left the boat. Their exit gave me an unexpected opportunity to sit next to an open window for the remainder of the trip. I hung outside the window of took many photos of the harbor and canals.
We had visited one other museum the afternoon before- The Stedelijk Museum, which houses Modern and Contemporary art. This museum building (next to the van Gogh) is also being renovated, so the exhibits are temporarily in a building next to the central train station. One of exhibits here is entitled, "Cruel Bonsai," a presentation of bonsai trees made of colorful resin that looked like salt water taffy, feathers, and porcelain. The description of the sculptures said that they are slightly morbid and intended to capture the capricious quality of nature. You know what? Neither one of us cared.
We did enjoy another exhibit of photos taken by a Dutch photographer in 1986 of all the then abandoned S-Bahn (train) stations in Berlin. The names on the stations brought back so many memories of our years as soldiers in Berlin.
We had an unexpected treat at the airport while we were sitting in the passenger lounge waiting to board the plane
Balloon Girls
These girls posed for me and joked that they wanted 10 Euros as a model fee! back to London. The actor, Ben Kingsley, appeard at the waiting area for the plane from Amsterdam to London Heathrow. He is a knight of the British Empire and much respected in England, but he sat with all of us who were flying in coach. He seemed a little worried when I recognized him, but I kept my voice down and just told him how much I admired his work. Only two or three other people recognized him. I saw some other American tourists chatting away with him. They had no idea he is a famous person. I admired his humility and think that playing Gandhi must have rubbed off on him.
The best experience in Amsterdam was simply to walk along the canals and see the sunlight on all the autumn leaves and the mirrored reflections on the canals. People drank beer and wine at outdoor cafes on the canal banks looked so peaceful. Knowing that the beauty of Autumn lasts such a brief time before the icy blast of winter makes it seem that this beautiful moment needs to be savored and then treasured in memory.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.093s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 15; qc: 54; dbt: 0.0626s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Deb B
non-member comment
Once again, you made my day. My brother spent some time in Holland on business...he is a sign maker who is frequently commissioned to do the signage for some of the big cruise lines; sometimes there are perks like having to spend time in Holland ;-) He made his living as a musician for many years and still plays his guitar regularly. He has written some very moving and beautiful songs. He wrote one about the streets of Holland. I wish he had a recording of it, I would send it to you. Okay...back to work. Hugs!!!! Deb