About Amsterdam: Part 2...

Cont'd...

The following day was allotted for the big guns - the Rijksmuseum (which just re-opened in 2013 after 10 years of extensive restoration) and the Van Gogh Museum. Being the son of late unknown but talented artist, visiting museums to marvel at the works of great artists was something instilled in me since I was a little boy. The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history. Among the treasures it holds are Rembrandt van Rijn’s The Night Watch and Johannes Vermeer’s The Milkmaid.

On the day we were flying out to Rome, we managed to visit three more museums. Though not as huge as the Rijks or the Van Gogh Museum, the Museum Het Grachtenhuis, Museum Van Loon and Museum Geelvinck are still must-visits. The Museum Het Grachtenhuis tells the history of the canal rings and the canal houses in a very non-traditional way. The Museum Van Loon and Museum Geelvinck are patrician mansions of wealthy merchants during the Dutch Golden Age that were converted into museums by the descendants/new owners. The saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” holds true for these two stately homes. Behind the simple facade are rooms and rooms of spectacular opulence and meticulously manicured gardens that reflect the wealth and luxurious lifestyle of the families who owned the homes.

To be continued...