I Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum

Over 65,000 bicycles lost or stolen in Amsterdam each year

A new day dawns, 12 hours of sleep, and Amsterdam awaits.  We took a taxi to the Amsterdam Museum and had a nice cheese and meat platter for lunch.  You can skip that particular museum when next you’re in Amsterdam, but the café was nice.  Afterwards, I conquered the transit system, taking the tram to the Museum Quarter.  While it was too late to attack the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum looked to be just the right size.  Humming “Starry, Starry Nights” to myself, I toured 3 stories of Van Gogh memorabilia.  The museum lacked the “Great Works” of Van Gogh; it concentrates on his life story.  Most of the memorabilia in the museum was donated by Van Gogh’s nephew, the only son of his brother Theo.  Being more of a historian then “art” lover,  I probably enjoyed it more for that reason.

My impressions of Amsterdam so far:  it is representative of modern Western culture as (choose one):

Best
Worst
Most Magnificent
Tackiest
Cleanest
Trashiest
Most liberated
Most decadent
Hippest
Most banal
Most crowded

For my Colorado friends...You know who you are.

Van Gogh Museum - Amsterdam

Black Death awaits in Amsterdam.....

..,or salvation
There is something for everyone in Amsterdam.  My personal favorite is the architecture. But then, I’m a practical person.  Is it just me, or have museums become modern cathedrals?  If so, the 90-year retrospect of Marilyn at the New Church in Dam Square would be good example.

Celebrating 90 years of Marilyn at the New Church in Amsterdam