Leapfrog

Amsterdam day 3 was really nice, but I felt ready at the end to get out of the city. I started the morning off with a much too short visit to the Rijksmuseum, one of Amsterdam’s main museums on the museumplien, full of works by Dutch masters. I got there close to 9, when it opens, and it was already busy. I popped in on the Vermeer’s and wandered around a little bit, but I find it very distracting to hear that many conversations in that many languages so I headed out. I then walked over to the Concertgebouw where there was a free lunchtime concert. It was a quartet from The Utrecht Conservatory playing a Sibelius quartet. They played well and the quartet itself was amazing, it really made me miss my instrument and my quartet. I spent the afternoon at The Van Gogh Museum, which was spectacular. The wait was crazy though, I spent an hour in line. It is incredible to me that there is one artist that speaks to that many people so deeply. They were also running an exhibition called “Easy Virtue” about art inspired by prostitutes that was surprisingly informative and well-done.

I actually spent my last day in Amsterdam in Haarlem, a little town only 15 minutes away by train. I got to the station and immediately asked for directions, but it turns out they weren’t really necessary, as Haarlem is picturesque, tiny, and well-signed. I first went into the giant church in the main square, pictured below, and I was astonished that such a tiny town could even have enough people to fill the seats. I am still not convinced they do. I then popped into a nearby coffee shop for breakfast and had the best cappuccino I’ve ever had. I had a lovely view of the smallest corner of Grote square and was able to get some good work done.

I spent the rest of my time in Haarlem visiting its two main museums, as well as doing a little bit of wandering around the adorable cobblestone streets. I first went to The Frans Hals Museum, a hofje devoted to that masters works and some of his contemporaries. It was a bright and welcoming museum with an impressive collection where I felt I finally had the space to sketch and write. Haarlem does not get that many visitors. I also went to The Teylers Museum, a museum that is only 2 years younger than my home country. Bananas! It was a funny little hodge-podge of a museum with fossils, scientific instruments, geological specimens, and an art collection. The real gem of that collection is their large collection of Rembrandt etchings and sketches. They don’t display the originals, but have giant books full of facsimiles available for visitors to spend time with. I was also able to work there, so I consider the visit a grand success.

Then I walked back to Haarlem Centraal and caught the train back to Amsterdam Centraal and walked back to my hostel, without getting lost. Success!

p.s. I added more photos to the gallery! 🙂