The Louvre

Yes, that is the actual.

The day began with a pastry and delicious cafe au lait from a little shop near our apartment. Then a Metro ride and waiting in line to get into the museum. The size of it is unbelievable, and the amount of art is just breathtaking! And we were surprised by the crowds of people. Saw a lot of Greek and Roman statues and they were just awe inspiring. What a surprise when we came upon the Venus de Milo!

The museum was built on old Roman stone walls- Chris is standing by them.

We wandered around a lot- you will get lost even with maps. Actual rooms in a reconstructed Napoleon III apartment were decadent beyond belief - gold, many chandeliers, ornate furniture and ornamentation everywhere. Rubens’ large paintings in another area were very complex.

After 4 hours or walking we were tired, so we rested in the enormous park outside the museum, then found a little cafe for dinner, a glass of wine, and some conversation.

Museum day

We spent the morning in the van Gogh Museum! It was breathtaking!!! Although we have long admired his work, we didn’t really know much about his development as an artist. Seeing the museum was one of Roger‘s main reasons for wanting to visit Amsterdam in the first place, and boy, was he in heaven! It’s almost impossible to choose favorites. They’re all so wonderful, but here’s a few samplings of what we saw.

After the museum, we stopped at an outdoor café for lunch, where Roger had bitterballen, a type of traditional Dutch dish that is made of meatballs or croquettes that are deep fried. Karen had similar croquettes stuffed with a creamy mushroom mixture.

Then we headed back to the Rijks Museum again to see the second floor featuring art of the 17th century. Lots of Rembrandts and Vermeers. Karen pooped out again and wanted to come back to the hotel room to rest, Roger could’ve kept going. Since we bought season tickets we can go back tomorrow if we wish.

Now we’re resting and trying to decide if we want to go on a canal cruise.

Windmill cruise

Our day started with a cruise on the canals, looking at fields of flowers, farms, and windmills. The canals are below sea level, and the windmills provide electricity to pump the water. There was lots of waterfowl in the canal and numerous houseboats. It was a real education in the ingenuity of the people to keep the city safe and make the land usable. we’re met a nice couple from New York and enjoyed our conversation with them.

Rijks museum trip 1

Even though we were exhausted, we went to a very large famous museum. Fortunately Roger had the foresight to purchase a membership which allows unlimited visits, and we’ll need to go back. We only got through one and a half levels before I pooped out.

Here are a few of our favorites.

Walk in the neighborhood

It’s hard not to post too many photos when you’re in such a beautiful city, so I’ll pick some highlights.

Walk carefully because there are bike lanes everywhere, with lots of fast bikes! Add the crowded sidewalks and it’s an adventure. The architecture is eye popping. Add the canals and you have a picturesque scene.

Amsterdam day 1

The plane rides went smoothly. We rode an enormous airbus from Atlanta to Amsterdam- that was an experience. We saw an enormous wind farm as we neared the airport. We were amazed and delighted. This picture only shows part of it.

Thanks you Roger’s diligent research on navigating the public transportation, we easily got a bus to the hotel. People are friendly and helpful. On the bus ride, we saw bicycles parked everywhere.

Now we’re off to have lunch and check out the neighborhood or go to the Rijks Museum, a large museum with many of the old Dutch Masters, including,of course, Rembrandt!

More on day 1 after we return to the hotel but will crash quickly- I didn’t sleep on the overnight flight.