Four days in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

We made a four-day visit to Amsterdam in late May, prompted by my snagging two tickets to the once-in-a-lifetime Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum. (See my post about the exhibit here.)

Of course, there are plenty of things to see and do in Amsterdam, other than gazing at 17th century paintings (although I do highly recommend that). Please note that because visiting the Anne Frank House is so important and a profoundly moving experience, I am posting separately on our visit there.

Here are our highlights!

First, simply sitting alongside a canal and watching the world go by. This cafe was in the Jordaan neighborhood, close to our hotel.

Boats and more boats….Amsterdam is all about the canals and the canals are all about the boats. We took a fabulous one and a half hour tour on an historic “salon boat” called the Tourist. It’s docked outside the Pulitzer Hotel, and you can request a booking through the hotel’s website. Click here.

Built in 1909 of Java teak and mahogany, it is said that in 1946, Queen Wilhelmina hosted Winston Churchill on the boat while commemorating the end of World War II. Seating is limited and you must book ahead. Our captain was very knowledgable and charming. There are seats inside the luxurious cabin and room for four to five people in the open stern. We sat in the stern, outside, and could easily hear everything the captain said because of his microphone. Beverages were available for purchase on board. This excursion was more expensive than many of the more readily available tourist canal boats, but in my opinion, well worth the few extra Euros.

Speaking of the Pulitzer Hotel, it houses one of the more highly rated bars in the city. We stopped in and couldn’t get a table, but happily sat at the bar and watched our outgoing bartender mix fancy cocktails.

We had some nice meals; several outdoors. I can recommend the Café Luxembourg, at 24 Spui. We had a popular Dutch snack called croquette balls, (or bitterballen if shaped more oblong), with a green herb mayonnaise, an open-faced smoked salmon sandwich, a refreshing gin and tonic, and a local ale.

Another evening we had a wonderful sidewalk meal at a cute French bistro, Brasserie de Luwte. I had one of my favorite dishes, lemon sole. Below is a photo of the interior. Note the bucket of Aperol – the bistro promotes what it calls Aperol Spritz Tower. I’ve included a photo of two men who indulged me as I took their photo at one of the sidewalk tables with a tower.

Finally, back to the Pulitzer Hotel, we had a nice dinner at Jansz, including rack of lamb and sea bream. Beautiful interior, with open kitchen. (Note the oblong bitterballen on the kitchen counter ready to be served.)

There are some world-class museums in Amsterdam. We wandered through the grand Rijksmuseum after seeing the Vermeer exhibit. Must-sees are, of course, are the many Rembrandts, including The Night Watch (1642), a massive painting that was undergoing conservation during our visit but still viewable. The first time I saw this painting I was a 19-year old college student backpacking through Europe and I was stunned at its size. It still makes an impression!

A 17th century copy of The Night Watch that is displayed nearby shows that the original painting was actually larger than it now exists. It was cut down on all sides in the early 1700s to fit better when it was moved into Amsterdam City Hall. The canvas strips that were removed have never been found.

Rembrandt’s Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild (1662), known to many as the painting used on Dutch Masters cigar boxes.

Here’s images of some other notable works in the Rijksmuseum.

*The Threatened Swan* (c. 1650), Jan Asselijn

*Explosion of Spanish Flagship during Battle of Gibraltar* (1621), van Wieringen. Note crew members flying up into the air!

*Isaac and Rebecca,* known as ‘The Jewish Bride,’ 1665-1669, Rembrandt

*Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters* (c. 1608), Avercamp. I have always loved images like this of people in bloomers teetering on skates! Everything is happening out there on the ice. Here’s a closeup, below:

And of course, Amsterdam having relied on its merchant ships to become the wealthiest city in the world in the early 17th century, there are some fabulous nautically-themed items in the Rijksmuseum, like this ship’s model.

*Self-portrait,* Rembrandt van Rijn. Painted circa 1628, when the artist was around 22 years old.

No visit to Amsterdam is complete without a visit to the Van Gogh Museum.

Vincent van Gogh, born in the Netherlands, was of course a prolific artist who suffered throughout his life with depression and delusions, tragically dying by suicide at age 37.

One gallery was devoted to the artist’s self-portraits. Here’s a sampling:

You’ll see familiar sunflower and iris paintings, and of course, The Bedroom in Arles, 1888.

One wing of the museum is devoted to van Gogh’s time in Auvers, France, where he went to be under the care of Dr. Paul Gachet. It is here where van Gogh was painting almost maniacally, about one work a day.

*Self-portrait*, 1889. Note the turbulence behind the artist.

*Tree Roots,* believed to be van Gogh’s final work, painted on the morning of July 27, 1890. He shot himself later that day and died two days later.

One interesting enclave we discovered is called the Begijnhof, originally built during the Middle Ages as a sanctuary for the Begijntjes, a Catholic sisterhood. The buildings surrounding the quiet courtyard are still occupied by single women. Visitors are welcome to the courtyard if they are quiet and respectful.

*Love the duvet airing out of the top window, above!*

Within the courtyard, or “hofje” in Dutch, is a church that was originally Catholic but became Protestant after the Protestant takeover in the late 16th century. In the late 17th century, two dwellings across from the church were converted to an interior secret Catholic church (the Begijnhof Chapel). Unfortunately, both churches were closed on the day of our visit.

In addition to our canal cruise on the lovely Tourist vessel, we took a cruise on one of the more commercially available boats, run by the Flagship company. These open boats depart frequently from various sites, and some include alcoholic beverages in the price of the cruise.

Some views from the canal cruise, below — tilting Dutch houses with a houseboat moored in front; the narrowest house; drawbridge near the harbor and the Gothic Revival Amsterdam Centraal Train Station.

Here are some random images!

We came upon a storefront where an enterprising photographer offers clients the opportunity to dress up and be photographed as a character from one of Vermeer’s paintings, like Girl with Pearl Earring and The Milkmaid.

We stayed at the Toren Hotel, part of the European/Asian Pavilions chain. The staff was great and location perfect, but the room felt very dark to me, with only one window (although it offered a nice view into the hotel’s rear courtyard), black and deep burgundy decor and low-wattage LED bulbs (the bane of my travel life). The deep spa tub, however was a home run. (Please excuse the unmade bed.) I typically book directly through a hotel’s website, but the only way for me to book at the Toren with a flexible cancellation policy and breakfast included was through Bookings.com.