Amsterdam’s Top Museum Reopens After 10 Years

The good news is that it’s finally open. The Rijksmuseum had been closed for 10 years and just recently opened in April. What a job they have done! A beautiful glass atrium greets you incorporating a fabulous shop, café, and restaurant. The museum is set up in a completely orderly fashion. Being able to move efficiently through the museum and again see the breathtaking masterpieces of Dutch artists is a treat.

To look at the streets of Delft as they were rendered in the 17th century is to look at a photograph of the 1600’s. Somehow, you feel as if you are peeking into their world through a time machine. At this time, most paintings were based around religious themes, but the Dutch School brought their focus to everyday life inspiring a radical change in the way we see things.

After a couple of hours at the Rijksmuseum, I went to the Van Gogh Museum where,  ironically, there were only four Van Gogh paintings. The museum space is excellent, but I found the exhibits unexceptional and wished for more time at the Rijksmuseum.

This was also my first time visiting Anne Frank’s house, something that everyone should see.  Never more important than now. It teaches tolerance, forgiveness, and love for each other.  Indeed out of the awfulness of the scenes, you pick up a wonderful sense of hope. I jumped on the hop-on, hop-off canal boat and could not help but think what a beautiful city this is.

A city of bikes and trams and canals. Great cozy pubs scattered along the streets that criss cross the  waterways and its small enough to never get lost. It is easily connectable by fast train to London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and Bonn. A cool deviation with lots to do and see.

Got to go back.