Amsterdam Day 7

A gray, cool start to the day. I was able to find a source for tickets to the Rijksmuseum a few days ago through a 3rd party ticket agency. Happy about that. No luck on the Van Gogh. 😫. A leisurely morning, ticket was for 11AM. A walk and short tram tide to the museum on Museum Square where there are 3 other museums and a huge open green space that is always busy with sports and folk enjoying the outdoors.

The Rijksmuseum is the National museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch art and history. The building dates from 1885 and underwent a $373mil renovation completed in 2013. The inside of the building look very modern compared to the classical Dutch exterior. This is the museum that has the world famous Vermeer exhibit but that sold out in 2 days after the ticketing began 6 months ago. I tried everything that I knew to get in, no luck. Tried again today but you cannot get close to the entrance without someone checking your ticket. Signs all over saying Sold Out.
I enjoyed the art of the museum, the works that I saw. Spent 2 1/2 hours and did not make a dent in the very large collection. Their audio information is great and all done via their App. The premier piece is Rembrandt’s Night Watch, a large work but lots of people around, hard to enjoy.
After I finished, I walked the beautiful Rijksmuseum gardens - in the rain. Poked around the area for awhile but got tired of ducking raindrops and went home. Started planning for Geneva, my next stop. Leaving here Wednesday.

Sun came out around 5P and I went out for an early dinner as I only had a blueberry muffin for lunch. Found a very good Thai restaurant nearby. My first dinner out in Amsterdam. After dinner, I walked to a park nearby across a canal. Lots of mom’s with strollers, kids and dogs, all enjoying the first sunshine of the day. An evening of more planning and the last episode of The Diplomat. Enjoyed the series.Read more