The Best for Last - the Rijksmuseum

Our last full day in Amsterdam started the same as the others, in our cozy nook at Coffee Tales.  It really was a lovely little spot. The fresh baked pastries are one of my favourite things in Europe.  Our plan for the day was the Rijksmuseum.  We had saved it for last as today had the worst predicted weather of the trip.  Unfortunately our planning wasn’t perfect.  We had free tickets with the city card, but I forgot we still had to reserve a time slot.  When we arrived, the next options were for early afternoon.

This was Amsterdam however, so its not like we didn’t have options.  The city card let us also visit the near by MOCO Gallery.  Usually I am not a big fan of modern/contemporary art, it’s just not my thing. But the Gallery was in a delightful older house and it has a Bansky Exhibit.  Not an official authorized one, but they had collected various authenticated pieces.  There were a few interesting artists, some that I just didn’t get, but a successful pick. 

After the gallery, we walked around the grounds of the Rijksmuseum a little, and had a coffee at a fancy little cafe.  A bit too fancy for me, they would have charged €2.50 just for a refill on my hot water!  The original tea was only €3.50!  

The rain finally came along, but luckily so did our time slot for the Rijksmuseum.  I really enjoyed it, though I’m not really an art person. I enjoy museums like this for the history.  Seeing the paintings by the Old Masters, and statues and items made hundreds of years ago, it fascinates me. Add in a gorgeous old building and I am happy for a few hours. 

My mother is a huge fan of the famous Nightwatch painting by Rembrandt.  She had been quite excited for me that I was going to see it.  And I saw, most of it.  There is currently a massive multi-year restoration project on going of the painting.  On the plus side, instead of hauling it off to a lab somewhere, they glassed off the section it is in and have the restorers working in full view of the public.  It was interesting to see them at work, they are on the stage of removing the old dirty varnish.  It’s quite a painstaking process and will be years before it is fully finished. 

My friend and I rendezvoused in the little cafe for a drink and to rest our aching feet.  I had a little pick me up of some bread, which again was just amazing with the fresh butter.  Then, at closing time, we headed out for a walk back towards our hotel and dinner.  I had recommended we go back to the A van Wees tasting room for dinner, which my friend enthusiastically agreed too.  Luckily the weather was a little better because the only seats available were outside!  It wasn’t too bad while the sun was out, and we eventually moved inside for dessert when it got cool. 

With our dessert we also ordered a flight of Genever to split.  Much smaller glasses this time!  The younger spirits were more like the gin I am used to, with juniper added. The older ones are aged in barrels and a bit more like whiskey, which I am not usually a fan of.  They were a smoother drink to sip, which I did appreciate.  My ice cream came with home made brandied raisins, which I asked for on the side.  I’m not a raisin fan, luckily they went quite well with the apple pie across the table from me!

Our final evening would not be complete without a stop for our nightcaps at Kramer’s Cafe.  We had to say goodbye to Jean-Pierre and have one more taste of their liquors.  They had excellent gin there for sure.  It was to be an early evening again, our flight wasn’t too bad, we had just enough time to grab a To Go drink on the way to the train (guess where!) before heading off to the airport.  It is really nice that Schipol Airport is so close to the city, and so easy to get to with the trains. 

With a mid day flight, we arrived back in Canada at mid day, but ready for bed and then right back to normal life.  Though I had a bottle of Genever from duty free, so I’ll need to get some tonic.  

Walking Tour of Amsterdam

Today started about the same, up at a good time and over to Coffee Tales for a tea and fresh baked croissant to start the day.  Looking over the map and the city pass, we decided to walk to the Oude Kerk to start the day.  It was a nice stroll from where the cafe was on Rembrandt Square.  

Along the way we stumbled upon Da Waag.  It was originally one of the city gates, and interestingly sits on a slightly different alignment to the rest of the roads and buildings in the area.  Since it was built in the 15th century, it has many different functions, including as a weigh house, which is what it is now named for.  In the 17th century, they included a theatre for the public to witness human dissections.  This is immortalized in the Rembrandt painting 'The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp'.

Walking along we passed through the Red Light district on our way to the Old Church, and then had a bit of a walk around waiting for it to open.  This is about when I noticed, that I think the truck drivers of Amsterdam Delight in parking right in front of the grand old buildings and blocking the best views.  It really seemed like one truck would move, and a second would zip in before you could get a clear picture!

About this time, my friend wasn't feeling as well, she decided to go back to the hotel for a little break and we would meet up again.  Since she was interested in the Old Church, I walked over to the Rembrandt House Museum to explore that while she tried to get some bearings.  Its the house Rembrandt lived in for many of his best years, though he was forced to sell to pay his debts.  It is an interesting place, even to see how people lived.  Everyone had short box beds because it was thought to be unhealthy to sleep lying fully supine!

After the tour, my friend reported back that she didn't think she'd be up for anything else today. So I was on my own.  I decided to walk back towards the church I had skipped this morning, and I ended up stopping for lunch at Da Waag.  It was beautifully restored inside as a restaurant, lit with dozens of real candles hanging from the celling.  They also have their own local beer, it was great. 

Back at Oude Kerk, I went in to see another art display.  This one was made using found objects from around Amsterdam.  I'll admit, I really didn't get it.  Except for one massive tarp hanging from the ceiling, it was not to my taste, or understanding for art work.  Though seeing the church that dates back to the 14th century was interesting. 13th if you count the original wooden structure.

I wasn't terribly sure what to do next, so I followed my feet.  I walked past the Dam Square again, and then across to the canals along the west side of Amsterdam.  Eventually I walked past the Anne Frank House museum.  I had seen it before the last time I was there, and it was quite busy, so I just took some pictures from the outside.  After finding more picturesque bridges to photograph, my feet were beginning to hurt too. 

With no set goal in mind, I found a nice looking restaurant and went in for dinner.  Turns out I had found the restaurant and tasting room for one of the oldest genever distilleries in Amsterdam. A. van Wees is still located in Amsterdam and makes genever and many other spirits.  Similar to my beloved gin, I was excited to try it.  I am not a big fan of sipping liquors, but when in Rome.  The lovely staff gave their recommendation for my genever and a beer.  Because it is a grain alcohol it apparently goes well with beer.  When I received my drink, I was told that before the first sip one must bow, and then she filled the lovely little tulip shaped glass right to the brim.  There is definitely an art to just pouring the drink!

In the future I'd be interested to see how genever goes with tonic, but I was able to appreciate my glass along with sips of beer, and a beef stew for dinner.  The old building used for the tasting room also was just perfect, and old stable it even had the original paving stones for the floor.  After finishing up, I checked back in on my friend who said they just wanted to keep resting, so I took my ipad back to Cafe Kramer for a drink to finish up the night.