We spent most of today at the Rijks Museum. It is mainly an art gallery but we really enjoyed the special collections of artifacts.
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Friday, 20 May 2016
Thursday 19th May
In the mornings the canals look very peaceful and clean.
This is the first stall in the floating flower market.
We visited the Willet-Holthuysen canal house which shows you how it looked in the 19th century.
The garden is beautifully maintained and is a very tranquil space in the city.
A short distance away is the Rembrandt House Museum which has been restored to its 17th century state.
Just over a canal is the Gassan Diamond Factory where we had a short conducted tour and an explanation of the different diamond cuts and qualities.
We walked through a more modern district to Nieuwmarkt where the market is edged by an old tower from the city walls.
After walking through the red light district we went into Oude Kerk which was originally built in the 13th century. Over 12000 bodies were buried under this floor until 1855 when they were removed as a hygiene measure.
When we walked in we were immediately amazed by the huge space, the stained glass windows and the barrel vaulted roof.
The Big Organ dominated one end of the church with its dramatic carving.
The original colourful painting on the columns was still visible.
In one corner was "The Stairway to Heaven" which looks very steep and twisting but visitors were not allowed to climb it.
In the mornings the canals look very peaceful and clean.
This is the first stall in the floating flower market.
We visited the Willet-Holthuysen canal house which shows you how it looked in the 19th century.
The garden is beautifully maintained and is a very tranquil space in the city.
A short distance away is the Rembrandt House Museum which has been restored to its 17th century state.
Just over a canal is the Gassan Diamond Factory where we had a short conducted tour and an explanation of the different diamond cuts and qualities.
We walked through a more modern district to Nieuwmarkt where the market is edged by an old tower from the city walls.
After walking through the red light district we went into Oude Kerk which was originally built in the 13th century. Over 12000 bodies were buried under this floor until 1855 when they were removed as a hygiene measure.
When we walked in we were immediately amazed by the huge space, the stained glass windows and the barrel vaulted roof.
The Big Organ dominated one end of the church with its dramatic carving.
The original colourful painting on the columns was still visible.
In one corner was "The Stairway to Heaven" which looks very steep and twisting but visitors were not allowed to climb it.
Wednesday 18th May
We caught the tram out of town to Museumplein and walked to the Stedelijk Museum of modern art. We saw an impressive variety of pieces, including works by Mondrian and Kandinsky.
The design galleries in one half of the building were excellent – the Dutch School – their links with Macintosh, Art Deco and Gaudi were clear.
A walk further out of town took us into the smart shops and huge houses on Willemsparkweg.
We found the entrance to busy Vondelpark and sat for a short time near the fountain.
The next stop was the Van Gough museum, a modern and well lit building but busy, hot and tiring. It was clear how other painters influenced Van Gough and here lots of other artists' work was on display. We took an evening walk by the canals and were nearly back at hotel when we were caught in very heavy thundery downpour.
We caught the tram out of town to Museumplein and walked to the Stedelijk Museum of modern art. We saw an impressive variety of pieces, including works by Mondrian and Kandinsky.
The design galleries in one half of the building were excellent – the Dutch School – their links with Macintosh, Art Deco and Gaudi were clear.
A walk further out of town took us into the smart shops and huge houses on Willemsparkweg.
We found the entrance to busy Vondelpark and sat for a short time near the fountain.
The next stop was the Van Gough museum, a modern and well lit building but busy, hot and tiring. It was clear how other painters influenced Van Gough and here lots of other artists' work was on display. We took an evening walk by the canals and were nearly back at hotel when we were caught in very heavy thundery downpour.
Tuesday 17th May
We took a circular canal tour around the network and the seaward side of the lock gates. These are closed each night an the water is flushed through the system. There is a layer of seawater below the river water so both fresh & seawater fish can be caught there. The canals are said to have a metre of water, a metre of mud & a metre of bicycles.
The tower of Westerkirk is one of many church towers.
Centraal Station is very modern inside it's grand façade.
The canal houses are much more numerous than we had expected.
The tulip museum had some prize specimens on display and showed that bulb growing is still a labour intensive industry.
We came across this haven of green near our hotel. It was a nunnery and there are two churches here.
At the Amsterdam Museum there are many plaques on the entrance wall that used to be displayed on buildings to show the trade there.
We took a circular canal tour around the network and the seaward side of the lock gates. These are closed each night an the water is flushed through the system. There is a layer of seawater below the river water so both fresh & seawater fish can be caught there. The canals are said to have a metre of water, a metre of mud & a metre of bicycles.
The tower of Westerkirk is one of many church towers.
Centraal Station is very modern inside it's grand façade.
The canal houses are much more numerous than we had expected.
The tulip museum had some prize specimens on display and showed that bulb growing is still a labour intensive industry.
We came across this haven of green near our hotel. It was a nunnery and there are two churches here.
At the Amsterdam Museum there are many plaques on the entrance wall that used to be displayed on buildings to show the trade there.
Monday 16th May
Having had a 50 minute flight to Amsterdam, we enjoyed a very smooth train ride to Centraal Station and then a walked under a very decorative and clean underpass below the railway
We could not believe the number of bicycles parked just outside the station. Everyone here cycles everywhere and we can understand why as the cycle lanes are excellent but you do have to watch out for them as they do not seem to obey the traffic lights.
After we arrived at our hotel, we took a walk around to familiarise ourselves with the neighbourhood which is in the old part of the city. We discovered the floating flower market and plenty of cheese shops.
Having had a 50 minute flight to Amsterdam, we enjoyed a very smooth train ride to Centraal Station and then a walked under a very decorative and clean underpass below the railway
We could not believe the number of bicycles parked just outside the station. Everyone here cycles everywhere and we can understand why as the cycle lanes are excellent but you do have to watch out for them as they do not seem to obey the traffic lights.
After we arrived at our hotel, we took a walk around to familiarise ourselves with the neighbourhood which is in the old part of the city. We discovered the floating flower market and plenty of cheese shops.
Wednesday, 4 May 2016
Sunday, 1 May 2016
Sunday May 1st
In between the showers, we visited Golden Acre Park and found that there was an open day at Adel Dam Nature Reserve.
http://www.ywt.org.uk/reserves/adel-dam-nature-reserve
We spent some time in the hide overlooking an area of wetland where we saw many birds, including this mandarin duck and woodpecker.
In between the showers, we visited Golden Acre Park and found that there was an open day at Adel Dam Nature Reserve.
http://www.ywt.org.uk/reserves/adel-dam-nature-reserve
We spent some time in the hide overlooking an area of wetland where we saw many birds, including this mandarin duck and woodpecker.
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