Day 2--Museums & Tea

Today was museum day--lots of museums.  We got up a bit early to head down to the Van Gogh Museum in the Museumplein, passing over the Blauw Brug,

up along canals,

and through the Rijksmuseum.

(We'll come back here later)

(A street market!)

The Van Gogh museum was interesting, but sadly no pictures were allowed inside.  We had timed tickets, but still had to wait a little bit to go in the museum.  It was interesting seeing how his style changed over his lifetime.

From there we backtracked 15 to 20 minutes

back to the Museum of Bags and purses for our tea.

We got there a bit early to look at the purse exhibits before teatime (admission to the museum was included in the price of the tea),

as well as the small garden out back.

There were two main tea rooms, both very pretty.

(I just loved these ladies' outfits!)

We were in the blue room right by the window overlooking the canal.

Afternoon tea began with a pepper soup and a baked cheese cracker, egg salad and smoked salmon canapes (big ones) and  a shrimp puff, along with a glass of prosecco (and tea of course).

 Next scones with clotted cream, lemon curd, and jam were served on the tiered tray.

Desserts were a lip shaped chocolate with champagne, mango cake bite, key lime pie bite, an apple berry crumble bar, and a citrus macaroon.

After tea it was back to the Museumplein, this time to go inside the Rijksmuseum (not just pass through it),

and up to the Great Hall.

This is the major art museum in Amsterdam, and this part of the Museum holds the big draws.  The highlight for me was seeing the Milkmaid (c. 1660) by Johannes Vermeer.

This is also the home of Rembrandt's The Night Watch (c.1642)

We also saw a whole special exhibit of Rembrandts.

(Isaac and Rebecca, aka The Jewish Bride (1665-1669))

we blitzed through just a bit more of this large museum seeing an old library,

a doll house

medieval art,

and even Van Gogh's

and windmills!

Next it was back outside,

and on to our last museum, the Stedelijk. 

This is a modern art museum, so not my cup of tea, but we did just do the afternoon tea, which was my requested activity, so to the modern art museum I went!  There was art from the fanciful,

to the political,

(Keith Harding, Apartheid c.1984)

to some happy finds.

(Van Gogh, kitchen gardens on montemarte, c. 1887)

(Marc Chagall, la femme enceinte/Maternite, c. 1913)

We hung out on the Museumplein for a bit before meandering back to the hotel for a break before dinner.

We set back out,

passing by Rembrandtplein,

Dinner was next to Rembrandt's last house, actually, off a canal, not too far from our hotel.

We sat under heat lamps outside, which felt great!  For dinner I had stamppot (mashed potatoes with veggies, spinach in this case) with a meatball (gehaktbal) and sausage.  Just okay--I really wasn't a bit fan of the stamppot.

We watched the sun setting as we walked back to our hotel after a long day of museums.

Today was Easter Sunday, and the hotel left us treats, including two small chocolate bunnies, a container of stroopwafels, and wine, which we were really excited to see when we got back from dinner.

Goede nacht!