Day 11 – 7/11/2019 – Amsterdam Day 3

Today we had no set times so we felt free to sleep a little late, linger over breakfast (back to the bakery for more quiche), and make decisions as we went along.

Also, we were a little sore. So we decided that taking advantage of trams was an OK alternative to spending another day walking all over Amsterdam. Besides, we had museums to see so we were going to be spending most of the day on our feet anyway.

So, we hopped a tram headed for the train station and got off at the flower market.

This is the largest flower market in the city. The stalls are actually floating on a canal.

And cheese and magnets and key chains and all manner of touristy stuff.

We walked from one end to the other and caught a second tram that took us close to the first museum of the day – The Dutch Resistance Museum.

This is a small but well curated museum dealing with the period of Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1945. During this period Dutch reacted to the occupation in one of three ways – actively supporting the Nazis, trying to live life normally without taking sides, and actively resisting the Nazi pogrom.

It was very disturbing to both of us how closely the actions of the Nazis (and the various types of Dutch reaction) in the Netherlands are mirrored in the “America First” culture in the United States today. We truly run a great risk of moving still farther into the same mindset and program we saw documented today.

After two intense hours we had to escape for lunch and a little sanity.

From the Dutch Resisance Museum to the Hermatige was a short lovely walk thru a quiet neighborhood.

This street (not facing the canal) has more garden space in front of the homes

We saw some great architectural detailing

Along the way we were held up by a drawbridge.

The wires are the electric tram wires. Note also the tracks in the bridge.

Barge headed form the Amstel river to the harbor

Arriving at the Hermitage we presented our “skip the line” tickets (avoiding the 8 person line, but hey), stashed our bags and split up to wander.

I started with the display of pieces on loan from the “mother ship” – the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. The first item on display was spectacular:

The Kostenki Venus was found in south central Russia in 1983. She is very similar to the more famous Venus of Willendorf found in Austria. The Lostenki Venus dates from ~23,000 BC

Also in the collection was this magnificent Scythian Funerary caparison. It turned the horse into a griffin to carry the dead leader into the next life.

There were many other outstanding pieces but I’ll save those for when we get to St. Petersburg and wow you with the whole deal.

Also at the museum was a wing of Dutch paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Here’s my favorite.

Sunset (Brothers) by Caspar David Friedrich, 1835

Also in the collection was a set of massive paintings of groups of Dutch. You’ve probably seen a couple of these – like “The Night Watch by Rembrandt. Turns out these kinds of paintings were very popular and every guild, board of directors, or city militia wanted one.

Having exhausted the museum (and ourselves), but it still being too early to think about dinner, and the day being wonderfully sunny with a cool breeze, we decided to head back to the Jordaan district to find the quirky little neon museum that Rick Steves had mentioned.

When we got there, it was closed. Apparently you have to make an appointment for the guided tour to see the place. Maybe tomorrow.

Cross-crossing the town did, however, give us the opportunity to visit Dam Square – the location where they dammed the Amstel River and founded the city.