Amsterdam Picture Post #1: The Rijksmuseum

In October, we spent a week in Amsterdam after our time in Germany. It's a magical, romantic, and beautiful city, from the peaceful tree-lined canals to the bustling bicycle rush hour.

We stayed in a classic Amsterdam rowhome B&B - tall and narrow.  The stairs were so daunting that I turned around backwards and descended them like a ladder each morning.

We arrived after one of the worst windstorms the city had seen in decades (it took about 6 hours to get back to Amsterdam Centraal from Germany!), with trains and trams delayed by hours and numerous fallen trees along the roads.

Amsterdam (and the Netherlands) are known for their many museums (and the sheer density of them - there are at least 89 in Amsterdam alone).  One of the most magnificent is the grand Rijksmusem, in Museumplein.  It's dedicated to Dutch history and features art and artifacts created by the Dutch throughout the ages.

We waited in line underneath the Rijksmuseum's grand archways as pedestrians and bicyclists bustled past.

Once inside, we began at, well, the beginning.  The different areas of the museum are grouped by time period.  

Madonna and child

The description said that this painting was a caution against witchcraft.  Apparently witchcraft involves goats.

Witchcraft also involves owls (don't tell the hipsters) and nudity (don't tell the nudists.)

Our first time up close and personal with a Rembrandt

Everyone crowded in to get a look at the famous Night Watch

The museum is practically a work of art in itself, with grand archways, intricately painted columns and motifs along the walls and ceiling, and soaring stained glass windows.

It's also home to the Rijksmuseum Research Library, which is as beautiful as you'd come to expect from such an impressive museum.

After making our way through the ages of Dutch history, we continued into the Rijksmuseum collections - full of model boats, guns, coats of armor, and ancient weaponry of all kinds.

Looping back around to the chronological exhibits, we found ourselves in more modern times, which is where things start to get a bit weird.

Apparently the artist behind this self-portrait made the frame spiky to be symbolic of his prickly personality. I like it.

We spent a good 3 hours at the Rijksmuseum, but could have easily stayed longer.  It was an incredible treasure trove; never thinking I was a museum-going type, I surprised myself with how interested I was.  

By the end of it, though, we were thirsty, hungry, and had rather sore feet, so we took a break at the museum cafe before heading back out into the light of day.