Amsterdam: Rijks Museum & Vondel Park

     We honestly didn't know much about Amsterdam when we decided to spend a few days there. But the Lonely Planet book highly recommended visiting the Rijks Museum, so we headed there on our second day.

     It was definitely worth seeing!!! The whole first floor was dedicated to the Dutch history during its Golden Age-- when the Dutch were one of the most powerful and influential countries in the world: when they had the East and West Indies Trading Companies that dealt with trading spices, slaves, gold, and helped establish the colonies in America. It showed the history of William III-- the Prince of Orange, for which the Netherlands' national color originates. The museum had a big collection of Delftware-- a Dutch spin on Chinese porcelain. Then, the upper floors had artwork of famous Dutch artists: Rembrandt and Vermeer. It was all very interesting and beautiful! I learned a lot about the Dutch history and liked those exhibits more than the actual painted artwork. Here is the link to their website, if you want more information: RijksMuseum

     From there, we decided to relax at the nearby Vondel Park. Again, we weren't sure what to expect by just reading the guide book. But, wow! The first thing we noticed was how many people there were... it was sooo crowded! Central Park is HUGE, but because it's so huge, there's lots of free space to yourself. It's serene. Vondel Park was like one big outdoor party. There were people sitting everywhere on the grass-- around the fountains in the big ponds, around the free outdoor concert venue, and just in the open area. We had our bikes and trying to maneuver around the paths of people walking, skateboarding, rollerblading, and riding bikes was like being in a video game! It required concentration and a little aggressiveness to weave in and out. People had music. Families and friends were having picnics. They bought ice cream and hotdogs from vendors that rolled their carts from place to place. Some were reading. We pulled over on a patch of grass and just people-watched. I felt unprepared without picnic food or my Kindle, but people-watching kept me entertained! Amsterdam can be cold since it's so far north-- our Airbnb host told us that last year it got so cold that the canals froze and people went iceskating all around them! But apparently, July and August are beautiful and that's when they get the most visitors. And it was perfect weather! Not super hot and humid like Barca was and Paris would be... just relaxing at the park was what everyone wanted to be doing, and they were! 

Across the canal from the Rijks Museum

Rijks Museum

The gardens of the Rijks Museum

I loved the lily pads in the garden!

Model Ship: William Rex, 74-gun Dutch ship, 1698

Jan Valckenburgh-- director of the Dutch West Indies Trading Company on Africa's Gold Coast. The Dutch West Indies traded in gold and slaves (meaning, it took gold and slaves from Africa and took them to the American colonies and back to the Netherlands). He probably was not popular in Africa! 

Jackie & Jeff examining a sketch-- done in PEN!

A close up of the drawing-- I wish I could be this good with drawing in pen!

I liked the details of the wooden frame, fancy carving!

Maurice, Prince of Orange (1613)-- son of William of Orange (William the Silent, William I: Prince of Orange). He looks TALL!
The Orange family ruled in the Netherlands since William the Silent led the revolt against the Spanish that led to the 80 Years War and helped the Netherlands gain their independence (it began around 1580). Because of the family's role in helping shape the Netherlands, the people adopted orange as their country's color. The Dutch athletic teams now wear orange on their uniforms, and every year there's a HUGE orange day where everyone wears ORANGE! 

One of my favorite rooms at the museum was the room that had the dollhouse collection. The dollhouses belonged to Petronella Oortman and her husband. All the objects in the houses were reproduced in the original materials, and in the proper proportions! It was unbelievable!!! They were made between 1690-1710.
This is a portrait of one of the dollhouses. 

I can't believe all the detail that went into each room... just for dolls! But this is what their real house looked like. They had their dollhouse look EXACTLY like their home. Crazy! and EXPENSIVE!

Jeff's shirt matched the Delftware! Delftware is Delft pottery, blue and white, made in the Netherlands starting in the 16th century (1500's). The Dutch East Indies Trading Company traded a lot with places in Asia-- getting spices and porcelain. Only the rich Dutch people could afford the Chinese porcelain, so many Dutch potters began to imitate the Chinese designs using Delftware. 

These are flower holders. Each is meant to hold a single flower, like the tulip (the Netherlands are FAMOUS for their tulips!). 

Delft is usually used for pottery, plates, and tiles, but here it was used to make a decorative violin

Famous American artist, Andy Warhol, did this portrait of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

1635, Still Life. I loved how real this looked-- especially the reflection of light on the glass/metal surfaces.

Rembrandt von Rij'ns signature: probably THE most famous Dutch artist, one of the greatest painters in European history. He lived from 1606-1669. 

Famous Dutch painter, Vermeer. The Kitchen Maid (1658)

The Feast of San Nicholas by Jan Steen (1665-1668)
This is a portrait of a Dutch family celebrating Christmas. Remember when we study Christmas around the World? Here, the naughty children get bundles of twigs left in their shoes and the good children get treats.

The Night Watch by Rembrandt (1642): his biggest and most famous canvas, a portrait of the wealthiest members of one of Amsterdam's militia companies

Rembrandt's self-portrait

close-up of Rembrandt's Night Watch

Onto Vondel Park! Riding our bikes, of course. 

It was a beautiful day out, and you can't tell from the photo, but the park was SO CROWDED! 

People rollerblading, skateboarding, walking, riding bikes

A day at the park is always better with some ice cream!