Rijksmuseum – jacobblogs

Hi again! Finally gonna catch up on blog posts after almost a week MIA. Travels have been going well, but I haven’t had a chance to relax and write for a bit. I’m now in Malaysia and really enjoying it – post to come, of course.

This (4/16) was my second day in Amsterdam. Amsterdam intimidated me at first, with all the bikes zooming everywhere and just how packed the city was with tourists (despite not being the nicest season, there were a TON of people there). But after a few days (and renting my own bike) I felt much more at home. I’ll want to come back!

*The bike I rented. It cost me only 21 euros for three days! It was really nice to ride, too.*

After picking the bike up, I went to a bakery recommended by Sam (who I met earlier on my way to Lyon), called Bakhuys Amsterdam. Here I got a late breakfast/lunch of a couple of pastries (plus some bread for later), and did the last batch of blog posts.

*A rhubarb soda! It was tasty, and did taste like rhubarb!*

After the bakery, I went to the Rijksmuseum, which is what I’d intended to go to the day before – a museum with ancient to old art and works by masters like Vermeer and Rembrandt.

*On my way, I noticed the hooks / pulleys mounted above most of the old townhouses. I actually saw one being used to raise furniture up to a higher level! It’s neat that these are still in use.*

The Rijksmuseum was sold out – but luckily Vince, a friend I’d met the day before, was able to get me a ticket through the hotel he works for! I guess they get extra spots for guests or something 🙂

I did accidentally get to the museum only an hour and a half before they closed, so I saw a lot less than I wanted to. But I did manage to see some of the Vermeers!

Johannes Vermeer’s works hold a special place to me because I read a book called Chasing Vermeer as a younger teen that I really liked. In the book, one of the main characters was the painting Girl with a Pearl Earring (by Vermeer) – which had been stolen. The three actual main characters, kids who became unlikely friends, solved the mystery of where the painting was. It also involved the Robie house, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright – so in part, this is where my love of Wright’s designs comes from too. The book had such a way of describing the art (both the house and the painting) that made them seem alive (in fact, in the story, they kind of were). Anyway, it was cool to see some of Vermeer’s work in person.

*Vermeer is known to have had a mastery of light – his paintings often play with it to highlight and contrast their subjects in a very realistic and striking way*

*He’s more well-known for his paintings of people, but this one (especially from this distance) looks like a photo, and is of a real place in Amsterdam.*

*A sad dog lying at the foot of his deceased friend. This was (of course) made to commemorate the man who died, who was some important person. However, it was the dog who stood out to me.*

*Sometimes I see people like this in paintings and think “Did they really look like that?” This guy looks comically evil, but in a lazy way…*

*A scene from (1500s?) Europe. It’s neat to think things used to look like this!*

*The windmill is how you know it’s Dutch.*

*A landscape by Rembrandt. I think the plaque said he didn’t do a lot of these.*

*Apparently even the great artists did sketching sheets to practice. There was one of nothing but hands, too.*

*I really liked this nighttime scene. Not by Rembrandt or Vermeer, I forgot to note the artist.*

*A (very small!) harpsichord! They didn’t seem likely to let me play it 😦*

After the museum, I headed to a nearby Ramen place that had been recommended to me.

*I tried the chicken ramen, but it didn’t seem quite as flavorful as pork based ramen. But it was still delicious!*

After this, I had to go back to the hostel and do an interview, for an Engineering Manufacturing Technician position. The interview went well and it seems likely to progress forward, but afterwards I was a bit frazzled!

Once I’d calmed down a bit, I took my bike back out via a ferry to get a drink with Vince (and pizza, which we picked up on his ebike). I know this isn’t quite a moped picture, but it might be the closest you get for now, Katerina & Felix!

*0.6x lens at 20km/h on the back of an ebike on cobbled roads while holding two pizza boxes in my other hand in low light lends to an . . . interesting photo!*

All for this day!

Tag: Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 4/16