A day at the museums

Van Gogh and the Rijksmuseum

After a couple hours of paperwork and lines and general blah at the U.S. Consulate, my Grandma was issued her emergency temp passport and we were free to explore Amsterdam’s museums.

First up: the Van Gogh Museum.

Amazing masterpieces everywhere, and I zero in on this guy. Naturally.

We spent a couple hours wandering all the levels of the museum (each representing a different era of Van Gogh’s life) and then left in search of lunch. We found this cute place, Blushing, on the corner right across from the museum.

I had a flat white and it was pretty glorious.

As was this Dutch goat cheese salad.

After lunch we backtracked, walking passed the Van Gogh Museum and through the grass to the Rijksmuseum.

The fog had burned off while we were in the Van Gogh Museum, and the effect was gorgeous.

It also brought all the crowds out.

The inside of the Rijksmuseum is stunning. I love the traditional-but-contemporary architectural mix that art museums tend to go for.

Here’s Grandma, learnin’ about art and things.

And here are some strangers, also learnin’ about art and things.

Rembrandt always pulling in the crowds.

I found this full on Beauty and the Beast library off one of the corridors. Totally random.

So many books!

Once we’d had our fill of the Rijksmuseum (and once I’d bought a souvenir Miffy pencil case, cause I’m all of 11 years old), we made it outside for sunset.