The Netherlands 3 - Amsterdam 2

 

Goedemorgen, Amsterdam! Day 3 gave us a chance to explore the city all day long. First things first. Once we had arrived in the city center by metro, we headed straight to a bakery called De Laatste Kruimel for breakfast. Yet, there were several spots on the way where we wanted to take photos, so it took some extra time to get to the bakery.

Actually, the bakery wasn't open yet when we arrived. We waited for about 10 minutes until they opened the door, while looking at the cakes and baked goods in the display window that a staff member was arranging for the day.

We were seated at a table at the very back of the shop, which allowed me to watch a staff member ice freshly baked cinnamon rolls while we were waiting for our orders.

Here was our breakfast! Mine was a Dutch-style apple pie. The bakery was known for one of the best apple pies in Amsterdam, so why not? The amount of whipped cream they gave me was so generous! 

The pie was warm, cinnamon-y, and delightful. The extra-thin apple slices were so tightly packed in the thin, deep pie shell and baked without a top crust. I felt I was eating baked, layered apples rather than a pie. 

J ordered mixed juice, which I forgot where the ingredients were: mango, orange, and kiwi, maybe? I tasted it a bit, and it was nice and refreshing. He also had a plain scone, served with homemade jam and clotted cream, in addition to a vegetarian quiche of pumpkin, harissa, and chickpea, which came with a big salad. I believe he enjoyed his breakfast, particularly the quiche.

When we were leaving the bakery, I saw the tray of cinnamon rolls placed near the entrance door. Several of them were already gone. It seemed that their cinnamon rolls were as popular as their apple pie. I would like to try one next time. They looked nice!

After the lovely breakfast, we walked up to Dam Square, the historical and geographical center of Amsterdam, surrounded by other landmarks, including the Royal Palace and the New Church (Nieuwe Kerk). The main public square was supposed to be one of the city's busiest hubs, teeming with tourists, locals, street performers, and tour groups. However, perhaps due to the early hour of a weekday, it was a vast, empty expanse with only a few hurried commuters passing through.

Dam Square extends across the road where the National Monument stands. The white travertine obelisk serves as a memorial to all of the victims of WWII and as a symbol of liberation and peace.

Since we just saw the New Church, we went to see the Old Church (Oude Kerk), which was about an eight-minute walk east. The Old Church was founded around 1213 and consecrated in 1306, while the New Church was officially consecrated in 1409. We didn't have a chance to see the inside of either church since neither was open yet.  

We visited Rijksmuseum, the national museum of the Netherlands. It's the largest and most famous museum in the country, which tells the story of 800 years of Dutch history, from 1200 to now. When I saw the museum, I immediately thought of Amsterdam Central Station, and later I learned that both buildings were designed by the same famous Dutch architect: Pierre Cuypers. Opening the museum was delayed due to a certain morning event. Eventually, we got in after waiting in a long line.

We stepped into the Delftware gallery, wondering where all the crowds we saw outside the museum had disappeared to...

The miniature houses in the Dolls' Houses gallery were fascinating. For example, all the contents of the Dolls’ house of Petronella Oortman (anonymous, c. 1686 - c. 1710) have been made of authentic materials, and the proportions are exactly correct. 

There was an observation room at the corner of the second floor, where you could quietly looked at the magnificent Cuypers library, the largest and oldest art historical library in the Netherlands. Believing museums should inspire curiosity and foster education, architect Pierre Cuypers incorporated the renowned Cuypers Library into his Rijksmuseum design.

The museum had a great collection of art and artifacts that reflect Dutch maritime history spanning over 500 years. Among them was the model of the William Rex, which shows the appearance of a Dutch warship in the late 17th century.

Rembrandt van Rijn's The Night Watch (1642) is unequivocally the single most important and famous piece in the museum. The masterpiece revolutionized 17th-century painting by transforming group portraiture through dynamic action, colossal scale, and brilliant chiaroscuro (the use of light and dark to create three-dimensional volume). Interestingly, the canvas was originally even larger, but it was trimmed in the 17th century to fit through a doorway at the Amsterdam Town Hall. 

I was honored to meet the crown jewel of the Dutch Golden Age, even though it was tucked away, partially obscured by work platforms in a glass-enclosed room. The museum was kind enough to publicly display their multi-year research and conservation project, Operation Night Watch, but it made it difficult to appreciate the real painting. Although the museum thoughtfully displayed a copy in the next room, I felt slightly deceived. 

In fact, the museum houses the world's largest collection of paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn, including another group portraiture, Syndics of the Drapers' Guild as well as two self-portraits and a portrait of his son in a monk's habit. Rembrandt van Rijn was famously obsessed with dressing up.

The museum also permanently houses four masterpieces by Johannes Vermeer, which I was interested in seeing in person. Three of them were displayed, while "Woman in Blue Reading a Letter" was at Palazzo Madama in Turin, Italy, at that time.

The Rijksmuseum features a few selection of Van Gogh's works. It's understandable because there is a museum dedicated to him nearby, which we visited next day.

Our self-tour in the museum continued to the ground floor, where we found a lot of ship models, jewels, ceramics and so on.

 

We left the museum and looked for a place for lunch... 

After checking two restaurants, which didn't look comfortable, we headed to Foodhallen, a food court located in the Oud-West neighborhood. There were supposed to be over 20 international food stalls, but  felt the options were somehow limited. After all, we shared a large dim sum platter, which was actually not bad.  

For desserts, we visited Winkel 43, a bustling cafe known for its apple pie - often mentioned as the best in Amsterdam. According to the cafe, their famous apple pie is "a must-try attraction for visitors to the city, resulting in long queues." We were lucky to find a terrace table right away, and our waiter came over to take our order so we didn't have to stand in line. Of course, we ordered two apple pies with whipped cream!

The apple pie had a thicker crust on not only the bottom and sides but also the top, along with larger, chunky sliced apples. It was deliciously cinnamon-y and caramelly. Topped with a cloud of freshly whipped cream, the pie became the highlight of my day.

We wandered in the city center for a while, crossing several canals... 

We briefly saw the exterior of Rembrandt's house, a restored 17th-century building. Today, the museum inside features his living quarters, etching attic, and historical workshops. The most significant master of the Dutch Golden Age lived and worked in the house for 19 years, spanning from his period of success to his eventual financial decline. The room-by-room inventory list of his belongings, which he was forced to sell, made it possible for the museum to reconstruct his house and living environment. What would he think of that consequence?

Walking further, we stumbled upon the Bloemenmarkt, a floating flower market on the Singel canal. We also found some cheese shops right across from it, which J was much more interested in. We visited them, and J enjoyed hopping from shop to shop for cheese tastings.

To be continued...