Resurrection of Amsterdam's Bicycles

So we've finished the Rijksmuseum and are heading down the street and across a bridge, toward our favorite vlaamse frites and herring joints, when Vicki looks down the canal and sees one of Amsterdam's great but rarely witnessed sights: the dredge that picks the bicycles out of the canals. Nothing evokes Amsterdam more than canals and bicycles. OK, drugs and sex certainly evoke Amsterdam more, but it's awkward to photograph them. Anyhow, a small crowd had already formed, and I was thrilled to join it and record the following...

Rijksmuseum 2015, Again, 2

And visit some of our old friends...

Cornells Wierlingens' Explosion of the Spanish Flagship During
the Battle of Gibraltar, in lurid detail

My favorite group portrait, which we somehow missed in May,
Bartholomeus van der Helst's Banquet at the Crossbowmen's
Guild in Celebration of the Treaty of Munster

Reflection in one of the silver breast plates

And in one of the glasses

Night Watch mob

Milk Maid mob

One of my favorite Hals, The Merry Drinker

And my favorite Hals, Portrait of a Couple...

Great museum

Rijksmuseum 2015, Again, 1

We continued driving the familiar ground, out of France, across Belgium, and into Netherlands, 3-4 hours, finally arriving in Amsterdam Saturday night. After a trip to BW Campers to pick up stored items, we camped at Gaspaarplas, and spent a couple days cleaning and preparing the camper for storage, and packing for our return to the US. We reserved one day for a trip into Amsterdam for some last minute shopping and for visiting some Rijksmuseum departments we'd not seen before.

Namely, the household goods, as I call them; here, some
incredible hand-painted tea sets, for two, for twelve, etc.

45 miniature silver items in a doll house kitchen

More table ware

How to do big hair in the 18th century

Hand-painted Meissen cutlery set

More Meissen...reminding us of the Green Vaults

Lots of flowery dresses and flowery head-gear

In the magic lantern collection; some were too lewd even for
me (to post)

Evolution of double-reed instruments

Traveling harpsichord

Oh yes, there is a Delft department; here, a
perpetual calendar

Breughelesque Delft

What really knocked us out was the engraved
glassware

Thus

And particularly the stippled engraved
glassware

Sort of pointillist in glass, pretty amazing

Amsterdamsters, 7: Sama Sebo and the Van Gogh Museum

Tuesday, showers delayed our leaving the campground until noon, so we began the day with a lunch-time rice table at Sama Sebo, an Indonesian restaurant just north of the Rijksmuseum (and across from the Tesla showroom). After lunch, we walked through the gale to the Van Gogh Museum. We might have skipped it, having visited it in 2013, but hey, it was free now that our Museumkaartes have already paid for themselves. After the Van Gogh and another trip to M&S, we headed home for an administrative day in the campground. After two weeks, we'll be ready finally to leave Amsterdam. Oh, fuller coverage of the Van Gogh Museum is at my 2013 post, http://roadeveron.blogspot.nl/2013/06/van-gogh-museum.html.

Sama Sebo

Interior

Lunch; OK as a sampler; much prefer Thai

Me, at a rice table in Amsterdam, 1979; first really spicy food
I'd ever had...

Passing by the Rijksmuseum en route to the Van Gogh

The Koncertegebouw...I never seem to get any closer than this

Rijksmuseum again, not up closer

Inside the VGM; they too have gone to the "no fotos" policy

Looking down from the 3rd floor, park-side: they're building
a colossal new entry; it will move the long lines off the sidewalk
and street out front 

"What's this on the floor?!"

The one foto I wanted to get...Vincent's take on Crebain from
Dunland...prescient..."Spies of Saruman!"

Amsterdamsters, 6: The Willet-Holthuysen House

Vicki wanted to see the interior of one of the great canal-side houses, and the Willet-Holthuysen House, just across the canal from the Hermitage, filled the bill. It is a 17th century house, donated to the nation in 1895, after the Willet/Holthuysen couple died without issue. I think the historical society is still trying to decide whether it should be restored to 17th (famous) or 19th century (not so famous) standards. But it's still an interesting visit. The Wllet/Holthuysens were artsy collectors, and some of their posessions remain.

Canal-side entry

Entry hall

Ball room

Dining room

Pantry above dining room

First of several large withdrawing/display rooms

Nice little room displaying travels, mementos

In another display room

Canal-side view; water feature

Back-side view; the Willet-Holthuysens were definitely
Francophiles

Boudoir

Top of the staircase, Paris and some goddesses;
life-sized

More display

Ditto, overlooking the garden; nice place, Herengracht

On the way home, passing by the Flower Market, with this
one spectacular stall...