October 27th, 2007 - Amsterdam

Museums and Forms of Local Transportation

Looking out the hostel window, another gray sky starts the morning. What seems like weeks of overcast may be beginning to wear on me.



The Van Gough Museum has been a target for a visit ever since I was a little kid.
(Sorry for the reflection, as the picture was taken outside, of a poster.)



The only remaining drawing from when I was a child is of one of his “Sun Flower” paintings, which was carefully crafted in my second grade crayon wielding hand.



By ten in the morning the crowds were already significant outside the main entrance. This part of the architecture is surprisingly nondescript.



But once inside, the Van Gough Museum comes to life.
(I took the "no photography" rule to apply to the paintings, not the external architecture.)



There were two surprising points in the general knowledge gained from seeing the museum. First was, he didn't cut off his ear to try to win the heart of a love interest. He cut off a part of his ear after having a particularly bitter argument with his friend Paul Gauguin, who he had invited to Arles so that they could paint together. After threatening Gauguin with a knife, Van Gough turned the blade on himself. The piece of ear was sent to a woman, who was actually his favorite prostitute... not such a foolishly romantic story any longer.

The other point was tied to his long bouts with depression. In his final days at Auvers-sur-oise, after undergoing psychological treatment in Saint-Remy for the better part of a year, Van Gough shot himself twice in the chest in a wheat field. His brother happened to find him and Van Gough died two days later on July 29th, 1890. That is long enough to have second thoughts about suicide and then still be sentenced to death. Like so many artists, he hardly sold a piece of work while alive, but became valuably appreciated years later.

Right next door is the Rijksmuseum, the national museum, of the Netherlands. It is an impressive old structure on the edge of an adjoining park.



The complete museum was not open to the public, due to renovations, but a two-hour audio tour of the hi-lights was available. After a complete morning of museum walking, the “all star” approach to the Rijksmuseum was actually a welcome abbreviation vs. the alternative of walking acres of floor space to see the exact same collection interspersed among other objects.



With two museums under my belt, I was free to wander the streets and canals of Amsterdam for the remainder of the late afternoon and evening.

About five canals away from the Rijksmuseum is Rembrandt's Plein where a statuary replica of Rembrandt’s most famous painting, “The Night Watch” stands under his sculpted gaze.



There is an interesting phenomenon crowding the sidewalks and streets of Amsterdam. Massive player organs, complete with mannequins that drum or clink little bells are playing everywhere.



They are intriguing at first, both because of the music and curiosity as to just how they function. (The player is keyed by linked, cardboard, punch-cards.)



The key difference between what to me was "musically interesting" and a simple robotic reproduction was whether or not the organ was being “cranked” by hand or by a gas powered generator. With “hand cranking” the operator could add inflection to the music by speeding up or slowing down the pace, much like a harpsichordist. This was preferred, to my ear, to the musical drone produced by gas engine drives.



A boisterous bunch of young kids in a long boat caught my attention. From their interactions with each other, I guessed that they were Sea Scouts out for a troop cruise. They laughed, waved, and thought it was pretty funny that a tourist would be taking their picture.



Holland is famous for its bike traffic. Cars remain, but the dominant form of transportation is definitely the bicycle. The contraptions come in varying forms. For example, this is the classic “Dad driving the kids in the mini-van” sighting.



Or there is “Soccer Mom with one kid in the massive SUV.”



One of my favorites and one of the hardest to capture because they are so quick, is the “Kid in a box”.



The late afternoon hours slipped away, walking the banks of canals, enjoying the barges,…



…bridges, and fall colors.



If you are in the mood to stroll, Amsterdam is a great city of constantly changing scenery and hours can easily slip past.