Lounging in the Sky at Sunset
Our second morning in Amsterdam began much like our first. We sought out a cosy little coffee shop - the sort that supply caffeinated beverages, not cannabis - settled in and discussed the days agenda over frothy cappuccinos.
After much deliberation we decided we'd spend Sunday morning exploring the most highly regarded of all Amsterdam's museums, the Rijksmuseum.
Renowned for it's agonisingly long queues we were somewhat surprised, but more than a little pleased, to arrive to deserted ticket booths. A mere ten minutes later and we were standing before its glorious collection.
The collection is divided across four floors, one for each century. The works span from the seventeenth century right through to the twentieth, plus a little middle ages and renaissance art thrown in for good measure.
We thought it a good idea to head straight for the top floor and work our way down, working through each century in reverse, the works gradually increasing with age. So, that being the case, we first entered the twentieth century, which, I have to say, was massively disappointing. It features edgy modern art, art that's all about the concept, the idea behind what's in front of you. Oh, there's furniture too.
That wasn't what we'd come for.
We breezed through the twentieth pretty speedily and moved into the next century, the nineteenth, obviously. Thankfully, things were a lot more interesting here.
It was a tough decision but I think the painting below was my favourite piece from the nineteenth, the aptly named Forest Scene by Berand Cornelius Koekkoek. I just love the majestic light spilling through the trees, the warm soft glow it creates. To so perfectly capture such wonderful light on a canvas is no mean feat.
Next we dropped into the eighteenth century, which was a popular period for portraiture and still-life paintings, it seems.
At this point we decided to divert our attention from the art for a moment and check out the Cuypers Library. The Cuypers Library is both the oldest and the largest historical art library in the Netherlands, and a recent restoration project has restored it to it's former glory.
I'd be surprised if it had ever looked better.
We soon delved back into the art, entering the seventeenth century, and this is where you'll find the vast majority of the 'must-sees.'
Something about the painting below, Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters by Hendrick Avercamp, really captivated me. Perhaps it was the subtly contrasting details, the harsh winter setting or simply the insight into everyday life. I'm not sure. But for whatever reason, I think it's fantastic.
The second half of the seventeenth century collection is where the real masterpieces are kept. You enter through the Great Hall, a vast space with a floor of inlaid mosaics, walls covered with painted tableaux and stained glass windows, and a spanned high overhead with a decorated vault ceiling.
Granted, the entrance is impressive, but what waits inside is even more so. A collection of work that features only the most highly acclaimed artists - Vermeer, Jan Asselijn, Frans Hals and of course Rembrandt, to name but a few. Should you visit, whatever you do, do not miss these.
Having spent the morning dashing around the Rijkmuseum we were in desperate need of a leisurely lunch. We wandered the canals for a while before stumbling upon this great little place, De Blauew Hollander.
Our waiter recommended we try the locally brewed beers. Well, it would be fair to say we didn't require much persuading. We started with the lighter 'white' beers, as suggested, which were just as delicious as promised.
Having browsed the menu I opted to start with the herrings. As you can see, they were accompanied by a small mountain of onion. Delicious, yes. But definitely one to avoid should you be on a date.
The herrings were followed by a few more local beers of the darker variety. On reflection, I think 'darker' in the Netherlands may just mean stronger, as anything less than nine percent wasn't an option.
Luckily our mains arrived to help sober us up a little. I settled on the chicken sate with peanut sauce, which proved to be an excellent choice. The chicken was grilled to perfection and the sauce was creamy, rich and packed full of flavour.
Feeling fully restored (and just a tad tipsy) by lunch we decided we'd tackle one more museum before the day was out. We headed out into the sunshine and meandered along the canals to the Huis Marseille Photography Museum.
The Huis Marseille is a lot like Foam, the photography museum we had visited the day before. It's situated in a beautiful townhouse in the old city centre, overlooking the canals, and has a strong emphasis on cutting-edge, contemporary photography.
The museum is currently displaying work by Taco Anema entitled In Conference. The exhibition features group portraits of numerous Dutch committees. It looks to explore the peculiar phenomenon they have become in the Netherlands. Taco believes the coming together of like-minded people to get things done, to make a difference, has become an inherent part of the Dutch identity. His work aims to explain why.
The other exhibition currently on display is Veramente by Guido Guidi. Guido is a relatively unacknowledged photographer. His work has received little recognition, which is a shame because it's excellent. His subjects often appear small, very precise and somewhat monochrome. But in his choice of images and editing he succeeds in giving his work an astonishingly strong and poetic power.
We left the Huis Marseille museum and headed to a bar I'd discovered online the night before called Sky Lounge.
Sky Lounge occupies the eleventh floor of the Hilton Hotel, overlooking the port, and the views are every bit as sensational as you'd expect...
Pretty impressive, no?
A waitress hurried over to greet us and took our orders. My companion went for the ever-reliable Dry Martini, whilst I tried something a little different, the Infinite cocktail. A brilliant concoction of strong spirits and sweet syrups.
We lounged outside on the terrace sipping our drinks as the sun slowly descended in front of us. The bright oranges began to mingle with the blue nights sky, resulting in a beautiful warm glow that illuminated the city below.
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