The Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, and the Anne Frank House

After a very nice breakfast at the hotel, we decided due to the rainy weather that we would hit the major museums today.  I think everybody else made the same choice.

Our first stop was the Van Gogh Museum, which was only about a block away from our hotel.  No pictures allowed inside the museum, but the most striking thing about it was how many people were inside!  Pretty much every room was shoulder to shoulder if you were trying to actually see a piece of art, which got very tiresome.

The museum was set up chronologically, first showing artists that influenced Van Gogh, then chronicling his growth and development as an artist, and ending with artists who drew inspiration from Van Gogh.  This museum also owns a huge collection of letters written by Van Gogh, and they are incorporated in explanations of pieces of art as well as to provide some background to his mindset and attitude during certain periods.

We then walked a couple of blocks in the same area to the also very nearby Rijksmuesum, which is a Dutch history museum.  It, too, did not allow cameras.  Its exhibits began with the evolution of the Dutch Republic, and then its growth and development over time.  Artifacts demonstrated various cultural trends and changes, with pieces of art to illustrate important people and places.  Sadly, a large portion of the museum was being renovated and, therefore, closed.

There was also a nice walking garden with sculpture just inside the outer gate of the museum grounds.

The weather had cleared up a little bit by the time we were out of the Rijksmuseum.  It was a good thing, too, because our next stop was a bit of a walk.  We made our way northwest through Amsterdam and saw some nice sculpture that appears to be scattered about every European city.

Although sometimes you think that maybe they should have excluded a piece or two...

We also got to get a feel for the Dutch architecture and color schemes along the canals.

And even saw a bit more Van Gogh, for good measure.

Finally, we made it to the Anne Frank House, which we only recognized because of the long line of people waiting to enter.  The facade was very modern and even looked like it had been strengthened.  The shutters on the lower level looked made of steel and able to completely cover and protect the windows.  The reception area, where you purchase tickets, looked like a bank in a bad neighborhood, with thick plexiglass separating the staff from the entrants.  It all looked very nice and clean, but it was also obviously very cautious.

The museum and house were incredible to see.  First, background was given on the climate in the Netherlands for Jews at the time of the Nazi occupation.  You are introduced to those who would go into hiding, and then you get to enter the hiding place through the secret passageway behind the bookcase.  It's a surreal experience to be standing in the same spot in the same building where those people, including that little girl, spent so much time, so much of her childhood.

The house is unfurnished, as per the wishes of Otto Frank, but permanent fixtures and the wallpaper and decorations that Anne put up remain.  It's emotionally overwhelming.

The last stop of the day was dinner.  My dad's father spent much of his childhood in Indonesia while his father (my great grandfather, if you'd keeping track) worked as a teacher for the Dutch colonial government that was in power in Indonesia at the time.  Because of this, my father grew up with Indonesian cuisine as part of his diet at home.  So, we sought out some traditional Indonesian food.

Sama Sebo was recommended by our hotel.  They specialize in Rijsttafel, a traditional Indonesian fiest.  Basically, you get rice, a number of vegetable dishes, a number of meat dishes (including pork, beef, and chicken) and you get to have at it.  You're supposed to careful not to mix the dishes on your plate so as to savor the flavor of each individual dish.  I particularly enjoy the peanut sauce that accompanied the pork skewer and bean dishes.