De Krijtberg Kerk in Amsterdam; the church was designed by Alfred Tepe and was opened in 1883 AD.Reflection of the De Krijtberg Kerk in the canal.Tulip bulbs for sale in the Flower Market.Munttoren (or “Coin Tower”) in Muntplein Square, which was originally part of the Regulierspoort, one of the main gates in Amsterdam’s medieval city wall.A canal in Amsterdam.The Heineken Brewery.The Rijksmuseum.A bronze candlestick in the shape of a knight on horseback (1200-1225 AD).Unicorn horns, found in the 11th-century AD (actually tusks from narwhals).A powder tester from the 18th-century AD.A magic lantern from the 18th-century AD that essentially works the same as a modern projector.A magic lantern slide.Another magic lantern slide.‘Iconoclasm in a Church’ by Dirck van Delen (1630 AD), a painting that depicts Dutch Protestants destroying altarpieces, statues, and sacred vessels used in Catholic Mass during August 1566 AD.‘Man and Woman at a Spinning Wheel’ by Pieter Pietersz (1560-1570 AD).‘The Merry Fiddler’ by Gerard van Honthorst (1623 AD).‘Fishing for Souls’ by Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne (1614 AD), which depicts the Protestant north Netherlanders on the left bank, and the Catholic southerners on the right bank, both fishing for souls in the wide river that divides them.‘River View by Moonlight’ by Aert van der Neer (1640-1650 AD).A sheet from a Tulip book by Jacob Marrel (1640 AD).‘Man in Oriental Dress’ by Rembrandt van Rijn (1635 AD).‘Self-portrait as the Apostle Paul’ by Rembrandt van Rijn (1661 AD).‘Banquet at the Crossbowmen’s Guild in Celebration of the Treaty of Münster’ by Bartholomeus van der Helst (1648 AD).‘Girl in a Large Hat’ by Cesar Boetius van Everdingen (1645-1650 AD).‘Interior of the Sint-Odulphuskerk in Assendelft’ by Pieter Jansz Saenredam (1649 AD).‘Children Teaching a Cat to Dance, Known as “The Dancing Lesson”‘ by Jan Havicksz Steen (1660-1679 AD).‘The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede’ by Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael (1668-1670 AD).‘Woman with a Child in a Pantry’ by Pieter de Hooch (1656-1660 AD).‘The Milkmaid’ by Johannes Vermeer (1660 AD).‘The Love Letter’ by Johannes Vermeer (1669-1670 AD).‘A Militiaman Holding a Berkemeyer, Known as the “Merry Drinker”‘ by Frans Hals (1628-1630 AD).‘The Threatened Swan’ by Jan Asselijn (1650 AD).Southwest view from the Rijksmuseum.‘Militia Company of District II Under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, Known as “The Nightwatch”‘ by Rembrandt van Rijn (1642 AD).‘Militia Company of District XI Under the Command of Captain Reynier Reael, Known as the “Meagre Company”‘ by Frans Hals and Pieter Codde (1637 AD).‘The Battle of Terheide’ by Willem van de Velde I (1657 AD).‘The Corpses of the De Witt Brothers’ attributed to Jan de Baen (1672-1675 AD).‘Amsterdam City View with Houses on the Herengracht and the Old Haarlemmersluis’ by Jan van der Heyden (1670 AD).‘Town Hall on Dam Square, Amsterdam’ by Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde (1672 AD).A monkey modeled by Johann Gottlieb Kirchner (1731-1733 AD).‘Portrait of Marie Fargues, Wife of the Artist’ by Jean-Etienne Liotard (1756-1758 AD).‘A Writer Trimming His Pen’ by Jan Ekels (1784 AD).‘A Windmill on a Polder Waterway, Known as “In the Month of July”‘ by Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël (1889 AD).‘The Singel Bridge at the Paleisstraat in Amsterdam’ by George Hendrik Breitner (1898 AD).‘La Corniche near Monaco’ by Claude Monet (1884 AD).‘Self-Portrait’ by Vincent van Gogh (1887 AD).a decorative plate by Theodore Deck (1878-1885 AD).‘Portrait of an African Man’ by Jan Jansz Mostaert (1525-1530 AD) – this is the only known portrait of a black man in early European painting.‘Made in USA’ by Shinkichi Tajiri (1964 AD).Two temple guardians from Japan, 14th-century AD.A statue of the Buddhist deity Guanyin, savior of people in peril; made in China, 12th-century AD.Garden outside the Rijksmuseum.The southwest entrance to the Rijksmuseum.Boats docked along the edge of a canal.Another canal in Amsterdam.Yet another canal in Amsterdam.The Westertoren (“Western Tower”), the highest church tower in Amsterdam and part of Westerkerk (“Western Church”).Statue of Anne Frank, not too far from the house she and her family hid in during the war.Walking along Raadhuisstraat.The Royal Palace of Amsterdam, seen from Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal Street.The Magna Plaza, a shopping mall, but originally the main post office in Amsterdam.One of two lion sculptures on the National Monument (a World War II monument) on Dam Square.Beurs van Berlage on Damrak Street.Buildings in Amsterdam that have a noticeable lean to their façades.
I woke up relatively early today (around 08:00), showered, dressed, got ready, and exited the hostel. I walked south, passed by De Krijtberg Kerk (a church that was designed by Alfred Tepe and opened in 1883 AD), the Flower Market (which was selling a wide variety of tulip bulbs), Munttoren (or “Coin Tower”) in Muntplein Square (which was originally part of the Regulierspoort, one of the main gates in Amsterdam’s medieval city wall), and the Heineken Brewery, making my way to Amsterdam’s – and one of the world’s – premiere art museums: the Rijksmuseum. The Rijksmuseum was originally founded in The Hague in 1800 AD and moved to Amsterdam in 1808 AD; it was first located in the Royal Palace and later in the Trippenhuis, before moving in to its current building in 1885 AD. Upon entering the Rijksmuseum, I bought my ticket, and then proceeded to move from room to room, era to era, looking at all the extraordinary paintings, sculptures, and artifacts on display. Probably the most famous painting in the whole museum is ‘Militia Company of District II Under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, Known as “The Nightwatch”’ by Rembrandt van Rijn (1642 AD). In addition to a number of other famous Rembrandt paintings, there were great works of art by Johannes Vermeer, Frans Hals, Monet, van Gogh, and many other – not so famous – artists. There was also a respectable collection of Far East, Asian art in the basement. Anyway, after spending sometime around five hours walking through every gallery in the museum, I finished my tour and exited the building. I then walked through the promenade south of the Rijksmuseum and up to the entrance to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum; however, after learning that it would be over an hour (possibly two) wait just to enter inside, I decided to skip it and return on another day, in the morning, when I wouldn’t have to wait so long. Next, I walked northward, back toward the city center, passing by and crossing over many canals – this is Amsterdam after all, the “Sleazy Venice of the North.” I walked by the Westertoren (“Western Tower”), the highest church tower in Amsterdam and part of Westerkerk (“Western Church”), and made my way to the Anne Frank House. After waiting in line for about forty-five minutes, I entered inside the house and began my audio-guided tour. This is of course the house where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis, beginning on July 6, 1942, and ending on August 4, 1944, when the Nazis raided and arrested the family based on a tip from an informant. Due to the somber nature of the house, and out of respect, no photography was allowed. After walking through the house museum, I returned my audio guide and exited the building. Next, I walked by the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, the Magna Plaza (a shopping mall, but originally the main post office in Amsterdam), the National Monument on Dam Square (a monument built in 1956 AD to commemorate the casualties of World War II), and the Beurs van Berlage (originally a commodity exchange building, but now used for concerts and exhibitions). I then returned to the hostel, dropped my camera and tripod off in my room, and made my way to a nearby spa in the hopes that the steam room and saunas could help clear up the congestion in my lungs and throat – I was still suffering from a sickness I caught while in Luxembourg; I was feeling better, but still coughing far too much. I entered inside the spa, paid the entrance fee, changed in to the towel I rented there, and then proceeded to move between the showers, saunas, and steam room, cycling through each one over and over again, in an effort to invigorate my body decongest my pipes. The sauna provided a relaxing atmosphere, although it was rather small. After spending nearly four hours there and finishing around 22:00, I exited the building, bought some liquid refreshments at a nearby convenience store, returned to the hostel, showered, dressed, and then sat in the common area on the first floor, going through photographs on my laptop. I then went to sleep sometime after midnight, forgoing dinner or any other type of meal for the day.
