After visiting the palace, we ate lunch at La Place inside V&D Kalverstraat. After lunch, we saw the Anne Frank House. The line outside was super long though, so we didn't go inside. Instead, we continued walking around, exploring Amsterdam. Michiel took us through the Red Light District. It was interesting to say the least. I definitely saw some things I never need to see again! The lifestyle there is very different than our own. Prostitution is legal and they seem to be very liberal about drug use, too. We sat outside a bar/restaurant and enjoyed a drink while people watching (and people around us smoking marijuana). Soon after, we took the train back to Utrecht.
In Utrecht, we stopped back at our hotel. Then we headed out to look for a restaurant to eat dinner at. Our first choice (Pickles) had a very long wait time so we decided to eat at Restaurant De Markt instead. The wait there was about 45 minutes (I think) so we walked around looking for a bar to have a drink at. I believe we ended up going back to Cafe Olivier, which was an old catholic church that was converted into a bar. After we finished our drinks, we headed back to De Markt. All of us girls shared a pizza (Mozzarella, tomato, pesto & pine nuts) and Antipasti platter "Mercato" which was a combination of several small dishes. After dinner, we went out to another bar. When we got back to the Mary K Hotel, it was time to facetime the kiddos and go to bed!
Look at all the bikes! Michiel called this the "bike cemetery."
The train station
Our feet; we logged lots of miles walking during our trip!
The train
It was a rainy morning & no one had an umbrella with them except for Neil, so we had to buy some; Sarah, Laura, Granddad & Grandmom
Soccer ball decorations were everywhere.
The Royal Palace of Amsterdam
The ceilings were beautiful!
Giant map on the floor
This plaster statue of Atlas stands at the center of the Citizens’ Hall and symbolizes the power of Amsterdam as a city of trade.
This painting by Ferdinand Bol shows Moses descending from Mount Sinai bearing the tablets of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments. It was painted in 1662 for the Magistrates’ Chamber, meant to exhort the sheriff and magistrates to observe and enforce God’s holy laws. This painting is still on show at its original place in the Palace.
This painting by Jurriaan Andriessen, titled Allegory on the Arts and Sciences, was officially offered to King Louis Napoleon on May 19, 1808.
The best-known civic guard portrait and the most famous painting of the Golden Age is The Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn, which hung in the Calivermen's headquarters from 1642 to 1715.
Govaert Flinck supplied a painting in 1656 alluding to integrity in the government. The huge painting above the fireplace at the Burgomasters' Cabinet tells the story of the incorruptible Roman Consul Marcus Curius Dentatus, who is depicted here just as he refuses to accept the valuables which the Samnites offer in an attempt to bribe him.
Jacob de Wit is one of the most respected frauds ever to have worked in Amsterdam’s former Town Hall. This sculpture in the Palace is not carved from stone, but a brilliantly deceptive oil painting. De Wit made this grisaille in 1737 for the City Council Chamber.
All info about the palace and paintings is from http://www.paleisamsterdam.nl/en
Part 2 coming soon!
Blog post adapted from Ryann.
No comments:
Post a Comment