Charo went on a tour that left the city and visited a windmill. I stayed to go to the Van Gogh museum. But first, brunch. I discovered that the ornate building right across the street from the hotel was the Municipal Theatre. It had a cafe/restaurant in front with tables spilling out on the sidewalk. I had my morning coffee and toast there just to be able to sit in that beautiful space.
Then I set out for the Museumplein, where the Van Gogh museum is located. The Museumplein itself is a wonderful grassy plaza surrounded by museums. The Van Gogh Museum is an intriguing aggressively modern structure, with a box sticking out its side.
I was very moved by Van Gogh’s story, even more than by his paintings. I was amazed to learn that he never drew or painted until the age of 25 or 26 when, not being accepted as a pastor and realizing that he could not fulfill his religious calling, he decided to become a painter … sort of picked out a career from a hat, as it were. His primary purpose for painting was at first to tell the story of the suffering poor. His painting went under such a transformation: f
rom dark, depressing scenes of miserable huddled peasants to fields, flowers and rooms bursting with color. Funnily, with no people in them.
There were so many delightful and whimsical things in Amsterdam. The glass structure above was the entrance to underground parking. Right: There were little elephants grazing all around the Museumplein, in crazy colors and patterns. This one obviously didn't impress the lady biker.
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