The Rijksmuseum

     Posted by Griffin. This week we went to the Rijksmuseum. The Rijksmuseum is the state museum of the Netherlands similar to the National Gallery. It is housed in a giant 17th century Dutch castle. The collection is organized chronologically, ranging from the Medieval Ages up to the 21st century.

     The first section of the collection was northern Medieval and Renaissance art. Much of this art appeared very similar to the Italian art that was in the Uffizi. This art is remarkably peaceful. The landscapes radiate harmony, the portraits  exude regalia, and the biblical scenes display piety in the upmost. The Northern Renaissance art is much more pious than the Italian, definitely no nude Venus here, or any gods for that matter. 

A ceramic parrot

     The next section was the collection of 18th century art. The 18th century was dominated by the Rococo, which began in France with Louis XIV and then spread throughout continental Europe. The ornamentation of the Rococo is impeccable. I personally find great delight in the frivolity of the Rococo. The shell curves and pastels combine for a dazzling effect. This section not only featured Rococo painting but also a lovely menagerie of porcelain animals collected by the Stadholder. Overall the collection of 18th century art is amazing and proves much more fun than any other time period.

The Night Watch by Rembrandt

     Unfortunately the 19th century works were closed so we went directly to the 17th century floor. This floor has the best collection of Dutch Golden Age art in the world. The collection contains masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Frans Hals to name a few. The Dutch masters have a very distinctive style, that lifts the best parts of High Renaissance and combines it with uniquely Dutch style elements. I enjoyed the masterpieces of Rembrandt and Vermeer, like The Night Watch, but one of my favorite paintings from this section was The Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn (below). This painting is just so filled with life. The swan is in mid squak and Asselijn perfectly captures the bird. All of the art that I love is about life, and this painting, more than anything else, captures the ecstatic energy of life.

The Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn

      The final section in the museum was the 20th and 21st centuries. This collection was wonderfully varied. It had everything from Art Deco vases to a collection of Yves Saint L. Personally one of my favorite pieces was Wombtomb, a giant coffin\vagina. This piece is both humorous, I mean it's a giant plushie vagina, and morbid. This piece is about the futility of life, how we are all destined to die, to return to the void from which we came. I also greatly enjoyed the collection of clothes by Yves Saint Laurent. While not as evocative as the art in the museum this collection was a fun walk through, and a great capstone for the end of a momentous museum.

Wombtomb by Ferdi

Yves Saint Laurent

The Riksmuseum is definitely one of the superior museums of Europe. The collection spans such a great period of time but the museum itself feels very manageable. The building itself is beautiful, very spacious. The exhibits are excellently curated, and it all really makes for a magnificent visit. 

My love for Lamborghinis

Lamborghini Miura

Posted by Leo. Today I went to the car museum in Den Haag, the Louwman Museum. Cars are something I enjoy looking at. I love the curves and the bends in the metal that make them majestic. My favorite cars are Lamborghinis. They are built for looks and speed.

We saw many famous types of cars at the museum, from the oldest Toyota In the world ever found to the 1972 Lamborghini Miura. The Miura were built from 1966-1972 and they sell from $500,000 to $2 million today. We saw some cars that had been used by kings and queens including the King and Queen of the Netherlands. A few of the cars were even used in movies, such as The Godfather and James Bond’s Goldfinger. Elvis’s car was even there.

James Bond's car

The museum itself was crowded with Bugatti’s and a few Ferrari. I’m not as interested in old cars so I was hoping to see the new models of the Lamborghini such as the Aventador, Veneno, and the Huracan. I have not seen these cars in real life but one day I hope to.

My future car

A visit to the cat cafe

Posted by Elizabeth. Today we went to the cat café in Amsterdam. For those of you not in the know, cat cafes are popping up everywhere. They started in Taiwan and quickly moved to Tokyo where they became a popular phenomena. Then, like most everything else that starts in Tokyo, the rest of the world caught on and now there's a cat café in just about every major city. We've missed Luke and Violet so much while we've been travelling that we thought a little cat cuddling was in order.

Kattencafé Kopjes opened just six weeks ago and it already has seven cats in residence. They're all from the cat asylum (aka shelter) and have found permanent homes in the café. Contrary to popular belief they are not up for adoption.

Almost all cat cafes are very popular so you have to make a reservation. We were able to get in at 10 this morning along with 14 other people. After sanitizing our hands in the entry we entered a light-filled, bright and airy cat paradise. And it made a lovely café for humans too. Couches and comfy chairs and a few bistro tables shared the space with dozens of cat toys, cat climbing gyms, cat houses, cat beds and cat scratching toys. Even I, who am very picky about sharing space with furry animals, was impressed with the aesthetic of the space. It had a very crisp, clean Holland vibe.

We ordered cappuccinos and iced tea along with croissants and sandwiches and settled in to play with the feline residents. While there's a little vying for the cat's attention with the other guests, mostly it was about shaking cat toys and petting little furry bodies that want to try the tasty cakes. All of the cats are very social and seem to feel right at home with their human visitors.


We had such a fun time at Kattencafé Kopjes that we're planning a visit to Le Café des Chats in Paris next week and to Lady Dinah's in London. Evidently the London café offers cat yoga. I'll let you know what that is when we get there.

Van Gough Museum

Posted by Griffin and Beth.

The exterior of the Van Gough Museum

Griffin on the building: I thought that the building was unremarkable. To me it feels like such beautiful art should have an equally amazing home, such as the Louvre, Rijksmuseum, or any of the other art museums I've seen so far. This building felt very utilitarian, like it was just a box for the art. Don't get me wrong, it was a fine building, a large central column made it feel uncluttered and spacious, but there was nothing special about it.
Beth on the building: I really enjoyed the layout of the interior. Very spacious and light filled. The three floors showed van Gough's progression from his early years until his death in 1890.

Beth and her painting

Beth on the Painting Workshop: As we made our way through the first floor we noticed a sign saying "free art class". They had volunteer artists setting up canvases on easels, for people to create their own still life. It was super fun and inspired me to take a painting class when we get home.

The boxes for Stendhal Syndrome

Griffin on Stendhal Syndrome: As we walked through the second floor of the museum we came upon what appeared to be three upright coffins. As we approached them we saw a sign on the side of one of them that read "For Stendhal Syndrome". We wondered what it was. It turns out that Stendhal Syndrome is a psychosomatic disorder that causes nausea, dizziness, fainting, and hallucinations when a person is exposed to beautiful art. The boxes are for people to climb inside to escape the art. We believe that Leo suffers from this disorder, and he is looking into a doctor's order to stay permanently away from beautiful art.
Beth on the Art: I liked that there were a lot of examples of van Gough's work from different time periods in his life. I felt like this gave a good perspective on the cannon of his work as a whole. I also liked that the museum showed how van Goguh's work was influenced by artists he admired, and how he influenced other artists, by showing works of other artists.
Griffin on the Art: I think that the art was amazing. The museum had a large collection of van Gough pieces, however they were missing a few key pieces that are currently on loan to the Munch Museum in Oslo. Van Gough's art is so deeply personal that it feels as if you can see him creating it. The visceral brush strokes evoke emotions that other art fails to do. Van Gough's work provokes introspection in a way most art does not.

Wheat Field with Crows by Vincent van Gough