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Monday, May 4, 2009: 
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And so, on the day of our departure, we managed to squeeze in a vist to our most wanted art collection: The Van Gogh museum. And although of course they don't have all the works of the master (I missed most of his self portraits), it was exciting to see some of the greatest works in real life. (And the cafeteria had pretty good cakes, as well...)
Flew back to Copenhagen in the evening after quite a relaxing trip. But Amsterdam somehow comes across as just a (slightly) different Copenhagen - certainly not exotic (for us), and lacking the kick and wacky energy of New York City, London or Berlin. But nice, very nice...
Sunday, May 3, 2009: [
Went to the Amsterdams Historisch Museum. Interesting to see how Amsterdam actually only flourished for a relatively short period in the 17th century. And as Danes, we realized how relatively benign the German occupation of Denmark during WW2 was - compared to the brutal oppression of the Netherlands.
And after looking through the windows of the Eetkamer van de Jordaan (and finding it absolutely full last night), we enjoyed a last, brilliant meal in Amsterdam. Dutch classics with a modern and exotic twist. (Though we wondered why such a fine restaurant would have that rather shabby wine list...)
Saturday, May 2, 2009: [
Set off for Museumplein, but were discouraged by the sheer number of tourists (probably to do with the first of May holiday in many countries) - the lines for both Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum were endless. We strolled home through some of Amsterdam's less charming areas (Leidseplein looked like a deliberate attempt to create the ultimate tourist trap) and more canals.
In the evening we met with Susanne again, found a very nice restaurant in Jordaan and ended the evening at a classic "brown" café. Over a lovely Zatte from the IJ brewery and a cold genever - while smokers climbed the stairs to the smoking room upstairs - Susanne told us the wonderful story of how the Dutch got around that pesky smoking ban...
Friday, May 1, 2009: [
Visited Rembrandt's house - now a museum. Surprisingly, in a city full of 17th century houses, this was one of our only encounters with the interior of one of these in its original state. And a fine display of Rembrandt's engravings, explaining his elegant and relentlessly experimenting technique. I was reminded again of the old artist quip that "nothing new has happened in the visual arts since Rembrandt" (they're forgetting Duchamp of course, but I see what they mean...).
Thursday, April 30, 2009: [
Koninginnedag - say no more. Anyway, we actually spent part of the day entertaining on the terrace of our Jordaan flat. First our Homeexchange friends Scott and Kern from London, then my former colleague Susanne and her boyfriend Nikolaj. In the company of the latter, we ventured into the celebrations. Crowds of people equipped with various pieces of orange wear, drinking and rejoicing in honour of Queen Beatrix. The Dutch seem to find this unique, but for me - well, if you've seen one noisy crowd in high spirits, you've seen them all.
(Sadly, the day ended in tragedy in another part of Holland - not until a few days later did we hear the news...)
