November of 2012 Amsterdam

We decided to visit Amsterdam.  I have been dreaming of visiting Amsterdam since I was in college to see Van Gogh's artwork.  We drove up to the Amsterdam area on Friday and stayed in Leiden a town outside of the city at a family friendly Holiday Inn.  The Holiday Inn had an indoor children's play area, pool, and a wonderful breakfast buffet.  The next morning we loaded up the car to drive to the park and ride and take the train to the city.  

When we arrived at the park and ride, we found out it was closed due to a local event that needed parking.  At the second park and ride we waited about an hour.  The line stood still as we waited for single cars to leave.

Finally we were about five cars from the front when another car decides to cut in line.  A German man quickly exits his car and explains to the cutter that everyone in line has been waiting an hour and to kindly go to the back of the line like everyone else.  He says his speech in English and then in German.  The gentleman pretends not to listen.  Interested in this process, I decide to get out and see if I can ask him to move as well and also seeing the injustice a French woman joins us and asks the man in French and English to move to the back of the line.  We decide to stand in front of his car so if he tries to pull forward he will have to run us over.  Then out of nowhere a fine young muscular man jumps to the side of the car and announces,” I will handle this.  I am the Dutchman."  He reaches in the car and unlocks the window and opens the door and tells the man to get out of the car.  He yells at him in Dutch.  Finally the man concedes and takes his proper place at the back of the line.  I get back in the car and Neil and I laugh and are satisfied by the multi-cultural dispute management.  Yes, change in the world can still be made even if it means only to get ones self into the parking garage for the park and ride. After parking our car the tram took us into Amsterdam and we were able to see the sights along the way (no worries, no red light district). 

We then got out and proceeded to wait in a line for the Van Gogh Museum in the rain.  The Dutch evidently don't specialize in people moving and don't find it necessary to employ more cashiers to decrease unemployment. After one hour in line, Neil and Evan were the troopers standing in the rain and finally made it to the counter for tickets.  Ansley, Colin and I went indoors to the cafe across from the line to purchase overpriced grilled cheese sandwiches and tea.  We dried out Colin's warm sleep sack that attaches to his stroller.  We kindly call this his baby burrito.  Then we wrapped up the grilled cheeses to take them to Evan and Neil, our two princes practicing their code of chivalry were still standing in the rain.  

Next we headed off to the Van Gogh Museum.  The location is currently being displayed as part of the Hermitage (an extension of borrowed works from the Russian Hermitage).  Most of the pieces displayed by the hermitage were European works bought up by Russian upper class elite art collectors, merchants and such.  

The Van Gogh exhibit encompassed all the pieces donated by Van Gogh's brother.  The favorite pieces were "Sunflowers" painted in various hues of yellow and "Irises" painted to display complimentary colors yellow and blue but over time the blue has faded to purple.  Both of these paintings were earlier paintings of Van Gogh but exemplary of his personal style.  He had a "career" as a painter for roughly 10 years.  He stated that his life’s calling was to paint pictures to the best of his ability.  He constantly tinkered to learn new techniques and improve his art.  He believed an artist must always evolve and learn new skills.  He lacked most of the formal education artists of his time had.  Gauguin and Van Gogh lived together and trained together in St. Remy.  The relationship was short but here Van Gogh was prolific.  Sometimes he completed a piece in a day.  He voluntarily checked himself into a mental institution and his brief residence with Gauguin ended.  After being committed because of his mental illness, his sanity slowly declined.  Being confined to the four walls of his institution was not good for him.  Shortly before his death his nephew was named after him.  Outwardly Van Gogh looked cohesive but inside his mental status was fragile and being torn apart.  Before his death his last painting was of ravens in a field of wheat.  The sun must have blinded his eyes in this masterpiece.  Not long after completion Van Gogh made the decision to exit the world, a great loss for humanity indeed.  

That night we ate sushi and smelled Hash as we strolled through the streets of Amsterdam.  Then we headed back for a late night albeit crowded train ride back to Leiden. The next day we visited the Natural History Museum and saw a Rembrandt painting in Leiden.  I wanted to see a painting from one of the Dutch masters.  The village of Leiden was full of Dutch charm without all the bikes and tourists over running Amsterdam. Leiden is a quaint town built on canals with specifically Dutch rooflines and architecture.  The symbol of the city is Peter's keys to the gates of Heaven.  Red keys can be seen all over the city.  The children were delighted to search for the red keys.  After a long day in the rain we headed back for the six-hour drive home.