After lunch, we wandered over to the flower market. Mom and I picked out some wooden tulips for our apartment and some small ones for Eliot. Rembrandtplein was our next destination. This square has life-size bronze statues from Rembrandt's Nightwatch masterpiece. People were moving amongst the statues and posing for pictures. The men (and boys) found a cafe, while mom and I headed to Museum het Rembrandthuis.
This is a lovely museum. The lower floors of the house have been carefully restored to the state they were in when Rembrandt lived here with Saskia (his wife). He was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1656, and the financiers took a detailed inventory of his property when they took possession, so his house really could be recreated. Also, Rembrandt had captured his studio and house in paintings and etchings from that period. This is where he painted many of his masterpieces, including the Night Watch. His studio was large and had perfect lighting; the room off his studio was filled with natural and manmade items from around the world (stuffed animals, african shields, human skulls, etc.) to assist in his study of art.
I really wanted to visit to see his etchings; they were fantastic. The museum had one of his copper plates - a study of Saskia (from 1636). The detail and work that goes into etching is amazing. There's a good etching animation on the museum website. http://www.rembrandthuis.nl/cms_pages/index_main.html
Mom and I walked by the Zuiderkerk (south church) on the way to meet the rest of our party. We posed for a family picture for Navid at the St Nicholaaskerk along the Oudezijdes Voorburgwal. We walked through the Red Light District on the way back to the train station. This time, we walked down a smaller road without thinking about it. It was kind of gross/disturbing - a line of bedroom cubbies with women in doorways. Kind of a crazy place.
We caught the direct train home to Delft. My favorite section of this route is between Heemstede and Leiden where there are lots of flower crops. It's hard to get a good picture on the moving train. I can't wait to see this area in the spring when the bulbs are in full bloom.
posted by Whitney @ 5:47 AM
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