18 Nov Amsterdam: Arts & Inspirations (Day 2)

Preparing this post to be published excites me. Because I’m hoping that you’ll agree with me that I’ve captured the place, the essence well. I mean how awful can the pictures turn out if the place has so much vibe and character to it right?

We had sufficient rest and headed out after breakfast which was only about 11am. Before everything happens, their #ootd around our lovely & peaceful neighbourhood.

Can’t blame us for taking pictures at the park again because everyday there will be a different thing to capture… “everyday a new day”.

Like this JAWS bicycle. Can’t help not taking a picture with it.

Coincidentally, we were in military style. YES SIR YES MDM! *leopard crawl*.

Rijksmuseum

The first stop we made was where the famous big Iamsterdam slogan were. Thankfully the weather was really good and we had some sunshine & blue skies. The weather though was really unpredictable. 10mins away and there will be rain drizzling. It was really crowded with groups of students & tourists but I manage to take a decent photo when the crowd dispersed for awhile.

The Van Gogh museum was an interesting stop. Honestly, I have no eye for art pieces but reading through the gallery was an interesting experience. The tour around the museum gave me a better understanding about the artist and his mood at the time he painted those pieces. One really good example is the different tactic he used when he admitted himself into the Saint-Paul asylum. The paint materials were limited, the brush strokes appeared to be coarser, it seemed impatient somehow compared to the light strokes he used when he painted the cherry blossoms when his brother had a newborn baby.

Unfortunately, no photos allowed.

Next we headed over to Stedelijk museum which was just next to Van Gogh museum. Stedelijk is a contemporary art gallery and it sure is. There were a lot of works from painting to photography, graphic typography, furniture design & even film costumes. There was SO MUCH to see, it’s best to cater a minimum of 2hrs for it.

 
Abdoulaye Konaté, Fete Africaine (The Men and the Marionettes), 2012.

Opera at the StedeLijk: Lex Reitsma + Eiko Ishioka.

The film costumes were really intricate! Amazing stuff.

The park around the corner was really lovely. Probably with the weather, the dogs running free, the couples that sat by the green grass, so carefree.

Taking pics of canal near dust is the best. sunlight’s not too harsh, colors pops out. Just check out the gradient from green to blue shades of water & the warm tones of autumn leaves.

Too many canal shots but this is one of my favorite because it’s so colorful!  Makes me want to dive in but no don’t be deceived by the reflection bouncing off all the colors, the waters are actually pretty murky. Still, it makes a nice photo.

We striked off one of our must try food list which was the pancakes when we visited the “Pancakes!” shop. There’s the usual American thick pancakes or their thin pancakes, both were equally good.

Pancakes! Amsterdam | Address: Berenstraat 38, 1016 GH Amsterdam, Netherlands.
link: pancakesamsterdam.com

Chanced upon a small alley of some graffiti. Of course I wouldn’t give it a miss.

Summary of day 2: An inspiring day after the visit to the 2 museums.