I'm getting a little behind in my posts. On our first full day in Amsterdam, we started with a tour of the Rijksmuseum. They had recently (3 years ago) completed a full renovation. Our wonderful guide showed us a work by a Dutch artist showing a typical Street of his day that also told us about the class structure of the city. We walked up the stairs through the beautiful great hall, with beautifully restored paintings and mosaics, to the 3 of 4 Vermeers on display (the 4th is in Delft to celebrate discovery of the street it was painted of), and of course the Night Watch. With its location at the end of the long hall, the center of the painting looks like it has a spotlight on it, even up close the effect of light is remarkable. From here we were on our own to explore. There are lots of beautiful still lifes and portraits that you would expect to find in a museum of Dutch art. There are also meticulously constructed doll houses, and the special collections area is a veritable treasure trove of surprising things-musical instruments, including some beautifully decorated pianos, jewelry, Delft-ware pottery, keys and locks! Every time you turn a corner down there, you never know what you're going to see! After the Rijksmuseum, I walked to Central Station to pick up my discount card (pre-purchased at home) and got on a canal tour. This was about an hour exploring the harbour and the various canals with their fancy houses. After the canal tour, I caught a tram back to the hotel and rested before we headed out to the ballet in the evening. The program was all Balanchine. They acquitted them selves quite nicely, although there was a sense of fatigue in the company. Katherine pointed out a young Canadian dancer among the group. The opera house is a modern building and not particularly memorable but there are beautiful views from the balconies of the canals.
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