Artful Amsterdam...

The other day was another day in Amsterdam. It was kind of rainy to start and to finish, but the middle was absolutely gorgeous. I went off with some of my cast friends and then we met up with one of our friends who used to play in the band on board. Once we all met and said hello and chatted for a bit, we all set off on our separate ways. We all had things to accomplish that day. I went off on my own to find the Van Gogh museum. I bought tickets online the previous day and was interested in seeing that exhibit as well as the Anne Frank museum. I realized though that it would be 2 big events for one day and settled for just the one. The cue for the Anne Frank House was noted for being long so I figure I'll save that for a day when I have more time to spare. I followed the same path that we followed the previous time to the American Book Store. It was a bookstore, much like Borders or Barnes & Noble only not so commercial, full of English books. Harry Potter was the new biggie that day. The final chapter. It was going as fast as I thought (probably because it was in English in a Dutch speaking country). I got my little pocket map there for about 3 Euro, which would also help me later when I had LOTS of time to roam around without limitation. It was easy to follow and I stumbled upon the museum. At this point I was sorry for not bringing my camera because the scene was gorgeous. However, I'll have lots of time for pictures when I stay here for a bit. I went into the Rijksmuseum thinking that's where I needed to go and judging by the size of it I thought I might need another day to explore. I was wrong however. This was the more general art museum. I went down the block to the smaller and more specified Van Gogh museum. It was all dedicated to Van Gogh's work, his influences, and the people he influenced. It was 4 floors and 2 buildings of art. Just my size for an art museum. Especially for art that was, for its time, the start of modern art. His brush strokes, I find, are what make his art unique. He was self taught and studied with some of the greats of his time like Paul Signac, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Paul Gaugin. He studied figure and landscapes first drawing them in pencil sketches and then exploring these concepts with color. All of his drawings were on display and some of them looked like drawings you would find from someone actually studying art in a master class. He was misunderstood all his life and felt the greats that were successful and even some of his friends were not up to par as artists. He was conflicted with these emotions and ended up in a clinic depressed and troubled. At this time in his life he spewed out disturbing images and very unique concepts. Even his self-portraits of this time looked troubled and distorted. This point in time is where he so famously cut off a portion of his ear lobe. He studies reproductions of Rembrandt, Millet, and Delacroix later in his life copying them and adding his own flair. As he was just starting to gain recognition, his depression took over and he shot himself. It's tragic what the art world can do and what people will do for something they believe strongly in. It was so interesting to walk through the gallery with my minor knowledge of his lifespan (with the aid of the free pamphlet) and notice these changes in his life from the places he resided and the emotions he was experiencing. Although I found them interesting in general his type of art is not really my taste. I did like a few pieces that are pretty famous. One was "The Potato Eaters" where I found out this was his first major achievement in the human study. He was studying the human form at the time and used a lot of scenes from the peasant lifestyle. He took on this massive project to create a peasant family while eating dinner. At the time it was a failure, but now it's one of his most recognizable pieces. I also liked a piece of his entitled "Avenue of Poplars in Autumn." It just struck my eye and made me reflect on the piece a little more than the others. One of his self portraits entitled "Self Portrait with Straw Hat and Artists' Smock" grabbed my eye as well just because of the way he used his brush. Everything in the piece, which is also a pretty popular piece, seemed to radiate out from the center of his face. He even used the brush strokes to define the musculature underneath, which was fascinating since that's what I remember learning in my basic art sketch drawing class in college. A few other of his influences really caught my eye and were scenery oriented, which is more to my liking. There was one that was absolutely fascinating the way the painter caught the light reflecting off a river rolling over some rocks and the sun gleaming off the leaves in the trees and clouds surrounding the center of the piece. It was gorgeous. The whole experience was eye opening and even though I'm not quite the art lover as someone, I enjoyed it. I left the museum content and began my trek back through the city. I stopped at the cheese shop again this time to pick up some more smoked cheese and to try out this green cheese I saw last time. It was blatantly green with green specs in it. I immediately though of Dr. Seuss when I saw it last and was dying of curiosity to try some. I saw another customer try some other cheese so I asked the clerk to slice me a piece. It was young Gouda cheese with pesto in it. The pesto of course is what made it green throughout. I was blown away by the flavor. Since I have a refrigerator on board, I bought a small portion to take back. I have to look this cheese up in the states when I can cook again. I figure this cheese would be great on a bagel with some sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and this sprinkled over the top. A little toasting in the oven and then you have the best little pizza ever. Yum!! I walked a little ways more taking in all the scents from the various "herbal" shops along the way. Marihuana is legal here and grown commercially. There's one street where the air is just filled with it. My day wouldn't be complete without a stroll through the ever so famous red-light district. I still can't believe that in broad daylight there are women in door sized windows just taunting people as they walk by hoping they will come on in for a little afternoon delight. I kept on walking stopping at the Apple Store along the way and meeting friends. We got caught in a windy hail and rain storm on the way back to the ship, but we were on board in time for the passenger boat drill we all have to go through on an embark day. It was our last one for now. Until the next contract that is.