Skip to main content

Amsterdam is a Dutch masterpiece as Rijksmuseum opens to kick-start a fantastic year of celebrations

Amsterdam was on sparkling form - sunshine bounced off the canal like dancing silver fishes, bicycles rattled across bridges overhead, and it was warm enough to open the roof of our boat to watch the city drift by.

Expectation - and spring - was in the air, and with good reason: it's a big year for Amsterdam, and now is the perfect time to paint the town orange.

Not only did the Rijksmuseum re-open on April 13 after a decade-long makeover and there are exhibitions and anniversaries to celebrate, but it will all be topped by the coronation of Holland's new king. When Queen Beatrix abdicates, her son Willem-Alexander will be crowned at the 15th century Nieuwe Kerk, off Dam Square, on April 30.

Plain sailing: Amsterdam is celebrating an exciting year with a new King taking over and a host of cultural openings

The city is expected to be packed with revellers, and hotels are almost fully booked. Those that still have vacancies are expected to be pricey. But until then there's plenty on offer to keep you busy.

You could, for example, hotfoot it to Het Grachtenhuis - The Canals Museum - to find out more about waterside living. Or you could get a taste of it at the 17th-century Canal House, a comfortable hotel on the Keizersgracht where we were staying. It's in the laid-back Jordaan district, so you can hop from boutique to design shop to your heart's content, keeping up your energy by refuelling with strong coffee along the way.

When our cruise was over, we had a date at Rembrandt's house, where our guide Veronica wasted no time getting down to the nitty gritty: 'I'd like to show you a few things that were found in Rembrandt's cesspool.' It wasn't as grim as it sounded. Even Rembrandt's cast-offs were fabulous - a pretty blue-and-white stoneware jug gleams in a cabinet.

National treasure: Vermeer's The Milkmaid is on display at the Rijksmuseum

Although much of the house has been reconstructed, it is arranged as Rembrandt would have known it, and the museum has created an other-worldly atmosphere with 17th-century artefacts. In the simple room where Rembrandt is thought to have etched away, reproductions hang on lines of string.

At the Hermitage museum, another exhibition examines the Dutch influence on the young Peter the Great, Russia's celebrated moderniser. He was an accomplished craftsman, as is illustrated by the number and variety of objects in the show: Peter's handsaw, Peter 's amputation saw, Peter's tooth extractor and even Peter's trepanning drill (which he personally used for brain operations.) There's even a lathe, with which the tsar would spend a few relaxing hours sanding and drilling.

Among the most beautiful objects are the Siberian antiquities, which include pieces of jewellery chased in gold depicting wild and mythical creatures. Outside, darkness was falling and showed us that for romance, you can keep Paris - Amsterdam at night is a city made for lovers. Strings of lightbulbs adorn bridges, their crescents of light reflected in the water. The houses lining the canals - all sturdy brick and yawning windows - are like dolls' houses, their softly lit and stylish interiors illuminated to the world outside.

We're told that Amsterdammers don't bother with shutters or blinds, a Calvinistic hangover from the days when you were happy to show off the fact that your house wasn't overly ostentatious, and there's still an air of understated simplicity.

  More... Amsterdam will float your boat: 10 great reasons to visit Holland's legendary city Heavenly Holland: Why the Netherlands are a holiday destination to be truly treasured Go Dutch! Plan your own Netherlands escape

Don't miss the Stedelijk Museum of modern art that rubs lofty shoulders with the Van Gogh Museum, which reopens on May 1. Across the park, the grand Concertgebouw concert hall is celebrating 125 years with a programme of events. Of course the Rijksmuseum is the one grabbing all the headlines.

Grand opening: The revamped Rijksmuseum has launched with fanfare with Queen Beatrix in attendance and the Dutch orange carpet laid out

Inside, the paint still smells fresh and all is shiny. The architects have brought the building back to its original 19th-century decoration while also making it into a 21st-century visitor attraction. Light and space abound in the airy atrium, and the exhibits are now arranged chronologically. The 8,000 objects - many restored - tell of 800 years of the nation's history.

I spoke to a Dutch-born visitor from Australia, who was elated by the experience. 'I'm overwhelmed by it,' she said. 'It's sympathetically and beautifully done. I'm proud.'

Make sure you head for the Gallery of Honour, where Rembrandt's vivid Night Watch - the only piece to return to its original spot - is displayed. In keeping with the cathedral-like touches of original architect Pierre Cuypers, it has the air of an altarpiece. The works surrounding it are just as heavenly: Vermeer, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Jan Steen and Pieter de Hooch are just some of the big names jostling for attention in a room that pays luminous tribute to the artistry of the Golden Age.

Just around the corner is a display of 17th-century woollen hats worn by Dutch whalers, discovered perfectly preserved on the heads of their buried owners. They could have been made yesterday. It was strangely moving. It just goes to show exactly how proud the Dutch are of their accomplishments, however small.

Travel Facts

Stay at Canal House from £167 B&B (00 31 20 6225 182, www.canalhouse.nl). KLM flies from a number of UK destinations including Birmingham, Manchester, London Heathrow, Bristol, Manston and Cardiff. Prices for return flights to Amsterdam Schiphol start from £89 (www.klm.com).

For more information on the Rijksmuseum, visit www.rijksmuseum.nl. Also see www.holland.com.



Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o