Amsterdam – Part I

May 11 – 12, 2024

Our Preparation

So how does one prepare for a 3 week trip out of the country with limited laundry options, variable weather conditions, foreign currency (mostly euros), and different electrical plugs and current. For clothing, we concentrated mainly on comfortable pieces that could be layered. Add in some good walking shoes, a hat or two, hooded raincoat, an umbrella, plus some packages of Woolite for handwashing, and the normal incidentals and call it good. For money, we decided to wait until the Amsterdam airport and get some euros from an ATM. As far as the electrical plugs and current, Bill had purchased a couple of adapter/converter blocks that would handle our electronics and regular appliances (hair straightener and CPAP for example). We already knew that there were both US and European outlets on the ship but the hotels would only have European. Bill had also purchased a SIM-card for his phone that would work in Europe. We carefully packed all of the above in our 2 backpacks, 2 wheeled carry-ons, and 2 wheeled checked bags and placed an AirTag in each of the wheeled suitcases. (You never know what adventure your bags might take without you.)

We didn’t forget Dawn (our sheltie). She had her own bag of food, treats, toys, and blanket. We delivered her with her bag and collapsible crate to Jill and Jim (Harper’s parents). They had agreed to take care of Dawn while we were gone. (Thanks so much!!!!)

Flying to Amsterdam

Pat, one of our Cypress Woods Pickleball friends, had volunteered to give us (and all of our luggage) a ride to the Ft. Myers airport. She picked us up at our lot at 10 a.m. on May 11. (Thank you Pat!!)

We had opted to have Viking make all of the flight arrangements (Bill did the seat assignments) and we felt like they did a good job. Our United flight from Ft. Myers left at 12:25 p.m. and arrived in Newark at around 3:30 p.m. The connecting flight (also on United) left Newark around 6 p.m. and arrived in Amsterdam around 7:00 a.m. (Amsterdam time) on May 12. The 8 hour flight was reasonably comfortable thanks to the extra legroom seats that Bill arranged. The food however was a different story. For dinner, I had some kind of a pasta dish with way too many sliced red peppers while Bill had a chicken dish that he declared basically ok. For breakfast they served breakfast sandwiches (one with meat, one without). Both were less than desirable. Note to self – if possible, order a special meal in advance.

Upon arrival, we collected our bags (yea they all made it!), passed through passport control and customs rather easily, and found an ATM. We checked with one of the Viking representatives that was stationed outside customs to collect arriving passengers about a transfer to the hotel. Unfortunately since we had arranged to arrive a day prior to the actual start of our pre-cruise extension, we did not qualify for a transfer – something we kind of knew beforehand. The representative did tell us how to get an official taxi.

Pulitzer Hotel

A 30 minute taxi ride brought us to our hotel – the Pulitzer. We were able to checkin but since it was 8 a.m. or so, our room was not ready. We were able to leave our bags while we explored the hotel and surrounding area.

This canal-front hotel in the heart of Amsterdam was selected by Viking for their Premium Pre-Extension.

Discover quintessential Dutch elegance set within twenty-five restored 17th and 18th century houses. This 5-star hotel offers intimate guest rooms, tranquil inner gardens, multiple meeting & event spaces, an award winning bar and a restaurant serving simple yet beautifully crafted dishes. Pulitzer Amsterdam is a unique blend of traditional Dutch craftsmanship and modern design nestled amongst the city’s most iconic canals.

Pulitzer

As you can imagine, joining 25 houses together created lots of interesting nooks and crannies plus stairs where you might not expect them.

Views of the Pulitzer

Inside our room complete with porthole between bathroom and bedroom

Pulitzer’s Bar, Meeting room, and Garden Cafe

After exploring for a while, we returned to the hotel and decided to enjoy the garden cafe. When Bill received a text that our room was ready, he got the room keys from the front desk and made sure that our luggage had been delivered correctly. Meanwhile, I received a text from Betty stating that their flight had just arrived and they were waiting to get through passport control and customs. Upon arrival at the hotel, they were able to checkin but had to wait for their room to be ready. Bill showed them to our room where they dropped their bags and then they joined us in the cafe for breakfast/lunch.

Van Gogh Museum

Following our repast in the cafe and a brief stop at our room to freshen up, we headed for the Van Gogh Museum. The museum was one of our bucket-list items and we had decided that the tour would help keep us awake while showing us the more important works on display. We had arranged an afternoon guided tour with Babylon Tours Amsterdam. This was a 2.5 hour tour with a total of 8 participants.

You’ve probably heard about one of the world’s most famous painters, Vincent Van Gogh. But what do you actually know about this Dutch artist? We’ll introduce you to the man behind the famous sunflowers and self-portraits on this intimate, small group tour. Learn about him through his iconic paintings of people eating potatoes and of his own bedroom, or maybe his “Wheat field with Crows” or “Yellow House.” We will visit the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh’s works and personal affects to learn about his turbulent life stretching from his days in Holland to his dramatic ending in France. And yes, don’t worry, we’ll discuss that whole ear incident.

Babylon Tours

We met the guide at a specified point outside of the museum at 1:30 p.m. She took us inside, showed those with backpacks and large bags where they could check their bags, and started the tour. As we progressed through the displays our guide told us a lot about Van Gogh’s life.

Vincent Van Gogh was born on 30 March 1853 in Zundert in the southern Netherlands, the son of a pastor. In 1869, he took his first job, working in the Hague branch of an international art dealing firm. He began to write to his younger brother Theo, a correspondence which continued for the rest of Van Gogh’s life. 

Van Gogh’s job took him to London and Paris, but he was not interested in the work and was dismissed in 1876. He briefly became a teacher in England, and then, deeply interested in Christianity, a preacher in a mining community in southern Belgium.

In 1880, at the age of 27, he decided to become an artist. He moved around, teaching himself to draw and paint and receiving financial support from Theo. In 1886, Van Gogh joined Theo in Paris, and met many artists including Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pissarro and Gauguin, with whom he became friends. His style changed significantly under the influence of Impressionism, becoming lighter and brighter. He painted a large number of self-portraits in this period.

In 1888, Van Gogh moved to Provence in southern France, where he painted his famous series ‘Sunflowers’. He invited Gauguin to join him but they soon began to quarrel and one night, Van Gogh threatened Gauguin with a razor. Deeply remorseful he then cut off part of his own ear. 

This was the first serious sign of the mental health problems that were to afflict Van Gogh for the rest of his life. He spent time in psychiatric hospitals and swung between periods of inertia, depression and incredibly concentrated artistic activity, his work reflecting the intense colours and strong light of the countryside around him. 

On 27 July 1890, again suffering from depression, Van Gogh shot himself. He died two days later.

bbc

Below are some works that we saw

Self-Portrait as a Painter (1887-1888)Van Gogh presented himself in this self-portrait as a painter, holding a palette and paintbrushes behind his easel. He showed that he was a modern artist by using a new painting style, with bright, almost unblended colours. The palette contains the complementary colour pairs red/green, yellow/purple and blue/orange – precisely the colours Van Gogh used for this painting. He laid these pairs down side by side to intensify one another: the blue of his smock, for instance, and the orange-red of his beard.
Self-Portrait with Gray Felt Hat (1887-1888) It is clear from the work that he had studied the technique of the Pointillists and applied it in his own, original way. He placed the short stripes of paint in different directions. Where they follow the outline of his head, they form a kind of halo.
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear (January 1889) This portrait depicts the artist’s personal struggles and artistic power during a dark time in his life. The painting was created shortly after the artist left the hospital where he received treatment for cutting off most of his left ear. Interestingly, the painting is a mirror image as it shows Van Gogh’s bandaged right ear instead of his left.
The Potato Eaters (April – May 1885) One of Van Gogh’s most famous works. Van Gogh saw the Potato Eaters as a showpiece, for which he deliberately chose a difficult composition to prove he was on his way to becoming a good figure painter. The painting had to depict the harsh reality of country life, so he gave the peasants coarse faces and bony, working hands. He wanted to show in this way that they ‘have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish … that they have thus honestly earned their food’.
Sunflowers (January 1889) The sunflower paintings had a special significance for Van Gogh: they communicated ‘gratitude’, he wrote. He hung the first two in the room of his friend, the painter Paul Gauguin, who came to live with him for a while in the Yellow House. Gauguin was impressed by the sunflowers, which he thought were ‘completely Vincent’. Van Gogh had already painted a new version during his friend’s stay and Gauguin later asked for one as a gift, which Vincent was reluctant to give him.
The Bedroom (October 1888) While he was in Arles, Van Gogh made this painting of his bedroom in the Yellow House. He prepared the room himself with simple furniture and with his own work on the wall. The bright colours were meant to express absolute ‘repose’ or ‘sleep’. 
Yellow House (September 1888) In May 1888, Van Gogh rented four rooms in a house on Place Lamartine in Arles (southern France). The green shutters in this painting of the square show where he lived. Vincent had finally found a place at the Yellow House where he could not only paint but also have his friends come to stay.
Wheat field with Crows (July 1890) This is one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings. It is often claimed that this was his very last work. The menacing sky, the crows and the dead-end path are said to refer to the end of his life approaching. But that is just a persistent myth. In fact, he made several other works after this one.

We were pretty wiped out after the tour so we returned to the hotel for a light dinner and some sleep.

Stay tuned for more adventures in Amsterdam in the next post.

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Luwana

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