Ev's Georgick's Travel Blog

I have been really lucky and have had some great opportunities to travel. I’ve already been to about 30 or so countries and still counting. I was in Russia for about 9 days back in college (thanks Dad!) and have been to the Hermitage Museum. It’s collection is so enormous that only a fraction of it can ever be on display, part of the reason they’ve established satellite museums I’m sure. The Hermitage Amsterdam houses two major travelling Hermitage exhibitions a year. While we were visiting, the inaugural exhibition “At the Russian Court” was on display. 1,800 objects recreating “life at the Russian court during the nineteenth century: a period that spanned the reigns of six tsars, from the little-known Paul I, son of Catherine the Great, to the tragic Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia.” It was an interesting exhibit, but really some of the worst exhibit labeling I’ve ever experienced, not very professional, after awhile it was just plain funny.

The Rembrandt Museum really exceeded my expectations, it was incredibly interesting. Located in the house he lived in for a decade or so, it afforded some fascinating insight on how he might have lived and worked during a particularly successful period in his life. On top of that the curators have been trying to collect originals as well as contemporary pieces of art, not just his, but ancient greek and roman, etc. that Rembrandt is believed to have kept in this house during the period he lived there. The house seemed incredibly well appointed, with multiple stories and numerous rooms. Even by modern standards it felt luxurious.

While in Iceland we sampled the seafood (langoustine and redfish) and the lamb, in England the dairy and the savory pies. So what was the local cuisine of the Netherlands that we needed to be sure to try? Everything Tamara Georgick read highly recommended Rijsttafel aka Rice Table. I argue that the Netherlands cannot claim these dishes as their own, since the fare is entirely Malaysian (former dutch colony), but claim it nevertheless they do, having introduced the small plate concept to this cuisine. I forget how we picked the restuaruant Sampurna, but I am so glad we did. It was terrifically good, so many different flavors, spices and curries, all quite tasty! Plus the night was pleasant and we sat outside facing the closed up flower market shops. A very nice evening had by all.

The blond braids of Tamara Georgick’s Elephant Art cracks me up everytime I see it! These elephants were sprinkled all over the city and were quite eye-catching. Below is what the plaques had to say about them.

See arrow pointing to the circle locating our hotel in the center of the map!

Lots of old buildings in the immediate vicinity, including Magna Plaza which is now a shopping center, but was originally the central post office, constructed in 1899 (in a neo gothic style). Our hotel, Die Port van Cleve, abuts it just off to the right.

We were directly across the street from the Dam Square and overlooked the Queen’s Palace and the adjacent New Church where most of the royal coronations, inaugurations and weddings take place. The Palace was covered in scaffolding and closed to visitors while undergoing some major renovation.

      

I was exhausted and trying to fight off a cold, so I stayed in to get some much desired rest while Tamara Georgick went back out and did more sight seeing. A good night’s sleep seemed to do the trick and I was definitely re-energized for the last two days of our vacation. The hotel room was a bit odd, sunken with a short, low window, but I think they needed to do that in order for the building to be converted into more rooms and to give each room a window while preserving the original facade of the building. The photos side by side above show our actual hotel room window from both the inside and outside. Nope we didn’t get the rooms with the tall windows and balcony.