Andrew+Bethany= :) the Life of the A&B Brown Family: Amsterdam and Stroopwaffles

We had a great weekend in the Netherlands! Bikes. Tulips. History. Funny Smells. Stroopwaffles. Canals. Vermeer. Rembrandt. Ahhhhhhh. Andy did a review at the Amsterdam office, so we flew out Wednesday morning for a little adventure. As soon as we landed, we stashed our luggage in a locker at the airport and caught a bus to the Keukenhof! This is the famous tulip garden/park in the Netherlands, and the tulips are only in bloom two months out of the year. We had perfect timing!

View from the Keukenhof

Lovely

The tulip gardens were amazing and we had a beautiful sunny day. It is a little embarrassing how many pictures we took, but every turn was a gorgeous photo. If you ever want to vacation in Holland, this is the time to go! Since we went a little photo crazy, the photos are in the next blog post.

We picked up our luggage and checked into our hotel. We walked around the city a little bit, and headed to the Dutch Resistance Museum. Andy and I love our history, and this was fascinating. The part of the museum we saw is centered around the Dutch resistance efforts during WWII. It comprised photos, newspapers, stories and a great audio guide.

Walkin' the Town

I almost got hit by a biker about 50x on this trip ;)

Awesome Architecture

Canal at Nighttime

Zoolander Alert

a lota bikes

After eating dinner at Wagamamas, we walked over the the Anne Frank House. As we were waiting in line, I received an email from my dad letting us know that my sister Jessica was in labor!!!! Yay!!! This was big news--first baby in the family! Definitely had to contain my excitement while in line.
The Anne Frank House is remarkable. As you go on the tour, you get to read excerpts from her diary, as well as the whole process of the back part of the top floors becoming the secret annex. I remember reading her diary years ago, but its an entirely different experience actually being in the rooms where she wrote all of her thoughts and feelings. It is crazy to think that 8 people lived in this tiny space for two years. Incredible and moving.

The Secret Annex in the 1940's

The Bookcase

The Secret Annex

The next day, Andy went to work and I stayed at the hotel during the morning so I could facetime the BABY!!!!! Baby Liam arrived after almost 24 hours of labor. Go Jess! He is adorable and it was so fun to talk with the family. Happy Day!

After talking with everyone, I caught a train to Delft, a beautiful town about an hour outside of Amsterdam. My folks had told me about this place and how the famous Delftware is made there. And it was so beautiful! It is a smaller town feel than the experience you get in Amsterdam. And I came on the perfect day, every Thursday is market day. In the main square, vendors set up their stands selling waffles, fried fish, clothing, cheese, bread, jewelry, etc. Awesome.

Stroopwaffles Anyone?

Such a Gorgeous Town

I then went to the Vermeer Center. Vermeer is one of my favorite artists, and he lived and worked in Delft! None of his paintings are hung there, but the center is on the street where he lived and is devoted to portraying what Delft was like back in his day, his process, his community, his paints, the different ways he uses light in his paintings and his use of perspective. It was pretty remarkable. The displays offer some great introspection into his work. Highly recommend!

One of the many bridges

I'm kind of obsessed with bricks

I then went to one of the Delftware shops by the main square. The owner, Stephen, showed me the whole process of making the delftware, painting it, glazing and firing it. I also got to see the painter at work. I love the detail in the hand-painted designs. I bought a glass bell ornament to add to our collection. Stephen and Annie were so kind and gracious and it was awesome to see them at work.

Watching Anni handpaint the Delftware

Stephen at work

Pieces waiting to be fired

The glazing process

Finished Delftware

16th Century Tiles. What?!

I thought I would only be in Delft for a few hours, but ended up being there all day! It was just like a Vermeer painting every place you turn--painter's paradise! After taking some pictures and walking through the markets, I headed back to Amsterdam. Andrew and I got some dinner by our hotel and called it a night. We were pretty tired!

The next morning, we went to the Riksmuseum! I have been looking forward to this for a long time! Some of the greatest masterpieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer--my favorites!- are here! We loved it! I could stare at Vermeer's Milkmaid for hours. Another highlight was Rembrandt's The Nightwatch. It is ginormous!

We then went to the Van Gogh Museum. We loved this as well. Van Gogh is another favorite and the collection is layed out beautifully. You are able to read about his life and chronologically view the paintings. So cool.

After, we hopped on one of the canal boats and cruised around the city a little bit. Amsterdam is so awesome! We loved the architecture, all of the bikes, the canals, everything!

The Riksmuseum

This rowboat is filled with water :0

My Man in front of the Riksmuseum!

We got off near the Rembrandt House. I loooooooovvvvvvvveeeedddd this! This was the house where he lived, worked and sold his paintings. It is actually a really beautiful house, and a lot of the original furniture and paintings are there. I loved walking through his studio. Talk about a dream. There was an artist there who was doing demonstrations with the pigments that Rembrandt used in his paintings. At the end of the tour, there is an exhibit of a collection of Rembrandt's etchings.........loved them!

The outside of his house

The etching press

Kind of obsessed with his entryway

Giving a demo

The studio of one of my greatest artistic heros!

Pigments that he would have used. Luscious.

The next day, we hopped back on a canal boat and saw more of Amsterdam. The canal system all throughout Amsterdam makes it so unique! Can't get over how beautiful it is.

Andy wants to live in one of these houseboats.

We got off and toured the Jewish sector of the city. They have a Jewish History museum, as well as the Dutch Theater that served as a holding ground for the Jews before they were transported to internment and concentration camps. It was a very humbling experience. It still blows our minds that this is a part of history. Amsterdam has so much history that is saddening. Experiences like this make us appreciate our freedoms and liberties that we so often take for granted.

All of the family names of the Dutch who perished in the Holocaust

The Dutch Theatre

Where each person was able to step outside for only 15 minutes a day. Unbelievable.

Only the fascade remains today. The walls have not been rebuilt. Many people waited for the inevitable in this place.

We spent the rest of the day walking the city, absorbing the atmosphere, and being together. We love Amsterdam! Such a smorgasbord of history, beauty, art, character, bikes and quirkiness!