Amsterdam – Van Gogh, Banksy, and the Terrifying Bike Ride

Van Gogh Museum

First stop, the Van Gogh Museum. Thankfully, I booked an early time because, by the time I left, you could barely get near most of the paintings. I also started on the (empty) top floor and worked my way downstairs.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing the works of so many great artists, but I have to admit that I was the most blow away with Van Gogh’s work in person. I was especially taken with his macabre side (Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette and Flying Fox were my favorites) and his beach studies (loved that you could see the grains of sand in the paint). After the paintings, I had a lovely croissant and coffee in the cafe and watched everyone mulling around Museumplein. If you’re a Van Gogh fan, I highly suggest the movie Loving Vincent; I watched it just before the trip, and I loved having it in mind when seeing the paintings.

  

Moco Museum

Everywhere in Amsterdam, there were pink Banksy posters. I was intrigued. So, when I left the Van Gogh museum, I had to stop at the Moco Museum to see the exhibit. I am still trying to wrap my head around seeing Banksy’s work in a museum, but it was pretty amazing to see so many pieces together. The old house was a beautiful gallery for the work, the Lichtenstein 3D Room of the Van Gogh painting was immensely cool, and I could have moved into their sculpture garden.

   

Rijksmuseum Garden

On my way back to my hotel, I rested for a while in the Rijksmuseum Garden. It was beautiful, wild, and so peaceful. I love a good garden, and I am beyond obsessed with their greenhouse.

 

Amsterdam Like a Local: Private Bike Tour

This trip, I decided to try a couple of tours from With Locals (private, specialized tours with locals as a tour guides). In Amsterdam, I signed up for the Amsterdam Like a Local: Private Bike Tour.  Everything that I read said that Amsterdam on a bike was the best, but I crazily underestimated the number of bikes in the city. Like seriously, I’ve never seen bikes like this before. I am so thankful that I booked the tour and got to see the city in such a great way. To be fair, I was a little terrified to ride the bike on the busy streets, but my tour guide, Anna, got me started, taught me the biking rules, and helped me navigate. Before the tour, I asked to see some different things in the city, and she was awesome about customizing the tour for my requests, and she did a great job of keeping us out of the heaviest pedestrian areas of town.

Some of the highlights include riding around the bike parking garage at Amsterdam Centraal, seeing a real windmill, riding through Oosterpark, stopping at a market for bitterballen, and surviving a near spill with a massive truck on the left and a tourist walking in the street in front of me on the right (dodging pedestrian tourists like a local!).

 

As part of the customization, she took me to an area of town to see some of the amazing street art.  It was really unique and fun experience, and the artists and work were beyond amazing.

    

Good Morning and Good Night, Amsterdam

It was another beautiful day in Amsterdam. I love the history here and the culture to honor and save it. The mornings are quiet and serene. The streets are empty, and the rising sun and beautiful buildings are reflected perfectly on the still canal water.

And the sunsets aren’t so bad either.