I seem to have shaken the worst of my cold, so today was a packed day. After an early breakfast, I went out for a walk, heading vaguely in the direction of the Central Station. Within minutes I found myself at the flower market, a long line of stalls alongside a canal. It calls itself the flower market, but really it is more of a bulb market. Tulips, of course, plus amaryllis, lilies, hyacinth, and loads of others. There were also seeds, miniature bonsai, and lots of tulip souvenirs.
Strolling down the narrow streets early in the morning before the shops opened, I was able to take time to appreciate the incredible architectural details. Many historic buildings have impressive statuary, wrought iron, sculptural reliefs, and fabulous woodwork. More about that in a couple of days when I’m home.
The museum I was heading to didn’t open until noon. I decided to take another tour of the canals. The tours are inexpensive, relaxing, and provide a beautiful vantage point to enjoy the old city.
From there, I hopped onto a tram. For an old city, there is an extensive system of trains, trams, subway, buses, and ferries. A single day’s pass is about $10 for unlimited rides. In a few minutes I arrived at the Central Train station where I transferred to a ferry. The ferries shuttle back and forth to several locations in North Amsterdam. As one pulls in, cyclists and pedestrians stream off and others jump on. It turns around in less than five minutes.
When I’d first decided to stop off in Amsterdam I’d considered visiting the famous Rijksmuseum (which I’ve been to several times). Then I read about the new Straat Museum and knew that’s where I’d be spending a day.
The museum is in a former shipbuilding factory and is a single enormous space, almost 90,000 square feet, with soaring ceilings. It is the perfect setting for a museum of street art and graffiti; some of the work could only fit in a space like this. The current exhibition displays more than 180 artworks by 170+ artists. Unlike most street art, which is painted on buildings, these artworks were created on-site at the museum. The artists use spray paint, as they would on the street, but on canvas rather than walls.
I’m passionate about street art and seek it out wherever I travel. But this was a whole new experience for me. The thoughtful placement of the art, the explanations, overall superb quality, and breadth of work made this a joyful afternoon. And, whenever I got tired, there was a well-placed bench.
After a few hours I decided to explore a bit more of the surrounding neighborhood. All around the museum is uncurated street art, some of it funny, some terrible, most of it mediocre after viewing the art in the Straat Museum. When I walked a bit further, I discovered that another of the old shipbuilding factories has been converted into artist studios. Because the studios had been open to the public over the weekend, few artists were present today. Still, it was fun to wander around. If you ever decide to visit, the area is full of restaurants.
It was now late afternoon, so I headed back to the ferry to return to my hotel for a rest. Along the way, I admired the city’s modern architecture, something few guidebooks say anything about.
Retracing my route, I hoped on a tram to Rembrandtplein, a large square not far from my hotel. There I saw two distinctly different sculptures – Rembrandt and an astronaut “thinker.” It was a wonderful, art-filled day.
I ate dinner at a local restaurant at a communal table. There I got into a conversation with some other Americans (the city is swarming with us) and we exchanged tips about what we’d experienced. They plan to head off to the Straat Museum tomorrow.