March 26th

My friend had to work today (Monday), Tuesday, and Wednesday and so I had made plans of things to do on my own. So, today, I caught a train back to Amsterdam (now that I knew how to get there) and went to see a couple of museums and just wander the city again, taking a mostly different route.

I did look at getting tickets to see the Anne Frank Haus and museum…. but you have to book tickets online in advance; way in advance apparently.  Tickets were sold out until late May or June.  So no, I didn’t see the Anne Frank Haus.  We did walk by it the first time we were in Amsterdam a couple days ago and it wasn’t very apparent AT ALL which house it was exactly.

When I got into the city and started walking, I started feeling pretty tired and worn out so I decided it was coffee time. I found a nice little cafe. They had really good coffee and their lemon sugar pancakes were delicious!

After coffee time, I walked a bit further and bought ticket into the Body World Museum that is currently in Amsterdam. Have you ever heard about the Body World Museum? It’s a museum where they have real human bodies preserved that show the different body systems such as digestive, circulatory, nerves, muscles, skin, skeleton, etc. The theme of the display here in Amsterdam is “The Happiness Project.”

One of the first displays I saw was a thin slice of a body showing a normal hip-joint and a hip that had been replaced with an artificial/steel hip. There was one piece of a body that showed a smoker’s pair of lungs; a pair of legs that were only formed by the circulatory blood vessels in the legs; an animated video of what happens when plaque builds up in the blood vessels; a regular sized liver and a fatty liver; a normal heart and an enlarged heart. Near the very end of the museum, there are several large pictures or plaques on the wall showing different families from different countries and the groceries they normally consume in a week and approximately how much it costs in their country’s currency.

An animation of the build-up of plaque.

 

 

 

In the stairwells leading down from the start of the exhibit on the top floor, there were sayings on the walls which I really liked… Here they are:

If you ever get the chance to visit the Body World Museum, I highly recommend it. It’s very interesting.

After Body World, I wanted to go see the Rijksmuseum which is basically the national museum. My friend initially suggested to go see the Van Gogh museum but then changed and recommended the Rijksmuseum because it has art from various artists, not just Van Gogh. Anyway, it was a bit of a walk from Body World to the Rijksmuseum. I walked by the Heineken Brewery place where I could have bought a ticket for the “Heineken Experience” but decided it would be more fun with someone and that I didn’t have time for both the Heineken Brewery and the Rijksmuseum.

Here’s a short video clip of Dam Square:

I underestimated the size and time it would take to get through the whole museum. It sort of felt like a maze. They gave you a map with the entry ticket which was supposed to help me navigate the museum. I was able to see art and home decor from the 1600-1700 period, 1700-1800 period, and the 1900-2000 period. I couldn’t find an entry to the 1800-1900 period and then by that time I was getting overwhelmed by art and all the little plaques with small text next for the many, MANY pieces of art that you really want to read but if you read it all you will be there for DAYS! So, I skipped the Special Collections (1100-1600 period).

I left and walked outside because the sun was shining and calling my name. I walked outside and saw the “I Amsterdam” art piece that I had seen in a few pictures and postcards. So I walked over to see it and take some pictures and then started heading back towards Centraal Station.

I took a short video at this one intersection trying to capture just a brief moment in time of Dutch life (and some tourists I’m sure).