Since my last visit, both the Rijks and Van Gogh, as well as, the Mauritshuis in The Hague, have reopened from remodel and while I was delighted to see each of their collections in new decor, there were aspects of particular presentations that were somewhat discordant with my viewing and study. The Rijks has a so-called 'Gallery of Honor' with expected artists, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Halls and Steen displayed but, then, Rembrandt's earlier works are some 12 rooms removed. Oh well, Phil, adapt...New eateries: La Bettola Pizzeria and de belhamel. Favorites: Stubbe's Haring for a lunch on the run, Lucius, Broodje Bert (lunch) and Casa di David. By happenstance, my servers Donny, Myra, Mel and David were all working my night at Lucius, where I also had the distinct pleasure of meeting Alberto and Eulalia (left) who live in Paris and were enjoying an Amsterdam weekend. I will have dinner with them while I am in Paris. My photo right is Vermeer's "Girl with Pearl Earring" in the Mauritshuis (click on images to enlarge), and check out my copy of this masterpiece.
The Hague (Mauritshuis) and Delft: The Hague is less than an hour by train from Amsterdam and, if you want, stop for an hour or two along the way to see the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem. Anyway, The Hague is a very important and attractive city in many respects with the World Court based there as well as the Mauritshuis and Gemeente (see PhD's 9) Museums....As for Delft, during my flight to Amsterdam, I had a long chat with a couple from Arnhem (A city of 150,000 in the southeast corner of the Netherlands and located a relatively short distance from the Kröller-Müller Museum. This museum of over a 100 van Gogh paintings is a must-see and an easy train plus a couple of short bus rides from Amsterdam.) and I asked them of what town or site I should see during my visit and their response was Vermeer's town of Delft. So I went.