I visited Amsterdam for the second time with a friend, spending a few days there. We began by going to the Rijksmuseum, which was closed the first time I visited.
I was impressed by the building: it was huge, and stunning. There was a bit of a queue to get in, but once inside, there was lots of space and a huge amount to see. The great attraction is Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch’ but there are lots of other paintings from the likes of Vermeer and Van Gogh. There is also a modern art section, which I found rather bizarre, particularly the ‘womb tomb’, a brightly-coloured, coffin shaped, fluffy object with a hole in the middle.
Next we went to check out the Heineken Experience. Now, this was not somewhere I would have thought of going; I’m not the biggest fan of Heineken, and it would never have occurred to me to go here. My friend wanted to, though, and I’m so glad she did, because I loved it! There was so much to see and do. The experience began with a short exhibition on the history of Heineken, followed by a look at the old brewing equipment and a look at the creation process. We got to taste some Heineken and then experience a kind of interactive presentation where you could ‘be’ the beer on its journey from creation to bottling!
The next day, we visited the Anne Frank House, which is a must. There was a massive queue, as expected, but although we had to wait an hour, it didn’t seem that long. The museum is small, but as moving as I remembered.
Later we visited the Sex Museum. Again, this was somewhere I had already been, although it was just as entertaining this time around. The moving flasher in the foyer was still there, and I recognised several of the exhibits. This museum also has one of the fanciest bathrooms I have ever seen – it is inspired by Mucha and the Art Nouveau movement and the sinks are shaped like flowers. Afterwards we went on a canal boat trip which was really relaxing.
We didn’t have time to do anything the next day, as we had to go to the airport. I would definitely go back, though – even after two trips to Amsterdam, there’s so much to see and do there, and it’s such a lovely place, that I’d be happy to see it again.