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The Rijskmuseum


The highlight of our day was a visit to the Rijskmuseum. Arriving just as it opened at 9:00 (before the hordes of bus tours), we left at 2:30, exhausted. It's a gorgeous building outside. 

But it's the inside that's spectacular. The museum was closed for ten years to complete renovations to return it to its original design. It was stunning, with charcoal walls and modern lighting fixtures trained on the paintings as in this gallery. 
There were fewer Rembrandts than I had expected, but the Rembrandt and contemporaries gallery was spectacular.  The long gallery's arches opened onto many great paintings, dominating their own wall. 

The entire gallery was a frame for the famous painting at the end: The Night Watch. Then there it is, brighter and more captivating than I could have imagined. Thankfully we were there early before these crowds developed so we could contemplate in peace before returning after lunch. (This photo is rather fuzzy but frankly I was amazed anything was this good, taking indoor photos without a flash.)

We thoroughly enjoyed all the art. Besides paintings there was sculpture, cabinetry, porcelain and so much else. The galleries were arranged chronologically and we learned lots of Dutch history along the way. 

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