I’ve written some posts about my own country, such as stories about De Efteling and the Tulip Festival, but nothing yet about our capital: Amsterdam! A few weeks back we decided to go there on my day off, to see two museums and a bit of the city.

I have been wanting to go to the Rijksmuseum forever. I remember once seeing a commercial that said children under 18 could go in for free. As I was 17 back then, I remember thinking: now is the time to go! And finally, at age 24, I went.

The Rijksmuseum is the biggest museum of the Netherlands and is located in Amsterdam, at the ‘Museumplein’, which is where most of the museums in Amsterdam are located. It has the biggest collection of artwork by famous Dutch artists, such as Vermeer, Hals and of course Rembrandt. The museum was founded in 1800 but only in 1885 it settled in the building it’s currently in.

The museum can be quite crowded, because it’s a very touristic attraction. We went on a Wednesday morning and it was quiet. If you want to go, I would avoid going in the weekends and instead choose a day during the week. In the afternoon, it got a bit more crowded so make sure to be there early.

The Rijksmuseum has a lot of impressive and famous paintings, such as the Nightwatch and the Milkmaid. I thought the building was very beautiful as well, so make sure to pay attention to the rooms you’re in, in addition to the artworks.

Lastly, I want to show you guys the library. The rijksmuseum has the largest and oldest collection of art books in the Netherlands. It looks absolutely magnificent and it’s so peaceful and quiet in there!

After our visit to the Rijksmuseum we decided it was time for lunch. The weather was fine so we decided to have lunch outside at Café Cobra. Since we we’re playing tourist in our own country, it was time for a Dutch delicacy, namely: Kroketten!
I have lived in the Netherlands for my entire life but only recently I discovered how delicious these things are. As a child, I didn’t like them so I never ate them until a year ago. Then I had three within the week. They. are. amazing. It’s a deep fried snack made from ragout. And if you have them with bread and butter, it’s a lunch. If you’re ever in the Netherlands, make sure to try them at least once!