On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Captain C
We continue at the Maritime Museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum), finishing up on the Amsterdam and then heading inside. This set will be a little shorter than usual, so I can take advantage of the new limit of 10 to keep the various exhibits together.
The ship’s wheel.
The captain’s table, where he, the officers, and I think the passengers dined. A bit more upscale than the rest of the crew got.
The cargo hold.
This and the next couple photos are from the Republic at Sea permanent exhibition, which tells the story of the Netherlands at sea in the golden age of the Dutch Republic. There were several such nautilus cups here and elsewhere that I saw; this was one of the better ones.
I love the detail in this clock.
Detail from a painting of a combined Dutch and English ship attacking the rather massive fort at Dunkerque.
Joey Maloney
Good morning, tangentially related to the post since it has to do with transportation, kudos to the JAL crew who were able to fully evacuate their loaded A350 while it was on fucking fire upon landing at Narita this afternoon.
It appears there was a runway incursion by a smaller plane of the Japan Coast Guard which was ferrying supplies to the earthquake zone in the west, and the A350 hit it as it was touching down.
All passengers and crew from the A350 are safe; 5 crew members on the Coast Guard plane are dead, while the captain survived.
MelissaM
We all went down to Amster- shhhh!
Anyone else grow up singing that? My brother and I did that and of course would yell the DAM part, as you’re supposed to.
Looking forward to more pics in Amsterdam!
mvr
Thanks for this. I was puzzled about the painting since the Dutch and English were naval competitors for many years before WWII. But as it turns out they formed an alliance against the French from 1689 to 1713, during the reign of William and Marry who were part of the house of Orange. So I learned something today.
EthylEster
I have always wanted to visit that ship exhibit. Thanks for the visuals.
way2blue
Love the nautilus cup. Never would have thought to use a gigantic shell this way. Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
Ruckus
Went there 50+ yrs ago when I was in the Navy and we went to Amsterdam a few times.
My time in the Navy wasn’t all crappy. Did 3 NATO cruises which meant that we were the US part of the NATO forces. The last cruise we were in the very northern port in Norway in the middle of November. It was a tad chilly and the sea temp was 28 degrees. Norway is a very beautiful country as is much of Europe.
Betsy
I biked past that ship and museum several times when I was in Amsterdam for a week at a conference. Did not have a day when I could go in, but thought surely it would be one of the world’s greatest museums!
I did get to go in Rembrandt’s house and studio (Rembrandtshuis) and the national museum of art (Rijksmuseum).
Also biked across the Dutch countryside a little bit. Went inside a working windmill.
Ate a haringbrod (herring sandwich, a little scary with the silvery scales and everything, but completely delicious).
The bike system was so beautifully simple, totally safe, fast, and intuitive to travel on. I biked everywhere and think it’s a shame that more tourists don’t try it.
It’s only intimidating if you’re on foot, *before* you get on a bike — but once you’re on a bike, sitting nice and upright on a comfortable sturdy upright Dutch bike, why then the world lies at your feet! you can be across the city in a few minutes, faster than in a car, with the breeze in your hair!
and all the joy of motion and freedom that is only promised in car commercials.
All fantastic stuff. Love the Dutch way of being.
Looking forward to your additional pictures!
Captain C
@MelissaM: My Dutch mother taught it to me and my siblings, of course.
Captain C
@EthylEster:
@way2blue:
You’re welcome and thanks for the compliments.
Captain C
@Betsy:
If you ever go back, I would highly recommend it. The Amsterdam alone makes it worthwhile, and the permanent and temp exhibits are always good too. When I went in 2013 (after North Sea Jazz) they had an exhibit on the Dutch end of the Atlantic Slave Trade that pulled no punches.
Have not been to the former that I recall, but the latter is as excellent as advertised.
Nice!
Something I always make sure to get, along with fries and poffertjes.
About 20ish years ago, I went to Amsterdam in October with 4 or so friends. Before we went, I told. them about the bike flow (they essentially have right of way always, in practice at least), and noted that in my previous visits, there, the only bike-on-pedestrian collisions I had ever seen involved foreigners, as Amsterdammers were well-acclimated to the various rhythms involved in navigating multiple types of getting around (walking, bikes, trams, buses various other pedestrian conveyances, plus cars and small trucks).
Of course, on our first full there I got clipped by a Dutch woman on a bike in Dam Square. I used my dance floor reflexes to relax and make sure she didn’t fall over, and not even stopping, she rode off and glared at me. “Sorry!” I exclaimed, and upon hearing my obviously American accent, she grinned at me to let me know not to worry. One of my friends mentioned that I had said there were never collisions, and I replied, “No, I said there were never collisions* except involving foreigners, and I am clearly a foreigner.”
*very seldom, but…
Me too. I love the whole rhythm of Amsterdam.
Thanks! We’re not even halfway through.