Today should have been a great day, but due to a few unfortunate events things did not go so well. For Art and Architecture we had another museum trip. This time we went to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Kyler, Steef, and I left on a 9:30 train. I was not feeling the best and apparently fell asleep on the train. Falling asleep in a moving vehicle is very unusual for me. I must have been completely out because Kyler said that before the Schiphol Airport station the train came to a complete stop and waited a few minutes before continuing on its way. There was an announcement about security, but Kyler didn’t know what it said since it was in Dutch. I don't remember any of this. There must have been something going on because we saw more policemen and train conductors today than usual.
When we arrived in Amsterdam, we took a tram to the Rijksmuseum. It is at least a 25-30 minute walk to the museum from Centraal station. I was very glad to take the tram since it was raining and very cold. The tram ride cost about 1 Euro so it was well worth it.
The Rijksmuseum has been under construction for a number of years. Renovations were supposed to be completed by now but due to some problems, it could be a few years before they fully open again. The museum has artifacts that are important to the history of the Netherlands as well as paintings by famous artists. We saw paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and many others. The prize piece in the museum’s collection is Rembrandt’s painting Night Watch. This painting is very large. It is now about 11 feet 10 inches by 14 feet 4 inches. Originally, the painting was even larger, but it was cut down in size to fit into a certain area years ago. Today, a security guard sits near the painting because many people have vandalized this wonderful work of art. People have put knives through it and sprayed it with acid. Thankfully, the painting was restored almost back to its original condition. To enter the museum we even had to go through security. I had flashbacks to the airport! If anyone reading this is ever in Amsterdam, I would recommend going to the Rijksmuseum. Even though parts of it were closed for renovation, there was still plenty to see.
After the museum, Kyler and I went to Dam Square to meet Joel who was planning to join us for the afternoon. Kyler and I waited for awhile and decided we needed to get something to eat. So we went to a fast food wok place. I ordered pork with noodles. I wouldn’t order it again but it wasn’t too bad. We got a lot of food for what we paid which was nice. Joel arrived and we walked around for a little while. I was really cold and decided that I would return to Leiden. This ride was my third trip alone from Leiden to Amsterdam and I thought I had the train schedules figured out. However, somehow I made a mistake. I got about 10 minutes outside of Leiden and the train stopped at a little station. Everyone had to get off the train. To make a long story short, I had to wait for a half an hour for the next train to come. I was very irritated with myself. When Kyler and Joel came back they had problems as well. Their train which was supposed to stop in Leiden did not. So, we decided that something must have been wrong with the lines and that caused our problems. It was a little frustrating, but everyone made it back to Leiden safely.
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