Afternoon 1:45 PM

We went for a walk through Amsterdam, which is brimming with life, the narrow streets, and the buildings that have witnessed much history. There were enormous squares that reminded me of images I'd seen on the internet of Venice and Italy, as well as buildings that reminded me of Paris. But it isn't any of those places, and it doesn't need to be compared to be appreciated; it was magnificent in its own right. 

The Dutch are fast walkers, and Mr. Clemense moved at a breakneck pace that we couldn't match. We didn't get any beautiful photographs, but we did have some fantastic moments and met many wonderful individuals. The beauty of the canals and ancient homes, the friendliness of the Dutch, the museums, the parks, and the overall quality of life were all highlights for me. I loved the city's multicultural vibe, the café culture, the art, and the growing entrepreneurial community! In a nutshell, I adored it all.

Charming. Quaint. Lovely. Picturesque. Beautiful. The canals of Amsterdam deserve all of these overused adjectives and more. It's not only the river that runs through the neighborhoods that makes it so lovely. It is the attraction of the entire scene: the floating houseboats, the seemingly limitless number of bridges, and the intricate architecture of the gabled houses in the background.

Zerina and I were upset that we couldn't take decent photographs, so we decided to walk slowly behind them and soak in the beauty of the canals. I wanted to capture photos of mine along canals, and Zerina helped me in doing so. We walked down the busy streets, not knowing where it took us. 

In a canal that provided us a beautiful view of Amsterdam, Mr. Clemense stopped. In that place, I might be anything or nothing at all. People flowed like rivers, and rivers chattered like people, never stopping for obstacles and instead swirling around them. We took group photographs together, and we all looked tired and parched. It was still not the end of the journey. Mr. Clemense informed us that we will be visiting Rembrandt's Rijksmuseum. 

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is the Dutch National Museum of Arts and History. The museum has a collection of 1 million artifacts dating from 1200 to 2000, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer. The Rijksmuseum is the Netherlands' largest and most visited art museum. 

The Rijksmuseum's passageway connects the two halves of the atrium, with glass panels giving passers-by a glimpse into the museum's grand interior. The passage's excellent acoustics make it popular among street musicians. It was free to enter, but we were not allowed to take photos, use selfie sticks, or touch any of the antiques. We took a left from the Atrium, the museum's heart, and left our luggage at the counter. 

The size of the museum was enormous! To prevent direct sunlight, the unique zigzagging roof structure, glazed northern elevation, and slanted, triangular-shaped sidewall windows guarantee that only northern light is permitted. All of the studios, corridors, doorways, and lifts were taller and broader than usual, allowing huge pieces of art to pass easily. 

It had four floors in total. The walls in the basement and first floors were painted white, and all of the white gold antiques, such as delftwares (white and blue potteries and ceramic plates) made of tin-glazed earthenware, weapons, jewelry boxes, and sculptures, were placed on the designated shelves locked inside the glass lid. We were surprised to see Indian statues of Lord Natarajan, Nandi, Manjushri, Temple watchers, and many more Goddesses.

The works of prominent painters and nameless artists were shown on the second and third floors. We discovered numerous artifacts, including a model of a 17th century Willian Rex ship, a Dollhouse, Delftsblauw, Nova Zembla shipwreck, Kanon, Vliegtuigand (Model of the first plane), archaeological finds, clothing, weapons, prints, photos, and many others.

The Rijksmuseum displayed three ancient dolls' houses among its odder exhibits. These 17th-century oddities were not toys for children, but rather a costly hobby for affluent women. Houses such as this were decorated with glass, silver, china, and textile furnishings created exactly to scale.

The exhibits brought the rich cultural heritage of the Netherlands to life.

A bit like that scene in Beauty and the Beast, where Beast reveals his literary side in an attempt to win the affections of bookworm Belle – or the Citadel of Masters in Game of Thrones, the Rijksmuseum boasts a pretty spectacular library hiding inconspicuously between its galleries.

The book lover's paradise, the Cuypers Library is the oldest and most extensive collection of art history texts in the Netherlands. We were always welcome to use the library to delve deeper into the Rijksmuseum collection. IPads were available for general use and there was free WiFi access both in the library and throughout the museum.

The typical library etiquette of silence was very much expected there, and we were kindly reminded of this fact by a friendly staff member. 

We looked into the paintings, and every painting had a story of healing, of seeking "love-tings" and "comfort-tings." We all decided to walk independently to the second floor and glance at the displays. Elegant exhibit cases, plinths, lighting, and furnishings comprised the gallery of honor. I am a gregarious person who enjoys interacting with others. 

Suddenly, a woman stood next to me, and I said, "Hello," to which she replied, "Hello." She seemed to be Korean, and she was kind and lovely from the start. So I asked whether she was from Korea, to which she replied, "Yes, nice to meet you."

I knew she was someone I was familiar with. And then I went on to the next piece of art. But her face kept flashing throughout my head, so I went to Zerina and said, "I think I know who she is." She had people recording her, but no one recognized her. Then I used the museum's free wifi to search for her, and there I discovered that it was BLACKPINK ROSE.

When I discovered it was Rose, I was extremely surprised. At that time I wasn't a blink but always listen to every Blackpink song. I realized that we dance to the song "Kill this love" and listen to Jennie's Solo only a few days ago. Her bodyguard never allowed us to take pictures with her and he continuously said 'Aniyeo - means no' in Korean. We failed to take proper pictures of her and everything looked fuzzy when we checked it later. Blackpink was in Amsterdam for a concert. 

We were talking about something as we entered the museum, and I told Lewis that I had always hoped to run into a celebrity while out and about, but it had never happened to me to which he comically replied that "Okay, you'll meet BTS here".  And I had never imagined I'd meet one sooner. We hurried back to Lewis and Yusef and informed them what had happened, and we were all back again, but she had disappeared. 

The Night Watch by Rembrandt is without a doubt the highlight of the Rijksmuseum collection. It was quite packed, and people stood there for more than 20 minutes watching just one artwork. There are several fascinating anecdotes associated with that renowned picture. The Night Watch was first painted in the 17th century in Amsterdam. The picture was moved to Amsterdam's City Hall, but it was too tiny to fit on the wall. It was then removed and relocated to a more appropriate wall before being repainted. The Night Watch by Rembrandt was once much larger than it is now.

When I tried showing Zerina an Indian flag on a Dutch artwork, I almost touched it unbeknownst to myself, but the security guards came hurrying and warned, "You are not permitted to do that." which made me feel a little uneasy at the time. 

We gained knowledge about artists, art, and its history. I'd always wanted to see the Rijksmuseum, and these two hours of my life would be one of my most memorable. Everything we saw and did will be remembered fondly.

Afternoon 3:30 PM

Mr. Clemense took us to a Bloemenmarkt (Flower market) to purchase tulip bulbs to gift to our Indian school. Each barge has a glasshouse on it floating in the river, similar to the greenhouses seen across the countryside. We were bombarded with everything flower-related from the time we stepped into this mini-botanical garden set along the canal, including a million various types of souvenirs, all of which were roughly the same price even at different sellers. 

Daffodils, amaryllis, crocus, narcissus, tulips, peony roots, and other bulbs were available for purchase, as were cactus and potted plants/herbs. It was my host mom's birthday, and I thought it would be wonderful to purchase her seeds because she enjoys gardening. I'm not familiar with seeds or flower bulbs. I bought it since I spotted the colorful images pasted above the seed wrapper but I prayed to God for it to grow well.

We spotted bicycles all over the place as we headed back to get a tram. As lovers of pedal power, we were amazed by the number of individuals who used bicycles as a mode of transportation. We were astounded by how easily individuals went around on bicycles, especially while carrying groceries, musical instruments, and several children. 

It was time for lunch, so we boarded a tram. We were all starving and needed to eat something. While we were talking in the morning, he recommended that we try some new cuisines, not the Dutch again for dinner, and decided on Chinese. We returned to the Central Station and got into our cars. Later, Mr. Clemense stated that it was not even time for dinner and that we may go home and eat dinners at our own houses, which disappointed all of us. 

Do you think we went hungry? So, what am I going to eat?

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How much did you like Amsterdam? Have you ever wanted to visit Venice? Keep an eye out for the Mini-Venice in the Netherlands.

Much love❤