Atlantica - 01.09.2002, Blaðsíða 26

24 A T L A N T I C A
could sense that although people disagree with many of the late
Fortuyn’s ideas, they also sympathised with his policy that people
should be who they are, but also be part of the society of 16 mil-
lion which makes up the nation.
AN ESSENTIAL STOP FOR ANYONE passing through Amsterdam is
the Rijksmuseum, where the largest selection of artwork in the
whole of Holland can be found. The highlight is, of course,
Rembrandt’s painting of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and
Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch, better known as The
Nightwatch. The patch of floor in front of the painting is usually
packed, so it’s just as well that the most famous painting by the
master of the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age, is large enough for
many pairs of eyes to enjoy at once. All the other halls of this
magnificent museum are also full of grand pieces of art. It’s an
incomparable feeling to stand eye-to-eye with Van Gogh’s self-
portrait, contemplate the scene at The Battle of Waterloo on the
giant painting by Pieneman, and marvel at the peaceful moment
captured in the work of Johannes Vermeer, which shows a Kitchen
Maid pouring milk into a bowl. It would be easy to spend days at
the Rijksmuseum, but there are also a number of other great
museums in the city. By the Museumplein square, where the
Rikjsmuseum stands, you will find two other museums worth vis-
iting: the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, the best modern art
museum in the city, and the Van Gogh Museum, which has around
200 paintings and 500 drawings by the suffering genius.
And these are only three of the nearly 50 museums and countless
galleries which can be found all over the city. Photography enthu-
siasts should drop by the Huis Marseilles (Keizersgracht 401),
which is a small but very good photograph gallery situated in an
especially beautiful location.
IN AMSTERDAM, THERE ARE OTHER THINGS than just the pot-smoking
guests of the coffeshops, that can’t quite stand up straight. Some
of the city’s 200- to 300-year-old houses don’t seem to know where
to put their feet, and so they find themselves standing at a bit of a
LEFT: EYEBALLING VAN GOGH AT THE RIJKSMUSEUM; THE EVER-ROMANTIC JORDAAN NEIGHBOURHOOD.
Anna Prins
Psychology student
What’s your favourite
neighbourhood in
the city?
“Jordaan, where there are a
lot of young people, many
good restaurants and small
shops, and a generally relaxed
and nice atmosphere.“
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