A Quick Stop at Amsterdam’s Museum Square

A few weeks ago I was double-checking a few things and noticed that my passport had less then 6 months to expiration. That may seem like plenty of time to process a renewal but many countries won’t let you enter with a passport that expires in the next six months. I immediately scheduled an appointment with the the American Consulate in Amsterdam to get a replacement. Not one to waste the drive into Amsterdam I also checked out a few of Amsterdam’s museums while I was there.

The American Consulate has a great location on the corner of Amsterdam’s Museum Square. This makes it convenient to combine a visit to the consulate with some time in amazing museums. We have Museumkaarts which allow access to most of the museums in the Netherlands. So I really can just drop in.

I popped into the Van Gogh Museum first. You have to find the ticket booth and exchange your Museumkaart for a ticket before heading over to the entrance building. The lines were already quite long and when I got into the museum it was crowded. The beautify of the Museumkaart is that I could poke around a bit and leave when the crowds became too much.

The top floors were more than I was willing to handle. I had the Little Little and stroller with me, so the crowds were preventing me from even seeing many of the paintings.

I’ve had the chance to visit the Van Gogh museum before so I headed downstairs to the less crowded self portraits and the children’s exhibit which tend to be less crowded.

They have created a little touch area for children, including some reproduced works. I love this area because it’s never crowded and I’m really fascinated by the feel and look of the layered paint.

It is a really cool experience to touch a painting. My Little Little loved it. It was nice even just to speed through the museum after having traveled in Provence to many of the places Van Gogh was painting. (Read about our visit to the Van Gogh trail in Arles.)

The cafe in the Van Gogh museum is one of my favorites. It is glass, modern and bright. I got a coffee and cake and sat down for a little respite from the crowds. I decided I would head out and try one of the other museums on Amsterdam’s museum square.

I did stop on the way out in the gift shop when this little guy caught my eye. I didn’t take crocheted Van Gogh home. . .but I sure wanted to.

Van Gogh Miffy was also a hit with my little, but we left him behind too.

The Stedelijk Museum, just down the large grassy area, was far less crowded. I spent the better part of an hour wandering around with the Little Little on a hunt for bright colors, animals or anything else that would hold his attention.

The Stedelijk Museum delivered with plenty of fun things we both enjoyed. The Little Little’s newest trick is asking if things are “my puppy” and making the ASL sign for puppy. So these dogs were a big hit.

We fond plenty of other fun things to look at as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the while the Little Little looked on happily from his stroller. It turns out he is a great museum partner.

 

 

I also really enjoyed and found relevant the political satire and posters displayed all over one of the walls in the  museum.

When my little guy started to doze off I opted to head out of the museum so he would nap in the car. There is an Albert Heijn on Amsterdam’s Museum Square that leads right into where I parked. I was able to grab some groceries before heading to my car.

It’s so nice to be able to take advantage of an errand and turn it into a wonderful little outing. I was still home in plenty of time to pick up the Big Little from school. A few days later my new passport was delivered to my door. Perfection.