I know, it’s not enough…but it’s what I had: and it’s only coincidentally named after the New York Times article series (they do 36 waking hours; mine was total).
The first order of business was to get a reservation at the Rijksmuseum because I have loved Vermeer and the other Dutch Interior painters since I was a teenager. Second point of order was a reservation at De Kas–because that was the restaurant the head chef on our Holland America (Inside Passage Alaskan) cruise recommended back when I took a cooking class from him in 2009 (BTW cruise-ship galleys are AWESOME: 140°F water comes out of the tap, and all their ranges are induction).
Then, I had to fill in the spaces in-between, up to the 36 hours I had in the city. Right off the plane I was able to check in early to my hotel: the opulent, clubby, Art-Deco Park Centraal Amsterdam. It was like a block from their to the Rijksmuseum, so I made my 10 am reservation no problem. I had a small breakfast in their nice café and then hit the Gallery of Honor before it got too crowded. I will never get over how modern Vermeer’s techniques were–he had an obsession with lenses and mirrors and understood long before photography was possible how to use paint to simulate optical experiences of light and color. The museum’s collection of ceramics was a nice surprise as well as the modern Japanese lacquerwares in the Asia Pavilion.
For a late lunch I popped over to the Food Halle, which is exactly what it sounds like, for a plate of Irish, French, and Dutch oysters (the Dutch were my favorite–savory and fresh) and a local saison-style beer. I also tried bitterballen, the famous Dutch croquettes, and was underwhelmed by the bland, starchy interior, but maybe I just didn’t get them at the right place.
Dinner at De Kas was amazing. It’s in a park, in what used to be an old set of glasshouses for growing trees, and now they grow most of the fruits and vegetables for the restaurant there in the complex, which includes a small orchard and potager. I did the five-course prix fixe, and everything very good: standouts for me were the morel mushroom course and the pre-dinner snack of cassava-and-mustard crackers with celery dip. Walking back in the late sunset along the canals was pure bliss.
The next morning I trekked over to Holtkamp for a couple of traditional almond gevulke koeken, which I meant to pair with coffee, but all the coffee shops were closed at 9 am! Maybe coffee is a later-morning thing in Amersterdam. I picked up some snacks for a picnic lunch and rented a bike, then spent the next couple of hours toodling along the “green routes” through Park Centraal, the Bos, and back along the Amstel river. The Olympic rowing pool in the Bos was impressive, and I enjoyed picnicking and watching people playing with their dogs in the beautiful weather. The light in Amsterdam is really special when it’s sunny out–glowing a bit with sea haze: you can see why so many centuries of painters have flourished there. I got to take a special bike ferry run by a cheerful captain who, when I asked him when the next sailing was, said, “As soon as you’re on board!” I watched more boats go up and down the river as I finished up with a traditional apple tart at the Theehuis am Amstel.
Then, it was time to turn the bike back in and hop on the train to the airport. But I really can’t imagine a better introduction to a city I’d like to go back and spend much more time in.
The Rookery 