We stayed at the Inntel Hotel in Zaandam, travelling a couple of stops by train to Amsterdam Centraal. The hotel supplied us with a handy map of the city. We walked to to museum a distance of 2.6km – dodging cyclists all the way and breathing in secondhand cannabis smoke. By the time we arrived there we were ready for a sit down!
It was a Saturday and extremely busy. Fortunately we had pre-booked our tickets online, which cut down the queuing to some extent. Once inside we were impressed by the way the building had been renovated. Our first stop was the cafe, which meant queuing to wait for a free table. There was nothing wrong with the quality of the food on offer, but the service was rather disorganised.
We were given a floor plan of the museum itself, which should have made things simpler, but we found it confusing as there were two wings, several floors and the lifts were hard to find.
However, the works of art on display were superb and the paintings had been beautifully restored. We particularly enjoyed the Dutch masters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer. The place was so vast however, that we could not see everything. Some of the works were so popular that it was impossible to view them satisfactorily and it would have been difficult for anyone in a wheelchair. it was a great visit but tiring as there are not many places to sit down.
It will mean a return visit sometime and definitely on a weekday.
