Amsterdam Highlight: Free art at Schiphol Airport
Editor’s Note: Pete and Meredith just spent a long weekend in Amsterdam. This is the first of several posts from their recent journey.
Homeward bound
You know the scene, Cheapos. It was a bleary day in Amsterdam and we were a bit veklempt about bidding farewell to all the old school bicycles, chocolate with our morning coffee, and gorgeous canal views, but alas…it was time to return to New York.
A heavy fog loomed over the city causing airport delays. We were in a fog of our own, after multiple nights out on the town, days spent roaming the streets, and a less-than-friendly sleeping arrangement due to a hotel room that was directly under a construction site (but more on that later!).
Happy trails
So we were overjoyed to end up in the middle of gates E and F in the international departures terminal at Schiphol Airport where we could take our good ol’ time browsing the drawings and paintings of Dutch masters like van Dyck, Rembrandt, and Peter Paul Rubens.
Earlier, we had read and even blogged about the free art on display. We were also pretty well aware of the lay-out and comforts that Amsterdam’s well-known airport offers its drifters.
Private collection
We had the gallery to ourselves and spent about 30-minutes combing the exposition, feeling particularly smitten by the watercolors. All in all, a terrific idea. Free art while you wait to take-off. When we finally settled into our seats on a KLM Royal Dutch flight we felt properly cultured, and even watched half of Wall-e in Dutch. (Did somebody say roboten?)
Need to know…
The exhibit, comprised of about a dozen works of art, is sponsored by the Rijksmuseum and ING and focuses mainly on what the Dutch tend to refer to as their “Golden Age” of art, i.e. stuff produced during most of the 17th-century. Visit Schiphol’s Rijksmuseum site for opening and closing times, directions to the terminal, and more.
About the author
Hi poetloverrebelspy –
Yes, Meredith and I were at Schiphol on Tuesday evening, after pulling one of the usual “Hey, our flight leaves in 2 1/2 hours and we still have to pick up our bags at the hotel” routines. The fog made for an especially ethereal return trip to New York.
Love your post about cool museums you’ve never heard of – who would’ve thought you could see a Rembrandt 5 minutes before going through security?
Happy holidays,
Pete
Cheapos, were you flying yesterday? We must have just missed each other (because of that fog) in Schiphol!
I always make a side jaunt to this gallery. I even wrote about it last year: “Cool Museums You’ve Never Heard of.”
Glad you got home safely and hope you enjoyed a few drinks on KLM while watching Wall-E. Happy holidays!
Fine point, Emily. To tell the truth, it took me about 45 minutes to realize the movie wasn’t in English.
If I remember right, I think the first hour of Wall-E has perhaps two lines of dialogue?? But I’m certain it’s even cuter (as if that’s possible) when spoken in Dutch. Welcome home, Cheapos!