While my husband and I were staying in <\/span>The Hague<\/span><\/u><\/a> we took a daytrip up to Amsterdam. It was a beautiful day spent at the famous Rijksmuseum bookended by some beautiful spots we found for lunch and dinner. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Rijksmuseum was closed for about 10 years in the early 2000’s for major renovations, and during that time a lot of its collection was sent out to exhibitions all over the world. Back in 2007 I took a trip up to Portland, Oregon to see an exhibition of Rembrandts from the Rijksmuseum. It was in that exhibition that I saw Dutch still lifes up close in person, and was first inspired to try more detailed and realistic still lifes in my own studio. So I have known of the Rijksmuseum and have been wanting to visit it for many, many years.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n We arrived late morning by train. It was raining and the tourist-heavy area right outside the train station was a bit seedy. Amsterdam is of course known for it’s less… highbrow entertainment, but Nowell and I are happy to focus on food and art for our travel thrills. I felt like maybe getting a higher view of the city would help us get our bearings.<\/span><\/wow-image><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n<\/span>A quick Google search for lunch spots with a view lead us to <\/span>Cafe Blue<\/span><\/u><\/a>, a fantastic lunch and brunch restaurant with 360-degree views. The Google maps address lead us to a blank wall though, and it was a bit confusing to find the entrance until we figured out that we had to circle the block and go into a shopping mall and ride the elevator to the top. By the time we got up there and ordered lunch the rain had stopped and the skies cleared, and we were cheered up by seeing beauty of Amsterdam’s rooftops and steeples.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n