Panorama Mestag highlight in Netherlands

Old Jul 14th, 2017, 01:58 PM
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Panorama Mestag highlight in Netherlands

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice before my recent trip to the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Itay. It was one of my usual combos of work determining part of my trip, my love of snow cap mountains determining another and consideration of my beloved husband requiring travel logistics modifications.
Work was really piled up when I returned and we go out of town again in one week, so I will post a trip report as time permits.

I only had a few days in the Netherlands, including a Monday when not only most museums but also many shops and restaurants are closed, but I still got in some sightseeing.
I ended up staying in Leiden at the Ibis--ideal location across from the train station and affordable. I didn't like the town that much compared to others.

Train to Haarlem was easy. I really enjoyed an afternoon/evening strolling and eating at a sidewalk cafe despite the dark clouds and wind threatening rain. It was a relaxing way to deal with jetlag.

Train to Den Haag was also easy but the construction in front of the station threw me off a bit with my bearings. I walked a lot (10 miles or so that day) and visited several sights, but the highlight was the Panorama Mestag. Thanks so much to those of you here who promote it. A tour group came in and at first made the viewing unpleasant, but I went downstairs and sat on the floor to watch the video about the restoration, the group left, and I had the painting almost to myself for as long as I wanted. Watching the video made me appreciate it much more. Simply enchanting. Later I rode the tram out to the beach to see it today for comparison.

An interesting experience in the city--a dark car was escorted by 10-12 motorcyclists. I turned the corner to see they had dismounted and saluted whoever had existed the car. I missing an important person sighting by moments!

I chose to go to Paleis Het Loo instead of the Kroller Muller Museum. I decided visiting both from Leiden in one day was too much. I enjoyed some details about life in the paleis, the gardens and the sleighs are interesting, and the park gave me some nature with a place to picnic. It does take several hours to traverse most of it.

After seeing Amersfoort from the train, I decided to stop on the return and I'm very glad I did. The old city is small, but a delight to walk though and enjoy the canals, the gates, the tower, etc. I settled into a sidewalk cafe for a good fish dinner selected with the help or despite the Dutch language knowledge of the Australian waiter. I followed the tourist route suggested in a booklet purchased at the tourist bureau. Rain fell at times, but I was able to miss most of it by the timing of my dinner.
(Another 10 mile day).
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Old Jul 14th, 2017, 09:18 PM
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I'm glad you enjoyed two of my favourite places. Panorama Mesdag is a delight and a surprise. I never fail to be delighted by my visits there.
Amersfoort is just down the road from me, and my son lives there. Piet Mondriaan was born there. His birthplace is a museum, and Museum Flehite is also interesting. Outside the town is a WW2 concentration camp which is very moving to visit.
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Old Jul 15th, 2017, 01:24 AM
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I first came to know about the Panorama Mesdag by seeing Robert Altman's 1990 movie about Vincent Van Gogh, "Vincent & Theo". The instant I saw the panorama in the movie, I wanted to see it for real. It must have been at least 10 years or more until I made it to the Netherlands, but it was a wonderful "mission accomplished." It was even much better than I had imagined. We went in winter in a rainy day, so a trip to the beach to compare the view didn't happen.

While in Den Haag I included a visit to the Gemeentemuseum because I am an admirer of Mondriaan's work. I didn't know until now, thanks to hetismi2's post, that there is a museum at his birthplace in Amersfoort, so I will be sure to visit the next time I am in the Netherlands.
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Old Jul 15th, 2017, 08:47 AM
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9292.nl was great for planning my trips by public transport. Then with the free wifi on trains, I was able to check for updates due to construction and delays, alternate routes, etc. Several trains I used were 5+ minutes late. I was concerned that I would miss my connection at Schipol for Leiden in the evening, but could check online that the connecting train was passing through Amsterdam Sud like us. I looked out the window and saw it on the board of the other side of the platform, so I was able to dash across and connect there rather than waiting for Schipol where I would probably have missed it due to distant platforms.

Some tickets I bought in machines, but when I went to the window, the clerks were very informative and always wanted to print out suggested itinerary with connections and platforms. Small surcharge for using credit card. I'm unsure if there was a discount for buying day in advance. I liked that tickets were not tied to specific trains or routes, so I could buy ticket to final destination, but hop off/on if I chose to and just scanned ticket out/in.

A group of us were waiting at least 10 minutes in advance for a slightly late train on the designated platform somewhere. As the train pulls into the station, an employee walks up to one fellow who was sitting and talking to him loudly in Dutch, motioned down the platform. As people starting moving, I followed the crowd. When I stopped, another passenger was nice enough to talk to me and then switch to English for several of us--some of the cars would stay at the station and only the first few cars were proceeding. No problem, I've experience trains splitting before, but why wait until the train was moving into the station where expected, then anxiously shout and wave. It seemed to be routine-after rush hour, so not so many cars needed. I heard several international tourists lamenting the lack of English announcements when trains were delayed or changed. I'm always torn on this issue--we were in the Netherlands and the language is Dutch, but the reality is that a substantial minority of the travelers do not understand Dutch.
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Old Jul 15th, 2017, 09:44 AM
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I bet there aren't too any announcements on Amtrak in Dutch, French or Arapaho either.

Amsterdam Zuid, not Sud. Surcharge for the window, over the machine, and no discounts for buying earlier.
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Old Jul 15th, 2017, 10:46 AM
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That's always my feeling about language--the local official language is, of course, appropriate. Other languages depend on how much the local officials and residents want to cater to foreign visitors. I noticed in several areas I visited in Switzerland that attract large tour groups that signs and announcements were in Japanese in addition to local languages.

I like to know at least basic words in the local language wherever I travel, but I can't claim to know enough in all languages to understand announcements about train delays or cars splitting off.

Sometimes I get to perform a good deed for a fellow foreign visitor who is from a non-English speaking country when an announcement is made in English, but the other visitor still doesn't understand. With English as my first language I can sometimes understand a broader range of accents and vocabulary while understanding the other visitor's confusion as also a tourist. I was able to help out a couple of times on this trip. I appreciate the Dutch travelers who helped me too.
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Old Jul 15th, 2017, 10:55 PM
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Didn't like Leiden? Didn't like Leiden? It's beautiful! (but it's not at all obvious from the area around the station)
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Old Jul 17th, 2017, 08:43 AM
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"I didn't like the town that much compared to others." Nothing bad about the town; just like others more.

I did wander along streets and canals. I wasn't around during proper days/hours to go inside the windmill. Mondays are not the best day to see any town when much is shuttered, so that colored one of my days. Also, maybe the rain kept the city from shining, but I enjoyed Haarlem and Amersfoort more on this trip.
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