Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

On December 18, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Netherlands3 Comments

Although we only had a couple of days in Amsterdam, one of the places that we wanted to visit was the Rijksmuseum. It is the Dutch National Museum and is dedicated to the arts and history of the Netherlands. It is also the largest art museum in the country and it displays more than 8,000 pieces. The building itself is actually quite beautiful and first opened its doors in 1885.

There were a couple of things that we found quite interesting and made visiting this museum a little different than most other museums that we have visited. First was that there is a working library within the museum where people can read some of the literature that they have collected. Obviously, it isn’t a lending library and we aren’t sure what credentials are required to get access to the library, but it was interesting to see. The other thing was that they have an active display of art restoration in progress. Like everything else in life, art restoration has become extremely high-tech.

Of all of the artwork in the museum, The Night Watch by Rembrandt is probably the most famous. There are other famous Rembrandt paintings there as well, but this painting is definitely given a place of honor. We didn’t spend as much time in the museum as we would have hoped to, but we really enjoyed everything that we saw. The Rijksmuseum is definitely worth visiting if you have the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam.

Halls of History

On August 2, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge5 Comments

When visiting the palaces, museums, and castles around the world, it is amazing to see the volume of art that exists in these amazing places. In many cases, there is so much artwork that they literally line the hallways with the art that they have collected. Halls are not just a way to traverse from one room to another room, but is a destination in and of itself. Whether lined with paintings, sculptures, tapestries, books, or rare artifacts, the amount of art can become overwhelming. It is hard to imagine the wealth of some of the kings and queens that collected such vast amounts of historic pieces and horded them for their own benefit. Fortunately, over time, these pieces of history have been returned to the public in the form of museums and other sites that have been opened to the public. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Hallways, we have chosen some photos of our favorite halls that surround you with incredible pieces of art.

Library in Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland

Warwick Castle Hallway Converts to a Banquet Room

An Overwhelming, Emotional Experience

On July 26, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn New York, Photo Challenge13 Comments

When we visited New York City in July of 2015, we went to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Walking through the exhibit was almost surreal. Despite the number of people, it was so quiet that you literally could have heard a pin drop as people walked to each of the displays. The museum is set up so that as you walk through it, you see events in chronological order as they occurred on that fateful day that every American who was alive at that time can remember vividly. At one point, you get to see the remains of one of fire trucks that was crushed in the collapse and your heart can’t help but sink thinking about the first responders that arrived in that vehicle. We have great respect for first responders and the sacrifices that they make. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Fire Trucks, Fire Houses, and Fire Hydrants, we have a couple of photos that we took during our visit to the museum.

One of the Fire Trucks from September 11

People Viewing the Fire Truck in the Museum

Fire in Colorado Springs is a scary thing as we have had a couple of devastating fires in the area. When a fire broke out in our neighborhood just a few days after the Waldo Canyon Fire burned down hundreds of homes, it was quite unnerving. Thankfully, the fire fighters got it under control quickly.