~ The Secret Attic Church~
:: This unsuspecting home hides a huge secret. In the attic of this merchants home, a church was built in 1663 in secret, during a time when it was unsafe to worship openly.
Persecuted individuals were also hidden away during World War II in this building.
The Dutch kitchen
(I get my tiled kitchen from no where strange!)
But in the attic:
~ The Rijksmuseum ~
:: Possibly my greatest disappointment, this Museum was SO massive and SO extensive and we could devote only 1 1/2 hours to see it. Obviously, we saw just a small fraction of what was available. I left wishing we had devoted an entire day to touring it a bit more properly and feeling a little bit heart-broken.
~ Begijnhof in Amsterdam~
:: The Begijnhof is an enclosed courtyard dating from the early 14th century. Built as a santuary for protestant 'nuns'- women who wanted to devote their lives to the service of God but abstained from taking monastic vows.
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| The Protestant church (There was a Catholic church also- exactly opposite) |
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| buried in the front of the church |
At the train station~
~ The Hague ~
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| Parliamentary buildings |
~The Mauritshuis Museum~
This was a much smaller, more accessible museum. I prefered this Museum by far. Getting to stand face to face with masterpieces. No crowds to contend with. Time to linger.
Just me staring into the strokes of the masters.
It is still unfathomable to me that I was able to stand inches away from the very paintings that my children and I have enjoyed throughout their education.
My mind? Blown.
And I can not ever be the same.