Amsterdam 2018: Van Gogh and Lunch in the Jordaan, Amsterdam, Netherlands

I tend not to plan a lot before I come to Amsterdam, preferring to take things as I fancy once I’ve arrived in this great city that I know quite well. I was however organised enough to buy a ticket online to visit the Van Gogh Museum this morning. I’d actually been thinking about it for a while, but after seeing Andrew Graham-Dixon’s documentary Stealing Van Gogh on BBC2 TV on Wednesday, I knew I just had to go back; I hadn’t visited the museum for about 20 years!

I always book ahead of travelling if I want to visit a major museum or gallery, especially one as popular as the Van Gogh Museum, to save queuing and be sure of getting in. I booked a 10.00am entry slot in the hope that by going early it wouldn’t be too busy. It turned out to be a good move as it was fairly quiet when I arrived but busy by the end of my visit.

I was surprised at how quiet it was in the city as I walked to the museum after breakfast, around 9.30. Amsterdam was still sleeping. Even on a Saturday morning when I expected it to be busy and crowds of tourists starting to fill the streets. It was however delightful. It always feels so special to have a city almost to yourself early in the morning; the winter light just about showing through the clouds. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).