Our first big attraction that we got to see when we arrived in Amsterdam was the Maritime Museum on Wednesday, May 18th. The Maritime Museum was able to showcase the history of the ports of Amsterdam and general sea life. The tour was split into two parts: the exhibit tour and the boat tour. We had a wonderful tour guide who made the tour very enjoyable and was able to answer all of our questions and take our time on exhibits that we showed more interest in.
My two favorite exhibits at the museum was the boat tour and the whale exhibit. I enjoyed the boat tour because it gave guests the ability to have a realistic look about how life was like on the sea. We were able to lay in the hammocks that the lower class had to sleep in, see the officer sleeping quarters, see the difference in meals with the rich and the poor shipmates, and learn about overall survival and social class status on the ship. The whale exhibit talked about the history of the Dutch and their involvement with hunting whales throughout history. The exhibit also had details on what the whale was used for and how it contributed back to the Dutch society and how they are trying to save the whales today.
With the two exhibits mentioned above, we were also able to see hand drawn atlases and 17th century compasses and navigational tools. Overall, I had a wonderful time on the tour and would highly recommend it as a site to see if visiting Amsterdam.
When I think about the conditions that the sailors were subject to, I am amazed that the survival rate was as high as 50%! I also am very impressed with their navigational skills. The tools seem rudimentary, but they certainly got the job done!
ReplyDeleteYassss! I was definitely impressed by that boat tour as well! The whole time during the tour, I was just thinking to myself, "Wow! What would've I done if I was alive during this time!". Its crazy to think that almost 330 people lived on that ship for an average of 9 months! That must have really sucked, and it just makes me think of how grateful I am of where I am today.
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