When I first heard that the Museum Boerhaave was closed for renovations, I was disappointed. Little did I know that we would be treated to a rare opportunity. In the past 20 or so years, the exhibits have been untouched. With the redesign of the exhibits, they were now in storage. Thanks to the curators, we got to take a sneak peek at several artifacts, most notably, a Leeuwenhoek microscope.
The microscope itself may have been small, but its effect on history was enormous. The continual development of microscopes and other technologies have sparked millions of scientific discoveries. The fact that we, a random group from Platteville, got to be closer to this piece of technology than the author our book made me speechless. I think I speak for all of us when I say that I was honored to witness my own little slice of history.
Friday, May 20, 2016
The First Adventure: The Maritime Museum
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.
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.
National Maritime Museum Photography Exhibit
At the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam, there is an exhibit that has many old pictures from boat excursions that date all the way back to the 1800's. There were multiple different types of pictures that were taken, such as landscape, still life, and portraits. There were many different amateur and professional photographers who would accompany the boat excursions to take these pictures. The excursions were mostly made for leisure for the upper/middle class at this time or for people who wanted to travel and explore the world. At the exhibit, there were books of photos which compiled either many different excursions or a few specific ones. The photos were put together in book by either a photographer or an upper class individual who had used photographs from many different photographers.
One of the most interesting things that I found in the pictures were some of the activities that they did on the boat. One of them was a pool that the boat passengers would be able to swim in when it was nice outside. The pictures had around four people in the small pool, which was located on the top deck of that boat. It was supported by wooden boards and beams. Another interesting aspect was two different pictures that featured two separate entertainment bands on the boat. One band was dressed up very nicely, while the other was not quite as fancy. The difference between them was one band was for the upper class and the other was for the middle class. Overall, I thought that the multitude of pictures shown in this exhibit gave a glimpse into what life was like on boat exertions from the 1800's.
One of the most interesting things that I found in the pictures were some of the activities that they did on the boat. One of them was a pool that the boat passengers would be able to swim in when it was nice outside. The pictures had around four people in the small pool, which was located on the top deck of that boat. It was supported by wooden boards and beams. Another interesting aspect was two different pictures that featured two separate entertainment bands on the boat. One band was dressed up very nicely, while the other was not quite as fancy. The difference between them was one band was for the upper class and the other was for the middle class. Overall, I thought that the multitude of pictures shown in this exhibit gave a glimpse into what life was like on boat exertions from the 1800's.
Monday, April 4, 2016
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