b'My husband, Jim, and I began(definitely off the beaten path),guards.His techniques created our trip on June 10, 2019.as well as a home-cooked mealthe feeling that the paintings We had never traveled towith his lovely family. We alsoviewer is part of the scene.the Netherlands before andvisited the Mondriaanhuis,The people in his portraits didnt know what to expect,birthplace of Piet Mondrian, alook natural and candid, often which only contributed to ourpioneer of abstract art.appearing to glance at the viewer anticipation of the adventure. as if we have entered the room Surprisingly, the places, people,After saying farewell to ourunannounced. Though Haarlem art, and food exceeded ourfriend, we took a train to Delft,was our final destination, it expectations. Like a good11 courses, featuring creativewhich offers a glimpse into theleft us wanting more of the scavenger hunt, we discoveredcombinations of modern Dutchlife of Johannes Vermeer, theNetherlands.many hidden surprises! flavors and locally-sourced foodsDutch artist who painted Thedefinitely one of the highlightsGirl with the Pearl Earring andI am immensely grateful for the We were immediatelyof our trip. other masterpieces. Vermeer wasopportunity the GDS Brooks immersed in art after arrivingan expert at representing naturalSabbatical provided. As an art in Amsterdam. We stayed atWe instantly connected withlight in his work. In Delft, weteacher who is passionate about the Ambassade Hotel, whichthe people in Holland. Theysaw even more beautiful canals,this period of art history, I hope rests between two scenic canalsare friendly, helpful, and enjoyas well as breathtaking artworkto pass that along to my own and houses a collection of 800showing off their beautifuland architecture. students as my college professor original works from the Cobracountry to visitors. The localsdid years ago! Many thanks to movement (an avant-garde artride bicycles everywhere. InOur last stop was Haarlem,the Brooks family for enabling period in Europe, spurred byfact, there are many more bikesa quintessential Dutch cityGDS teachers to find hidden a desire for change followingin Amsterdam than cars.(Wefeaturing market squares andgems that inspire and renew WWII). The hotel is centrallyactually saw a parking deck forthe Franz Hals Museum. Hals ispassions.located, making our itinerarybikes!) The locals gave us greatmost famous for his large-scale, easily walkable.advice: to save the biking for17th century portraits of civic Our days in Amsterdam wereour time in the country, to try jam-packed. At the Anne FrankBitterballen, a fried snack served House, our first stop, it wasat the pubs, and to skip the incredibly moving to walkpickled herring. through the secret passagesAnother highlight was being where the Frank family hidable to reunite with an old for two years during the Nazifriend. I had met Jean-Paul in occupation of the Netherlands.college, and we had kept in The experience was a soberingtouch throughout the years, reminder of a dark period in ourso it was wonderful to be able history. to reconnect. He picked us up Other adventures included ain Amsterdam, taking us to city canal tour, a day of paintingour next stop, Otterlo. There, with a local artist (even JimJim and I toured the beautiful painted his version of VanKrller-Mller Museum, which Goghs Starry Night!), a tour ofhouses the second largest the Van Gogh Museum, and ancollection of works by Vincent afternoon at the Rijksmuseum,van Gogh (my favorite artist!).home to hundreds of works byJim and I also rode bikes there, the Dutch Masters, includingas the museum is tucked away in Rembrandts sprawling Thethe De Hoge Veluwe National Night Watch. We ate at severalPark. fine restaurants where foodNext stop was Amersfoort, is the art.An unforgettable,which is Jean-Pauls hometown. elegant culinary experienceOur friend treated us to a tour included a 3-hour tasting ofof his beautiful, historic city GDS Magazine | 25'