Unbelievable, but true: I managed to grab a ticket to the Vermeer exhibition now taking place at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The exhibition sold out quickly, so I have no idea how I managed to score a slot before there were no more. But, to Amsterdam I planned to go, and to Amsterdam I went.

The first thing I came upon was the tulips. OH MY, THE TULIPS.

And, well, the place.

The tiles?

I stayed in a great, if slightly terrifying (very, very STEEP STAIRS) inn, right in the middle of everything.

All of that was fun and wonderful and exciting. But then . . . came Vermeer.

It was, admittedly, way too crowded.

But, seriously, can you blame them/us? It was the exhibition of a lifetime.

Below, mainly detail shots. Bits and bobs of paintings that I want to remember.

I drank it all in. The details. The colors. The textiles.

I realized that I had only ever before seen one Vermeer painting in person. And here was almost his entire life’s work.

I spent a long time studying the details.

I emerged to see more tulips.

I was nearly sick from beauty.

I had a pretty hard week at work after my Amsterdam weekend. I just kept on thinking of Vermeer—all that light and color, those lovely details. Centuries later, still astonishing.