We left Tuesday, September 3, 2013 for Paris and in our 6 days there visited the Louvre and d'Orsay and l'Orangerie and the Rodin Museum. We also visited Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle, and three churches we have not seen before - St. Sulpice, mentioned in the DaVinci Code, St. Germain des Pres, and St. Severin. We will also heard a Sunday organ concert at St. Sulpice and an organ practice at St. Severin.

Then we took the train to The Hague in the Netherlands, where Don visted the Gemeente Museumm where he also saw some of the masterpieces from the Mauritshuis, which is being renovated. Don had contacted the curator and saw a large number of drawings by artists of the Hague School. He also visited the Mesdag Museum, with works from the Hague School and the Barbizon School. Artists of the Barbizon School influenced artists of the Hague School.

Then we went to Haarlem, where we have not been in a long time, to see the Frans Hals Museum and do the usual canal boat tour. However, the highlight of the trip for Don was the opportunity to hear an organ concert in the Grote Kerk from the organ loft, where he could watch the organist.

Finally, we spent 4 days in Amsterdam, two of which we spent in the Rijksmuseum, which had been renovated after 10 years of work. There Don was also able to study drawings of the Hague School in their study room, which he have done twice before in previous visits. Elizabeth spent that day riding the canal boats while Don was in the study room.

The Hague School is the name given to a group of artists who lived and worked in The Hague between 1860 and 1890. Their work was heavily influenced by the realist painters of the French Barbizon school. The painters of the Hague school generally made use of relatively somber colors, which is why the Hague School is sometimes called the Gray School.

Follow our trip beginning in Paris.