WA Museum Shipwreck Galleries, Australia

Nothing stops a history buff from visiting a Shipwreck Museum. Situated in Fremantle, the Western Australia Museum – Shipwreck Galleries is a must-visit (between the beers and all). The museum houses relics from all kinds of wrecks that occurred along the Western Australia coastline (that explains Hamelin Bay too) and countless artefacts from the various Dutch ships.

Glass fragments, mints and even grenades from various shipwrecks have been documented here. I spent a good bulk of time at the galleries reading up on the archaeology, myths and tales of the past.

If that cannot satisfy your thirst for historical knowledge, just a few stops away, one can find the Western Australian Maritime Museum perched close to the ocean, holding the past and present of Fremantle’s tale within. 

I didn’t have enough time to walk through the entire museum, but one attraction you might consider would be the HMAS Ovens tour, where you can take a walking tour inside the submarine parked just behind the building and learn all about its intricacies.

It’s a small town – Fremantle – but I’m sure I’ll be back to finish up my tour of the museum…

Amsterdam and its museums, The Netherlands

I stopped by Amsterdam briefly during the very same trip to France and Germany, and to my delight, I saw a huge variety of Dutch cheese all around!

But of course, typical of my travels, I decide to spend a fair bit of time at the Museum quarter of Amsterdam. The Rijksmuseum (State Museum), which had been recently renovated, showed an impressive collection of the nation’s famous works. It houses the popular Dutch Delftware, artefacts, paintings, fashion evolution and more. 
But the museum’s collections wasn’t the only impressive thing – its outdoors were equally beautiful. The gardens had various sculptures that told a story of its own. I liked the cold natural air and preferred to take my breaks outside. 

Within the vicinity was also the Van Gogh Museum, where one could admire the Dutch Master’s artworks as well as that of his contemporaries! I took a brief visit there; but again, in part due to time constraint and in part out of disinterest, I had to skip the nearby Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art.

Amsterdam’s Museumplein, with its major museums housed there, is definitely a must-visit for the art lovers! Just a note – there is also a Hermitage in Amsterdam; in my opinion, not comparable to the actual one in Russia, but out of ease of traveling and if you really wish to look at the Russian and French arts, drop by the one in Amsterdam! And for the history folks, keep a look out on my next post about the maritime museum!