Free time: Rijksmuseum in 45 minutes

I ran into friends in my free time today and we enjoyed some city exploration together. As the afternoon went on we examined our iAmsterdam cards which we received a couple of days previous in order to enjoy the canal tour as a group. These cards allow you free entrance to dozens of museums and attractions as well as free access to public transportation. We decided that, given our other plans before the card expired, this was our only time to visit the world-renowned Rijksmuseum.

We arrived just after 4 p.m. and were informed that the museum closed at 5 p.m. and that we could only access it once with our cards. We took the opportunity and stormed in! Here's what you can see in 45 minutes:

This is a herbiary from 1544. I don't know its significance because I was in too much of a hurry to snap a legible photo of the accompanying description.

This is some kind of surgical text... for which I have a much-blurred and unreadable accompanying description.

THIS is Rembrandt's De Nachtwacht from 1642. This is the pride and joy of the Rijksmuseum and is a famous example of the use of light and shadow at the peak of the Dutch Golden Age. As you can see, everyone likes to get their portrait taken in front of this portrait.

This is a swan. Dutch painters seem to like swans.

This is a less-fortunate swan.

Here's another dead swan, differentiated from the previous by the pretty arched frame.

This is a nice companion dead swan to the other arch-framed dead swan.

These folks are having quite the chuckle. No doubt they take perverse pleasure in dead swan portraits.

Here are some oboes.

This is a clavichord. I know this because I didn't blur the associated description mounted below it.

This is an earthenware violin painted in the Delft style. You can't play it; it is only for looks.

Suffice to say, plan to spend more time at the Dutch national museum.