Van Gogh | National Gallery | London | artist | Amsterdam

It was not to be. With the ferry not scheduled to depart until late afternoon, it would have been impossible to make the National Gallery before closing. I would be unable to meet my three-day travel goal. So when the little yellow train finally made its way back to Hook of Holland, I was waiting on the platform in the freezing rain, eager to make all haste for the airport. I was in London before noon, walking up the steps of the massive National Gallery and into that second-floor wing reserved for artists living between 1700 and 1900. Van Gogh's work, particularly one of his four famous ­"Sunflower" paintings, hung in a high-­ceilinged room filled with Impressionists. It was an appropriate spot, with the transitional feel of a cultural crossfade. Van Gogh was not actually an Impressionist but an artist who helped bridge the gap between them and later artists such as Picasso.

With that, my van Gogh grand tour was done. Three days, three cities, three museums - and a resonance that will last a lifetime. Next time, I will start in London. Then again, maybe next time I'll be chasing Turner, or Rembrandt, or some other artist. And, like the path of the creative process, who knows where that journey will take me.
The Way To Van Gogh
The Van Gogh Museum (www.vangoghmuseum.com) is conveniently located on the Museum Quarter, a vast lawn that also fronts the Rijksmuseum and the Stedlijk Museum. For a combination of education and libation, check out the Heineken Brewery (www.heinekenexperience.com). The alleys and narrow streets crisscrossing Amsterdam's canals are a great shopping experience and a popular place to people-watch. Lodging is plentiful in Amsterdam. I stayed at the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel (marriott­.com/property/propertypage/AMSNT), on the Stadhouderskade, which is a main thoroughfare.