Museum Booty

In case you haven't already guessed I LOVE taking the Little Man to museums. There is nothing like hearing him say an enthusiastic "WOW!" when we enter a room or turn a corner. I love touring around leisurely while he takes it all in or takes a nap (he's really good that way). When we go we always have to have a break at the cafe and then our last stop is ALWAYS the museum shop.

I'm kind of obsessive really. I scour museum shops for cool gifts, postcards and toys for the Little Man. The museums here in Europe do not disappoint. I'll be showing you some of my unique and cool finds in this series, Museum Booty.

My first example is from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I may be a little biased when I say this but I really love what they have done with the museum. The renovations it has undergone have really given it an intimate feel and 'wow' inspiring feeling. Also, it was very easy to go through with a stroller (elevators and very helpful & friendly museum staff).

Now the goods -puzzles. No, I'm not talking about shoddy cardboard, lead paint laden, made in China, poison and/or choke your kid kind of puzzle with cheesy kittens and puppies. I'm talking about a real wood board jigsaw puzzle with some pretty famous paintings. Yup, these little beauties I picked up from the gift shop have Van Gogh's "Portrait of Marcelle Roulin" and "Fishing boats on the beach at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer." Do you know what the MOST ridiculous things about them is? The price! They were less than 3€ a piece! And you don't have to worry about them having too many pieces (only 20) nor do you have to worry about it being crushed in luggage.
On a related note and if you can't make it to Amsterdam -no problem! Install the Rijksmuseum way-cool widget on your computer to see their masterpieces (and descriptions!) and you can also order from their online store. Click here for the link.