This Sunday I did something I wanted to do for years - visit Het Scheepvaartmuseum and NEMO.

Het Scheepvaartmuseum has been on my list since the first time I was in Netherlands, but at that time it was under re-construction (as it was my second time around). Over the time, my interest only grew, thanks to a relatively recent discovery of my weird fascination with all things maritime, which has manifested itself through visits to a number of harbour-cities and their maritime museums. Het Scheepvaartmuseum might not be as rich as Hamburg’s Altonaer Museum, but the installations are fairly interesting for a quick couple of hours’ browse. The replica of East-Indian Amsterdam might not be as fun as the replica of her Scandinavian counterpart Götheborg, but she’s still a mighty fine vessel. Overall, you can’t go wrong if you’re interested in the sea.

On the other hand, NEMO was a complete disappointment.
I did know that it was kids-oriented, which is why I was weary of it in the times past. But in 2010 I visited Universeum, another kids-oriented science/nature museum, and was completely stunned by things it offered. Expecting something alike, I was very eager to get to NEMO. Unfortunately, I realised it was nothing but a fancy kids’ playground, with very little left to be imagined for the adults.
I hate to say it, but the most interesting part for me was getting out on the roof terrace. The view from there is amazing, and I was lucky to get some sunshine. Still, that is something you can do without even getting into the museum.

Bottom line - Het Scheepvaartmuseum: Good; NEMO: Bad.