Today was one of those days in which I finally got some tourist type things done. Vincent - check; windmills - check etc. Did the Vincent museum first - can we pronounce it properly first people? - it's van Gockh - not van Goh already. As I had a bus tour at 1pm decided I had better get down there the fastest way possible - well sort of, tram. I had seen a central conductor booth on one yesterday but neither of the two I got today had em so I just ended up not paying - wanted to, but you do not pay the driver. It had a recorded announcement to check out when you get off with your chipped card - well you do when you have one. Basically I was walking everywhere so ... read more

I already told you how hotels were not exactly cheap in Amsterdam - well not in walk off the streetrates near the station anyway. They get more expensive on weekends they say - reverse of business centres which get cheaper on the weekends when the business men leave. Anyway not a v good nights sleep at all - damn quilt/duvet thing being too hot drove me mad - as in Bruxelle actually but at least there was a decorative purple blanket to cover - here the temp. prob did not get below 13 so threw the duvet out of the cover and used just sheet cover over myself. But also a very considerable racket from 8-ish of what turned out to be workmen on the roof, removing scaffolding next door. Women at hotel assure me they ... read more

this is written on the InterCity (IC) train from Anwerpen/Anvers to Amsterdam after I jumped on (just) at 3pm - having jumped off in Antwerpen/Anvers (so that is where the liqueur comes from - had one in Brugge - like yellow Chartreuse). Anyway headed off form the hotel Pantone, grabbed some pastires and yoghurt drink from the corner store just by the Hotel des Monnaies metro - unlike yesterday Sunday they had virtually run out of pastry things but got a couple of their last. All set for a little less than 3E - after the usual massive dinners I have been having the idea of payng the Pantone 15E for breakfast was quite ridiculous so def. did not take them up on it. The train was at 11.18 so notionally had enought time - but ... read more

you may heard of the White Nights concept - usually an all night or late night series of gallery opens and street performances (and usually in winter - hence the White - or in the case of Bruxelle more like Wet!). Well I was lucky enough to be in the middle of one tonite in Bruxelle from which the attached snaps come. I took about a 100 as this is very hit and miss and v high ISO - 3200! - just love that 18mp sensor in the Canon 550D! I also went into a couple of installations - one of lit neon type thingies in the Church of St Catherine - the other, poems upstairs in a very dark space en francais but in scrolling red LEDs... there was also a very overpriced large photo ... read more

as blogging seriously wrecks my beauty sleep this will be ruthlessly short. Today saw 2 churches in depth - St Salvator Cathedral and the one up the road, Church of Our Lady, too late to really do the Mennling/Hospital Museum so tomorrow, bought 15 various Belgian chocs, ate 3, drank cherry beer, went to one jazz show at Concertgebouw (Keith Tippetts , solo piano) - had dinner - mussels and chips - another beer, a liqueur of Anvers, discussed the lack of trade with the restaurant lady (weekends are still good but mid-week is pretty slow), the other jazz show - crazy Italian group called Il Vino all'Opera - piano, accordion, drums, bass, clarinet and tuba - like Fellini circus music sometimes - a blues by Rossini (oh yes?) - then last look at the tower ... read more