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Published: June 23rd 2008
Wow, I haven´t had a chance to sit down and write one of these in a while. Leslie and I tried to when we were in Bruges, but our internet session cut out in the middle and we didn´t want to pay for another 30 minutes. Oh, Leslie was here! Tito and I picked her up from the Amsterdam airport on the 14th, we went back to the Viel Castel´s where Diane had prepared a lovely lunch. On our first day we visited the Van Gogh (pronounced: *make the noise when you are trying to get the popcorn out that's stuck in the back of your throat* uh *repeat previous noise*) Museum, then walked into town along the canals, visited the Bloemenmarkt (flower market), saw some shops, and returned home for a nap before another wonderful meal prepared by Diane. On Sunday we got to the Rijksmuseum, more walking along the canals, got lunch and browsed at Nieuw Markt, then to the Dam (center square and church), and on a canal cruise to see Amsterdam´s "Top 100". When we got back to the house Diane had prepared a lovely meal of traditional Dutch types of smoked fish and eel, salad and
cheeses. Afterwards, Leslie and I walked around Amsterdam at ´night´ because there was still light in the sky around 11pm.
The next morning NARF and I headed off to Antwerp where we walked up and down the main shopping street, which needed to have not one or two but THREE H&Ms within five blocks. We went to the Groen Plaats and got a lunch of Belgian Waffles and Appel Pannenkuchen. Then we stopped by the Vrouwekathedraal where I saw their four works by the famous Antwerp artist, Peter Paul Rubens. Later in the day we made it back to the Grote Markt to see the beautiful square and stadhuis (state house). After a quick dinner we walked along the Schelde river on the Wandelterras, stopping to look at the Steen, an old battlement that is now a museum. Unfortunately we were there on a Monday, so all of the museums were closed. Walking back towards the hotel I was surprised to see a work by El Anatsui as a backdrop in a store window, I like his stuff more and more each time I see it; he had a really stunning piece at Art Basel. Anyways, we ended the
night in an Irish pub watching the Germany v. Austria football (read: soccer) game.
Off again! Next we went to Bruges (Brugge), an old port town that peaked in the early Renaissance before the river silted up and it was no longer traversable. We wandered around the main market square with its beautiful gothic architecture. Apparently most of the buildings built in the last century have been designed to look as if they are 16th Century, while it´s not completely authentic, it does unite the town in a way. I am now becoming an expert on chocolate having visited the Schocolade Museum in Cologne and Chocostory in Bruges. The latter was done on a much smaller scale, but included interesting artefacts, as well; however, much of what they had on exhibit wasn´t labeled, which upset me. Unlike Cologne, Chocostory had a selection of chocolate sculptures, including a white chocolate replica of Michelangelo´s Madonna and Child that is found in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Bruges. There was also a live demonstration of how they make their chocolate, with tasties at the end! After this I dragged Leslie to two ´real´ museums, the Gruuthuse and Groeninge to see a
great collection of works from the Dutch Golden age to today. Then we went on a serene canal tour that included St. John´s hospital from the 12th Century, the smallest Gothic window, and very short bridges. More walking around led us to the Burg where the original government buildings are located, and back to the Markt for dinner. I saw Colin Farell´s new movie In Bruges a bit ago and kept recognizing where scenes from the movie were filmed. Though it wasn´t convenient for Leslie and her rolling suitcase, I loved the cobblestone streets. And, Bruges had the best, warmest weather we encountered the whole week!
From Bruges we went to Bruselles where we had a not very nice hotel with an even less nice man in charge. The middle-aged Islamic Sicilian didn´t like that I - a young American female- was arguing with him because he wanted to charge me twice. We didn´t spend much time in the hotel, so i´t wasn´t too bad. We spent a lot of time walking around the area near the Grand Place/Grote Markt with the incredible Gothic town hall and guilds, and great shopping, especially through the St. Hubert Royal Galleries. We
walked to the Mont des Arts and over to the Palais Royal and to the nearby park, where we encountered our first truckers strike over the price of gas. Then we made it back to the Place Agora, stopping by St. Michael´s Cathedral. Then we went to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts to see an impressive collection of predominantly Belgian artists in the 19th and 20th century rooms, with special notice given to Rene Magritte. Then we went to the Rubens rooms where his immense paintings stood out against the bright red walls, looming over the viewer. It was sublime: beautiful and intimidating. Walking, walking, walking. Then we sat at a nice cafe just off of the Grand Place for a bit. More walking. This was followed by Kriek (cherry beer) on the Grand Place and dinner. I was very excited to have mussels in Brussels. I had the traditional dish of moules frites, mussels steamed in white wine with french fries. Yum yum! Walking back to the dreaded hotel we stopped at another Irish pub to watch both the Russia v. Sweden and Spain v. Greece games. Walking back there were a few Russian flags flying, but no
one outdid the Spaniards. I lost track of how many times we heard "Viva Espagna".
And back to Amsterdam! We made it back and had a shopping day followed by and Indonesian culinary experience. We went to Sama Sebo a short walk from Tito and Diane´s, and were told by another diner there that it was the best Indonesian food in the city. We were adventurous and splurged on the Rijsaffel, a tasting of 23 different dishes. There were different preparations of chicken, beef, pork, and tofu, along with slaw, pickles, green beans, omelet, rices, spices, fruit, cooked banana, nuts, soup, and more. All of it was delicious!
Friday we took a day trip to The Hague where I got to see works by Jenny Holzer and Felix Gonzalez-Torres for my thesis. Walked all over, then went up to the Gemeentemuseum where they had an innovative interpretation on exhibiting. In the basement they had collected a bunch of pieces from their inventory from all different categories and time periods and arranged them by color, with interactive computer guides that gave you the specifics on each piece. I don´t know how well it would work in another context, but
it was a great way to get things out of storage and on view. We made it back to Amsterdam to say goodbye to Tito before he headed to Paris for the weekend. He was very nice and gave me/us an early birthday present of a bottle of Piper Heidseck Brut champagne to share. We did! Then we headed out to Engelbewaarden (Gaurdian Angel) where Leslie´s cousin used to work. Leslie got to talk to and take a picture with the owner who remembered her cousin Dicky. It was a great bar: no tourists, just locals (except us).
The next morning we packed all of our stuff and prepared to head out. Diane prepared one last breakfast and surprised each of us with a present. She gave Leslie a cute orange bracelet, representing Holland´s national color. And she gave me a gorgeous square fuscia ring with an orange sphere in the center. Hard to describe, but beautiful! Tito and Diane were so kind to invite us into their home, prepare us meals, give us guide books, and even do my laundry!
I took Leslie to the airport before heading off to Nantes, myself. I was sad to say
goodbye, but was so glad that she was able to come. Especially for my birthday! I got into Nantes kind of late, walked around before I had to get back to the hostel so they didn´t lock me out. The next morning I went to the Palais de Justice to see the Jenny Holzer installation I was interested in, took pictures, made notes. I had a little time before I had to catch my train, so I walked around seeing the Cathedral, the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne, and the Champ de Mars. Then I headed to Paris where I had a bit of a layover, so I headed back to my old neighborhood for a bit of nostalgia. Then off to Austerlitz where I took a hotel train to Madrid. I just got in and am waiting for my room to open up. I´m staying in a great hostel run by the city council. The €18/night includes breakfast, free internet, a gym, a home theater center, a free daily tour, and tapas on Tuesday!
Thanks for all of your birthday messages. Love you all!
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Eugene Roberts
non-member comment
WOW!
WOW! What a summary, I will read it again after supper. Thanks for keeping us informed. You have a wonderrful memory or notebook for the names of places. Love, Dad