Amsterdam, part two

We got up brought and early to take a tour bus to Keukenhof flowerfields, where you can see fields of tulips and many other spring flowers in bloom. They also ship seeds and bulbs all over the world. The gardens are designed to accommodate and entertain large numbers of tourists. Anne and I got on the English speaking bus, which was one of several other buses of different tongues with the same destination. Most of the tulips were already gone from the surrounding fields, but they were still beautiful and brilliant in the garden, along with many other flowers. The grounds were well designed, with fountains, streams, art work and petting zoos. There was also a pipe organ playing peppy polka tunes that got our toes a tappin'. My pictures (except for one) are focused on art work in the gardens. After we returned to Amsterdam, we went to the Hendrikje Museum of Bags and Purses. This was my choice but Anne also enjoyed the visit. It was a historical review of the development of "reticules" from the 1600s to present time. Later on, we had dinner and then went to a ceremony in the square by the Queen's Palace to honor the military fallen for Remembrance Day. The church bells rang at 8:00 pm and all Dutch residents paused in whatever they were doing for two minutes of silence to pay their respects. It was quite moving. Tomorrow, the partying will begin with Liberation Day. Anne and I will be off to the Rijksmuseum to see art work by Vermeer and other Dutch greats.

Amsterdam, part one

When Anne and I arrived in Amsterdam yesterday we were overwhelmed with the transition from a small, quiet town to a big city. We bravely started our Rick Steve's walking tour, then gave up and retreated to our hotel room after dinner. Today we started out with a tour of Anne Frank's house and had a marvelous time. The tours takes you through the whole house, with video recordings, written materials and displays of the setup of the house throughout the tour. There were also quotes from her diary throughout the tour that greatly enhanced the experience. Anne and I were both crying by the end of it because it was so touching. I have a picture of one of the postcards that we purchased from the museum store. Then we had a fine lunch and went on a cruise of the canals. There are nine canals in widening concentric circles (actually more pentagonish) that make up the structure of the city. During the cruise, weended up sitting next to the only Dutch people on the boat. We had a nice discussion with father of this family about water management in Holland, as his wife is an engineer who specializes in water management. I also asked them, and the later the hotel manager, about the wooden shoes. I did not see anyone wearing them--they were only sold as souvenirs. I was informed that the wooden shoes were originally worn as mud shoes because nothing was paved so the Dutch had to constantly walk through mud. These days,some of the farmers still wear them but Anyway, I am including a picture of the canal, a large bike storage area that sits near the train station, and a picture of a crowd at a square listening to a wonderful singer (notice the cute child in the foreground in the bicycle cart, dressed in a ladybug coat).

Bruges, last day

Anne and I started the day by going to the Groeninge Museum to look at some fine art by primitive Flemish artists (meaning, ones of the fourteenth century that were in process of developing three-dimensional perspective). I love Flemish/Dutch art from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century because of its rich detail and presentation of ordinary people as just as interesting as wealthy, politically powerful people. I am looking forward to seeing more in Amsterdam. Bruges was celebrating Labor Day today by having many marching bands and lots of beer drinking. Anne and I layed low and went for a quiet dinner at an Italian restaurant. The pictures today are of the ever beautiful canal, plus one of bicycle art--I just can't help myself!

Bruges, Flanders Field tour

Thanks to all who responded to my desperate cry for readers. Also, my excuse for faulty spelling right now is the foreign keyboard and no spell check. Anyway, enough about me and on to Flanders Field. Took a tour with a local, Nathan, at www.visit.bruges.org. I knew little to nothing about the military battles that occured here during WWI but I learned a lot today. Millions of lives were lost over a very short period of time in the battle between the Germans and the Allies. This was partially related to poor strategies (thousands of German students with no training who thought they were too smart and superior to lose were all killed in a matter of hours)and partially to changing technologies. An is example is chemical gases were used for the first time, so 8,000-10,000 troops were damaged beyond repair within minutes until gas masks started being used en masse. Currently,there are many trenches and bunkers still in good shape. Also, unexploded munitions are plowed up by the farmers on a daily basis and put by the side of the road for pick-up by the local bomb squad. Of course, human remains are also frequently found and delivered to the proper authorities. Just driving through the area, you would never know it was a moonscape of total destruction for several years: what shows now is beautiful green farmlands and sparkling blue lakes and canals. "Sigh"--we humans are capable of so many things. Anyway, included pics are of trenches, rusty live munitions and a shot of a Canadian flag at one of the cemeteries--just because I liked the look of it!

Bruges, second day

We started out the morning by taking a walk along the canal. I snapped a picture of Anne standing in front of a bright, red windmill. It may seem a little early to start in with the windmill pictures, but--there you go. We went to a Salvador Dali collection and found it, well, a little bit surreal. Next came a climb up the bell tower and I am posting a nice, gothic-looking shot from the top. We toured a chocolate factory and got our sweet reward. By afternoon, Anne decided she had to sample the frites, so have a picture of tasting the local cuisine. We took a boat ride through the canal, the guide providing the tour in English,French, and German. Our dinner involved Anne checking out the Belguim beers and me eating the seasonal white asparaqus. We topped it off with another local favorite: Belguim waffles with strawberries. Tomorrow we are scheduled for a tour of Flanders Field. Nighty-night zzzzz.....

Bruges, first day

We took the train to Bruges today (FYI, it is about the same distance from Portland to Seattle but takes half the time on the light rail). Bruges is a quaint, old town in Belguim that claims the fame of being the origin of the french fry (or "frites")and even has a museum dedicated to it. Sounds pretty lame, huh? Well, after making my snide comments to Anne, we started exploring and found a great Dutch art museum that had wonderful pictures from Jan van Eyck and hospital scenes from the 1500s (Memling). Also, we had the best meal we have eaten so far on this European trip. I can hardly wait for my next couple of days here. Bravo, Bruges! Attached is a picture of the town canals and entree from dinner: sea bass and rice.

Paris, finale

Anne and I spent our last day in Paris going to visit Monet and the sewer. This was our second visit to a Monet collection and we liked it the best. It was housed at a private residence that had been donated to the city for the purpose of maintaining the previous owner's collected works, named Marmottan Museum. No pictures to show you, of course, since was not allowed. However, Anne and I highly recommend it because it is much less crowded and easier to view the pieces. A visit to the sewer, do you say? Well, after all, it IS Anne's profession. The picture is Anne in front of the entry sign. It may have been down and dirty (smelly, too!) but interesting, nonetheless. The second picture is of a row of rental bikes provided by the city. I had heard about this being done by the new mayor of the Paris in 2007 and was quite excited about it. There is a bank of bicycles every 250 yards throughout the city. People can purchase an electronic card to scan and unlock any bicycle, then leave the bike the at any other bank in the city. The money required is basically a deposit that you can get back at any time. Otherwise, use is free. It has been a great success, and other big cities are looking at duplicating it. Lastly, there is a picture of a bit of artwork I saw in a store window that just made me smile. Au revoir!