My Oyster

Our Last Day in Amsterdam...

...At least on this trip.  We will be back.

We had a nice relaxing day today - just roaming around some less touristy neighborhoods, hanging out in parks, getting coffees and snacks.  Just perfect.

We ended the day with a boat ride at sunset (9-11pm here now) with a local guy we found on the internet.  We brought our own champagne.  It was wonderful!

And here are my Five Favorite Fotos from our last day on this trip...

Nature...

Ducks in one of the parks we visited.

Beauty...

Amsterdam in the late evening sunlight.

Fun...

Jean, meet Vincent...

Spirit...

Waffles at the Cuypmarkt.

Just liked it...

Sunset on the canal and on this trip.

And more photos here at my flickr account.

 

Just Enough Nature...

Our late in the day visit to the botanical gardens was wonderful.  Just as we were finishing a jazz quartet started playing - so we sat down and enjoyed for a couple hours.  With bubbly and good food.  It was a perfect moment and one we kind of just stumbled on to.  Serendipity.  We love it.  The pic above is of us in the gardens.

We had started the day at the Rijks museum.  Stunning building and collection.  Well run museum.  Very busy.  I was glad to have finally seen it and some of the masterpieces. 

And here are my Five Favorite Fotos from our Sunday in Amsterdam...

Nature...

More buzzing in Amsterdam.

Beauty...

A lotus flower in the botanical garden.

Fun...

I watched these two dancing to the jazz quartet at the Orangerie.  They were having a great time.

Spirit...

I don't recall any detail on the piece.  But it caught my attention.

Just liked it...

The jazz quartet through the window of the Orangerie as we were leaving.

And more photos here at my flickr account.

 

The Good, the Bad, and the Tasty...

Jean had us experiencing a little bit of everything over a 14 hour period today.  We started the day at a church market (Noordemarkt) and ended it in the Red Light District.  A little bit of everything - including some excellent meals (again).  So much for all the senses as we roamed and sat and roamed and sat.  Just perfect. 

And here are my Five Favorite Fotos from today...

Nature...

Sunflowers at the market.  Very Vincent Van Gogh.

Beauty...

A couple and their dog on the canal.

Fun...

The creatures in the mural seem to be eyeballing the woman on the bike.

Spirit...

Cheese.  Part of the essence of Holland.

Just liked it...

Picnicking and rolling a joint.

And more photos here at my flickr account.

 

A Very Full Day...

Jean had us moving around a lot and seeing a ton today.  It was all fantastic, especially with him, but man - my feet are killing me.  I think he would say the same.

We started the day on a tour of the canals.  We took the hotel tour.  They use a small and beautiful 105 year old boat that was one of the first used on the canals specifically tours.  Winston Churchill rode it it.  The pic above is us on the boat.

We went to the Van Gogh museum.  No pics.  They do a great job of telling his story.  I did not realize that he did all of his painting in just 10 short years.

We ended the day with a wonderful evening at Ray & Marcel's place right on the Amstel.  They have entertained me, me & Ma when we were here, and Suzanne & Grant when they were here.  Good friends!

And here are my Five Favorite Fotos from our day in Den Haag...

Nature...

Striking a pose in Vondel Park.

Beauty...

Bee napping in a rose in the Vondel Park.

Fun...

So many great angles when you are on the canals.

Spirit...

We ended the day of touring at the Ann Frank house.  You can't helped but be moved there.  It is really a sacred space.

Just liked it...

I imagined all kinds of stories for who she was texting and why.

And more photos here at my flickr account.

 

Sunny & Hot in Amsterdam!

Jean and I woke up to another cold, gray, and rainy morning in Belgium but by the afternoon we were in Amsterdam and our first sunny day.  We had a great time just roaming around the city and noticing how nice it felt to be not wearing winter clothes.

Our morning in Gent had also been nice.  We stayed in the neighborhood near our BnB, which we really liked and will return to.  The pic above is Jean enjoying the second B - breakfast - this morning. You can find my reflection in the coffee pot.

And here are my Five Favorite Fotos from our day in Den Haag...

Nature...

Just enough nature for me.  Green grass peeking through the cobblestones in the courtyard of a medieval abbey in Gent.

Beauty...

The raindrops added to the amazing detail of this statue of the Fine Arts museum in Gent.

Fun...

Loved the bunny.  Loved the Dutch word for bunny.  In Amsterdam.

Spirit...

This canal and Sint Pieters Abbey were just outside outside the door of our BnB in Gent.

Just liked it...

As were these bikes and the barge.  We liked seeing them as we left and returned to the BnB in Gent.

And more photos here at my flickr account.

 

We Love Gent!

It poured all day long and yet we still fell in love with the city.  That says a lot about Gent.  And probably something about us too.  :-)

The pic above is of the "skyline" of Gent from St. Michaels bridge.  Because of this skyline, the city is known as the Manhattan of the Middle Ages.  Love it.

We walked the city in the rain for 7+ hours.  Everyone we met was wonderful.  The city looked stunning in the rain.  We could tell it is a place we want to visit again.

And here are my Five Favorite Fotos from today in Gent...

Nature...

Rain.  All day.  Everywhere.  Best seen from inside a cozy cafe.

Beauty...

Stained glass from somewhere in the Gravensteen Castle of the Counts.

Fun...

Jean?  Khaleesi?   

Spirit...

Free organ concert while we were roaming around beautiful Sint Niklaas church (I think).

Just liked it...

We saw this mural as we stepped out of a store (where we bought me a raincoat).

And more photos here at my flickr account.

 

My Love-Hate Relationship with Bruges...

 

I am not going to sugarcoat this.  For me Bruges can be like a little poodle.  Beautiful, overdone, doted on by little old ladies, and yippy. 

It is an amazingly beautiful and well-preserved medieval (I think) city.  But man...it is ALWAYS packed with tourists trying to get the perfect camera angle.  Like me.  After several hours, it begins to feel a bit like the Epcot Center in Orlando.  Just a wee bit TOO preserved.  A wee bit too postcard picture perfect.  And always way too populated with pushy tourists.

I did not really want to make this a part of our Lowlands tour, but knew Jean would want to see it.  So we went today.  Again - mixed bag.  The day started off horribly with a canal boat tour that was so crowded that it felt like we were fleeing a sinking ship.  Then it started to rain.  No roof.  Cold.  Wet.  Kinda miserable.

But there was a lot of goodness.  I got to see Michelangelo's Madonna and Child.  One of the few of his pieces that he sent outside of Italy.  Stunning.  And Jean and I did manage to find some quiet spots to reflect and take some snaps.  The city is still beautiful.

And here are my Five Favorite Fotos from our day in Den Haag...

Nature...

As we were walking back to the train station, we stopped to watch these swans for a bit.

Beauty...

Michelangelo's Madonna and Child.  Really breathtaking.

Fun...

Nearly impossible to get a pic without crowds of people.  I liked her though.

Spirit...

We spent a good deal of time in the Church of Our Lady.

Just liked it...

Yup.  You've got some spirit, Bruges.

And more photos here at my flickr account.

 

Day Two - Finally to Den Haag

I have been wanting to visit the Hague for many years now but just haven't been able to make it there.  Until today.  Jean and I hopped the train from Antwerp to spend the day there.  It was really worth the wait.

The big draw for me was the Mauritshuis museum and the Girl with the Pearl Earring.  The museum Just opened two weeks ago after being closed for a few years of renovations.  The "Girl" had been packed up and sent to museums around the world - including to Washington (where I also had missed her).

I loved the museum. Just to my taste.  Not overwhelmingly large, but nice collection.  Shown in a beautiful setting - a mansion on a lake.

After the museum we got to roam around the city a bit.  We both really liked it.  It is a great mix of old and new architecture and seems to have a thriving arts scene - lots of museums, theaters, etc.

And here are my Five Favorite Fotos from our day in Den Haag...

Nature...

Just enough nature for me.  Flowers, a beautiful lake, and a wonderful museum.

Beauty...

Girl with a Pearl Earring.  The Mona Lisa of the North.

Fun...

Someone left the cake out in the rain.

Spirit...

A Rubens (I think) paiting about the passage of time and aging.

Just liked it...

Jean going for the perfect angle.

And more photos here at my flickr account.

 

Starting Vacation at Home in Antwerp...

Miguel & Philippe's home is the perfect place for Jean and I to kickoff our vacation in the Lowlands.  Over the past decade their home and Antwerp have come to be like a second home for me on my many trips to Belgium.  Once again they opened it up to me and to Jean.  After dinner tonight we watched a new, somewhat odd, series on TV here.

And here are my Five Favorite Fotos from our first full day of this trip...

Nature...

OK, a stretch.  But I loved the few green leaves scattered on beautiful stones in central Antwerp.

Beauty...

This angel in the trees really caught my eye.

Fun...

Strolling with Jean and a heart appeared.

Spirit...

the Summer energy of Antwerp.

Just liked it...

Museum at the River.

And more photos here at my flickr account.