10 September
After an early hot yoga class in the neighbourhood to free up my stiff old joints, it's farewell to Amsterdam and on the 1101 to Berlin, a journey of over 6 hours and quite frighteningly punctual. Sunshine and pretty scenery all the way until I get to Berlin Hauptbahnhof when I notice the rain streaming down the glass domed roof, and it hasn't let up by the time the suburban train has taken me to Zoologische Gardens near to Rick's place and my rendezvous at Cafe Eckstein with David and Steve. Hang the expense, it was going to take a good 20 minutes to walk with Nellie so I decide to take a cab, and fortunately the other people in the queue decide to abandon the quest because we're all getting completely soaked as the rain sweeps in, the cabs appear to have forsaken the station and the dark patches on my jeans expand upwards from the ankles.
Success eventually and the cab drops me off on the wrong side of the roadworks outside the bar, but Nellie and I negotiate our way through to the cosiness of this lovely neighbourhood hostelry where the staff were welcoming and helpful. David and Steve arrived after 2 beers, and having dried out nicely I then moved on to the Aperol spritzes, setting the pattern for the rest of the night. Oh dear….
We had dinner (it wasn't nouvelle cuisine but it tasted pretty good) and then went round to Rick's to drop off Nellie and then head to the Old Timers bar for another Aperol Spritz, followed by the Red & Gold, where Rick eventually joined us having flown in late. I am a little concerned that Aperol Spritz may turn out to be like Sunny Delight from the 90s and that eventually I will turn orange.
The Red & Gold was friendly and quiet but the best bit is that the owner has a massive collection of old singles and he operates a manual jukebox - you get to choose 3 singles for every drink you buy. Some are cheesy, some are classics and we have fun grooving and singing to old favourites until we suddenly realise it's gone 2am (Steve has already called it a day at this point) and we stagger home - asleep as soon as head hits the pillow. Good times.
Saturday, 12 September 2015
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
Arty farty
Today I mainly did art. I was briefly tempted by the Bols cocktail museum, but by the time I'd spent the best part of 3 hours with Vincent Van Gogh it was too late.
On waking this morning my legs ached like I'd walked about 12 miles. Oh wait, I did! So today I took it a little easier and with some museum wandering and less yomping I only covered about 9. I headed up to Overtoom not far from here, and walked through Vondelpark (which reminded me of Clapham Common except with water, because of the interesting mix of folk to be found - some jogging, some sunning themselves or walking their dogs, some imbibing and shouting at each other).
After a cheap junk breakfast of coffee and stroopwafel (if I don't cut down on carbs I'm going to explode) by way of contrast I wandered down a parade of shops to rival Bond Street, including Gucci, Prada, Burberry, Jimmy Choo, Vuitton, Bvulgari...and our very own Karen Millen and Paul Smith. I then took myself into the modern art (Stedelijk) musuem which is a lovely building with a shiny new wing attached to a classic style museum, but I was a bit disappointed in the exhibits. The design elements of the last century were really well covered, including some lovely pieces by Arne Jacobsen whose work I'd also seen in Ghent. There was also a great exhibition of (for want of a better word) the Zero school of the 60s and 70s who were inspired by the space race and my notions of light, dark, black and white. Here's a couple of selfies, though I'm hard to spot in the second one.
And I loved this little installation
and also this massive piece (about 20 x 10 feet) composed entirely of bags of water filled to precise levels - but they looked like jewels and I was very taken with it (it's how I roll)
However, when I finally found where they'd hidden the paintings, it turned out that loads (pre 1960s) were missing as half a floor was closed - no mention when I went in (staff were a but uppity here), and no reduction in admission price which at a hefty 15euros made me feel a bit cheated.
After a reasonably healthy lunch (there was salad involved, and elderflower cordial), I took my prepaid ticket and skipped ahead of the queue for the Van Gogh museum, which was 22 euros including the multimedia guide (a very good one, if a trifle patronising in places) and very worthwhile.
It was very busy but well-organised (with the exception of one room which was the narrowest and had all the little stuff in it like letters - why?!) I got a good look at most things and though there were a few favourites missing (what's the starry starry night one called?) I really felt I understood his life and work far better than before. I'm hoping to visit Arles when I go to Avignon last month. And Sunflowers was there - did you know there were 5 versions?
After an excellent afternoon, I wandered through the lovely gardens of the Rijksmuseum and as an added free bonus on Art Day there were a load of Miro sculptures dotted around
Went for a beer, finished To Kill a Mockingbird (yep, got through 56 years and an English degree and never read it before) and then walked back through the park intending to be frugal and buy good to go food from the local Ecomarkt or whatever it's called, only to discover that they had nothing that would go in a microwave. I panicked and went for a pizza which was fairly awful and I am now sitting with a distended stomach full of carbohydrate junk and self-loathing.
As penance, I'm getting up mega early to go to a 7am hot yoga class just round the corner - and I will then pack up Nellie and catch a train to Berlin, where I am to rendezvous with the lovely trio of David Carr, Steve Johnson and Rick Johns at Cafe Eckstein in the Schoneberg area of Berlin for the weekend - yay!
On waking this morning my legs ached like I'd walked about 12 miles. Oh wait, I did! So today I took it a little easier and with some museum wandering and less yomping I only covered about 9. I headed up to Overtoom not far from here, and walked through Vondelpark (which reminded me of Clapham Common except with water, because of the interesting mix of folk to be found - some jogging, some sunning themselves or walking their dogs, some imbibing and shouting at each other).
 |
| I even saw a heron on my return trip, wandering around on the grass. Maybe he thought he was a peacock. |
 |
| A found tree in the park for attaching lost property - so many keys!! |
And I loved this little installation
and also this massive piece (about 20 x 10 feet) composed entirely of bags of water filled to precise levels - but they looked like jewels and I was very taken with it (it's how I roll)
After a reasonably healthy lunch (there was salad involved, and elderflower cordial), I took my prepaid ticket and skipped ahead of the queue for the Van Gogh museum, which was 22 euros including the multimedia guide (a very good one, if a trifle patronising in places) and very worthwhile.
After an excellent afternoon, I wandered through the lovely gardens of the Rijksmuseum and as an added free bonus on Art Day there were a load of Miro sculptures dotted around
Went for a beer, finished To Kill a Mockingbird (yep, got through 56 years and an English degree and never read it before) and then walked back through the park intending to be frugal and buy good to go food from the local Ecomarkt or whatever it's called, only to discover that they had nothing that would go in a microwave. I panicked and went for a pizza which was fairly awful and I am now sitting with a distended stomach full of carbohydrate junk and self-loathing.
As penance, I'm getting up mega early to go to a 7am hot yoga class just round the corner - and I will then pack up Nellie and catch a train to Berlin, where I am to rendezvous with the lovely trio of David Carr, Steve Johnson and Rick Johns at Cafe Eckstein in the Schoneberg area of Berlin for the weekend - yay!
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
New record 26000 steps (though none of them uphill, and only a few of them upstairs)
I'm quite confident that by the end of this trip I will have worn my legs down to the stumps. According to my app I've walked for a total of over 4 hours which is about 12 miles, and though I'm weary I feel quite a sense of achievement too.
Mind you, I nearly had an Alan Bradley moment with a tram (that's an old Coronation Street reference which some of you of a certain age may remember?). Be warned gentle readers, that the countdown you get on a pedestrian crossing in London which tells you how long you have to cross the road is the opposite in Amsterdam - the countdown tells you how long you have to wait before you can cross the road. Venturing forth, I was very nearly a tram sandwich. Good job I went gingerly and jumped back in time. Having said that, traffic lights in Amsterdam do (as today's guide said) appear to be a suggestion rather than an instruction, though I think I'm getting better at avoiding bikes. Everything is carried by bike, from boxes, large plants, shopping and pets to tiny children and even babies who appear to be only a few weeks old. They do look fun, but I still don't like them and resent being sidelined wherever I go!
Today I got up early and headed into the centre on the tram, ready for my free walking tout that set off by the fittingly-phallic national monument in the Dam main square at 10am. The guide was very good, and so was the walk which lasted about 3 hours including a break in the middle at a very good place (called La Place, serving lots of fresh stuff at reasonable prices and where I returned for hearty minestrone soup). We covered quite a lot of history, including the Red Light district where we went past the amusingly-named Condomerie among other purveyors of naughty things, and the window brothels. It just looked weird - the sight of scantily-clad, spray-tanned women posing in their windows in their fluorescent underwear - looking bored, talking on their mobiles, smoking - all at 10.30 in the morning.
Lots of other interesting stuff was covered including the Dutch East India company, the Begijnhof (kind of alms houses for single women who just want to do good works), the Waag house (where Rembrandt got to watch live anatomy lectures), canals and the story behind the Anne Frank museum. I didn't make it to the latter - even at 6.30 the queue was still at least 45 minutes and I was getting hungry - but I did get to the lovely Handbags and Purses museum on the Herengerecht, and also to Rembrandt's house, where disappointingly there were only really paintings by his pupils, but lots of his very lovely etchings - hadn't really appreciated them before but now am such a convert I even bought a fridge magnet.
Other retail observations today included the presence of a 5euro shop - is that a posh version of a pound shop? and the rather useful HEMA, which is kind of a mix between Ikea and Primark but less chaotic, sparser and generally more civilised. I also found a great kind of WholeFoodsy supermarket called Magt in order to buy some food and drink rather than spend more money being served it in cafes. (Magt doesn't take cash on the grounds that it's more eco-friendly to process card transactions).
My money is disappearing fast, so I'm trying to stay out of shops unless essential purchases - and I really need to start eating cheap and cheerful fast food rather than sitting down in restaurants, but my dilemma is that I want to stay healthy and not eat crap. On Bryon Fear's recommendation I visited The Little Thai Prince on the edge of the red light district - the food was excellent and my stomach now feels so full that I'm not sure anything more will fit in it until tomorrow lunchtime.
Brisk walk through the park tomorrow to the museum quarter - and it looks like the sun may be out all day. I'm liking Amsterdam much better than on arrival now that I have my bearings (though I still find it quite challenging!), but I'm a little disappointed by the unfriendliness of my Air BnB host. He didn't even call out goodbye when he left this morning (and I was obviously around), and when I called out hello on coming in tonight, he called hello back but didn't bother to come and speak to me. I can't believe I've done anything to offend him, and I'm not expecting him to become my best buddy, but it feels very odd and rather rude. I think the clue is in the word host, even if you are doing it for the money.
Mind you, I nearly had an Alan Bradley moment with a tram (that's an old Coronation Street reference which some of you of a certain age may remember?). Be warned gentle readers, that the countdown you get on a pedestrian crossing in London which tells you how long you have to cross the road is the opposite in Amsterdam - the countdown tells you how long you have to wait before you can cross the road. Venturing forth, I was very nearly a tram sandwich. Good job I went gingerly and jumped back in time. Having said that, traffic lights in Amsterdam do (as today's guide said) appear to be a suggestion rather than an instruction, though I think I'm getting better at avoiding bikes. Everything is carried by bike, from boxes, large plants, shopping and pets to tiny children and even babies who appear to be only a few weeks old. They do look fun, but I still don't like them and resent being sidelined wherever I go!
Today I got up early and headed into the centre on the tram, ready for my free walking tout that set off by the fittingly-phallic national monument in the Dam main square at 10am. The guide was very good, and so was the walk which lasted about 3 hours including a break in the middle at a very good place (called La Place, serving lots of fresh stuff at reasonable prices and where I returned for hearty minestrone soup). We covered quite a lot of history, including the Red Light district where we went past the amusingly-named Condomerie among other purveyors of naughty things, and the window brothels. It just looked weird - the sight of scantily-clad, spray-tanned women posing in their windows in their fluorescent underwear - looking bored, talking on their mobiles, smoking - all at 10.30 in the morning.
Lots of other interesting stuff was covered including the Dutch East India company, the Begijnhof (kind of alms houses for single women who just want to do good works), the Waag house (where Rembrandt got to watch live anatomy lectures), canals and the story behind the Anne Frank museum. I didn't make it to the latter - even at 6.30 the queue was still at least 45 minutes and I was getting hungry - but I did get to the lovely Handbags and Purses museum on the Herengerecht, and also to Rembrandt's house, where disappointingly there were only really paintings by his pupils, but lots of his very lovely etchings - hadn't really appreciated them before but now am such a convert I even bought a fridge magnet.
Other retail observations today included the presence of a 5euro shop - is that a posh version of a pound shop? and the rather useful HEMA, which is kind of a mix between Ikea and Primark but less chaotic, sparser and generally more civilised. I also found a great kind of WholeFoodsy supermarket called Magt in order to buy some food and drink rather than spend more money being served it in cafes. (Magt doesn't take cash on the grounds that it's more eco-friendly to process card transactions).
My money is disappearing fast, so I'm trying to stay out of shops unless essential purchases - and I really need to start eating cheap and cheerful fast food rather than sitting down in restaurants, but my dilemma is that I want to stay healthy and not eat crap. On Bryon Fear's recommendation I visited The Little Thai Prince on the edge of the red light district - the food was excellent and my stomach now feels so full that I'm not sure anything more will fit in it until tomorrow lunchtime.
Brisk walk through the park tomorrow to the museum quarter - and it looks like the sun may be out all day. I'm liking Amsterdam much better than on arrival now that I have my bearings (though I still find it quite challenging!), but I'm a little disappointed by the unfriendliness of my Air BnB host. He didn't even call out goodbye when he left this morning (and I was obviously around), and when I called out hello on coming in tonight, he called hello back but didn't bother to come and speak to me. I can't believe I've done anything to offend him, and I'm not expecting him to become my best buddy, but it feels very odd and rather rude. I think the clue is in the word host, even if you are doing it for the money.
Monday, 7 September 2015
Going Dutch
I have decided to call my trolley case Nellie, as in the elephant, because she is heavy, cumbersome, keeps running away from me and I hope will last as long as an elephant's memory. Today as we undertook the first of our two train journeys, Nellie and I got stuck in the door as we attempted to embark on the Ghent to Antwerp train and I'm sure the sight from the platform of my rear end must've been quite unnerving. Bloody steps on trains - couldn't they have just had 2 big ones rather than 4 little ones?!
The next journey from Antwerp to Amsterdam was rather easier. I'm already very glad that I booked 1st class interrail passes, as the space makes such a difference with Nellie in tow. Antwerp station is a cavern with tracks on 3 levels - wow! Arrived at Amsterdam station a couple of hours later, managed to stash Nellie in a locker and headed off for an exploratory walk, as it wasn't quite 3pm and I couldn't arrive at my Air BnB accommodation until 5.30. I headed towards the Dam for a reviving coffee, and then wandered off to the east where I skirted canals and just soaked up some atmosphere and second-hand marijuana smoke.
It's busy here, and more like London in terms of teeming masses - quite a contrast after Ghent - but it's not the pedestrians that bother me, it's the frigging bikes. Quite apart from the fact that you have to watch out for trams too, there are so many of them, they're all enormous, the cycle paths absolutely dominate at the expense of pedestrians, and they're considerably more inconsiderate than cyclists in London. I ended up walking back towards the station along a fairly uninteresting pedestrianised shopping street (how many branches of H&M and Body Shop does a city need?) just to have a break from the dodging and weaving as it seemed to be one place where bikes were banned unless wheeled. I'm wondering how my walking tour tomorrow will negotiate them?
Having retrieved Nellie and negotiated the tram to the Oud West neighbourhood where Marc, my Air BnB host lives. Marc met me as Nellie and I struggled over the bridge which of course had steps, showed me my room and facilities (a wet room - interesting...) and helped me find some places of interest on a map. He then left me to it - I'm obviously intended to be self-sufficient as my room has a kettle, fridge and microwave - and so it feels a little solitary. Marc's a bit alternative (I suspect with an interesting - ahem - gay social life) and of course under no obligation to treat his guests in a manner other than befitting a friendly business transaction. I had hoped though, that maybe a chat over a beer on arrival might've made me feel a bit more welcome. Hey ho - I'm travelling solo for much of this trip, and I have to get used to my own company, and the fact that not everyone's evening features alcohol....
So I sorted myself out and took a wander to Jan Pieter Heijstraat, where I found a nice restaurant and had an Aperol spritz and some delicious gnocchi - with vegetables! I continued walking to Overtoom, a wide boulevard (so plenty of room for me and the bikes) that's the way to walk to get to the Vondelpark and the museum quarter, which I'm saving for Wednesday. So back indoors by 8.30pm, a little light blogging and now I'm going to watch something on iPlayer. I'd like tomorrow to be a bit warmer and sunnier please.
The next journey from Antwerp to Amsterdam was rather easier. I'm already very glad that I booked 1st class interrail passes, as the space makes such a difference with Nellie in tow. Antwerp station is a cavern with tracks on 3 levels - wow! Arrived at Amsterdam station a couple of hours later, managed to stash Nellie in a locker and headed off for an exploratory walk, as it wasn't quite 3pm and I couldn't arrive at my Air BnB accommodation until 5.30. I headed towards the Dam for a reviving coffee, and then wandered off to the east where I skirted canals and just soaked up some atmosphere and second-hand marijuana smoke.
It's busy here, and more like London in terms of teeming masses - quite a contrast after Ghent - but it's not the pedestrians that bother me, it's the frigging bikes. Quite apart from the fact that you have to watch out for trams too, there are so many of them, they're all enormous, the cycle paths absolutely dominate at the expense of pedestrians, and they're considerably more inconsiderate than cyclists in London. I ended up walking back towards the station along a fairly uninteresting pedestrianised shopping street (how many branches of H&M and Body Shop does a city need?) just to have a break from the dodging and weaving as it seemed to be one place where bikes were banned unless wheeled. I'm wondering how my walking tour tomorrow will negotiate them?
Having retrieved Nellie and negotiated the tram to the Oud West neighbourhood where Marc, my Air BnB host lives. Marc met me as Nellie and I struggled over the bridge which of course had steps, showed me my room and facilities (a wet room - interesting...) and helped me find some places of interest on a map. He then left me to it - I'm obviously intended to be self-sufficient as my room has a kettle, fridge and microwave - and so it feels a little solitary. Marc's a bit alternative (I suspect with an interesting - ahem - gay social life) and of course under no obligation to treat his guests in a manner other than befitting a friendly business transaction. I had hoped though, that maybe a chat over a beer on arrival might've made me feel a bit more welcome. Hey ho - I'm travelling solo for much of this trip, and I have to get used to my own company, and the fact that not everyone's evening features alcohol....
So I sorted myself out and took a wander to Jan Pieter Heijstraat, where I found a nice restaurant and had an Aperol spritz and some delicious gnocchi - with vegetables! I continued walking to Overtoom, a wide boulevard (so plenty of room for me and the bikes) that's the way to walk to get to the Vondelpark and the museum quarter, which I'm saving for Wednesday. So back indoors by 8.30pm, a little light blogging and now I'm going to watch something on iPlayer. I'd like tomorrow to be a bit warmer and sunnier please.
Sunday, 6 September 2015
New personal record of steps taken in a single day since I got this phone
Yes I know it's not the snappiest title but according to the app on my Samsung phone I've walked over 23000 steps today carrying my phone, which apparently is over 10 miles. And actually now I look down at my little swollen tootsies I think it's probably about right.
After a surprisingly nice breakfast (your expectations of a very central hotel even with a shared bathroom are modest at 48 euros a night), I left the hotel around 10am, bumped almost immediately into Helena and Tony on their way to breakfast, and then headed for a little river and canal tour which is a bit of a bargain at 7 euros, especially as it takes you to the sides of buildings you can't see from the streets and you get manageable chunks of history thrown in.
I also went on a brilliant 2-hour free walking tour which gave me a really good overview of the history of Ghent and the story behind some significant buildings - it really brought it to life and our guide Nathalie was great with loads of enthusiasm and a good line in anecdotes. Did you realise for example, that swans on buildings (especially in ports and on pubs) traditionally meant that loose women were available within? (Not the pic below - but it's kind of amusing that the very upmarket Marriott hotel is the site of a former knocking shop....)
Other highlights today were the frankly bonkers Design Museum which boldly juxtaposes old and new in a way that just kind of works, (see selfie below)
and a schlep up the steps of the Belfry. I found myself in the room where the drum controlling the bell chimes works, and hadn't realised that at 5.30 it would set in motion - the noise almost gave me a coronary but it was fascinating to watch the strings controlling the bells in action. Heck of a view from the top too.
I also like this sculpture of St Michael slaying a dragon on one of the many little bridges over the river and canals.
And I bought a necklace. The colours are perfect. And I walked out of the shop once and then walked back 150m to buy it as I knew it was perfect. Sigh......
Dinner was solid and relatively cheap but less memorable pasta (the bargain soup at Soup Lounge mid-afternoon was much better) and I now find myself craving vegetables. Ended my evening back for a 3rd time for a nightcap in a bar where I can't seem to get the name right - I thought it was Mercatana but appears not to be correct, so perhaps my favourite bartender so far this trip, the Guardian-reading, impeccably-English-speaking and all-round nice chap Joel can put me right in a comment as have promised to share this blog with him. Highly recommend this place as it's right opposite St Niklaus church so is very central but it's friendly and they do lots of beers and great liqueur coffee.
So goodbye to Ghent tomorrow if I can navigate my way via the tram back to St Pieter's station, where I'll pick up a train to Antwerp and then change for Amsterdam. I've enjoyed Ghent very much - the historical and arts quarters are perfectly compact and so easily walkable for a weekend, so highly recommended. It's relaxed and friendly, though I could've done with a little more sun and a little less drizzle, but hey, a good start to the grand tour.
After a surprisingly nice breakfast (your expectations of a very central hotel even with a shared bathroom are modest at 48 euros a night), I left the hotel around 10am, bumped almost immediately into Helena and Tony on their way to breakfast, and then headed for a little river and canal tour which is a bit of a bargain at 7 euros, especially as it takes you to the sides of buildings you can't see from the streets and you get manageable chunks of history thrown in.
I also went on a brilliant 2-hour free walking tour which gave me a really good overview of the history of Ghent and the story behind some significant buildings - it really brought it to life and our guide Nathalie was great with loads of enthusiasm and a good line in anecdotes. Did you realise for example, that swans on buildings (especially in ports and on pubs) traditionally meant that loose women were available within? (Not the pic below - but it's kind of amusing that the very upmarket Marriott hotel is the site of a former knocking shop....)
Other highlights today were the frankly bonkers Design Museum which boldly juxtaposes old and new in a way that just kind of works, (see selfie below)
and a schlep up the steps of the Belfry. I found myself in the room where the drum controlling the bell chimes works, and hadn't realised that at 5.30 it would set in motion - the noise almost gave me a coronary but it was fascinating to watch the strings controlling the bells in action. Heck of a view from the top too.
I also like this sculpture of St Michael slaying a dragon on one of the many little bridges over the river and canals.
And I bought a necklace. The colours are perfect. And I walked out of the shop once and then walked back 150m to buy it as I knew it was perfect. Sigh......
Dinner was solid and relatively cheap but less memorable pasta (the bargain soup at Soup Lounge mid-afternoon was much better) and I now find myself craving vegetables. Ended my evening back for a 3rd time for a nightcap in a bar where I can't seem to get the name right - I thought it was Mercatana but appears not to be correct, so perhaps my favourite bartender so far this trip, the Guardian-reading, impeccably-English-speaking and all-round nice chap Joel can put me right in a comment as have promised to share this blog with him. Highly recommend this place as it's right opposite St Niklaus church so is very central but it's friendly and they do lots of beers and great liqueur coffee.
So goodbye to Ghent tomorrow if I can navigate my way via the tram back to St Pieter's station, where I'll pick up a train to Antwerp and then change for Amsterdam. I've enjoyed Ghent very much - the historical and arts quarters are perfectly compact and so easily walkable for a weekend, so highly recommended. It's relaxed and friendly, though I could've done with a little more sun and a little less drizzle, but hey, a good start to the grand tour.
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