Art and Food - Amsterdam

Besides nature, there  is little that soothes the soul like art and food. If you're spending a few days in Amsterdam, there will be plenty of both. 

Museumplein's, or Museum Square, is a lovely park area that will bring you to the best known Amsterdam museums. The Rijksmuseum, a national museum, is a must. The building's stately exterior begs you to come inside. With over a million pieces, spanning a period from 1200 to 2000, there is literally something for everyone. In 2013, it completed a ten year renovation and expansion and is now the most visited museum in the Netherlands. 

Rembrandt's The Watchmen draws huge crowds. But the latest addition of Marten and Oopjen, painted in 1632, is what's creating all the buzz. The only non royalty commissioned single portraits done by Rembrandt, this newly married couple were soon separated by Marten's untimely death and then by geography. Recently, France and Holland purchased the pair for millions of Euro with the promise that they would only be shown together and the couple never again separated. 

Naturally, there is de Hooch and Vermeer whose portrayal of intimate, simple everyday life and play with light and color still mystifies the world. (Have you watched Tim's Vermeer?)

The Japan Modern exhibit is a temporary display of art from the early 1900's, showing the combination of traditional themes combined with images of a post war Japan rebuilding and reinterpreting traditional art making techniques. 

A short walk in the park brings you to the Stedelijk, a museum of design and art. Housed in a very contemporary space, you'll find all imaginable art and artifact.

Posters remind you of the Dutch long relationship with Indonesia. There is a neon artist whose work was just shown at the 2015 Venice Biennale's Arsenale alongside oversized digital images from an American artist. 

Naturally while at the park, you'll stop at the Van Gogh Museum. The work never ceases to delight! Do yourself a favor and purchase timed entrance tickets. The lines can be amazingly long. And get a headset, the commentary is easy to follow and particularly well done. 

Lunch before venturing into the next museum is probably just the thing. Wander through the book stalls in the main part of town. Broodges are Dutch sandwiches layered with a mix of flavors  from the simple to complex. In a hurry? You can't go wrong stopping for a quick broodge. No two will ever be quite the same. 

The FOAM photography museum is not to be missed. There was a Helmut Newton show on all floors of this tall thin building along the canal, so finely curated that it promises anything here is worth seeking out. You also will want to take a look at their fantastic library and selection of books. 

 When a friend told me about a handbag museum, I was certain she was kidding. The Tassenmuseum Hendrikje houses 4,00 items dating back to the 1600's. They also have a delightful salon type cafe and a selection of extremely well made, well priced purses. (Yes I bought one.) 

Van Gogh can be found everywhere, even on murals along the canals.  Which just goes to show that there is much more art to see than just at the big museums. 

There is the museum of Tulips, cheese, buttons and traditional Dutch dress, just to name a few.  

3-D mural sized street art simply appears out of nowhere. 

You will definitely need to fortify to make the most of your time here. De Prins is a local beer and eatery with canal views, great people watching, terrific prices and everything from burgers to Risitto or maybe you just want a small plate of saucissons. You want the burger and fries.This is NOT the American version. And no, there's no catchup in sight, but these are so delicious you won't miss it. In fact, you might just decide that mayo with Dutch fries us just thing. And the burgers? Don't get me started. 

Last 4 pieces of advice. 

1. Buy an Amsterdam card that gives you free passes to most museums, discounts to virtually all others and free passage on the metro, trolley and canals. 

2. Give yourself a set amount of time in each venue. Two hours should be your max for a big museum. Pick the two items you "must" see and choose one that's completly new. If you buy a multi museum package pass, you will feel okay about popping in somewhere you've never heard of and spending 30 or 45 minutes to sample the experience and still feel you got your money's worth.

3. See what days the cruise lines arrive. Their guests usually come through before noon and can completely take over the smalller popular museums, like Van Gogh, so go later, another day or in the evening. 

4. If you plan to go to the Anne Frank museum, you REALLY do need to buy tickets one to two months in advance.

Amsterdam

Guess where we are? For Karen it's been  nearly 40 years, far fewer for Steve , but fortunately the Old City of Amsterdam, with its series of concentric oval shaped canals and narrow cobblestone streets has changed little. 

Tall slim houses, "grachtenpand", line virtually every water way. Beautifully maintained, most still have the old pulley systems mounted at their top to bring furniture and heavier items upstairs while avoiding narrow stairways. 

Bridges support countless bicyclist, who  share the roadways with pedestrians modern trolleys and the occasional car. 

There are many ways to travel, or live on the canals - from pedaling along to powered barge or houseboat. 

From the water, views are spectacular. Old Dutch boats, the green oxidized maritime museum (which Steve lived) and silhouettes of old churches dot the waterways.

A sunset champagne cruise with friends in a minature trumpe type boat makes the day complete. 

Amsterdam comes highly recommended, but just don't wait as long as we did. 

 

Cap d'Antibes

Further east, and a bit north, along the Mediteranean Coast, you come to Cap d'Antibes. Located between Niece and Canne, it's known for its tranquility with many fewer hotels and short thin strips of beach. 

          

Hotel du Cap sits high on a hill, lined with gardens, cypress and palm trees, with sweeping views down to the the sea. The first canopy to the right is our room. 

Although the rooms above have more spectacular views, we prefer the outside terrace, particularly for a morning meal while the air is still cool. Steve stares down a seagull, who is also looking for a morning croissant. 

                      

The property's various buildings are hidden within the the greenery and surrounded by lovely old gardens.

     

       

Down below is the sister hotel Eden Roc.  Built into the side of a rock cliff and looking over the sea, the hotel is just a few stories tall. Its salty infinity pool blurs the line between captured water and the sea below, both a much anticipated late afternoon refreshing swim. Although the idea of simply enjoying the property's grounds is tempting, the pull to explore with our small group of 20wins out.

                              

The Musee Nationale Picasso , La Guerret et la Paix, with its muraled chapel that include and arched ceiling and a sampling of his pottery would have been enough       

    

   But there was also the XXIV International contemporary ceramics biennale with an amazing selection of contemporary pieces.  

                          

La Mouissone, a private garden, was an absolute treat. Claudette, the property's owner and garden custodian has done a wonderful job restoring terraced land high in the hills of Grasse. It provided fantastic views, along with bamboo walks and multiple areas to tuck in and enjoy. Notice the butterfly sipping away at a purple tansy like flower.  

                                        

   

We will be paying the price for weeks to come of delicious food. There are many Michelin star locations in the area, but whether it is presenting sorbet in ice sculpture 

                                   

Or La Bastide Saint Antoine with its bougainvillea encrusted walls and delicate sculptures accompanying an outdoor luncheon under a leafy canopy 

Or the seaside Tetou's  simple bouillabaisse and raspberry tart (who remembers these berries EVER being so flavorful) it was ALL wonderful. 

                           

A quick boat trip out to La Guezite on Ile Sainte Maguerite expemplifies the c'est la vie, as people linger over fresh vegetable plates, tomatoes and burrata  to die for, fresh roasted fish and homemade pasta. The band circles and guests young and old dance. No one is in a hurry to leave, so a quick dip between courses lets the day lazily unfold. 

Nice is not far away and worth more than a quick visit for an evening meal at La Petite Maison, a casual spot in the Old Town.

                           

But why not take the one hour  boat ride past Monacco to Byblos Beach at the western end of the Italian Mediteranean? 

         

  

The ubiquitous blue alliums wave us goodbye as we depart for Holland. Bonjour.  Merci. Je cousin remercie! Au revoir - for now!

Saint Tropez

The days continue to be picture perfect. After a day of boating and, we have to confess, more eating, we take a short drive from St Maxime to St Tropez. 

The trip is s brief 10 minutes by boat or 20 minutes by car. But the "season" here has just begun, so 20 minutes can easily turn into 60!

St Tropez is a sun kissed peach colored stone village along the French Mediterranean Sea. Boaters know it for its protected harbour, iconic lighthouse and selection of ships of all sizes. 

Beyond "ship watching" is St. Tropez' famous people watching. We did a bit of both by the harbour.

Then made our way up winding cobbled streets to the village and park above. Families watch as men play boules. A cleverly uniformed band marches by, we're not certain where to or from. A carousel rests after a day of young people on school holiday. Fashionable stores abound along with petite restaurants tucked into the small side cobbled lanes along the way. Everyone seems remarkably relaxed and understated. And what better way for Steve to end a day than sharing an ice cream with Xander! 

St Maxime & Port Cros

The allure of the French Riviera is easy to understand. From the moment of arrival, there is something about the light, the soft colors set against the seemingly endless azure skies that simply washes over you and says life is good. 

We begin our stay at St. Maxime with Xander and Barbara, longtime Dutch friends of Steve's, who have a home and boat here. More gracious and relaxed hosts would be difficult to find!

St Maxime is a delightful harbour town, with pale peach colored stucco homes that creep up into the hill that tumbles down to the understated shops and small beaches. The atmosphere is completely casual compared to its neighbor, San Tropez across the harbour.

The morning after our arrival, we join them in their boat southwest to the petite hill of an island, Port-Cros. 

There is a small dock and a handful of mooring balls to tie up to. No boat anchors are allowed to disturb the  bottom of this delicate seafloor. 

The population is around 100 folks living a hard working but tranquil life. Pale turquoise blue is the favored shutter color. The restaurants are known for local fresh deep water fish found at 60 or more meters below the surface. We chose Le Ause for a long wonderful meal. 

La Manoir is the island's singular small  hotel. You'll pay the price for enjoying it's tranquility but if you want a true escape,  it's lovely gardens and protected pool are certainly enticing. 

After a walk, which did not include a climb to the island's citadel, we cruise to another nature preserved spot to tie up for a swim. We had no idea what the school of light grey with bright blue stripes and small white and black markings were. They seemed as curious about us as we were about them. 

It's time to return to St Maxime's harbour having had a truly fantastic day! 

Fun Fourth - Boston Style

Every locale has its own unique approach to celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In Boston it's all about baseball, the Boston Pops and fireworks. 

First stop Fenway - a perfect evening with bright blue skies, not-too-hot temperature and just the slightest breeze. To Steve, Fenway brings a lifetime of memories. Like many Bostonians, it comes close to being hallowed ground. 

Like nearly 40,000 others, we were there to chear on the Red Sox. But in truth, this is David Ortiz's year.  Number 34 has announced this is his last year and it's turning out to be one his best, breaking his own records and passing the long standing home run record of another Sox of fame, Ted Williams. At 40 (and most believe he's 40++), the designated hitter is about to join his 10th All-Star game. The city can't imagine the Boston without their BigPapi - likely the last Sox to ever wear #34. 

 The Fourth was a beautiful day. Living along the Charles River, our deck is perfectly poised to watch thousands drift into the grassy Esplanade. Early arrivals go a few blocks away to find a spot at the Hatch Shell to listen to the Boston Pops and various contemporary guests. 

The balance stake their claim to enjoy the fireworks - or they come to our deck, within a couple of hundred yards of the launching barge. This year, fireworks were also launched from the Harvard Bridge, on Mass Ave, crossing the river to MIT, just a handful of blocks away. The result was incredible! Photos never do justice to this light show, so maybe next year you should give us a shout. If we're around, stop on by.  

Butterfly Garden in Action!

This is officially my new obsession. On my way back from Eugene, I stopped by on Useppa to close up the house and - okay - check on the butterfly garden. Everything is blooming and butterflies are out in the dozens. The Pipevine planted in March has  grown to over 20 feet tall, rapidly covering the trellis put in place just for its use. The black with yellow stripe Polydamas are out in the dozens. They were rubbing tails (i.e. mating) and laying eggs. It is beyond description to see them transition from flittering about to folding their wings and carefully hovering to lay the tiniest of golden eggs in precisely strict clustered lines. 

                          

The  eggs hatch a couple of weeks later. What's unique for this species is that the small golden caterpillars that emerge remain in a cluster as they travel along eating in an ever moving pack. It's not unusual to watch them cause multiple giant leaves to simply vanish. As they transition from 1 to 3 inches, they separate from each other to more easily satisfy their appetites. 

                      

At this point the most miraculous transformation occurs. The small golden mass eventually becomes individual large black gold spotted caterpillar and then a hairy looking creature of about three inches long. Slowly it attaches a strong silk filament to a stem and spins its cocoon (chrysalis), hiding within the tan and yellow structure for weeks as it metamorphosis back to the black and yellow butterfly. 

                     

   Here you can see the relative size of egg to chrysalis. To me, and all those kindergarten and first graders, the process is as close to magic as I've witnessed in the natural world.  

                                

If you missed this  natural science section (maybe you had chicken pocks that week),  feel free to visit the butterfly garden and see it for yourself. It's mesmerizing. You will see the world around you through an entirely different, magical lense.