Blog

Happy Halloween. Awoke to a cotton candy sky…brilliant light blue with lacy pink clouds. A fitting decoration for Halloween…the king of all candy holidays. The weather stayed perfect all day long…Mother Nature’s thoughtful birthday present to me on my 40th.

Took the RER C5 train (VICK) to Versailles Rive Gauche…got the right train without any hiccups on this trip. [The RER is a bit counterintuitive, because the trains ride on and arrive on the left-hand side of the tracks, unlike Metro, for example. In the rush of a crowded train station, its easy to go down to the wrong platform.]

Versailles is always our favorite destination in Paris…but this trip was definitely special. Our first trip without cold rain…that was a biggie! Instead, we found a typical October day. It seems that every local and tourist chose today to visit as well…but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The lines to go into the main Chateau were insane…INSANE…so we diverted off to the less visited parts of the grounds.

Winding walks though the gardens with their hidden bosquet and fountains…several of which we had never seen before. A long path along the Grand Canal with silent boaters. All the trees were radiant in yellows and reds. Visited the Grand Trianon…the elaborate retreat built for Louis XIV…some new rooms were open.

Visited Le Domaine de Marie Antoinette. The building and grounds around the Petit Trianon…a retreat bequeathed to Marie Antoinette on her husband’s ascending the throne as Louis XVI…have been spruced up with newly opened buildings and better interpretive signs. All to take advantage of the wave of new interest in la Dauphine et la Reine. The most brilliant new sight was the elaborate but small theatre, which has been restored. Marie Antoinette’s personal lakeside peasant village (hameau) and farm were bustling with people and animals in the warm afternoon sun. Peacocks, chickens, and rabbits living in the same pen. The white marble Temple of Love shined brightly in the sun.

Another first for us: one of the large fountains near the Chateau was running late in the day. The amazing array of fountains at Versailles all run on an elaborate engineering triumph…an extensive historic (and revolutionary) gravity-fed plumbing system drawing water from far away sources since Versailles has no water source of its own. Louis XIV…who put absolute in absolute monarch…defied the laws of nature to fit his own desire for a palace and garden befitting his self-proclaimed role as the center of the universe. The fountains only run periodically…so it is a special treat to see one in action.

The setting sun lit up the Chateau, the Grand Canal in the distance, and the surrounding trees.

Took the train home. Dinner at a cozy restaurant on Ile Saint Louis: Auberge de la Reine Blanche. Traditional French fare…rich and flavorful. A mouthwatering appetizer to start…ravioles de royan aux champagiones. A wonderful bottle of Côtes du Rhone. Traditional Bouef Bourguignon for me. Coq au Vin for Jeff. Finished with a warm gateau moelleux chocolat and two espressos. Our waiter was charming, and did a masterful job serving all 10-or-so tables at once.

Topped off my birthday watching the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the distance marking midnight, followed by quick mojitos and bed. A call home for warm trans-Atlantic birthday hugs. What an amazing (and long) day. (Thank you, sweetie.)

[Halloween report from the nephews and neices: Mia was a pumpkin. Benjamin was a skunk. Natalie was a witch. Keegan was a ninja. Dominick was Captain Hook.]

Awoke to a brilliant blue sky accented by puffy cumulus clouds. With about an hour and a half between breakfast our our taxi pickup, we ventured out for one last walk. Of course, not 100 yards from our hotel, a rogue dark cloud swept across our path, unleashing wetness…not rain, but whatever that maximum drizzle is before it becomes rain. We ducked in an antique print shop…and the cloud passed. The stopover was fortuitous for Jeff since he bought an antique 19th century photo postcard of the Heresgracht canal. Crossed the Amstel river, visited the bookstore of the Amsterdam Hermitage (branch location of the Russian Hermitage Museum)…one of Jeff’s favorites…even though he hasn’t yet made it to St. Petersburg.

Returned to the hotel and our taxi arrived shortly to whisk us to the train station.

Boarded the 12:56 Thalys train to Paris. Rijtuig 16, Zitplaats 63/64…the worst zitplaats in the entire car. We squatted in zitplaats with windows until we had to move. Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Brussels among the distinctive stops.

Beautiful sun for traveling. Along the way…extensive canals of varying size for transport and irrigation, herons, ducks, alternating fields of leafy green and tilled brown, cows and sheep mingling, a lone alpaca, sleek modern windmills for electricity, quaint old windmills for water (or perhaps nostalgia), two children on a trampoline.

A bomb alert stalled us for about 15 minutes in Rysjwick outside Der Haag. Oddly, they have gentle, pre-recorded messages to apologize for bomb alerts.

Slipped from the Netherlands to Belgium and finally to France. Dinsdag became Mardi.

Lost our ‘squatters seats’ in Brussels. Between Brussels and Paris, much of the countryside disappeared as the train reached high-speed tracks isolated by high grassy berms and concrete walls. What we did see was lit by the warm late afternoon sun.

Arrived at Gare du Nord in Paris…about 40 minutes late due to the bomb threat slowdown. A long taxi line, but moved nicely. Lots of evening traffic.

On to the Ile Saint Louis where Christophe and Phillippe welcomed us back with big smiles and hardy handshakes. (We had used their Guest Apartment services on our previous trip…highly recommended…thank you again Brooks!) A different apartment on this visit…this one on Quai d’Anjou…a cozy apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Seine. The beautiful building was built circa 1640 as the mansion of Merginy who created the Machine de Marly which supplied water to the fountains in Marly and Versailles (a wonder of engineering at the time).

Paris feels about 5 degrees warmer than Amsterdam, which felt about 5 degrees warmer than Mainz. Took a leisurely evening walk to the Place de Voges and quiet surrounding streets. Still some bicycles here, but many more motorscooters. After a long day, craved something known and comfortable…so ate at Cafe Vito in the Marais…yummy pizzas plus a fantastic Chianti Classico. Barely recognized Cafe Vito, because it got a radical facelift since we last visited in February…discarding its faux Italian interior for a cleaner modern look…but keeping the same reliable food. The crowded tables seemed to agree with the changes.

The steady overnight drizzle had subsided, but rain stubbornly clung to the clouds, threatening to pour if we ventured out unprepared. So, with good foresight, today became a museum day. Two of the best museums in the city lay within blocks of our hotel: the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum.

A nice day to catch both.

We started at the Van Gogh Museum…which as you might expect, houses the most complete collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world, plus works by his influential artists and contemporaries.. The Van Gogh floor is arranged chronologically, which allows the uninitiated to watch Van Gogh evolve. Van Gogh made a deliberate decision to become a painter…and was largely self taught. He went from novice to master in about ten years (!!!) before he shot himself in 1890. In the short period, he made over 800 paintings and over 1000 drawings.

Ate a quick lunch in the museum cafe. Did some window shopping on cute Spiegalstraat.

On to the Rijksmuseum, which is only partially open due to renovations. Still, the condensed sample of the collection is impressive (and plenty for an afternoon). Selections of art reflect Dutch history specifically during the period of the country’s golden age (the 1600s) when it was a maritime and economic super power. Primary focus is on the Dutch Masters…Rembrandt, Vermeer, Steen. The most popular highlight is Rembrant’s famous Nightwatch.

When we emerged from the Rijksmusem, the sun was just past setting, leaving behind pink-tinged clouds against a pale blue-ish sky. Inspired, we took a long evening walk through the nearby Vondel Park. As the sunlight quickly faded, a moist fog formed…blending the park’s dense mix of paths, trees, grass, and duck ponds. The park was silent except for the whiz of bike tires on the wet paths, and the crunch of joggers’ footsteps. We stumbled onto a twisting knot garden in the low mist.

Amsterdam seems to crave (or think its international visitors crave) Argentinian steakhouses…they are everywhere…you can’t throw a wooden shoe without hitting one. So we caved and chose one that looked tiny and friendly… the simply named ‘Ocho’. Beef raised on las Pampas.

Drinks after dinner. Ironically, just before midnight, Jeff’s favorite song mix played…Rhianna’s ‘Umbrella’…wrapping up a day that threatened rain, but never committed to it.

The time changed today in Europe, so we got to fall back with a welcome bonus hour. After another simple breakfast, we decided to take advantage of a hint of blue through the persistent clouds…I swear, I saw shadows for a minute. The Sunday morning streets were nearly vacant, which added to an already pleasant walk. The quiet streets also lulled us into believing that the line at the Anne Frank House would be short…it was twice as long as before. Sigh…look at the pretty trees 🙂

Instead, we veered south to see the famous flower market, which was more bulbs than flowers at this time of year. Every tulip known to man, and even some “starter cannibus”…only in Amsterdam. From there, we found the nearby Willet-Holthuysen Museum…a historic 17th century Amsterdam canal house. This a small, easy museum, but its restored rooms are beautiful.

Grabbed a quick bite of so-so Mediterranean food at the Cafe Noona…and then on to the train station to book our Tuesday tickets to Paris. Along the way, merged into a throng of protesters marching loudly for something…not sure what, but we quickly separated ways. The train station was packed, but we figured out the system and made reservations on the Thalys train with the help of the kind woman at Desk #13.

More lovely canals, but any hint of sun or blue skies was gone for the day…rain was on the way…you could smell it.

One more try for good ole Anne Frank…success…only a 15min wait. We toured this famous and touching landmark…the hidden rooms where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and the Pels family of four lived in total secrecy for over two years beginning in 1942. The rooms were cramped and warm…surely the claustrophobic feel they gave to their residents. The Frank and Pels families were eventually betrayed and deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz, where Anne Frank died shortly before the camp was liberated. In all, the tour was a sobering experience narrated by the words of a child’s diary.

On our way back to the hotel, shopped at several Royal Delft stores. Delft is that classic blue and white ceramic…immediately identifiable, and quintessentially Dutch. We picked up a couple of handpainted examples…including a Christmas tree ornament and beautiful vase.

A light drizzle joined us on our walk.

Dinner was the very popular Ristorante Saturnino, which we had passed each night…always with a long waiting list. Figuring that consistent crowds can’t be wrong, we had made a reservation earlier in the day. Definitely worth the trip…our pasta dishes were right out of Italy. Two excellent Italian restaurants in a row…literally too, since Saturnino and Romana (from last night) are next door to each other.

By the end of dinner, the drizzle was a bit more persistent. After drinks, the drizzle was heavy. Reluctantly, the umbrella came out.

A comfy bed and tightly drawn shades conspired to create a late rise. Our only true motivation this morning was not missing our complimentary continental breakfast. I had extra oranges (Clemintines…my favorite) and OJ to try and ward off an oncoming, achy cold. At least the cappuccino perked up my mood.

A pleasant mid-fifties today, but we wisely decided to start the day with a quick stop at the Berghen boutique across the street, where Jeff picked me out a colorful striped scarf…perfect to keep the occasional chilly breezes off my neck.

Today was a walking day. We wove in and out of narrow streets and canal-ways…vaguely making our way towards Dam Square. The square isn’t notable really…lots of people and a couple of gray landmark-ish buildings…but really just a stop on the way to somewhere else.

We grabbed lunch at a minuscule eatery–‘t Stuisje–with 6 tables. Portions were also tiny…but good quality. We agreed that my “authentic Dutch meatball” was worth seeking out again.

Wandered towards the Anne Frank House. Even at 4pm, the lines were way too long…so we wandered off into the nearby Jordaan neighborhood…chock full of charming buildings and canals. Passed by the yummy Rainarai restaurant, with fresh, doughy pizza-like dishes in the window. Sat outside by a canal eating spicy slices of tuna+olive and mushroom+tomato.

Returned to the Anne Frank House. Seems that everyone tried the “lets come back later” trick. We left again to return on a non-weekend day.

The late afternoon sun actually peeked through for the first time in several days. Gave the yellow-leafed trees along the canals a slight, but dramatic boost.

A quick pause at the hotel to freshen and kick our feet up. With dusk upon us, we decided to take a longer-than-expected walk to the infamous Red Light District for a peek. The area is MUCH larger than we expected, with dozens of streets and alleys crawling with customers and curious tourists…and what an odd tourist trap indeed. So odd to walk by window upon window where women thump on the glass to get attention, like puppies in a pound vying for adoption. Our conclusion: somewhere between bizarre and sad, with a tinge of ick. (Yes…we left the Red Light District for dinner…somehow the falafel stands don’t have as much appeal with live shows going on next door…double ick.)

Dinner was hearty Italian at the simply named Ristorante Romana. The food was excellent…an early tip-off was the heavyset Italian patriarch and his two sons working the kitchen. Jeff had a wonderful tagalini bolognese, and I had an oven-baked tortellini bolognese al forno. Finished the meal with espresso on the house, and a cheery arivaderci.

After dinner drinks with a pre-Halloween flair. A quiet walk home. A hot shower to ease tired muscles. An Advil and Airborne for the lingering cold symptoms.