Sunday, September 30, 2007
Istanbul, Turkey, 16-21 May 2007: Iznik Tiles
Ceramic Jewels
Labels: art, Istanbul, religious site, Turkey
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 31 May & 3-4 Jun 2007: Sojourn
I AMsterdam
Had a conference in Toronto in early June. Flew KLM, transiting in Amsterdam. Just perfect! Squeezed in a few hours' city tour on the way there, and an overnight stay on the return leg. I was last in Amsterdam 7 years ago (ESC conference, which coincided with Sail 2000). This time round, I got to see many of the sights again, plus some new ones: Amsterdam's canals, Museumplein (near to my hotel), Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Walletjes (red light district, where the action starts at 11pm), etc. The museums were fantastic. Managed to buy a last-minute ticket to a piano recital at the Concertgebouw: Maria João Pires playing Schubert Impromptus and Beethoven's Piano Sonata Op 110. Beautiful tone and expression, great performance. Taking it easy, I took a leisurely stroll through Jordaan, in the west of town. This former working class area has become gentrified, with yuppie shops and pretty boathouses along the many small canals that traversed the district. The Jordaan jaunt ended in Prinsengracht, near to Westerkerk Church and Anne Frank House, from the secret annex of which, the toll of the church bells could be heard and the sharp spire seen. I also visited Beginhof, former courtyard home of the Beguines, a religious women's order. It was a secluded oasis of peace and tranquility in the midst of Spui, a busy commercial district. |
Labels: Amsterdam, garden, museum, Netherlands
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Ontario, Canada, 2 Jun 2007: Niagara
America & Horseshoe Falls
It was a lazy Saturday after the conference in the lovely quiet town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, on the banks of Lake Ontario. As my flight would not leave until evening, I rented a bicycle to ride the 10 miles to Niagara Falls. After brief directions from the hotel staff and a map, I set off southwards from the genteel town and soon hit a long picturesque stretch of road, Niagara Parkway. Reached the Niagara Falls after about 90 minutes of leisurely riding. Along the way, I saw a hydroelectric plant, as well as the Whirlpool, a torrent created by the confluence of rivers downstream from the falls. A thundering roar and stray wet sprays of water announced the approach to the Niagara Falls. The America Falls, on the opposite U.S. bank, and the larger Horseshoe Falls is on the Canadian side, made up the Niagara Falls. In the latter, water tumbled majestically into a torrential whirlpool below, boiling up into a permanent mist that shrouded the Horseshoe Falls. The Maid-of-the-Mist ferried tourists on scheduled thrills rides that teetered on the edge of the maelstrom before beating a hasty retreat. |
Labels: Canada, nature, waterfall
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Vienna, Austria, 4 Sep 2007: Kunsthistorisches Museum
Gemaldegalerie, Egyptian, Greek & Roman Collections
Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum boasts continental Europe's largest collection of art and antiquity, the fruit of the Habsburg rulers' predilection for amassing choice pieces throughout the expansive Austrian-Hungarian empire during their long 800-year domination.  Antiquity from ancient Egyptian, Greek, Hellenistic and Roman civilizations are exhibited on the ground floor of the heavy neoclassical museum building. The painting collection, Gemäldegalerie, is on the first floor.Canova's oeuvre Theseus Battling the Minotaur, marble made flesh, sits on a landing midway up the central staircase to the art gallery. Stand in awe of the life-like muscular tension between the hero and the struggling Minotaur. Flinch at the monster's agonized grimace moments before the fatal blow. The Gemäldegalerie comprises paintings by Northern (Nederlandisch, Flanders) and Southern (Italian, Spanish) European artists displayed in the north and south wings, respectively. The collection features the world's biggest cache of works by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (including the fascinating Hunters in the Snow), rooms full of Rubens, Rembrandt, Titian, as well as rare Giorgione (filled with poetry and mystery), Velázquez (well traveled  court painter-cum-art procurer to the Spanish Habsburg King Philip IV) and one sublime Vermeer.The antiquities collection of Egyptian, Near East, Greek and Roman ancient artefacts resides in the south wing on the ground floor. Highlights include the largest assembly of papyri in the world, several noteworthy statues and carvings - e.g., fragments from the famous Parthenon Frieze, the Amazonian Sacrophagus with its dramatic battle scene relief - and an unmatched prized treasure trove of Roman cameos and jewellery. The museum's remaining section, the Kunstkammer, features sculpture and the decorative arts. An unbridled orgy of rococo excess, the collection acquired some notoriety from the bizarre circumstances surrounding the theft and subsequent recovery of its celebrated centrepiece, Cellini's Saliera. |
Labels: antiquity, art, Austria, history, museum, sculpture, Vienna
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Paris, France, 6-8 Sep 2007: Three Days In Paris
City Sights In Black & White
Day 1. 5pm. Musee d'Orsay. From Tuileries metro, walked through the gardens, crossed River Seine on the lovely slender Solferrino bridge. Long queue at the museum discouraged entry. Pity. 6pm. Went to Montmartre. Stopped at Abbesses metro. Did not take the elevator. Instead scaled the spiral staircase decorated with colourful murals of Parisien scenes. Crowds gathered to enjoy the panoramic view of Paris from the steps leading up to Sacre Coeur cathedral at the peak of Butte Montmartre. 10pm. Strolled along the banks, and enjoyed the quiet of, St Martin's canal in the untouristy 10th Arrondissement. Stood in the middle of one of the canal's many bridges as a cool refreshing breeze wafted over gently. Day 2. 10am. Friday street market metres away from the apartment building in the 11th Arrondissement. Quick look at the stalls. 11am. Marais walk. Along rue de Turenne to Place des Vosges, one of the most beautiful squares in Paris, perfectly symmetrical and stately. Nearly noon. Back to apartment for lunch. 1pm. Latin quarters. Visited Luxembourg gardens. Weather was excellent, people lounged around, soaking up the sun. 3pm. Walked to St Sulpice cathedral (of Da Vinci's Code fame). Almost empty, north tower under restoration. Short visit to St Germain des Pres. 4pm. Walked through the grounds of the huge Louvre Museum, to the Palais Royale. Time stood still as gentlemen engaged in the silent game of petanque. 5pm. Walked to Notre Dame. Toured the gothic interiors. Then ... Berthillon ice-cream (chocolate, strawberry, praline with orange, raspberry) at No.31, Ile St Louis. Absolutely yummy. 6pm. Beauborg walk. Saw Georges Pompidou Centre. Enough. 7pm. To Eiffel Tower. The best approach ever was from Trocadero metro. Come out of the station, turn left and suddenly the tower plopped right into the field of view. Unrivalled vista. 8pm. Montparnasse. Met some new friends for dinner of moules et frites. 10pm. Streets of Paris filled with rollerbladers. Cars had to wait for more than 10 minutes for the whole train to pass. Incredible. Day 3. Am. Meeting at KNOE, Kremlin Biscetre. Fruitful discussions. Lunch of excellent Pho at Pho 14. Avenue de Choisy, near Tolbiac metro. Pm. Shopping at Galerie Lafayette. 8pm. To airport. |
Monday, September 10, 2007
Paris, France, 7 Sep 2007: Abbesses Metro
Upstairs, Downstairs
The Abbesses Metro station in the heart of Paris' Montmartre district is famous for the art nouveau entrance as well as the wall murals decorating the staircases that go more than 30 metres below ground level. It was recently extensively renovated. Colourful cartoons of Parisien scenes line the walls of the ascending stairwell (left column) while photographs of the Montmartre area are seen in the descending stairwell (right column). These eye-catching murals offer more than enough inducement to skip the elevator and take to the stairs. However, the effect and ambience are very different from the original murals before the latest revamp. I personally prefer the old look ... but what do you think?              |
Labels: art, France, painting, Paris, transport
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License
These are the 30 countries that I have ever set foot on. Airport stopovers don't count!
