AUGUST 4-5, 2013
AMSTERDAM
August 4, 2013
Antwerp
From the beautiful train station I went out to for a quick walking tour of Antwerp to see the Cathedral and the City Hall. According to folklore, notably celebrated by a statue in front of the town hall, the city got its name from a legend involving a mythical giant called Antigoon who lived near the Scheldt river. He exacted a toll from those crossing the river, and for those who refused, he severed one of their hands and threw it into the river. Eventually, the giant was slain by a young hero named Brabo, who cut off the giant's own hand and flung it into the river. Hence the name Antwerpen, from Dutch hand werpen.
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Amsterdam
Arrived at Amsterdam Centraal and walked towards Barangay B&B where I stayed a couple of times before. Hosts Wimmo (Dutch) and Godwinn (Filipino).
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Went out walking right away. Passed the National Monument (World War II Memorial) at Dam Square; a booksellers stall; Rembrandthuis, where Rembrandt lived and worked between 1639 and 1658.
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At Rembrandtplein there was the closing ceremonies of the Pride Parade.
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Walked along the canals, which are by the way on the UNESCO World Heritage list, on my way to finding a place for dinner.
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Found a little Thai restaurant which was very popular with a long line so I thought this should be a good place to eat at. I was right and I met a couple named Sander and Sunisa. Went to a couple of bars and had a couple of beers before I turned in.
August 5, 2013
Amsterdam
A very nice breakfast was brought to my room and after la toilette I was ready to see more of Amsterdam.
The Rijksmuseum, built in 1885, has a great collection of masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer. In the grounds of the museum I saw Henry Moore sculptures and some colorful and fanciful sculptures in the reflecting pool. Also visited the Concertgebouw, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House.
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Took the late train back to Brussels and stopped at Le Daric for a night cap of Duvel beer.
August 6-8, 2013
Brussels
Spent the days shopping, walking, lunches at Grand Place restaurants, and evenings for beers at Le Daric with my new acquaintances.
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AUGUST 9-11, 2013
PARIS
August 9
Gare du Nord*Sacré-Cœur
Arrived at the Gare du Nord after an hour and a half. Put my luggage in a locker and walked to the Basilique Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre which was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875, finished in 1914 and was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.
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Chat Noir*Moulin Rouge*La Marmite
Walked from Montmartre down to the neighboring district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th Arrondissement to see the Bistrot Chat Noir, which was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard Rochechouart by the impresario Rodolphe Salis; the Moulin Rouge, best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance; and lunch (Daurade a la Provençal) at La Marmite .
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Checked out the famous poster of the Chat Noir by Théophile Steinlen before I took the Metropolitain at Pigalle to Bastille. Passed the Opera Bastille on the way to Hotel Turenne at the Marais section on the 4th Arrondissement.
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Later, went out for a walk nearby and passed by the Archives Nationales and the Hotel de Ville.
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Went by Centre Pompidou, a complex high-tech building in the Beaubourg area, designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, along with Gianfranco Franchini. It houses the Bibliothèque Publique d'Information (Public Information Library), a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe, and IRCAM, a center for music and acoustic research. The La Fontaine Stravinsky, right next to the Pompidou, created in 1983 by sculptors Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, is a whimsical public fountain ornamented with sixteen works of sculpture, moving and spraying water, representing the works of composer Igor Stravinsky.
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Passed by the Seine and saw the Paris-Plage, an artificial beach across from the Conciergerie, a former prison whose most famous prisoner was Marie Antoinette.
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Went to dinner at Le Marché in a little square (Place Sainte Catherine) with about six bistros near my hotel. Started with Escargots Bourgogne au beurre persillé, then fondant d'agneau accompanied by a glass of gigondas.
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