Paris revisted

27-31 March 2015: a few days in Paris

Train delay due to a major power failure in the North of Holland, hotel La Perle in our favorite street/area (Rue des Canettes/Saint Germain des Pres), Place St Sulpice, dinner with Claude and Catherine, exhibition Giotto to Caravaggio at Jacquemart-Andre, Musee d'Orsay, Jardin de Luxembourg, buying a coat in Le Marais, discovering the passages couverts des Panoramas and Jouffroy, Pantheon, Bobur, and the Marche Montorgeuil.

finally we could enter a train and defrost 

27 March:

Phew what a 'cold start' of this trip to Paris. We had booked the early morning TGV from Rotterdam to Paris, however, after arriving at Rotterdam cs we had to wait for hours at the windy and cold railway station. Reason: due to a major power failure in the North of Holland (Diemen) no trains could arrive/leave Rotterdam; in short total chaos. We were lucky to board the non-cleaned, but warm, TGV that had arrived from Paris early that morning.   

place St Sulpice

yeah we arrived; first drinks

Eglise Saint Sulpice

lighting a candle

historical: just after the attacks on Charlie Hebdo 

near Place St Michel

Place de La Republique

Canal Saint Martin

a french selfie ...

Meeting Claude for dinner at his fav Italian restaurant, which is around the corner of his home. Later in the evening Catherine, Claude's wife joined us

great food

In french restaurants it's good to be a regular guest, or know a person that is a regular/who knows the owner. You are treated more friendly, and wow they even shake hands.

strolling in the streets of Montmartre

'red light pictures' before saying goodbye to our friends and 

thanking them for the nice dinner and evening

the SL gallery owners :-)

28 March:

visiting the exhibition from Giotto to Caravaggio at Musee Jacquemart-Andre

The museum Jacquemart-Andre is situated in a lovely building at the Boulevard Haussmann. We had lunch at the  restaurant of the museum.

the wintergarden & afterwards catching some sunshine in the garden of the museum

Le Marais; place des Vosges

I bought this cool coat in the Marais

29 March:

  

Musee d'Orsay

l'Origin du Monde

highlights

impressionists

yeah champagne and fois gras in the restaurant of the museum

Italian dinner at Pizzeria Santa Lucia in the Rue des Canettes

left photo: drinking Ricard at the cafe on place St Sulpice

couldn't resist the home made dessert of Santa Lucia

Saint Sulpice cathedral by night

30 March:

Jardin du Luxembourg

After a morning lingering in the Jardin du Luxembourg where it felt like spring, we visited the Pantheon, some of the old 'galleries de Paris' and afterwards met with Claude in the Brebant cafe. 

Pantheon

Some of the awesome passages couverts: les passages Jouffroy et des Panoramas still breathing the atmosphere of end 19th century

buying a rabbit

Le Brebant where we met with Claude

Dinner: Italian food and wine at revisted restaurant 'Alfredo Positano'

 31 March (last day in Paris)

Bobur (Centre Pompidou)

Le Marche Montorgeuil, food market near Bobur: a great place to shop for exclusive food, wine, chocolate etc

The top right picture is our last breakfast at le boulanger near our hotel. Yummie pain de chocolat, croissant and coffee.  

And that was it, the end of our Paris trip.  

dikke kus

Carina

Pascal, Villa BBB revisited & a visit to Gorinchem

Saturday, 21 February 2015
Our yearly dinner with Saskia and Bas in Oosterhout at restaurant 'bij Pascal' celebrating Saskia's Bday. It was fun seeing eachother, great food, that was even better than last year. Pascal deserves a Michelin star. 

After dinner P. and I passed the casino and tried our luck, which worked out fine for P. coz he won.

Like the years before P. and I stayed at Bed and Breakfast VillaBBB in Oosterhout. We slept in the 'Bank' room, which is lovely and has a former safe now used as the bathroom. In case you might feel lonely you can rent their gold fish ^-^ 

wonderful dinner at 'bij Pascal' in Oosterhout

Sunday, 22 February 2015

After breakfast we visited the old fortress city of Gorinchem; the museum, the old harbor and walked the old fortress walls along the riverside. Great place with lots of history. Fun to visit. City rights were given to Gorinchem as far back as in 1382. Interested? See wiki info here

I have to confess P and I, we were bad coz we bought a cone of fries with mayonnaise, which tasted gorgeous, but hey we shared ^-^

It was a lovely weekend

dikke kus

Carina

The harbour of Gorinchem

map of Gorinchem

 

Wow this is soooo typically Dutch

walking the fortress walls along the river Boven Merwede

really super yummie fries

Rothko exhibition at Gemeentemuseum Den Haag

Gemeentemuseum The Hague

Sunday, 15 February we visited the Mark Rothko exhibition at the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. We had visited a very interesting lecture about Rothko a while ago. However, afterwards we couldn't pass to visit the exhibition coz we lacked special tickets for the exhibition (grrrr) We thought our museum year card was sufficient to enter, but nope. 

Watching the long queue for the ticket office, we decided to buy tickets online. 

This Sunday afternoon it was a madhouse, so crowded. Amazing how many people are interested in modern art and more specific in Rothko's art.

Afterwards we went shopping in The Hague centre at De Bijenkorf.

A fruitful afternoon.

inside the museum

the painting that was used for the poster advertising the Rothko exhibition

Mondriaan & Rothko

time for drinks

more exhibitions: Romantic fashions 'Mr. Darcy meets Eline Vere'

interesting  work of Emo Verkerk

It seems we were just in time coz today was the last day of his exhibition 'Love me or Leave me' at the Gemeentemuseum.

Emo Verkerk

having a beer at the restaurant of De Bijenkorf, 

showing off the goodies bought there.