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The Gems of Mallorca

Initial Impressions of Turin

We had been stuck in a car for the best part of four hours as the snow came down around the Simplon Pass. Our escape by car-train was a longer process than we had imagined as all of the cars that were headed over the Simplon Pass were diverted to the car-train.

Eventually, and all while still snowing, we came into Italy and began the great descent down to Lake Maggiore. We had originally thought to go to the Borromean Islands, but at this point the snow had turned to rain. Even the picturesque Isola Bella looked like it was under threat of flooding so we sought refuge in a restaurant called Vecchia Scuola and had a marvelous lunch of pasta with lake fish.

Continuing on our journey, I was full of expectations as this was my first time in Turin or Torino. After suffering the usual sprawl of Northern Italian cities, and the promise from my Italian friend that things would get better, we suddenly came upon the Centro Storico of Turin. It was not what I had in mind. There were elegant piazzas, classical baroque buildings, and porticos that reminded me of Bologna. We checked into our hotel right in the center of town, Principi di Piemonte, found a great restaurant called Agrifolgio, and dove into Piedmont cooking at its best which included egg noodles with an incredible Bolognese sauce made with rabbit. They love their rabbit here.

Another first for me was the sight of a fairly large dog doing its business two tables away and in clear sight of most of the restaurant. I mean it was doing “number two”. At which point, the waiters, more attentive than before, proceeded to clean and mop up while the owner seemed completely non-apologetic and carried on with his own meal. I am used to dogs in restaurants in Paris popping out of women’s handbags but I was not quite ready for the sight of this.

Tomorrow, the weather was forecasted to be beautiful so we planned a full itinerary of sightseeing.

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New Thoughts on Mallorca

Italian Spa Culture

I will always remember the time I went to Montecatini, a spa town outside of Florence. I pulled up to this beautiful gate and saw an elegant driveway that led to one of Italy’s famous spas. Fully expecting hot water thermal springs I was quickly initiated into the non-hot water type of spa. Here it was all about drinking the waters which includes tasting water pulled from taps that looked like beer spigots. You have to taste it to believe that anyone in a sane state would ever believe that this stuff is actually good for you. And so my introduction to the whole spa deal in Italy came full circle, I began to learn about the Italian Spa Culture.

I had previously taken the waters at Saturnia and recently at the delightfully trendy Fonteverde Spa in San Casciano. But here is what is interesting about spa culture in Italy – it is paid for by the government! This is because Italians actually believe that taking in the waters (i.e. drinking awful tasting rotten egg water and lounging in sulfur baths) is going to make a huge difference to our health and longevity.

The Italian government allows a week every year to indulge in these ancient spas. Every tax payer has the right for one cycle according to the National Health System. In order to access this, the tax payer needs a prescription by a national health GP. Tax payers between the ages of 6 and 65 are charged a fee of 50 euros for the entire treatment. If your income is less than 36,000 euros, you are entitled to the spa treatment for three euros. Yes, that is right, three euros.

The board and lodging expenses are fully paid by Social Security. It is still not quite as liberal as the “old days” when you could get as many “paid holidays” as you liked within your “nine week vacation allotment.” Also, each spa configures its own scientifically based period for the treatment cycle. Water or mud treatments apparently have a different time period with different spas. So you may be entitled to 14 days according to the specific treatment that you are looking for and who would not look for the 14 day treatment? All hotels located in a spa location have an agreement with Italy’s Social Security to host the tax payers that have been prescribed spa treatment. This includes 5-star deluxe hotels as well as 3- or 4-star hotels. In other words, it is a wonderful paid vacation that even with the chronic economic situation in Italy is still ongoing. Nice!

Recently at San Casciano, I pulled up to this groovy 5-star retreat and saw a classic Italian moment. There was a wealthy looking guy with his younger companion both in their robes, both smoking cigarettes and with a glass of wine in hand. The notion that spas could have a wellness component that involved working out, yoga, and meditation is a just a mind boggling concept that is not understood in Italian culture. Here lounging in a hot bathtub fed by ancient sulfur springs while taking in the sun and taking time out for a quick cigarette is still all the rage.

So as I was having dinner of pasta with wild boar complemented by the inexpensive and delicious Montepulciano wine, I asked myself, “Who has it right?” I am making my reservations for next year already.

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With the Monsignor in Vatican City

I feel like I have spent an awful lot of time around the Vatican recently. There was Easter and there was the beatification two weeks after when half of the world came down to witness the first time in the history of man that four Popes would be in the square at the same time – two of whom would be canonized. It was a remarkable day with the city full of pilgrims from all over the world. And then there is the papal audience, held every Wednesday, but specifically the Wednesday after Easter when I had arranged to meet with my Italian friend and Monsignor Pablo Colino who is the musical director for the Vatican.

I grabbed a cab with the Monsignor in Vatican City, it dropped us off in the back of the Vatican where there is a discreet entrance, went through a security check, and then headed across the Vatican courtyard to be met by the Monsignor. Here we were in the quietness of Vatican City undisturbed by tourists and in the shadow of the great dome of Michelangelo. Two guards protect a small entrance in this square and above the entrance is where the Pope has a modest apartment. He elected not to take the more opulent papal apartment and instead chose his relatively humble quarters to live in.

We then had this moment. A tiny covered golf cart was parked, waiting, and the Monsignor indicated that the Pope would be down very shortly. As we continued across the courtyard, sure enough, we looked back and there he was. The two exchanged a wave and we carried on about our day. In the meantime, the Pope scooted off to join the millions who had gathered in the front of the piazza for his papal audience. This Pope commands extraordinary numbers – so much so that all of the audiences have been switched to the main piazza in order to accommodate the vast crowds.

We walked along beautiful corridors adorned with statues and art and eventually arrived at the Monsignor’s apartment. We had our own “audience” with the Monsignor who is a delightful character. We posed for pictures on the balcony outside and looked down to the square to see the crowds who had gathered waiting for the Pope to arrive. We revisited some of our groups who would be performing at St. Peter’s and then strolled down and through a passageway into the main basilica. I have been to the basilica many times but never have I walked into it when it is completely empty. Today, on this morning, it was shut off because of the papal audience. There we were, inside of the great basilica of St. Peter’s with its magnificent altar and art from every age in every corner of this – the largest interior space of any cathedral in the world. It simply was a stunning moment and a moment to reflect on the wonder of travel.

We left Monsignor Pablo and walked to the exit gate that was protected by the Swiss guards. Here we were, inside looking out at the crowds who were looking in. We drifted into the street, walked around to the main piazza which was teeming with people, saw the Pope from a distance, smiled at each other, and walked away with our secret intact.

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A gem called Gypsy Apple

I get to eat in restaurants all over the world. Sometimes I go to fancy restaurants but most of the time I prefer a brasserie-style experience. Living in Boston and traveling across the Atlantic frequently, I get to eat in some really cool places. But, when someone asked me the other day what my favorite restaurant is I could only think of one place. It’s a restaurant that I like to go to again and again, with unbelievable food, impeccable service, and a charismatic character that runs the kitchen. There really is no place like Gypsy Apple in Shelburne Falls, MA (Western Massachusetts).

Michelangelo, the chef at Gypsy Apple, is an amazing guy. He sources all of his food locally and changes the menu frequently depending upon seasonal fare. The prices are sensible and the wine list is chosen by his lovely wife, Amy. Again, everything here is reasonable and it does not leave you trying to choose between the $180 “high end” and the $80 “low end” bottle to not look cheap.

He prepares his dishes in a tiny kitchen the size of my bathroom which houses a funky stove, a couple of dedicated assistants, and a lot of heat. He has been trained all over the world and was the personal chef of Bill Cosby. If he likes you, he will call you “Brother Man”. My personal favorite dishes of his are fish soup and the rack of lamb. There is a varied beer list which is all sourced by Amy. His desserts (and I am not really a fan of desserts) are crazy good.

So if you are traveling out to Western Massachusetts, perhaps heading to the Clark Institute in Williamstown or the Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton, you would be doing yourself a huge favor to step into this world class restaurant in an equally delightful town called Shelburne Falls. The town has plenty of artisan shops and folks who name their kids Autumn and Winter! For movie buffs, it is the town that Labor Day was shot in.

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On the Subject of Seating…

On the Subject of Seating… have you ever wondered why you feel like a million dollars when you get an upgrade to business or first class? Is it because you have escaped the back of the plane? Well, partly of course. Who really wants to sit cramped up for 8 hours playing elbow war with your fellow passengers? Or worse still, knee war with the person in front of you who actually thinks that it’s cool to lower his seat so you can barely breathe or function. But the reality is that this feeling of elation as you settle into your semi luxurious environment and as you watch the coach passengers cramped into their seats has been carefully stage managed. After all, it is still the same long tube. Imagine if I said, “How about a hotel night for $24,000 with a lousy meal and your bed is a single bed and you’ll be sleeping next to someone you don’t know who snores all night?”

So, architects have to create a dream or illusion. A great article in the New Yorker called “Game of Thrones” by David Owen tells the story of how it all started. In 1995, British Airways was the first airline to introduce fully flat beds in first class. From then on in, horizontal sleeping in airplanes became a competitive war of out-maneuvering and upping the ante, eventually spreading to business class while the poor coach fliers felt their knees touching the backseat of the passenger in front of them more and more. I recently went to an Emirates launch where they boasted of having showers for first class passengers.

One of the amazing things about the experience of flying in comfort is that it becomes addictive and can often be the highlight of the trip. A company based in the Shoreditch area of London designs airline seats for both Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. James Park, its founder, started the company in 1974. His job is to create a space that is compliant with the safety regulations with a cool entertainment system and seating that can be acceptable in coach and astonishing in first class. All of this comes at an enormous cost. One of the amazing things is that the small video screen in coach which serves as your in-flight entertainment can cost around $1,000 per inch. That means that it’s roughly $10,000 per screen in coach alone. Not a bad precaution as it ensures that there are no cross wires so that somebody in 33C is not suddenly flying the plane. Seats have to be refreshed and ready for immediate re-boarding. Think of a wine spill or something even more grotesque!

Both Singapore and Cathay have been number one and number two in alternating years in airline comfort and first class/business class travelers’ choice for many years. The amount of design that goes into creating the space that you are sitting in is where the architects make their money. If you are flying on Alitalia in “Magnifica” class, then you know that they did not spend any money on their interior architecture. If you fly Delta, United, or American, for the most part you will not experience that same dream sequence as Singapore, Cathay, or Emirates. These are the big players in comfort zones and it stretches from the front to the back of the plane. No detail is left behind. You can even sleep with your wife in a double bed with a private curtain if you want to.

British Airways reaches for a place in the upper hierarchy and even though their fleet has been upgraded, it is still miles away from the design and style of those three airlines. The fishbone-style seating in Virgin is cramped and out of date. Even on American Airlines, which has just upped the ante on its New York – London route by refitting its first class cabins, it misses the most important aspect of all of flying which is the service, the attentiveness, and the enthusiasm of the flight attendants from the top to the bottom of the plane.

Ultimately, you can spend all the money you want on refitting a plane but the flight attendants have the potential to undo it all in one second. That is the most reassuring part of the ever-changing tube we spend our lives flying in. No matter how fancy they make it inside, the fact is that the winning formula has to have the human element. The smile, the special attention, and imagining that every single person especially in coach is doing this for the first time and you have only one chance to make a first impression.

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The Airline Blues

When you get on a plane, do you ever think about how bizarre it really all is? We queue up and are herded into our designated sections of coach, premium coach, emergency exit priority seats, business, or first.

The plane essentially is a long narrow tube with varying degrees of comfort depending upon what you pay. We pray for upgrades to try to escape the nastiness of coach and use miles wherever we can to increase the likelihood of better seating and then get ready for the long journey across the Atlantic or Pacific or down the east coast. We expect to be served the worst food in the world, are grateful for the small bag of peanuts (unless there is someone on board who has a peanut allergy in which case you are forbidden from that small pleasure), pay for dreadful wine and warm beer, purchase the earplugs that are so bad that it’s not worth the cost, and put up with for the most part dreadful service from flight attendants who really gave up liking their jobs 30 years ago.

Well good news on the food front. Airlines are starting to understand that there is revenue to gain in food. Most people on long haul don’t invest in sandwiches or carry on food at airports. Wolfgang Puck and Gordon Ramsay have made inroads here but we still anxiously wait for the moment when we are handed the menu and pick the plastic chicken with congealed rice.

Now overseas airlines are offering special cuisine food. On Air France you can choose from a variety of food options. There is French cuisine foie gras, duck confit, or Asian healthy or the usual but dramatically improved vegetarian options. Different from the past is that they charge you more for this service. The cost is between $20 – $30. But the food is actually decent and it’s worth it simply to watch the passenger in the seat next to you with the congealed and shriveled piece of over cooked meat (animal not known) stare at your appetizing concoction longingly.

It’s being rolled out in Europe first and American carriers, ever slow to move on this, are evaluating. Evaluating! This is a business opportunity. You can make money and have well fed happy fliers in coach. Hang on. Let’s not rush into this. They are our clients after all!!

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Bags to Check

I never like to check bags unless I am skiing. I have had the experience of losing too many bags for weeks at a time. This simply becomes a huge inconvenience and it is costly. Airlines provide you with barely enough compensation to buy a pair of underpants and socks.

So that is my rule. In addition, there always seems to be a hopeless wait time over busy periods for the ground staff to get your bags from plane to carousel. Of course, there are good airports and bad airports. Good airlines and bad airlines. But the golden rule I use is always to hide my bag behind a post if the plane is full and small. This has easily checked out before.

When the check-in attendant asks you if you have any more bags than your simple carry on, I always state that this is it. When you get to the gate, and the bag happens to be too big and they spot it as a rebel carry on, they take it from you. But, at least you have minimized half the risk because you know now that the bag will be on the plane as it’s checked at the gangway entrance. Now you only have the receiving airports ground staff as your final obstacle. This happened to me on my recent flight from Lyon to Rome. And of course, what could be worse than Aeroporti di Roma for that final possible glitch. Yes, the delightful Fiumicino Airport lost my bag.

I reported it lost after waiting endlessly for the carousel to churn around. That sinking feeling you get. The quick check to ensure you have your baggage receipt. Then the forms and the bureaucracy. The absolute lack of enthusiasm to find your bag. One of the three people sitting doing absolutely nothing and telling you, “It’s here, but it’s busy, and we don’t know where it is!” LBS or “lost bag syndrome” can haunt you for days, affect your sleep, and cause hyperventilation. They have got my Paul Smith suit!

So, if you have to check a bag, make sure you have a backup of sorts. Mine turned up the next day. I actually thought to myself that things maybe had improved dramatically at Fiumicino and that it was a new world where bags didn’t get lost, toilets were always available and clean in arrivals, and taxi drivers weren’t looking to rip you off as you wearily exited the doors. Maybe aliens had taken over the country after all. A new prime minister, a new world order. Nah, Italy wouldn’t feel the same.

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New Adventures in Vieux Lyon

Gare de Lyon

My confession is that I had never been to Lyon. Well, at least never inside the city proper. I had passed it in my rental car when I was a young kid on my way down to the south of France. I had overlooked this place, and much to my shame, I had never returned until now.

Here I am, heading to the Gare de Lyon, en route to the city of Lyon, via the TGV. The journey time is two hours. This is the gateway to the Alps and to the south of France. The station has a beautiful glass atrium and houses the Train Bleu Restaurant which has been serving good food to train travelers and Parisians for over 100 years. Famous for its central clock, it is one of the busiest stations in Paris, especially during the summer and winter months. The skiers come in the winter, the sun worshippers in the summer, and wine drinkers all year round.

The station was advertising a mini exhibition of Caillebotte and it got me thinking about museums and how many I need to visit. Too many and not enough time. I grabbed a sandwich at Paul, fearing the refreshments that would be served on board, and boarded the upper-deck of the train for a sprint across Burgundy, through Beaujolais and into the Rhone Alps.

Lyon

What is unique about Lyon is that it is a city of two rivers – the Rhone and the Saone. It has a fabulous transportation system that uses trolley buses and also has a brand new metro system. It is a hilly city, which keeps you fit, and it was the first city in the world to introduce the city bike concept, the Vélo’V. Paris followed shortly after and since then the proliferation of city bike is everywhere from Berlin to Boston, Washington to Turin, and even the Romans have a city bike system! There are bike lanes everywhere and like Amsterdam, you feel the power of how modern transportation thinking has taken over this city. In addition, there is a delightful funicular much like the one in Montmartre that takes you from the lower town to the upper town in Croix-Rousse.

The old part of the city, Vieux Lyon, is the largest Renaissance center in France. The original Roman remains of the city are not terribly impressive, but the Cathedral of Saint Jean Baptiste and the old, winding streets with Medieval and Renaissance architecture mixed together more than make up for the lack of decent Roman ruins.

Lyon was the capital of silk and up to 60,000 looms wove fabric destined for the beautiful parlors of Europe. In the area of Croix-Rousse, silk craftsman and weavers moved up onto the high point of the city as a healthier option and essentially created a worker’s cooperative in this area. The silk workers were called Les Canuts.

Because of the terrible conditions that they were subjected to, there were many mini revolts against the establishment. A number of insurrections took place during the 19th century and the Canuts Revolts are a huge part of the history of Lyon. When the Croix-Rousse was incorporated into Lyon in 1852, it became the most important working class city in France. Now a trendy neighborhood, the history of Les Canuts is marked by several museums and is etched in the minds of the people of Lyon.

In addition, Lyon has a grand reputation for its murals. There are several huge murals called Les Mur des Canuts that decorate a block of buildings in the Croix-Rousse. Fantastic and extraordinary trompe l’oeil paintings that grace what was once a dilapidated wall block. Now they are the most famous murals in the modern world! They truly are larger than any other and are refreshed every 10 years to keep up with the ever changing neighborhood.

Lyon is the home of French gastronomy. Its dishes served in the ubiquitous Bouchons are not for vegetarians or the faint of heart. Gratin d’andouillette (sausage with cheese), quenelles de brochet (fish or meat wrapped in egg and breadcrumbs), lots of brains and cow stomachs, plenty of animal heads, blood sausage, and kidneys stare at you on the menu. Saucissone de Lyon is the game here. This is also home to the world famous Paul Bocuse who has a bunch of chain restaurants and one particularly amazing three star restaurant just outside of the city called Auberge du Pont de Collonges. Book a year in advance!

It is the home of the Lumiere brothers who founded cinematography, one of the largest squares in all of Europe – Place Bellecour, beautiful Renaissance buildings, Medieval walkways, and it is a lively city because of a large university population with a large university population and a great nightlife.

It has easy access to the south of France and to the capital city of Paris. Not to mention, you are one hour away from the Alps and skiing, one hour away from Beaujolais country, and you are in the heart of the great Rhone wine areas like St. Joseph. Currently, they are building a tunnel through the Alps that will make the connect time between Lyon and its Italian twin city Turin only one hour and twenty minutes. Right now it takes around 5 hours. It is a great idea although the neighbors are up in arms. Progress…Oh, well.

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Paris and Versailles

My flight from Madrid to Paris would deliver me to Orly Airport, south of the city. What a delight to fly into. It is not terribly modern but transportation links on the RER or taxi are just so much easier than the dreadful Charles de Gaulle Airport. I grabbed a cab, as I was staying in Montparnasse, and was at my hotel in about 20 minutes.

Montparnasse is such a nice part of the city with its wide boulevards, its hub of a railway station that can get you anywhere across the city quickly, and the tiny, delightful streets that sit just outside the belle époque department store of Bon Marché. Walking from Montparnasse to the Rue de Cherche-Midi and then cutting across to San Sulpice before heading up to the Odeon and Luxembourg Gardens is one of my favorite strolls. It’s also conveniently close to our office on Rue de Babylone.

In the evening, I went to see a couple of friends in the Marais district which is another fabulous neighborhood to hang out in. There are lots of great restaurants, cafes, and tiny, narrow streets. And of course, its home to the Picasso museum and our guide Julian Brown!

The following day, I headed out to Versailles to see some of our travelers. I rode out there on the RER train which is the easiest way to get out to Versailles, plus it is cheap as chips. I had decided that I would not go into the palace but instead would go straight through to the gardens avoiding at least one hour wait in line. It was the holidays, the water had been officially turned on, the music piped around the grounds, and nine Euros was dutifully charged to everyone who wanted to get in. Versailles sure has figured out a way to monetize their attractions.

Unfortunately, the main fountain, the Latona Fountain, was under reconstruction. This was a bit of a disappointment as when you come into the gardens, this is the main focal point for the beautiful view along the Tapis Vert. No matter; we had decided to rent bikes as we were feeling jolly athletic. We zipped around the gardens, stayed on the outside of the Hameau (there is a charge to get in), and covered a large part of the grounds efficiently while staying off the cobblestones. Always a sensible idea when biking! Biking at Versailles, weather permitting, is a real must-do attraction. You actually get to appreciate the gardens and see things you would never usually see. We then dumped the bikes and began the long walk up the hill, through the crowds outside of the palace and caught the train back into Paris. By taking the train, you give yourself lots of options and time flexibility.

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Another train journey

Across the Simplon pass is the easy way to get down from the cul de sac valley of Zermatt to Italy. But, when the snow is bad and it often is, they close the pass. Its 2108 metres so it becomes impassable frequently. Options then are limited. We took the link from Brig to Iselle, on a car train. Literally, a drive on open train that goes through the Simplon tunnel. Journey time is around 20 minutes and bingo, welcome to Italy. The journey is weird. Total darkness with car upon car jammed together as the train travels at 50 mph. Imagine the relief when the train finally emerges into daylight. Its a short drive to Stresa on Lake Maggiore for a spaghetti! Cost of the train journey is 22 francs per car, about 25 US dollars. Timetables are not much help when the tunnel is the only option as the train just goes back and forth. Wait in between trains is about an hour and a half. Another train journey!

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Sicilian Cooking 101: Pasta de la Sarde

I love food and I love to travel. This is probably because I am English and as a kid we didn’t get to travel much and we grew up eating jellied eels, pork pies, and fish and chips. That stuff either wrecks your palate for the rest of your life or it spurs you onto greater things.

But I got the cooking bug and I truly love to cook. When I was in Sicily recently, I visited the Case Vecchie, Fabrizia Lanzia’s cooking school which is not far from Palermo. The huge crop of land that includes the Tasca d’Almerita winery is stunning. We were able to walk the gardens, drink some wine, and watch Fabrizia prepare a couple of wonderful dishes in her delightful little kitchen.

Wild fennel is a key element to many dishes that she prepares. It is the basis for an abundance of pasta dishes and in many ways a foundation stone for Sicilian cooking. Not much is done without a mention of the cherry tomatoes that are exported all over Europe. In the springtime, which for most of Italy would be mid-summer, everything is still so remarkably green and flourishing. It is the season of expectation and promise before the dry heat of summer makes the grounds a burned color and when the shade is at a premium.

Here is a dish I love: Pasta de la Sarde. It’s pasta with sardines.

Ingredients include:

wild fennel (washed and trimmed)
fabulous olive oil
onion
garlic
salsa pronta (tomatoes, onions, bay leaf, and garlic cloves cooked in a pot until the tomatoes split)
fresh sardines that are scaled, cleaned, boned, with heads and tails removed
pine nuts and dried currants are optional
a glug of white wine
sea salt and pepper

It is served always with perciatelli or bucatini, the thick spaghetti with the hole in the middle designed specifically to coat your clothing in dollops of red sauce. If you cannot find fresh sardines, use canned ones, and if you cannot be bothered to make the salsa pronta, use a good quality can of San Marzano tomatoes. The real key ingredient here is the quality of the oil. It truly must be the best.

This is the most delicious pasta dish, but must never be served with cheese. The rule for the ages: No cheese on seafood pasta.

Enjoy!

[Image credit: bowl of pasta con le sarde by sassyradish.com]

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The good news is that it’s finally open. The Rijksmuseum had been closed for 10 years and just recently opened in April. What a job they have done! A beautiful glass atrium greets you incorporating a fabulous shop, café, and restaurant. The museum is set up in a completely orderly fashion. Being able to move efficiently through the museum and again see the breathtaking masterpieces of Dutch artists is a treat.

To look at the streets of Delft as they were rendered in the 17th century is to look at a photograph of the 1600’s. Somehow, you feel as if you are peeking into their world through a time machine. At this time, most paintings were based around religious themes, but the Dutch School brought their focus to everyday life inspiring a radical change in the way we see things.

After a couple of hours at the Rijksmuseum, I went to the Van Gogh Museum where, ironically, there were only four Van Gogh paintings. The museum space is excellent, but I found the exhibits unexceptional and wished for more time at the Rijksmuseum.

This was also my first time visiting Anne Frank’s house, something that everyone should see. Never more important than now. It teaches tolerance, forgiveness, and love for each other. Indeed out of the awfulness of the scenes, you pick up a wonderful sense of hope. I jumped on the hop-on, hop-off canal boat and could not help but think what a beautiful city this is.

A city of bikes and trams and canals. Great cozy pubs scattered along the streets that criss cross the waterways and its small enough to never get lost. It is easily connectable by fast train to London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and Bonn. A cool deviation with lots to do and see.

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