More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor hotels

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

So, to the Colosseum. Another icon for anyone I think.

I don’t think I have to tell anyone about it ... I’m probably one of the last people here to have seen it, certainly anyone who’s reached 50 .

There is the (inevitable) renovations going on – for the marble/travertine along the higher parts of the outer ring. Not wholly destructive of the scene; and seeing the un-renovated parts, almost black, you can see that the clean up is badly needed.

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We got there half an hour before tickets went on sale and there were about 10 people in the queue, about 3 groups. By the time the gates opened there were about 30 to 40 in the queue for without-tickets and only about 10 or so in the queue for those with pre-purchased tickets. We were expecting more.

So when they opened the gates, there’s about 50m or so walk to the ticket offices (meaning, if you get there and there is a queue out the gate, there is still 50 m to go once you get inside!). So we got tickets easily, but the groups beside us all seemed to have a long discussion and were still carrying on when we left the area. How difficult is it to buy a ticket?

Up the stairs to the second level and that magnificent sight – without people all around and in peace (although thats not how it would have been in its hey-day . 

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We had a really good look around. Unfortunately we finally broke our great-weather run and there was a bit of drizzle for the first half hour, then it cleared. We had our umbrellas, as thunderstorms were forecast for later in the day. You had to wonder at how many, and what types of people had walked these steps:

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We spent about an hour at the Colosseum. I had expected to stay longer, but we really did stop and gaze and enjoy a lot, but sort or ran out of things to do. Glad we did, because next stop was Palatine Hill, and it was much more extensive and interesting than what we were expecting.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

OK, going to have to be briefer, else we’ll be here all bloody year. After the Colosseum we climbed the adjacent Palatine Hill. We had paid for combined tickets to those 2 plus the Forum (12 Euro, valid for 2 days, but onlyo each zone) single entry t, so easy access. I was just expecting a hill with a bit of a view. Had no idea what a large complex of Roman buildings there was here, over a very large area.

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According to legend, this is where Romulus killed Remus and founded Rome; it’s where Emperor Augustus lived and many others. It’s now the ruins (some not very ruined at all) of Emperor Domitian’s palace, which survived for 300 years (Lonely Planet). This is a stadium, probably for Emperor’s private use.

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Then down to the Forum which was basically a large area of ruins, fallen columns and the like. Good for students of Rome, but not much in it for me. A couple of arches (Titus’ Arch) and temples (Temple of Anonius and Faustina) are in better nick. You might be able to tell that Roman ruin fatigue was beginning to set in ...

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It being Sunday, and still only 11am, we thought we’d head off to the Vatican and see the Pope at his Sunday address at St Peter’s Square. Of course we walked ... rather quicker than was probably sensible ... and came across Castel Saint Angelo, across the pedestrian Pont St Angelo and some terrific statues of angels by Bernini in the 1600s. The bridge was built by Hadrian in AD134 and the castle was built as his mausoleum. It was converted into a Papal fortress in the 6th Century. We hadn’t planned to visit inside, and didn’t get the time, unfortunately.

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From the river walk beyond the castle we looked up .. and there was St Peter’s Basilica, framed by columns down via della Conciliazione. And some sculptures on adjacent buildings meant we were getting close to the action ..


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[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

St Peter’s Square was half crowded, and there was a long line to climb up St Peter’s Basilica. To be honest it wasn’t as big as I was expecting it to be. But it was large. The designer, Bernini is quoted to have said that the curving colonnades “reach out with open arms to embrace Catholics in order to reaffirm their belief, heretics to be reunited with the Church, and agnostics to be enlightened with true faith”.

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We wandered around and admired the statues around the ‘Tuscan’ colonnades, which were designed by Bernini at the direction of Pope Alexander VII and constructed in the mid 1600s. The Egyptian oblisk in the middle was already on the site in the late 1500s. The statues are not thought to have been carved by Bernini himself, but rather his assistants, and represent saints, martyrs and other worthies of the church.

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There were a group of Arentinians in the centre of the crowd awaiting the appearance of the Pope and they were a bit vocal and dare I say rowdy. Flags of many other countries there as well. Heathens such as myself stood back, leaving the areas nearer the Papal apartments to the believers and just taking in the scene. And just after the peal of the 12 o’clock bells, Pope Francis appeared at the designated window and spoke to the crowd. Only in Italian, I understand, because he says he is the Bishop of Rome and wishes to address his flock.

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Having received a Papal blessing (forgive me if that’s inappropriate) we moved on to recce the Vatican Museums for our visit the following morning. Wanted to check out where we were to meet our guide for our tour of the gardens, Sistine Chapel and the Museums. Being closed on a Sunday, the area – the opposite side of the Vatican complex from St Peter’s Square – was deserted. That would change in the morning!

OK, that done, we enjoyed ‘free time’ and wandered about, having a coffee here and there, admiring random churches and structures and generally taking it all in. I must say, for all the tourists present, I was enjoying Rome much more than anywhere else we had visited in Italy. I’ll be back (to coin a phrase).

Close to our hotel, on the Piazza della Republica, we came across this interesting structure, apparently housing yet another church. Another beautiful, unexpected surprise. It’s the church Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (Basilica of St Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs). The odd appearance is because the church was built in the mid 1500s within the ‘ruins’ of the cold baths of Diocletian, the major and massive public baths of Rome, built between AD298 and 306. Unfortunately we didn’t realise this at the time, so we didn’t fully appreciate the significance of the original structure, but it was obviously a large, Roman building.

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Inside, you could only describe the church as cavernous, 3 or 4 times over. These pictures don’t do it the slightest justice. There are multiple domes, with each space simply huge. I must have reeled off 50 pictures, which I’ll spare you, but please put this one on your list of visiting places if you go to Rome. The co-incidence of high church and ancient Rome gives you two bangs for the buck.

The pic below is a panorama of course, so imagine the three segments as individual, soaring spaces and you might get some idea of this place. The surprise of the find made it all the more enjoyable.

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[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

My friends were ambivalent about visiting the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, as they had done it before and didn’t look forward to the crowds. Initially I was just looking to book ahead through the Vatican web site but on the advice of AFFers (great advice )I booked two tours (on successive mornings) and my friends joined me on the first one ‘Early access, Vatican Gardens, museums and Sistine Chapel’. We all looked forward to seeing the gardens.

We arrived at 7:45am for the scheduled 8:00 meeting the guide. Opposite the museums entrance are a set of steps and a cafe which appears to open about 7:45. By 8:00am the line for general access opening at 8:30am was already very long – by midday it was down this street, around the corner below and going for ages. NEVER go to the Vatican museums without some form of pre purchased ticket!

Our tour contact person was late. She arrived about 8:20, after several of us had been calling the tour company to be met with “Don’t worry.” There were about 4 different Australian families / groups on the tour (we met by recognising the same getting-more-concerned-looks) and we were comparing past tour experiences in Italy; mostly not great. Anyway we were soon corralled and we met our guide and got taken in one of the (many) ‘priority’ lines which are off to the right in the LH picture below. You go through security, then its pretty crowded, with a number of ticket booths and audio guide stations (also toilets and you can buy water etc from vending machines. You can take water through the museums with you.)

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We went to the gardens first. Security to the gardens is tight. Another guard, who head-counted us and signed the guide out. The gardens are of course private and not all areas are accessible. Only a limited number of people on tours are allowed. Some areas are manicured, some are ‘English forest’ and you go right to the top of the hill. The word ‘Vatican’ comes from ‘Mons Vatican’ meaning Vatican Mount and an area was first enclosed by Pope Leo IV (847-55) and later expanded by Popes in the 1500s. No views, but the Papal helicopter pad is up there

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It’s the early wall that can be seen amongst the pics below. The larger building is the art gallery amongst the Vatican Museums, and throughout the walk you get nice aspects on St Peter’s Basilica.

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The gardens are quite large (23ha, half the area of the Vatican State) and there are a number of different styles of landscape within. A number of fountains too of course, like this grotto (The Fountain of the Eagle). The water is supplied by pressure from a Roman Aquaduct. Although we are higher than most parts of the city, the head of the aqueduct is higher still, hence the water flow.

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I forget the significance of this structure on the left  (Edit: its the courtyard of the Casina di Pio IV (Pope Pius IV), built in the mid 1500s) but does anyone recognise the one on the right ?

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[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

No-one guessed what that last building was?

We ended the garden tour and re-entered the Museums complex, having been head-counted in by the guard. And then we joined the throngs! It was mid morning by this time and the place was pretty well packed. I’m not going to attempt to portray the art and treasures on display in the Museums; the collection is vast and complex. Just a few things that took my eye a bit.

‘Sphere within a Sphere’ installed about 1990 and a nice contrast to most of the rest of the collection. Coffs Harbour has the Big Banana, and there are a bunch of ‘Bigs’ in Australia. But did you know that the Vatican had the Big Pinecone? Its in bronze, and once stood in the Basilica built by Constantine, that preceded Bramante and Michelangelo’s St Peter’s and built about AD400.

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Since seeing this I’ve noticed pine cones all over the place in relation to the Catholic Church – on the Pope’s staff, ornamenting many buildings etc etc. I looked it up, and it has some symbolism but I won’t go into that because I’ll probably get it wrong and we’ll get distracted.

Our guide said, quite correctly, that we won’t have a hope of looking at the collection as it should be viewed, so she said she’ll take us off the beaten track first, before we enter the Sistine Zoo. She did have access to areas not available to the public. This young bloke is Apoxyomenos, the athlete cleaning his sweat away, as viewed by most. And the - ahem – rear view, as we passed behind and into some limited access areas.

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This is the access way tacked onto the old Vatican Apartments (now the museum galleries) – about 700 years ago. It was for servants and also the occasional ceremonial person on a horse. The guy on the right is the Etruscan Mars of Todi dating from the 5th Century BC

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The guide sat us down and gave us a very good spiel about the Sistine Chapel (as its pointless trying to communicate in there, even though we had in-ear audio guides). Then we re-entered the fray, joining the crows surging towards one objective and ignoring the fantastic art they were passing. (Of course I did too, being in a group, but I’d be back tomorrow )

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Does the lady on the left remind you of Canberra’s ‘Skywhale’? On the right are the stairs that lead to the Capella Sistina. It was crammed when we got in, no seating available, and quite noisy. Regular cries of "Silence!" and "No Photo!" (BTW the ?Mitusbishi 'copyright' and subsequent ban on photgraphy of the frescos has expired, and was never intended to cover the general public anyway; the current photo prohibition is a straightforward vatican one). I was going to be back first thing in the morning, so ‘cased the joint’ for highlights to look at tomorrow.

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If you want to go straight to the Basilica, you exit the door at the diagonal back corner from where you entered (marked no exit except for groups). You’ll be able to join the last segment of the queue to climb the dome, or just walk into the Basilica. That’s the way we went. The regular exit door takes you back into the museum complex.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

The Sistine Chapel - what can you say? It was very crowded when we went in, but the frescos can but be admired for as long as you have.

We emerge from the Museums and enter St Pauls Basilica, via the podium at the front. This is a Pope’s eye view of St Peter’s Square:

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St Peter’s is of course cavernous and filled with art and sculptures, as well as the holy places for the church. Michelangelo’s Dome is magnificent, and can’t adequately be captured by me. He only lived to the time when the dome itself was begun – he never saw it completed.

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This canopy by Bernini marks the location of the tomb of St Peter.

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The whole space is wonderful. One thing I was not expecting were the ‘exposed’ Popes. (I hope that’s the correct term – it’s how the guide termed it). A Pope’s body can only be ‘exposed’ after a certain period.

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Saint John Paul II’s body was initially interred in the grottos beneath the church, but was brought into the basilica on his canonisation recently and now rests in the Chapel of Saint Sebastian

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[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

If you go down to the catacombs beneath the church, you are treated to the tombs of many Popes. No photography, unfortunately, as it’s quite a mesmerising place. When you exit, you are faced with the very last segment of the (VERY ) long queue to climb the cupola of the dome.

Why not? Hmmm ... 551 steps for 5 euros, or a lift and 320 steps for 5 euro. Now, by this time I was in reasonable shape leg-wise, having climbed about every church and medieval tower in central Europe, but I, like everyone else it seems, chose the ‘ascensior’.  Having bought the ticket, it was straight into the lift to the start of the stairs.

OK, we are going to climb to the light area of this. The walkway takes you between the outer and interior domes, and so it leans over as the dome curves inwards.

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And more stairs; pretty squeezy! The way down is separate, but the same as the way up. Finally ... finally ... you are at the cupola. It’s pretty crowded!

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But the views are worth it.

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The answer to the question above: Its the Sistine Chapel! And here it is again – the building at the bottom middle, at 45 degrees, top right to bottom left. Vatican Museum complex out to the left. So you can see why it would take a good day to explore properly.

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And the Vatican Gardens, which we had just toured. The building to the bottom left with a green roof is the Vatican railway station.

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[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

A few more things I liked in St Peter’s. These tombs of certain Popes whose names I failed to record.

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And even a science based education found space for knowing about Michelangelo’s Pieta, sculptured when he was about 25. Then, on exiting, the obligatory Swiss Guard shot. These guys stand there for however long their shift is and get their photos taken I’d say about once a second.

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On our way back we went through the Piazza Navona, reflecting the size and shape of the Stadium of Domitian from the 1st Century AD . In the centre, the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of the Four Rivers created by Bernini in about 1651. In the south of the plaza is the Fontana del Moro by della Porta in the 1500s, with later tweaking by Bernini.

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Back at the La Griffe Roma, we decided to eat at the hotel restaurant, in spite of the previous day’s antics. It was a good choice. The days are long and the setting and views were great.
Started with an amuse bouche of a pina colada base with a prawn in it (not shown). Was better than it sounds! My entree was 5 cheeses from around Italy, with accompaniments of honey, a tomato ragout and a marmalade sort of thing. Was absolutely delicious.

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Main course for me was La Griffe’s 'take on a classic Roman Oxtail stew’ . Basically small pasty cases with meat and stew inside. Tasty, but a bit sparse. I forget what the desert was, but nice enough.

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Oh, they looked after us wine-wise pretty well . The girls had a pinot grigio and the boys had some reds by the glass. VERY generous glasses . I had tipped the wine waiter pretty well in the bar earlier and thought this was paying off. It was, but when we got the bill we found out that the hotel had waived the cost of drinks due to my complaining about the denied access the previous night. As I mentioned before, good recovery by the hotel.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

The next day, I had booked an ‘Exclusive, early access Sistine Chapel’ tour, while my friends did other things. Meeting on site at 7:20, for a 7:45 entry, the guide turned up at the spot opposite the museum entry at 7:45am :evil: . But miracle of miracles, we were all ready to go so she led us across the street, to the ‘priority area’ and we were amazed to march past every other ‘early’ group lined up in their queues and straight into the ticket foyer. Yes! She got our tickets, gave us our audio guides and maps and we were on our way (no guiding here, just through the doors and ‘go’ 

Thanks to the tour the previous day, I knew exactly where to go, so I just walked (OK, fast walked) to the Sistine Chapel and was about the second to enter it. Down I sat and took in the spectacle, in actual peace and quiet, with an empty chapel (for about 5 minutes). I spent half an hour there, and even by the end there was only about 50 people there, which wasn’t many and not intrusive. Fantastic experience and worth the cost of an extra entry ticket, especially being also able to go around the rest of the museum with relatively few others.

I then went back through the museum, seeing out some specific exhibits, but happy to be surprised by others.

Here we have another pine cone ... that’s to the left of the thighs, people . On the right, is the ‘Laocoon’ with his sons being strangled by a sea serpent dating from 100 BC.

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Here we have the Belvedere Torso, of similar age. As a geologist, I was attracted to it by the exposure of the raw marble . Its thought to be Ajax, contemplating his suicide when, during the Trojan wars, he failed to be awarded Achilles’ armour (which went to Odysseus). On the right is a pic of one of the very long, highly decorated galleries of the museum. Maybe 500m long, just continuous frescos, art and furniture.

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Then of course it was to the ‘Raphael Rooms’. Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly no art buff, with little art history to my name and no appreciation of the subtleties of these things. But I have travelled a fair bit and been around most of the great art galleries of the world and can appreciate the ‘good stuff’ . Again, reproducing any of Raphael’s works here is pretty pointless as you can’t take in the colours or the 3D majesty, but here are a few samples.

In 1508, when Michelangelo was first waving a brush over the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a young Raphael was commissioned by Pope Julius II to spruce up the walls of his new pad. On the left is the ceiling of the Hall of Helidorus, decorated between 1512 and 1514. On the right is a fresco of meeting between the Pope Leo I and Attila the Hun.

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Next, in the Room of the Segnatura, we have The Disputation of the Sacrament, with a detail of it. The colours in it are amazing.

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[JohnM]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

Thanks to the tour the previous day, I knew exactly where to go, so I just walked (OK, fast walked) to the Sistine Chapel and was about the second to enter it. Down I sat and took in the spectacle, in actual peace and quiet, with an empty chapel (for about 5 minutes). I spent half an hour there, and even by the end there was only about 50 people there, which wasn’t many and not intrusive.

Plenty of time to admire the floor tiling, then :mrgreen:.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

Lastly from Raphael, I have to include this one. The School of Athens, with Plato and Aristotle in conversation. Oh, and in the white smock and brown beard on the right, is Raphael himself .

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Now to introduce you to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by Wenzel Peter in about the 1820’s. Never heard of him. But I looked at this painting for about 20 minutes, discovering more and more.

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A detail:

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How about this baboon:

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The Africans:

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[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

Oops; got out of synch with the number of pics per post.

The whole point of featuring this painting was up in the branches ... what could be on the right other than a Sulphur Crested coughatoo (and maybe a galah)?

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There are apparently about 240 different animals illustrated and as far as i can discover yes, they are sulphur crested coughatoos from Australia. The painter was German and apparently researched his work in great detail.

To those who have stuck with me this far I can say that there is some more art in Amstedam coming up, but there also maybe the best 'non fancy' seafood restaurant I have ever been in

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

Exited the Vatican and intended to catch the metro across town to the hotel, then taxi to the airport for the flight to Amsterdam via Zurich on Swiss. Oops. Rome’s Metro is down. So we did a fast 3 or 4km walk across town (too stingy to get a taxi), got to the hotel in an hour, recovered, showered, check out, then 40 mins taxi to Rome’s Fiumicino or Leonardo da Vinci airport.

My first time there and not as chaotic as I was expecting. Here I am splitting from my friends who are going their own way and then back to Oz, not having as long as me for hols. Hugs and good-byes and then I was on my own again.

Check-in at Swiss Airlines (business counters due to * Gold) easy, through security to the ‘Avia Partner’ lounge. Rome isn’t a *A hub, so this was it. Pretty basic food and drink and relatively small, although nice views out to the apron. I’d recommend any alternative if you are at the airport for any extended time. A new terminal pier is under construction (as has been the case at virtually every airport I’ve been on in this trip).

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Boarding is via bus.. again. I don’t think I mentioned this before, but ALL my intra-Europe boardings and de-planings so far have been by bus across the tarmac since I left Frankfurt. Either due to the aircraft (Dash 8 on Austrian), the particular small airport (Sibiu) or due to airport construction (Krakow and maybe here at Rome). Nine on the trot in all :shock: . Door closes roughly on time.

But hang on, the RH service door is still open. And now the pilot and the co-pilot are out of the cough-pit, in the galley area. This doesn’t look good. After 10 minutes the first of three wheelchair pax are brought through the RH door. Not sure why, but it’s taking the full attention of several crew members and the captain and co pilot. Maybe VIP wheelchair occupants?

We eventually back off the gate 15 minutes after the main door closed and there is another 10 mins sitting out on the apron.

An hour or so to Zurich. We are about 30 mins late, so it was touch and go whether or not I’d be able to enjoy the Senator lounge at Zurich. We scored an air bridge !! I went for it, but it was a long hike.

It’s a really nice lounge. Unfortunately too full of serious looking businessmen for me to snap away, but over 2 levels, done out in nice leather and wood, sophisticated feel, with lots of food and bev, newspapers and Moevenpick ice-creams . I had an orange juice, an ice-cream and downloaded a new e-book on the fast wi-fi, then headed back to the gate. This one I would recommend if you have time and can access it (* Golds on Star Alliance plus Miles & More Hon Circle and First I think).

We re-board the same plane as it turns out. Priority boarding works well (as it has the entire trip) and the door closes on time. More Moevenpick ice cream during the flight, also a nice filled ham roll as a snack. Good economy catering, Swiss .

We land at Amsterdam Schiphol airport at 7pm local, then a VERY long taxi to the terminal, but done at a good speed. Its 5 minutes before I see and airport type buildings! Dock at the air bridge 12 minutes after landing. Later I look on Google Earth and I see what is probably the most recent runway off in fields beyond the airport proper and we probably landed going away from it. Hence the long taxi.

But we weren’t done. After de-planing, there was an amazingly long walk to the baggage area. Round and round, up & down. Me thinks they need a new terminal building out in the farmland where their new runway is. My 2 checked bags the first 2 off. Another thing I probably haven’t mentioned is that I’ve had priority baggage working very well for most of the trip. Never waiting long for them.

Buy a train ticket for central Station and the train arrives in a few minutes. From Centraal, a 10 min taxi ride to the Hotel Aalders. Not an Accor hotel this time, but a small, maybe family run one, perfectly located between the Van Gough Museum and the Rijksmuseum and close to Vondel Park.

This is my first time in Amsterdam, and although it deserved longer of course, I have only 2 things on the agenda – to visit those two museums/galleries. The Rijksmuseum re-opened in 2013 after a 10 year renovation. Can't wait!

The Aalders is an old style hotel, steep stairs and a small lift and a guy behind a small counter to check you in. But I was shocked at the size of the room. I had a bit of a whinge about the size of the one in Venice, but this is tiny tiny. If you are sightseeing, I maintain you don’t need a big room, just a decent bed and bathroom, but this room appeared to test the limits of small-ness and practicalioty. No room to open the suitcase except on the bed; the bathroom was also tiny. For the LH pic below, I am standing in the doorway of the room.

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It was a bit warm; no aircon but there is a fan, and you can open the windows onto the nice and quiet garden outside. It'll do for 2 nights.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

I love it when you come across a hotel or a restaurant or a sight that was completely unexpected and/or excelled beyond all expectations. It was about 8:30pm local and I asked the front desk for some recommendations for dinner. They had a local restaurant map ready, featuring ‘traditional Dutch’ and other various cuisines. I was tempted to go traditional Dutch, but it was a bit far away that that time of night, so made the 10 minute walk to the ‘Seafood Bar’. Winner! It’s at Van Baerlestraat 5, 1071 Amsterdam, where that street crosses Vondel Park near its NE end. Mark it down, people, it’s a keeper for seafood lovers (on the left in the pic below).

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It was a bit late and they were full, so the guy asks my name, gestures to the counter and says ‘Have a beer mate and it’ll be about 15 minutes’. He was the sort of Dutchman I really like. Great English, can pick up what you want, could tell I was an Aussie (hence the ‘mate’) and just got things sorted. No fuss.

Well! This is the view from where I waited at the counter. The action was great to watch.

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And this is what was under the counter!

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And the view from my table, which was a small one along the wall. There is a larger seating area at the back. There are a few tables outside for smokers.

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I ordered – ‘Fruits de mer ‘Seafood Bar’ (theres a menu in English on the web site linked above). The service at the table was breezy and efficient. I had a beer which was cold and crisp to start with, then a wine which for once I forgot about (except to note the selections by the glass was greater than all of the MGalleries in Italy put together!) because this is what appeared:

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There's actually 2 layers of shells etc there. I’m sorry I only had the phone for pictures, but there were about 14 types of critters in that bowl, from pippies to half a small lobster to an Alaskan snow crab leg. Sensational. I tipped well, as I had already decided to come back the next night.

After I exited it was still light so I walked some of the meal off in Vondel Park, Amsterdam’s version of Central or Hyde Park. Lots and lots of people still picnicking and generally enjoying themselves. I nearly got mowed down a couple of times by people on the inevitable bikes. And no, Ossifer, I was as sober as a jury. Um...

Wow. What a great start to Amsterdam. That dining experienced eclipsed any we had in Rome by a long way.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

So to the Rijksmuseum, the premier gallery as far as I’m concerned for Dutch Old Masters including of course Rembrandt and Vermeer. As I mentioned, it opened in 2013 after a 10 year upgrade and restoration job. The 2 courtyards are now fantastic light atriums. On one side, ticket holders enter and go straight into the galleries. On the other side, a separate queue for non ticket holders.

I turned up at 10 to 9 for a 9am opening and there were about 10 people in the ticketed queue and 20 or so in the non ticketed queue. I walked past here twice later in the day and never saw a queue (unlike the Van Gough museum!). By the time they opened at 9am, the ticketed queue was maybe 75 deep or so. I headed straight up to the first floor and the new ‘Masters Gallery’ (my term).

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A couple of rooms of Rembrandts ! Pride of place is ‘The Nightwatch’ (1642), or, to give it its proper name “The Company of captain Frans Banning Cocq and lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch preparing to march out” Let’s stick to The Nightwatch. Its at the end of the gallery in the pic above. I learn that it was originally coated in a dark varnish, giving the impression that it was a night scene. This was removed in the 1940s, revealing a much brighter picture. It’s about 3.5 x 4.5m in size and is worth a long contemplation. The advantage (and reason) for being one of the first in is to be able to sit and give it a decent, silent study. But people soon arrive and feel the need to be photographed standing smack in front of the masterpiece. It’s the one on the left, below.

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On the right is The Militia Company of District VIII under the Command of Captain Roelof Bicker (1643) by van der Helst. Its 7.5m wide and full of fantastic detail. Unfortunately the angle of the lights has washed out my pictures a bit.

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There are lots and lots of Old Masters, lots of serious looking militia or merchants in tall hats and ruffled collars. But much more, such as fine furniture. I loved this cabinet (abt 1690), where the tree rings of various species (oak, olive, cedar) enhanced the depiction of blooms.

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And this one, by van Mekeren, a Dutch master of marquetry (abt 1695). Check out the detail (spoiled by a bit of camera shake, sorry).

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[TomVexille]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

Sounds like you landed on the Polderbaan

 

[drron]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

I really am enjoying this trip.The Seafood Bar has been added to my favorites.We should be in Amsterdam next year.The prices look extremely reasonable for Europe.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

Sounds like you landed on the Polderbaan

Thanks; didn't know about the name, and on Googling, thats exactly my experience! I'll never grizzle about a long taxi to SYD's third runway again!

I really am enjoying this trip.The Seafood Bar has been added to my favorites.We should be in Amsterdam next year.The prices look extremely reasonable for Europe.

Minor qualification in a following post. Second time wasn't quite as dazzeling as the first, but still definitely worth a visit.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

What’s a visit to a Dutch museum without the naval history? And its well covered, from art to artefacts and of course model ships. I have to point out the exhibit on the right. A cut-away model of an old sailing man-of-war with animated holograms of the crew, livestock etc. Brilliant!

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One thing I must say about the Rijksmuseum. Some-one has decided that it would be a clever idea to have large yellow simulated ‘post-it’ notes next to many of the exhibits making ‘thoughtful and provocative’ statements about the exhibit in question (in English) and 'related' attitudes of modern society. A load of pompous and condescending twaddle by some twerp, and unfortunately agreed to by the museum authorities, that great works by Rembrandt, the other Old Masters and the other artists and craftsmen need ‘enhancement’ by some sort of contemporary pseudo cough. Gee it annoyed me :evil: (you may have guessed).

I was advised to leave the visit to the van Gough museum till later in the day to avoid the worst of the crowds, so I headed into town. I was a bit disappointed; not sure why; the canals are scenic, and the streets full of activity but it was just a bit ho-hum. Maybe it suffered in comparison with some of the other cities I had visited . here’s the Royal Palace and main cathedral. The central square again was infested with guys selling cough and it was remarkable how many rubbish collection type vans needed to drive across it in the 15 minutes I was there.

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Red light area – tick, more canals, tick ... Ah, finally something kinda interesting. The Begijnhof, close to the Amsterdam Museum, a lovely green square lined with quaint houses and several churches going back to the 1600s. A bit hard to find - the square (totally enclosed) is entered by one of two doorways through outside buildings.

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I had lunch at Haesje Claes, a ‘traditional Dutch’ restaurant nearby. Pretty dark inside, but there are tables outside. Had a nice beer and stamppot – mashed potato with sauerkraut (in my case) and meats including what was effectively a rissole, bacon and wurst. Pretty nice, but very filling. The pic on the right is the Rijksmuseum which had no queues at all when I walked by.

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Back towards the hotel and the van Gough museum. Even though it was late in the afternoon, the queues were still prominent (th pic below is after I left, about 5pm). The ‘no pre-tickets’ line went very slowly; I was in the ‘with tickets’ line and waited about 15 minutes. I think they regulate the number of people inside, so if people are slow to leave, its longer to enter. No pics allowed inside, but it was pretty interesting to see the progression of styles by van Gough and his contemporaries. There is a great cafeteria inside. And after the hard work of the gallery, why not explore the world of (Dutch) gin at the House of Bols virtually opposite . Mmmmm.

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A post-script about The Seafood Bar. I went back there that evening, for a reprise of the previous night’s feast. The service crew were different and didn’t have the vim or great attitude of the previous night; my Fish and Chips was good, but not sensational. Maybe I was suffering from over-expectation from the first night!

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: More Central and Eastern European bling (incl Transylvania); *A flights, Accor ho

A twenty minute, 40 euro taxi to Schiphol the next morning for a BA flight to LHR. No, I didn’t want to go to LHR but that’s the way it panned out! My displeasure with Schiphol continued. Check-in was slow; only one on the business check-in and there’s a family seemingly planning their holiday on-the-fly there. The BA lounge was at the end of some bizarre game of ‘hide the lounge’. Up-stairs, round and down 100-200m of grotty white-boarded up corridor(s), somehow you are in a different pier. BA Galleries lounge was OK I guess. No pics but I remember it as being a bit sterile and resounded to the sound of people eating ‘crisps’ out of packets. I asked the desk how long it would take to get to the gate. About 5 minutes. OK.

So it started boarding, I was travelling light hand luggage wise, so I wasn’t concerned about boarding early. 5 minutes? Once I realised where the gate actually was, I increased speed. Gawd it was a long way! 15 mins or so. Security at the gate; boarding was mid way through; I was seated forward on the aisle and thankfully still got a spot in the overhead locker. A 767 with 2-3-2 in economy. I enjoy a later boarder attempting to get his MAXI carry-on bag into the MINI overhead lockers down the middle. Tries it one way, then the other. Failing by at least 4-6 inches in height; shouldn't have been allowed on board as carry-on. Takes some stuff out. Tries it all ways again. No way. Should I point out that it might fit into the overhead lockers on the side? Nah! . He tries again. Eventually gives up. Takes it up front. FA returns and simply puts it into one of the side overhead lockers.

We depart 30 mins late after three *%%$$#@! no shows and various other sundry delays. Anyway, get to LHR, then HEX to Paddington, where I’m staying at the Mercure Paddington immediately adjacent. Although this place has a few dodgy trip advisor reviews, I can’t see how 1 night can be an issue. I’ve come to London because it was possible on my itinerary, to see some friends and to post out about 14 copies of my latest book to research institutions and libraries in England and Scotland. I’ve toted them all around Europe so far to save about $150 in postage costs. Bit over $30 to post them all within Britain to Britain, whereas to post them from Australia would have cost about $180. I know, I know, silly to tote them, but it felt good to save that postage.

Bloody Mercure Paddington. The accom was pre-paid and funds had been taken long ago. As usual, I gave them my business credit card to swipe and take their wretched ‘guarantee’ from, and they took a copy of my passport (I hadn’t noticed ANY of the prior hotels actually taking a photocopy; maybe they did, but I think not). Then, they ask for a swipe of the card I pre-paid with. Huh? “You have the funds, you have established my identity and here is the card in question, in my possession. Why do you need to swipe the card?” “For security sir.” “Please explain.” This got batted back and forth a few times but I just refused to let him swipe the card. He typed up a note that said I declined to give the card. I signed this quite happily. This was just bloody stupid. It was, I think the way the hotel ensures that the employee has sighted the card used in the booking. Grrrr. :evil:

But I got upgraded again, which was just as well, as the rooms here are said to be minute on Trip Advisor. Mine was OK, (but the bathroom was still tiny) and even though it fronted the very busy Praed Street, it wasn’t that noisy. A pair of ear plugs by the bed suggested otherwise!

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Went to jump on the Circle Line at Paddington – not operating. &*%$$#*! again . Back to the bad old days, Had to traverse the entire length of the station to get onto the Hammersmith line. A single tube trip now costs a bit over 4 pounds. That’s $8 !!!! Hells teeth.

Anyway, the day in London went quickly, as did the following morning, when I visited the British Museum, as they were having a bit of an exhibition on British Medieval and Palaeolithic etc hoards and treasures such as Sutton Hoo. Very nice. It’s a hot day – expected to be about 31 degrees. Then it was back on HEX (actually managed an express speed this time) to LHR T1 and check-in for St Petersburg via FRA on LH. I have no pics or voice notes for the LHR ‘experience’ so you can assume it wasn’t memorable either. But I DO remember that security was actually normal, not the usual LHR flustercluck.

At FRA I head straight for the Non Schengen Senator lounge near gate Z50. I LOVE this lounge and would place it as one of the best in the ‘Non a la carte dining’ category. It’s very large, serene, has lots of different types of seating, is very well catered and has great views out to the apron. But the lockable lockers I remember from last time seem to have gone. I’ve got about ¾ hour here so have a shower and get a few belts into me, as well as a few snacks which will be most of dinner. Movenpick icecream too .

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Then its on the LH bird for St Petersburg.  More wonders to come . 