Autumn in Paris

Montmartre

Our hotel room with balcony overlooks Gare de l’Est. On the left, we can see a glimpse of the Sacre Coeur in the distance. The trip to Paris from Rotterdam took us only two hours and thirty minutes. The train is no longer called Thalys but Eurostar. Although we travelled first class, it did not […]

Fountains in Friesland

Waterpoort Sneek

The shortest and nicest route to Stavoren is by water. Not far from the Enkhuizen train station, you can board the ‘Bep Glasius’ three times a day, a slender white ferry that cuts through the waves of the IJsselmeer. On the other side of the lake, we see the Ice Age-created Red Cliff where the […]

Jopie Huisman’s Frisian Paradise

Naderend onweer

Upon entering the Jopie Huisman museum, I can see his rags immortalised in oil paint on the walls. My patience is tested by the lady behind the counter who first wants to tell me about a podcast following three disappeared paintings, the functioning of the audio tour, the possibility to vote for the promotion of […]

‘Moments Contained’ at Rotterdam Central Station

Visual art works in public spaces can usually count on unvarnished comments in Rotterdam. These periods of habituation never last long, though. And after ten years or so, if you tried to remove the sculpture/mural/structure, you would get into trouble with the locals. Speaking examples of these grown loves are ‘Erasmus’ (the Laurenskerk initially opposed […]

Printed art in Vienna

La Sortie

Both the quality and the quantity of the printed art that Vienna’s two Albertina Museums have brought together is downright overwhelming. Visiting exhibitions like these is like running a marathon: beforehand, you have to think about the pace and the intensity with which you take in these multicoloured works. We start at the Albertina Modern, […]

Where is Truman Capote’s safe?

The Capote Tapes

Thirty-eight years after his death author Truman Capote (1924 – 1984) continues to fascinate. The documentary The Capote Tapes by Eb Burnough looks back on the life and work of this extraordinary American writer. His collection of short stories Other Voices, Other Rooms (1948) and his novella Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1958) attracted much attention. The […]