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Showing posts from April, 2012

Scenes from Amsterdam

Cafés on the Leidseplein What I like most about Amsterdam is that it's a compact city and therefore, easy to explore. With two days to roam around and bright sunshine to boot, I was able to cover quite a bit of territory and still had plenty of time to sit at the caf é s with good friends. DHL Express So how does DHL Express deliver packages in canal lined Amsterdam? By cruise boat, of course. I thought at first this was one of those boats used for canal tours along the waterways of Amsterdam. But the color gave it away. One fun way for adventurous visitors to see the city when walking is not an option is by taking a three wheeled "smart" tricycle. Apple Store Have problems with your I gadgets? No worries. There are a number of service people wating to help you at the new Apple Store on the Leidseplein. But the hightlight here is not the IPad nor the IPhone, rather it is the gleaming glass staircase. This store is in the old AMRO building on

Unexpected Pleasures

Tour Eiffel While eating lunch at Le Lafayette Café on the 6th Floor in the Galeries Lafayette, I happened to look up from my plate of lousy fish du jour with overcooked green beans and saw the Eiffel Tower from my perch. That was my lunch treat. As I was walking away from St. Etienne du Mont toward Boulevard Saint Michel, I passed by this plaque which says that Erasmus, the Dutch philosopher, was a boarder here for a year at the College of Montaigu in the University of Paris. From Rue Galande it's a short walk to the quays of the Seine where the bouquinistes have plied their used books within plain view of the towers of Notre Dame since the 16th century. A novel way to sightsee in Paris is by tricycle. I saw a couple of Yellow PediCabs around Notre Dame. No need to rush in a double decker bus. Slow and easy does it. One of my favorite parks in Paris is the Jardin du Palais Royal. It's surrounded by arcaded buildings constructed around 1874. This garden was origina

Midnight in Paris Movie Locations

It's not often I watch a movie but on a long flight home late last year, I had the chance to watch Midnight in Paris and was totally captivated by its plot. Can you imagine time traveling to the era of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, Picasso and Dali, Gauguin and Toulouse Lautrec? It was therefore such a treat to be in Paris and be able to see a couple of the locations from the movie. Had so much fun figuring out where the Peugeot came from to pick up Gil (Owen Wilson) and take him back to the Jazz Age. Rue Galande Rue Galande is a narrow street lined with boutiques with engaging window displays. Notice the giant flea sculpture above one of the shops. This location was shown at the beginning of the film. Interestingly enough, Rue Galande is a stone's throw from the bouquinistes along the Seine and across from the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris. The Steps of St. Etienne du Mont This is where Gil was sitting, a little disoriented, when the Peugeot drove up and one of its passen