TravelswithCharie

The Union of Earth and Water (Scheldt and Antwerp) by Peter Paul Rubens and Frans Snyders c. 1618-1621 Amsterdam is home to some of the best museums in the world - the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk to name a few. And now it has the Hermitage Amsterdam! I was lucky to view the Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens, Flemish Painters from the Hermitage  exhibition which has been extended to June 15, 2012. The exhibition includes 75 paintings and 20 drawings from the Antwerp School of Painting. Many of these oeuvres d'art  came from the collection of Catherine the Great. The museum is in a former home for the elderly. It originally housed women who were at least 50 years of age when it opened in 1681. Elderly men were welcomed in the 1800's when a new wing was added for them. The home became known as Amstelhof. At the close of the 20th century it was decided that rather than rebuild and update the home, it was better to move its residents to more comfortable a

From Inhabitat.com - 10 Awesome Eco-Activities to do this Earth Day http://inhabitat.com/10-awesome-eco-activities-to-do-this-earth-day/

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

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

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

La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre It's been awhile since I visited Montmartre so after seeing the "wall", I went up to the Basilica of Sacré Coeur for a view of the city of Paris. Many years ago I took the stairs to the Basilica but this time around I opted for the easy way up which is by funicular. The fare is similar to the metro. So it's best to buy a carnet of metro tickets if you're staying a few days in Paris. In front of the Sacré Coeur a crowd of people spilled down the long flight of stairs. Street entertainers were having a field day, in particular, a young man who climbed up the lamp post and played with a soccer ball, oblivious of his precarious position as the crowd cheered him on. Across the horizon Paris lay in a haze. It was a gorgeous day to be outdoors. Walking through narrow streets I passed cafés buzzing with activity. I thought I'd go down Rue Lepic to the Café des Deux Moulins and try their crême brûlée which is now called Am

I didn't see the elevator at the Abbesses metro stop so I unwittingly went up the stairs which winds up 118 feet (or 200 steps according to Wikipedia). Abbesses is one of the deep stations in the Paris metropolitan system. I had to stop twice on the way up to catch my breath and rest my leg muscles. It was quite a climb! I heard the people behind me panting and moaning. We were definitely in Montmartre, high above the rest of Paris. And I came for a specific reason - to see the "I love you" wall or Le Mur de Je t'aime at Place des Abbesses. I had read an article about it on Valentine's day and I was intrigued. How serendipitous that I had this chance to be in Paris! The wall is just behind the entrance to the metro station. Le mur is made of blue tile and scrawled across it are over 300 greetings of love in 250 languages. I recognized a few like Iniibig Kita and Te quiero . I did a search to find out about Ljubim te and learned that this is a Slovenian/Serbi