My summervacation: day 9
Jul. 28th, 2013 08:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beelikejThis morning I first did a bit of relaxed reading on the couch. When I eventually turned on the computer I spent the rest of my day selecting photos because I wanted to share the awesome time I had in Amsterdam yesterday.
I went there to visit brotherdearest and to go on a quest for Tony Chocolonely's new chocolatebar with seasalt and caramel. This flavour is not available in my town and I had made a treasure map of all the shops in the big city where they were supposed to be sold. I found exactly one shop that had them in stock; all the additional stores my brother and I located were either closed or only had the regular bars! Pfff.
Fortunately our second challenge of the day was more succesful. We cycled all around town to check out this summer's city-art project and saw the most amazing sculptures. You'll find a selection below, as well as some touristy photos and at the end a map of our bicycle-adventure. Hopefully you'll enjoy these spots as much as we did!
Oh, before you go on, you should know that apparently the theme of the art I liked most was "penis". Of course it's all artsy, there is no nude realism and the photos are totally safe for the workplace, but consider yourself warned;)
Corner Haarlemmerstraat. Before I took the tram to my brother, I walked from the station to this street to find the first shop on my treasuremap. That turned out to be the only shop that actually sold the chocolate bar I was looking for. Yay! Onwards!
Houses Haarlemmerstraat.
Crossing Het Spui; in the distance the main trainstation of Amsterdam.
I had planned to do some shopping before catching a tram, but got caught in a storm. It was so bad I had to buy an umbrella to continue (if you know me, you know how guilty I felt about having to buy such an evil device) This is me under my (pink!) umbrella at Leidseplein. That building is the Stadsschouwburg, the most important Theatre in town. You can see Tram #7 coming around the corner on the left.
My brother and I had lunch while waiting out the storm and then got on our bicycles. As I said our search for more chocolate was unsuccesful, so we decided to focus on art for the rest of the afternoon.
More information about The International Sculpture Route Amsterdam can be found on the Art Zuid website. The added numbers below are also on the official tourmap.
#05 by Gerhard Lentink
(I wasn't able to remember all the names of the sculptures, only the artists are mentioned in my folder)
So cute: a schoolclass (group 6 = 9/10 year olds) had made a tiny artproject too, called "strange birds". Not so cute: it was the only piece that was vandalized. *shakes fist*
On the right: # 14 Big Pumpkin by Erwin Wurm
Left: #23 Jonathan Meese (there was also a female version of this 'Zeus')
Right: #20 Wellness Skull by Joep van Lieshout (see also below!)
It has a shower on the outside, a bathtub inside and a sauna on the topfloor, wicked! (Yeah, that's me posing on top;)
Left: #16 Dancer by Folkert de Jong
Middle: #17 by Eduardo Chillida (According to the folder it's on its side...)
Right: (large coin in the back) #19 by Theo Niermeijer
#42 Miffy Fountain by Tom Sachs
As you may know Miffy is originally Dutch and her real name is Nijntje. She was designed by Dick Bruna and her stories are read all over the world.
This installation had her crying over consumerism (artist's words....) and it made me very sad :-(
Left: #43 Pink Head by Sokari Douglas Camp
Right: #33 by Jems Robert Koko Bi (this installation is sometimes shown in water)
The art was showcased in one of the finer neighbourhoods of Amsterdam: Oud Zuid "Old South" - look at the beautiful details on the houses!
The metal sculpture in the front is #44 by Jonathan Meese (who also made #23 Zeus)
#49 an installation of mirrors by Paul Segers.
A perfect opportunity to pose with our bikes:)
Brotherdearest and I also took a simultanious picture; can you spot him?
And can you spot me?
Two more photos of this beautiful neighbourhood before we cycle up north towards the centre for our final piece of art. A very fancy lane with even fancier trees and on the right a sculpture of Pan and his flute:)
Sculpture #65 by Peer Veneman. No comment. *giggles*
This concludes the outdoor art, let me now take you to the OBA (openbare bibliotheek Amsterdam = public library) for another art exhibition indoors. Follow me.
On our way we pass the New Church where our new King and Queen were inaugurated in April.
Know how in London they warn you to look right before crossing? Here in Amsterdam you should be aware that bicycles can come from ANY direction. This bicycle path (located between the trainstation and the city-center) has these signs every three meters. No kidding.
View from the library of the Prins Hendrik Kade.
Currently on display in the OBA: sculptures from the 'Statues at Sea' museum in Scheveningen, Beelden aan Zee
Gorgeous and huge: Alkyoneus-toren by Gerhard Lentink (who also made the first sculpture we saw on our bicycle tour!)
Title and artist unknown (my bad)
On display was also a seperate collection of plaster studies; this is the original of the bronze statue of Anne Frank (next to the Westerkerk) made by Mari Andriessen
View from the library: NEMO museum across the water, the first building you see when you come into Amsterdam by train from the East:)
Last but not least piece of art is my absolute favorite of the day. Remember the theme I mentioned at the beginning? See how many you can find *grin*
Back and front of Say Goodbye To Loneliness by the Chapman Brothers
Detail of Say Goodbye To Loneliness by the Chapman Brothers
A closer look of Say Goodbye To Loneliness by the Chapman Brothers
After that we went on our way to dinner, here are some more touristy views:
Zuiderkerkhof + detail of gate to the cemetery.
Detail on Blauwbrug; bridge between Amstelstraat en Waterlooplein
View from Blauwbrug
Rembrandtplein (square) Statue of Rembrandt and the complete Nachtwacht (Nightwatch) in action.
Every evening after the daily market seagulls fly to the Albert Cuyp Markt.
View from restaurant Bazar, where we sat outside for a delicious dinner.
See? Brotherdearest had a vegetarian main course, I of course went for a slab of meat:) Girlfriend Benthe joined us for dessert: pancakes with a thousand holes and across the table turkish cotton candy.
Cycling back home I saw this sign (welcome to the Netherlands;)
No smoking weed - children's playground! (behind the bicycle parking;)
Random dudes holding up the balconies. Unf.
Benthe and brotherdearest Hans in front of canal with house boat;)
A map of our travels, I told you we cycled all over town;)
Around nine brotherdearest and I took a train to Utrecht where he had a party and I caught the next train home. I was so very pleasantly sleepy after spending all day outside. I felt very vacationy;) Of course sitting behind the computer all day today wasn't bad either :-p And I have another week off, yay!
I went there to visit brotherdearest and to go on a quest for Tony Chocolonely's new chocolatebar with seasalt and caramel. This flavour is not available in my town and I had made a treasure map of all the shops in the big city where they were supposed to be sold. I found exactly one shop that had them in stock; all the additional stores my brother and I located were either closed or only had the regular bars! Pfff.
Fortunately our second challenge of the day was more succesful. We cycled all around town to check out this summer's city-art project and saw the most amazing sculptures. You'll find a selection below, as well as some touristy photos and at the end a map of our bicycle-adventure. Hopefully you'll enjoy these spots as much as we did!
Oh, before you go on, you should know that apparently the theme of the art I liked most was "penis". Of course it's all artsy, there is no nude realism and the photos are totally safe for the workplace, but consider yourself warned;)
Corner Haarlemmerstraat. Before I took the tram to my brother, I walked from the station to this street to find the first shop on my treasuremap. That turned out to be the only shop that actually sold the chocolate bar I was looking for. Yay! Onwards!
Houses Haarlemmerstraat.
Crossing Het Spui; in the distance the main trainstation of Amsterdam.
I had planned to do some shopping before catching a tram, but got caught in a storm. It was so bad I had to buy an umbrella to continue (if you know me, you know how guilty I felt about having to buy such an evil device) This is me under my (pink!) umbrella at Leidseplein. That building is the Stadsschouwburg, the most important Theatre in town. You can see Tram #7 coming around the corner on the left.
My brother and I had lunch while waiting out the storm and then got on our bicycles. As I said our search for more chocolate was unsuccesful, so we decided to focus on art for the rest of the afternoon.
More information about The International Sculpture Route Amsterdam can be found on the Art Zuid website. The added numbers below are also on the official tourmap.
#05 by Gerhard Lentink
(I wasn't able to remember all the names of the sculptures, only the artists are mentioned in my folder)
So cute: a schoolclass (group 6 = 9/10 year olds) had made a tiny artproject too, called "strange birds". Not so cute: it was the only piece that was vandalized. *shakes fist*
On the right: # 14 Big Pumpkin by Erwin Wurm
Left: #23 Jonathan Meese (there was also a female version of this 'Zeus')
Right: #20 Wellness Skull by Joep van Lieshout (see also below!)
It has a shower on the outside, a bathtub inside and a sauna on the topfloor, wicked! (Yeah, that's me posing on top;)
Left: #16 Dancer by Folkert de Jong
Middle: #17 by Eduardo Chillida (According to the folder it's on its side...)
Right: (large coin in the back) #19 by Theo Niermeijer
#42 Miffy Fountain by Tom Sachs
As you may know Miffy is originally Dutch and her real name is Nijntje. She was designed by Dick Bruna and her stories are read all over the world.
This installation had her crying over consumerism (artist's words....) and it made me very sad :-(
Left: #43 Pink Head by Sokari Douglas Camp
Right: #33 by Jems Robert Koko Bi (this installation is sometimes shown in water)
The art was showcased in one of the finer neighbourhoods of Amsterdam: Oud Zuid "Old South" - look at the beautiful details on the houses!
The metal sculpture in the front is #44 by Jonathan Meese (who also made #23 Zeus)
#49 an installation of mirrors by Paul Segers.
A perfect opportunity to pose with our bikes:)
Brotherdearest and I also took a simultanious picture; can you spot him?
And can you spot me?
Two more photos of this beautiful neighbourhood before we cycle up north towards the centre for our final piece of art. A very fancy lane with even fancier trees and on the right a sculpture of Pan and his flute:)
Sculpture #65 by Peer Veneman. No comment. *giggles*
This concludes the outdoor art, let me now take you to the OBA (openbare bibliotheek Amsterdam = public library) for another art exhibition indoors. Follow me.
On our way we pass the New Church where our new King and Queen were inaugurated in April.
Know how in London they warn you to look right before crossing? Here in Amsterdam you should be aware that bicycles can come from ANY direction. This bicycle path (located between the trainstation and the city-center) has these signs every three meters. No kidding.
View from the library of the Prins Hendrik Kade.
Currently on display in the OBA: sculptures from the 'Statues at Sea' museum in Scheveningen, Beelden aan Zee
Gorgeous and huge: Alkyoneus-toren by Gerhard Lentink (who also made the first sculpture we saw on our bicycle tour!)
Title and artist unknown (my bad)
On display was also a seperate collection of plaster studies; this is the original of the bronze statue of Anne Frank (next to the Westerkerk) made by Mari Andriessen
View from the library: NEMO museum across the water, the first building you see when you come into Amsterdam by train from the East:)
Last but not least piece of art is my absolute favorite of the day. Remember the theme I mentioned at the beginning? See how many you can find *grin*
Back and front of Say Goodbye To Loneliness by the Chapman Brothers
Detail of Say Goodbye To Loneliness by the Chapman Brothers
A closer look of Say Goodbye To Loneliness by the Chapman Brothers
After that we went on our way to dinner, here are some more touristy views:
Zuiderkerkhof + detail of gate to the cemetery.
Detail on Blauwbrug; bridge between Amstelstraat en Waterlooplein
View from Blauwbrug
Rembrandtplein (square) Statue of Rembrandt and the complete Nachtwacht (Nightwatch) in action.
Every evening after the daily market seagulls fly to the Albert Cuyp Markt.
View from restaurant Bazar, where we sat outside for a delicious dinner.
See? Brotherdearest had a vegetarian main course, I of course went for a slab of meat:) Girlfriend Benthe joined us for dessert: pancakes with a thousand holes and across the table turkish cotton candy.
Cycling back home I saw this sign (welcome to the Netherlands;)
No smoking weed - children's playground! (behind the bicycle parking;)
Random dudes holding up the balconies. Unf.
Benthe and brotherdearest Hans in front of canal with house boat;)
A map of our travels, I told you we cycled all over town;)
Around nine brotherdearest and I took a train to Utrecht where he had a party and I caught the next train home. I was so very pleasantly sleepy after spending all day outside. I felt very vacationy;) Of course sitting behind the computer all day today wasn't bad either :-p And I have another week off, yay!
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no subject
Date: 2013-07-28 08:36 pm (UTC)The outdoor art is fascinating, though it's such a shame the children's display had to be vandalized - such nonsense! My favorites are numbers 20, 16 and 33.
All of the photos of the indoor art are gorgeous. Your favorite piece was quite interesting though it made me a bit sad.
What a wonderful day - thank you so much for sharing it. :)
And yay to another week off!!!
no subject
Date: 2013-07-30 08:41 pm (UTC)That children's display made me so happy, until I noticed the vandalism :(
I'm guessing the "penismachine" (as my mom called it; I found out today she'd seen it the week before and made a photo especially for me, but I was glad she hadn't sent it yet so she didn't spoil the surprise;) was supposed to be depressing or at least shocking, but I could really only giggle from the over the top gruesomeness of the installation. Oops.
One of the best days and definitely the most vacationy ;-)
no subject
Date: 2013-07-29 09:29 am (UTC)Enjoy the rest of your holiday.
no subject
Date: 2013-07-30 08:45 pm (UTC)Under that pile of pişmaniye were a couple of other Turkish snacks, like turkish delight, baklava and a small (date?) cookie. We all shared our dessert so I had a bite of everything. That pişmaniye had a vanilla flavor and was a bit more delicate than the cotton candy I know; I can imagine it would taste divine with chocolate!
no subject
Date: 2013-07-29 01:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-07-30 08:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-07-30 04:06 pm (UTC)But despite (or thanks to? ;)) the theme, it looks like you saw a lot of awesome art - and you really did go all across the city, holy moly.
Also that no smoking weed sign is amaaazing!
no subject
Date: 2013-07-30 08:48 pm (UTC)My masseuse could still tell by the tension in my calves that I had cycled a lot! It was well worth it though:)
Isn't that sign just adorable? Oh, Amsterdam.