Park behind the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Rijksmuseum
Newly re-opened Rijksmuseum
After a renovation of nearly 10 years, the Rijksmuseum re-opened on April 13th, perfect timing for my sister’s and my stay in Amsterdam. We were very impressed with this museum, light, airy, spacious — and with its collection of new and old masters. With the re-opening comes wide open access to the works. We were free to take photographs (no flash), and over 130,000 high-resolution images have been digitized and are available from the Rijksmuseum website for free, with no copyright restrictions. This museum is truly a gift from the Dutch people to the world.
Covered thru-way where you can wait for the museum doors to open
Come early to avoid long lines
Rembrandt’s Night Watch, one of the “must-see” paintings housed here
Interior, Rijksmuseum
Interior, Rijksmuseum
One of several Vermeer paintings on exhibit
Amsterdam Impressions 1: Canal Life
May 21, 2013
Canal reflections, Amsterdam
Our room in a guesthouse overlooking the Prinsengracht Canal
For our five days in Amsterdam, my sister and I splurged on accommodations in a guesthouse on the Canal Ring. These concentric canals — the Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht and their transverse canals — are the historic and cultural heart of Amsterdam, and in 2010 were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our room had a balcony overlooking the busy Prinsengracht Canal, and we enjoyed watching the tour boat, bike, and pedestrian traffic that paraded past. When we were not in our room, we spent hours just rambling along the canals, where we soon felt at home.
Canal life, Amsterdam
Houseboats lined the canals, but residents also used little boats to get around. Tour boats passed by regularly. It tickled us to think that when they saw us sitting on our balcony, they thought us Amsterdam residents.
Canal tour boat decorated for the investiture of King Willem-Alexander on April 30th
Bikes and bridges
The floating Bloemenmarkt (flower market) on the Singel Canal
A quiet morning in Amsterdam
Vase of tulips
Amsterdam is full of little decorative touches. Everything was embellished — doors, windows, bridge posts, etc.
Plaque on one house showing tailors at work
Animal plaques on the face of a building
Skinny houses. This was our guesthouse at 555 Prinsengracht
The skinny buildings brought their own challenges for residents, especially while moving furniture. We watched the drama unfold for these movers:
Hooks on the tops of the buildings, necessary for moving furniture into the skinny spaces
Playing Tourist Guide
May 20, 2013
Tour bus at the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes at the Sea of Galilee
Whew, are you feeling like a pilgrim yet? I feel like one of those tour guides holding a flag or a pink umbrella, pulling you along the various highpoints of my April journey. I hope that you are not groaning and saying, not another one of Rosemary’s slideshows!
When friends and colleagues asked me, upon my return, what was your favorite part of the trip, I couldn’t name one thing. How do you compare walking a coastal path in Iceland with visiting Kafr Kama, or the souk in Akko to the one in Old City Jerusalem, or my sister’s backyard breakfast with a restaurant meal? I’m not being coy when I can’t name a favorite experience. I loved every minute and feel fortunate for the spectacular sights as well as the quieter ones.
For me, putting together these blog posts about my travels has been pure joy. I get to re-live my trip again as I go through my photos and travel journal, trying to put together a narrative that shows you my impressions of the destinations I visited so recently. I hope you will continue to bear with me. I still want to blog about Amsterdam and France!
Israel Impressions 8: Modern Jerusalem
May 19, 2013
Light rail along the Jaffa Road, Jerusalem
The modern city of Jerusalem
It was fun to leave the old, walled city of Jerusalem and explore a bit in the modern era! Audrey and I walked up the Jaffa Road to the Jewish market, Mahane Yehuda. What a vibrant place! It reminded me of Seattle’s Pike Place Market, but with more energy. From there, we wandered, mapless, on the residential streets of the earliest Jewish immigrants to Jerusalem. There was always something interesting to see, whether people, cats, or architectural elements.
Along the Jaffa Road (these buildings reminded me of New Orleans)
Olive vendor in the Jewish market
Tea stall, Mahane Yehuda
Kippas for sale
Mahane Yehuda market, Jerusalem
A peak into the entry way of an apartment in a Jewish residential area
Grillwork on window
Overflow from a crowded synagogue, Jerusalem
Using a balcony for storage, Jaffa Road, Jerusalem
Tower of David, the walled Old City of Jerusalem
Rooftop view of the Old City of Jerusalem from above the Armenian Cafe
The Old City of Jerusalem is a labyrinth of narrow streets contained in a walled fortress, with access by one of seven gates: the Golden (or Lion) gate, Herod’s Gate, the Damascus Gate, the New Gate, the Jaffa Gate, the Zion Gate, and the Dung Gate. Inside the walls is the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall. The city has four neighborhoods: the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, and the Jewish Quarter. Vendors, elbow to elbow in the narrow corridors of the souk, vie for buyers. Christian pilgrims walk the Via Dolorosa and visit churches commemorating the life of Jesus. Children go to school. People live here, as evidenced by the water tanks, satellite dishes, and hanging laundry in the rooftop view above. It is a busy and vibrant place.
Wall decoration at the Lion Gate
Arab women sorting grape leaves in the market
Carrying an empty bread tray on his head
Behind the scenes view from the roof of the Austrian hospice
Old shutters, hanging laundry
In the souk, a vendor sweeping in front of her stall
Metal door sculpture along the Via Dolorosa
Armed Israeli soldiers patrol the streets
Japanese tourists take photos of Israeli soldiers
Plein air painter in the Old City
Jewish Quarter
In the Jewish Quarter, Old City, Jerusalem
Jewish Quarter, Old City, Jerusalem
Western Wall, focus of prayer for Jews from around the world
Men’s and women’s sections of the Western Wall
Visiting the Western Wall at sunset
The next day, bar mitzvah celebrations at the Western Wall
And the bar mitzvah celebrations carried over into the streets of the Jewish Quarter
Israel Impressions 6: Jerusalem, Outside the Walls
May 17, 2013
Dome of the Rock and the old walled city of Jerusalem viewed from the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley
Jerusalem has to be one of the most interesting cities in the world. There is so much life both within the walls of the Old City and without in the modern streets. It is teeming with a diversity of people. It is the site of holy places revered by Christians, Jews and Muslims. My sister and I were fortunate to spend two days there.
Today’s post will share some impressions of the historic places of Jerusalem outside the walls of the Old City. We saw Gethsemane and its Church of the Agony, the Garden of Olives, the Mount of Olives, the cave of Mary’s tomb, Dominus Flet (where Jesus wept), the Kidron Valley and the large stone cemetery there, the tomb of David, the room of the Last Supper, Dormition Abbey where Mary lived her last days, and the site of Jesus’s tomb near Golgotha. I promise I won’t show any more pictures of the interiors of churches, though I took so many they started blurring and looking alike. I felt humbled to be in the place of so much history and in the presence of so many faithful pilgrims and people.
Old Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Kidron Valley outside the Lion Gate
Stone tombs
I wanted to see a camel on this trip, and we saw this one (admittedly a tourist prop) on the Mount of Olives
View of the Dome of the Rock from the Mount of Olives
Old world and new on the Mount of Olives
Orthodox priest hurrying on his way
Window in Dominus Flet, where Jesus wept
Onion domes of the Church of Mary Magdalena
Two Orthodox priests leading a group of pilgrims to the Church of Mary Magdalena
Dove at the back of the church at Gethsemane
Old olive tree in the Garden of Olives
Taking a break outside the Jaffa Gate overlooking modern Jerusalem
Family walking outside the walls near the Jaffa Gate
The formal Baha’i Garden in Akko
The center walkway, Baha’i Gardens, Akko
The Baha’i Garden in Akko was a quiet, open and contemplative oasis after the beehive of activity in the Old City’s port and market. This garden, along with the one in Haifa, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place of pilgrimage for followers of the Baha’i faith. The general public was allowed entrance only to the large formal garden; the mansion and inner gardens were off limits.
Old olive trees in an adjacent park
Wisteria graced the entrance
Sculpted hedges framed red geraniums
Pink hibiscus
Orange hibiscus
Blue doors
Well-groomed gardens
My sister called this “rooster comb”
Baha’i mansion and grounds
Layered plantings
Gate to the inner gardens
