2015.05.03 Brussels (Brussels, Belgium)

Our first stop in Brussels: The Atomium

Built for the 1958 World Expo, the Atomium represents a single iron crystal unit. The steel spheres, meant to be used as exhibition spaces, are connected by the long passageway tubes.

Additional supports had to be built as the original design was deemed too unstable. Apparently, with the original design, the entire structure would have easily toppled under strong winds (!?!)

I can see the headlines now - "Giant Atomic Structure Rolls through Europe. Thousands Dead".

The Atomium may very well be the strangest building I've ever seen (possibly only rivaled by that pants building in China), but its design would be well suited as a superhero's headquarters. Captain Atom? Or would that be too on-the-nose?

Chinese Pavilion
This amazing looking building was built in the early 1900s for King Leopold II. Very interesting to see Chinoiserie on such a grand scale.

As far as I could see through the bus windows, the details are quite exquisite. And none of that comical faux Chinese characters commonly found on western tattoos. The front doors were adorned with an authentic Chinese couplet. Very very impressive.

It used to be part of Brussels' Museums of the Far East but is currently closed for renovation.

Royal Palace

Sad-looking statues ... who are in drastic need of a scrub.

Random churches during the bus ride to the hotel.

When I first encountered this fountain, I thought for sure it must be Tintin-related. After all, this was Brussels, Tintin's birthplace. The old man certainly looked like a Tintin character, and finally, the Snowy-esque dog.

But no, the fountain actually commemorates a dog-loving mayor of Brussels who did something or another to warrant such a great statue-fountain. (His name was Karel Buls, if you were interested).

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

Beautiful shopping arcade full of cafes and luxury chocolate shops.

So decadent - even the street lamps have little crowns.

Grand Place - Brussels' city square

The square is best known for the surrounding guildhouses, most of which have their own unique identifier, such as "The Star", "The Wheelbarrow", "The Cornucopia", "The Fox", etc... In some cases, the house facade corresponds to the guild trade.

The timing of our visit was unfortunate as the most opulent guildhouses were under renovation. But the city was at least considerate enough to have covered the construction with life-size images of the houses.

 

Manneken Pis 

The famous statue of a boy peeing. There are several versions of the statue's origin story but the common thread seems to be a boy saving the city by urinating on a fire/bomb fuse/army.

The statue frequently changes costumes and there is even a museum dedicated to its vast wardrobe. I guess it was denim day.

According to the internet, a urinating girl statue ("Jeanneke Pis") also exist elsewhere in the city. Although, I doubt she receives the same level of fame and adoration. And while I should feel obligated to point out issues of gender inequality even in the statuary world, I've seen photos of the statue and it just doesn't look good. To its credit, no one can make squatting look good. Not even George Clooney.

There's also an urinating dog statue ("Zinneke Pis"), if anyone was interested.

A scintillating display of Belgian waffles.

Two types of shops dominate central Brussels - Chocolate and Waffle.

Don Quixote statue

I do believe the clown noses were a later addition.

Lunch: Au Vieux Saint Martin

Dinner: Al Piccolo Mondo

2015.05.03 Morning Run (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Because of all the delicious and artery-clogging group meals, morning runs became highly necessary. My first morning out, I had planned to head to the nearby Vondelpark but had mistakenly ran in the complete opposite direction. And in my crazed quest for luggage packing efficiency, I had opted not to bring my GPS watch. 

Big mistake. 

To this date I still can't figure out on Google Map where exactly I ended up that first morning. 

I had bought my camera along for the run but had forgotten that I took the battery out to recharge the night before. A complete doofus move because there were some really cool statues and doors I encountered during my run. 

But thanks to Google, I was able to find photos for two of them. 

These were bridge statues near Muzenplein by Hildo Krop, who was the genius responsible for many of the bridge and building statues in Amsterdam. 

Very likely these statues are allegorical, but I just found them fun to look at. 

So if I may present: 

Boy with [Killer] Rabbits

Girl with [Demon] Squirrels

Second morning was much better.

Cellphone? Check.
Camera with battery? Check and check.
Right direction? Check.

It was a tad early so I basically had the roads all to myself. And perhaps not surprisingly, there were no other runners sighted. Amsterdamians must get all the physical exercises they need just from cycling.

Entrance to Vondelpark

I then made my way to Museumplein, which was lovely without the crowds. 

And I finally got to take a picture of the "I amsterdam" sign without having to duck elbows and selfie sticks.

You know you covet my awesome puke-green socks and neon running shoes.

The Van Gogh museum (right) and the concert hall Concertgebouw (left).

2015.05.02 Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

We paid a visit to Rijksmuseum, Netherlands' state museum on our last day in Amsterdam. 

It's one of three museums located in the museum square ("museumplein"), which was crowded with people, many of which were angling for a spot in front of the iconic "I amsterdam" sign.

It's always fun to spot details like the tulip ornamentation on the fence and the stone creature pipe-holder.

Bike lanes run through the museum, which is a brilliant idea. More cities should be as bike-friendly as Amsterdam. It would certainly be one way to improve physical fitness in the general population.

The museum just recently completed a ten-year renovation. The renovation must have been pretty costly, since admission to Rejiksmuseum is one of the priciest in Europe. The museum looks great, so I'm glad that money went to a good use.

Gallery of Honour

Where the Dutch masterpieces are kept and the busiest section of the museum.

Rembrandt's Night Watch or more officially, Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq

Our guide was clearly an arts major as she spent the better part ushering us in front of painting after painting. 

Rembrandt must have thought well of this work since he painted himself into it. He can be seen in profile just over the right shoulder of the man in the top hat. The so-called militia was really more akin to an honour guard, the upper echelon in their fineries on parade. 

What's special about the painting is the characters seem to be in mid-motion , unlike the more static style of that time.

This painting has gone through quite a tribulation. In the 18th century, the painting had to be trimmed down in order to fit its new location. Consequently, two characters were cut out (perhaps, they should have paid Rembrandt more for a better position in the painting). Then in 1911, the painting was slashed. Again, in 1975, it suffered significant damage by a mentally-unstable man wielding a breadknife. Lastly, in 1990, acid was sprayed onto the canvas but thankfully no major damage was done.

What is it with this painting that cause crazy people to attack?

Another masterpiece. The Milkmaid by Vermeer. 

Personally, I prefer Vermeer over Rembrandt. I'm not a fan of the chiaroscuro technique (strong contrast between light and dark). 

If you haven't seen the documentary Tim's Vermeer, I highly recommended. It's about one man's journey to paint a Vermeer and in the process, figuring out the optical techniques Vermeer could have used to create the luminous effects in his paintings.

We then had thirty minutes(!!!) of free time, which was not enough at all. Here are some of the highlights as I tried to take in as much as I could in the impossibly short amount of time allocated.

Famous Delftware

Cheeky-looking monkey in the appropriately-titled but long-winded, "Still Life with Dead Game and Fruit Besides a Vase, with a Monkey, a Dog, and Two Doves, in the distance Rijksdorp near Wassenaar, Seat of Jacob Emmery, Baron of Wassenaar" by Jan Weenix

Dollhouses. There was even one with its own painting. I guess somebody really loved their dollhouse.

The Rijksmuseum library was a bit of a letdown.

The amazingly detailed scaled model of the ship William Rex.

Stern carving from the Dutch-captured English vessel the Royal Charles.   

Portraits of Javanese (part of modern Indonesia) Officials

If I had more time, it would have been great to check out the Roentgen writing desk (Roentgen furniture were famous for their secret compartments and complex internal mechanisms), as well as the Meissen porcelain and Art Nouveau collections

Canal Boat Ride
We then traveled down the canals, where we enjoyed the views and Dutch bar snacks like the bitterballen, which are deep fried balls with creamy meat filling. Very similar to the croquette.

Delicious. But then again, I'm partial to all things battered and deep-fried.

Rembrandtplein

Where the famous Night Watch painting has been recreated in bronze statues. Very cool.

The square was full of people just hanging out and relaxing on the grass, very common in the Netherlands.

Red Light District
On our after-dinner walk, the group decided to take a detour into the Red Light District. Yes, there were a lot of sex shops and yes, there were skimpily-clad women posing in windows. Photography is forbidden, a rule that everyone seemed to follow without fail. I don't really have much to say about the experience except that it was very crowded, which was surprising to us and our host.

Dinner: Indrapura