Tuesday, July 17, 2012

2012 Amsterdam Day 2 - A day at the Museums

 A lazy second day, still pretty jet-lagged, went to Foam, a photography museum!

 Ron Galella was on display for paparazzi photography. Erm...what's so good about paparazzi photography that warrants a paid exhibition!??!?! Isn't paparazzi simply snapping wildly at celebrities while being cursed for your 18 generations for intrusion of privacy!?

 No it wasn't that way. Galella was a pioneer, with popularity of 35mm cameras, Galella started 'haunting' certain celebrities, musicians, politicians and the like. I'd imagine one must be superbly thick-skinned, have a lot of patience, and great contacts to get into hotels, restaurants, private locations before other media can get into, to snap personalities in their 'private moment'. Stalking Jacqueline Kennedy with famous court case between them, getting punched by celebrities and suing them successfully, Galella is perhaps the most famous celebrity photographer of them all. I'd say Galella is a photography of history, photographing Mick Jagger, Brigitte Bardot, Andy Warhol, Frank Sinatra, Penelope cruz and more!



"My idea of a good picture is one that's in focus and of a famous person doing something infamous. That's why my favourite photographer is Ron Galella" - Andy Warhol.


 Bump into another exhibition on the way to Vincent Van Gogh's

 Partial sign of the 'I AMsterdam', with lots of local kids/students!

Vincent Van Gogh, so much talent, great aptitude for learning, willing to travel places. Different works showed the different influences of the cities, places, people whom he met. Either backyards, prostitutes, outdoor nature (such as sunflowers!), and all. Possibly a Gay (never mentioned at all in the museum!). Had serious mental issues, shot himself and died two days later. His brother was buried next to him. A tragic story, inspiring European arts for the next hundreds of years. I wonder what kind of photographer would Van Gogh be like if he's living in our era?
It was off to a break, and a superbly good nap at Morgan's, and an equally superlative Chicken Risotto by Marcus! I was craving for chicken rice during day 1 and also in day 2 (yeah..crazy but true), and this made up for it!

A nice to watch Euro cup match! (cos it was during the evening, see the light in the room at 9pm local time!!). Though an boring and ugly win by Spain against Portugal, (with penalties, no less..pui!) It was sweet dreams next of Champagne and Burgundy!!!

2012 Amsterdam: Day 1-2!

It was a pretty last minute trip. Planned with Amsterdam based Morgan, Winefield's Milan and Doris, it was a trip of a lifetime (with planned trip to Champagne and the holy land of wine, Burgundy!) Here after a 12 hour flight from sweltering humidity in Singapore. I touched down at Schipol airport to sunny skies and 'air-con' temperatures, outdoors!

It was off to Morgan's house and with Marcus' help dropped off at Morgan's safely and it was off to meet Marcus' friends and we had a wonderful boat tour around Amsterdam.

This is Amsterhotel, one of the top hotels in Amsterdam, with a lovely canal sided cafe!

Canals are used by many Amsterdamers for work, leisure, and logistics! Here a car at the back of a boat in danger of hitting a bridge!

A certain touristy stop over for a 1 euro toilet break + other touristy stuff such as dutch handiwork and dutch cheeses!

Amsterdam is a city of bicycles, here a GIANT bicycle park spanning three storeys!

A weird installation outside a traditional building, restoration gone wrong?
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Beautiful houses line the canal, with blue skies and white clouds completing post-card-perfect landscapes!

A street market!!

"You've got be buttoned up"

Land of bicycles, costing 189 euros here..

Erm..can't remember which I ate, some 'disgusting', super sinful sausage made up of animal parts better not known!

Raw salted herring. Almost sashimi-like, I love it! And yes, the 'correct' way to have it is heads-down! We also had lovely French oysters, Perier Noir was my oyster of the day.

Nothing better to wash down all with a Heineken! On tap of course! It was a blur onwards, as jet-lag set on, and I stumbled back to Morgan's, had a nap, and waited for evening, where Morgan came back, and Marcus too, and we met up at Winefields for dinner! It's summer's start and it was a great trip around the Amsterdam city on the scoot of no-fear Milan!

Arriving at "Anna", an up-scale restaurant in the middle of the red-light district, it was finally happening! All of us gathered, (and previously Doris and Milan were in Singapore just two weeks earlier), and we're having dinner 'so soon'! Together with Lotta and Patricia, it was indeed a great toast to begin the evening!

Philipponnat 2003, a little flat and could be more energetic. Pinot noir content not making it elegant enough. Could be in a sleepy phase?

One of the several lovely dishes. One sees 'foam', only in high-class places?

Chave Hermitage Blanche, a little sharp.

1973 Nebbiolo from Renato Raffi, thick wasps of Soya, salt, strong body with brown rims and purplish core. Palette and body are still healthy, though finish and acidity points towards a downward slope. Drink up!

Jean Latour-Labille & Fils, Meursault - Perrierres 2008. Some buttery notes at first, clear acids and strong minerality show it's true pedigree shortly afterwards. Lovely with the fish.

Lamb cooked in three ways.

Bandol, looks like pinot, smells like one too or somewhat a feint grenaches. Definitely a single varietal. Can't tell if it's old/new world at all. Tannins smoothen out fast enough, lively after 45mins, one of the WOTN, intriguing and good.

Perfume of Frangipani, felt like Bali, sniffing through sunshine, road side lushness. Felt more like rip Kabinett than Auslese. Doesn't come across immediately as Riesling too!

What's better than a walk in the Red-Light district after a full dinner? ;)