We are heading off on another European adventure. However, we are first travelling to New York to attend Allan's nephew's wedding. We leave for New York on October 2 and will be attending the wedding on October 6 on the 9th floor of Carnegie Hall!
Wedding on the 9th floor of Carnegie Hall- very cool
Autumn in New York!
We may post a few pictures, but will start our blog in earnest after we arrive in Paris on October 9. We are staying at a new flat in the 5th arrondissement, not far from where we have stayed in the past and not too far from Jardin des Plantes where Allan likes to run.
We will be in Paris until October 18 and then head to Antwerp for three nights and then Rotterdam for three nights- a city we have never visited.
Antwerp
Beautiful Zaha Hadid Port Authority building in Antwerp
Markthal in Rotterdam- largest indoor market in the Netherlands
We then head back to Toronto on October 24.
For those of you that have been following our travel blogs, you will know that Allan usually takes a new name. He will be Alain in the blog as we will be in Paris for the longest portion of the trip.
We look forward to you joining us on our journey. Our first posting from Paris will most likely be on Tuesday October 9!!
Sunday October 21 was a travel day. We took the 10:45 a.m. regional train from Antwerp to Rotterdam. The trip took about an hour. We arrived at the very modern beautiful Rotterdam Central train station, built in 2014. Rotterdam's history stretches back more than a millennium, but the city was almost completely destroyed during WWII and while initially the rebuilding was a bit staid, Rotterdam has become the site of some of the most interesting architecture in Europe. The Central Station is fabulous. The 1957 station building was demolished in 2008 to make way for the new station. The concourse is topped by a dynamic roof and the roof over the tracks is partly covered in solar panels. A consortium of architects was responsible for the building. There are 25 stores in a spacious hallway, and a wonderful glass lighting sculpture in the entrance. Outside of Central Station Cloud of lights in station We are staying at Citizen M, a very c...
Tuesday October 23 was another good day for walking- a mix of sun and cloud and a bit of wind. High of 15C. I had forgotten to post a picture just behind our hotel of the old boats in the harbour. Boats in the harbour- near Cube houses and our hotel Another interesting office building right beside the Markthal We decided to go to a coffee shop that had been recommended by a number of people. It was in the northern part of the city, about a 30 minute walk from our hotel. Across from the Markhal, we ran into Europe's longest street market, which consists of over 400 stalls offering cheese, fresh vegetables, baked goods and lots of clothes and other "flea market" offerings. It runs three days a week (Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday) and tracks up a long street for 2.5 km. We walked up the street as it was in the direction we were heading. Lots of folks out at the market. Cheese stall Walking up the street with the 400 stalls ...
Monday October 15 was very warm and sunny with a high of 26C. We definitely did not take enough light clothes, so the few items we brought are being worn a lot. However, it has been a glorious time in Paris, getting an extra week or more of summer. Alain started his day with a 6.5 km run in the nearby Jardin des plantes. Jardin des plantes- autumn leaves, but summer weather Tai Chi class in the gardens After a late breakfast, we headed out. We are only a 10 minute (at most) walk from the Seine. Notre Dame We stopped for coffee at Le Peloton again. The coffee is very good and Alain found a section of the New York Times to read. Alain at Le Peloton We took the Metro to the Musée Jacquemart André on Rue Haussmann, to see the exhibition of the Italian artist Caravaggio during the period he spent painting in Rome from 1592 to 1606. Nine of Caravaggio's finest paintings have been lent from top museums in Italy, including the Galleria...
Have a great trip, Toby and Alain! Looking forward to reading your travel blog. Safe travels.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy this amazing trip, nous allons le vivre par procuration!
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