St Petersburg On The Amstel

The Hermitage, St Petersburg's legendary museum, has started a partnership with an Amsterdam venue by the Amstel canal. I heard about this on NPR's Art Talk - thanks, dear Edward Goldman! By now, regular readers on AUREA know about my passion for Russia; I actually just spent a couple of weeks re-reading War And Peace. So this weekend, as I am spending a couple of days in Amsterdam, I rushed to see their first lavish, exhibition, and wasn't disappointed.

Many divine items were displayed, especially ball gowns, dress uniforms and all kinds of accessories like silk shoes, spectacular jewelry, feathered fans, exquisite hats. I adore the children's adorable costumes of course... There were also collections of paintings and photographs.
I bought a bunch of postcards (click on the top pic to enlarge) and a Danish novel, The Tsar's Dwarf, about a dwarf who was given as a present to a Russian tsar.
Can you spot my reflection in the poster?

On Staalstraat

With its tiny and hip boutiques, as well as a fabulous cheese store, Staalstraat, in the center of Amsterdam, is one of my favorite streets as well as one of the prettiest. It is guarded by this beautiful statue of a man, whose coat is adorned with birds. I just love it!
Apart from the wonderful art bookstore Nijhof & Lee, where you'll find a large selection of typography books amongst other, one of the highlights of the street is Droog, a design store packed with crazy items, from fun knickknacks to pieces such as the "chest of drawers" by Tejo Remy, below. I bought their Do frame tape to playfully frame some pics and posters back home in Los Angeles.

Finally, I never miss the vintage store at the end of the street, where all kinds of ancient shoes, clothes and accessories are on display.

After all this browsing, I sat in a café at the end of the street, with a view on a canal and its beautiful drawbridge, for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice - a treat that will set you back about €4.50 in Paris but only costs half in Amsterdam's cafés...

Around Amsterdam

Oh beautiful Amsterdam... While I adore its narrow brick buildings, some prefer to live on houseboats. What would you choose?

And I am happy to present you the New Thalys, which one takes at Amsterdam's spectacular (above) Central Station. With its red and purple seats, and its sleek design details, this New Thalys makes the Thalys even better.

Visit again this weekend, for some shopping on Staalstraat...

From Paris to Amsterdam

I left the Gare du Nord around 8.25 am on the Thalys...

... with my phone and a heavy book...

... all the way to Brussels...

... Antwerp...


... the Dutch countryside...

... Amsterdam at last by 12.35...

... off the train and onto the tram.

Benjy & The Dutch Tile

After I took this picture of Benjy, I was stunned to see how uncannily it reminded me of an ancient tile I photographed in a 17th century Canal House during my last visit to Amsterdam...
And just for our pleasure, here's another tile from the same house. Don't you love that bunny?

Notice how Benjy looks mysterious on this picture? That's because he and I are planning a life-changing move... More details in the days to come...

Another Walk In Amsterdam

I'm back in Paris but I thought we'd stay in Amsterdam one more day for a walk...

From the Dam, take Kalverstraat down to the Historical Museum, with its lovely courtyard and café as well as the hilarious portrait (above) of the Royal Family... Back on Kalverstraat, make a left on Spui, cross the Amstel, and keep on going in that direction until you hit the Voorburgwal, in the Red Light District. Keep on going all the way up to no. 40 and visit the Amstelkring Museum, an absolutely amazing Canal House, with its exquisite private chapel and rooms that allow you to see how people lived in the 17th century - some rooms feature lovely blue and white tiles like the one above, and you can also see ancient manuscripts and music books (pic). One block up, also check out one of the most beautiful Gothic churches I have ever seen, the Oude Kerk (picture). Go back down the Voorburgwal or the parallel Oudezijds. Make a right on Damstraat and you're back at the Dam!

Amsterdam Directory

There's more to shopping in Amsterdam than Guda and coffee candy... Do keep in mind that many stores are closed on Mondays and just as many open pretty late - between 11am and 1pm.

For vintage clothes & accessories
Designer items at JUKTA, Bilderdijkstraat 194
Ancient hats, corsets and clothes at 1953, Staalstraat 2

For health and beauty
A fab selection of cool cosmetics SKIN COSMETICS, Runnstraat
A futuristic pharmacy (pic): APOTHEEK, De Lairessestraat 40
All-natural Dutch beauty products and spa at SABON, Kalverstraat 34

Pia's favorite place for luscious chocolates
PUCCINI, Staalstraat 17

For Design items
EGG, Leliegracht 6
DROOG, Staalstraat 7
THE FROZEN FOUNTAIN, Prinsengracht 645, where I got my cool silk Logo Scarf, ideal for a typography lover...
DE POSTHUMUS WINKEL, Sint Luciënsteeg 23 for fun stamps such as the Bee and the Dog Paw ones I got (see pic).

For a Dance Class
Amsterdam Dance Center, Bellamystraat 49-51

At the Waterstone's on Kalverstraat, I chose a Dutch novel in English: Mulisch's The Assault; the son of a Jewish mother whose family died in the Holocaust and an Austrian father who was a Nazi collaborator, Mulishch writes about WW2 with a precision and poignancy that are unique.
I also bought the children's classic The Silver Skates, which I had loved when I was a little girl - has anyone read it?

A Walk In Amsterdam

I went for a very long walk... Here's an itinerary to follow if you want to see some landmarks, beautiful buildings and fabulous stores. From the Dam, take any street towards the West, and pass three canals until you reach Prinsengracht. On Prinsengracht, stop at Anne Frank's house - get ready to wait in line for a very long time. Keep on walking down that street, where you'll also see a lovely statue of Anne Frank; from there you may pop into the Jordaan and back, as I did. Back on Prinsengracht, make a left on Ruunstraat, an exquisite street with great stores, then keep on going in that direction towards the Center. By the Singel Canal, you'll run into the spectacular Bloemenmarkt, where bulbs for all kinds of flowers are sold. At the end of the Bloemenmarkt, cross the Amstel Canal and take the Kloveniersburgwal, which leads you to an intersection with another must-see street, Staalstraat.

I read Anne Frank's unforgettable Diary while riding the Trans-Siberian through the birches of Russia, as a child... What's your memory of that extraordinary book?

Tomorrow, check in for my Amsterdam shopping guide!

African Photography In Amsterdam

An outstanding show of contemporary African photographs opened on Friday at the Stedelijk Museum - it's a must-see. The picture on the poster is by Nontsikelo 'Lolo' Veleko, from South Africa. My own favorite works were by Hentie van der Merve (South Africa) and Luis Basto (Mozambique).
I haven't returned to Sub-Saharan Africa since I left Kenya, via Zimbabwe and South Africa, at age 5. The show brought me back to a continent whose intense light, raw colors, and sublime nature I miss with all my heart.

The Nemo

Architect Renzo Piano, who won the Pritzker Prize a few years ago, designed the children's science museum, aka The Nemo, in Amsterdam. A drawbridge went up before me as I headed for the green structure, and I saw a boat pass by; its sleek lines and its hefty metal anchor eerily echoed Piano's structure...
Make sure to check in again this weekend, as I'll post on an outstanding African photography exhibition.

Hallo! Where is my milk?

I Spy Styles In Amsterdam

That's my hand, holding my tram pass... I'm wearing a shocking "Schiaparelli" pink nailpolish by Essie, available at Skin Cosmetics, a terrific store on the lovely Runstraat.

Bikes are absolutely a part of the Dutch lifestyle; I loved this tandem bike, and those fun sneakers...

If I were bolder I would copy this hairstyle, a fresher version of my own cut. I spotted it on a waitress at Ysbreker, a great café by a canal.

Don't you love this comics-style bag? Very Roy Lichtenberg...


This girl, who was having lunch at Ysbreker, was super stylish. I really loved her jacket with that crown. Like the Brits, the Dutch have a playful, tongue-in-cheek take on their monarchy.
I also liked how she wore a bright blue dress - her high heels were the same color, too...

Amsterdam: meet Pia

Everyone loves Pia's fabulously pretty, fresh and smart blog, so I was thrilled to meet this amazing girl in the flesh.

With Benjy in tow of course, we went for a walk and drinks in Amsterdam where she lives and chatted endlessly like old friends. She gave me plenty of tips about the city. Pia is so nice, fun and interesting it was absolutely a treat to spend time with her, and it made her blog even more precious to me.

Sneak a peek at her style: her cool bike, her oh so colorful bag and her elegant shoes... Too bad you can't see her smile and her sparkling eyes: like many people who were trained as photographers, pretty Pia is camera-shy.
And tomorrow we'll see more Amsterdam styles in an I Spy post!