3.5-4.13.2013 On this trip I visited my French family in Aramon - near Avignon - took the TGV to Amsterdam, had a wonderful day trip to The Hague, was a week in Paris and, then, back to Aramon before returning to Aspen. I took over 3000 photos, so selecting a sprinkling of images for the Website has become a daunting undertaking. The photo to left is on the tram my first evening in Amsterdam...Photographing is again allowed in the Rijksmuseum Annex, the Van Gogh is closed for renovation but many of Vincent's paintings are being shown at the Hermitage Amsterdam (no photos). The Stedelijk is now again open and in The Hague the Mauritshuis is closed for remodel with some of the collection (no photos) being shown at the Gemeente Museum which has in its collection, among others, works by Mondrian, Picasso, Francis Bacon, Bridget Riley, a portrait by Schiele of his wife Edith and the delightful portrait 'Woman with Peach'; my photo detail below by Leo Gestel, who was new to me.
Paris is a city for exploring. One morning, I walked in the general direction of the Picasso Museum even though I knew it was closed for renovation. During my stroll in the Le Marais district I ran across and had a simple lunch in one of the Poilâne Boulangeries. In the 1980's I learned of Poilâne breads (using wood-burning ovens) and their worldwide renown. Baguettes are their specialty. So in 1985 while in Paris I went by the original shop on rue du Cherche-Midi and purchased a sample. Wish Aspen had such. Recently I read an article on Harvard grad Apollonia Poilâne, the granddaughter of the originator Pierre, who took over the famous Poilâne enterprise after her father Lionel was killed in a 2002 helicopter crash.
New bistros: Chez la Vieille and La Grille and those I always enjoy: Chez Denise and Chez Georges.