Author: Ella

A bit of a project, getting to our place in Liege but we are here with a beautiful view from the apartment. Rotterdam -> Brussels Nord -> Liege Gullimins -> Liege St. Lambert -> Rue de Saint Gilles, Liege. The trains were fine but the last bit was a local bus. The transit workers were…

The FENIX gives homage to the birds amongst us. Migrants Who Don’t Give a Fuck, 2019 Kiluanji Kia Henda (Angola, 1979) “Towering walls, complicated visa procedures and lengthy asylum processes can make migration impossible. Kiluanji Kia Henda’s flamboyant flamingos defy such barriers. These pink birds, which refuse to be fenced in, symbolise freedom of movement.”

There will come a time, beyond a moon flyby, beyond The Martin, beyond Project Hail Mary…yes, it’s Space migration! Refugee Astronaut IX, 2024 Yinka Shonibare CBE (United Kingdom, 1962) “A lone figure carries a net bulging with belongings – a teapot, Dominoes, a lamp – hastily gathered. The nomadic astronaut is in search of a…

At the FENIX, items must be carefully cleaned. 

Rotterdam. At the FENIX, a spiraling staircase encased in a shiny, wavy, silvery tube gives the feeling of being swirled up into the eye of a storm. 

Last night after our not-so-great Surinamese dinner, we wandered a bit. Here are some photos. Above: Maybe the “grands” live here?

Rotterdam, according to some sources, is one of the best places in the world for Surinamese food. Outside of Suriname I suppose. Surinamese food reflects a mix of North African, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese, and a hint of Dutch (Suriname was a Dutch colony at one time). Grubb had a yen to try. We tracked down…

Our time at the FENIX was so poignant that it will take a few posts to describe. And by the way, gratitude to our friend Esther for telling us about the museum. The FENIX opened just one year ago. It was inaugurated by the queen of the Netherlands, Queen Máxima. FENIX is an art museum…

Today (Monday), a slow day, a chilly day with a bit of rain.

Last night (Sunday)…A fish place with a different concept” is how they bill themselves.  The maître d’ handed us an oval tin of sardines with our table number written in sharpie on the top. “Would you like to start with a glass of cava?” she asked. “Well sure” I said as Grubb shook his head…

Yesterday (Sunday), we had a last coffee and chat with Esther in Delft at a place called Anne&Max. Sadly, we said our goodbyes and hopped a train for Rotterdam. 12 minutes later, we stepped off the train in Rotterdam Centraal, headed down to the metro, took line D and just a few stops later popped…

Saturday morning we went to Tess and Josh’s for coffee. Tess is Esther and Hendrik’s daughter. And of course mother to the adorable Juneau and Cleo. And sweet kitty Marmelade with kitten Toast on the way. They live maybe 15 minutes walk from where we were staying, on a canal in a home they recently…

I have become fascinated with the collection of roofs across the canal from our apartment in Delft. I took a bazillion photos. Since we are leaving Delft today, I’ll spare you and just post two of the photos.

Taken during our wandering over the past few days Above: Reflections and unidentified floating object Above: Just a neighborhood and cat splayed on prickly hedge Above: Art and antiques day.