Is There Any Escape From Sodom And Gomorrah?

Amsterdam / Mangiare
en di Cicerone /  Frederique van Staalen, 30. ott 2008


Photo: 800X600 

Sex and the City: a dream combination. As everybody over six knows, sex sells and for quite a long time now the erotic industry has been an important feature of Amsterdam’s reputation. Even an enlightened journalist like D, who I know in Berlin, was astonished to see what the shops so frankly offer in their windows.

The Red Light District (de wallen), in fact a very picturesque part of the city, often causes its inhabitants nausea. Filth everywhere, the sleaziest characters you can imagine, women behind their windows, the drunks, the junks – they altogether make out this inferno.

A friend of mine, who organizes the best New Year’s parties, lives in the wallen. So every year after the party, dragging two little girls with me in the middle of the night avoiding disgusting blokes and suspect liquids on the street, I can’t help thinking: is there an escape from this living hell?

It’s hard to believe but it’s true. We have had a farewell party and the day after, a friend took me to Blauw aan de Wal, a restaurant in a former warehouse, which is the neighboring house to our party location. Only a small sign, I obviously failed to notice, shows its existence.

Tucked away, a little porch leads to an abundantly green patio decorated with small white tables that are lit by candlelights. Again, it’s the light that gives this place its heavenly atmosphere keeping in mind I had just left the street with the neonlights and hordes of tourists. I almost felt a foreigner in my own city, since it’s seldom you’ll find such old fashioned, decent, warm and professional service I somehow associate with books like The Remains of the Day.

Moreover the food and wine were superb, delicate in their choice and quality. To quote the owner, one day a really good meal the next day water and bread. Therefore it will not be a cheap dinner but for a night in heaven I would be willing to pay the double.

BLAUW AAN DE WAL, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 99, Amsterdam 

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Jewish Historical Museum: Too Bad I Am Not A Child Anymore

Amsterdam / Visitare
en di Cicerone /  Frederique van Staalen, 26. ott 2008

I was really looking forward to this weekend, but then the babysitter cancelled, all my friends pretended they were extremely busy and even the grandparents suddenly decided to have a life of their own. So what was supposed to be a romantic weekend had all the characteristics of a nightmare – a city trip with the kids! I had to forget about museums, skip all my shopping fantasies and even worse: nightlife would be over at 9 p.m.

Luckily it didn’t turned out as bad as I feared, cause exploring Amsterdam with kids can be fun as well!

I went with my daughter (6) to see an exhibition at the Jewish Historical Museum (Joods Historisch Museum). In the basement, she kept her fingers to her nose because she said it smelled badly. So after 5 minutes I was ready to leave but luckily a guard prevented us from leaving before we had visited the children’s museum.

In a museum, my kids are trained with Prussian discipline and not only because of their East German papa. Now that museums all over the world seem to have discovered the market of education just waiting for them to make a profit, children museums and galleries open everywhere. Usually, there isn’t any mentionable difference between these and ordinary museums, meaning that our children are encouraged not to touch anything that catches their curiosity.

Therefore the Jewish museum in Amsterdam is such a relief: Children visit the exhibition,which is conceived as a visit to the Hollander’s home (a Jewish family) and they are very welcome guests. This gives the children a unique opportunity to explore Jewish culture, pose questions, touch, draw, compare - just name it.

It is so simple and yet so brilliant in its concept and design, and I also learned a lot about Jewish life.

Instead of the traditional guard observing the guest suspiciously, we were invited into the kitchen to make the Challah, the traditional Sabbath bread. While baking, the kids posed a thousand questions about kosher rules and they all were seriously answered.

Therefore don’t have a bad conscience, just visit the collection of the Jewish museum in the old synagogue yourself and leave your kids exploring the place on their own: they will love it.

To increase your credits there is a hard-to-find playground nearby: Speeltuin de Waag on Oude Schans 10. Even when closed, you can enter through the fence as many others have done before you.

JOODS HISTORISCH MUSEUM, Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1; Amsterdam

www.jhm.nl

Go further: Read about Henry having fun at Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood here.   

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Cicerone

Gartine: Hight Tea, Fine Art And Village-life In The City

Amsterdam / Mangiare
en di Cicerone /  Frederique van Staalen, 21. ott 2008

 

With passionate reviews in magazines like Elle or jubilant critics from Amsterdam’s most feared food critic Johannes van Dam (the one who gives notes to restaurants that they put in their windows) I was quite curious to find out what Gartine had in store. Furthermore my most attractive single friend planned her romantic rendez-vous in Gartine. For that reason alone, it must be something special I thought. And in a way it definitely is.

In this part of town between the Rokin and the Kalverstraat, the pedestrian zone, it’s really a pleasant thing that you finally have a decent alternative to pizza slices or disgusting sandwiches. Hidden in a small alley, Gartine specializes in breakfast, lunch and high tea made with ingredients from the owner’s own vegetable garden. I had a delicious breakfast with wentelteefjes (French toast) and home made jam.



Being myself a fan of French painting from the eighteenth-century and having a soft spot for Watteau and his Fêtes Galantes, I was impressed by the choice of decoration: Nicolas Lancret, Le Déjeuner de jambon. Frankly they hit my taste, served such good food, collected their china on several flee- and antic markets and yet Gartine will not be one of my favorite spots. Because it’s too small, too rustic - almost provincial. 

Actually it’s utterly unfair. It’s just that I can’t stand village atmosphere and maybe my expectations were a bit overstretched. However, since a good breakfast place is worth gold - especially one which boosts your energy for the rest of the day – forget about my anti-village neurosis and enjoy slow food par excellence.

GARTINE; Taksteeg 7, Amsterdam 

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Galerie Amsterdam: The Start Of Your Art Collection?

Amsterdam / Shopping
en di Cicerone /  Frederique van Staalen, 16. ott 2008

If you, like me, always dream about getting your own piece of art, checking the art market for your favorite artist or even better, hoping you’ll make a sensational discovery like finding a Jawlensky on a flea market. Then there are just a few options in Amsterdam you should consider.


Inside Foam.                                                                                                      Photo: Nicole Blommers

For instance Foam Editions (part of the Foam museum, which I have mentioned before), is one of the best places in the Netherlands to purchase payable photos. At your disposal is a selection of signed editions from young talented international photographers and occasionally works from artists currently exhibiting at Foam. The people working at Foam Editions are highly competent and surely very friendly.

If you’re more into painting, sculptures or other three dimensional objects and without a too prefixed taste try Galerie Amsterdam, which is part of the Kunstwerkplaats on Lutmastraat 181-183. This center for outsider art - often called Art Brut - was recommended by my social responsible friend Sara. She brought me here and I have to confess that the art she has bought at the gallery suits wonderful in her lovely decorated apartment. Since the work represented by Galerie Amsterdam is rather miscellaneous not only in techniques but in quality as well, you’ll really need time to explore the works in stock.

For me the paintings bring back recollections of the Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne, and I have to confess that I’m not too fond of for instance Jean Dubuffet. But I was certainly struck by the ceramics. The vases and plates beautifully decorated with animal or floral motives are truly worth collecting.

For those really in to budget every Friday night in Galerie Amsterdam Café van de Kook provides a 3 course menu for ca. 10 Euro. Also there is the charming restaurant and traiteur Ratatouille on Ceintuurbaan 181 just a few streets away. Here you can drink a coffee on the terrace, take delicacies to go or have a rather intimate diner.

Pubblicato da
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Local View Melissa Maldonado's Berlin

Berlin / Visitare
en di Cicerone /  Frederique van Staalen, 14. ott 2008

Melissa Maldonado is a dancer originally from Queens, New York. When love brought her to Berlin, she very quickly adapted to the city’s ongoing opportunities. She’s always on the move, dividing her time between earning money in an art gallery or giving children ballet and flamenco classes, as well as developing a career as a dancer and choreographer. She is currently working on her next piece to be performed for Inwent at a conference on women’s rights. This is her Berlin.

How long did it take you to discover Berlin’s beauty and which places you think are really beautiful here?

It’s difficult to discover beauty in cities, where concrete generally overshadows nature.  But from the moment I arrived in Berlin I couldn’t help but be amazed by how green it was. Not only does nearly every street have trees, bushes or flowers, but there are also parks and gardens everywhere.


Summer at Wannsee                                                                                                         Photo: Ax11

Berlin is also full of wonderful surprises like the Pfaueninsel, Britzer Garten and Wannsee. It’s a city that offers everything that a major metropolis would offer and then so much more.

Berlin gets quite cold and dark in winter. Where do you go to escape the grayness and keep your high spirit?

This depends on whether or not I’m hungry. I have two favorite and very different cafes in the city. Olivia, a very small café/chocolate shop in Friedrichshain, has the best tarts and cakes and amazing hot chocolate. If I want something more hearty, I go to Al Hamra at Helmholzplatz in Prenzlauer Berg. They have the best Halumi salad in the city, not to mention falafel, hummus…

If I’m not hungry, then I enjoy roaming around any of the major museums (they’re all free on Thursdays after 8pm) or galleries in Mitte. 

Are there any places in this city which impresses a girl from New York City?

Yes! There are so many places that impress me! I love the canals that run through Kreuzberg with waterfront restaurants and cafes and people lounging on blankets when the weather is right.


Landwehrkanal                                                                                             Photo: Mikkelbreum

And then there are the weekend markets with fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, flowers and so much more. And not to forget, the great boutiques with one-of-a kind clothing that would be completely unaffordable in NY, but is totally affordable here.

As a dancer you have a disciplined daily routine. Do you have a favorite place where you go after an exhausting training or to celebrate a premiere?

After an exhausting day of rehearsals or training I go straight to my bathtub for a muscle-relaxing bath. When I really want to indulge, I go to Die Wohfuehler on Kollwitzstrasse 75 for a massage or to Olivin, a quaint but very comfortable and relaxing sauna on Schoenhauser Allee. After a premiere I spend as much time as I deem necessary at the after party, generally organized by the venue or the choreographer, then I go to my bathtub. Most dancers will tell you that the best celebration is a hot bath and a massage!    

There are many hip and trendy clubs in town. Where do you go dancing till dawn?

Surprisingly enough, I’m not a huge fan of going out dancing. Many people think that dancers like to go out dancing, but this is purely a myth. We do it all day, and that’s enough. If I want to spend a night out on the town, I prefer to hit up some of the great bars in the city. Goldfisch on Grünberger Strasse 67 in Friedrichshain is small and cozy. And, they make the best pina coladas! 


Zu Mir oder Zu Dir                                                                                                      Photo: Renaatje

If I want something a bit more lively then I go to Zu Mir oder Zu Dir on Lychener Strasse. I am also a huge fan of any bar with a football table!

You also like opera, but if you are not in the mood for a Wagner Opera which cultural event do you visit?

Although I love the German opera for its modern take on classical pieces, there are so many other wonderful and more contemporary venues with great performances.  The Goldener Saal at Tacheles, though somewhat gritty and rough, plays host to some of the best choreographers and dancers working in the city. Sophiensaele and Dock 11 also offer emerging choreographers the opportunity to showcase their work.      

Personally I don’t find Berliners particularly welcoming. What are your recipes to cope with them?

A good sense of humor and lots of traveling!  And that’s all it really takes. My experience is that Berliners tend to get a bit more edgy as the temperatures drop, so that’s when I book flights to Cologne or anywhere in the South, where the people are generally a bit more welcoming!  But, if I can’t get away, then laughter is the best medicine.  What else can you do when someone yells at you for not having a bike light, honks a car horn because you’re crossing the street too slowly or nearly knocks you down when racing to the just opened cash register. A smile goes a long way here!

Go further:

Local view: Bob Stanley's London 

Local view: Catherine Sanderson's Paris

Local view: Jerome Weatherald's London

Local view: Lauren Elkin's Paris

Local view: Sebastian Horsley's London

Local view: Gilles Valentin's Istanbul

Local view: Adam Kuban's New York

Local view: Christophe Abric's Paris

Local view: Maaike Gottschal's Amsterdam

Local View: Dana Boulé's Paris

 

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Cicerone