TravelswithCharie

When I need to relax after traveling for a bit, I make a stopover in Amsterdam and visit with good friends. There is no itinerary to follow, no places to go, just days spent relaxing and enjoying the view of trees lining the entrance to Vondel Park. I love the new spring foliage, so fresh and delicate. But fall foliage is just as enchanting with its golden hues. While summer’s green is a welcome backdrop, winter’s naked branches give me a view of my neighbors’ 17th century homes across the park. All the seasons have a magic of its own and I’m just here to soak it all in. My friends and I often go out to dinner. This is usually the only item on my agenda. On this particular evening, we decided to eat at the Café Amsterdam in Watertorenplein. We like this place because apart from the good food, there is an outdoor terrace that borders a canal, perfect for long summer evenings. The indoor seating area is just as atmospheric with its high ceiling. This evening’s added attraction is the lig

Fat Convertible. Erwin Wurm. 2019 ARTZUID, the Amsterdam Sculpture Biennale is my favorite art exposition in the world. It’s a free outdoor exhibition in the park surrounding Apollolaan and Minervalaan neighborhoods of Amsterdam with 50 sculptural works by established international artists as well as young upcoming artists. This year’s edition includes works by Jean Dubuffet, David Hockney and Robert Indiana. The sculptural pieces are fun, whimsical, playful, colorful and often leaves one to contemplate on the intent of the artist in the creation process. These works are meant to draw and engage young visitors to the exhibition. According to Jasper Krabbé, curator of Artzuid 2023, “Art connects. We would like to involve young people in the plan. Many are struggling and art can be an antidote to the current polarisation, extreme individualisation and the uncertainty fuelled by social media. I hope that at ARTZUID we can reach young people through the influences of street art, neo-pop ar

Pismo Beach Pier, California Traveling during the pandemic was  quite different from my previous last minute trips with no hotel reservations and lots of taken for granted expectations. There are health disclosures to fill, vaccination cards to show immigration, covid tests to take, and in some cases, travel insurance and confirmed paid hotel reservations to show the border police. Thankfully the airports were quiet at the beginning of my European trip in June but by the time I got home in July from Paris, travelers were back in droves that it took me close to three hours to get to my gate. The same was true in December when I returned from Costa Rica. LAX was full of Christmas travelers, it was hard to find any seat at the gates let alone, breathing space. Enough whining! After all, I visited 7 countries in 2021 plus the Arctic Circle, Interior Alaska and Las Vegas and had reunions with my close friends in Michigan, Amsterdam and Vienna. It was an amazing year of travel! April. After