We spent our two days in the lovely and cultural city of Trieste going to a couple of interesting temporary exhibitions.
Nous avons visité, durant nos deux journées dans la belle et culturelle ville de Trieste, deux expositions temporaires intéressantes.
After John’s injury, we had to stop for several days (14 recommended by the doctor) and went on some short, slow and easy walks around Bled, before moving to the Slovenian Adriatic coast.
The weather has been overcast and stormy/rainy as of about 3pm every day, with impressive storms but the mountain areas have seen heavy rainfall and violent storms for the past ten days. This weather pattern is, apparently, seasonal and the best time to hike the Slovenian Alps is September/October.
These conditions mean a(nother) change of plans and, after a few days in Trieste, we will fly on Thursday to our next destination and housesit.
After 48 hours in Venice, we spent a little under two days in the delightful city of Trieste.
The grand official buildings, large avenues and general architecture testify to its long central European history.
Many writers (James Joyce lived here for ten years, Italo Svevo was born here) and philosophers enjoyed its café culture. To this day, Triestinos are by far the biggest coffee drinkers in Italy.
We’ll be back.
Venetian door knobs
On 18 June, there will be a referendum to ban massive cruise ships from entering the laguna (they transit through the Giudecca canal and dwarf the city). Last year, there were 600.
Le 18 juin aura lieu un référendum demandant que les énormes paquebots restent en dehors de la lagune (ils passent par le canal de la Giudecca et dominent nettement la ville). L’an dernier, il y en a eu 600.
We are staying in the Cannaregio neighbourhood of Venice on our way to our next hike. This part of Venice is still quite local and relatively quiet.
“We will never forget you”
Yesterday was Remembrance Day in the Netherlands. Ceremonies are held in various places and wreaths are laid to pay respect to soldiers and civilians who died during World War II, as well as other military conflicts and peace-keeping missions. Two minutes silence are observed at 8pm.
Today is Liberation Day, commemorating the end of World War II for the Netherlands.
Along the river Maas is a simple and moving monument. From here 686 Jewish children were deported to Auschwitz and Sobibor in 1942 and 1943. They were aged between one month and 12 years. The monument lists the names of 656 children; 30 are unknown.
“Nous ne vous oublierons jamais ”
Le 4 mai est le Jour de la Commémoration aux Pays-Bas. Des cérémonies se déroulent en divers lieux et des couronnes sont déposées en hommage aux soldats et civils morts lors de la deuxième guerre mondiale mais aussi dans d’autres conflits et missions de maintien de la paix. Deux minutes de silence sont observées à 20 heures dans tout le pays.
Le 5 mai est le Jour de la Libération, marquant la fin de la guerre aux Pays-Bas.
Il y a, au bord de la Meuse, un simple et émouvant monument. C’est d’ici que 686 enfants ont été déportés vers Auschwitz et Sobibor en 1942 et 1943. Ils étaient âgés d’un mois à douze ans. Le monument donne les noms de 656 enfants, 30 sont inconnus.
We spent a rainy day visiting the pleasant little town of Maastricht, where many churches have been transformed in creative ways: a hotel (rooms are in the adjacent former convent), student cafeteria/workplace and a bookshop.
Nous avons passé une journée pluvieuse dans la jolie petite ville de Maastricht, où plusieurs églises ont été transformées de manière créative : un hôtel (les chambres se trouvent dans l’ancien couvent adjacent), une cafétéria/espace de travail pour étudiants et une librairie.
in Rotterdam
Vieilles façades
à Rotterdam
Hotel New York, formerly the offices of the Holland-America line, warehouses with Indonesian (a former Dutch colony) islands names, undergoing renovations, old buildings get a new life.
Traces du passé
L’hôtel New York, qui occupe les anciens bureaux de la ligne Hollande-Amérique, des entrepôts aux noms d’îles indonésiennes (une ancienne colonie néerlandaise) en rénovation; les anciens bâtiments retrouvent une nouvelle vie.
J and J on the move 