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The most recent entries are at the top of this page. Earlier entries follow in reverse chronological order.

30.09.2016
The Rijksmuseum was awarded #BestDigitalMuseum #LCDawards for its Rijksstudio online high resolution collection of its works.

29.09.2016
Last night the air was cool and breezy. Autumn is such a nice time of year here, but we miss the color change of leaves. The day after tomorrow is October. Three days later is our 1 year anniversary of having moved to Nice. Time flies when you're having fun - and when you are old. Faster and faster every year.

28.09.2016
We received a thin glossy black magazine in today's mail. It's called Nice Expression and it is put out by the city of Nice. It has an elaborate spread about last Bastille Day and the mass mourning and memorials related to the attack. The magazine's other articles include details of enhanced security for Nice, a report on funds collected for the victims, a checklist of what to do when one witnesses an accident or crime, first aid tips, phone numbers for emergency services and disaster assistance, profiles of local political parties and politicians, a survey of preferred role Nice police (also available online - right-click to translate web page) and more. I'm translating the magazine and reading the web site (which I can translate with a right-click of the mouse).

Femke Diercks, the Rijksmuseum's curator of European ceramics, spoke at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City to introduce the Rijksstudio Award, a three-year-old program that gives cash prizes to artists and designers who create new work based on the Rijksmuseum's art collection. "Art belongs to everyone," he said. "The museum is ultimately the custodian of the works of art, [but] the collections really belong to the public." The Rijksstudio web site contains more information about the award and the online entry form.

26.09.2016
We've had light drizzles for several days. Autumn is solidly here. Woo Hoo! 'not long 'til Halloween. I had a ton of Halloween stuff in Eugene and San Diego. I have less but a fair amount of different (and smaller/flatter to save space) Halloween stuff here.

Misc Info
Clothing Sizes
Americans are, on average, bigger than Europeans. Recently I learned how USA and European clothes and shoe sizes compare. European lettered sizes are usually 1 size smaller than American sizes. So a European Large is an American Medium. If you buy online (as we do more often than not), the retailer will almost always provide body measurements for their product sizes. For shoe sizes, an American 8 is a European 40 and the European sizes usually go up approximately 1 size for every half size for American shoes. Just some trivia FYI.

Carrying ID in France
We recently learned that we don't need to carry passports all the time while in France - we can carry a copy. The original is only needed for dealing with governments, checking into a hotel (even while we are in France), changing money, or going to a casino. However, that means one cannot pick up a package at the post office without the original. Also, you can't buy a sim card from La Poste without your original passport.

18.09.2016
Shortly before noon this morning we went to the beach. It was beautiful. La Plage had a fair number of people (on a Sunday) but many fewer than a month ago. The night time temps have been lower - very nice - for several days. I love leaving open the doors to my balcony and feeling the soothing cool breeze. These days the air is fresher, temps are cooler and thirsty palm trees are getting water. Yay for (almost) autumn.

Large ferry coming into port from Tunisia or Corsica.	Folks enjoying the last traces of summer.	The darker blue marks the sharp drop off of the shore.

15.09.2016
On our way home from Amsterdam John was so amused by the pilot speaking Dutch with an Irish accent. Cute. Easy Jet is a British airline.

After we returned home I checked out the Rijksmuseum web site and learned that they have about 600,000 digital works for viewing and about 290,000 public domain images of their art for download.

AMSTERDAM

During our 2 days/1 night trips when we travel, John and I try to keep our activities to a reasonable amount. We usually see or do 3 things. In Amsterdam we went to the NEMO Science Museum and we sat and rested during a guided boat tour and canal cruise. The second day we visited one wing (out of 4 wings) of the Rijksmuseum, which is huge and took us hours to explore (again, just one of the four wings).

Our hotel offered an Amsterdam attractions pass with discounts from €2-5 and pay only if used. We had already purchased our tickets online but we'll look for similar passes for our future trips.

14.09.2016
Science Center Nemo
Nemo is a huge museum in a 5 story boat shaped structure. The displays are colorful and varied.

The things to do in Amsterdam web page has a list of all the Nemo exhibits and some information about each exhibit about them.

The ground floor is covered with various exhibits mostly for teenagers. On the upper floors we saw some hands-on gadgets similar to what we had seen at other science museums but also plenty of exhibits that were new to us. One exhibit allows visitors to 'Take a journey through the Mind' viewing very early sketches of the human brain, a collection of brain scans in action and three exhibits detailing 1) the mechanics of our brains interpreting the world for us, 2) how the brain controls our emotions and 3) how brains convey our of our feelings through facial expressions.

A ground floor Nemo Science Museum Exhibits allows kids to have fun with science by blowing gigantic soap bubbles, watching a huge functioning Rube Goldberg type machine in Chain Reaction and participating in guided hands-on experimentation in a real laboratory. I went into the lab and donned a lab coat for a photo session with John, but I didn't do any experiments there.

BTW - Nemo's roof top has a restaurant with a stunning view over Amsterdam.

Nemo also exhibits about sustainable electricity and smart transportation in the 'Smart Technology' exhibit. There is much more - too much to go into here but you can read about the exhibits at the Nemo Science Museum Web Site.

I just want to mention that I think NEMO is better than the Exploratorium in San Francisco, but about the same as science museum in Boston.

After our visit to the science museum we took a canal tour of the city with headsets that allowed us to listen in any of 19 languages. It was a pleasant and informative boat ride which lasted about 45 minutes. The canal area is characteristic of Amsterdam both as a method of transportation and as a showcase for the architectural history of the city. the connected canals around the Old Center are called the grachtengordel, or girdle of canals. Singel canal was the medieval city moat. Other canals (e.g., Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht), which move away from the Old Center, were part of a Golden Age renewal scheme for the rich. Connecting canals and streets were originally home to workers and artisans and have a number of cafés and shops. There are many other canals worth exploring.

Along the canals building facades vary greatly depending on the function of the building and the wealth of the owner, all the while maintaining the towering narrow structure, many leaning quite a bit forward. Tall and Skinny houses have narrow staircases which cause great difficulties with moving furniture and other large items. In a city of Canals, upper floors were the safest places to store items that could easily be ruined by flooding. So the Dutch hoisted large and heavy items up the outside of the house. Each house has a large arm and hook at the top. Items could be tied to this hook and pulled up to high floors. Houses were built with a slight forward lean to minimize the chance of items colliding with the building facade on their way up.

The canalside townhouses of central Amsterdam are tall with multiple stories and narrow because taxes were based on frontage. The tall skinny houses have steep roofs and otherwise look like plain rectangular structures from the side. The houses have ornate gables at the top which lends an individualistic decorative touch to each building. The gables break up the uniformity of the architecture but they were also used to identify houses before house numbers were used. No matter the reason, the gabled buildings are lovely to view and provided a charming ambiance for our canal ride.



Iamsterdam
Outside the Rijksmuseum is a giant "Iamsterdam" sculpture in red and white letters. The sculpture is the physical manifestation of the city's rebranding campaign "to draw attention to city offerings beyond the sex trade, drugs and canals and to expand cultural awareness by focusing on the three main core values of their city identified as creativity, innovation, and the spirit of commerce." Iamsterdam

The Nemo Science Museum resembles a giant green whale.	A display of the study of the brain through the ages.	Interactive 3D video exhibit.
A battery from the early 1800's.	The NEMO museum has an open design filled with exhibits.	Ruth's a scientist!
Hands-on fractal mosaic exhibit.	Optical illusion exhibit. These two boys are the same height.	Bicycle traffic everywhere. Had to watch closely to not get hit!
I Am Amsterdam with the Rijksmuseum in the background.	This is a popular gathering place.	Our canal cruise started across from the Hard Rock Cafe.
Most of the houses along the canals were built in the 1600's.	The traffic in the canals is slow and leisurely.	The West Church (tallest tower in Amsterdam) where Rembrandt is buried.
A wealthy merchants warehouse in the Golden Age. Now a home.	Anne Frank's home.	Domed building along the canal.
Many houseboats lined the canals.	These "crooked houses" leaned against one another because of sandy foundations.	This canal ran behind the train station.
Amsterdam's architecture is unique and fun.

13.09.2016
Train Stations are ornate in many major cities world-wide. The Station Amsterdam Centraal is no exception. The station building is richly decorated on its facade as well as inside by Austrian painter George Sturm. It was designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1889, about the same time that the Rijksmuseum, and other important public buildings, were built. My brother in law, Philip, is a train nut. He even has a little one car yellow thing (I forgot what he calls it) that he runs on tracks near his home in Colorado. He and my sister, Linda, are going for an extensive trip on the Orient Express next year. They travel more than a little so I imagine he's been to many train stations around the world. He's very interested in the trains themselves, but I feel sure that the station architecture is equally interesting for him. Linda and Philip are vacationing in Argentina now. 'gonna Tango while they are there, I think.

I hadn't been to Amsterdam since April 1989 when I was bumming around Europe via Eurail pass. That time I was a block or two from the (train) Station Amsterdam Centraal when I heard low and loud chimes playing "It's a Small World". I thought, 'Indeed it is.' When I asked I was told the music came from the bells of the Green Tower. I had to check it out while we were there.

Before John and I left for Amsterdam we looked into the Green Tower - it's official name, location, history, chimes. I'm not sure, but I think the Green Tower is the Munttoren or the Mint Tower (it used to be a mint). It's music varies depending on the day, hour or occasion. I knew I wasn't likely to hear "It's a Small World" again (and I didn't), but the memory from 1989 is still fresh and pleasing. Going back to Amsterdam was also pleasing, even though we took an unscheduled side trip to Rotterdam when the train doors malfunctioned and wouldn't let us off at the Amsterdam airport. It takes 45 minutes by train to get to Rotterdam from the Amsterdam airport. The train stopped for 5 minutes and then returned us to the airport. It was not interesting except for the part when the doors closed and several people couldn't get off the train at the airport. One poor fellow missed his flight. He was more than a little distraught. Fortunately, thanks to John's belt and suspenders obsession with Murphy's Law, he and I were not late for our flight.

Amsterdam is a very old city. October 27, 1275, is the oldest recorded usage of the name "Aemstelredamme" - Amsterdam, which designated the city as being near the dam of the Amstel River. The Amstel River is one of the canals that runs through the city of Amsterdam.

Rijksmuseum
Our second morning we visited the Rijksmuseum and spent all our time there visiting only one of the four wings (the Philips wing). John went nuts over the Rembrandt paintings (especially the Watch Tower) and the Vermeer paintings. He spends a lot of time examining the paint, brush strokes and tones. It is intriguing to see details and appreciate the mechanics of the paintings. Before we left the Rijksmuseum John bought a wonderful book, the Rijksmuseum in Detail, which was published by the museum. The numerous and detailed book entries are almost as impressive as visiting the museum. It makes an excellent accompaniment to reminiscing over ones visit. The next time we visit John wants to visit the Rembrandt house, the Van Gough museum and the Anne Frank house.

In addition to the paintings, dioramas, glassware, furniture and dolls, I also liked some of the exhibits on the modern art floor. John didn't like any of the modem art exhibits. There were spaceship looking displays, one that looked like a walking machine gun and a huge furry art display of a "couch" that resembled a vagina. It's called the "womb tomb" or more commonly, the "vagina couch". Disclaimer: John had nothing to do with the "vagina couch" being in the blog. He is as uncomfortable about it as he is about the tiny battery operated novelty dildos in the €2 store.

The Rijksmuseum building and grounds are ornate with grand statues and elaborate stained glass as a large part of the building's structure. The stained glass windows resembled those in churches or but none had religious imagery. There were some paintings with religious themes, but not many. That is very different from most museums I've visited.

Rick Steves was in Amsterdam just a couple of days after we left. He recorded a video of the Rijksmuseum which was uploaded to Youtube Sept 18, 2016. You can watch Rick's video here.

Using the train in Amsterdam is different from using the train in Nice, or Barcelona or Paris. They absolutely never checked our tickets, although we were required to buy them. There were no places to validate our tickets, no ticket checkers on the train - nothing. So I'm assuming we just don't know how the train system works in Amsterdam. The buses there require that you validate your ticket getting on and that you validate your ticket getting off! Weird. Maybe that is to make up for the trains never checking tickets?

Sex
The Nemo Science Museum includes an elaborate presentation for teenagers about sex called Teen Talk with a giant sign hanging from the ceiling which reads "Let's Talk About Sex". I haven't seen anything addressing human sexuality in the American science museums I visited.

Most of the first floor is dedicated to (fun) human sexuality education for teens including wooden 'dolls' in various positions for sex. I didn't see models of our sex anatomy but I would suspect the NEMO Science Museum's section on sex ed would have them. It is Amsterdam, after all.

Amsterdam also has the world's first sex museum (of course). It is a serious study of human sexuality and attitudes toward sex. It's a sophisticated study, not porn. There is an exotic museum in Amsterdam which addresses porn.

The Amsterdam advisor web site explains that "The museum aims to reveal and illustrate the attitude people had towards sex from Classical Antiquity until the Victorian period. And indeed, if you think today's morals are loose, a look at the ancient Greeks and Romans can be quite revealing."

When I was in New York with my friends Ric, Tammy and Miles we passed by a sex museum. I wanted to go in but we were in a hurry. Tammy said she thought I'd been away from John too long. Later I read that the museum of sex in New York has a photo display on the erect clitoris.

There is an open source blue print France just made available a 3D model of an erect clitoris which will be used to teach sex ed to teenagers in French schools.

Amsterdam has a famous red-light District near the train station (we didn't visit) but this video of an anti-human-trafficking dance routine in the display windows of Amsterdam's sex district is worth viewing.

Main train station in Amsterdam.	Windmill seen from the train.	With over 880,000 bicycles in Amsterdam there were bikes parked everywhere.
We saw lots of swans.	The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam harbor.	Our travel pass covered tram, bus and the train to/from the airport.
John on the train excited to be soon seeing some Rembrandts.	We found a wonderful Mexican restaurant in Amsterdam.	The entrance to the Rijksmuseum.
John waiting for the museum to open.	Ruth and John behind the cutouts.	Secular stained glass.
Van Gogh self portrait.	La corniche de Monaco, Claude Monet	The Yellow Riders, George Hendrix Breitner.
Sculpture of mother with child and kitten.	Arrangement in Yellow and Gray by James Whistler	Ruth with a Napoleonic portrait.
Model of the William Rex, 1698.	World globe from 1645.	Detail of a golden basin.
Weapons from the Napoleonic wars.	Royal Delft vases.	Royal Delft violin.
Javanese cannons from the Java War (1820's)	Detail from a model of a Javanese marketplace (1830).	Slave shackle.
Dutch dollhouse from the 1690's.	This dollhouse use to have an outdoor garden.	Tiny furniture with an iron and an ironing board.
Dolls in a dollhouse from the 1680's.	Triptych from Lucas van Leyden.	Portrait of a Couple by Frans Hals (1622)
The Merry Family by Jan Steen	The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis by Rembrandt	Rembrandt's Night Watch
A detail from The Night Watch	Dutch Masters by Rembrandt	Rembrandt's Self Portrait
Woman in Blue by Vermeer	The Milkmaid by Vermeer	Vu du Nord by Vermeer
Rijksmuseum exterior.

12.09.2016
We leave for Amsterdam tomorrow. We've been reading a lot about the city's history.

We checked the weather for Amsterdam and saw that the weather is cool and overcast except for the 2 days when we will visit. On those days the sky is clear and the temps relatively high. Our plan was to visit Amsterdam for a respite from the heat. And of course the weather in Nice will be cool the two days we are gone.

Before our trip I was treated to one of John's brief history lesson about the city. Details of that history can also be found on the Amsterdam Wikipedia web page. "In the 16th century, the Dutch rebelled against Philip II of Spain and his successors. One of the main reasons for the uprising was the religious persecution of Protestants by the newly introduced Inquisition. The revolt escalated into the Eighty Years' War, which ultimately led to Dutch independence. Strongly pushed by Dutch Revolt leader William the Silent, the Dutch Republic became known for its relative religious tolerance. Jews from the Iberian Peninsula, Huguenots from France, prosperous merchants and printers from Flanders, and economic and religious refugees from the Spanish-controlled parts of the Low Countries found safety in Amsterdam. The influx of Flemish printers and the city's intellectual tolerance made Amsterdam a center for the European free press." The newly immigrated craftpersons, sailors, merchants and bankers helped Amsterdam grow into a powerhouse of trade - something xenophobes should consider before railing against immigrants.

10.09.2016

John doesn't like electrical tools. In Eugene he had a hand drill just for starting little holes for screws. I prefer power tools except I shy away from them now because I borrowed a neighbor's battery powered drill, which I thought would have low torque, and it almost ripped through my door. He's a construction worker, so I guess I should have expected that. I don't make fun of John's hand tools these days.

John's new hand drill arrived today (from Amazon.fr, of course). The drill looks like an egg beater with wooden hand grips. It's cute. John is the cutest handyman ever! (no teasing implied). I love you, John!

John and I are picking up on our French practice. We get lots of advice and tips on web sites to visit, programs to use and classes to attend. There is no dearth of resources -- only will (mine).

French is a funny language. Counting is a blast. Check out this image of French counting while other languages cringe. If you don't know French, take my word -- it's hilarious!

John's egg beater drill.

09.09.2016

John and I are going to Amsterdam on Tuesday -- just for 2 days. Another weekend getaway in the middle of the week (when Easy Jet flies). We'll visit the Rijksmuseum and the NEMO Science Center. We'll also take a canal cruise. Here is a Rick Steves video about Amsterdam that is well worth watching. Did you know the USA imprisons, per capita, 10 times as many people as Europeans do?

John just scheduled our ride to the airport. We use 'My Driver' when we need a ride to and from the airport. The cost from our place to the airport is €29 (taxis cost €35-€45). Our rides have been very pleasant. They have bottled water waiting for each passenger when you get in. It feels very secure - like your own professional chauffeur. Prior to your pick up they send an email/SMS with info on your driver and direct/emergency contact info for the company.

An aside -- if you need emergency contact info in Nice, this 'Best of Nice' web site section Emergencies in Nice is helpful. The basics are 1-1-2 is the French equivalent of 9-1-1: an all-purpose emergency number and they speak both French and English. To reach a specific service, call 15 for a medical emergency, 17 to report a break in, petty theft, or suspicious activity, 18 for a fire. The Practical Information Index page on the same web site provides other useful links for travelers in Nice.

Back to 'My Driver': when using 'My Driver' from the airport they suggest you arrange your pick up 30 minutes after scheduled landing time. The driver knows your flight number and will be waiting for you at the arrivals gate with a sign showing your name. (You can ask that the driver to meet you somewhere else such as baggage pick-up or near the counter of your airline).

You will receive your chauffeur's contact information approximately 45 minutes before pick-up time. If you have trouble locating your driver or if you experience an unexpected delay you should call the driver or the 'My Driver' company hotline and they will assist you. If you missed a flight or your flight details changed, you should contact 'My Driver' as soon as possible to reschedule or cancel the pick up. You can register with the site to make booking a little faster and easier. You can get additional information by email: ( service [AT] mydriver.com ) and from this video.

Most of the time we use Easy Jet for flights within Europe. The seats are comfortable for short flights. Not too cramped. You can get more leg room for a little more money but it's not necessary for John or me. The times/dates for Easy Jet flights are limited for some cities but we can usually get what we want. Sometimes we have to book 2 flights to get to a destination and then the cost doubles for that leg, but the cost is still usually less than half of what other airlines charge. The travel time also increases a few hours. Alternately we can schedule for another day or take another airline.

07.09.2016

John and I went to another Democrats Abroad meeting tonight. Before and after the meeting we walked along the Prom and watched the much smaller crowds as summer is waning. At the DA meeting we volunteered to help with the November elections. Democrats Abroad meets the first Wednesday of the month at Restaurant La Canne à Sucre (the Sugar Cane Restaurant) on the Prom des Anglais. It's very nice to have a friendly and intelligent group (who all speak English) to hang with. One woman said the same thing (essentially) as she was leaving, but she said it in French. Gotta learn that language! Gotta practice.

John has had trouble with auditory processing until he gets used to the way a person speaks, then he can process and extrapolate well enough to understand most of the conversations in a small, closed group. John has quickly become attuned to the cadences of many of the Democrats Abroad group members, so he understands most of their conversations now and he is comfortable contributing. Plus he reads a lot and knows a lot about the election, so his contributions interest many group members. And me.

During the meeting our friend Marion mentioned that the Dallas Morning News had panned Trump and then endorsed Hillary Clinton. It was the first time in 50 years the Dallas Morning New didn't endorse a Republican. Applause, applause.

I took some photos of the DA group from our little corner of the room (see images below).

Umbrellas for a beach restaurant.	The end of summer on the Prom.	Democrats Abroad September 'Political Wine' Meeting.
Marion giving a presentation.	After the meeting we walked home along the Prom.	The art nouveau casino along the Prom.
The Hotel Negresco turns on its lights.

05.09.2016

Today we applied for our VISA and residency renewals at the prefecture in Nice. A month ago they told us to come back at the beginning of September to apply. That seemed to be cutting it close since our VISA is up 3 October, but we followed instructions. I think the woman who gave us those instructions may have been considering our residency (which is due in December) not our VISA, because it appears that the process for getting a VISA renewal may take more than a month.

John gathered all our paperwork (again). We were required to have all our financial information translated into French (which cost us €200 because all of France goes on vacation in August so we had to use a translation service in Rome). We'll get the translation done sooner next year to save us money and save John some stress.

The financial documents we had translated included bank statements and statements of income from our royalties and social security. We needed originals and copies of our birth certificates and marriage license (they returned the originals, they just wanted to see them) and copies of all other documents. They said in one month we will get a text message or a document in the mail with an appointment for us to come back in, pay our fees (€212 for both of us - your fees may vary) and get a new VISA sticker for our passports. To see a table of the residence permit renewal fees see TAXES ET DROIT DE TIMBRE SUR LES TITRES DE SÉJOUR

They are open M-F but they only process applications for 2 hours (9-11) each day, so you should get there 90 minutes (at least) before 9 AM. Otherwise you risk waiting in line a long time and then not being processed. While we were waiting in line for 90 minutes we met an American woman, Bridget, who has a great sense of humor, an interesting residency situation and a French boyfriend named Pierre. I invited her to our Halloween party but she will be in Paris. Bridget has lived in Nice for 11 years and goes back and forth to the states (and other countries) for 3 month stays.

04.09.2016

The weather is a little cooler, better for walks around the city. We're still snapping pics of the interesting architecture. Check out the breath-taking image of the Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Assomption in central Nice. Whoaa!

Summer persists so the weather is still muggy and warm (but not so bad as July and August). The Mediterranean climate is good for growing flowers, fruits and vegetables -- especially in the summertime. John's tomatoes, peppers and flowers all did well.

Autumn starts in less than 2 weeks. When we came here last year in early October the weather was cool and that was pleasant. October happens to be the rainiest month of the year here, so John should be very happy with our weather soon. Winters here are mild. The winter holidays here are intensely festive. I like that. We want to visit other countries and other parts of France to experience their winter holiday celebrations, but I am very happy with what Nice has to offer in the autumn and winter.

Regarding the year 'round weather in Nice: you should visit anytime from September 1 to mid June and skip 10 weeks in the summertime (that will likely sound wimpy to people from the Gulf Coast and New England). Winters, though -- almost everyone will love winters here.

Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Assomption in central Nice.	Our peppers are turning red in the summer heat.