Even though this is the Europe board, I'll write the NYC part here as well, instead of posting it separately on the US board.

Day 1, Jan 6 - NYC

I flew AA direct from DFW to JFK. At JFK, I took the NY Airport Express Shuttle to Grand Central.
http://www.nyairportservice.com/

It's more expensive than the AirTrain + Subway, but a lot easier IMO. Despite being Friday afternoon, the traffic wasn't bad getting into Manhattan. It took 60 minutes (20 minutes at other terminal in the airport picking up passengers, 40 minutes actual ride). At Grand Central, I walked a few blocks to my friends' apt where I stayed for the next 3 nights.

After a brief nap, I headed to the Metropolitan Opera to see Wozzeck. Fellow fodorite 111op met me there. He had bought us Family Circle Standing Room tickets (only $15 each). I have to say, I'm not a fan of atonal music. Seeing Wozzeck was like something I should do in order to cross it off my list. It actually wasn't as bad as I had expected, and we both felt the opera got better towards the end.

After the opera, 111op suggested having dinner at Cha-An (230 E 9th St). We both had its dinner set. I tried a white tea (some kind of Silver Needle from China) and I really liked it.

Day 2, Jan 7 - NYC

A Day at the Met

I arrived at the Met around 10:45am. I had quite a list of things I wanted to see there.
[FYI, I was in NYC in July 05 and spent an entire day at the Met then. Trip report: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=1&tid=34662254]

I started off with the Fra Angelico exhibit. It was quite crowded already, and I found the display rather confusing. The exhibit was described by both the NYT and WSJ as "once in a lifetime experience." It was great to see so much of his art in one setting/location, but I really am not a big fan of early Italian Rennaisance art.

I then checked out the European Paintings section as well as the Lehman Wing - mainly for the Flemish Primitives paintings.

Next, I saw the Calatrava exhibit. I very much enjoyed it. Then, I headed upstairs for the Rauschenberg:Combines exhibit. I highly recommend getting the audioguide. It helped me have a better understanding of Rauschenberg's art.

I ate a quick lunch at the Petrie Court Cafe, then went to the Antonello da Messina exhibit. It is only 1 room with less than 10 paintings on view.

At 3pm, I headed to the auditorium for the viewing of a film on Calatrava - "God Does Not Throw Dice."

At 5pm, I attended a lecture by a professor from Oberlin College on Fra Angelico. I fell asleep during the lecture.

I finally left the Met around 6:30pm.

I met up with 2 friends for dinner in E Village. They suggested Pukk (71 First Avenue) - a Thai Vegetarian restaurant - great food and great prices. The 3 of us each had a drink, an appetizer, and an entree. It came out to $20pp.
http://www.pukknyc.com/

After dinner, I headed to their place and watched the NE Patriots beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on TiVo.

yk - I'm waiting for London...is it coming soon? Specifically hoping you went to the Three Emperors or something like that at the RA, wanting to know your views on it as I'll be in town from March 2nd.
Thanks,

kmowatt-
Yes. London is coming up next. I did see the Three Emperors. Definitely worth going!

Day 3, Jan 8 - NYC

Whitney

I slept in, then went to lunch at Katsu-Hama (11 E 47th). Obviously, it's famous for its Katsu. I ordered a pork tenderloin Katsu curry. Even though it was a small piece, the meat was exceptionally tender and crisply fried. Lunch including tips was $14.
www.katsuhama.com

It was a nice day and was actually quite warm (mid-40s), so I decided to walk from Katsu-Hama to Ito En (69th/Madison) to buy some tea leaves. I then walked to the Whitney.

I have never been to the Whitney before. It currently has multiple exhibitions, none of which I was too interested. Instead, I wanted to see its permanent collection.

Because of the exhibitions, very limited amount of permanent collection was on view. My favorite was definitely Calder's Circus. What on earth possessed him to create it? I also watched the 19-min movie shown next to the Circus. It was absolutely hilarious.

The 4th floor was showing Ed Ruscha's Course of Empire - which was the US' exhibit at the 2005 Venice Biennale (which I saw in Venice in Oct 05). I was going to skip it, but decided to see it again. This time, with the audioguide, I had a much better understanding (and appreciation) of his work. I was glad that I saw it again.

On the 3rd floor was a retrospective exhibit of Richard Tuttle. It turned out to be more interesting than I had expected. Some of his work reminds me of Rauschenberg.

In the end, I found the Whitney somewhat disappointing. I also thought the $12 admission (free audioguide) rather steep.

That evening, I had dinner with my friends at Typhoon Lounge(79 St Marks Pl). I ate there back in July, and I think the food was better then. Most of the dishes I found way too salty. Dinner came out to $25pp.

Good, several of us need to know.

Day 4, Jan 9 - NYC -> London

Day spent traveling

I decided to try the day flight to London - something not available from Dallas. Even though the overnight flight saves time, I always feel so tired the next day that the day is somewhat wasted anyway. The day flight allows me to arrive in London at night, get a good night's sleep, and ready to sightsee the next day.

The problem with the day flight though, is that it leaves JFK at 8:30am.

I got up at 4:30am, arrived at Grand Central at 5:30am to catch the 5:40am Airport Express shuttle. The bus arrives at JFK in 30 minutes.

As I am a "Gold" Elite member of AA, I had the luxury of checking in at the Business Class line. [Note: the Exec Plat and Plat elites get to check in at the F Class line.]

When I bought my ticket, the plane was full already, and I could only select a middle seat. At check-in, I asked if there were any aisle seats available. The agent was nice enough to unblock an aisle seat in the exit row! I was so happy.

The flight was uneventful. As it was a 777 with 2-5-2 configuration, my seat was the aisle seat on the side. With the extra legroom, my seat mate was able to get in/out of her seat without waking me up.

Because of strong tail wind, we arrived in LHR 1 hour ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, our gate was not ready and we had to wait for 30 minutes. Still, we arrived 30 minutes early.

I booked the Jolly Hotel St Ermin's (at St James's tube station) via Priceline for $90/n. I took the tube there.
http://www.jollyhotels.it/eng/ALBERGHI_scheda_master.asp?Obj=561

Transportation Options in London

As some of you may know, the London Transport System increased the fares in early Jan 2006. It is now much more expensive to buy single ride tickets, as they are encouraging people to use their Oyster Card. I spent the entire evening deciding what I was going to do.

The Day Travelcard is still available, but costs £4.90 off-peak. A single tube ride (zone 1-2) is a whopping £3. A single bus ride is £1.50.

Initially I was going to buy Day Travelcards. After consulting with the bus map, I decided to travel solely by bus the next two days. A one-day bus pass is only £3.50.

I love the day flight - I take it from Toronto all the time now, practically no jet lag the next day! Can't wait to read about London!!

Day 5, Jan 10 - London

Tate Modern, Portrait Gallery, Musical

The Jolly hotel is located right next to St. James's tube station. I headed there to buy a one-day bus pass, and stopped at a cafe for a cup of tea.

The bus stop (with 2 convenient lines: 11 and 24) is a 2-min walk from the hotel on Victoria Street. Soon I was on the bus heading to Leicester Sq.

I decided to check out the TKTS office for 1/2 price tickets for that night. I got there at 10:15am. The line wasn't long, but I still waited for 20 minutes for my turn. It was long enough to make me freeze. In the end, I settled for Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Woman in White." (My next choice was "Epitaph for George Dillon.")

Next, I walked to Covent Garden to pick up my opera ticket for tomorrow night.

From Aldwych, I took the RV1 bus to Tate Modern. The Rachel Whiteread installment is quite impressive.
http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/whiteread/images/whiteread-final-1-lg.jpg

I was getting hungry, so I headed to the top floor for lunch at the restaurant. I did not have a reservation, but fortunately I arrived early enough to get a window-side table (but I had to be done within 1 hour to give my table back). The view was very nice. I definitely recommend it, and make sure you make a reservation for a window-side table! Lunch was £21.

After lunch, I toured the permanent collection on Levels 5 & 3. I decided to skip the Rousseau exhibit (plus I didn't want to pay).

Instead of taking the RV1 bus back, I walked across the Millennium Bridge towards St Paul's Cathedral, then took a bus back to Trafalgar Sq.

111op had told me about the cafe on the top floor of the National Portrait Gallery. He went there for tea last year and said the view was nice.

I headed to the Portrait Gallery. I then realized I've never been there before, despite my numerous visits to London. I therefore took a (very) quick look. I don't understand the appeal. Maybe because I'm not into history? I don't see why it's interesting to look at paintings of people (who I don't know).

Actually, an interesting exhibition is being held there currently - Self-Portraits of artists (including Van Eyck, Van Gogh, and Chuck Close). Again, I didn't feel like paying for it, so I skipped it also.

I headed upstairs to the restaurant for tea. Even though it was only 4pm, the sun was setting already. I ordered their tea set, which was £9.95, and comprised of 3 finger sandwiches, 3 scones, 1 cookie, and 1 slice of cake, and 1 pot of tea. The food wasn't that spectacular, but I guess I was paying more for the view than anything.

I then stopped by at National Gallery to buy a ticket for the Rubens exhibit for the next day, and took a quick look at the 1250-1500 section. I only had about 45 minutes as the Gallery closes at 6pm.

I took the bus back to the hotel and took a 30-min power nap. Then I hopped back on the bus to Palace Theatre for "Woman in White."

My seat was decent. It was on the side in the orchestra stalls, but I still got a good view. The musical was ok - nothing too great or too bad about it. I disliked the set though. There isn't really a set per se. Instead, it was a semi-circular screen in the back with video projection on it which serves as the set. The video almost made me get nauseated.

I took the bus back to the hotel and skipped dinner that night.

Day 6, Jan 11 - London

Royal Academy of Arts, National Gallery, Royal Opera

After a real breakfast at the same cafe as the day before, I walked through St. James's Park (my favorite park) to the Royal Academy of Arts. I was a bit early, so I did some window shopping on Old Bond Street. At 10am, the RA opens and I went in for the Three Emperors Exhibit (£11).

http://www.threeemperors.org.uk/

The exhibit focuses on the 3 famous Chinese emperors during the Qing Dynasty - Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. All 3 were great patrons of the arts during a relatively prosperous and peaceful time in China. Most of the exhibits on view came from the Palace Museum in Beijing.

It was a relatively large exhibition (took up the entire floor of the museum) and I really enjoyed it. It has plenty of paintings, calligraphy, but also emperor robes, musical instruments, clocks, jade etc. Ok, even though I'm more interested in Western Art, I still managed to spend 2 hours there. One word of advice, get there early. It was getting crowded by 11am.

As the entire Gallery was taken over by the exhibition, there wasn't any permanent collection to be seen... except Michelangelo's Taddei Tondo. It's located at the top floor (a bit hard to find, actually).

I crossed the street and stopped at Patisserie Valerie. I cannot visit London without visiting Valerie. As I was still somewhat full from breakfast, I had a smoothie and a lemon & orange cheesecake.

From there, I took the bus to Trafalgar Sq to the National Gallery. I arrived around 1:30pm. My timed ticket for the Rubens exhibit was for 2:30pm.

I got the audioguide and headed back to the 1250-1500 rooms. Again, I focused on the Flemish Primitives paintings there.

At 2:30p, I headed downstairs for the Rubens. Having been to the Sainsbury Wing for an exhibit before (for the Caravaggio show last year), this time I headed for the movie before the show.

[FYI, the 15-min movie gives a good overview of the exhibition. Unfortunately, the way the exhibit is set up makes the viewer to visit the paintings first, and then watch the movie in the end. I personally feel that one should see the movie before the paintings, which is what I did.]

The Rubens exhibit (which closed this past weekend) focuses on the decade he spent in Italy. Apparently, he was only a so-so painter initially, until he went to Italy and spent 8 years there. During those 8 years, his skills improved dramatically, thanks to the Italian influence. He only returned to Antwerp because his mother had died, yet his fame preceeded him before his actual return.

I never really like Rubens' paintings that much, maybe because there're so many of his works everywhere. I believe he and his workshop produced over 2000 works during his lifetime.

The most impressive (and haunting) painting in the exhibit is "The Massacre of the Innocents." This painting was only discovered in 2001. It was heart-wrenching to see his depictions of dead babies.

After the exhibit, I stayed at National Gallery for a few more hours until 5pm, then headed back to the hotel for a nap.

I took the bus back to Leicester Sq and headed to Covent Garden. My ticket that night was for "The Barber of Seville." I splurged and bought the 2nd most expensive priced ticket. Despite that, I was still sitting in the Balcony, but middle of first row.

It is a new production, and I have to say, I'm not a fan of the new minimalistic stage set. It was quite ingenious though. The set is like a box (with the opening towards the audience, of course). At the end of Act I, the entire box went up in the air (with the cast singin inside) and started swaying back and forth. At multiple times, it was swaying at such a degree that I was worried the singers might fall!

Another interesting yet annoying thing, was the presence of a sign language person signing throughout the entire opera at the side of the stage. I found her extremely distracting. The Royal opera spent an entire page of its programme explaining why it was done, and that even most deaf people can read the English surtitles, the British Sign Language is their 1st language and that's why the signing was necessary.

Well, first of all, according to the programme, there're 70,000 deaf people in the UK (out of 60 million people living in the UK). Is it really necessary to provide sign language for such a small population? 2nd, honestly, how many of the 70,000 deaf people go to the opera (after all, don't we all go to the opera for the music and the singing)? 3rd, even if they go, unless they're paying £165 for the top seats, it's impossible to the signer's mouth and lips.

After the opera, I went to Chinatown for a late dinner. I settled for a cheap place called Cafe TPT (21 Wardour Street). Maybe I ordered the wrong dishes, but what I had wasn't that great. I ordered a rice porridge with beef and fish, and a plate of stir-fry vegetables. Dinner was £12. As I was leaving, I looked for the cheap Malaysian place that I had eaten at last year (also on Wardour Street). It looks like it no longer exists.

Did you like the view from the National Portrait Gallery?

I think that my mom and I went to TPT and I complained the food was so-so. Let me see if I can find that blog entry later on my old blog. That's funny.

111op-
Yes, the view from the Portrait Restaurant was quite nice.

Please let me know if you really had gone to Cafe TPT. That would be too funny, wouldn't it? I don't recall that name from your blog, but maybe subconsciously I remembered it and that's why I picked it?

Ha! I was in London, at the Tate Modern the same day as you! I also skipped the Rousseau exhibit because I didn't want to pay and instead enjoyed the art on floors 3 and 5! Maybe we crossed in the hallways!

Marzipan-

Hey, we may very well crossed paths at Tate Modern! What a coincidence!

I read your other post. I'm sorry you got sick and didn't enjoy London or Paris that much. I think some people enjoy traveling alone, and some don't. I have traveled solo many times and thoroughly enjoyed it - don't have to wait for anyone, I can eat whenever and whatever I want, can go whichever direction I feel like, spend as little or as much time at any particular site.

I have traveled with other friends and family, and always had some friction with them one way or the other. The only person I can travel with and get along well is my husband (probably he's the only person who can stand me 24/7)!

If I had known your travel dates, we could have had tea or something together in London!

I republished that specific entry. We exchanged a series of comments about Cafe TPT. Look under the May archives.

Pretty funny, isn't it?

111op-

I cannot believe this! That is outrageous. Now I do think subconsciously I picked TPT because I've heard it from you (but selectively excluded your negative comments)?

Tips on London

Even though this was my 12th trip to London, there is always something new to discover. A few tips I have learned this trip:

1. For frequent travelers to London, the Oyster card is the way to go. Each ride comes out much cheaper than buying single ride tickets.

2. For INfrequent travelers like me, I think the 1-day Bus Pass is a great (and cheaper) alternative to the regular Day Travelcard (£3.50 vs £4.90 off-peak). Taking the bus is easy as long as one has a copy of the bus map (free from tube stations).

3. The Modern Restaurant on the top floor of Tate Modern is a great place to eat and have a great view. Call ahead to make a reservation for a window-side table. +44 (0) 207 401 5020

4. No matter what, DO NOT go to Cafe TPT in Chinatown - we have 2 negative reviews, by me and by 111op.

Day 7, Jan 12 - Brussels

Horta Museum, Art Nouveau, and Piano Recital

I took the 7:43am Eurostar train to Brussels-Midi, then changed to Brussels-Central. I then walked to my hotel - Hotel Arlequin.

I found out about Arlequin while I was surfing on Orbitz and Travelocity. It was one of the cheaper hotels offered. The reviews on tripadvisor weren't too bad. When I checked Arlequin's own website, I found out the rate it offers is cheaper than all the other hotel websites. I booked a double room (single use) for €60/n with breakfast included.

After dropping off my luggage, I went to lunch at Chez Leon. I was surprised to see how many locals eat there. I had their 3-course lunch special (fish soup, mussels with fries, and dessert) for €14.

I stopped by the tourist info center after lunch and asked about self-guided walking itineraries for Art Nouveau. I bought a map (with 5 Art Nouveau walks) for €3. One can download those for free at
http://www.bruxellesartnouveau.be/

I also picked up the "Bulletin" magazine, which is the weekly English magazine in Brussels, with a complete list of What's On that week. I spotted a piano recital to be held that night by Daniel Barenboim at the Palais des Beaux Arts, so I headed there next to buy a ticket for the concert.

With BTilke's helpful information, I caught Tram 92 heading towards Horta Museum. The driver was extremely helpful. He told me where to get off, and pointed out which street the museum is located on.

The museum was Horta's home and office. It was an ingenious design. On the left is his house, with its famous staircase and dining room, filled with Art Nouveau designs. On the right is his office/studio, which is much plainer. I highly recommend visiting Horta Museum if you are visiting Brussels.
http://www.hortamuseum.be

I then did a abbreviated tour of Art Nouveau buildings in that neighborhood. I stopped at at Paul Hankar's house (rue Defacqz No.71), and two other houses designed by him (Nos. 48, 50), then rue Faider Nos. 83 & 85, and Hotel Tassel by Horta (rue Paul-Emile Janson No.6). I finished my tour by crossing Ave Louise to No. 224 - Hotel Solvay - also by Horta.

As I was on Ave Louise, I decided to walk along it all the way back to the city center. It turned out to be quite a nice walk and took maybe 30-40 minutes.

I headed to Grand Sablon, and decided to treat myself for a break at Wittamer Cafe. The prices there are exorbitant. A pot of tea was €5 (Mariage Frères tea bag), and a piece of pastry was €7.

On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at Galler to buy some chocolates.

After a 1-hour nap, I went to the Barenboim concert. At that time, I noticed that I had no idea what he was going to play, so I bought a programme. It turns out that he was playing the entire Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2! I kept falling asleep during the concert, and decided to leave at intermission. There's only so much Bach I can take in one night.

yk, I love your trip reports. Your energy and stamina amaze me.

I would have loved to hear Barenboim play Book Two of the WTC. I heard Angella Hewitt play it at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa a year or so ago and sat entranced through the concert.

Bring on the Groeninge and the Memling!! (Hans Memling and the fifteen-century Anselm Adorne were contemporaries in Brugge.)

Anselm

yk, enjoying your trip report & looking forward to the rest. You are a person after my own heart ! What a good idea, giving a precis at the start so readers can tell if it's the sort of stuff which interests them.

Re the sign langauage interpreter : most houses only have this for one performance of each production & it's flagged up in the schedule; so if you have the luxury of choosing your date (which presumably you didn't), it can be avoided if it bothers you. I think I've got used to it so I don't notice it, even in a really small studio theatre.

Have you been to Berlin ? We went last April & thought it was great for galleries. We chose our guidebook because it had the most info on private galleries & artist spaces but didn't manage to fit any in, by the time we'd been to the big public galleries, the Guggenheim & the Sammlung Hoffmann (which was the highlight of our trip). We also saw an opera at each of the 3 houses & all were very good, plus had a tour of the Staatsoper. We didn't get to see the Berlin Phil as that week they were only doing an extremely expensive gala concert. I can't wait to go back.

Anselm - the 2 in Brugge museums were the highlight of my trip.

Caroline - thanks for clarifying about the sign language interpreter. When I ordered my ticket on line, I didn't notice anything mention of sign language, but then, the ROH website isn't the most user friendly.

And yes, I went to Berlin in 2003 with my parents. We went to most of the major museums. But back then, my knowledge in art was very limited, so I'd love to go back at some point. We also attended an opera at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. If I had done my research better (or simply, talked to my dad), I would have chosen Deutsche Staatsoper instead. My dad saw an opera at Deutsche Staatsoper in the very early 1960s.

But since I've never been to Vienna, I think I'd like to go there first (for both the Vienna Philharmonic and the Kunsthistorisches Museum).

yk - When do you think you'll go to Vienna? That's one place I really want to go, but for different reason from yours. I probably have enough vacation time right now for a week-long trip.

Well, I should have done more lurking around this site to see who all was going to London the same time as I was....but I am new to all of this, so next time things will be different I am sure. I'll definitely try to meet up with some Fodorites if any have a similar itinerary as me next trip

rk-

Vacation time is always a hit-or-miss for me. Right now it doesn't look good. My next trip is probably Hong Kong some time in the spring. So, the earliest for me to go to Vienna will be in the fall (have to wait until the Philharmonic season starts).

I have to say we found Vienna bit dull - 2 days was enough for us, whereas 5 days in Berlin wasn't enough. We saw 'Billy Budd' there : the opera house was heavily bombed in WWII & rebuilt, so the interior is 1950s style & to me quite ugly.

I take the opposite view on Vienna: every year for the past seven years I spend two weeks in Vienna (four days are business, the rest leisure) along with several other trips lasting from 3 to 7 days and have yet to run out of things I want to see or do, either for the first time or repeats. I'm already booking restaurants and making plans for my upcoming trip at the end of February.

yk, great report. I don't find Wittamer's prices oxhorbitant but I usually get their pastries as takeaways...my favorite cafe on the Sablon, far and awy, is Au Vieux St. Martin, which is on the opposite side from Wittamer's (fyi, they provide the cake/pastries for Belgian royal weddings and most of the big parties in the area).
Leon's is about the only restaurant I'll eat at in the Grand'Place area. It's quick and fun and their frites are very good. DH and I usually get the mussels with cheese and butter and escargots, so that meal is too fattening to eat often. But every once in a while it's an artery-clogging treat.

Hi yk,

Thanks for an interesting and informative report.

Day 8, Jan 13 - Antwerp

Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Rubenshuis

I took the 9:25am train to Antwerp. The ride was 45 minutes and was on time (down to the second). I stopped at the tourist info desk at the train station to inquire about how to get to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. The museum's website recommended taking the tram, but the TI staff suggested the bus. I decided to take the bus (#23).

I think I ended up getting off 1 stop too late. Anyway, it wasn't too far of a walk. I don't think I would have been able to find the museum if I didn't have a map.

Admission is €6, which includes an audioguide. About half of the museum was closed of installation of an upcoming exhibition, but I was assured that the Old Masters are on view.

The Old Masters are on the 2nd floor. Basically, the key paintings are in the first 2 rooms (Q & S). They include 2 paintings by van Eyck, Antonello da Messina's Crucifixion, and Jean Fouquet's Madonna with seraphim and cherubim. The masterpiece painting is Rogier van der Weyden's Triptych of the Seven Sacraments.

A 3rd room, T, nearby, is currently used for the restoration of Memling's Christ with Singing and Music-Making Angels which consists of three large panels. The room is enclosed in glass walls, so that even though the visitor cannot enter it, one can see through the glass and see the restorers at work, as well as see the paintings. The restoration is a lengthy process, expected to take 5 years.

The rest of the 2nd floor is much less exciting. There is (of course) a Rubens room. Downstairs on the 1st floor hangs modern art. Most of them are Belgian artists whom I don't know, except for a couple of paintings by Delvaux and Magritte.

I decided to walk back towards the city center. It was about a 15-20 min walk to Museum Mayer van den Bergh.

Before heading to the museum, I went across the street to have lunch at Flamant.
www.flamantdining.com

I ate at Flamant last May when I was in Antwerp. I ordered a fish soup and some kind of salad (menu is in French and Dutch only, and I don't speak/read either). The salad ended up being served first, which I found quite odd. It was more like a salad on one half of the plate, and a stick of 4 grilled scallops on the other half. The scallops were great, but the salad dressing was way too salty. I asked my server about the soup, and he said it's coming. The soup came after I finished the salad, and it was served in a beer glass - the kind which one uses to drink lager. It looks nice, but not really practical for drinking the soup.

I was much less impressed with Flamant this time than before, and the prices are just a bit too high. The final bill was €33.

After lunch, I went to Museum Mayer van den Bergh. It houses the private collection of Fritz Mayer van den Bergh. Unfortunately, he died before he could build a museum, so his mother fufilled his dream. The house where the museum is appears old, but it was actually built in the early 1900s in the model of a 16th-c Flemish house.

The museum has a hodgepodge of collection, from paintings to stained-glass to sculptures. Obviously, the major attraction there is Bruegel's Mad Meg. It shows a strong influence by Bosch. Hanging next to it is a much lesser-known Bruegel painting, Twelve Proverbs.
http://museum.antwerpen.be/mayervandenbergh/index_eng.html

My next stop was Rubenshuis. His house consists of 2 separate buildings - one Flemish and one Italian. Rubens bought the land and built his house after his return from Italy. The left (facing the entrance) is the Flemish-style building, which houses his living quarters, kitchen etc, as well as a small rotunda where he kept his Italian statues. On the right, is the Italian-style villa, complete with a Italian courtyard and garden. It served as his workshop.

There weren't that many memorable paintings there, except for his self-portrait. Even though Rubens produced a huge number of works in his life (>2000), he only painted 4 known self-portraits, and one of them is at Rubenshuis.
http://museum.antwerpen.be/rubenshuis/index_eng.html

Having seen enough paintings for the day, I decided to walk around the pedestrian zone for some window-shopping.

It started to get dark, so I headed to Grand Cafe Horta. The restaurant incooperated steel from Horta's Maison du Peuple when it was demolished in 1965. After visiting Musee Horta the day before, I had a better appreciation of his work.

As I wasn't quite hungry, I ordered a coffee and a slice of cake which came out to €8,30. Before I left, I decided to use the bathroom. There were two surprises:
1. The door the the bathroom is painted just like the entrance to Musee Horta. I thought that was a brilliant idea.
2. There is an attendant at the bathrooms and requested €0,40.

I have never been to a bathroom inside a restaurant that charges a fee!

I walked to the train station and returned to Brussels.

Day 9, Jan 14 - Brugge & Gent (Part I)

Brugge

Since it was going to be a long day trip, I started my day very early.

It was a Saturday, and I got to take advantage of Belgium Railway's 50% off weekend r/t tickets.

The 8:02am train got me to Brugge in one hour. As the museums don't open until 9:30am, I decided to walk to the city center. The town was very quaint and quiet. With its small houses and canals, it highly reminded me of Delft. I found myself liking Brugge immediately. It is a lovely town.

At 9:30am, I was inside Groeninge Museum. This is absolutely the highlight of my trip. Not only it has great paintings, it also allows the visitor to stand up close to the paintings.

The highlights here include:
Van Eyck
Portrait of his wife Maragret(h)a
Madonna and Canon van der Paele - my favorite painting on this trip. Since I could stand right in front of the painting, I could see all the details - from the painted gold brocade of St Donatian's cloak, to the frayed edges of the carpet, to the shiny armor of St George. It was an incredible piece of painting.

Memling
The Moreel Triptych

Hugo van der Goes
Death of the Virgin

Gerard David
Judgment of Cambyses

Bosch
The Last Judgment - the similarity of this and Bruegel's Mad Meg is uncanny!

The last few rooms display more modern paintings, including Khnopff's Secret-Reflect, and paintings by Magritte and Delvaux.

I returned to admire van Eyck's Madonna and Canon van der Paele once more before leaving the museum.

It was close to 11am when I left. I decided to visit the Heilig Bloed Basiliek (Basilica of Holy Blood). The church is home to a phial which contains a cloth soaked with a few drops of Christ's blood. The phial normally can be seen every Friday; at othertimes it is locked away.

I arrived around 11:10am and saw a sign posting that veneration of the Holy Blood will be held at 11:30am. Even though I'm not Christian, I do want to have a glimpse of such a relic.

As I have some time to spare, I went out to the Burg and took some pictures.

I returned at 11:30am, and the veneration started. The (?) priest took out the phial, and worshippers were allowed to kiss or touch the phial. There were very few people in the church, and I decided to go up and touch it, and said a little prayer.

Leaving the church, I stopped in at the Stadhuis. The Gothic Hall upstairs is open for visit, and a quick visit it was. I didn't have the time or energy to listen to the lengthy audioguide.

As I was short on time, I quickly passed by the Markt and the Belfry. Right in front of the Belfry is a frites stand. Perfect! I ordered a small portion of fries and ate it while walking towards Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk.

The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk is famous for Michelangelo's Madonna and Child. It is one of the very few (if not only?) Michelangelo's sculpture outside Italy. It is quite small, and one can only view it from a distance.


Seeing Michelangelo's sculpture is free, but the ambulatory charges admission. It is where the mausoleums of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary of Burgundy lie. The mausoleums were beautifully carved with wonderful details.

Emerging from the church, I looked for my next stop, the Memling Museum.

Hi yk - thank you for your detailed report - very interesting! Since we have only been back from the Netherlands for 2 weeks, your Brugge report hit a soft spot with me as that little city was the highlight of our trip. We also found our Groeninge Museum experience was particularly profound. You listed some of the works in the museum, which brought to mind how I was physically affected when I first saw Gerard David's "Judgment of Cambyses" - though gruesome, the history of this painting is fascinating. I'm looking forward to more of your report.

Day 9, Jan 14 - Brugge & Gent (Part II)

Brugge

It took me a little while to find the entrance for St Janshospital/Memling museum. It is actually just across the street from Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, but due to a lack of signs, the entrance is not that obvious.

The museum is quite big, to my surprise. Majority of the display focuses on the hospital itself. It is actually interesting, but due a lack of time, I went through it rather quickly. With the audioguide, one can probably spend a couple of hours there.

Finally, the last room (I believe it is the chapel) is where Memling's works are. I was very happy to see that the paintings which had traveled to NY for the Memling exhibition at the Frick have made their way back and on view. The 6 works on display are:

St. Ursula's shrine
Mystical Marriage of St Catherine triptych
Adoration of Magi triptych
Lamentation triptych
Nieuwenhove diptych
Portrait of a woman (Sibyl)

It was time to leave, and I walked back to the train station. By the time I was leaving (around 1:30pm) the town was packed with tourists. I can only imagine what Brugge is like during high season!

Gent

The 1:57pm train got me to Gent just under 30 minutes. As the train station (St. Pieters) is quite far from the city center, I took a tram (#1) towards Korenmarkt. By the time I arrived at St. Bavo's Cathedral, it was 2:45pm.

The Mystic Lamb altarpiece by the van Eyck brothers is the main reason for my visit to Gent.

The audioguide lasts 50 minutes. The altarpiece is enclosed by a glass case, so one can only view it from several feet away. According to the audioguide, it is thought that Hubert probably painted the majority of the panels, and with Jan finishing the rest when Hubert died.

The other attraction at the cathedral is the crypt, where a temporary display of paintings from the Gent Museum of Fine Arts are held.

The highlight is 2 paintings by Bosch, Bearing of the Cross, and St Jerome in Prayer. The entire time I was in the crypt, nobody else went to look at those paintings.

I left the cathedral around 4pm. By the time I left, I had a horrible headache from the cold. The cathedral interior was at least 5F colder than the outside.

I quickly walked to St Michielsbrug bridge and along Graslei to look at the facades of various guildhouses.

By then, I was so cold that I decided it was time for some hot coffee.

Fodors.com recommended Etablissement Max (Goudenleeuw Plein 3), a cafe famous for its waffles. I ordered a coffee and a waffle with chocolate sauce. It was light and crispy. I chatted a little with the couple at the next table.

The place was completely packed, with people constantly coming in and leaving. It is obvious that this is a popular place for locals.

After warming up, I took a walk in the city center. Gent has a fairly large pedestrian-only zone in its center, and everybody was out that Saturday afternoon shopping. I browsed a few shops, then caught tram #1 back to the train station, and took the 6:22pm train back to Brussels.

[Note: There is actually a few more touristy things to do in Gent, such as the Stadhuis or the Belfry - if one visits during the high season.]

Day 10, Jan 15 - Brussels & Leuven

Brussels

After breakfast, I walked toward the Royal Museum of Fine arts. Across the street is the ING Cultural Center, where a Fabergé exhibit is held. There was a huge line waiting to get in!

I visited the Museum of Fine Arts last May, so I didn't feel like revisiting again. Their current exhibition is on Panamarenko whom I've never heard of.

Next on my list was some chocolate shopping. I went to Grand Sablon for the Pierre Marcolini store. There was an antique market in the square, so I browsed around for a while. At Pierre Marcolini, I bought a box of 250g chocolates. At €58/kg, they are probably the most expensive ones in Belgium (but still a lot cheaper than the PM stores in Paris or in NY).

I headed back to Grand Place and did some more shopping for souvenirs. I stopped at Galler and bought another box of 250g chocolates. I went back to the hotel to drop everything off.

Leuven

I took the 1:57pm train to Leuven. It was a 20-min ride. The train station is located about 1/2 mile from the old center, so I decided to walk. What a huge change it is from Brussels. The streets were very quiet, and all the shops were closed. I wondered, "What do the locals do on Sundays? Do they sit around in the house, or are they all in Brussels visiting the museums and the antique market?"

I finally reached St Pieterskerk. Inside are two famous paintings by Dirk Bouts, Martyrdom of St Erasmus and the Last Supper. The Martyrdom is quite gruesome, showing St. Erasmus' bowel being disembowelled. The Last Supper piece is somewhat unusual - the scene is shown inside a Flemish house, and the focus of the subject is on the Eucharist, rather than on Judas' betrayal.

After the church, I walked around the Grote Markt. The gothic-style Stadhuis is quite a feast for the eyes.

There really wasn't much else interesting to see in Leuven, so I stopped at a cafe (Brasserie Lyrique) at the Grote Markt for a snack and some warmth. I decided to go with a plain waffle this time (the chocolate sauce cost as much as the waffle itself) and a cup of coffee, then I walked back to the train station to return to Brussels. I was in Leuven for about 2 hours.

As I was walking back to my hotel, I suddenly had an attack of vertigo. I climbed into bed, hoping that a nap may help. 2 hours later, I was still extremely dizzy and nauseated, and I had to scratch my plan for dinner at Chez Leon. I stayed in the rest of the night. Fortunately, I felt much better when I got up the next morning.

Day 11, Jan 16 - Home

The flight out of Brussels was at 10am. I had to take the 7:37 train to the airport (train trip takes 20 minutes).

At the train station, I encountered my first train delay in Belgium. The train was running 10 minutes late.

The signs at the airport train station as well as the airport were somewhat confusing, and it took me a little while to find the check-in desk for AA. Fortunately, with my Gold status, I could check in at the Business Class line. As it turns out, the flight was delayed for 50 minutes.

I wasted some money to go on the internet before boarding the plane. Fortunately, my entire row was empty, so I had all 3 seats to myself. I lay horizontal for most of the flight back. (It was a 767 - no individual seatback screen. In fact, the projector for the front of the cabin was broken, so I couldn't even watch the movies even if I had wanted to.)

The plane was 30 minutes late getting into JFK. It didn't matter to me, as my connecting flight to DFW was not for another 3 hours. Somehow, I thought there were internet terminals at JFK (AA's terminal), but there were none to be found. Bored, I took a nap.

I again had a seat in the exit row for the JFK-DFW flight. The flight was packed. There were some problems with the baggage handlers, so we didn't push off for 30 minutes. Then it was the long wait for take-off. I dozed off. When I woke up, which was one whole hour after the door had closed, our plane was still sitting on the runway.

With strong head winds, our plane arrived at DFW 50 minutes behind schedule. It only took all of 19 hours to get home from Brussels.

Tips on Belgium

A few helpful things I found on this trip:

1. If one plans on taking day trips via train, take advantage of the 50% off weekend tickets of Belgian Railways.
http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/

2. The "What's On" section in the "Bulletin" magazine (weekly) is excellent. It lists not only events in Brussels, but also in other cities.

3. Horta Museum in Brussels is well worth a visit.

4. For Art Nouveau fans visiting Brussels, check out this helpful website (with walking itineraries and explanation):
http://www.bruxellesartnouveau.be/

5. Brugge is completely mopped by tourists. Try to arrive early, or stay overnight to avoid the daytrippers.

6. Leuven can probably be skipped, unless one is dying to see the Dirk Bouts paintings.

7. Pierre Marcolini is still my favorite chocolatier in Belgium.

Hotel Reviews - London and Brussels

London - Jolly Hotel St. Ermin's

http://www.jollyhotels.it/eng/ALBERGHI_scheda_master.asp?Obj=561

As I have mentioned before, I won this hotel via Priceline bidding for $90/night. Including tax and service charges, it came out to $110/night. It is still a great deal for London, but I was mad that I couldn't win the Thistle Marble Arch for $60/night.

I stayed at Jolly last May (also via Priceline). The room I got this time was not as nice. I suspect it is the wing which has not been renovated, as the room looked really tired. Wallpaper and ceiling paint were peeling, bedspread and curtains looked aged. I also was assigned a twin room - 2 twin beds. I could have gone back to reception to ask for a double room, but I was too lazy and too tired to do so.

The room size was decent. Apart from the twin beds, there is a 2-seater couch and a coffee table. The temperature control was puzzling. There were many different modes, but no instructions. I kept changing it, and ended up either being too hot or too cold.

My room has no view, unless you count the office building 10 feet away. It was very quiet.

I was initially a bit unhappy about being at the Westminster area. I bidded for that area in London because I was getting desperate for a hotel room. It turned out to be just fine. Both the tube and the bus stops are less than a 3-minute walk from the hotel. The 2 buses (No. 11 & 24) took me to everywhere I needed, and buying the 1-day bus pass (£3.50) was less than a 1-day Travelcard (£4.90).

Brussels - Hotel Arlequin

http://www.arlequin.be/

I was somewhat skeptical about this hotel when I booked it, but the unbeatable price of €60 (double room; single use) and reasonable reviews on tripadvisor pursuaded me to give it a try.

Initially, I was assigned a room on the 2nd floor. But as I recalled complaints of street noise (on tripadvisor), I asked for a higher floor. I ended up with a room on the 5th floor. It is clean and basic. It has a double bed, which is quite comfortable.

A few cons:
1. My room smelled of cigarette smoke. I did bring a travel candle along.
2. The walls are thin. One can hear the water pipes when someone else is using the bathroom.
3. Despite the room being on the 5th floor, there is still plenty of street noise. This can be a problem in the summer time with the windows open.

The best thing about the hotel is the breakfast. It is served from 7-10am on the top floor, where it has a nice view. The breakfast selection is huge, with different kinds of bread, cereal, cold cuts, pate, tomatoes and cucumbers, yogurt, fruit, croissants, hard-boiled eggs. I ate a huge breakfast every morning, and skipped lunch almost every day.

There is a computer terminal in the lobby, which allows guests to get on the internet for free. However, the front desk only allow a 15-minute session per guest.

----------------------------

This is it! I hope this is helpful to some of you, and I'm more than happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

Thank you for your report, yk ... I really enjoyed it and re-living our recent trip to Brugge and Belgium by walking in some of the same footsteps as you! Appreciate your tips and hotel reviews too - this report is a keeper for my next trip. The mere mention of the Pierre Marcolini chocolates makes me sorry that we didn't bring home more chocolates - and cheese!

I'm glad that you made it to Leuven, actually. I hope to see those paintings sometime. As you know, they're among the twenty masterpieces of Flemish Primitives paintings listed by Dirk de Vos.

I'm nearly done with the Pierre Marcolini chocolates I bought from Paris. Too bad that they didn't have me a booklet this time. I noticed quite a few new flavors I don't recall trying.

I still don't understand why this group only gives PM 3 chocolate bars:

http://www.croqueurschocolat.com/

On the other hand, M. Linxe's new flavors are quite extraordinary also, and in NYC, La Maison du Chocolat is cheaper than Pierre Marcolini.

(Maison gets the maximum 5 chocolate bars rating from that group, along with Jean Paul Hevin.)

111op-

My box of PM chocolates came with the booklet. You need me to look up some flavors for you?

It's a little too late. I think that there're fewer than ten pieces left. Maybe I can stop by Park Avenue to get a booklet. After all, I did stop by agnes b yesterday to get a hanger as I lost the one they gave me in Paris. I'm still mystified by how that happened.

Interesting report on your whirlwind tour, yk.
So sorry you missed a lot of interesting things in Leuven. For instance, the two beguinages which are on UNESCO's World Heritage list, the University buildings (especially the Library), the Abbeys, ...

Myriam-

I actually did see the university library (quite an impressive building) and took a picture of it. It was quite cold that day, so I wasn't too keen on walking around too much.

If I ever find myself in Leuven in the future, I'll keep your suggestions in mind.

yk, this was exceptionally helpful! My wife and I are heading to Belgium and Germany in May 2008 for a beer and chocolate tour and will use your guide. Thanks much! Any suggestions for either beer or chocolate besides the chocolate you emtnioned?

jrandsr - thanks for reading my TR.
Regarding chocolates in Brussels, I have tried the following (listed from my fav to least fav):

Pierre Marcolini (at grand Sablon)
Galler (at Grand Place)
Wittamer (at Grand Sablon)
La Maison du Chocolat Artisanal (67 rue Marche aux Herbes)

Other chocolate stores in Brussels that I didn't try:
Manon (24 rue du Congress)
Mary (73 rue Royale)
Leonidas
Godiva
Neuhaus

Thanks, jrandsr for bringing this back up, and yk for more valuable info. I think we are overdue a beer and chocolate tour to Brussels - haven't been for 9 years !