Le Trappiste on Avenue de la Toison d’Or is my venue for lunch this Friday. I’m glad I’ve got in to this quietly elegant art nouveau brasserie early, right on midday. It means I’m able to get a window table near to the beautiful art nouveau entrance door whilst the restaurant is still quiet. Within minutes, […]
‘Nothing to Declare’, Actor’s Studio, Brussels
Just after midday I get to Actor’s Studio cinema via the lobby of the Floris Arlequin Grand Place Hotel. The box office lights are on, but the phone is ringing unanswered. When I try opening the door to the cinema, it is locked. So I abandon my attempt to buy a ticket in advance for this […]
‘Melancholia’, Cinecenter, Amsterdam
Typical early September weather today. Menacing clouds and light rain one minute, clear blue skies and sunshine the next. When the sun comes out it is wonderful to be walking here in the breeze along Singel and Herengracht canals. The bright September sun is sparkling on the water. The leaves on the trees are a […]
‘Greetings from Tim Buckley’, Café 16cc, Amsterdam
Oude Kerk stands impassive and severe, a hulking spiritual presence unperturbed by the Red Light District activities going on in its vicinity. I have often walked past Oude Kerk but never gone in before. This is my first visit, and this great old church turns out to be well worth a visit. When I enter, I’m […]
‘Disputed Passage’, Cinemathek, Brussels
A La Mort Subite on Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères is a Brussels institution, a wonderful café brasserie that retains its original 1928 decor. Its glorious interior is a little faded in a warm, lived-in way. The place has a marble floor, high ceiling, long wooden tables, sturdy old radiators, and elegantly arched mirrors along the […]
‘City Lights’, Pathé Tuschinski, Amsterdam
A passing thunderstorm wakes me just before 5 a.m. Heavy rain batters against my bedroom window. There are occasional flashes of lightning that I can sense through my still-closed eyes, and the long drawn out rumble of thunder. By the time I leave the apartment a couple of hours later the storm has passed and […]