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France 2022
  • Danielle and Co travels
  • Danielle and Co travels

France 2022

After two years of delays due to COVID we are finally getting ready to head off to France. We are combining some independent travelling with a walking tour through Southwest France. En savoir plus
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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Lia is Nathalie's dog that Brigitte has been minding
    Lia wasn't sure about us initiallyBut she did eventually warm to usMamali ( this is what the grankids call Brigitte)BrigitteStéphane, Luc, Nathalie and SohanGui being very animatedDelicious pumpkin soup

    Family dinner in Limal

    15 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    With the train line Ap I have it is so easy to purchase tickets. To get to Brigitte’s place we need to take an Intercity (IC) train to Ottiginies, which is about a 5 minute drive from Brigitte’s. we caught the train from Central Station and it all went very smoothly - but unlike the trip to Antwerp where our tickets weren’t checked, they were checked this afternoon.

    We arrived on time and Brigitte was there to meet us. We had a bit of stuff with us as I will be moving in on Monday and thought we may as well start bringing stuff over, plus we had wine and chocolates as well.

    The rest of the family arrived over the next couple of hours. Brigitte’s kids Nathalie and Stéphane haven’t changed much since we saw them in 2019, but Sohan and Emma are nearly teenagers and have grown up so much. Luc arrived next, he is Brigitte’s ex husband who is such a nice guy and who she and the kids and grandkids all have a great relationship with. This was the first time Ian had met Luc. The last to arrive were Gui and Geertje who are also so much fun and easy to get on with. Their kids aren’t coming tonight, in fact, we won’t see Lisa this trip as she left for a trip to South America about a week ago and Rob had a prior commitment, we will see him tomorrow at Gui and Geertje’s for dinner.

    Brigitte made a great dinner of pumpkin soup, charcuterie, wonderful cheeses and three fabulous desserts, including a cheesecake with raspberries (that I even liked!), a chocolate tart and a Javanais ( a chocolate and mocha delight) which was delicious. We drank lots of champagne and wine over the evening and it was great to catch up with everyone. I was so engrossed in our conversations (plus I drank quite a bit of champagne) that I hardly took a photo which is so unlike me.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur

    A visit to Beaux Arts, Brussels

    16 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We had purchased tickets for the museum to enter at 11am. We specifically wanted to see the homage to Frida Kahlo - Miranda’s de Mujeres that was created by artist Isabelle de Borchgrave.

    Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954) is even more topical today than during her whole lifetime. The life of this female artist was marked by creativity and resilience. She has become one of today’s artistic icons.

     Her paintings convey a dazzling joy through colours that Isabelle de Borchgrave, for whom painting is an everyday celebration, was unable to resist. This project entirely made out of paper was born in Mexico, in Kahlo’s Casa Azul (Blue House): it is the reconstruction of a universe devoted to pure colour, revealing the shadow of an absent presence. Here Frida Kahlo revives only by the feeling with which we dress her.

    The happiness found in colour and paper (at least four kilometres of paper was used to produce this exhibition) epitomises the life and dreams of Isabelle de Bourchgrave. The hope is that this happiness shall be contagious for all those who visit the exhibit. It definitely was for me. The photos in this post hopefully represent the colour and vibrancy of the exhibition.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Eglise Notre Dame du Sablon
    Antique MarketsBeautiful architecture all aroundAu Vieux Saint MartinHappy Sunday!Cheers!Lunch was an omlette for Ian and a club sandwich for me with the obligatory fritesCreme Caramel for dessert - to shareStill drinking a short black most places as they just don't use fresh milkCute puppy in a pram waiting with Mum and Dad for a table to become freeGorgeous florist where we got Gertje's flowersMore beautifully kept buildings

    Place Sablon

    16 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    After leaving the gallery we headed to Place Sablon that is close by. There is an antiques market there on Sunday and there are lots of restaurants and cafés to stop at for lunch and to people watch.

    We found a fabulous brasserie called Au Vieux Saint Martin where we got the best table outside, had lunch, drank wine and just enjoyed the ambiance. It was the most popular place in the square and was full of locals. After lunch we went to a beautiful florist to get some flowers for Gertje and Gui who we are visiting later today.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Pablo reafy for his walk
    Geertje and Gui leading the wayWonderful trees throughout the woodsA wonderful forest so close to where they liveInteresting mushroomsMore mushroomsIan and Gui enjoying the walkAll the leaves are brown - but the sky wasn't grayApple tree in Gui's backyard - so many still in the treeApples picked that dayPablo is an absolutely gorgeous boyThis is Carlos, Rob's dog, he also has a lovely characterChilling in front of the fireDelicious wineVeal Milanese with spaghetti was divineApple Pie was also excellent

    Visiting family in Tervuren

    16 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Following a lovely morning of wonderful architecture and then art we are preparing to head out to spend the rest of the day with my cousin Gui, his wife Geertje , their son Rob, Brigitte and then of course Pablo and Carlos the two family dogs. We caught the metro to Stockel where Gui picked us up. We went back to their place and then got ready to have a lovely walk with the dog through the woods that are adjacent to their place.

    It was a lovely warm afternoon and it was so nice to take a long walk through beautiful woods on a lovely autumn afternoon. Pablo the golden retriever had a ball and we found lots of interesting mushrooms.

    When we arrived back at the house Brigitte was already there and Rob arrived soon after. Geertje prepared a fabulous dinner. We had stuffed mushrooms to start (they were so good and I was too busy stuffing my face that I forgot to take a photo). This was followed by Veal Milanese with spaghetti and then a delicious apple pie made by Gui with apples from his tree. We drank some lovely wine from Bordeaux and had a lovely night. I sometimes wish we didn’t live so far away from my cousins and their families. Although they are a good excuse to visit Europe.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Rainy start to the day
    Weather starts to clearBreakfast at the DominicanDominican CourtyardDominican BarA quick reunion to hand over the knivesOn the train finally

    Goodbye Ian, Hello Brigitte!

    17 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    For our last morning at the AirBnb we decided to have breakfast at the Dominican Hotel that looks after our property. The hotel has lovely decor and is well designed. After breakfast we headed back to pack the last of our things before checking out and getting a taxi to Brussels MIDI where Ian will catch the Eurostar to London to begin his journey back to Australia. I was then catching an intercity train to Ottiginies where Brigitte would collect me.

    I had bought my ticket and made my way to the appropriate platform when the train was cancelled without explanation. As I was heading down the escalator to find out what had happened to my train I received a call from Ian. He said that he had been stopped by security because he had knives in his possession and they are forbidden on the train! We had purchased several knives from the Laguiole, including a cheese knife and we didn’t want them confiscated. So Ian asked if he could come back through security and hand them to me as I was still at the station. ( I was only still there because a person had been hit on my train line and trains had to be cancelled till the tracks were clear).

    The security guy had to check with his supervisor but finally the supervisor and Ian appear and the supervisor hands me the contraband. I will now have to arrange to have them posted back to Australia as I am also heading back to the UK on the Eurostar.

    Crisis averted and Ian was on his way home via London. I had to wait another 30 minutes for a train and was picked up at the station just after 1:30 pm. I was sitting having a glass of wine and a late lunch within 30 minutes. After I unpacked and settled in, Brigitte and I drank more wine and just spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on life. We are going to have a ball over the next 4 weeks.

    For dinner Brigitte made me a traditional Belgian dish of Chicon au Gratin, which is chicory or endive which has been boiled and strained being wrapped in ham and then the rolls are placed in a dish and covered in white sauce and cheese and baked in the oven till golden. It is a very delicious dish, which we worked out Brigitte had made for me 37 years earlier.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Wavre is a lovelt town - very picturesque
    The local churchSome interesting restaurantsThenBelgians love their beerBeautiful narrow streets with some great shopsRestaurant with thensame name as my mum's familySteak Tartare - best so far in EuropeScampi BrochettesWine is becoming a daily occurrence- when in Rome!1The autumn colours are stunningThe walk in the woods was wonderfulThe mushrooms are plentiful and photogragh wellBrigitte with her granddaughter EmmaThe vivid colours are everywhere

    Life in Limal

    18 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    This morning the first activity on the agenda is to get a haircut. It was well overdue and so Brigitte took me to her hairdresser and they did a good job. I even had a mask put on because my hair is feeling very dry.

    After haircuts we walked around the lovely town of Wavre, where we did a bit of essential and non-essential shopping. I then took Brigitte out for lunch to a lovely local brasserie - we were going especially for mussels but unfortunately they weren’t available as they were still waiting on a delivery. So I had steak tartare and Brigitte had grilled prawns on skewers. The food was delicious and our waiter was very entertaining and cheeky. It was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours.

    We then headed home and we had planned to go for a walk in the woods but we got a call from Stéphane asking Brigitte to pick Emma up after school. So we delayed our walk until Emma was with us. It has been a beautiful sunny mild day, so it has been nice to be out and about, we are trying to make the most of this lovely weather as the forecast is for rain in the coming days.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Lovely river we walked along to get to markets
    The Wavre MarketA guy begging with a very well behaved catBar A KThe ownersThey use records for place matsReady for lunchAn amuse bouch of scampi with chicon - deliciousI had spaghetti with scampiBrigitte had scampi with garlicA talented local does sketches of regulars on beer coastersLovely ristretto to complete the mealTomatoes in the hot houseDinner with divine home grown tomatoes

    Markets of Wavre and lunch!

    19 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    After a nice slow start we headed into Wavre again today to check out the Wednesday Markets. The whole of the town centre is closed off to traffic and they have a huge market. I sent a box of winter clothes over to Belgium for me to have as we travel north where it is much cooler. Unfortunately the box is still with customs! I was very clear with what was in the box - my personal clothes and boots - but someone the customs office thought Brigitte had ordered these clothes from Australia and wanted to charge importation tax of 544 euros - for my old clothes!!!! Brigitte finally spoke to someone and explained they were my clothes and so the charge has been waived but we are still waiting for the box to be delivered and we leave for Copenhagen on Monday. As I don’t have many warm clothes I purchased a couple of things at the market. I have also found a store with great boots, so if I don’t get my box in time I will need to buy some jeans and boots.

    After wandering around the markets for a while we decided to get lunch at a brasserie owned by friends of Brigitte called Bar A K. It was such a fun place - great food and wine and a wonderful ambiance, a bit quirky and everyone was so friendly. This brasserie is also a bar and has lots of live music and it would be fun to attend a gig if we get the chance.

    A quiet night at home trying to catch up on my blog, with a wonderful Caprese salad with the wonderful tomatoes from Brigitte’s garden.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Lovely lush back garden
    We trimmed the grape vine as wellHot house still producing so many tomatoesFish pondChocolate heavenVery talented young manThey also make artisnal ice cream and they have speculoosOur assortment to 'test' taste and quality control!

    Gardening and Chocolate research

    20 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    This morning Brigitte and I did a bit of work in the garden before heading off to Lio, a local chocolatier in Limal. Brigitte said she had only discovered this place last year after receiving a gift basket from work when she retired. She highly recommends them so I felt we needed to get some to compare to the Pierre Marcolini, Neuhaus and Mary that are my favourite Belgian chocolates. We decided on a mixed box, so we could establish which are my favourites. Brigitte has already declared salted caramel as her favourite.

    The weather has been quite wet and overcast this morning, but our weather Ap is saying sunny and dry this afternoon which would be good for our Geocaching activity.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Heading off looking for our first clue
    The carvings are amazingFirst cache found!Returning the cacheAn owlReminds me of a voodoo type characterHaving a laughThebwork that goes into these carvings is amazingThe three sistersTintin and WhiteyThe screams!The whole gangThree bunniesSinging quartetArlette found the next cache - it was a team effortThis is where you record name and dateReturn it into the containerMake sure it is completely hiddenReturn to the spot where we found it

    Geocaching

    20 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    This afternoon I will be going on my first geocaching experience. Arlette a good friend of my cousin has been geocaching for about 9 years and she has arranged this afternoon’s excursion.

    We were very lucky that the weather improved from this morning and we now have blue sky and sunshine and it is about 20 degrees, which is perfect conditions for geocaching. We headed off down a path in Ceroux-Mousty and we found some amazing wood carvings that were done by a local artist called Gills Dominique and they are fabulous. We found our first cache by following the clues and it was lost of fun and rewarding. Once you find the cache you write your user name and the date and return it to where you found it. It was really lots of fun.En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    The autumn colours are just gorgeous everywhere I look
    Some kind of flowering plant - looked a bit like a YukkaNext one was nearly fully in bloomSpotted a spider on the plantThen spotted this snail with a gold like shellThe area became quite heavily woodedSpotted more mushroomsPart of the chimney that was used to make the bricks in the kilnThe chimney was hundreds of years oldSome graffiti on the structure I had to try and climb intoMy support teamThis purple mushroom was interestingMore of the chimneyMe in the chimney base searching for the cache without success.

    Geocaching Part 2

    20 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    So after our success with the first two challenges we decided we were up for a third. This was a challenge that Arlette and Brigitte had attempted previously, but because they both have some hip and knee issues they weren’t able to get into the area where the cache was apparently hidden. Since I am a little more flexible we decided I would give it a go. We had to walk about a kilometre to get to the site of the old brickworks, which to me looked like it was hundreds of years old. I was able to gain access to the spot where the cache should have been and I searched and searched but I came up empty handed. Arlette thinks that perhaps someone has removed the cache as no one has successfully located this cache since May 2022. Although it was a little disappointing not to find the cache, the search was fun. What is also nice about this activity is that you are outside with nature and actually looking at your surroundings and as a result see so much more than when you are just walking from point A to point B.En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Outside of the restaurant
    Lovely little outside bar area - they had a killer cocktail listThe owners who opened the restaurant in 2019 and was named after one of their grandmothersCheersFabulous Pinot - I have really embraced the French way of eating lunch!The soup was so bloody goodVery impressive barMain dish was confit pork with mash and roast pumpkinLoved the artworkCopper and bottled veg gave the space a pop of colourMany of the paintings were done on delft plates - looked greatThis was also a favourite- it was for sale but wouldn't fit in my hand luggage!Even the batrooms were funky - large leggo bricks made up the vanityOne happy customer

    Lunch in Lille

    21 octobre 2022, France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today is a good day, first the weather is once again fine and sunny, second we are off to Lille in France and third my parcel of winter clothes was finally delivered and there was much rejoicing!

    It was such a relief for my winter clothes to arrive because as much as this girl likes to shop I really wanted my puffer jacket and boots as they are both so comfortable to wear.

    We headed off for Lille a bit before 11 and arrived just after 1pm. We found a park not too far from our Airbnb, but we cannot get in till 4pm, so we went in search of lunch.

    We came across a restaurant called Chez Brigitte and I immediately said we must go there for lunch. The place was pretty full but they had a table for us. We had the plat de jour, but only two courses (entree and main) and a lovely bottle of Pinot. Entree was a delicious soup and main was confit pork with mash potatoes and roasted pumpkin- the entire meal was really good and at 21 euro very reasonably priced.

    The space itself was lovely - lots of brick with copper and great art on the walls and the staff were so friendly and accommodating.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Grand Place
    Clock tower of the commerce buildingBeautiful architecture everywhereLovely narrow streets

    Magnificent Lille

    21 octobre 2022, France ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Once we finished our lunch at Chez Brigitte we were ready to do some exploring of the old city. Lille is a beautiful city that has so many glorious buildings, with most in great condition or in the process of being restored. Being there on a beautifully warm and sunny day with a brilliant blue sky also didn’t hurt.

    We meandered down the narrow streets, making our way to Place du Général-de-Gaulle, also known as the Grand Place. This square is magnificent with beautifully restored buildings on a grand scale. We just wandered around for a while longer and then went to the car, grabbed our luggage and made our way to our Airbnb, which was spacious, lovely and comfortable.

    We were still so full from lunch we opted to stay in, have a baguette with some cheese and get a relatively early night.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Wonderful detail on buildings
    Their weeping willows were beautifully manicuredA memorial to WW2 victimsOur petite dejeunerThe Carlton HotelThe Lille OperaLovely little squares at every turnBeautiful art deco shop frontA Dog Café which we had never seen - it was pretty noisy!Dinner back in WavreHappy to be having Moules for dinnerThe Moules was deliciousTiramisu with SpeculoosEnjoying my dessert

    Breakfast and more exploring

    22 octobre 2022, France ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We headed out to do some more exploring and also grab some breakfast - not something all cafés in France offer. After wandering around for a bit we found Café Peacock that offered a really great petite déjeuner. We got baguette with jam, a croissant, pain chocolate and escargot, a juice and a coffee.

    After breakfast we wandered around till 11am and then headed back to the Airbnb to finish packing, checked out and decided we would head back to Belgium.

    We had a great run back to Limal with very little traffic to contend with. Brigitte was going to cook but I suggested we eat out, so we returned to Brasserie Martine where we had moules- something I had been hanging out for. I also had tiramisu with speculoos for dessert which was fabulous and I am back to drinking a Ristretto as the coffee with milk is too inconsistent re flavour.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Stunning sunrise
    Emma, Brigitte and LucLunch venueEmma, granddaughter of Brigitte & LucSpaghetti VongaleVeal al la MilaneseVeal with champignons and ham in a cream sauceRisotto with scampi & courgettesBeautiful Emma, she is such a sweet young ladyMarscapone with SpeculoosCrème BrûléeMousse ChocolatLac de GenvalAutumn colours everywhereEmma and I

    Sunday Lunch

    23 octobre 2022, Belgique ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This morning we woke to a beautiful sunrise - absolutely stunning. We then had a nice relaxing morning before heading off for lunch with Luc and Emma. Stéphane wasn’t feeling well so it was just the four of us.

    We went to an Italian Restaurant, La Fontanells for lunch which was fabulous. Everyone was very happy with their choice and we even had room for dessert. Following lunch we went for a stroll around part of the lake, which really assisted digestion.

    The rest of the day will be a relaxing one with Brigitte and I preparing for our trip to Copenhagen.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Brussels Airport
    Glass of wine as we await our flightGetting ready to board, not sure why Brigitte is pulling such a facePretty clear skies and relaxing flight ( the gin and wine probably helped)In flight drinksWelcome ro Copenhagen2Not a place for either of usOur apartment building, we are on the 3rd floor.Our lounge roomDining roomKitchenBathroom2One of the two bedroomsLe Pavé for a sumptious dinnerFabulous Pinot from BeauneCoq au Vin - enough for 3 people, but bloody deliciousMash to die for- bit I don't want to know how much butter was usedFried Turbot with vegetablesHappy dinerSatisfied customer

    Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen

    24 octobre 2022, Danemark ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today we head north to Copenhagen. Gui has kindly offered to drive us to the airport. We arrived with plenty of time as it is the start of the school holidays for the Walloons and so the airport was pretty busy. Having said that the check-in was smooth and quick as was clearing security. Once through to the other side we did a bit of window shopping and we stopped to have a wine as we still had about an hour to kill before boarding.

    Finally, we were on our way and on time. The predicted bad weather hasn’t eventuated and so we have a fairly easy flight up to Copenhagen. We catch a taxi to our apartment which is in the very heart of the city. Our host Anna is here to greet us, and luckily she is fit and young enough to assist with our luggage as we are on the 3rd floor and the stairs are steep and shallow. The apartment is wonderful, a combination of old world style and architecture combined with some modern amenities.

    After settling in we walk around to a wonderful square that is full of restaurants, we are spoiled for choice. We decide on a French place Le Pavé, which looks really good and has a table for us. Brigitte orders the fried Turbot and I decide on the Coq au Vin which comes with the most delicious mashed potatoes I have ever had and we have a bottle of Pinot Noir to accompany the meal. It is an absolutely delicious meal but the servings are so generous there is no possibility of dessert or coffee.

    We then head back around the corner to our apartment and get a pretty early night as it has been a big day.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Outside City Hall
    Town HallLovely architectureLove this building it is in our streetThis store is called Søstrene Grenes and it is an amazing store filled with so many wonderful thingsChurch of the Holy GhostLovely detail outside a churchRoyal Copenhagen Flagship storeHøjbro PladsOutside Royal CopenhagenLovely building on Nikolaj PladsStork Fountain on AmagertorvHøjbro PladsOne of the many canalsA candidte in the upcoming election - this Sunday- he would have my vote!Danielle's Smørrebrød - the house specialBrigitte's Croque Madame

    Wandering about Copenhagen

    25 octobre 2022, Danemark ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    We both woke up around 8am this morning, this is quite the sleep in for me! Since we had no breakfast supplies I decided to head out in search of a supermarket. Didn’t have much success but I did locate a 7 Eleven where I could get fresh milk and then a fabulous bakery where I got a latte, bread, cheese, yoghurt and a cinnamon roll (delicious). I think I will get my coffee from there every morning.

    Once we were fed, watered and dressed we headed out and just decided to wander to see what we would see. Before long we were in a wonderful mall that is only for pedestrians and cyclists - there are a lot of cyclists and many of them ride very fast! So you have to remain alert at all times.

    During our meanderings we saw some wonderful architecture, some nice churches and lots of nice and interesting stores. All that walking made us hungry so we stopped for lunch at Seagulls, a traditional Danish restaurant which was run by a lovely young man.

    Brigitte ordered a Croque Madame and I ordered an open sandwich, the Danes call it a Smørrebrød and they were both fabulous. We had a glass of Aussie Shiraz (McGuigan) with it.
    I finished the meal off with an espresso. There was the offer of home made cake but we were both too full.

    After lunch we participated in some retail therapy- some supplies for dinner and some items to just make us happy - clothes and Christmas decorations. We also did a bit more sightseeing later in the afternoon.

    We had a lovely dinner of cheese, salami, bread and wine for dinner. Again, we are getting a relatively early night. Tomorrow we plan to the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK) to see a Matisse exhibition, which I am really looking forward to.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Church of the Holy Ghost main entrance
    Christmas WishesRoyal Danish TheatreAmargertorv 1FPrince Eugebex tyNikolaj Plads 10CStanding next to a model of the tallest man in the world at 2.72 metres3Fabulous Christmas storePreparing for Hallowe'enThis is a bar in a lovely square where tou can leave your hysband and go and shop in peace!Nytorv - a public squareJock's PassageShingle for Luke's Rock, Metal & Whiskey Bar2Gammeltorv - the oldest square in Copenhagen

    More photos from our first full day

    25 octobre 2022, Danemark ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We decided to go for another walk before it got dark and I am just including some more snaps from our wanderings.

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Great organic bakery
    My favourite - cinnamon rollsBeautiful streetsThis building is from 1733 and is now apartmentsStreet ArtLovely statueRundetaarn, the Round Tower, formerly Stellaburgis HafniensBeautiful floral arrangements everywhereThis is my type of bike, includes a bottle of wine!Kings ParkRosenborg Castle which is a renaissance castleSwan being strangledBeautiful autumnal coloursLove thisA place to get good coffee

    More beautiful areas of Copenhagen

    26 octobre 2022, Danemark ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    I have become very fond of the coffee and cinnamon rolls from Emery’s, a great organic bakery just around the corner from our apartment. So this morning I headed about before 8am to pick up coffee and pastries. We had a slow start today as we are heading to the SMK - Danish Art Gallery, to see the Henri Matisse exhibition. With the recent spate of vandalism regarding art work the security for seeing the exhibition was OTT - they measured my small bag and said it was 2 cm too high and I had to return to the cloak room and put it in our locker!

    Anyway I am jumping ahead, it was about a 20 minute walk to the gallery and I chose a different route so that we could see some other areas of Copenhagen we had previously not seen. We had a lovely walk and we passed some beautiful historic buildings as well as interesting shops. We also walked across Kings Park to get to the SMK. The park is very well maintained and full of beautiful trees turning red and gold, just stunning.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    The Red StudioNude With White ScarfStudy Nude, destroyed upon Matisse's death as per his instructions,Corsica, the Old Mill (1898)Young Sailor (1906)Cyclamen (1911)Bathers(1907)Le Luxe (1907-1908)Jeanette, Bronze (1911)Cecorative Figure (1908)Studio under the Eaves (1903)Still Life with Geraniums (1910)Nasturtiums with the Painting "Dance"Goldfish and SculptureLarge Red InteriorHenri Matisse in his studio in 1909 by Henri Manuel

    The Matisse Exhibition

    26 octobre 2022, Danemark ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    The exhibition was great. The Red Studio, painted in 1911 by Henri Matisse would prove a landmark for Matisse himself and for subsequent generations of artists. The painting depicts a section of Matisse’s studio, including eleven of his own artworks dating from the preceding thirteen years. At a late stage of the process, Matisse chose to cover two-thirds of the canvas in a distinctive red colour. This was one of the most complex experiments of Matisse’s career. The Red Studio came to serve as a proving ground for his radical rethinking of modern painting.

    The exhibition has The Red Studio as its focal point and unpacks the history of the picture. It reassembles the group of artworks portrayed in the painting, and studies the meaning of each individual piece. The artworks are united here for the first time in more than 100 years, as they all left the artist’s studio not long after the painting was completed. The exhibition also delves into the background of the painting’s genesis, the artist’s uncertainties about what he had done and the lack of interest displayed by his contemporaries. Almost 40 years would pass by before The Red Studio finally found its place in history as one of Matisse’s most significant works. It is now considered a milestone in twentieth-century painting.

    Today, The Red Studio belongs to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York and is a cornerstone of the museum’s collection, while three of the works depicted in the painting belong to SMK - the exhibition was created in a close collaboration between the two museums. It as a great exhibition that exposed much more of Henri Matisse’s development as an artist.    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Gate into Kings ParkRestaurant Segall'sCheers with an Aussie ShirazWe both had the Roast BeefWhite chocolate and raspberry brownieChocolate cake - homemade and deliciousEspresso to help with digestionCute 3 wheeled carChurch that has been partially converted into a restaurantAnother cute 3 wheeled car which was a mobile coffee shopMore artGreat vintage storeThis city has definitely embrac d the bicycle

    Segalls for lunch again

    26 octobre 2022, Danemark ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After a busy morning looking at art we had built up a healthy appetite. As we weren’t too far from Segall’s where we had lunch yesterday we decided to return and try another of their Smørrebrød (open sandwiches).

    This time we both went for the roast beef, which was delicious but no where near as generous as what we had ordered the previous day. We will return there again before we leave as I need to experience their Croque Madame, which Brigitte claims is the best she has ever had! Quite a claim, so now I need to do the research too!

    We even were able to fit in cake and an espresso after our Smørrebrød today.

    I have been wanting to post some postcards but haven’t seen a mailbox until today. We took a different route back to our apartment and discovered some more interesting sites and stores!    En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur

    More exploring in our Hood

    26 octobre 2022, Danemark ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We decided we had enough energy to explore the local hood a little more this afternoon. We found this amazing pottery store where you can see the craftsman at the pottery wheel, painting, glazing, firing and also doing some glass blowing. Then you can buy their products. Today we just watched the artists at work but I will be returning as a few (small) pieces definitely caught my eye.En savoir plus

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  • Danielle and Co travelsFrance 2022Voyageur
    Brigitte chose a Pinot NoirI chose a NebbioloBaba ganoushComté goes so well with wine

    Time for a Wine

    26 octobre 2022, Danemark ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    While wandering around the neighbourhood we also spied a rather nice looking wine bar. We thought it would be good to support the local businesses in the area so we went in for a pre-dinner drink and a snack. It was very nice indeed, although Brigitte was a little shocked at the mark up on the wines, as I frequent wine bars in Melbourne it seemed reasonable to me, but I appreciate this is a new thing for her and Copenhagen has a reputation for being pricey. I must say everywhere else we have been for meals and drinks has been very reasonable.

    It was still very enjoyable and the snacks were delicious and ridiculously cheap!    En savoir plus

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