Travel another way

Belgium is a land of painters. Famous artists  (Bruegel, Van Eyck, Rubens, Memling, James Ensor, Magritte…) are Belgian. Here are 3 different cities to illustrate 3 painting styles.

BRUGES AND THE FLEMISH PRIMITIVES

The technique of the oil painting was invented in Bruges, the romantic  Belgian  town built on the water, where many artists lived in the heart of the wealthiest 15th century communauty.

Bruges is associated to the Flemish Primitives (such as Van Eyck) which refer to the painting school and the painting style of the Southern Netherlands (now Belgium) in the 15th century. The name only started to be used in the 19th century. The name ‘Flemish’ (adjective for Flanders, the area running from Northern France to the Southern Netherlands) is used to cover the entire group of 15th century painters living in Bruges and its surrounding area. The word Primitive only mean they were the first to use new painting techniques, which were far from being primitive!

• In Bruge, visit the Groeninge Museum, with its collection of paintings from the 14th to the 20 th century (mainly by artists who lived in the Bruges area ) : Van Eyck, Memling, Pieter Bruegel…

    Horse carriage in Bruges  by Sonja Hamilton                          Medieval houses by canals in Bruges

© Photo Credit: Painting by Sonja Hamilton SWA

OSTENDE AND MODERN PRECURSOR JAMES ENSOR

Ostende was the Queen of the Belgian seashore resorts in the second half  of the 19th century. King Leopold II transformed the little fisherman port into a prestigious aristocratic town – eclectic and cosmopolitan.

Marine painters found there a perfect subject for their plein air vignettes.

However, Ostende is mainly associated to James Ensor, the impressionist painter who dared to use avant-garde expressionist effects in his work, which resulted in the fact that he was never well-accepted during his lifetime. He also enjoyed depicting his contemporaries in a very critical way (grotesque masks, snares …) which alienated him from the general public. He is now seen as a major precursor of modern painting and his work is displayed in major museums (Getty museum of California for instance).

• In Ostende, visit the James Ensor House; it does not contain any of his work but it shows the  bizarre   environment in which Ensor lived and worked for the last 32 years of his life. The place is crammed with objects he used as models in his colorful paintings.

BRUSSELS AND SURREALIST MAGRITTE

Brussels is an art laboratory. While walking around the city, you are constantly facing architectural splendors (sometimes horrors, I have to admit): Art Nouveau buildings, medieval shops, gothic facades , next to the ugliest 20th century condominums or the impressive glass building of the European Parliament. The king Palace is neo-classic but the nearby cafés and restaurants boast the most high-tech deco ! To put it in a nutshell, Belgian are daring and crazy when it comes to architecture.

As for painting, you do not need to enter a museum to admire beautiful murals: the city is the capital of comic strips, and you will meet many comic heroes on the walls of Brussels

But if you are not keen on Comics, and do not wish to visit the Comic Strip center, Brussels has many art museums, and the New Magritte museum is to open on June 2, 2009; you can also visit the old Rene Magritte museum (his house in Brussels) which is a different museum.

For more Magritte information, read our previous article dated January 5, 2009.

Painting tours and cultural tours are offered in these three cities with French Escapade.

Links (click on title):

• Painting tours and cultural tours in Belgium 
• Artists giving painting workshops in Belgium: Sonja Hamilton, Sandy Delehanty.
• More information about the Flemish Primitives
• Facebook Magritte Fan Page

Videos (click on title):

• Van Eyck, slide show
• Theo Van Rysselberghe, Belgian pointillist painter (slide show)
• Leon Spilliaert, “Silences”, movie about Spilliaert’s paintings in Ostende (movie)
• René Magritte, slide show
• The dreamer, a tribute to René Magritte, animated film.

   2 views of the city in February: one from Corona Heights and the other from Nobhill .

San Francisco is an endless source of entertainments: top-notch shows, fine dining experiences, national events and amazing places to discover. Open any tourist information guides or surf the net, and you will find tons of things to do in San Francisco. But do they tell you  everything ? Not really!

Many delighful places are well-kept secrets by locals. If you want to discover the city and its surroundings in depth, it  means that you really have a “French Escapade” spirit: travelling to meet locals and  get authentic experiences .

Of course, when I have guests in San Francisco, they always get a thorough tour of the city, with all the historical background they can handle: they cannot leave without  seeing the Golden Gate bridge, walking on the Piers, strolling in Chinatown, biking in the Golden Gate park or going to a show.

But that wouldn’t be enough to feel like you have had a unique experience. So follow me!

                  Jackie, your San Francisco guide on French Escapade Tours in California.

Here are some of our favourite special outings:

• Spend an afternoon at the Kabuki bathhouse in Japan Town: the ambiance is utterly relaxing, the massages exquisite and the whole atmosphere will regenerate your energy for weeks ! Great staff too!
• Cross the Bay Bridge for a Soul food experience in Oakland; a few blocks away from the London’s Square, you will find Nellie’s soul food restaurant. Good food, very nice welcoming staff .
• Attend a sing-along show at the Castro theater. Not only the place is a unique architectural building (read post from February 2, 2009) but the audience at the Castro theater (both adults and children) are wonderful! Their interaction with the movies in sing-alongs is a source of a real pleasure. I never want to miss a show!
• Visit my favourite giftshop, far away from main tourist traps. It is located at the foot of the Golden Gate bridge, at the end of Crissy Fields, out of reach of big chartered buses. They serve snacks and coffee, have many picnic tables around the shop with a breathtaling view of the bridge and the city.
• For a good little urban hike, I suggest walking from the Castro district all the way up to Corona Heights. Great view of the city and the financial district! Then, if you have the right itinerary, you will be able to walk down flights of stairs, along beautiful gardens and hide-away mansions.
• Our second favorite hike is along the cliffs between  Lincoln Park and the Presidio, with spectacular  views of the Golden Gate bridge and the Pacific ocean. Very gentle hike all the way to China Beach.
• If you want to discover Chinatown with a genuine flavour, avoid Grant Avenue and walk up Stockton instead, along the well-stocked grocery stalls displaying the weirdest roots. Do not hesitate to visit a Chinese herb stores offering  the wildest drugs meticulously sorted out in im pressive rows of drawers and jars. A visit at the Chinese cookie factory can also be a fun experience.

                          Some goods displayed at a Chinese grocery store in Broadway

• I could go on and on, but I will finish this top-8 chart, with Pacific Grove, a wonderful place to escape the busy city life. My friends Carmen and Candice introduced me to this peaceful town next to Monterey, and if you are looking for a perfect hide-away, that’s a great place to go to !

                         Inns along the coast in Pacific Grove, with romantic view on the ocean.

Useful links:

• Tours in San Francisco
• Map of San Francisco

Videos:

• Children in Chinatown
• Herb store in Chinatown 
• Kabuki spa in Japantown

Photo credits: French Escapade (except for the 2 pictures about the Castro Theater)

February is the month of parades and carnivals in France and Belgium. France can brag about Nice that hosts the most elaborated parade of floats on the French Riviera. But Belgium offers the most animated festivities for the lucky visitors who will attend the craziest carnival parades.

In Binche, Province of Hainaut, from Feb. 22 to 24, the most famous Belgian Carnival will attract thousands of people. The Gilles giants will parade in the streets, throwing oranges,  with drums resounding all around them. Fireworks will end the days, on Monday and Tuesday.

But who are the Gilles? They are the local Carnival characters, and have been around since the 14th century. They are impressive by their height and typical costume stuffed with hay and decorated with jingle bells around their waist. Their feathered headdress is 4 feet tall and can weigh 7 pounds. The costumes matching the colors of the Belgian flag (black, red and yellow) are new every year.

Eight hundred Gilles are walking every year in the Binche parade, and this event has been  listed on the  Unesco Heritage list, since 2003, as an ” oral and intangible patrimony of humanity”.

The Binche carnival is serious merrymaking and pageantry at its finest.

Videos

• Band playing in the streets
• Giants throwing oranges
• Street party at night

Links

• official website of the Binche Carnival
• Travel : Tours in Belgium

It all started on Monday, Feb.2, with the opening ceremony, and will last until Feb. 15, after a total of 11 events: downhill, super G, giant slaloms and slaloms and super combined, all in men and women categories, plus the Nations Cup race.

The first World championship took place in Mürren, Switzerland in 1931. France will host the event for the third time , after Chamonix in 1937 and 1962. This event is held every 2 years and is the major event on the FIS calendar.

From January to March, several places will held skiing events for the World championships, but Val d’Isere has been the chosen location for Alpine skiing. Snowboarding will take place in Korea, Nordic skiing in the Czech Republic and freestyle in Japan.

This year is a very special one as it is the last big event before the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Bode Miller is the US favourite and the most famous man in the race, but a total of 17 American athletes will attend.

The 2009 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Team for the USA:
Men
Jimmy Cochran (05/29/81, Keene, NH) * **
Erik Fisher (03/21/85, Middleton, ID)
Tim Jitloff (01/11/85, Reno, NV) *
Ted Ligety (08/31/84, Park City, UT) * **
Bode Miller (10/12/77, Franconia, NH) * **
Steven Nyman (02/12/82, Provo, UT) * **
Marco Sullivan (04/27/80, Squaw Valley, CA) * **
Andrew Weibrecht (02/10/86, Lake Placid, NY)
Jake Zamansky (06/26/81, Park City, UT)
Women
Stacey Cook (07/03/84, Mammoth, CA)* **
Hailey Duke (09/17/85, Boise, ID)
Julia Mancuso (03/09/84, Olympic Valley, CA) * **
Chelsea Marshall (08/14/86, Pittsfield, VT)
Megan McJames (09/24/87, Park City, UT)
Sarah Schleper (02/19/79, Vail, CO) * **
Resi Stiegler (11/14/85, Jackson Hole, WY)* **
Lindsey Vonn (10/18/84, Vail, CO) * **
* Past World Championships Team member
** Past Olympian

Watch out for the Belgian team though … :) !!!!!! Just kidding. There is no Belgian team , of course!

For more details, visit the official website of the World Ski Championships of Val d’Isere

For traveling  in France, visit  www.frenchescapade.com

On our Belle France trip, you spend one day in Chamonix and at the Sea of Ice glacier (you actually walk inside the glacier)

The Castro Theatre was built in 1910, and originally  located at 479 Castro Street . In the mid 1920s, a  larger Castro Theater was built at 429 Castro Street, its current location, only a few doors up from the original theatre. Its facade was ornated in the   Spanish Colonial Baroque style , just like the basilica in Mission Dolores.

The architect in charge was Timothy L.Pflueger who also worked on Oakland’s Paramount theater, among others.

It officially opened to the public on 23 June 1922, showing the Paramount release Across the Continent (1922), starring Wallace Reid.

Today, movies are still played at the Castro theater, but special events are real treats, such as sing-alongs , festivals and concerts, as well as charity events that are taking place there from time to time. The interior decoration and the Wurlitzer pipe organ  played on special events give the whole atmosphere an exquisite ambiance and make you travel back in time.

In January 2008, when Gus Van Sant shot his movie Milk, dedicated to the memory of Harvey Milk, assassinated in San Francisco in  , the neon lights were renovated on the theater’s marquee , and the facade  repainted.

Yearly  events:

• Noir City: the Film Noir festival(Jan-Feb)
• San Francisco International film festival (Ap-May)
• the Asian American film festival (March)
• Berlin and beyond: German film festival (Jan)
• San Francisco Jewish festival (Feb)
• Shock it to me:  Classic horror film festival ( Oct)
• and more….

Current programming:

• Noir City 7 (black and white movies)

Coming soon:

• February 6: Midnites for Maniacs
• February 7: Scary Cow Festival
• February 15-26: Milk
• February 27-March 5: Amarcord
• March 23: Petula Clark
• April 8 – 13: Mamamia sing-long (I’ll be there ! I love sing-alongs and Abba! What a treat!)

For more details, visit http://www.castrotheatre.com/index.html

Videos:

• Interviews for the 85th anniversary of the theater
• The Wurlitzer pipe organ