Malaysia 2024

Wednesday23October

Scheduled takeoff from Nantes: 5:20 PM. Actual takeoff: 7:40 PM! Argh! A 2h20 delay that will make us miss our connection to Malaysia in Amsterdam! The replacement flight will only be two days later... Too bad, these are the hazards of long-distance travel! We will therefore take advantage of this interlude to visit this capital of which I only knew the airport.

Thursday24October

The first day will be largely spent at the airport trying to get a new flight... Once the new tickets in hand, we reach the center of Amsterdam for a small walk along its canals.

On the right, the Anne Frank House where she hid with her family during World War II. The museum is set up in the former secret hiding place, called the "Secret Annex". It is there that Anne Frank wrote her famous diary.

The trip to Malaysia not having started yet, I travel light without my camera, so it is with my phone that I take the photos.

The tower of the Westerkerk, called Westertoren, and its bell tower of 85 meters high.

The Homomonument, a 1987 memorial dedicated to the fight against the oppression of LGBTQ people. Its pink triangle design recalls the Nazi symbol used to identify homosexuals in concentration camps.

The Oude Kerk, the oldest church in the city.

The Majoor Bosshardtbrug, bridge honoring Alida Bosshardt, nicknamed "Majoor Bosshardt", an activist of the Leger des Heils (Salvation Army) recognized for her commitment to vulnerable populations in the neighborhood.

Passage through the inevitable Wallen district, better known as the red light district with its prostitution windows and other sex shops and coffee shops selling cannabis.

The statue of Alida Bosshardt sitting on her bench.

The Royal Palace on Dam Square.

Friday25October

And it is already the second and last Dutch day that begins. Our plane takes off at 9:25 PM, this leaves us the whole day to still enjoy the Venice of the North.

And what better than a little cruise to enjoy the canals, especially since the sun is out!

Passing at the foot of the Montelbaanstoren, a tower built in 1516 and which initially served as a watchtower and defense tower.

We chain the arched bridges.

Return to the starting point in front of the central station.

The central station is located on an artificial island created by filling in canals consolidated by nearly 8687 wooden piles...

Amsterdam is inseparable from bicycles. And it is true, they are numerous! Here, the usual underground parking reserved for cars has left its place to a gigantic bicycle parking! It can accommodate 7,000 bicycles!  

The Magna Plaza shopping center. The former post office...

The tram rails; the bronze statue "Het Lieverdje" meaning "little love" in Dutch; and the shopping street Leidsestraat.

Lunch on the terrace of Café Mokum.

And before flying to Malaysia, we go to the museum dedicated to one of these most famous artists, Vincent Vang Gogh. If my first name is my first common point with the painter, the second is located at the level of the ears... I say no more, those who know me will understand...  

Here are some of his famous paintings that I took pictures of on site by cropping the work more or less.  

"Self-Portrait as a Painter" (1888) and "Self-Portrait with Straw Hat" (1887).

Vincent van Gogh painted many self-portraits to practice color and facial expressions.

The works exhibited in the museum are not all by Van Gogh. This "Old Woman from Drenthe" (1884) was painted by Anthon van Rappard, friend and correspondent of Van Gogh. "Les vieux officiers" (1884) by Jean-François Raffaëlli, artist also followed by Vincent Van Gogh.

Léon-Augustin Lhermitte with "Haymaking" (1882). Vincent van Gogh admired Lhermitte and his representation of rural life.

"The Potato Eaters" another painting by Van Gogh painted in April 1885 in Nuenen.

"Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat" (1887) where van Gogh explores pointillist techniques and the use of complementary colors using short and directional brushstrokes.

"Garden with Courting Couples: Square Saint-Pierre" (1887) by van Gogh. One of the largest canvases of the artist.

"Agostina Segatori Sitting in the Café du Tambourin" (1887), the owner of the cafe-restaurant frequented by Van Gogh.

The famous "Bedroom in Arles" (1888).

"Still Life: Vase with Fourteen Sunflowers" (1889) facing: "Digital Nature: Smartphones with Fourteen Tourists".  

"Landscape at Twilight" (1890) with the castle of Auvers-sur-Oise. "View of Auvers-sur-Oise" (1890). And "Tree Roots" (1890), probably the very last painting painted by van Gogh.

"The Ploughed Field (The Furrows)" (1888).

Pietà (after Delacroix) (1889) by Vincent van Gogh, an interpretation of a lithograph by Delacroix.

And finally, this "Lane of Poplars in Autumn" (1884) guides us towards the real goal of this trip, Malaysia and Singapore! In three hours, we will be in the air for twelve hours of travel to Kuala Lumpur.