haarlem.raphael.teylers

winter has creepily sneak in. you can feel it in the air last night. it's no longer the cozy comfy autumn air.  the cold air can be very fierce soon.

you went to haarlem.  a city not too far from amsterdam by you have never set your foot on this city except rare occasion where you have to transit in the train in your early years in lowland. it's only 5c but the dampness in the air makes it feel like close to freezing point...

 haarlem is an old city, almost like delft except the canal is a little wider and the cobble street is less crowded...

you're here a reason.  raphael in teylers museum.  a collaboration with albertina museum in vienna, austria.  either tyelers is a petite museum or the raphael exhibition has drawn the crowds here....

do not expect a lot of master piece from raphael since he's really more a fresco painter.  you found a lot of the sketches here interesting and learned that he never signed any of his sketches since his actual masterpieces are always on the ceiling, walls and fresco... and it is always interesting to learn how the big fresco painting is decomposed into small size sketches.  you saw the half drawn sketches for "the last supper". the painting we all know as the reknown piece of work from leonardo di vinci.  apparently raphael asked for too much and hence the work landed at leonardo's hadn.  the fact that he hardly signed any of his sketches, that leave a room for debate on whether those are his or from his students... the video shows the debate on the research...

 you adjourned to the next door, a rather famous cafe nobel for some late lunch...  you are close to getting a flu and so a high dose of vitamin c is what you needed... the cafe is decorated with the portraits of the various nobel prize winners in the history.... interesting setting.

 your churchil sandwich with two slices of brown bread, a bed of green and smoked salmon.  it's nothing extra ordinary, typical dutch cafe food, but the standard of the food is above average. it's nonetheless a good sandwich.

 his salad nicoise, with pieces of raw tuna... the tuna is fresh and he acclaims this a good plate of high quality salad...

 you walked to the old city center/square.  you passed this living room like restaurant. it's really cozy and warm in there

 and the chandelier reminds you of vienna, the city that you would like to go back again...

 the cathedral surrounded by shops and restaurants...

 a vintage shop with vintage leather suitcase... very nostalgic

 the architecture of the shop houses, resemble those houses squashed along the canal in amsterdam. but this city reminds you a little bit of munster...

 nice facet of the church...

the saturday market, the sights, the scenes and the scent of haarlem. you didn't stay too long, it's really cold out there.  haarlem, a good fix of educational art about raphael and the quick exploration of the old city.