On my social media I tend to show the tip of the iceberg. Being a tour guide hides many challenges that are not often taken into account and, therefore, less visible. I have to underline the fact that there are different tour guide profiles and many ways to do this job, so I just got…
Amsterdam by night
Between guided tours and study trips, I had the chance to visit the renowned Vermeer exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which was amazing. This was possible thanks to the evening opening of the exhibition. After this wonderful experience I walked to the Central Station, enjoying a great evening atmosphere.
The tip of the iceberg…of being a tour guide!
Would you like to learn what tour guides don’t usually share? I’m talking about the hidden part of the iceberg! Let me know and I’ll post it next week. A good amount of scientific research is focused on the aspects I mention. This post is just a very informal way of sharing with you what…
The man at the window
Have you ever stayed by your window, observing what’s happening outside? This is what “the man at the window” is doing. The painter, Henri de Braekeleer, not only depicts a man contemplating what’s outside of the window but also evokes his inner state, without even showing his face. While this man stood in apparent solitude…
The Grand’Place, Chimay
I took this picture last summer, after a chess game and a fresh beer. This place evokes in me many nice memories. In 2016 I participated in a Belgian TV program together with my colleague and friend Raffaela and we climbed the tower for the shootings. On that occasion, I even tried playing the carillon for a moment (luckily for the…
Every detail counts
In Art Nouveau…every detail counts! When you visit an Art Nouveau building or admire its façade from the outside, there’s nothing better than focusing on the details conceived by the architect, for example, door handles and ironworks at the entrance. Can you recognize the buildings in the picture by their details?
A collector’s cabinet
An entire collection of valuable possessions in just one painting? That’s possible in the “Collector’s cabinet”, painted by Frans Francken II in 1619 and currently displayed in the KMSKA in Antwerp. In just one painting you can find drawings, paintings, coins, flowers, and exotic shells. If you look closely, you can discover many interesting details….
🌜Mechelen by night!
A nice memory from an evening walk in Mechelen. I took this picture at the Grote Markt, the main square. You can see the tower of the St. Rumbold’s Cathedral and the buildings next to it.The first on the left is the Beyaert Town House, currently hosting the post office. Not many people around and…
The Ciamberlani mansion
It is one of the most remarkable buildings of the Art Nouveau heritage in Brussels, located in rue Defacqz 48, 1050 Ixelles.Built by the notorious architect Paul Hankar in 1897, it is conceived at the behest of the mother of Albert Ciamberlani, a symbolist painter. The decorations were designed by Ciamberlani himself and carried out…
Fountain with kneeling youths
Five identical figures around the top of a water basin. It’s “Fountain with kneeling youths, designed by George Minne in 1898.The artwork is part of the collection of MSK museum in Ghent, the same city in which the artist himself was born. Despite the white color and the plainness of the artwork, the figure group…
Sara tour guide in Belgium 