Summer Greetings!

It’s cool and foggy here in San Francisco, which is typical summer weather – unlike the heat wave raging through Europe as I write. We started out in a chilly, wet spring in Northern Europe. I adore spring flowers and most of all, lilacs, which were in full bloom. As we headed south and the month wore on, the heat took over and continued to rise to an intense dry heat along the Costa Brava. It’s hard to pack for spring trips.

As usual, Barbie (aka Babs II) traveled with us. She always wears the same thing.

WHAT’S IN MY JUNE BLOG?

I’ve posted a bunch of slideshows (I love slideshows in the old school way) with just a little text. I suggest you look at one location, then come back later to savor a virtual travel experience. We were on the go for four weeks. We landed in Amsterdam, flew to Prague, then flew to Venice and Verona. We concluded our trip in Spain with visits to Pollenca, Mallorca and our old hometown, Girona and the Costa Brava.

It’s wonderful to have a chance to reconnect with so many long-time friends. It’s interesting to see our family in Italy (where Jack’s nephew and his family live) instead of gathering in the USA.

Plus, it’s just a relief to be out of the USA for awhile. People we talked with seemed to understand this.

It’s comfortable to return to familiar places in Europe but also to add a new place to love – this time it was Prague.

Day 1: Babs II on the sill in Amsterdam overlooking a canal.

ARRIVAL: AMSTERDAM

Peonies, wisteria, and late tulips were also in full bloom! It rained so much on this trip. Everything was verdant.

We stayed in the Museum District overlooking a canal, an easy walk to The Rijksmuseum, whose 10-year long renovation was stupendous. Their permanent collection, which includes a great many Rembrandts and a huge collection of top-shelf decorative arts, is accompanied by insightful descriptions that provide impressive historical context. I’d last visited “the old Rijksmuseum” as a teenager.

Oddly, the Van Gogh Museum (relatively new) was a tad disappointing. Their descriptions (I’ve taken to reading more at museums these days) of Van Gogh’s life, mental state, and his work are terribly over-simplified, as if created for small children.

It was delightful to catch up with our old pal, Michel, a Belgian friend we knew from his Oakland tenure and who has been living in Amsterdam for a long time. We also enjoyed having him as our local guide and he kept us from getting hit by the bustling, confusing bicycle traffic.

But why is white asparagus such a big deal in Europe? It’s grown underground!

FIRST TIME IN PRAGUE

Romantic Prague is a magnificent city, steeped in over a thousand years of history. As a native Pittsburgher, I love a place built along rivers with lots of bridges surrounded by lush, hilly parks. The architecture is decorative and fanciful – with much of it rebuilt in 1907.

There is a significant Jewish history to explore in Prague, as well as the fantastic castle and churches. This was my first venture into Central Europe. My ancestry is from Poland so next time I plan venture farther east.

We spent our week in Prague with our buddy, the artist Diana Howard, who has been living in France for some time since she moved from The Bay. It’s impressive how well she documents her trips with a beautifully written and illustrated travel blog: https://dianahoward.com/prague/.

We got around this big city fairly easily and very cheaply, since we could hop on and off the buses and trams (as seniors) at no charge. There are good cafes, bars (it’s the land of Absinthe), great local beers, wonderful homemade sauerkraut, and excellent beef goulash.

We hired a local guide to show us around Prague’s famous “Jewish Town”. Somewhat unsatisfied with that, we took ourselves through the all too poignant Jewish cemeteries and synagogues. We enjoyed a delicious Kosher restaurant there. In the 1930s and just prior to World War II, Prague was a major European Jewish hub with a flourishing community of roughly 35,000 to 92,000 Jews. Now there are under 2000.

We toured Prague Castle, dating back to the 9th century, it is the largest ancient castle complex in the world. Fantastic! The vast grounds encompass a breathtaking mix of Gothic and Romanesque palaces, historic churches, vibrant terraced gardens, and the colorful, medieval Golden Lane.

We investigated a surprisingly thorough Museum of Communism where I wished we had more time. We spent time at the impressive DOX Contemporary Art Center, which featured an extensive William Kentridge exhibition including work from his operatic ballet that we’d seen in Berkeley, “The Battle Between Yes and No”.

JUST TOO MUCH TO SEE

VENICE = ART = LOVE

We built our trip around a family event in Verona. But we were close to Venice, so we had to go to the 61st Venice Biennale (Biennale Arte 2026), which is titled In Minor Keys and was curated by the late Koyo Kouoh. This year it is quite political and controversial. As a result, it was less crowded and the city was not quite as full to bursting as in previous years. Still, we could not possibly see it all. Spain happened to be one of my favorite pavilions: multiple rooms filled with floor to ceiling postcards arranged by color and subject. “Brilliant” says the artist once known as “The Postcard Lady”.

We were able to get to a few peripheral venues. We visited a jewel-box glass museum and saw huge outdoor installations and an exhibit of work by Dale Chihuly, who says he “learned it all in Venice”. I will be forever grateful for having the chance to see the stunning museum retrospective of Jenny Saville’s figure paintings. I was thrilled that we made it to the intimate and impressive museum exhibition of George Baselitz’ last nudes, a series of enormous paintings of himself and his wife, all upside down.

Popping all over the place in Venetian vaporettos (water taxis), often through heavy rain, we criss-crossed the city many times. Luckily our canal-side hotel was close to a vaporetto stop. Over dinners we kept meeting new people who just happened to be sitting next to us. It seemed like everyone wanted to have a conversation.

VENICE TO VERONA

It’s complicated to get from Prague to Venice, Venice to Verona, and Verona to Mallorca. But it all went rather smoothly. It was fun as always to stay with our SF friend Fred (also in Europe for an extended visit) while attending our family events in Verona. He booked us into a performance artist’s groovy apartment in the Old Quarter of the city.

CHARMING MALLORCA

Mallorca is a haven for international cyclists. It’s in the Ballearic Islands and part of Catalonia. This was our second visit to our pal Tina, who moved from Spain to Napa and is now happily ensconced in Pollenca, Mallorca. Another friend joined us from London. Together we toured Palma, checked out markets, just hung out, and cooked at Tina’s house. We enjoyed the lovely Mallorcan beaches, and soaked up some much-needed sun.

FINALE IN GIRONA / COSTA BRAVA

We moved ourselves to Girona 20 years ago, from 2004-2006, on a self-made sabbatical of sorts. The region has changed a lot with tourism, cyclists, and there’s increased immigration from S. America, Africa, and other parts of Europe.

Some of our friends’ kids are grown and there are grandchildren in the mix. Prices have risen sharply, but it’s still reasonable compared to the USA. The month of May is such a wonderful time to visit the warm Costa Brava beaches and eat seafood. Tourist season begins in June. It was lovely to spend our last week re-visiting our favorite people and places.

I always like the idea of our spring trip, and to build a visit around a family event (a Bat Mitzvah in this case) and to explore a new city, Prague, spending time with old friends, and looking at a ton of incredible art – this time including The Venice Biennale. But by the end of the month we were ready to get home. When we are in SF, we work on our projects and our practices. And spend time with our senior cat, Nigel.

OYSTERS IN FRANCE

On one of our last days we drove north to France with our dear friends Anna and Miquel. They took us to a town that is famous for fishing and harvesting fresh seafood. Folks come from all over to eat oysters and sip delicious local white wine.

JUNE IN SF

What a whirlwind return to The Bay! House guests, dinners, day trips (Sebastopol, Petaluma, Point Reyes Station, Bolinas, Santa Cruz), museum, gallery, and open studio visits, book club, walks in “my places” – The Rose Garden and Golden Gate Park. Of course there’s catching up with friends!

Today I witnessed the famous Corpse Flower (because it’s stinky) blooming only every few years at Golden Gate Park’s Flower Conservatory!

AND MY BIG NEWS: A SOLO SHOW

“Thin Skin: Life’s Layers” - A solo show of my series “Women and Nature”, Black & White Projects Gallery, Pacific Felt Factory (SF), Aug-Oct 2026

RECEPTION: SAT, AUG 8, 2-5 PM | ARTIST’S TALK: SAT, SEPT 19, 2-5 PM | CLOSING PARTY: SAT, OCT 24, 2-5 PM | RSVP: srkirshenbaum@gmail.com

GROUP SHOW

“GREEN” – Juried group exhibition, Arc Gallery (SF), presented by NCWCA | Reception July 26, from 7-9pm | Artist's Talk Aug 13, 7-8pm | Curatorial Tour Aug 16, 1:30-3:30 | July 26-Aug 22

OPEN STUDIOS

Art Explosion Fall Open Studios – Sept 11-13, 744 Alabama St (I’m in #209), Fri 7-10pm, Sat & Sun Noon-5pm

Artspan Open Studios – Oct 3-4, Art Explosion, 744 Alabama St (#209), Sat & Sun Noon-5pm

SAVE THE DATES

The Marigold Project’s Day of the Dead Celebration – Sun, Nov 1, https://www.dayofthedeadsf.org/festival-of-altars, Join us! B&W Projects will be there building our cool altar.

Art Explosion’s Winter Holiday Celebration & Sale – Dec 13, 12-5pm, 744 Alabama St (#209)

PS

I post my latest art, photos, and event updates on BOTH Instagram and Facebook (I have 2 pages: personal & art).
https://linktr.ee/SusanRKirshenbaum
You can order my print-on-demand art merchandise on Redbubble, where I am always adding new art.
All of my art work is for sale on this website and at my studio by appointment.
AFFILIATIONS
Board of Directors, Professional Development Chair, Northern California Women's Caucus for Art (NCWCA), Founding Artist Member, The Invisibility Collective | Art Consultant, Wessling Contemporary Gallery, Member, Black & White Project Galleries