Easter fun at the flower fields

Happiness can be from simple things in life such as a visit to the flower fields. That's what we did this Easter weekend with our little daughter Francesca and had so much fun just being surrounded by hundreds of thousands if not millions of blossoming tulips and hyacinths.

Snapshots of an autumn visit to Kasteel de Haar

Very close to Utrecht is this lovely 18th century fairytale castle which belongs to the Van Zuylen family. For the most part of the year, this castle is accessible to the public.

I would suggest a visit in autumn. The castle gardens are spectacular!

Activities which are scheduled for 2009 are the following:

1) Elves Fantasy Fair on 25-26 April 2009 - the biggest fantasy fair in Europe where visitors can come dressed as knights, elves, pirates, roman soldier, etc.

2) Italian Night at the Castle on 15-16 May 2009 - the stable will be transformed to Piazza Grande Festa for 2 Italian nights. Visitors can enjoy Italian spices and spirits as well as music from top Italian artists Alessandro Safina and Fiorenza Calogero.

3) The Flavors of Italy on 15-17 May 2009 - 3-day event where the castle's park and gardens will be the center of the biggest Italian event in the Netherlands.

One sunny spring day in Gouda

Various facets of Gouda

I've been into crossword puzzle at one point in my life that when I come across Dutch cheese, the answer will always be a choice between Edam or Gouda. I never thought that one day, I'll be at the place itself known the world over for its delightful cheeses. I've lived in Holland for over 10 years now but strangely enough, my trip to Gouda Thursday of last week was just the second time. I first visited this city with Siefko way back in the winter of 1998 and I remember how cold it was then. My visit now is the complete opposite with sunny spring weather. I had fun exploring the city and taking pictures.


Mediterranean delicatessen

Thursday was market day so the city square was filled with stalls selling everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to meat and poultry, seafoods, cheeses, fabrics, etc...I got sidetracked by the Mediterranean delicatessen stall and the engaging stall owner persuaded me to sample the olives and sun-dried tomatoes. Oh, they tasted so nice that in the end, I parted with Eur 15 for some of the nice stuffs to bring home to Siefko.

As I wandered through the city center, I was able to explore the Waag (Weigh House for cheese), bought some postcards but resisted the idea of buying cheese because I didn't like the idea of carrying it with me all the way home. Couldn't resist getting some "stroopwafels" to bring home though as I also learned that the best stroopwafels are from Gouda. Always nice to have at home to go with tea, hmmm...


Souvenir items


Gouda cheeses and chocolate eggs

Gouda is a lovely city and its city center is very pleasant to explore. The city hall (Stadhuis) is one of the finest example of Gothic architecture in the country. I intend to come back in the summer months on a Thursday to personally witness the cheese market conducted in the open, in the way that it has been carried out for centuries. Can be touristic but then why not? Gouda is about half an hour's train ride from Amersfoort. Not such a great distance, just like going to Amsterdam on a normal working day for me.

After the rain pictures taken with Nikon D60

Still learning the ropes on working with my new Nikon D60. Ventured outdoors today after the rain and came out with these pictures.

Practice shots with my Nikon D60

My Sony super steady shot camera finally had its swan song but I couldn't begrudge it for giving up on me after 5 years of devoted service. It's been a while since I contemplated of getting a new camera and finally, the guilt liberation to get a new one comes with the demise of the old. I'm still figuring out how this new gadget works but the practice shots I've made already looks satisfying to me. It's amazing to see the depth of field so vividly or the crisp and sharp quality of the pictures. I'm looking forward to more clicking pleasures in the days ahead.

A Filipina at Keukenhof

What happens when a Filipina is let loose at Keukenhof?
1) She poses at all nooks and corner.
2) She ignores the "Keep off the grass" sign if she wants to have that perfect pose among the tulips.
3) Dutch husband while nervous to be reprimanded by the park staff still yields in to the wife's photo shoot demands.
4) Dutch husband while reluctant to pose gives in provided the Filipina wife promises not to show these pictures to Dutch friends and relatives, ha, ha, ha.

Of all the times that I've been to Keukenhof, this was one time which I found to be the best. Weather was just great, summery temperature at about 25 degrees Celsius so the tulips just blossomed at high speed.

What's to see in Spain beyond Barcelona?

the Spanish countryside and me

Emerald lakes

Siefko on fields blanketed with spring blooms

Spanish countryside

Emerald waters cutting through sandstone mountains

Medieval town

a break from our drive way up the mountains

Mountain scenery

vineyard

countryside scenery

red poppies

countryside scenery

Pyrenees

a reminder to be on the lookout for the brown bear

Pyrenees

Pyrenees

Pyrenees

Pyrenees

Pyrenees

Pyrenees

Pyrenees

Medieval arch bridge

Medieval arch bridge

Besalu

Besalu

Besalu


Balaguer

Balaguer

At the grounds of Parador Tortosa

Beyond Barcelona, there's more of Spain to see. While I do love the hustle and bustle of a very cosmopolitan city, escaping to the peace and quiet of the countryside is also a welcome relief. On a trip to Spain in the spring of 2002, we decided to see more of Catalonia, headed for the Pyrenees and saw the Principality of Andorra on the side.

Flying to Barcelona via EasyJet, we leased a car from EasyJet at a very attractive deal which consisted of a big free mileage and very low daily rate plus a competitive rate per kilometer on the extra distance on top of the free mileage.

The nice thing about this trip was that we were able to combine arrangements for our stay with a night at the posh Parador Tortosa to staying at pension houses or small hotels in places where nightfall caught us up in our trip.

From Tortosa, we headed to Balaguer, a lovely town on the banks of the Segre River, a tributary of the Ebro River. The most prominent feature of this Catalan town was the church perched on the hilltop. This church illuminated on a cloudless night sky was a sight to behold.

Traveling through the Spanish countryside in spring was awesome. Sceneries that we passed by were simply spectacular -- rolling hills blanketed by spring blooms exploding in hues of reds, whites, yellows, and blues; gorges and mountains, emerald lakes and waterfalls. Oh, what a sight!

As we ascended the Pyrenees, the sights just became more and more astounding as the patches of snow provided additional charm.

The principality of Andorra did not appeal to me that much. Maybe its the influence of Spain in me... Nonetheless, it was nice to do the shopping here because it was tax-free for all luxury stuffs.

One place which I loved so much from our holiday was the town of Besalu which has the best well-preserved Romanesque architecture in the whole of Spain. Stepping into this town was like going back in time to the Middle Ages. Time stood still in this town as I walked through its cobbled streets and admired its most famous feature, an 11th century fortified bridge which spans the Fluvia River.