OUDEWATER
Home of Witchcraft.


This place is known for its honesty and thought to have the most accurate weighing scales.

Women came here to be weighed… to certified that they are not witches. Witches are believed to have exchanged their bodies for magical powers. Thus, they are light enough to fly on a broom.
Well, I am 60kg. Too heavy to be a witch.

Look, I can fly!
This is my baby. Isn’t she lovely?

Oh yeah, talk about babies… I DON’T HAVE A BABY YET! Xxx mistook me for another person and went around telling the world that I have a baby. So, don’t come over to congratulate me. Not yet…

My friends and I.

Oudewater is really a super quiet place. It isn’t very accessible and there is nothing much to see. In fact, I do not even notice any supermarkets around.

Half a day is enough. It is too quiet. Much too quiet for me. Or perhaps it was a wrong day to go. It was raining a little and the whole town seemed so empty. Where is everybody? Sleeping? Hallo....

I am falling in love with the Dutch bridges. I think it is really cool to be used by land vehicles and afterthat, split open to give way to sea transports.

Well, there is a cathedral. This is the only other attraction here. How sad.

Ivana's Wedding



Group photo in the Town hall.
Ok, now everybody is married! Yes, coincidentally, everyone around me IS MARRIED! And many of them are really young! Even Sasha is already 2 years married.
Well, there is a tradition whereby all the unmarried females will stand behind the bride, while she throws her bouquet. The lady who catches it will be the next to be married.
Well, since everyone is married, the bride just look straight into me and said: "You are next!"

Sweet and simple and YUMMY of course!

Tradition: First piece to the freezer, until the baby arrives.

Ok, I just showed a photo of greedy me. This is going to scare all the guys away.

I was with Sasha and the groom, heading back to the house. Well, the bride was in another car. The groom commented: "The weather is lousy. It's raining so heavily"

Sasha asked: "So, are you regretting?"

Groom: "No, of course not"

Schiphol




Yes! This is Schiphol airport. And welcome to THE NETHERLANDS!!!



This is Fizah. Finally, I get to hear some Singlish or rather crappy English. She has so much faith in me... What if I do not turn up?



Ok, I don't look too bad here. It's so early in the morning, and I should be on my bed, mumbling away in my sleep. I was rather tired. I need more sleep.



Checking the train schedule.


See that bag there beside me? I smell Maggie mee, Milo, and stuff... I can't wait to dig into that bag.


This is what it looks like from the train. Come on, Leiden, are we reaching yet?

Rotterdam



This is the Rotterdam's Townhall. This building is built between 1914 and 1920. It is one of the few buildings that were not affected by the German bombing of 14 may 1940.


I love statues. I take photo's of them without really knowing what is it about. You will see more statues in the upcoming posts.


Rotterdam has one of the weirdest architecture. Much of Rotterdam was destroyed during the bombing. This explains why Rotterdam has one of the most modernised architecture.

This is the famous pencil building.

Ok, this is really famous. This is the cube house (Kubus). Yes, it is also this shape inside. I went in once. The furnitures had to be tailored to the slanting walls. There are three levels. The top level was pretty low and cramp. Although I am not very tall, but I remembered being extra careful not to bang my head against the wall. The middle level is where the bedrooms and studyroom are. It is surprisingly more spacious than you will imagine. The lowest level has a nice kitchen, a nice living room with talored made dining table and sofa. It is about €2 to visit the show room. It is worth a visit.

Katwijk




How cute are we! We are so lovable!



You people should be familiar with her. This is my dear Sasha. She is such an angel.


This is Irina on the left with the beer in her hand, and Yvonne on the right. Thanks to Yvonne for being our chauffeur. It is such a lazy day. There is no way I can imagine myself cycling back.


Shells collecting. Yes. That is Sasha and me again. I was combing the beach for the best looking shells while Sasha just collects everything that she sees. I came back with about 5 really beautiful shells while she had like a kilo full of shells and maybe another kilo of sand.

This is Jennifer on the extreme left. She is from Canada. Well, most of the photo's are contributed by her. I forgot about my camera. I had only a pathetic mobile phone camera... ok, I shouldn't say that it is pathetic. I do make really good photo's with it. In fact most of my photo's are taken using my mobile phone camera. I don't usually bring a camera out with me.

This is another group photo. Overall, it was a good day. Katwijk is nice. Although there are better beaches here. We had a nice lunch in this cafe by the beach (I think the name of the cafe is Sunset). Well, the atmosphere is nice but the food is rather horrible. It is either super salty or tasteless. I am surprised that it is actually rather full. I think we brought the croud there. It was empty when we first arrive. And people started strolling in after us.

Cycling trips...



Sunset by a lavender field. (I think it is lavender)

Holland is just so beautiful with these flowers around. I hope they don't die too soon. It's spring and flowers are everywhere. I love spring! Cool and beautiful. Every single leaf and flower look so fresh and beautiful. They almost could talk to me!

This is the highest "hill" so far in my area. Holland is known for it's low lands. About one third of the land is below sea level. And yes, Leiden is also below sea level. So, this might not be a hill afterall.

This is about 200m from my place. Such a beautiful sight. Perfect place for a picnic.

Sunset again. Well, this is nice to see, but it's not a beach. You cannot swim in this water. No sand to play with.... I want a real beach!

Cycling towards Wassenaar. Rivers, canals, fields, and cows. It's so peaceful here.

Amersfoort



This entry is also quite outdated. But yeah, this is Amersfoort.


This is Sint Joriskerk. I think it is the only surviving old church here in Amersfoort.

If I remember it correctly, that pointed white building is the Armando Museum.

Armando (Amsterdam, 1929) is one of the major post-war artists of the Netherlands. He is held in high esteem both national and internationally as an artist, writer, film and documentary maker and violinist. His work, based on his personal experience of the Second World War in Amersfoort, deals with existential and universal themes which he describes in terms of power and powerlessness, perpetrators and victims, memory, mortality and melancholy. His work has always been shaped by a fascination for violence and evil. Astonished by the insidious beauty of this violence, Armando works out his overarching theme in a unique way in each discipline in which he is engaged. Driven by his longing for insight into evil and by his desire to master each technique in order to give voice to his theme, he explores the possibilities inherent in each medium to their extreme limits. -www.armandomuseum.nl

This photo reminds me of Malaysia. But, at least, it doesn't stink of shit.

It's too quite here. Come on, wakey wakey!!!

This is the Dutch dragon.... or is it just a child's playground?


Remember Piet Mondriaan? The painter whose paintings consist of only coloured squares and lines?

Typical dutch weather.... Raining, raining and raining.....whole day!!!

Watch where you step if you want to walk out from this door.....

Amersfoort for me is just another Leiden. Nothing very special. Maybe a little older.