TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Our scanner here at home werkt niet , hij is kapot [doesn’t work, it is damaged] and the Dutchman is too lazy to fix it, so instead of putting up a fight, I made use of my hidden creative talents --- I experimented by capturing some old pictures through our digital camera. I surprisingly found a stack of selected old pictures in our library; I thought all of them were brought down a year ago to the berging [stockroom]? Was I glad they weren’t! And, walla... the pre-digital days... the results were, although far from perfect - they were not that sharp, they were okay. Left foto: The Dutch Houses of Parliament in Den Haag [The Hague], the seat of the Dutch government. 2002 Right foto: With the preserved Dutch traditional windmills in Kinderdijk (in the South Holland province). 2002. Left foto: A “Manila” cafeteria in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. I just need to take a souvenir picture of this! 2003 Middle foto: Taken in one of the oldest Catholic churches in Bohol island, Philippi...

I have been doing some re-arranging projects at home this weekend. I still have a lot to do actually... but I am lazy, and moody. My color scheme mix is very basic: earth and metal colors (silver/gold) + black and (off) white. I also have a minimalist inclination, though nothing like a real hardcore minimalist, just a bit. I still like to have a few decorative objects sprawling on top of the tables. What has been playing in my mind lately though is the color BLACK. I want to switch my current color scheme towards a prominent black ambience. Uh, quite daring and rebellious, I suppose? I even thought of having black curtains! Oops, hold your breaths, our walls are off-white, so the would-be result of this black makeover should be nothing close to an Adam’s family abode. I just like to come home to a simplistic atmosphere with less maintenance (read: cleaning), less clutter and easy on the eyes --- more monochromatic, more minimalist and urbane. Psychiatrists say that the color you choose...

I’ve quite gotten used to seeing women baring their melons here in unorthodox Europe. To be able to half-strip in public, be it in the beaches, lakes or in your own backyard garden and not having a puny bit of inhibition at all, is a profound act, or so I think. It’s like conquering yourself and the whole world: I don’t care what you think; I’m going to give my two little babies some sunshine! I do wonder sometimes --- when will my courageous day ever come so I can join their pack? It also works both ways; the spectators casting no malice. European men are not shocked nor are they embarrassed to see such valorous display of feminine flesh; they look but rarely they stare and most importantly, their pets down there don’t misbehave in public. I’m chuckling as I write, but many NON-Europeans still see this as a light form of exhibitionism or say, a taboo, uh no... an anathema. And since 60% of visitors in this blog are outside Europe, mostly in America and Asia, then here is a little teas...

“And, when it's a hotel type of holiday with inclusive continental breakfast, the Dutch, and I am not joking, will bring their own supply of morning rituals. ‘Did you just see that?’ whispered the Dutchman, secretly nodding at me to look sideways at the family beside us. ‘Oh wow yes, a block of Gouda cheese that you can only find in Holland!’ Sitting on top of the table a few meters across us was a Ruijter chocoladehagelslag [chocolate sprinkles]. ‘Someone brought hagelslag too!’ blurted out the Dutchman, trying hard not to laugh and choke on the bread he was chewing. I looked further to the balcony and saw two Dutch women - they too have some slices of ham wrapped in paper, obviously bought in a delicatessen in Holland. You don't see these in the Greek islands, at least in the center since most cold cut meats are pre-packed in plastic. Hmm, is this some form of Dutch ingenuity or are breakfast habits just too hard to break? After witnessing the awakening hotel breakfast events...

Our one-week-and-a-half summer holiday in Kos , Greece was a great success! Kos is situated by the east border of Greece/EU and west of Turkey (see light red dot in the map) and is part of the Dodecanese group of islands. The Kos sun and beach holiday was reaped with the perfect combinations of relaxation, some historical quests and a variety of summer activities, i.e., boating and island hopping; snorkeling; lazing and swimming in the white sand beaches or the pool; motor biking; visiting ancient ruins (Byzantine and Romanesque), castle fortresses and Greek windmills; trips to the striking mountain villages of Kos; enjoying the nightlife; long walks by the coast with the sweet smell of jasmine wafting in the air; shopping a bit of course; sumptuous and romantic dining experiences in the city center along the beach, harbor, and city squares; and sailing out of the Greek and EU borders to visit another world, Turkey. Map of Kos, Kos town center is located at the northern tip of ...

Here is a collection of typically Greek sights that we encountered during our summer holiday in the Dodecanese Islands of Greece, particularly in the islands of Kos, Kalymnos and Pserimos. Fishing boats (in Kefalos) - Attractive and colorful Greek fishing boats dots the harbor of every Greek island. Despite the rich and abundant seas surrounding the island of Kos, fishing production only serves as part of the daily food consumption of the locals and mainly compliments and services the strong and prime tourism industry of the island. Pink flowers and Cypress trees – The bougainvillea, different sorts of pink flowers (the one on the picture I do not know the name?) and the pointed Cypress trees, they are everywhere. Summer in Greece gives you a feeling of everyday spring. Simply beautiful! Blue windows, blue chairs and white houses (taken in Zia and Lagoudi) - The colors are a very pretty combination indeed. In the mountain villa...

We are just back from our summer holiday in Kos, the island of Hippocrates, known as the legendary father of medicine. Kos is hailed by historians and travel enthusiasts to be one of the beautiful and historical vacation island oases of the Dodecanese region in Greece. The weather was extremely hot with temperatures averaging at 35C each day. Fortunately though it was windy. We also sailed over to Turkey and the temperature there was worse --- a scorching 39C welcomed us at the port! I will later make a travel recap and highlight some of the interesting sights, people and things in the places we visited. For now, enjoy these air shots of the Netherlands, taken a few minutes before our touchdown at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Dutch farms, somewhere in the north of North Holland province. So organized, eh? The Dutch landscape: (amazingly) flat, low, green and swampy. During spring, flowers planted for bulb production bloom in these open and rectangular fields. Since these fields are loca...