TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

SAIL 2005 happens every 5 years in the IJ harbor of Amsterdam, strategically situated right at the back of the Amsterdam Central station. The big event was opened last 17 August with a dramatic “ sail in ” of the participating ships led by the city’s flagship, the Clipper Stad Amsterdam , with the prince of the Netherlands [ Prince Willem Alexander ] enthusiastically navigating on its wheels. The parade was received by tens of thousands of eager spectators along the coast harbor and by a myriad of striking boats floating in the IJ haven. An equally impressive gun salute with the use of an old canon was executed to welcome the boats into the haven. So full on a Sunday, the last day of the event… and this is even before reaching the IJ Harbor! (IJ is pronounced as “eye”) The SAIL 2005 is a 5 day event in Amsterdam and is known to be the city’s 2nd largest event after the yearly Queens Day on the 30th of April. During the 5 day affair, one can expect an array of multicultural, youth a...

An international multi-cultural city, Brussels in a nutshell is luxurious, historic, alluring and warm. Situated in the most central of all locations in Belgium, the city enjoys being the capital of the country, but it is also regarded as the capital of the Flanders region [the Flemish Belgians, the Dutch speaking part in the north]. The CENTRUM With my hot pot of mussels, a must when in Brussels and foto’s of the amazingly beautiful historic buildings in the “ Grand Market Square ” [Grand Place/Grote Markt]. Dating back to the 16th century, this square is a MUST SEE when visiting Brussels. They say its the loveliest square in the whole of Europe, if not in the whole world. The ancient mansions like a protective cluster surrounding the square grounds are accented with gold color giving the place an air of opulent ambience. Tourists flock and hang out here and the cafes offer exorbitant prices than anywhere else in Brussels. More pictures of Brussels in My EUROPE TRAVEL Photo Album . L...

The medieval city of Haarlem , located by the river Spaarne, was once one of the 2 most powerful cities [the other is Dordrecht] in the Netherlands during the 16th and early 17th centuries. This is the home of the great tulipmania trade in the 1600’s, and so with the tulip crash... The city was also known for beer brewing, ship building and textile manufacturing. In the late 17th century towards the 18th century, Amsterdam stole Haarlem’s crown of power and influence. Amsterdam became Holland’s capital. But since this charming city is roughly 15 minutes away (20KM) to the northwest from the capital (about an hour from Utrecht), many tourists drop by to sample the Haarlem experience. So did I, last week! Here are some of the few pictures of interesting places and buildings that I took in Haarlem: The Saint Bavo Cathedral by the Grote Markt square The church is right on the corner of the Grote Markt square where lots of open air cafés are sited. Built in the early 1500’s in gothic style...