Anything New in Amsterdam?

Big screen divas

2010-10-15T08:37:00.000+02:00

John took this photo at their house. We were watching wedding pics on the big screen after Jaco whipped up a great dinner. I love its composition, and how we are all so relaxed.

Lounge, baby, Lounge

2010-09-26T12:50:00.001+02:00

Great afternoon with Maria, Peter and baby Max enjoying what was probably the last bit of sunshine from the perfect summer of 2010

Food for thought

2010-09-21T12:29:00.000+02:00

The thought was a quick bite to eat around the corner, but then Maria and I ordered an Indonesian rijststafel at restaurant Blauw. Oops.

The manly man bag

2010-09-11T12:19:00.001+02:00

Bart is set on introducing the designer man bag to straight Amsterdam. I must admit it looks really cute on him (although I may have a distorted view on men's fashion) and it does beat the usual bulky pants pockets look, with keys, wallet and mobile phone stuffed into them. I say: thumbs up!

Great expectations

2010-09-11T11:28:00.006+02:00

We were lucky to get tickets for the much praised performance of All my Sons at the Apollo. The play of course, is a classic, but with this wonderful cast it became a gripping, never-to-forget experience. It has been a while since I was moved this much in a theatre. Must remind myself not to compare the London theatre to other performances...but I'm afraid my expectations of Gijs Scholten van Aschat as Richard III a couple of weeks from now have become impossibly high...

English food: not as bad as you think!

2010-09-10T12:04:00.005+02:00

Enjoyed posh English comfort food at restaurant Hix (by celeb chef Mark Hix) in Soho. Quite an experience, dining underneath a chandelier of mummiefied fish in formaldehyde by - who else - Damien Hirst. Yet the place manages an informal and pleasant atmosphere and the food is just superb. On the menu: dishes like delicious black pudding with apples and potatoes, wild duck and fish fingers. Highly recommended!

Sheep shot

2010-09-09T00:23:00.002+02:00

Dartmoor National Park has many sheep and ponies. The pittoresque sites were great, but we were kind of eager to head back to London after a couple of days...

A view from the tub

2010-09-06T00:18:00.001+02:00

The already spectacular coast of Cornwall is even better when viewed from a hot tub with a glass of champagne.

Haunted House

2010-09-05T00:00:00.009+02:00

The Kings Arms (yes, that is actually this pubs name) in Monkton Farleigh is supposedly one of the most haunted pubs in the UK. We, however, slept like roses! It's a great little pub with lovely rooms and first class food!

What the world needs now is love!

2010-09-04T20:58:00.001+02:00

Thank you, Marque Joosten!

Kitchen table blues

2010-08-27T23:38:00.000+02:00

Martin and Jaco organised our pre-wedding dinner for ten, giving Jaymz and Sonia the opportunity to dazzle us with their culinary talents and have us crave for more. What a great night, and my kitchen(table) has never looked this good!

Care for a kiss?

2010-08-22T20:49:00.002+02:00

After finding a lot of tiny little frogs in our garden (and one in the bathroom.) Anna constructed a very clever frog terrarium - or paludarium? - from a wooden box. She now keeps fourteen frogs in it and she feeds them waterflees from the petstore. I find it all très zen!

Mellow yellow maiden

2010-08-21T20:30:00.002+02:00

On this fantastically sunny and windy day, my friends took me out for my maiden party. We played around with kites, had our future explained to us in Tarot cards, drove around in a tuk tuk and enjoyed food and lots of drinks in town. It's a nice thought we added new experiences to fond memories. Very mellow day.

Evening with a bang

2010-08-20T20:22:00.005+02:00

Memorable evening: celebrating Flip's birthday, watching the spectaculair fireworks at Sail 2010 and finally experiencing the laid-back friendliness of fellow-Amsterdammers who, after a piece of rope got stuck in our boat propeller, kindly towed us all the way back to the Jordaan and stayed for drinks!
(photo from Holland.com)

Happy campers

2010-08-13T16:40:00.007+02:00

Kids packed their own bags and marched off to camp in good spirits last week. They came home today, covered in mud, sleep deprived and full of crazy stories about their summer camp adventures! Needless to say, the picture was taken last week ;-)

Canal Parade 2010

2010-08-08T14:11:00.004+02:00

The Canal Pride of Gay pride Amsterdam turned out to be a very wet affair. While trying to stay relatively dry on our boat under a bridge, my pictures were rain drenched and none of them do justice to the burlesque boat of Martin & friends. So here's the vid they made themselves! Let's have some sunshine again next year!!

I do (like our rings from a Moroccon souk)

2010-08-04T00:30:00.000+02:00

Cadiz Encounter

2010-08-03T00:29:00.001+02:00

Double take

2010-08-02T00:28:00.000+02:00

Jet set

2010-07-31T10:25:00.001+02:00

I bet we all like to patronise Jimmy's Perfumerie in Tanger.

Ferry tale

2010-07-31T00:10:00.000+02:00

It's easy and comfortable to take a ferry from Tarifa to Tanger for a daytrip. Still puzzled though, by the duration of the trip mentioned on the vessel. Perhaps once in a blue moon, the currrents and winds drive the boat with unimaginable force to the Morroccan coast in 35 minutes. On normal days...it takes an hour.

Terrific Tarifa

2010-07-29T20:05:00.000+02:00

Herring King

2010-07-23T16:02:00.001+02:00

The best raw herring of the country comes from fishmonger Koning in...Rijswijk! It also happens to be a most delicious hang-over cure, which could be helpful if you are giving notice of marriage on the morning after a long night out....

Picture in picture

2010-07-22T23:33:00.005+02:00

Marieke was back in town for her annual power visit so we decided to meet up in G'spot on the Prinsengracht for dinner & drinks. When Martin showed up with Storm and Sterre, we could no longer resist the Polaroid-man for a snapshot....

(Picture by jacowies! )

On the waterfront

2010-07-18T21:52:00.000+02:00

Great looooong Sunday 4-course lunch at Het Bosch at the Waterfront. Watching the ships roll away, wasting tiiiiiiime.....:-)

Blind, stupid and lying

2010-07-17T20:03:00.000+02:00

Unfortunately, The Blind Side was not the quality feel-good movie I was hoping for but a corny, sentimental flick in which black people are portrayed as either evil crackheads or dumb athletes that depend on the wonderful goodness of Christian white rich people to help them get through life.

Wikipedia states that the real Michael Oher was already a five-star football recruit before this familiy decided to take him into their care; not the homeless stranger in the rain who had never touched a football in his life. Perhaps the NCAA was not so far off the track after all. Now THAT would have made a far more interesting plot!

Muay Thai?

2010-07-11T22:14:00.012+02:00

I know I would have settled for this kind of play if they had won. But playing like this and losing...is just a bit hard to swallow. Can we go back to total football (or something that looks more like it) and... well.. win?

Would this also work on a pet?

2010-07-03T11:07:00.002+02:00

posted with vodpod

How to smell like a manly manly man...

2010-07-01T10:59:00.000+02:00

Old Spice | Questions, posted with vodpod

Nun issue

2010-06-25T22:07:00.000+02:00

I started piano lessons when I was six years old. My teacher was a wicked witch of a nun, slapping my knuckles at every mistake, boasting about her "real (think: yellow) teeth" and making me read very dull books about "The Life of Mozart/Beethoven/Schubert". I thought she would still be alive today - God being fearful of her as well - but I was wrong...

Art Amsterdam 2010: No matter what the crisis

2010-05-26T00:19:00.002+02:00

Love boat!

2010-05-24T00:12:00.000+02:00

Another wonderful Whit Monday cruising the Amsterdam canals and beyond with Bart & Flip. It's becoming a tradition!

Topperware Party

2010-05-22T12:24:00.006+02:00

The Toppers in Concert: it must be the strangest Dutch phenomenon in existence. Where else do adult straight (!!) men like to dress up in white and silver, wear two red light balls on their head and sing along with four overaged fat guys and 50.000 other people in a mass karaoke? Hilarious evening!

Aperitivo all'Italiana

2010-05-13T23:33:00.004+02:00

Nothing beats an Aperol Spritz on a sunny terrace in Rome. I have to remind myself to make them at home this summer. Just pour 2 parts prosecco, 1 part Aperol, and a splash of sparkling mineral water into a large glass with ice cubes and add a slice of orange and, if you like, a green olive. Yummm!

Bento Bliss

2010-05-08T18:23:00.004+02:00

A visit to Japantown in Düsseldorf (around Immermanstr) always leads to numerous bags of groceries from Shochiku and of course a couple of bento from Maruyasu to take home for dinner or lunch! Today, I opted for the shiromizakana (white fish) and mom picked the makunouchi (miscellaneous), but of course we'll end up sharing.

Sunny Zeeland

2010-05-05T22:40:00.000+02:00

Ended up unexpectedly at the Zeeuwse seaside on this windy and sunny Liberation day. I have fond memories of weekends in Domburg during my student days but... only in winter time, so it is nice to see its magnificant beaches with blue skies. The Giro dÍtalia will actually pass this small town on May 10th. Not a lot of hill climbing, but the sea views will be nice!

Queen's Day 2010

2010-04-30T20:00:00.000+02:00

Anna and Noud's creative Queen's Day billboard drew a lot of attention, including that of the local newspaper photographer! You could throw 3 wet sponges for 50 cents, but Anna volunteered this one in exchange for the free publicity.

Roomba cha cha cha!

2010-04-29T18:26:00.004+02:00

I'm very excited about my new Roomba house-robot! He is incredibly smart: starts vacuuming all by itself, knows exactly where the (virtual) walls and the stairs are and finds his way home to his cosy little docking station after he is finished. Thanks for the tip, Jaco!

School Sports Day

2010-04-20T00:08:00.003+02:00

My little task this morning was to pack lunch boxes for the kids. I feel very unworthy of my Japanese heritage, having nothing better to offer than these sorry looking bento. I wonder which is worse... Lion King or Feyenoord?

Home sweet home

2010-04-18T23:56:00.001+02:00

Finally moved back to Amsterdam after five excruciatingly long months of renovation. Martin and his friends were the first to admire the completely revamped apartment and offer a happy prosecco toast to celebrate. Welcome home!

First summery day of the year!

2010-04-17T23:54:00.000+02:00

Finally, it's birds & bees time in our garden!

2010-04-10T21:24:00.001+02:00

Eureka

2010-04-05T21:18:00.000+02:00

Fun Easter Monday with the kids looking for mummies and Greek Gods at the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, followed by dinner & drinks at Joris' place in Aerdenhout.

Karate Kid!

2010-03-30T21:08:00.000+02:00

At Bussia

2010-03-26T23:45:00.000+01:00

Fun Friday night out at Vyne, Bussia and April with the guys cost me dearly in terms of my health: been coughing like a barking seal ever since. Regrets? Nah...

A Single Man

2010-03-21T23:51:00.003+01:00

Opening night TEFAF 2010

2010-03-11T20:33:00.004+01:00

Photo by Reinier vd Aart

Once upon a Sunday...

2010-03-07T19:32:00.003+01:00

On this incredibly cold and sunny day, we bundled up and headed for the Efteling on the kind invitation of Sanoma Publishers. Bart and I sat on a bench and sipped our wine to keep warm, while the kids rode the Python rollercoaster over and over and over again. At the end of the day we walked through a practically desolate Fairy tale Forest, to discover all the old favourites (fakir, langnek, water lillies) are still there. Lovely day.

Stir fry soap

2010-03-05T23:33:00.000+01:00

Catching up with the girls in Leiden, there's always at least one interesting new development: Who knew "roerbakken" is the new "bijpraten"? Confused? You won't be after the next episode of this soap!

Extra sunny day

2010-02-22T21:34:00.000+01:00

Oops...missed our flight home on Sunday so we stayed in Istanbul for an extra night & an extra wonderful lovely sunny morning!

Yellow aliens

2010-02-21T21:32:00.000+01:00

Great ad at Istanbul airport for local mobile operator Turkcel. Love the bright colours and composition!

Turkish delight

2010-02-20T21:22:00.001+01:00

Relaxed weekend in Istanbul started off with a delicious dinner with spectaculair views at Mikla restaurant. If you ever go, make sure to try the lamb shoulder. The next day we headed for Hotel les Ottomans for a private couples hamam (Paris Hilton-style...if we can believe the pictures). What a treat!

A whole other league

2010-02-18T20:45:00.002+01:00

Dropped by the Van Gogh Museum with Martin, Ruben and Bart for the opening of their Gauguin exhibition. Spent our time sipping our wine exclaiming loudly how the Van Gogh just isn't in the same league as the Rijksmuseum. (But at least they're Japan-friendly...)

010 Art

2010-02-06T17:30:00.003+01:00

Art Rotterdam seemed to draw quite a crowd this year. Nice work in general but nothing particular stood out for me.

Good Fortune

2010-01-29T13:40:00.001+01:00

Fortune cookies will never be the same again after this big birthday surprise in Chang-I. And the answer, of course, was "Yes'!

Sunday in SF

2010-01-24T17:22:00.002+01:00

Well-balanced Sunday afternoon: art-viewing at the SFMoma, instant gratification at the museum shop and reaching alpha-state at the Samovar Tea Lounge. Then went home and watched the Superbowl semis...

Life's easy with a baby!

2010-01-23T20:38:00.000+01:00

Enjoyed a long lazy lunch at Zuni Café with champagne & oysters. We brought baby Max along and he seemed to feel very at ease in these surroundings!

Sit back and relax

2010-01-22T23:24:00.000+01:00

Kabuki cinema is an awesome movie theatre in San Francisco with very comfortable seats and plenty of room for food and a bottle of wine (Zinfandel Coppola Director's Cut). We chose the cinema first and settled for whatever movie was playing there, but "Crazy Hearts" turned out surprisingly good! Who would've guessed that Jeff Bridges and Colin Farrell were not half bad as country singers?

30plus boy

2010-01-17T23:20:00.000+01:00

Martin celebrated the big 3-0 in style with traditional Dutch foods and a good ol'traditional splash of chardonnay at his home. From now on we'll always remember his birthday and never remember his age.

Unleash your Lego Dragon

2010-01-11T21:18:00.007+01:00

Gorgeous ad for Lego by McCann Oslo, Norway. It is entitled "Dragon" - I didn't make that up - and once you know it's a dragon, you can see it. As if created by Jackson Pollock himself :-) I wonder if it appeals to kids, though...

Stranded

2010-01-06T23:26:00.000+01:00

A sudden heap of snow in Amsterdam at the end the day caused extreme chaos on the roads and got us stranded somewhere in the east of Amsterdam. Decided to pass on Dauphine and De Kas and walked into restaurant Merkelbach. What an unexpected , pleasant surprise! I actually think we will be back.

Old sleigh

2009-12-20T19:45:00.002+01:00

Big heaps of fresh snow led us to drag the old 1970s sleigh out of my parents' basement. It looked a bit rusty, but it still works surprisingly well! White Xmas forecasts are looking good this year, so get ready for more wet clothes the coming days...

Pimped up!

2009-12-15T19:01:00.001+01:00

Marieke surprised us with a quick pre-Xmas visit from sunny Kuala Lumpur. For old times' sake we decided to meet in the Troubadour in Leiden, recently pimped up by TV-chef Herman de Blijker.

White batcave

2009-12-12T20:53:00.002+01:00

Took a powertrip to Madrid for a 1-night stay at the Puerta América hotel. We selected the suite on the Zaha Hadid-designed floor, which has a crazy all-white Barbarella interior. Very hard to see depth, so it's easy to become disoriented, especially in the cave-like bathroom. Definitely design over comfort... but sooooo fun for a short stay!

Unhappy clappy

2009-12-09T23:03:00.004+01:00

Desperate naked men and panting women, an omni-sexual stranger (with a not-so-sexy high-pitched voice); Teorema was a fine performance by the talented but hard-working Toneelgroep Amsterdam acting ensemble, yet it is basically a story about unhappy people which will appeal mostly to unhappy people. Which rules me out.

Mahler-spoiled for life

2009-12-04T22:39:00.005+01:00

Last night, I experienced my first Mahler (No 2) by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and it was great to do so in the company of good friends. But what an extraordinary night it turned out to be. It's a wonderful piece of music: it roars, retreats to almost absolute silence, then roars again. Mariss Jansons was in magnificant form and after the final note, while the audience cheered with long standing ovations, I could see his face, delirious with happiness and relief. Today Parool called it "the most beautiful Mahler No 2 ever... performed by the best Mahler orchestra of the world." A performance of impossible and emotional perfection. I'm afraid, I've been Mahler-spoiled for life...

Made in Japanese Heaven

2009-11-27T15:47:00.004+01:00

The Japanese have been using high-tec toilets since the 1980s, and I've never understood why this did not become the standard for hygiene and comfort everywhere else. It took a great deal of effort, but I will be the proud owner of a Toto Neorest NC before X-mas! It will be installed in my home in Amsterdam, and features front-and back warm water spray (which can be regulated for water pressure and temp), oscillating spray massage, heated seat, automatic air deodorizer, self cleaning nozzles and warm air dryer. All operated by a remote control. It will be toilet heaven...

Hey, got something on your lip there?

2009-11-25T09:59:00.000+01:00

After Pink Ribbon there is now Movember, a month-long moustache growing event that helps to raise funds and awareness for testicle and prostate cancer. Anybody with facial hair can join, to turn into a Mo-bro (or a Mo-sis). Why doesn't it surprise me that this is an Australian initiative?

Slippers only

2009-11-15T10:14:00.000+01:00

As expected, Martin's housewarming on Saturday was a glam event, with every detail in place: beautiful party people, lots of iced prosecco & voddie and expensive nibbles. Afraid my (not so) high heeled designer shoes would dent his precious new floor...he made us all wear white hotel-spa slippers. Sweetie, I will forgive you, if next time you will get me a pair in black to match my outfit!

VIP-spotting at the ballet

2009-11-10T18:47:00.004+01:00

Martin invited me to the Ballet Gala of the Dancers Fund at the Stopera. Lucky for me, Martin is an excellent VIP-spotter, so he identified all celebs and royalty among the audience every time the lights were on. The ballet line-up had a strong focus on modern dance: only 1 Tchaikovsky/Swarovski-tutu dance, thank god! Absolute star of the evening was French dancer Aurelie Dupont, who brought beautiful emotion and intensity to her dance. Great evening!

Campy shorts!

2009-11-06T13:48:00.001+01:00

Spectacular promo by Zeeman: bright yellow boxer shorts! You can order them for free online, max 1 per person. The "why" is a bit of a mystery for me. It's not a store promotion, but they don't really have a webshop either. But it surely is very campy! Move over Björn Borg, Zeeman is here!

The adventures of Carl & Ellie

2009-11-01T20:48:00.004+01:00

On this drab and rainy Sunday afternoon we took the kids to see Pixar's Up in 3D. The 3D stuff doesn't do much for me since Jaws 3, but this movie was an absolute treat: a heartwarming, funny and incredibly original story. The first minutes of this film were so romantic, it gave me goosebumps! Forget the silly glasses; just don't miss it.

The Suspense!

2009-10-27T21:00:00.005+01:00

The kids are captivated every evening by Het Huis Anubis (The House of Anubis), a Dutch TV-series aired on Nickelodeon. It's great to think that they will have their own Q&Q to remember from their childhood.

I scream, U scream, we all scream for ice cream

2009-10-25T21:38:00.001+01:00

Generation Next, enjoying an ice cream together before taking the skelter around the island again!

Catch of the Day

2009-10-24T21:27:00.001+02:00

During last year's Ameland weekend I heard all the fishermen's stories, without an actual fish in sight. But this year the Hofker fishermen actually caught lots of fish! Who would have thought they actually know what they are doing out there at the crack of dawn carrying around their rods and nets? Respect!

Buy Buy Cairo

2009-10-22T21:40:00.001+02:00

Cairo is bustling and dirty and the traffic is horrendous. But fascinating all the same. In the Khan el-Khalili bazar you will buy stuff you absolutely do NOT want or need, and think you made a good deal. For a moment...and then your sanity returns. Then go out and have cocktails and dinner groovy outdoor lounge restaurant Sequoia, enjoy the river view, puff on a shisa...and all is forgotten.

Yes, they are still there!

2009-10-21T21:53:00.001+02:00

On the left: the view from our hotel suite balcony. On the right, that's us on the steps of Cheops! Now try to imagine there are a bunch of weird tourists inside that sweaty pyramid who will step into the tomb one by one, while their friends circle around them in yoga posture continuously murmuring prayers as if their life depends on it. I practically had to push them aside to get out again. Freaks!

Pillar talk

2009-10-18T22:03:00.002+02:00

The magnificant temples of Karnak and Luxor. What can I say, but go and see it yourself!

Death Valley

2009-10-18T10:11:00.001+02:00

No photographing in the Valley of the Kings, but it is amazing that the wall paintings and carvings are uncovered and can be touched with your hands...

Osama, our friendly guide

2009-10-17T22:21:00.002+02:00

Osama, our Egyptologist, entertained us with his historical background stories on all the temples we visited. In the evenings, Bart entertained us with his Osama impersonation: Remember, when you were in Abu Simbel two days ago? Remember that second pillar on the right? And then the third carving from the left? That carving, THAT is what I am talking about here..."

Cruising down the river

2009-10-16T16:02:00.004+02:00

Nile cruising is supposed to be ideal for senior citizens, so we happily embarked on the Sun Boat IV for a good ol' Agatha Christie experience leading us from Aswan to Luxor in 3 days. The first day our cheerful Egyptologist Osama took us to Philae Temple, which was relocated to make room for the high dam in the 1960s.

Blow Up

2009-10-12T23:35:00.003+02:00

Another interesting iPhone app: you rub or blow (excuse the language) the screen and up goes her skirt! Created by some japanese geek, I'm sure.

A Casa Vredenburch

2009-10-04T21:58:00.001+02:00

Bart hosted a Sunday lunch at his house for some of his friends and their kids, and recruited his friendly neighbour, chef Leonardo, to cook a wonderful two-course Italian meal (we've been having a lot of Italian food lately) for twelve adults plus pizzas for fifteen kids. A hectic Sunday, but good fun. For dessert, surprise surprise, I made 2 rounds of my infamous sgroppino, which were tasted and approved of by the chef himself.

Lady and the vagabond

2009-10-02T23:59:00.002+02:00

Jaco and John hosted a grand dinner party for 12, with chef Jaco dishing out his perfect scaloppina alla milanese and risotto. Here they are, happily sharing the last drop of the delicious mango champagne sgroppino! Don't they look like the lady and the vagabond?

Sunday in the park

2009-09-27T22:51:00.002+02:00

Jaarclub family Sunday in Blaricum. While the grown-ups washed down their delicious Italian food with costly wine, the 30 or so kids had a good time (in spite of the required Kodak photo moment) in the immense garden. We could have done a little quiz: which kid(s) belongs to which parent(s)?

Don't call me, my dress will call you!

2009-09-24T22:08:00.004+02:00

Visited Picnic '09 today. Spent more time talking to people outside than actually attending sessions, but did enjoy a couple of presentations. CuteCircuit presented their wearable technology, such as the Hug Shirt and the Mobile Phone Dress! I know the picture I took from the back of the room is terrible, so better take a look at their website: CuteCircuit

Win win weekend

2009-09-20T21:44:00.000+02:00

Romantic weekend in Rotterdam shopping, eating, drinking, all leading up to Sunday's big match in de Kuip between Feyenoord and PSV. I knew it was going to be a good day when we ran into the entire PSV squad in our hotel lobby and I managed to snap a quick pic of Lazovic entering the players' bus: 1-3 :-) The weekend ended with a bang when Jaco, John, Martin + 3 little dogs came to dinner!

So you think you can dance?

2009-09-11T23:37:00.001+02:00

Amsterdam's cultural season opened with the Dutch National Ballet performing choreographies "In the footprint of Balanchine". I don't visit a lot of dance performances - to be honest, this one just happened to be part of our opera-theater season tickets - but it was very enjoyable. Most exciting piece was Solo, by Hans van Maanen, where three male dancers could show off their powerful dancing techniques (instead of lifting tiny ballerinas in the air).

Gettin' Crafty

2009-09-10T22:16:00.002+02:00

Nothing beats an afternoon of creative mug painting as a team building exercise. Afterwards we stretched our legs on a tour through Amsterdam followed by a cosy dinner in the Pijp. Will show the best of 21 mugs results next week...

Japanese Sun Grasses

2009-09-02T21:13:00.000+02:00

A Japanese glasses brand teamed up with eleven architects to create a series of interesting glasses. I like "Doodle", "Sun Grass" (mainly because of the name) and the wrap around glasses! And they only cost around 100 euro. Pearle, Hans Anders...what are you waiting for?.

Empty Airport

2009-08-25T20:26:00.000+02:00

Strange sight, walking to gate D77 at Schiphol Airport on my way to Stockholm. Is this the look of recession?

Millenium

2009-08-16T20:41:00.006+02:00

Postponed it a couple of days, but finally did go and see Men who hate women (Millenium I) at The Movies in Amsterdam. Very rewarding, especially if you've read the book! It's a pity the Mikael Blomkvist character does not play the central role he has in the first book. He comes across as a somewhat weak character who gets his ass kicked all the time and needs to be saved by Lisbeth Salander. But both the character developments and thriller aspects are excellent and a big relief from the tacky book adaptations we usually get (think: Da Vinci Code). I can't wait for the sequel!

Fun Blonds

2009-08-15T21:03:00.003+02:00

Enjoyed a relaxed and sunny reunion lunch with my student friends at Rust Wat in Blaricum today and later on at Carool's house. Can't believe how BLOND everyone is! Literally I mean, as in hair colour. I guess that happened when I wasn't looking!

Cheese, anyone?

2009-08-14T23:40:00.002+02:00

Finally managed to get a reservation at Fyra, which seemed to be fully-booked for the past few weeks after a raving review by an Amsterdam food critic. So, off we went with Helga and Ton. The food was quite good, but the cheesy interior was rather a turn off. Unless toilet tile stickers with faux Delft Blue effect have suddenly become the rage...

Men who do not hate women

2009-08-13T23:33:00.003+02:00

Ditched plans to go and see "Men who hate women" at the last moment to go and have drinks & dinner with Bart, Dave and Joris in Vak Zuid. Definitely not men who hate women ;-)

Off the menu

2009-08-11T23:26:00.002+02:00

Two dinners in a row with Jaco and John, on Saturday at Blauw aan de Wal (our all time favourite restaurant) and this picture was taken three days later in Neva, the restaurant of the new Hermitage Museum. They serve a great liquid desert off the menu: strawberry sgroppino!

Guys and Dolls

2009-08-02T23:16:00.000+02:00

If you've seen the trailer of Lars and the Real Girl, you may think it is a ridiculous movie with a silly plot. But as far as I'm concerned, this is the best tragicomic feel-good movie I have seen since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Gay Pride Amsterdam 2009

2009-08-01T23:48:00.000+02:00

Bart and Flip generously invited us again to watch the Gay Pride parade from their boat. Although the Parade as a whole seemed a little tame this year (not to mention commercial...could someone please put a stop to those excruciatingly dull corporate boats!), Martin and his friends looked super fabulous on the Priscilla boat. I think he was one of the gals in pink...but I'm not sure ;-)

Final stretch

2009-07-25T21:02:00.002+02:00

Feels great to end the holiday loafing around the beach, with a hefty Thai massage just before our flight home.

The Jungle Book

2009-07-19T11:14:00.003+02:00

We took the elephants for a ride in the Golden Triangle area. Kids loved bathing them (in elephant poo water) and I ruined a perfectly good pedicure walking through the red jungle slush!