the Hague

Finally met the Girl with a Pearl Earring, rather unexpectedly...

"Het Meisje met de Parel", Johannes Vermeer, Mauritshuis gallery (where Rembrandt's Dr Tulp also teaches his lessons).

After the legendary Christmas dinner with Brussels family (where Daisy the Duck did the "duck dance", sang the alphabet song during the battle of shakers and mugs), Christmas celebration continued in "Den Haag" with angelic Christmas carols at the Passage, disguising amongst the Christmas shoppers, meeting the travelling snowman from Monschau, and warming up in cosy cafes filled with Christmas lights and decorations.

 
  
 

Bergen op Zoom

Hemingway served the best dinner of 2011 before attempting, and succeeding in finding a spot to watch the quarter final.

Keukenhof

"...also known as the Garden of Europe, is situated near Lisse, Netherlands, and is the world's largest flower garden.

"Colour Palette beyond imagination matched by names emerged from imagination (Queen of Night, Big Daddy, King's Blood), the pond, the swan, and the art within. Sometimes it's also not just about the destination, but the journey with the delightful little things in life, iced or not iced.

Maastricht

En route to Bonn/Düsseldorf, we took a walk, browsed, and finally sat outside at one of the many cafe, bars and restaurants in the very calm and cosy Maastricht.

Amsterdam

 

The yellow picture was near where we were sitting with the unforgettable street guitar performance, and the red one shows the gang of happy Amsterdam tourists. Photographs were forbidden at the infamous red light district, but through the window of the bar, we sat there and counted how many men entered one particular door within an hour. There was a dynamic and creative vibe in Amsterdam, but when you stand in front of the canal it seems calm once again.

[beyond first impressions]

the one big orange party every year.

Rotterdam and Utrect

 

My first time in Rotterdam (where AI was) and Utrect (where the ER summit took place), I stayed with Lonneke and walked around the city. Rotterdam had a really modern look, and Utrect's river left an impression on me. On the road where many famous Dutch make their handprints in Rotterdam, I found miffy.