Every year on New Years Eve I am on my balcony in hopes of getting some good firework photos.  Back in 2007 I was bummed because it was raining on NYE so not as many people were out.  Also it made for very foggy weather.  The fact that I was trying to get photos with my point and shoot didn’t help either.  Without a tripod I didn’t have a chance of getting anything decent.

Then in 2008 it was really foggy so I thought I’d be clever and take video instead, knowing from my 2007 experience that I didn’t have a hope in hell of getting any good photos.  What was not so clever though?  Deleting the files off my camera before realizing that for some reason, the videos weren’t uploaded along with the few photos I did take.   I was thankful for the noise of the fireworks, it drowned out my long string of screamed profanities.

Another photo of the same view. I didn’t catch the big one on the left fully, but I still like it.

This year I had two things going in my favor.  Firstly, my new camera, a Sony A300 that I bought back in March.  It’s my first digital SLR camera and it’s a very steep learning curve.  I still consider myself a total beginner, but a beginner who is having bucket loads of fun with it.

Another thing that made all the difference was the Hama Star 63 Tripod my husband bought me for Christmas!  When you start doing anything in regards to photography, everyone will tell you to get a tripod, and now I know why.  I am generally a pretty unsteady and shaky person, so trying to get photos in any kind of low light situation is a nightmare. With the tripod it’s so much easier.  I’ll definitely be dragging it with me most places in the future.

There weren’t as many fireworks this year at midnight as there have been other years.  Maybe it’s the financial crisis, maybe it has something to do with them cracking down on the sale of illegal fireworks, I’m not sure.  I do wish people would put more money into the beautiful, photo worthy fireworks to be set off at night than they do in the annoying, loud and unnecessary bangers and firecrackers they set off all day.

You can see all my firework photos, past and present, in my Fireworks Set on Flickr.

Happy New Year Everyone!

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Before Friday I had no idea that there was a Christmas Market at Kasteel Keukenhof, but thankfully DutchBitch not only told me about it but gave us her mother’s free pass to the grounds!  So not only did we get in for free, but I finally got to meet her after years of reading each other’s blogs and chatting on Facebook.   Yeah, just in case you are wondering, she really is as cool in real life!

We decided to go late in the afternoon so that it was dark when we got there.  I knew the night time photos would be a challenge for me but I managed to get a few decent ones.  This is definitely something I need some more practice and experience with.

It was cold and we were hungry but it was such a great way to spend the some of our evening.  It really gets you in the Christmas spirit and gave me a chance to get out taking photos again.  Of course, it was much more my thing than Xander’s, but he was sweet and went along with me anyway.

One of my favorite bits was these fire pits they had all over the place.   If you got cold you could just sit around the fire and warm up.  It was absolutely brilliant, especially since Xander forgot his gloves so we had one pair to share between us.  Xander kept making me sit in another direction from him because for some reason smoke always drifts in my direction.  It never failed, I’d move by him, the smoke would gust at us.  I’d move away, and it’d just come at me and leave him alone.  Typical.

Like most Christmas markets there was a lot of people selling just regular stuff, which I find odd.  I don’t really go to markets at Christmas to buy a new mattress or pots and pans, but whatever.   The good thing is that among all that crap, there are some really nice things to be found.  I took a few photos of my favorite things from the evening, even though I didn’t buy any of them.  Yes, I was able to control my urges!

The wooden thing above is something that is really popular here in the Netherlands, and other places in Europe, from what I can tell.  I didn’t like them at first, but they’ve really grown on me.  They have all sorts of different kinds, and although the one in the photo here has a set of lights behind it, many of them are lit by candles.  Makes me wonder, with the whole candles and wood combination, but it seems to work ok.  A lot of them will have fan like structures above the candle and the hot hair coming up from the candles makes them spin.   I think I will buy one next year, you know… when in Ro… tterdam and all that!

Ok apparently they are called Candle Carousels in English, my husband just informed me.  If you click the link you can see some photos of different models.   I think they may be a European thing, as I don’t recall ever seeing them in Canada.   Anyone know what they are called in Dutch?

The gold ornaments in the other photo were REALLY cool.  I wish I could have gotten a better photo to show the actual shape of them but they were totally wonky.  When they spun around they looked like there was all sorts of little lights that created a pattern but really it was just the way the metal was put together. I know it looks like your ordinary metal ornament made out of strips of metal, but they really aren’t.  Very very cool, these things.

Anyway, the market is still on today until 7pm if you are in the area and would like to visit! 

To see some more photos click here!

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Penny came in to Rotterdam in the afternoon, we chatted had some pizza and waited impatiently for the time to come to head over to Ahoy for the show.  It’s a short bus ride from here so luckily there wasn’t a lot of faffing around with public transit.  The show started at 8pm and we got there shortly after 7pm.  There was a collective gasp between us and about 4-5 other women on the bus when we saw the crowd waiting outside.  When we found our line a few women asked us if we’d escort their daughters into the concert as there was an age limit and they weren’t going with them.  We didn’t care, and it gave me a chance to practice my Dutch a little… much to Penny’s surprise, who is fully aware of my long standing Dutchaphobia.

For some reason I was under the impression that you weren’t allowed to take cameras, so I didn’t.  Man was I pissed when I saw everyone being allowed in with theirs.  I was afraid they’d take mine away and being so attached, I wasn’t going to let that happen.  Thank god for all the new mobile technology, I was able to snap a few photos with my phone, even though they came out less than stellar with the low lighting.

I took this photo when they put the lights on when the opening act (a group from New Zealand called Evermore) got a photo of the crowd for their Twitter page.  They were really good, by the way… if you wanted to check them out!

We were sat in the upper ring, otherwise known as the Nosebleed Section but it really wasn’t as bad as I thought.  I sort of expected her to be no more than a speck off in the distance, but we could see everything really well.  Not only that but it made for great spectating of all the people on the floor taking photos of each other and being hauled off unconscious!  I must say though, the seats in the Ahoy are TINY, wooden and HARD!  Which is not the best match for my ass, which is HUGE, fleshy and SOFT.   A minor detail, for most of the evening I was way too excited to care how much my ass hurt anyway.

I took some videos as well but then I realized they are with my phone and are probably such crap quality, that it’d be better to just find some on YouTube that were taken by other people who were 1) closer and 2) smart enough to bring a proper camera.   Here are some videos of my favorite moments in the show.  Obviously, the videos do her no justice… to see it all for real was just fucking spectacular.

This one my favorite moment of all.  The Bungee!

Here are some other great ones…

Her arrival (Careful! This one is louder!)

Bohemian Rapsody!

The end Trapeze act – Part 1

The end Trapeze act – Part 2

Between the two videos she was lowered down into the stage into a big thing of water, and came out with sparkly water drops falling off all around her, it was really quite beautiful.

The whole thing from another view

… and just to show that she really does sound great live as well!

I wish I could do the whole night over again.  I don’t go to concerts often… in fact, the last one I went to was when I was 19 and I went to see Garth Brooks in Halifax (another great show).   I cannot wait for her to return to Rotterdam again!  I hope it doesn’t take too long…

Thanks for an awesome birthday present, Penny!!  I had the most amazing time!

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This past weekend I went on a sailing trip to Friesland with my photography club.   It was organized by one of our members who is from there and used to work at a sailing club teaching lessons when he was younger.   It was SO much fun!

On Friday night we arrived in the village of Heeg, where we would be staying for the next two evenings at the Stayokay Heeg.  It wasn’t what I’d call luxury accommodations, but with the bunk beds and young people milling all around, it reminded me a little of summer camp.   I loved camp when I was younger so it made me a little nostalgic as I curled up in my bunk with a book and a headlamp attached to the ladder.   On Friday afternoon, the few of us who had arrived early sat at the picnic tables and got to know each other a bit better, gabbing away.   Then we headed into the village for some dinner where we sat out on a lovely terrace talking and drinking until the sun started going down.  Then it was time to head back to the Stayokay to sort out our rooms and rest up for our busy day ahead.

On Saturday morning we set sail in a boat somewhat like the one above, only slightly smaller.  There were about 15 of us in all and everyone seemed to be having a really good time.  I was a bit worried in the beginning as the weather wasn’t exactly stellar but as the day went on it got much nicer.

We had a lot of photo opportunities as we sailed through the lakes and canals visiting some of the local villages.  I didn’t end up with as many photos as I thought I would, because I rather enjoyed just sitting there taking it all in.

I particularly liked taking photographs of the people on other boats passing by, and none of them really seemed to mind.  I think it’s because everyone was having such a good time and were all in great moods from being out on the water in the fresh air.   It was another good opportunity for me to practice photographing people, but I was still a little nervous about it.   Thankfully, I blended in with the other people on the boat who were doing the same thing, so I figured they wouldn’t single me out to yell at if they were upset!

The first village we visited was Woudsend.  A small village which seemed very popular with sailors. Everywhere you looked there were boats, but when we got off the boat and took a walk through the village, it was surprisingly quiet.   It had a lot of charm though, and it was nice to get off the boat and stretch our legs a little.

Next we visited Sloten, which is the smallest city in the country.  It was very busy there as there was some sort of festival going on.  I assumed it was taking place over the entire weekend as there were tents set up everywhere you looked.   I took this photo from a bridge a little away from the action.  As usual, I was avoiding the crowds like the plague.  By this time we’d sailed for hours and visited two different villages, I was getting tired.

I wasn’t the only one!  On the ride home, the gentle rocking of the boat managed to put a few of the club members to sleep, but even though I was tired too, I was too excited to sleep.  I loved sailing and didn’t want to miss a minute of it.   I think if I could move to Friesland and sail every day, I would!

On Saturday evening we had a BBQ, which was delicious!  We each got to grab our own meat and put it on the grill.  This was sort of exciting for me!  At home I don’t get near the BBQ, that’s Xander’s domain, so I felt kind of cool standing there flipping my own meat.   I must say, I did a fantastic job!

As we were finishing up with our food, the rain we’d been dreading all day finally caught up with us.  The forecast had been calling for rain and thunder showers all day Saturday and we had gotten lucky with beautiful weather all day, so I guess we couldn’t complain when it started raining in the evening.   It didn’t last long though and after retiring to our room to play some Skip-Bo (love this game, btw!) and wait out the rain, Heather and I headed back outside for some late night laughs with the gang at the picnic tables.

Well, that was our day out on the water, it was fantastic!  On Sunday we drove around to a few other villages by car, which was also quite nice.  More on that later!

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Now today I read this article over at DutchNews.nl about a teacher who was suspended for being gay:

Christian school suspends gay teacher

Friday 15 May 2009

A strict Protestant primary school has suspended a teacher after he admitted he was homosexual and had found a partner, local tv station Omroep Gelderland reports.

The school’s board said the man’s sexual orientation conflicted with the school’s ethos, the broadcaster said, quoting a letter to parents and pupils.

‘The board respects the teacher’s choice but that choice of relationship conflicts with the foundation and aims of the school which he accepted as a teacher. This means the working relationship between the teacher and our school cannot be continued,’ the letter states.

So it’s not ok for a teacher to refuse certain practices based on his or her religious beliefs, but it’s ok for a school to refuse work to a teacher based on theirs?  Oh hell no.

In the Netherlands it is legal for gay couples to get married, they can adopt children and they are recognized as honest to goodness partners the same as heterosexual couples.  If, as stated in the previous article about shaking hands, the purpose of teachers in Dutch schools is to prepare the students for the Dutch culture and labour market, why is this any different?

Seriously! WTF?

If teachers are going to be forced to do things “The Dutch Way” regardless of religion, then so should the schools, and equal rights for Homosexuals IS the Dutch way, isn’t it?

What a load of rubbish.

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1. Handshaking Compulsory in NL?
2. New Years Eve and Fireworks – A Need For Change in NL?
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A school in Utrecht was within its rights to sack a female teacher who refused to shake hands with men because of her religion, the civil service appeal board ruled on Monday.

Although the equal opportunities commission had found in the woman’s favour, the civil court in Utrecht ruled in favour of the school, prompting her to appeal.

Samira Dahri had taught at the school for several years before deciding she no longer wanted to shake hands with men.

Trouw reports that the board ruled the school was right to sack her for two reasons. Firstly, the school, with a large proportion of immigrant pupils, is supposed to ready students for the Dutch labour market – and that includes shaking hands.

And secondly, the teacher’s position as a role model and school representative is more important than protecting her against discrimination on the grounds of her religion, Trouw said.

As an expat I’ve often come across Dutch traditions and cultural differences that I’ve had to adapt to, but I’ve not had any issues in regards to religious practices.  I am non-religious so it’s never been an issue.  I wonder how I’d feel if I did have certain deep seeded religious beliefs that didn’t blend in with Dutch society.  Would I give them up to fit in?  Should I be expected to?  I’m not sure.

On the one hand, I don’t understand why the woman was fine for years and then suddenly decided she didn’t want to anymore.  Had she brought this up during the hiring process, maybe the outcome would have been different.  She didn’t seem to have a problem with it in previous years, what would change to make her feel so strongly about it now?

They claim that she is a role model and should be preparing the children for the Dutch labour market where shaking hands is common, but shouldn’t the children also be taught to have tolerance for those who are different and have different beliefs than they do?

I don’t know, I’m torn between the feeling that people have a right to follow their own beliefs and stay within their own comfort zones, and the feeling that there is a certain responsibility for us to adapt and fit in.   Then there is the whole religion vs state thing.

Personally, I don’t mind handshakes, even though I’m sure some Dutch men are hellbent on breaking my fingers.  One thing I would love to do away with is the three kisses.   I’m really not comfortable with that and there is always an awkward standoff with people, where we are figuring out if we go for the three kisses or if a handshake would do.  In 99% of cases for me, a handshake is definitely enough.

So what do you think?  Should this lady have a right to do what she feels comfortable with in regards to her religion, or as a public servant in the Netherlands, should she be forced to put that aside and follow their customs?

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Sunday morning I woke up and my back was still killing me, but I couldn’t stand the thought of not making it to Keukenhof.  The last time I was there was about 8 years ago and I was due for another visit.  I packed my camera bag with painkillers and tried to take the Suck it up, Buttercup approach.

It worked wonderfully and while I still wasn’t able to get down and crawl around the ground to take more close up photos, I still did pretty well and I’m so glad I went!

We arrived at just after 8am, which was our best move of the day.  In the early morning the crowd is very thin and the light is beautiful.  From about 8am – 11am it was tolerable and we enjoyed walking around taking photos.  After 11am it started getting busy, and by the time we left at 3pm the crowds were almost unbearable.  So, if you plan on visiting, go early and save yourself the headache!

There’s really nothing you can say to explain how beautiful Keukenhof is.  It’s also impossible to capture it in a photo.   There are thousands, possibly millions, of photos of the gardens out there but unless you see it for yourself it’s not the same.   I can honestly say that I stopped a few times that day and just heaved a big sigh, enjoying one of the few moments I get where I truly love living in this country.

Keukenhof is also great for children.  So there is no fear of them dying of boredom while you enjoy the scenery.  There are playgrounds, a hedge maze and a petting zoo to keep them entertained along the way.   From what I could see when I was there, they also seem to enjoy getting their photos taken amongst the flowers.

One of my favorite moments was when I stopped on a bench to give my back a break and decided to use the time to practice my panning technique on the children playing on a pully in the nearby playground.  It was my first time ever attempting to capture motion in this way, and I really enjoyed it.   After a few completely blurry photos I was quite pleased with myself when I managed to get some with a clear subject.   This is something I definitely want to practice more in the future.  I think I will soon park myself on a bench in the city center and practice on cars and bikers.   One good thing about living in such a busy city, I suppose.

So, all in all it was a great day!  I’ve been paying for it since with my back, but I should be ok in the next day or two.  It was totally worth it though!

For the rest of my Keukenhof pics, click HERE.

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This weekend I went on my first outing with my new photo club.  I was a bit nervous as I didn’t know anyone other than my friend Heather, but I liked the fact that it was a smaller gathering.  I’m more comfortable in those kinds of situations and thought it would give me a good chance to meet some of the other members.   Also, I was really keen to visit the location they had in mind – The village of Doel in Belgium.

Heather and I drove down together with two of the men from the club.  It was very relaxed and I enjoyed chatting with them and getting to know them a bit.   We also learned some about Doel and how it came to be in the state it is in today.

The village of Doel is 700 years old and due to the need to expand the harbour, it had been chosen to be demolished in 2007 and was supposed to be completed by 2009.   In mid 2008 the residents of the village were given notice that they had to be out of their homes by September 1, 2009.

Many have left already and their houses are in various stages of decay.  It was so interesting exploring this village because you never knew what was behind every door.   Some of the houses I went into felt like they had been abandoned for decades, with moss and ferns growing in the middle of their livingroom.   Others had an eerie feeling, as though the occupants were rushed out in some sort of evacuation, leaving evidence of their day to day lives laying around everywhere.

As far as the photography goes, it was an interesting day.   I tried to learn what I could about exposure, but I usually found myself confused while trying to balance aperture, shutter speed etc.   Granted, nowadays the camera does a lot of it for you but it was a good time to experiment a little as most of the houses were quite dim and didn’t have the best lighting available.

Overall it was a really great day.  It helped me feel a little less intimidated by the level of photography the other members were doing and learn a bit while I was there.   A day out in the sunshine certainly didn’t hurt either!

If you live in the area and are interested in this kind of Urban Exploring, you should definitely check out Doel.  Do it soon though, there’s no way to know how long it will still be around!

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Well this is something I haven’t heard of happening since I’ve been living here.

Yesterday at approximately 2:25pm in the afternoon tram 23, heading in direction Holy smashed full speed into the back of tram 21, which was standing still at the time.   The crash took place in Rotterdam West in the Vierambachtsstraat near Mathenesserplein in Rotterdam.

In total 39 people were injured.  Ten with neck injuries and broken bones, while 29 others escaped with minor cuts and bruises.  The numbers could have been much worse if the tram had been busier with more people standing.

Police have detained the driver for questioning as they investigate the cause, but one theory is said to be that the sun may have been in the eyes of the driver at the time.

For more photos visit Leo Roubos’ photostream on Flickr.

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I have a new lady power tool!  That’s what I call kitchen appliances because my excitement over a new blender or crock pot is pretty much equal to the joy my husband shows for a new saw or drill.

It’s a slow cooker and I looooooove it!  It’s the best thing that has ever happened to my kitchen (except maybe the dishwasher).   They are not at all common here in the Netherlands and it requires you doing a bit of super sleuthing to track one down.  I found my 6.5L Kenwood here,  where I got it pretty quickly after ordering it, only about 2 days.  It was recommended to me by a friend as she had gotten the same one and loved it.

For ages I’ve seen women on my expat women’s lists talking about their crock pots and how great it is, but I never got one because a crock pot requires crock pot recipes which requires cooking skill, which I did NOT have.  I can make things but I’m not the best cook… or at least I never used to be!

This week I made STEW, and it was delicious!! Voted best so far by Hubby.

Since getting it, I’ve used it at least 2-3 times a week and I love it to the ends of the earth and back.   What I love most about it is that I can get UP AND AT ‘EM early and get dinner ready when I still have energy.  Towards the end of the day I tend to have that feeling where I just can’t be arsed to cook and look for the easiest thing we have.   Now, I can start the day by preparing something nice and later on when I’m keen to just kick back and chill out, dinner is ready!

My new favorite thing is Draadjesvlees or ‘Butter Braised Beef’ in English.

At the moment I am making a recipe given to me by a Canadian friend who makes this regularly for her family.  I made it a few weeks ago and Xander gave it a “YUM – you can make this again!” rating.   Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a go:

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
6 cups raw potatoes cut into small cubes
1 medium onion minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb cooked ham cubed ( I have added more)
4 TBSP butter
4 TBSP flour
1tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1. Layer potatoes, onion, 1 tsp salt and ham in slow cooker
2. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour and 1tsp salt. Cook until bubbly. Gradually add milk. Cook until smooth and thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Pour over potato-ham mixture, stirring lightly.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 6-7 hours, or High 3-4 hours.

I like this one because it’s quick and easy, unlike the stew which took about an hour of prep before going in the pot (so worth it though).  It’s rich and definitely not a diet food, but it’s tasty!

The only down side to owning one of these fabulous cookers in the Netherlands is storage space.   Kitchens here are small and cupboard and counter space is sparse.  It was a concern of mine when I ordered it, but I figured I’d sort it out once I got it.   It hasn’t been an issue for me though because it’s been in the same spot since we got it.  It gets used so often I just never bother putting it away.

Another issue is finding the cuts of meats required, as a lot of the recipes (of which there are MANY) are from Americans.   Finding roast beefs, hams, etc here in the Netherlands can be difficult.   Firstly, it’s hard to find the meats in the same sizes as back home and also when you do, you pay dearly for it.   Thankfully there are a lot of recipes that don’t require big hunks of meat though!

So if you are like I was and were considering getting a slow cooker but weren’t sure what you would do with it, if it would be worth the money or if it REALLY makes things as good as everyone says.  Take it from me, just do it!  It opens up a whole new world for you, cooking-wise.

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