Canadutch » Netherlands

Het Dak van Rotterdam

Breigh — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:08:52 +0000

Today someone in one of my photo clubs shared something on Facebook and I thought it was SO cool! It’s a website that has taken a collection of panoramic and 360 degree photos taken from all different rooftops around the city. They have put it together so that you can tour Rotterdam from above via these photos.

(The following photos are screenshots from the website, not photos I have taken – I wish!)

Basically, you just click on the circle to see the view from the rooftop of that building. You can use your mouse to pull the view from side to side or up and down.

It really is such a cool idea and put together so nicely! So if you would like to take a tour of this wonderful city that I live in click here!

I’m quite curious how they got access to all these rooftops. Is it just a matter of going in and asking someone? I’d love to be able to get up in some of these locations, especially for some night time photography. I’ll have to look into this sometime!

Legoworld 2011

Breigh — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:47:58 +0000

My husband is a serious Lego Junkie. He and his friends are really involved in the robotics side of Lego and over the years he’s become increasingly busy with it. The biggest event of the year for them is Legoworld in Zwolle. He goes there each year for almost a week where he and the other Mindstorms guys put on a big display to show the visitors the robots they designed and teach them about what can be done with the Lego Mindstorm (and other related) products.

Last year I was in Canada while he was there, so I decided that this year I would pop by and see what it was all about. Well, pop by may not be the proper term seeing as it was a 2.5 hour trip to get there, but I went to visit nonetheless.

That’ ^^^ my hubby up there ^^^ !

You can see all of the photos here on the Flickr set!

It was very cool, I must admit… very busy, but cool. I can see why my husband is so tired when he comes home after his time there!

If you have a kid, I’d definitely recommend visiting Legoworld some year, it’s like a children’s paradise in there! I think a lot of the parents enjoyed it just as much as the children did, if I’m honest.

KreaDoe 2011

Penny’s Race Day

Breigh — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 05:45:10 +0000

Last weekend I went to watch my friend Penny run her first 5k. This was a huge thing for her and she had been working incredibly hard to get there, so there was no way I could miss it! I was so proud of all she has achieved over the last while, and I couldn’t wait to be there screaming for her as she crossed the finish line. I was also keen to take photos because while I have taken photos from races before, like the Rotterdam Marathon, I’ve never known anyone that was taking part. I was excited about the challenge for myself photography wise but also to capture the memories for her.

It was a beautifully sunny day with Indian Summer in full effect here in the Netherlands, the temperatures were set to go up into the high 20’s! Xander and I made sure to leave early to make sure we got a good spot to park and that we were able to find them in time before the race. I’m glad we did because there was quite a crowd and it wasn’t long after we arrived that the masses really started arriving.

She was running together with two of her friends, which was great because I’m sure it was a lot less daunting than if she were to do her first one on her own. Her husband’s cousin was also running in the race but we weren’t able to find her before the start.

She and her friend Suzanne were raring and ready to go. They had been planning this together for quite some time and were pretty excited. I couldn’t blame them, I was excited too and I wasn’t even running.

Once the race was getting ready to start I found a spot to squeeze in on the sides. I was a little irritated because some really tall Dutch guy had his arm stuck out videotaping the whole thing, which blocked my view (and probably a load of people behind me as well) and made it difficult for me to get photos. I bitched loads to Xander, in the end trying to do so extra loud so the guy would hear and knock it off, but it wasn’t until whoever it was he was waiting for went by that he finally moved out of the way.

I’m not sure it mattered though, because I quickly remembered how difficult it is to take photos during a race. Do they all have to move so fast? What’s the hurry?

Even with the guy gone I could hardly see, so I had Xander watch and yell when he saw Penny coming. I just barely caught her as she came into view and then was gone in just a few seconds! Before the race I told her to stop when she saw me and give me a few poses, but she didn’t listen. After taking the photos I screamed like a mental patient, all “WAHOOOO PENNY GO PENNY GO PENNY!!!” until Xander reminded me that she had her earphones in and couldn’t hear me anyway… then stepped away and pretended not to know me.

Once she and her friends went by we scurried off to the finish line to wait for them.

Her husband’s cousin and one of Penny’s friends, I’m sorry I don’t remember their names now… both finished before I was able to get in and get a photo. Again, such a hurry! You’d think they were in a race or something!

When I finally did manage to wiggle my way up to the rail I was just in time to catch Suzanne crossing. She looked so happy and looked like she could turn around and do it all over again!

Penny wasn’t far behind and look at how proud she was! I started screaming again, I didn’t care if she couldn’t hear me, I was proud of her too!

This time she DID stop so I was able to get more photos. I’m not sure if it was for my benefit or that she was just keen to stop moving, either way it worked for me!

I continued to stalk her and her friends from the sidelines, taking photos of them and some of the other runners. They were having a great gab for a while, which I assume was about the race, the heat, the other runners around them and whatever else runny people talk about after a race.

We finally caught up with Yuri’s cousin and I couldn’t stop thinking of how unbelievably alike they look. Yuri and his cousin, I mean… I wish I’d gotten a photo of them together because the strength of those family genes are astounding. If you know Yuri and saw this photo you’d be all “Hey Yuri, why are you crouching down like that, and why do you have that blond wig on?”. Seriously, it’s insane.

It is my life’s mission now to get a photo of them together… OR, to put a blond curly wig on Yuri and get a photo of that. Actually, that sounds like a lot more fun.

Anyway, back to Penny…

This is the look of a woman who just achieved something pretty amazing. She set herself a goal, worked hard, went to that race and kicked ass.

I think I told her about 100 times how proud I was of her. I also, being me, came dangerously close to getting weepy a few times. Whatever, it’s what I do.

She is an inspiration and I’m so glad I was there to see all her hard work pay off! Well done, my friend!

IMAGES Texel Trip

Breigh — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:11:45 +0000

Back in June I went on a day trip to the island of Texel (said “Tessel”) with my photography club. This is something I was really looking forward to as I’d not been to any of the Dutch islands in all the time I’ve been living here. It was a bit of a long way to go for a day trip but it was so worth it, I loved the scenery and catching up with some of my photo club friends.

Texel is one of the islands in the far north of the country. All of which I hope to visit at some point, so this made a good start! The trip was really well organized by one of our club members, so we all met at the ferry in Den Helder (bottom left of the photo) and got the ferry to Texel, where a half open bus was waiting for us to show us around the island.

It was a very windy day, and we had some rain, but we didn’t let that stop us! Some of us were even stubborn enough to spend the entire day in the open part of the bus.

These girls from the club came well prepared with scarves and rain jackets! Unlike me, who showed up with a summer jacket and a hoodie, neither of which had a hood that would stay up!

I know, I look incredibly stylish, don’t I? This was just after I’d climbed to the top of a lighthouse (that I will show later) and it was windier than hell up there. Thankfully I brought lots of stuff to keep my hair out of my face, not that the wind really allowed it to stay under control at all!

Who cares! I climbed a lighthouse and didn’t die!

First we visited the small village of Den Hoorn where we had about an hour to walk around. It rained most of the time so the photos were a bit limited.

I really wish I could have gone into that house to see the artwork inside. I really wondered how they were able to leave all those paintings out in the elements without them getting faded or damaged…

After Den Hoorn we boarded the bus again and headed over to De Slufter, which is a national park and nature reserve.

There was a guided tour, but people were also free to roam and take photos themselves, so I chose the latter. I was glad in the end as when it started raining really badly I legged it for the bus, and those who did the tour were out in it for a lot longer!

After sitting in the bus warming up, the crowd came back and we shuffled back to our spot in the back open area. It was getting a little cold at this point because we were all pretty wet, so we were happy to hear that it was time to head to the beach for lunch! I jokingly said to the friends I was sitting with that the minute we are actually indoors the sun would come out… and I was right!

Even though the sun was out it was still really windy, but the wind surfers and kite surfers were in heaven! We didn’t stay long at that beach as we still had other places to visit, but I did manage to snap this photo of one happy and tired kite surfer on his way out of the water.

Next we headed to the big beach with the lighthouse, which was my favorite part of the entire day! What a lovely spot that was!

That’s the lighthouse I climbed! Yeah, I know it looks small, but it’s not!

See, it’s huge!! Big and tall… and tall, and high!

Believe me now? I climbed it…

Ok I have a confession, it was kind of easy. It wasn’t just one long flight of stairs but a few smaller ones with rooms you could stop in in between. Each of those windows was a level where you could stop and catch your breath, which worked great for me.

It was really worth the climb though, what a view!

From up here you all look like tiny little aaaants!! (Name that movie!)

All I could think of was how much I’d love to pitch a tent in that grass and live there all summer. Then I was told that you aren’t allowed to swim there because of the currents, and I was over it.

After climbing down the lighthouse we all hung out on the beach for a bit, I spent some of my time taking photos of my friends, who welcomed a beautiful baby boy into their lives just a few weeks later!

From the beach we went to a little fishing harbour where I tried my first taste of Kibbeling, which is basically just fried fish. It was yummy! I didn’t take too many photos there as I was a little tired, but this one guy did catch my eye!

Oh what a life! Stretched out on the deck of his ship having a nap, completely oblivious to all the tourists standing around taking his photo. I can think of worse ways to spend the afternoon!

So that’s it… that was my first trip to Texel, and what a fun day. Even though the weather was crappy at times, the company was great and it felt good to be out in the fresh air seeing somewhere I haven’t been before.

If you ever get the chance to visit Texel, go for it! It’s not a very big island and you can cover a lot of ground in a day! I hear there’s really great camping there too!

Petting Giraffes at Dierenpark Amersfoort = AWESOME!

Breigh — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:53:15 +0000

I’m baaaack! Actually I’ve been back for almost two weeks, but I’ve either been busy, didn’t feel like writing or was having issues with my host. Anyway, I’m here now and that’s what counts.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of the our time in France yet because I made a deal with myself that I’d catch up on all the photos from other adventures before I even started them. Argh, it hurts! I’m so itching to share all of the cool places we saw and things we did!

The first set of photos I promised that I’d work on were from my trip to Dierenpark Amersfoort back in June. A friend of mine had split up with her boyfriend and was returning to the US, so she wanted to get together and do something really cool together before she left us. She has a friend who works at the Zoo in Amersfoort and said that she’d mentioned she could take her behind the scenes to pet and feed giraffes and was wondering if we’d be interested in doing that.

HELL YEAH I was interested!

So one day three of us got together with the girl who worked at the zoo and had the most awesome day. Not only did she take us ‘backstage’ to see the giraffes, but she also spent the entire day with us showing us around the zoo and giving us info on all the different animals. It was fantastic!!

Here’s the photos!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

You can also view the photos here on the Flickr set.

We had such an amazing day that day. It really was so much fun and such a nice way to say goodbye to a good friend.
If you are interested in visiting zoos in the Netherlands, I recommend this zoo wholeheartedly. I’ve been to three zoos here in the Netherlands (this one, Blijdorp in Rotterdam and Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem) and I think this may be my favorite. Not because it’s the largest or has the most animals but as someone who enjoys taking photos, the enclosures were great. Many of them had just glass separating you from the animals, which gave you the ability to get up quite close, which you can’t do at a lot of zoos.

Hopefully you’ll have more luck getting that white tiger than I did, he was quite elusive… but, it gives me a great reason to visit again someday!

MISS YOU, ERIN!!

The Day I Almost Killed a Cyclist

Breigh — Sun, 01 May 2011 13:14:34 +0000

Rant incoming!

It’s about people, and how they suck… and the rules of the road in the Netherlands that I just don’t understand!

Today my husband and I were driving to the supermarket, and he nearly hit a biker with the car. We both instantly thought that the guy was in the wrong, and apparently he thought the same about us.

Here’s the scene:

We were driving along the street when we came along one of these weird dremples (speed bumps) with the pole next to it. The reddish lane is a bicycle lane, but this old-ish lady in a schooter was sat in that lane chatting with her two friends (the two on the right in the blue).

The biker WAS in the bicycle lane, but because the woman was blocking the way, he swerved out to go around the pole on the OTHER side, then I don’t know if he realized he knew them or what, but he stopped – DEAD, like, on a dime.

Xander, assuming he was continuing on was driving along like normal behind him and had to slam on the break, just stopping in time before hitting him, and the guy was REALLY angry. He came to the window giving Xander crap about how he is supposed to stop AT ALL TIMES if someone is at a crosswalk, on and on and on. The old bitch in the scooter kept giving her two cents as well, the entire time she was yelling and getting in the middle of it all. The biker was at my window, so I had him and Xander yelling at each other on either side of me, far too fast for me to follow properly or get my own two cents in, so all I could do was yell at her to STFU and let them sort it out.

Here’s the problem. He was NOT stopping to cross the crosswalk, he was on a bike and the crosswalk leads to the tram on the left. He stopped dead because he recognized the people and started talking to them… so he wasn’t in the cross walk because he was going to use it, he stopped in a cross walk to talk to the people who were next to it. He was also still ON his bike, and if I’m not mistaken that’s not supposed to be the case either. If he is crossing a crosswalk as a pedestrian he should be getting OFF his bike and walking it across.. OR continue on and cross at the intersection.

Everyone around him (ie… his FRIENDS) were telling him oh yes you were right you were right, but I don’t see how this is right at all!

First of all, he should have stayed in the bike lane where he belonged. By coming out onto where we were he was essentially switching lanes and you don’t switch lanes and then stop DEAD in front of the cars behind you. This all goes back to the old bitch sitting in the middle of the bicycle path and not moving. It’s her fault really…

Anyway, he was convinced that it was Xander’s fault basically because “I am on a bike and I am at a crosswalk therefor whatever happens it is your fault!”, surely that can’t be right. I mean I know the law falls largely on the side of the cyclist but it can’t be that cut and dry, can it!? Wouldn’t the fact that he not only swerved out in front of traffic, leaving the designated bicycle lane and was ON his bike stopping in a crosswalk he wasn’t even going to USE, rather just to chat to people on the sidewalk matter?!!

UGH sometimes I hate people. As we drove away I fantasized about all the things I would have loved to do, like pushing him off his bike and then beating mouthy scooter bitch with it, throwing him in front of a tram, you know… the usual in need of anger management type of stuff you feel after those kinds of situations. I swear, if I had been more confident with the language and a little less shocked about the whole thing, he would have wished Xander just ran him over and killed him to spare him the pain of my wrath.

So, what is your opinion? Was Xander totally at fault here simply because he was the one in the car, or does the cyclist also have some ownership in the situation? I’m really curious what would have been decided by the police if Xander actually HAD hit the guy… the fact that Xander could have been found to be completely at fault BAFFLES me. BAFFLES!!

101 List – Learn To Make HDR Photos

Breigh — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:27:06 +0000

One of the things I’ve been most determined to do from my 101 List is learning to make High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photos. I’ve seen some amazing HDR photos on Flickr and really wanted to learn to do it myself, but on first examination it seemed really difficult. This was when I first got my DSLR camera and I already had so much to learn that I figured I’d save the HDR for later.

Today I was messing around and decided to download Photomatix and see how it all works. I hadn’t already taken photos for this purpose so I cheated a bit and took a few of my jpg photos from my point and shoot, saved two other versions of them with higher and lower exposure and played around with them. I know this isn’t going to work quite as well as if I’d taken photos for that purpose and was able to edit them from RAW form but it was enough to give me a little taste.

I took the photos while we were showing friends around Kinderdijk on Sunday. They are here visiting from Canada and I figured we’d take them to one of the bigger tourist destinations around here. I had already been to Kinderdijk a number of times so I hung around outside while they went into the windmill. I brought my point and shoot with me, which I usually do… so to keep myself busy I took a few photos of what was going on around me.

I particularly loved watching this little girl ‘fishing’ with a reed from the side of the canal. She was so cute and I’m glad I quickly dug my camera out again to catch her in the act. I also like the way the photo of her came out!

I want to spend some time doing tutorials for this to learn exactly how all the different tools work. I was just clicking and dragging stuff at random until I got something that looked the way I wanted. I’m sure there are many many other processes that could be followed to really make them pop.

For now though, I’m pleased that I’ve made a start! I see a lot more HDR photos in my future. Even those super overly processed ones some people seem to hate! I think they look freaky and interesting.

Rainy Day in ‘s-Hertogenbosch

Breigh — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:21:45 +0000

Well, as promised after the Divas Day Out in Den Bosch I finally got around to working on the photos. I am glad I didn’t bring my good camera, but they didn’t turn out too bad with the point and shoot.

There was shopping. Lots and lots of shopping… It started at LUSH where Paule and Penny were quite keen to visit. I spent the entire time poking at and playing with the Shower Jellies, weirdest things ever. I thought it was all a bit expensive for what you get. I’m not yet convinced.

There was also more jewelry shopping, where I got some really cool stuff I will write about later. Bijou Brigitte is my favorite place to shop for jewelry. Cheap, funky jewelry… love it!

We also visited St Jan Cathedral, which was under construction at the moment but still very beautiful.

Getting photos from the outside was quite tricky, as it was raining, but I had to at least try. I wasn’t as worried with my point and shoot as I would have been with my more expensive camera.

Even Penny and Paule got their cameras out for this one. Though I suspect we’ll not see those photos anytime soon! They aren’t really a shutterbug like I am.

The inside was quite lovely, but it’s being renovated which has everything a little scattered. The dim light made for a photography challenge with my little Exilim! It was strangely cold in there too, you could see your breath even.

As with a lot of these old churches, there was no short supply of stained glass… I wish I’d taken the time to get more photos of the windows. I will make a point of that on my next visit!

The candles always make me think of my grandmother and all the other loved ones I’ve lost over the years. Even though I’m not at all religious something about it still touches my heart.

I wish I had gotten more photos from in and around the city, but it was so rainy that we spent most of our time dashing from shop to shop. It was beautiful there though and I can only imagine what it’s like on a sunny spring day. We are already making plans to return to really get a better view of the area.

I also want to get more photos of the train station.

I managed to take these photos quickly just after I arrived there in the afternoon, and just before I left in the evening. The station is quite cool with a mixture of really modern aspects and glimpses of the old as well. It’s a fairly big station, the first photo is just the platform where I got off my train, after you go up the escalator there is a long walkway with some shops and places to get food. The walkway leads to more escalators that you can see in the lower photo, which lead out into the city center.

From what I can tell ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) is a very cool city. It has a great balance between the old architecture but some really interesting modern shopping areas as well. I’ve heard that there are boat rides you can take under the city. I cannot wait to see what that is all about.

30 Days of Truth: Day 5

Breigh — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 20:53:43 +0000

I have a list of things I want to do in my life, my 101 List! One thing I really want to do is become more independent and self sufficient here in the Netherlands. Sure, things are a lot better than they were but I still have a long way to go.

The two things that would really make a big difference is going further with my Dutch courses and getting my drivers license. Both of which I say I’m going to do every year but something always gets in the way. With the Dutch lessons it’s just fear and laziness. The drivers license is usually money. I’d need to take lessons and a test like any other new driver here which will cost anywhere between €1000 – €1500. So what happens is if we have that kind of money to spare, we are faced with the choice between going on holiday or getting my license. Me getting to see my family, or getting my license. Getting the windows on our flat repaired, or getting my license. Pay off our credit card … or get my license.

You get the point.

I can get around well enough with the public transit but that’s not to say I wouldn’t have more freedom if I were able to drive. There are just some things you need a car for and after all these years I’m growing tired, very tired, of depending on my husband to do all the driving.

It would also be handy for traveling. Take going to the south of France for example. That is a fairly long drive and we’d be looking at probably about 15 hours on average including breaks. We break it into two days so that my husband can rest, but I’m a great long distance driver, I’ve always loved it. So it’s frustrating to have to pay for two nights in a hotel and spend all my time in the passenger seat.

I wish I could have traded in my Canadian license but it doesn’t work like that here.

Oh well, one day… I should see if the have gift certificates at the driving schools and ask for lessons for every occasion for the next year! I somehow doubt they do though.

In the meantime I’ll work on getting my ass in gear and getting back into some Dutch lessons. Eventually…

Girl’s Day Out in Bergen op Zoom

Breigh — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 08:51:02 +0000

Yesterday me and two of my oldest and dearest friends here in the Netherlands, Paule (left) and Penny (right), met up in Bergen op Zoom for a girl’s day out. A very much needed girl’s day out too, for all of us.

We walked a lot, chatted a lot, and squealed a lot in a jewelry shop when we realized a load of the stuff was on clearance. No really, I think the jewelry shop owner thought we were a little… speshul, like, short bus speshul.

Regardless, it was great for my girlie thing and we all made quite a haul. I got all of this for only €27! Check it out, I bought something pink! It’s weird because until about six months ago I wouldn’t be caught dead with anything pink. Not because of my whole fat and feminine issue (see the girlie thing link), but I just hated pink. Now, I don’t. I don’t know why it just mysteriously changed. Penny said it’s because we’re becoming old women and all old women love pink. She may be on to something…

This bracelet was my favorite buy of the day. Something I’d normally look at, love but never bother to even try on because I would know it wouldn’t go around my big fat wrists. When I tried to dismiss it because it was too small Paule basically told me not to be so stupid and to try it, and ya know, it did fit! Not just that but it fit so much that I need to hook it on the smallest ring possible in order for it not to be too lose. The girls pretty much threatened to hurt me if I didn’t get it, so I did! I think it’s so cool, I can’t wait to wear it somewhere.

I swear to god, one of the weirdest parts of losing weight is not having any awareness of your own dimensions anymore. It’s such a mindfuck.

Bergen op Zoom is a lovely little city with a lot of charm. The other girls had been there before numerous times, but it was a first for me, so of course I brought along my trusty little point and shoot. I would have brought my good camera but the day was more about spending time with friends. Of course I did squeeze in a little photography. It just wouldn’t have been right not to.

This was what I used for my Project 365 photo for yesterday. I have come to the conclusion that I am not going to be able to blog my 365 photo every day so I am going to figure out a way to have an automatically updating plugin for it on my sidebar. That way I don’t have to do any work, cuz that’s just how I roll. I love technology.

One thing I love about the cities of the Netherlands, and Europe in general really, is how old everything is. Each place has its own charm, and even though it can be quite similar from one place to the next it’s different as well. It’s hard to explain. I would love to see Bergen op Zoom in the summer when the square is full of umbrellas and tables with people having a drink and enjoying the nice weather.

They city was a bit of a maze for me, so I was glad to have friends with me who knew where they were going. It seemed like there was one of these archways at every turn and I couldn’t remember where any of them lead. That’s sort of strange for me. My husband calls me a homing pigeon because I can usually find my way around anywhere once I’ve been there.

That’s how it is everywhere here though, there are no such things as grids like in Toronto, for example, where everything is north, south, east and west. The cities started small and grew out in a random fashion so the streets are a bit like a tangle of snakes.

After exploring the city center for the afternoon, we decided to go to a nice Greek restaurant for dinner, where we had a lovely meal and chatted our asses off. I had this thing called Bifteki which is basically a spiced hamburger stuffed with Feta. I am pretty sure I could eat anything with feta and enjoy it. I snapped this photo as we were leaving to head back to the train station. Without a tripod it was difficult to get a really good photo but I wanted to capture the place at night at least once.

OK OK!! ! I confess, I also had Creme Brulee for desert. It was a girl’s day out though, it was one of those times where you just have to let go a little.

FINE! I also had a hot chocolate at lunchtime. Now quit badgering me! I promise to be good from now on.

Gawd…

Anyway, there is something so therapeutic about having a day with just the girls, especially when they are such good friends. I’ve known Paule and Penny for years and they are among a very small handful of people that I feel I can really be myself around and it’s so relaxing and enjoyable.

We said we are going to make a habit of this and I hope we stick to it because I can’t remember the last time I felt so happy and completely chilled out. Honestly, I fucking love these girls.

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked” – Bernard Meltzer

So true, Bernie… so true.