Pentecost

Come!

The Spirit of God
comes down
through a wall
of blue azure

The dark yields -
so much light

On this proclamation,
hearts break open.

Come!
Celebration of light,
of wind, of fire…
Sign of God’s hour.

Backyard treasures

What to do on a cloudy Saturday afternoon when you are at home, but haven't anything to do...?

... explore the backyard with your camera!

And see the unexpected beauty...

... in every day things around.
"Everything is beautiful in its time" - you only have to see it..:)

Boijmans van Beuningen Museum

Today Susanne came to visit me. She used to be my roommate, but is living with her parents right now to write her BA-thesis. But today she came back to Leiden and we went to Rotterdam to a museum both of us hadn't been yet. It is a modern day art museum, though they also have 14th-17th century paintings. So actually it is a bit of everything:) Here is Susanne under a bone tree... sounds weird, but that was how it was described and looked like...

Here Susanne in the mind of the aunt from Borneo:)

Me in the middle of the aunt's mind:)

Susanne in a special room, the pink stuff are the crystals of your memory, growing and growing...
We also have pictures of the regular exhibition, but they aren't so exciting and everyone knows what a museum looks like, I think:)

Family visit

Today my parents and my brother with his girlfriend came to visit me and the weather was surprisingly good! Here Jan-Willem with Liesanne atthe Burcht

My parents

A typical Leiden view

Water-lilies

Last day in Amsterdam...

Yesterday was the last day Kevin and TJ were here, so we went to Amsterdam again. They had been there on Saturday as well and visited the torture museum and the bible museum and I stayed home:) TJ really likes organs and he had found out that in the Oude Kerk (old church) and in the Nieuwe Kerk (new church) they have some really beautiful old organs. We had company yesterday- two friends of mine- Hennie and Susanne came along. We first went to the Oude Kerk- this church is in the middle of the Red Light district. I had never been there but it is so sad! The women are sitting in a window, they are not attractive or "enjoying" their job- they just look so sad and bored, old or really young. It made me really sad to see them and there are so many of them!! So sad that apparently there is a need for this sort of women in our society! This picture is taken in the Oude Kerk, where also was an exhibition and not just the organ. The world press photo 2006 exhibition was hold in here, really interesting!

Our original plan was to go to Muiderslot- a castle not that far from Amsterdam- but instead we stayed in Amsterdam the whole day. So much to see and do! We mainly just walked around. But we also took a canal tour, that takes you along all the special spots of Amsterdam. This is one of the most beautiful spots in Amsterdam- here you see seven (7) bridges in a row...

A wooden shoe boat:)

This are my friends Simon and Elke who were so friendly to open up their home for me so that they guys could stay in my room and didnt need a hotel or so... We took them out for dinner last night to the pancake house- really dutch and really good!:)

Norwegians and TJ:)

Wednesday wasn't such an exciting day, since I was on the train for most of the day to Zeeland and to Utrecht, and in between I came back in Leiden. But in the evening we had a really nice dinner with Frode and Elisabeth, my Norwegian friends. On the picture you see their dog Labben. He is really funny and really playful. To calm him down he got a bone to chew on and Elisabeth gave him a massage- there was one happy and content dog!

Thursday morning TJ arrived!! TJ is the best friend from Kevin. Kevin has tried to convince him to come and visit here ever since Kevin came here the first time in 2004, but it never worked till now... It's TJ's first time in Holland and his first comment was when he arrived in Leiden: wow- this looks like a Disneyland part...

The Dolfinarium

We got a weather change! It is really bad now, lots of rain and dark all day. Good for the farmers and all the crops, but bad for us! Of course we planned something mainly outside... We went to the Dolphinarium! Here you see the Steller sealions- the biggest sealions in the world! They are huge, though!

The poor walrus had done something wrong and was really ashamed as you see...

The 'normal sealion' show was hilarious! On old dutch music in an old dutch fishermen town... here the sailor reunited with his loving 'girlfriend' who was waiting for him with a rose.... Never say that sealions aren't romantic!:)

My favorite- the seal:)

Zaanse Schans

Today we went to the Zaanse Schans. The Zaanse Schans is a delightful old hamlet on the banks of the river Zaan with characteristic green wooden houses, charming styalised gardens, small hump-backed bridges, tradesmen's workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops. This enchanting hamlet gives an excellent impression of how a typical Zaanse village must have looked like in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Apart from the cluster of windmills and houses there are also several museums, restaurants and a visitors' centre to be found.

You can walk along all of the windmills- really pretty and also very interesting! Here view on three of the windmills. ( I know a very descriptive description- but what can i say:)

There also is a wooden shoe workshop where a guy shows how to make wooden shoes. That was really interesting! He told us that they use poplar wood that is fresh cut and exist for 50% out of water. He made the shoe in like 5 minutes or so and when he was done he blew in it, and there came a lot of water out! So cool! The shoes have to dry for about three weeks before you can actually use them.

nature at the Zaanse Schans

cute baby ducky:) There were so many ducks with their babies around- so cool! There even was one following us, and for some reason baby ducks really like to pick your shadow... don't ask me why! They were really cute- Kevin even petted one!

Just some of the springflowers

A mother coot- feeding her babies

Brussels

On Wednesday and Thursday we were in Brussels, here just a little part of the historical 'grand place' in the center of Brussels

We walked around alot and also went to the museum of 'des Beaux Arts' that's where this picture is taken:) Other than school classes there were paintings and sculptures- really interesting!

Suddenly between all modern building there is this huge cathedral- really cool!

food in Brussels:)

Of course we had the famous Belgium Waffles, I think it is impossible to describe what they taste like- they are just really good! Here we had them with wipped cream and fresh strawberries, but with hot chocolate sauce they are really good too:)

The best ice-cream I'd ever had! It was called- la vie en rose...well it definitely tasted like that! A fresh strawberry and other red fruit ice-cream.... wow!

And of course we had tea, we got out own little plate with a teapot and a glass, and 2 chocolates and a very special teaspoon with fresh tea in it...