Untuk kasihku di seberang sana,

Langit tak lagi menurunkan saljunya, hanya hawa dingin yang masih siap menerkam saat aku keluar rumah. Musim dingin dingin itu telah usai. Dan kini, kulihat lagi daun-daun di pepohonan yang kulintasi setiap ku melangkah. Burung-burung kecil pun mulai hinggap pada dahannya sambil mendendangkan kicaunya menyambut kembalinya sinar kehidupan.

Oya, aku lupa, dirimu pasti bertanya kabarku. Jujur, aku tak sebaik yang mungkin kau kira. Ya, aku tak baik-baik saja. Setidaknya, yang kurasa, bukan yang kualami. Kau pasti heran mengapa. Aku pun tak bisa memberimu alasan langsung untuk pertanyaan itu. Tapi, selesaikanlah suratku ini dan kuharap kau tahu jawabnya.

Aku duduk di sini, di bawah pohon di antara kumpulan bunga-bunga di taman ini. Aku sengaja menjauh dari mereka (aku datang ke sini dengan teman-temanku) untuk sejenak masuki jiwaku, mencari tahu yang kurasa saat ini. Saat ini aku tak kuasa mewadahi rasaku ini maka kuputuskan menyandarkan punggungku di salah satu pohon dan kutulis semua yang kurasa pada kertas ini. Hanya saja... maaf kalau matamu kewalahan membaca tulisanku.

Hhh... sebentar ya, kuambil nafasku dulu...

Baru saja kuhirup udara di musim semi ini bersama dengan wangi bunga yang sedang berseri. Kau tahu? Wanginya merasuk rongga hidungku, menyempitkan pikiranku pada satu hal: KAMU. Aku kecewa tak ada dirimu saat ini. Tapi aku tersenyum merasakan hadirmu. Aku kecewa tak bisa menggenggam tanganmu ketika kujelajahi taman ini. Tapi kubayangkan senyummu saat ini di sini.

Hei, aku mau ajak kamu ke sini suatu saat. Yaa... mungkin kau berpikir 'suatu saat' itu akan lama. Tapi kukatakan tadi sungguh-sungguh, aku berjanji untukmu. Dan kuingin kau simpan janjiku ini. Kalau perlu pergilah ke tukang fotokopi, bilang padanya untuk melaminating itu, dan kau simpan dalam dompet yang selalu kau bawa pergi-pergi.

Saat jalan-jalan tadi, macam-macam kembang kulihat warna-warni. Yang utama, tentu saja tulip yang mejadi simbol negeri ini, meski sebenarnya sih bukan asli sini. Yaah... mengambil bibit, mengubahnya sedikit, dan memperbanyaknya lalu menganggap hasilnya sebagai produk asli itu sudah biasa kan. (Aku hanya bercanda dan aku sedang berbicara tentang bunga, bukan protes terhadap kepemilikan budaya lokal yang sedang jadi topik hangat belakangan ini. Toh, aku mengirimkan surat ini untukmu, jadi siapa yang mau tersinggung karena membacanya?)

Kulanjutkan ya? Saat jalan-jalan tadi sempat kuambil beberapa foto untukmu – mungkin dengan foto itu bisa kaubayangkan taman ini, sampai aku benar-benar membawamu ke sini. Dan kulihat beberapa anak kecil berkejar-kejaran. Satu anak mencium salah satu bunga karena penasaran akan aromanya yang berbeda-beda pada tiap bunga. Tiba-tiba..

"HHAAATCHII!!" nyaring sekali suaranya.

Hahaha... rupanya serbuk-serbuk sarinya terhisap dalam hidungnya. Kutahan tawaku dan aku hanya nyengir saja. Tapi teman-temannya, pun dia, tertawa geli.

Lalu kulihat kawanan burung yang saling berbalas-balasan lagu suka cita yang hanya dimengerti oleh mereka sendiri. Kurasa semilir angin menerpa wajahku. Dingin, tapi tak sedingin hatiku. Anginnya membuat bunga-bunga itu bergoyang, memperlihatkan aneka macam warnanya.

Ah, aku tak mampu lagi menceritakannya. Entah, aku pun bingung. Mungkin saja aku mulai larut karena terlalu dalam menjelajahi rasaku saat ini. Cukuplah aku cerita tentang taman ini. Aku ingin lebih menghanyutkan pikiranku padamu. Hanya padamu! Aku sudah janji di awal surat ini agar kau tahu bagaimana kabarku. Nanti kalau aku lanjutkan cerita ini, kau mengiraku bohong.

Hhh.. kasihku,

Tahukah yang kurasa saat ini? Andai dirimu di sini, di tempat ini, saat ini, aku cuma ingin genggam tanganmu, tersenyum pada wajahmu, menatap matamu tanpa suara, tanpa kata-kata. Biarkan saja sunyi. Yang kuingin, biarkan rasa dan hati kita yang bicara karena kata-kata dapat berbohong kapanpun namun perasaan tidak semudah itu.

Kasihku, masihkah kau tunggu aku pulang untuk menemuimu? Masihkah kau begitu menginginkan aku untuk kembali. Kuharap dirimu mampu bertahan karena kau tak sendiri, aku pun ingin yang sama seperti inginmu. Kalaupun kau tak mampu lagi, aku ingin kau tahu bahwa inginku kan tetap ada. Aku akan tetap berjuang lewati semua ini meski sendiri karena aku percaya jalan yang kita tapaki ini tak selamanya berliku.

Oya, tadi aku petik setangkai mawar merah. Ssttt... jangan bilang-bilang karena aku memetiknya diam-diam hanya untukmu. Kusertakan mawar ini dalam suratku utuh dengan duri-durinya. Meski mungkin rindumu tak terobati sepenuhnya, meski mungkin kamu akan mendapatinya telah kering karena keterlambatan pos di sana, biarlah. Kuyakin, harum mawar itu masih tetap bisa kau cium dan tak pernah hilang karena kutahu kau akan menyimpannya selalu dalam hatimu.

Dari seorang yang mencintaimu dari kejauhan...

Ik mis je². Ik hou van jou!³

PS: Oya, maafkan aku kalau aku berbohong karena Keukenhof sebenarnya dibuka Maret-Mei dan musim semi pun telah usai. Jadi, maafkan aku kalau kata-kataku bohong padamu. Tapi siapa peduli? Toh, tulisan-tulisan ini adalah karanganku, permainan imajinasiku.

Lagipula telah kukatakan bahwa kata-kata bisa berbohong tapi perasaan tidak. Jadi, kuminta kau pejamkan matamu, rasakan dengan hatimu, dan kuyakin kau akan jumpai hadirku dan mendengar ceritaku yang sesungguhnya.

__________

Ewel, kijkt! Zie je dan niet waarmee ik allemaal bezig ben dan?
Ik tert van festival naar festival, van Tanzbrunnen in Keulen naar Keukenhof in Hillegom bij Lisse in Nederland.
Ondertussen staat mijn selectie van het fantastische gothicfestival Amphi fest online en kan ik nu mijn foto's van Castlefest 2008 online zetten, om van mijn gentse feesten nog maar te zwijgen. Maar daarvoor verwijs ik u graag door naar het project.
Bovendien zijn er ook buurtfeesten in mijn wijk. Veel last heb ik er gelukkig niet van. ik wil rust al ik thuis ben. Lekker genieten, in alle traquilliteit en sereniteit ontspannen met enkel mezelf en ik.
Mijn binnenhuisinrichtingscapaciteiten heb ik weer wat getraind en mijn bank leverde me een nieuwe bankkaart af met foto erop voor niets. De andere weet ik nog steeds niet waar ik die ben kwijt gespeeld. Ook mijn queeste van rond de wereld heeft vorm gekregen, alleen moet ik nog bevestiging krijgen van de boeking. Nog enkele lange weken geduld, maar geduld wordt altijd beloond. En verder trek ik op met vrienden, de zomer, het is lekker leutig ondanks de regen. Er samen op uit trekken, wat wil een mens nog meer? Music is my life!

Como siempre mi amigo Txetxu me ha enviado este fabuloso powerpoint. Y lo único que puedo decir es que váis a visitar el mayor parque natural de Tulipanes del mundo, que está en Holanda. Puedo decir que he estado en ese país, pero con tan mala suerte no he podido ver este maravilloso paísaje, ya que era invierno la época de visita. Espero que os guste.

descargar keukenhof

I took this a couple of weeks ago in Amsterdam. At the Keukenhof Gardens.

Last week me and my parental units went to Keukenhof, which is a flower exposition which is held in the Netherlands every spring in the Netherlands. its one of those extremely touristy hot spots where are al tourist visit when go to Holland. I had never been there before, and it was truly beautiful. I didn't know there were so many different types of tulips, and other flowers. Keukenhof is pretty large, so i had to pushed around in wheel chair which was fairly humiliating for me. Still, I'm glad at the end of the ride I could get out of the wheel chair unlike some very unlucky people who will never get out the wheelchair again.

Its easy to rant, its easy to blame someone else, but accidents happen. The truth of the matter is that life goes on, and that given some time, the hip fracture will heal, and if does not, I will just get hip replacement. Eventually, I will walk again, the question only is, how long will it take for my hip heal to level were i can function easily without too much problems. Lately, I have been ranting  a bit on twitter as well, but I guess its not bad as at home. That's about it for now. Cheerz, Sebas

Together with my better half, we've decided to have an adventure and get our bikes, buy a tent and sleeping bags and set off into the wild country side of Holland. If you're in the Netherlands and you ever want to go on such a trip, one reliable store I can recommend is Decathlon. The store is located at the right of the Ajax Football Stadium ( Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena metro/train station).

There are a lot of ways to plan a 6 day bike trip. Our way was opening a map and trusty Google and identifying where we'd like to go first. However, in case you like your preparation to be more thorough there are numerous ways of finding the best bike paths, campings, sights and prices.

The main site and agency you should be looking for as a biker is ANWB. In ANWB stores you can buy bike maps, a GPS with all the Dutch bike routes or a comprehensive bike route bundle (contains a book with details of over 70 routes and the maps of another 100+ routes). Unfortunately the bundle is only available in Dutch but with a little preparation and internet investigation you'll get the sense of it. When we bought it this book cost 38 Euros.

Another great resource are the VVV site and offices. These are information agencies found in every city in the Netherlands. You can ask questions, buy tours, maps, find out about the attractions in the area and the upcoming events. Whenever you're lost just look for a VVV.

As I mentioned getting lost I feel I need to elaborate a bit on the subject. I know my North from my South and usually can quickly identify my left from my right, still I am not a born navigator. One of my good fortunes was that Timur has a built-in GPS which is 99.999% reliable :). On the other hand even for me it would be mostly impossible to get lost on Dutch bike routes. First of all they have special signs for the routes at almost every intersection. You'll recognize the signs by the red contour color and the little bike they have painted on. Secondly even if you miss a sign another will follow so fast that you will know you have missed your way. Last but not least, the bike route network is so extensive and so well interconnected that even if you miss your way you don't always need to turn in order to come back on track.

Another nice asset of the country is the extensive mass transport network. It's not allowed to carry your bike on a bus or on a tram but you can carry if for free in the Metro and for a fee all around the Netherlands by train. The fee is fixed for any destination and it's 6 Euros for one bike for a ticket that's valid the entire day.

Be careful when you board the train to choose a door that has a bike with a ticket attached drawn over it or look for the doors with plenty of compartment space and some chairs :). It's not mandatory to choose a specific door in the train but from a comfort point of view some are much better than others.

Last but not least, when you're preparing a bike trip you should take into consideration the Dutch weather as it can really take you by surprise as you move through the country. Best months from my experience seem to be May - August and a bit of September. End of April and May have an added value for a tourist as this is the time when all the tulips and spring flowers are in bloom, when the Netherlands suddenly turns unbelievably colorful.

Our trip lasted 6 days with a break on Queen's Day when we returned to Amsterdam to celebrate in orange.

By the end of the trip we had biked over 280km and seen a number of beautiful places.

Day 1 - The Keukenhof Gardens

Day 2 - Den Helder - Texel Island

Day 3 - Texel (Eco Mare)

Day 4 - Apeldoorn - Het Loo Palace - De Hoge Veluwe National Park

Day 5 - Arnhem - Alkmaar - Bergen

Day 6 - Alkmaar - Den Helder ( Glider Club Zweefvliegclub )

excursia a pornit pe aceasta autostrada cu 4 benzi+1 de urgenta

i-am avut langa pe cristina si pe iubitul ei, tibi 

mos craciun are un job de vara: portar la intrarea in gradina

eu

dobre foarte supi. l-au enervat niste moldoveni intalniti pe drum.. va zice el mai multe

cum se vede din moara

moara s-a nascut in 1892 si a murit in 1957

statuie jucatoare

pentru desktop 1

pentru desktop 2(pentru cei care au ubuntu :p)

a meritat sa vedem cea mai mare gradina de flori din lume.  e foarte mare, intrarea e 13.5 euroi, sunt plantate cam 7 milioane de flori anual si este o doit voir(sau must see.. eu m-am apucat sa vorbesc numa in franceza.. chiar daca vorbesc ca un caine care are unt de arahide pe ceru gurii.. secouez et cuire au four, mihai :p)

toate pozele mumoase le gasiti aici

Today at Keukenhof, the world's largest flower garden, I saw an Asian man taking picture after picture with his small Sony camera but not once did he actually stop for a second to admire what it was in front of him. He would keep his sight on the digital display of the camera stretched out before him with unflinching eyes bulging wide less he might miss something and I watched as he would walk to and from each flower bed clicking countless photographs, not even once taking his sight away from the camera screen. To me this seems a mix of pure addiction and a smattering of extreme closed mindedness. I watched as he did this for nearly ten minutes while his wife walked beside him and in that time he must have easily taken over one-hundred photographs. The most shocking thing about this matter to me was his lack of removing his eyes from the screen and never actually looking at the gorgeous flowers and tulips that lay around him. I can just see this guy going back to his home and telling his friends and family what beautiful flowers he saw when in reality he went all that way and didn't actually see anything.

Such a strange phenomena this is and, intriguingly, I've noticed it in Asian men more than anyone else. Sure taking photographs of what you have seen is nice but it's never better than actually seeing it with your own eyes and taking a minute to admire and think about that which is before you. If I was that interested in looking at photos of flowers, there are millions of flower and tulip pictures on the Internet already without me needing to dish out thousands of dollars to travel to Holland just to make more countless pictures and still not really see them even then.

I think this carries also from when I was on the public transportation bus I took to Keukenhof. There were many Asian men aboard too and they would take pictures through the window of the countryside as we passed. This in itself is not bad but many would be so absorbed in having to take picture after picture that they wouldn't even realize that the flashes that are coming from all their cameras (besides for being terribly annoying to everyone else around them) is ruining all their pictures because it just causes glare off the window glass. Clearly one good photo is better than dozens, or hundreds, of poor ones?

Sometimes it would be nice to have eliminated digital cameras from the invention annals of history, or maybe just make people earn the right to use digital ones. Really, some people just need to relax and admire things for a change.

But the rain is good for my tulips.   I can already see the shoots springing up from the grass; the leaves are slowly turning from velvety brown to green.  I wonder when they will put out their buds, I can't wait to see the flowers.

Last month, I visited the famous Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands.  The gardens are beautiful with millions of lovely flowers - hyacinths and dandelions, irises and orchids.  But of course, one goes there for the tulips.  The 4.5 million tulips they have - in orange, pink and violet, two-toned, with serrated edges, saucer-sized, every combination you can think of.   If you are a flower lover, this is one place you should definitely visit.

On the other hand, if you are not an avid flower lover, you should probably think twice about going. There is a lot of walking involved - it's a large garden spanning 32 hectares. It is not really a picnic spot because the lawns are all off-limits, and there's not much else you can do apart from looking at flowers.  You can pet the resident donkey if you like, but that seems to be all in terms of entertainment.

I would think I am an avid flower lover, but after a few hours in the gardens, I was perfectly happy to not see another tulip for a long time.

But I can't wait for my own tulips to grow - one reason being that this is the first time I am watching a plant grow from seed.  At least in this country, since I usually buy plants in pots and then transplant them onto the soil.   Isn't that the ultimate test of one's green thumb - getting a seed, or a cutting, to grow into a full scale plant and watch it flower?

This is also a novel method of planting - you do not water the plant. All I did last August was dig a few holes along the driveway and around the maple trees, shallow holes that were just a few inches deep.  I stuck the bulbs in and covered them up.  Then, I proceeded to forget all about them.  I did not water the bulbs, either then or later.   This suits my style of lazy gardening, I told myself.

Fall came and the maples turned red and gold, and finally bare.  Winter came, and with it the first snows.  The snow carpeted the driveway and was shoveled off regularly, resulting in tall piles on the sides, over the tulips.  At one point, the tulips along the driveway were buried under three feet of snow.

Now it's spring,  and the snows have melted away.  The grass is green again, though the trees are still bare. Only the crabapple still had its red berries that tenaciously clung to it through fall and winter.

I had "naturalized" my tulips - instead of planting them in separate flower beds of their own,  I had planted them in clumps on the grass, around the trees and between other flowers.  This is a good idea because the tulips are not going to flower for too long.  Once spring is over, they will stop flowering, and slowly even the leaves will drop off.

But all that is some time away.  Right now, they have put out their first shoots and their first few leaves.  I know my flowers will be quite sedate by Keukenhof standards - they will not have serrated edges, and though some of them may be two-toned, they are not in exotic shades.  But for some reason, I think I will like them more than the ones in Keukenhof.

But much as I love my tulips, it's a somewhat lazy love.  The snow melted away some weeks ago.  As I watched the warm sun beat down on the tender shoots, I idly wondered whether they needed watering.  But, continuing my unique style of gardening, I did not seriously consider taking a sprinkler to the plants.

This rain is the first water the tulips are getting, apart from the melted snow that watered them last month. For that reason alone, I think I will welcome the showers.

Sometime next week, the in-ground sprinklers will get turned on, and the tulips will start to get watered.  I can continue my style of lazy gardening.  Meanwhile, I will spend this weekend inspecting each flower bed.  Over the next few weeks, I will watch for the magical first flower to appear, the indisputable proof of my green thumb, a triumph of my gardening efforts at turning a seed into a flower.

Did I say gardening efforts?

More info at http://www.keukenhof.nl/nm/english.html

From Utrecht, we took a train to Leiden with five of my schoolmates. It was a girls' day trip on a Monday...

After a cup of coffee, we got our combi tickets to the Keukenhof, which included a two way bus ticket and entrance to the garden for 19 euros. This proved to be convenient because when we arrived at the Keukenhof, there were long queues to the ticket booth. The bus ride was about 20 minutes to Lisse. It got me all excited as I caught glimpses of the tulip fields. Wow striped fields of purple, blue, yellow, red, all colors imaginable.. Like a rainbow field!

So, we arrive at the Keukenhof... I will stop typing now. Marvel at the sights...

We were absolutely crazy over the flowers, clicking our cameras left and right!! Now as you can see, how can you blame us?

By 2pm we were hungry, and I had a slice of pancetta pizza, the best I have tasted in the Netherlands so far. It was a celebration of sorts for me to step on tulip land. This deserves a bottle of Coke!!

Oh by the way, the theme of this year's exhibition is the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I was searching for an Olympic logo. Here it is, with my Chinese friends posing beside it.

Oh, of course... The Dutch windmill. Gotta have a picture of that!

Yesterday was one of the best days I've had in a long time. The weather was perfect, and I saw my most favorite flower of all time! Had a great pizza, fun company and a bottle of Coke, what more could I ask for?

For more pictures, visit my flickr site.

We took the train down to Leiden Station, then a bus to the Keukenhof.  The total trip time was about 2 hours one way, so not HORRIBLE but long enough.  Granted once we arrived there it was well worth the crowded bus.

The colours and smells of the gardens smack you in the face as soon as you walk in.  The tulips (my favourite) are everywhere and so where the daffodils. 

I never realized how many types of tulips there were, I knew there were different varieties but holy every time I turned around there was a new type of tulip!  The hyacinths were also in full bloom, and the sweet smell coming from them was almost overwhelming at times, especially for me since it can give me a headache.  But I sucked it up like a trooper and got some great pictures.  Both Frank and I both had cameras I had my new one and OCCASIONALLY let Frank play with it.  I’m still learning the gizmos and gadgets that come with the camera, but I was still able to get some good shots.  Frank of course managed to get some really beautiful pictures, even with my little camera.  The photographer in him never died.

If you ever make it to the Netherlands and you want to visit the Keukenhof, it is only open for about a month and a bit during the spring. 

www.keukenhof.nl

Just prepare yourself for the crowds and the long wait for the bus if that’s how you choose to do it.  After a few hours of walking around, I finally had enough.  The first clue probably would have been when I took out two teenage boys that where slamming their way through the crowd to get through.  Some how they ended up in the bushes…

Then we had to wait for the bus, I can’t believe people how they shove and push regardless if they are towering over kids.  Then again, the transit system was a little less to be desired since the bus SAT there for 15 mins before letting people on. 

Regardless though, it is a great place to visit and you can order your bulbs and have them shipped to Canada or the US or anywhere else in Europe.  They are kind of pricey but well worth it to get the bulbs to Canada.  I should have ordered some for us, but I’m really hoping not to be in this house next summer.

Today though I need to start the backyard, the weather is supposed to be amazing this weekend so we are going to have a bbq.  Anyone know a good coleslaw recipe? 

Gerd,

Turid,

Gunhild, og

Kjell; har alle vært en liten tur i Amsterdam. Det har vært kjempestas å ha dem på besøk, og vi har gjort masse på de fire dagene de har vært her. Store deler av Amsterdam har blitt snudd på hodet, og vi har til og med vært en tur i blomsterparken Keukenhof som ligger mellom Harlem og Leiden (et stykke utenfor Amsterdam).

Hvitvins"nyting" i vårsola er absolutt nødvendig (på tross av noe varierende hvitvinskvalitet..)

Vi hadde markedsinnkjøpt ost og vin her i Sarphatistraat

På Noordermarkt kjøpte Gunhild en aldri så liten hatt til meg

Keukenhof var ganske enkelt et blomsterparadis

(neeesten sorte!)

De hadde til og med 3 eksemplarer av den sjeldne og eksklusive Hauansøstre-blomsten som nesten utelukkende blomstrer i sort ;)

(Flere bilder på flickr, nederst på siden.)

Tusen takk for fantastisk hyggelig besøk, jeg håper dere koste dere like mye som jeg gjorde :)

"Brur segeralah bangun, ada kbr bagai petir di pagi hari ini. Aku dan mas din online, kt ngobrol bareng yuks. sebab tinggal kita the remained consistent treveller, danke"

Gak engeh sama sekali setelah baca isi pesan tersebut. Apa maksud dari the remained consistent teveller. seperti ritual rutin yang saya lakukan setiap hari setelah buka mata: cuci muka, sikat gigi dan bikin kopi. disela-sela itu nyalakan komputer dan log in.

Setelah login ke Yahoo ternyata ada pesan yang lumayan banyak tentang kepastian keberangkatan ke Keukenhof. Azky mengundurkan diri karena sedang menyelesaikan second proposalnya, Yakin akhirnya tidak ikut karena membetulkan sepedanya yang mrotholi, Hilman juga tidak jadi ikut karena menyelesaikan proposalnya, dan Nurkholis minta maaf karena malas. So................... I got the meaning of Agung message.

Oke, everyones has his/her own business. No problem. But how about someone who had to cancel his/her appointment because he/she has comitment with the group? dunnow!!! cool.

Seperti rencana semula, akhirnya saya, Din Wahid, Yasrul dan Salamah Agung sepakat untuk tetap berangkat ke keukenhof seperti rencana semula. Sebelum saya sign out di Yahoo Mail, Kusmana kirim pesan

"Pak Amiq jadi berangkat gak ke keukenhof"

"Iya"

"Sekarang kan sudah jam 10 (padahal jam di komputerku jam 9:50) waktunya berangkat"

"iya nih saya juga lagi persiapan mau berangkat" kataku.

Oke

YM signed out.

Kita berempat ketemu di halaman luar apartemen kita dan akhirnya berangkat ke Leiden CS untuk menuju ke Keukenhof, Kebun Bunga, untuk menyaksikan bagaimana orang Belanda merawat dan membanggakan bunga kebanggaan mereka. Tulip.

It’s a shame it’s so cold because the film I am making for the guests doesn't show the true beauty of the places we have visited this morning. These include Zaanse Schans which is Windmill country. There are dozens of these beautiful old mills and on tour guests can visit the mills, a traditional cheese factory and farm. Watching the sails of these mills move in the wind is simply awesome and even if the wind had not been as strong as it was today the sails would still have turned due to the Indonesian curry I had for dinner last night.

We have just finished a tour of two gorgeous Dutch fishing villages called Maken and Volendam. They are as Dutch as the windmills and thrive on fishing and tourism. In Maken the residents open their front doors to the tourists and expect visitors just to pop in for a cup of coffee......it is totally unique. The harbour of these two villages is full of fishing boats that jockey for position with the many private sailboats.

Water is a way of life in Holland remembering that it is many meters below sea level. In 1953 the country was devastated by floods from the North Sea which killed hundreds of people. Now the country is protected by huge dykes built to protect the country. It was a massive project especially as Holland is one of the flattest countries in the world.

If I was to take three buckets of sand and put it in a pile I would have created the largest hill in Holland.  We are now on our way to Edam where they make............Phillips TVs..........oh yes........and cheese.

As I have a few minutes I wanted to ask your permission to pass on my comments on a subject that I have seen doing the rounds on the Cruise Critic and Cruise Mates boards.

This subject is a few days old now but I wanted to add my humble opinion to the subject......remember this is my opinion and not necessarily Carnival Cruise Lines.

The subject I am referring to is the case of the missed port on the Carnival Conquest. If you are not aware of this let me fill you in. The ship was heading for Jamaica when a crewmember was taken seriously ill and the ship had to turn around, rendezvous with United States Coast Guard who collected the crewmember who was immediately taken to hospital to receive life-saving medical treatment.

Unfortunately, the ship was unable to make port the following day due to the detour and,  guests were each provided a $25 shipboard credit, which is Carnival’s policy should an unforeseen emergency occur.

Whereas the majority of guests were understanding and enjoyed to the full a relaxing sea day one gentlemen .......scratch that......he certainly was not a gentlemen......so let’s say one man decided to start a petition and demand money for missing a port. This man was eventually disembarked by the ship’s command for reasons we will discuss in a minute.

I want to comment firstly on some of the comments I have read that say that more money should have been given especially because it was a crewmember.

These comments, quite frankly, make me mad. .......and I would like to ask these few people just how much money is a human life worth.......$50?.........$100?.......How much?.........and to suggest that because it was a crewmember whose life was saved the refund should be higher than if it were a passenger makes me feel sick.

There were some comments that the Captain could have gotten the crewmember off quicker and that they could have dispatched a helicopter from Grand Cayman. Having helped organize many of these rescue operations myself I can tell you that the captain does not decide.......you go where the US Coast Guard tells you to go. The Captain then navigates to the designated rendezvous to meet the helicopter or cutter provided by the brilliant men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Now, the main reason I am taking the time to write all of this here on my raspberry is because of a conversation I had last night with my great friend and the cruise director of the Carnival Conquest Ralph "Wee Jimmy" Valente. He told me that he is still traumatized by the way this one man and a few others treated him and some of the other crew, particularly with the language the man used and the physical posturing -- not just toward him but too many members of staff, including females.

I know it’s upsetting to miss a port of call however I simply ask this question. If it was a member of your family whose life was being saved by the ship’s medical staff, the captain and crew and the brave men and women of the Coast Guard........How would you feel?...........Thankful and grateful that they had saved your life I am sure.

So, thank you to the 3,000 understanding passengers who understood and whose first thought was not for money but for the preservation of human life.

I have a disclaimer on my blog thingy which means the opinions expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone. This means I can say this. Should that guest been disembarked by the ship’s command?...........Yes...........and from what I was told he said and the threats he made I hope he never walks up one of our gangways again..............and if he does I hope he gets seasick and lockjaw at the same time.

We are off to see the de Keukenhof.....the national flower show...........that’s so me!

Cheers
John and Heidi

PS - I hope someone posts this on CC and CM

Met 2 dames uit Markelo hebben we de volgende bloembollentocht gefietst, met huurfietsen van Rent-a-Bike van Kees van Dam. Hij staat recht tegenover de hoofdingang van de Keukenhof, met een grote tent op het parkeerveld.

Klik op de volgende link om de route te zien.

http://www.afstandmeten.nl/index.php?id=101153

Al vele velden staan in bloei en de kleuren & geuren zijn fantastisch. Over 1 à 2 weken zullen de bollenvelden op z'n mooist zijn en dan kun je optimaal genieten.

Na een kleine 25 km gefietst te hebben, zijn we in restaurant De Engel in De Engel gaan uitrusten en hebben we tot laat met elkaar gesproken onder het genot van een kopje koffie.

Heel kinderachtig misschien, maar ach, dat zijn de kleine geneugten van een bibliothecaris.

Het fantastische plaatje heb ik gekozen omdat vandaag de lente begonnen is. Voor het geval je dat nog niet door had met die hagelbuien.....

 Als Bussemaker haar mond opendoet dan krijgt ze direct AKZO, DSM en Philips over zich heen.En dat kan dit tere kabinet natuurlijk niet gebruiken. Als we in China een verbale vuist willen maken dan moeten andere landen ons steunen. Maar het mensenrechtenverhaal blijft door economische belangen een vrijblijvend internationaal gemeenschapsspel waarin de Westerse landen er allemaal eigen spelregels op na houden.

Internationale handel en ethiek gaan moeilijk samen. Nederlandse politici zullen de Chinese gastheer dus niet openlijk bekritiseren. Maar dat onze eigen prins in onze eigen Keukenhof de Chinese vice-burgemeester van Peking tussen de bloemenvelden geen diplomatieke uppercut heeft gegeven is een gemiste kans. ‘En dan lopen we nu naar het Willem Alexander Paviljoen. In mei wordt hier de grootste lelie-show ter wereld gehouden. Echt prachtig. Sinds de middeleeuwen is deze bloem uitgegroeid tot het symbool voor vrede. Echt prachtig duizenden vredesbloemen.   

O pas op meneer de burgemeester u staat op een lieveheersbeestje. Sinds de jaren negentig met behulp van de media uitgegroeid tot een symbool tegen zinloos geweld. Had ik trouwens al verteld dat ik een verre nazaat ben van Willem van Oranje. Een onafhankelijkheidsstrijder van het eerste uur die het Spaanse juk van zich af wierp. Hij was in 1581 mede-opsteller van een document genaamd de Plakkaat van Verlatinghe waarin burgers het recht opeisten om hun vorst te verlaten als die de wetten en traditionele vrijheden van de burgers niet respecteerde. Deze baanbrekende gedachte gebruikten de Amerikanen honderden jaren later bij het opstellen van hun onafhankelijkheidsverklaring in 1776.    

Ja ja het komt niet uit de lucht vallen dat in Den Haag het vredesppaleis staat en het Internationaal Gerechtshof is gevestigd. Mijn moeder de koningin woont trouwens in de hoofdstad van het internationaal recht.Leuk als u daar eens langskomt.’ De regering die verantwoordelijk is voor zijn uitspraken had hem ook lekker veel rugdekking gegeven. Zo zei kamerlid Joël voor de Wind van de regeringspartij Christenunie dat Alexander  zijn eigen afweging moest maken. Nou die eigen afweging heeft onze prins en lid van het Internationaal Olympisch Comité dus gemaakt en hij zweeg tussen de bloemen in Lisse. 

Ik voorspel dat de Nederlandse stille diplomatie nog voor veel herrie gaat zorgen.          

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