Friday - Come fly with me!

Today and Saturday the Royal Dutch Airforce will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a mega open day birthday bash on the Volkel aviation base.

Two days full of acrobatic flights (Red Arrows, Frecce Tricolori, Patrouille de France), aircraft displays and demonstrations, that would make any military-stuff nerd salivate with lust.

Free entrance and loads of stands to browse in-between the shows.

http://www.defensie.nl/luchtmachtdagen

Thursday - The bronze folks of Vollendaam

When you'll go to Vollendam to have your picture taken in a traditional costume, look out along the seaside's promenade for a series of statues representing local characters, such as this lovely fisherman's wife who must be in a million tourists' pictures.

The material of the statue is appropriate since from a walk around town it seemed to me that Vollendam's young residents have a penchant for the tanning salon (or maybe it's just all those hours spent at sea).

Wednesday - Follow the azalea path

The Clingendael park has several different beautiful natural spots, from manicured gardens to wild wood, but one in particular is worth a visit right now (and I mean it, next week it may already be too late).

Take the entrance on the Laan van Clingendael and you will already seen it on your right, starting from where they installed new bicycles parking racks.

It's a short path but the colours and the sweet perfume are worth going back and forth a couple of times. It's very quiet as well, especially during the week: the only people I met in half an hour were two octogenarians on mobility frames.

Tuesday - The groen light of Rotterdam

We stumbled upon this winkelcentrum-on-the-corner by chance while looking for a pizzeria in the area (about which more soon, btw) and what vgot my eye was the predominantly green color of the signs and the sleek and almost Scandinavian looking interiors.

Turns out it's the Groene Passage, an ethical and organic shopping arcade, with an organic butcher and supermarket, a fair trade shop, a bookshop and a social center organising meetings and courses.

There's a cafe too, serving vegetarian and organic food sold by weight (of the food, not the customer's, thankfully!) to eat on the spot or to take away.

http://www.degroenepassage.nl

Monday - Leiden's cabinet of curiosities

In Leiden, next to the Pilgrims' Museum, there's an antique shop that should actually be a museum in itself.

Unassuming from the outside, once in, you get through room after room after courtyard of the most amazing combination of antiques, bizarre and junk I have seen in a long time.

On the Nieuwstraat, opposite the church, next door to the museum.

Sunday - The sound of de Stilte in Breda

Ongoing till the 15 June, the Stilte* festival is in fact not about silence, but focusses on the expression of emotions without the need of using the spoken word.

The shows therefore are based on dance, mime and performance art and most of them are suitable for all ages and with some being for free and/or are street performances.

We watched a very lively performance from the Dutch-Catalan duo Plan D yesterday on the Markt and were surprised and amused by the amount of entertainment an old, battered and sawed in two VW Beetle, some eggs and two talented artists can provide.

http://www.destilte.nl

*= silence in Dutch

Saturday - Plenty of fish in Scheveningen

Almost unmissable for those out there wishing to have a close acquaintance with the Dutch culinary culture, is the celebration of the so called "new herring".

It means that the latest "harvest" of this prized blue fish has been marinated enough in its special brine and is now ready for consumption.

There's always a debate among expats about this Dutch rite which is perceived by many as weird and disgusting. For many is the fact that the fish looks slimy and raw. For others is the fact that it is normally served covered in freshly chopped onion, with a pickled cucumber on the side and you eat it with we could call a top bottom approach, by hanging it above your open mouth.

I personally have eaten it and found it delicious and I am always wary (not only when it comes to fish) about people who judge without trying things first, as long of course they don't have a medical reason.

The Vlaggetjes Dag (Little Flags Day, because on this occasion the ships were and still are decorated with small Dutch flags), or the festival of  Hollandse Nieuwe, will be celebrated today in harbour of Scheveningen, with a wide sampling choice, music and entertainment for kids and grown ups.

http://www.vlaggetjesdag.com

Friday - Blue suede shoes and the whole shebang

While browsing for a pretty summer dress a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon the Swedish brand Emmy and when I looked for local stockists the name "Benny's Fifties Store" in Scheveningen came up.

Even if you are not into frilly petticoats, this place is worth a visit: an authentic treasure trove of jukeboxes, Coca Cola memorabilia, records, gadgets and all those objects you have seen in Grease and American Graffiti.

If you actually are into pretty dresses, go and have a look: the variety of styles, prints, sizes, sales and actually wearable dresses is mind boggling, considering the average uniformity of nowadays high street shops.

http://www.fiftiesstore.com/

Thursday - These clogs were made for walking.

As a follow up to yesterday's post, a few words about the clogs' making workshop in the Zaanse Schaans.

Although I have been living in this country for quite a while, and I have seen more clogs that I could possibly remember (wooden ones, plush ones, porcelains ones, etc) I had never actually had the chance to see how they are made.

The Wooden Show Workshop offers around the clock demonstrations on how the clogs are made, using French and German machines and good old (and young) Dutch manpower.

I got so enthusiastic about it, that together with a group of giggling Chinese girls I stayed for two demonstrations in a row.

Before you get to the actual workshop, you pass through a "condensed" clog museum displaying a lot of weird and wonderful stuff (peat horses' clogs, ice walking clogs, designer clogs) and telling the story of the humble wooden show through the centuries.

Exit, as always, is through the gift shop, but I must confess that this time I succumbed and bought myself a pair of clogs, although, to my defence, at least not of the traditional red and yellow sort.

Wednesday - The green green houses of Zaanse Schans

As tourist destinations in NL go, this must score pretty high, although not overwhelmingly so, as say the Keukenhof or the Van Gogh Museum.

It's a collection of houses and buildings that are typical from the area, scattered along a polder, providing lots of picture perfect spots.

There are a cheese shop, a mini Albert Heijn museum (the giant of the Dutch supermarkets was born in the area), a cafe and a restaurant and the unavoidable pannenkoek house.

Along the canal, you can visit several very interesting functioning windmills producing oils, flour, spices, etc...

There's a also a clog workshop (but more about this on tomorrow's post).

Entrance to the area is free (the parking is 7.50euro) and some of the attractions have a small entrance fee.

It makes for an enjoyable day out and kids will love the abundance of pets and toys provided for their entertainment.

PS: if you are by car don't miss a visit to this amazing hotel in Zaandam. Bonus point: there's a Primark next to it!

http://www.zaanseschans-museum.nl/eng/home.php

Tuesday - Don your clogs and have your picture taken

It seems that one of the main trades of Vollendam, after the closure of the Ij and decline of its fishing trade and next to being the birthplace of countless Dutch celebrity singers, is the production of portraits of people wearing a typical Dutch outfit.

Along the short seaside promenade, scattered in between cafes and gebakken vis joints, there are several photographer shops offering to have your picture taken in an Oud-Hollandse outfit.

For people who brought their own camera, against the reasonable payment of 5 euro, there's even the possibility to just "rent" an outfit for a short time and have their picture taken by a friend.

Needless to say, countless pictures of local and international celebrities are on display in the windows, like this picture of Ronaldo, taken when he was still young and beautiful (yes, I do have a questionable taste in men) and playing for PSV.

Monday - Pixar is Up! in Amsterdam

A kiddies' friendly post after so many mainly dedicated to adults. Thanks to my good friend L. who himself is a sort of grown up baby (love you L.!).

The exhibition Pixar. 25 years of animation started last Thursday and runs till October.

Although the entrance ticket costs an hefty 16 Euro, it definitely looks it's worth the price, at least on paper.

More than 500 drawings, props, storyboards, sketches and models are on display, plus videos and the world première of the Making of " Monsters University", the newest Pixar production which will be released later this year.

Nemo,  Wall-e, Buzz Lightyear will all be there. Hopefully also Dory will remember where she needs to be too...

http://www.amsterdamexpo.nl/

Sunday - Somewhere, beneath the sea...

Last chance today to literally walk on the bottom of the Ijmeer.

For this weekend only the public is allowed in the tunnel of the metro that will be connecting Amsterdam proper to its North outpost.

http://www.ilovenoord.nl/2013/05/wandelen-door-de-nieuwe-tunnel-onder-het-ij-1-2-juni/

*This picture was actually taken in S.Korea*

Saturday - Get inked in Amsterdam!

To all those ink lovers out there, some of them good friends of mine: this is your weekend!

The Amsterdam Tattoo Convention in on today and tomorrow at the RAI and, apart from dozens of tatoo artists' stands, offers a wide range of activities such as a "Letters and tribal competition", burlesque shows, live music and the peculiarly Dutch contest "best tattooed wooden shoe".

http://amsterdam.tattooexpo.eu

Friday - Anime festival Den Haag

Who doesn't like a bit of fancy dressing, (video) gaming and karaoke on TV cartoons' music?

Most Japanese people of all ages certainly love it and their passion has spread all over the world

This weekend cosplay, manga music, gaming and all the cool (and cringeworthy) aspects of this culture will be exhibited at the World Forum in Den Haag.

On Saturday night: live concert from a Japanese band who compose and perform soundtracks for anime, which has become a musical genre in its own rights.


http://www.animecon.nl/home

Thursday - Pimp my Willem

This statue of Willem van Oranje which can be admired outside the Noordeinde palace in Den Haag, has been embellished with some ties lately.

His ruff was so 1565!

http://historie.hdpnet.nl/stb02.htm

Wednesday - Cherish your ugly cucumber

Kromkommer is basically a project to promote pride in growing, eating and buying bizarrely shaped fruit and vegetables that would normally be discarded.

According to recent reports, almost 2 bn tons of food are going to waste every year and in NL alone 2 to 2.4 billion Euro of food end up in the dump.

5 to 10% of veggies are thrown away because of their "looks".

The good people from Kromkommer are working to get more restaurants, supermarket and markets to sell and use not-so-pretty vegetables and avoid useless spillage.

http://kromkommer.wordpress.com

Tuesday - My way or the (bike) highway

I noticed some of these freshly painted signs on the bike paths lately, so I looked it up.

It seems that a system of "highways for bicycles" is being built all over South Holland.

The idea is to encourage even more the use of two wheelers, not just for recreational purposes but especially as a preferred transport mode in every day life, given the progressive clogging up of roads and train connections.

Next step, given the weather, to really make the bike queen of road should be to build a cover on the fietspads or dig them underground maybe...

http://www.zuid-holland.nl/snelfietsroutesdenhaagleiden

Monday - Fifty shades of pink

There may not be a pink Barbie house as they have in Berlin, but at least in the village of Wier in Friesland, there is a pink church!

Apparently a painter chose different shades of pink for the walls and furniture while renovating in the Fifties and the parishioners got to like it so much that they have opposed the change of colour ever since.

http://www.wierfryslan.nl/index%20kerk.htm
(website in Frisian)

Sunday - Kiss and ride

K+R (=Kiss and ride) is not a new shocking game developed by teenagers during a party that went out of hand, but a very short term parking area outside train stations and airport meaning that you can drop your passenger/s, wave them goodbye and walk them to the entrance without risking a fine.