We're back ... with an escort!!

Before we left on holiday, the kermis (carnival/festival) started in Wassenaar. Due to our travels, all we got to see was the "lantern parade" that kicked off the fair. Led by the local police, the parade of local families marched right by our house to the fair grounds, where a fireworks display followed. Unfortunately we were home packing; hopefully we'll get to experience more of the fair next year.

Another American in The Netherlands...

Off my soapbox and back down to the falconry demonstration in Valkenburg. This beautiful american red tail hawk was a crowd pleaser. The handler set him down on the fence right in front of the onlookers. Something about that gaze is a little unsettling!

We're taking a short break but will try to post if we have internet access.

Sad news for animal lovers...

No, this dolphin in the Moray Firth isn't missing, he was one of a spectacular group of dolphins we saw on our recent trip to Scotland.

Why a picture of a Scottish dolphin instead of a picture from The Netherlands? Sorry to deviate from the CDPB norm, but today a study was released that the rare Yangtze River dolphins in China are probably extinct.

It's a very sad day indeed when we lose an entire species of these incredible, intelligent creatures.

A Valkenburg Castle

This is the Kasteel Den Halder, dating from 1635. This grand home is now an office building and despite its country look it sits right in the middle of the village. There was a small Sunday market being held on the street behind the kasteel.

Technical note: the colors of the image were not changed in photoshop, but I was using a polarizing filter which intensified the beautiful blue sky we had here in The Netherlands on Sunday.

Valkenburg Falcon

This week we'll leave the Wassenaar/The Hague area behind and visit a town in the southeastern part of the Netherlands. We stopped in Valkenburg on our way home as part of a trip to Aachen, Germany.

The weather was perfect for a walk around town and viewing the area from the castle ruins. This is said to be the only hillside fortress in The Netherlands (probably due to the fact that the province of Limburg is pretty much the only region in the country with real hills).

At the castle there was a "roofvogels" (birds of prey) exhibition. Due to the warm weather, this falcon had a mind of its own and wasn't interested in performing; after bringing this bird back into the roost the demonstration continued with the trainers educating the crowd about various birds of prey.

Check back all week for more from Valkenburg. If you're interested in the Aachen area, we'll write about it on our travel blog in two weeks.

Memorial to Emma

Speaking of Queen Wilhelmena (see yesterday's post), this is a monument to her mother, Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Emma reigned as regent between 1890-1898, the time between the death of her husband King William III and Queen Wilhelmina's 18th birthday.

This monument was erected in 1937 by the people of Wassenaar.

Queen Wilhelmena

This is the memorial to Queen Wilhelmena in The Hague. Behind the statue, the wall is inscribed with the title of her autobiography "Eenzam maar niet Alleen," which translates to "Alone but not Lonely."

Amsterdam Stags

Walk the streets of Amsterdam on a weekend and you are likely to run across at least one stag or hen party (for you Americans, that's bachelor/bachelorette). Here's a group of guys that we quickly shot having fun last weekend (sorry for the poor photo quality).

For obvious reasons Amsterdam is a popular destination for both natives and foreigners. Just google "stag party in amsterdam" and you'll be amazed at the number of travel agencies offering packages.

Generally the man/woman of honor is dressed in an obnoxious outfit. Having a few biertjes or jenevers generally helps to get over the embarrassment, as is probably the case with this guy.

Not-so-good-Knight

Back to The Hague for the third (& final) Alexander Taratynov sculptures in The Hague. This one is based on Duerer's Knight, Death, and the Devil.

Once again, click the link if you want to see the original, or click any pic to see a larger version.

We liked the detail on this one, so here are some bonus pics.

Thanks to all who visited and commented for yesterday's Theme Day. I'm still trying to make it through all of the participating sites, and am looking forward to next month's challenge!

Ontbijt (Breakfast)

Known in the Netherlands as Hagelslag, sprinkles (yes, sprinkles) are a very common breakfast food here.


Generally served on bread with margarine, I bet it's not what you'd expect to see ... I mean the Dutch are serious people that eat for sustenance, not taste, right?


Not in the case of hagelslag. You can find vruchtenhagel (fruit sprinkles, like the picture at left), chocolate, white chocolate, white anise, and so on. If you're really special you can get chocoladevlokken (chocolate shavings, pictured below).


And don't think they're just for kids. You see people of all ages enjoying hagelslag. If you don't believe me, here's the Wiki entry (in Dutch). According to this site, the Dutch eat 14 million kilo per year. Among 16 million people, that's almost a kilo per person.

Just one of the many unexpected aspects of life here in the Netherlands.



Check out the other City Daily Photo Blogs participating in the August 1 "Typical Breakfast" Theme Day: Saint Paul (MN), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - New York City (NY), USA - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hyde, UK - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Mainz, Germany - Stockholm, Sweden - Paderborn, Germany - Singapore, Singapore - Haninge, Sweden - Nottingham, UK - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Manila, Philippines - Boston (MA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Singapore, Singapore - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Paris, France - Sequim (WA), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Boston (MA), USA - Chennai, India - Madison (WI), USA - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Toulouse, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - La Antigua, Guatemala - Selma (AL), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Lubbock (TX), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Sheki, Azerbaijan - Sydney, Australia - Mumbai, India - Seoul, South Korea - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - New Orleans (LA), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Villigen, Switzerland - Montréal (QC), Canada - Stayton (OR), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Moscow, Russia - Springfield (MO), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - Arlington (VA), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Manila, Philippines - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Stavanger, Norway - Bastia, France - Hong Kong, China - Wailea (HI), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Sydney, Australia - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Kansas City (MO), USA - Grenoble, France - Paris, France - Evry, France - Saigon, Vietnam - Prague, Czech Republic - Cape Town, South Africa - Brookville (OH), USA - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA


Eet Smakelijk!