First snow

Here we go again, the first snow, very early this year in november. The snowman is my husband who came home  from the village doing some shopping. Our cat Pim is always acting funny with the first snow at his feet, jumping through the garden like a frog. But he loves the snow and wants to go out all the time.

The 2 cm snow caused a "traffic-infarct" of 900 km! on our roads last night,  a new record.

Wood

And the wood cutters are still going on here, perhaps for the fireplace in the coming freezing winter.

                                                          

Cold

Winter has come last night with temperatures under zero -6 C , the water has a bit ice and the grass is frozen, but a great day to take a walk with the sun shining in Almere. I like it unless you can move around, tomorrow perhaps we get snow...

Bus (Weekend Reflections)

I see more often American schoolbusses in the Netherlands. They are not used as schoolbusses but for differents purposes. This one is parked at the theatre in Almere and is named "Artbus". The bus is driving through the city and people can participate in all kind of artistic workshops like painting or dancing.
See other Weekend Reflections

Dutch specialities on the market

From this time of the year untill the end of the year everywhere in the Netherlands "oliebollen" are sold.
This is a variety of dumpling made by two spoons to scoop a certain amount of sough and dropping it into  a deep fryer filled with hot oil. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliebol

Another dutch speciallity is "drop", the black ones in the baskets. Most foreigners don't like them but the Dutch love the taste and can't without them. You see how much variations there are, sweet, salt or dubble salt. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquorice_(confectionery)

New Amsterdam

Amsterdam is not only canals and old houses, there are new parts with modern buildings and houses.This is the metro line above the ground in South-East, the Bijlmer.

Subway

Waiting for the metro in the Bijlmer area in Amsterdam.

Stadium

The Circus of yesterday's post was next to the Amsterdam Arena a multifunctional stadium from football matches to pop concerts. It is the first stadium in Europe with a sliding roof and is the headquarters of AFC Ajax, the Amsterdam football club. Anyway when we left our show, the supporters of  a match between Ajax and a club from Eindhoven just went to the stadium that we had to pass. Some fans are those stupid boys that only come for trouble and they were already making a smoke-bomb for the fun part. The stadium was surrounded by police busses waiting for more trouble, poor guys, what a job.

Circus

To celebrate my birthday we went to the magical circus "Cirque du Soleil" in Amsterdam.
I like a circus without animals do any kind of entertainment. This one is only with people doing their amazing performances on wheels or on a swing. Have a look at their website and look at the view trailer http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/totem/default.aspx

Autumn

A rustique picture with autumnlight in Almere.

Yammie

Guess who is having birthday today.

Fridge

I collect fridge magnets from my travels and other interesting places

The good life

To live 30 km from Amsterdam in Almere is a joy when the weather is nice like yesterday, cold but sunny.  We went by bike to the Kromslootpark and took pictures, my husband made a panorama-photo and I strolled around with my pocket-camera. So we have both of it, Almere for nature and Amsterdam for culture, a good match I think.

Another shop

This is also a store-window in Amsterdam, but a bit different of the one of yesterday. This one is situated in an area where lots of tourists are walking near the red light district. So the shop owner wants to attract them with a simular offer. 

Shop-window

They say some eldery people become a bit childish, well I love to look at the winter shop-windows in Amsterdam. Everything is moving electric, I can't get enough of the busy bears in their village.

Nice exhibitions for a rainy sunday

In the Photographic Museum Amsterdam (FOAM)  is a nice exhibition of a Dutch photographer Johan van der Keuken. Here two people dancing in Paris in the fifties on 14th  July. See more http://www.foam.nl/

And in the Amsterdam Historical Museum an exhibition about mens's clothes "Man & Fashion"
See:  http://ahm.nl/nl/Amsterdams-Historisch-Museum/ontdek/tentoonstellingen/a-dam-man-mode

Welcome Sinterklaas

The arrival of Sinterklaas by steamship is always a great happening for the children in Almere with music, singing and the black Peters giving candy to them. From now on they may put their shoe by the stove before bedtime. The next morning they find Sinterklaas has put a little present in it. The 5th december is the birthday of Sinterklaas and the whole family gets presents, like Santa Claus in the english speaking countries.

Family day

Once in a couple of months we have a family day and this time it was in Rotterdam a big harbour city. We visited a large steamship which is no longer in use as ship but after a  refurbishment as hotel and partycenter and open for public visits.

 Once the s.s. Rotterdam was in service for Holland-America Line in 1959 and was the largest passenger-liner built in the Netherlands. It was fun to stroll around the ship an have a look in the engine-room.

http://www.ssrotterdam.net/

A splashbus in the harbour.

Sinterklaas decoration

In the big department store "the Bijenkorf" in Amsterdam you can see every year the climbing "Black Peters" for the celebrating of the Sinterklaas feast at 5 december. Children and adults love to look at them and they are every year more beautiful dressed. Black Peter is the knight of Sinterklaas and he climbs on roofs to throw presents through the chimneys.

Magical

Last week the famous Dutch writer Harry Mulisch died at the age of 83. He has written many books and one is called  "The discovery of heaven".  During his last vogage by boot across the Amstel river in Amsterdam to the cementery Zorgvlied a magical thing happened. It was a rainy day but suddenly a magnificent rainbow appeared above the boat with the coffin.

Some things are beyond knowledge.

Photo by Fije Riemersma