I went back last week, to find out a little more about the place. The building is turning into quite a tourist attraction, you see a lot of people just wandering round, not there to borrow or return books, but to have lunch in the restaurant, or just to have a look at the building. The balcony on the seventh floor, at the café, provides one of the best views of the city that I know, and that is easily accessible.
One of the nice things about the place is that there are so many places where you can sit down and just read a book. I had some time to kill between appointments, and I found this huge blue chair waiting for me, where I could start reading the book I just borrowed. There are other corners, with different types and colours of chairs, places where you can lounge, old-fashioned writing tables, modern desks, and lots of workstations with internet access. And you get to sit amongst all those bookcases with lots of books and beautiful lights.
This is a place where you can spend a lot of time.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Working Out
I decided over the weekend that I should really do a little more than just go swimming three or four times a week, so on Monday I went to the gym again. And I went again yesterday. I really made an effort, and now I can feel it. There are a lot of muscles in your legs, and sometimes you can feel all of them individually. I think today I'll go swimming...
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Brunost
I discovered today that a cheese shop near my office actually sells Norwegian brunost, or brown cheese! I had a brunost sandwich and just loved it, I enjoyed every bit. Brunost doesn't really look much like cheese, it really is brown. And it doesn't taste much like cheese either, it tastes a little like caramel. It's an acquired taste, when I first ate it, long ago, I didn't much like it. The man serving me at the shop looked rather shocked when I asked for it, he said I was the first customer who had ever asked for that type of cheese, and he almost tried to tell me not to do it. Maybe I should start a campaign to make brown cheese popular in the Netherlands.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Spreading Their Wings
The three young storks in the park really are spreading their wings now. I saw them today, but not in the park this time. I could see them circling high above the city from my office window. A beautiful sight. They have really grown up now.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Sunday in the Park with Ramses
This was my weekend for the park, I guess. Yesterday I spent all of my afternoon with the storks, today it was music time. One of Holland's musical greats was due to appear this afternoon with a new band called Alderliefste. The band sing mainly in French, which is what they did this afternoon too. The singer is called Gerard Alderliefste.
Towards the end of the performance the man almost everybody had been waiting for came up on stage: Ramses Shaffy. One of the country's best known singers since the sixties, responsible for writing and performing some of the songs everybody in this country can sing along to. He is no longer in the best of health, but he still performs once in a while, and you can still see and feel the charisma of the man. He's lived a more than full life, a man of great emotion, and beautiful to hear and see. He just sang a few songs, the song "Laat Me", which he recorded with Alderliefste, then he improvised a song for the day on the piano, and he sang "Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder", which everybody sang along with. He ended with the "Shaffy Cantate", few words but great music. I am really happy to have seen him appear today, and I'm glad he seemed to enjoy it all so much. Most of the crowd were there to hear him, no one else really.
The afternoon had started nice and sunny, warm enough to walk down to the open air theatre in a summer skirt and a t-shirt, but just as Ramses started his final song the first drops of rain started to fall. Just after the concert finished the heavens opened and people were trying to find shelter as quickly as they could. Within about five minutes I was wet through, not just a little water seeping through, and a gradual process, and, no I didn't bring the rain gear.... I didn't really mind though, the concert was worth it, and I was happy walking all the way back home wet and cold, enjoying the moments.
I put the rest of my pictures up at: Picasa
And here someone was nice enough to take pictures of the downpour:Pixites at Flickr
Towards the end of the performance the man almost everybody had been waiting for came up on stage: Ramses Shaffy. One of the country's best known singers since the sixties, responsible for writing and performing some of the songs everybody in this country can sing along to. He is no longer in the best of health, but he still performs once in a while, and you can still see and feel the charisma of the man. He's lived a more than full life, a man of great emotion, and beautiful to hear and see. He just sang a few songs, the song "Laat Me", which he recorded with Alderliefste, then he improvised a song for the day on the piano, and he sang "Zing, vecht, huil, bid, lach, werk en bewonder", which everybody sang along with. He ended with the "Shaffy Cantate", few words but great music. I am really happy to have seen him appear today, and I'm glad he seemed to enjoy it all so much. Most of the crowd were there to hear him, no one else really.
The afternoon had started nice and sunny, warm enough to walk down to the open air theatre in a summer skirt and a t-shirt, but just as Ramses started his final song the first drops of rain started to fall. Just after the concert finished the heavens opened and people were trying to find shelter as quickly as they could. Within about five minutes I was wet through, not just a little water seeping through, and a gradual process, and, no I didn't bring the rain gear.... I didn't really mind though, the concert was worth it, and I was happy walking all the way back home wet and cold, enjoying the moments.
I put the rest of my pictures up at: Picasa
And here someone was nice enough to take pictures of the downpour:Pixites at Flickr
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Out of the Nest
The storks in my backyard have grown up and they're starting to discover the world. Their world for now is just the small enclosed meadow their nest is in. Mother keeps a watchful eye on her brood.
The youngsters seem to enjoy their untidy environment though,
because there you can find lots of unusual and interesting items:
And being on the ground means you finally get to flex your wings without almost knocking one of your siblings out of the nest.
And you can show off your beautiful, almost red legs and bill to all of the waiting photographers:
And you can stare back at all those people who have been staring at you over the past few weeks:
Just three little Storks, getting ready to leave:
The youngsters seem to enjoy their untidy environment though,
because there you can find lots of unusual and interesting items:
And being on the ground means you finally get to flex your wings without almost knocking one of your siblings out of the nest.
And you can show off your beautiful, almost red legs and bill to all of the waiting photographers:
And you can stare back at all those people who have been staring at you over the past few weeks:
Just three little Storks, getting ready to leave:
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Sometimes
it's the little things that can make you smile...
Last night I stood outside my front door watching the bats fly above the little square outside my house. And this morning, in the park, I walked across the grass in my sandals and got my feet wet. It felt really nice.
Last night I stood outside my front door watching the bats fly above the little square outside my house. And this morning, in the park, I walked across the grass in my sandals and got my feet wet. It felt really nice.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Jamboree 1995
Hearing on the news about Scouting and the Jamboree takes me back to this time 1995, when I was taking part in the Dutch World Jamboree. I had ended up there almost by accident because I had left Scouting several years before. I'd been asked to work at the site as one of a team of translators and interpreters. In the end it was quite a big team, and there wasn't always enough work to keep everyone occupied, so there was plenty of time to look round the site and take part in the event. This was lucky, in another way, because our team leader got ill during the event, and his replacement was a little busy elsewhere, but we were able to organise ourselves.
I remember it was a hot summer, and we had a sunny fortnight. As far as I can remember we had no rain at all, it was just very warm every day. Quite good, really, when you have 30,000 people camping together in a polder. The atmosphere was very good, and I remember leaving all my stuff in my tent every day and feeling quite safe. People seemed pretty happy, and I think a lot of young people made friends with people from all over the place. I remember talking to Scouts from Pakistan, a place that fascinated and still fascinates me.
The site was huge, a small city, and getting from one place to another could take quite a while. I hadn't been able to bring my bike, so I did a lot of walking, from our sub-camp to the office, to the press centre and to the various other sub-camps. There was a big restaurant for all the volunteers working on the site, and the food was generally good, though I didn't have much of an appetite for much of the Jamboree. That might have been the temperature.
Working, or being available for work, meant that you couldn't take part in all the events, but I did attend both the opening and the closing ceremonies. They had a slight Olympic feel to them, though they were a bit smaller. Well-organised and directed, lots of colour and a great sense of joy. Arriving a little late for the opening ceremony, we ended up just outside the arena waiting for the Queen and her husband to pass, and we got to see the Swedish king. It was all very colourful. I also attended a sailing parade, but for some reason I seem to remember little about it, except that a lot of things seemed to go wrong there. That can be reassuring sometimes.
For me it was fun being a translator and interpreter. We worked in a team, and translated the newsletter for staff working on site, instructions for various activities, and anything else we could get our hands on. This was the only time I ever worked as a proper interpreter, sitting in a little cubicle, wearing headphones, translating what was being said at the daily press conference. It was hard work, and took a lot of concentration, but I did enjoy it. I also enjoyed recording the message for visitors most days for the information number. I would sit in a little office, a little peace and quiet among the mayhem outside. For some reason I remember there being socks on the desk there, one of those ridiculous details.
In some ways it all seems very long ago, because, for example, I remember there hardly being any mobile phones. Some of the staff members carried their phones around, and I was surprised at finding myself in a toilet cubicle and hearing someone talking on the phone in the next cubicle. Nowadays that seems to be quite normal. And I saw on some of the pictures of the internet tent at this year's Jamboree, and that was a little less normal twelve years ago too. Apparently they had an internet tent then as well, but that I cannot remember. I remember queues at the pay phones that were there.
I remember it was a hot summer, and we had a sunny fortnight. As far as I can remember we had no rain at all, it was just very warm every day. Quite good, really, when you have 30,000 people camping together in a polder. The atmosphere was very good, and I remember leaving all my stuff in my tent every day and feeling quite safe. People seemed pretty happy, and I think a lot of young people made friends with people from all over the place. I remember talking to Scouts from Pakistan, a place that fascinated and still fascinates me.
The site was huge, a small city, and getting from one place to another could take quite a while. I hadn't been able to bring my bike, so I did a lot of walking, from our sub-camp to the office, to the press centre and to the various other sub-camps. There was a big restaurant for all the volunteers working on the site, and the food was generally good, though I didn't have much of an appetite for much of the Jamboree. That might have been the temperature.
Working, or being available for work, meant that you couldn't take part in all the events, but I did attend both the opening and the closing ceremonies. They had a slight Olympic feel to them, though they were a bit smaller. Well-organised and directed, lots of colour and a great sense of joy. Arriving a little late for the opening ceremony, we ended up just outside the arena waiting for the Queen and her husband to pass, and we got to see the Swedish king. It was all very colourful. I also attended a sailing parade, but for some reason I seem to remember little about it, except that a lot of things seemed to go wrong there. That can be reassuring sometimes.
For me it was fun being a translator and interpreter. We worked in a team, and translated the newsletter for staff working on site, instructions for various activities, and anything else we could get our hands on. This was the only time I ever worked as a proper interpreter, sitting in a little cubicle, wearing headphones, translating what was being said at the daily press conference. It was hard work, and took a lot of concentration, but I did enjoy it. I also enjoyed recording the message for visitors most days for the information number. I would sit in a little office, a little peace and quiet among the mayhem outside. For some reason I remember there being socks on the desk there, one of those ridiculous details.
In some ways it all seems very long ago, because, for example, I remember there hardly being any mobile phones. Some of the staff members carried their phones around, and I was surprised at finding myself in a toilet cubicle and hearing someone talking on the phone in the next cubicle. Nowadays that seems to be quite normal. And I saw on some of the pictures of the internet tent at this year's Jamboree, and that was a little less normal twelve years ago too. Apparently they had an internet tent then as well, but that I cannot remember. I remember queues at the pay phones that were there.
Friday, August 03, 2007
On a Boat
Today I was out on a boat. Birdwatching. Another interesting experience.
I have to get up at 3.30, and have a little trouble doing that. I haven't had much sleep much anyway, this is the mosquito season here. Then an hour in the car, getting to the boat. It is still dark, and this time of year it is strange to be up when it is dark. Usually it's light long before I get up in the morning, and it is only just dark when I go to bed.
Then on board a fishing vessel, the kind of ship that always takes fisherman to sea for a day out. Not my usual environment. It takes four hours to get to the area where you are most likely to see groups of seabirds. I've been taking my pills against seasickness, so I am suitably sleepy again, and when I go down to the little café I manage to go back to sleep in there and sleep throughout the trip. When I wake up we are almost at our destination so I get to enjoy the distribution of the chum, the fish waste that is distributed in the water to attract the birds. And that does attract the birds. It isn't a great treat for those of us who are not feeling too well at sea. I'm okay, but a younger boy looks pale and far from happy.
The company on these trips is usually interesting. The first thing I usually notice is how few women there are. Today we are a group of over 40 people, but there are only three women. And then there is the huge number of big lenses, just binoculars won't do anymore. Almost all the birders on board are photographers as well. Today we also have a radio reporter on board, who interviews people on board. He gets most of his work done in the morning, but has to do it all again in the afternoon because of some technical difficulties.
We get to see a lot of birds, mainly Black-backed Gulls. We also see Fulmars, Gannets, Skuas and Guillemots. People point out the various birds to each other, one man is counting. Soon we can probably see on the website what we have seen, or what we are supposed to have seen. I am not so sure I have actually seen everything.
We are lucky today, it is sunny, it is dry and there isn't a lot of wind, very much unlike the weather over the past few weeks. There is some swell, but not much really, and we can all enjoy the sunshine on deck. Faces turn red in the course of the afternoon. For once I actually remember my sunscreen so I think I'm alright for a change. On the way back I manage to fall asleep again, this time on the communal sleeping deck. I'm not the only one with eyes closed this time.
Some people go out to see to watch birds for weeks at a time. Strange people.
I have to get up at 3.30, and have a little trouble doing that. I haven't had much sleep much anyway, this is the mosquito season here. Then an hour in the car, getting to the boat. It is still dark, and this time of year it is strange to be up when it is dark. Usually it's light long before I get up in the morning, and it is only just dark when I go to bed.
Then on board a fishing vessel, the kind of ship that always takes fisherman to sea for a day out. Not my usual environment. It takes four hours to get to the area where you are most likely to see groups of seabirds. I've been taking my pills against seasickness, so I am suitably sleepy again, and when I go down to the little café I manage to go back to sleep in there and sleep throughout the trip. When I wake up we are almost at our destination so I get to enjoy the distribution of the chum, the fish waste that is distributed in the water to attract the birds. And that does attract the birds. It isn't a great treat for those of us who are not feeling too well at sea. I'm okay, but a younger boy looks pale and far from happy.
The company on these trips is usually interesting. The first thing I usually notice is how few women there are. Today we are a group of over 40 people, but there are only three women. And then there is the huge number of big lenses, just binoculars won't do anymore. Almost all the birders on board are photographers as well. Today we also have a radio reporter on board, who interviews people on board. He gets most of his work done in the morning, but has to do it all again in the afternoon because of some technical difficulties.
We get to see a lot of birds, mainly Black-backed Gulls. We also see Fulmars, Gannets, Skuas and Guillemots. People point out the various birds to each other, one man is counting. Soon we can probably see on the website what we have seen, or what we are supposed to have seen. I am not so sure I have actually seen everything.
We are lucky today, it is sunny, it is dry and there isn't a lot of wind, very much unlike the weather over the past few weeks. There is some swell, but not much really, and we can all enjoy the sunshine on deck. Faces turn red in the course of the afternoon. For once I actually remember my sunscreen so I think I'm alright for a change. On the way back I manage to fall asleep again, this time on the communal sleeping deck. I'm not the only one with eyes closed this time.
Some people go out to see to watch birds for weeks at a time. Strange people.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Happy Birthday!
Today Scouting celebrates its 100th birthday. There is a Jamboree in Chelmsford at the moment, so I guess that is where the biggest party is. This morning I heard a short interview on the radio about Scouting in general and about the Jamboree. I first joined the Brownies when I was 8 or 9, and loved it. I was a Girl Guide, a Ranger and a Leader by the time I was 15. From the moment I was a Brownie that is what I wanted to be. I ended up being a Leader for over 10 years, and enjoyed that very much. It was fun being involved with the children, watching them develop and seeing what they got out of all the activities. we organised so many different activities, and it was great to see the enthusiasm of the children.
In the interview this morning they talked about what Scouting gave you, and that is not a hard question for me to answer. The main thing I got, and still have, are friends. I was lucky enough to make several international trips, and I made friends on all of those. Not all the frienships have lasted, but some have, and that is something I value. I have friends in Norway, in Greece and in New Zealand, and over the years I've been in touch with girls from South Africa, Israel, Korea, the USA and France. I very much enjoyed the international side of the movement. I visited "Our Chalet" in Switzerland a couple of times, and enjoyed the company as much as the beautiful Swiss scenery.
I did enjoy the activities I took part in because they were so varied. Games, crafts, music, acting, camping, it was all there, and there always was a lot you could organise for yourself. I loved campfires, building them and tending them, and I loved singing. People who don't know anything about the movement can have this idea of a very old-fashioned, disciplined lot, camping in some forest in full uniform, saluting a flag, but that is not what it's about. When I look at the pictures taken at the jamboree over the past few days, and when I see the reports on television I just see a lot of young people being active and having a lot of fun. And I can see a lot of young people being very social, working together and wanting to learn from each other.
I left quite a few years ago now, but I came back for just a little while during the World Jamboree that took place in the Netherlands in 1995. My last major event, but definitely one of the highlights in more ways than one. But that is another story, and I'll get back to that one later....
In the interview this morning they talked about what Scouting gave you, and that is not a hard question for me to answer. The main thing I got, and still have, are friends. I was lucky enough to make several international trips, and I made friends on all of those. Not all the frienships have lasted, but some have, and that is something I value. I have friends in Norway, in Greece and in New Zealand, and over the years I've been in touch with girls from South Africa, Israel, Korea, the USA and France. I very much enjoyed the international side of the movement. I visited "Our Chalet" in Switzerland a couple of times, and enjoyed the company as much as the beautiful Swiss scenery.
I did enjoy the activities I took part in because they were so varied. Games, crafts, music, acting, camping, it was all there, and there always was a lot you could organise for yourself. I loved campfires, building them and tending them, and I loved singing. People who don't know anything about the movement can have this idea of a very old-fashioned, disciplined lot, camping in some forest in full uniform, saluting a flag, but that is not what it's about. When I look at the pictures taken at the jamboree over the past few days, and when I see the reports on television I just see a lot of young people being active and having a lot of fun. And I can see a lot of young people being very social, working together and wanting to learn from each other.
I left quite a few years ago now, but I came back for just a little while during the World Jamboree that took place in the Netherlands in 1995. My last major event, but definitely one of the highlights in more ways than one. But that is another story, and I'll get back to that one later....
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Almost Gone
The Storks have made the news, they are quickly becoming major celebrities. The three young are flexing their wings and it looks like they will be gone soon. They now seem to have people around continually, keeping an eye on them. Tonight they made both the local and the regional news, both clips are available online:
The Amsterdam news on AT5
Noord Holland News
The Amsterdam news on AT5
Noord Holland News
Monday, July 30, 2007
Cycling in Amsterdam
For reasons of home logistics I start work very early these days. Cycling into work this morning around seven was very nice. Just a little chill in the air, lovely and dry, and hardly anybody around. It's lovely and quiet in the park that early in the morning, just a few people running, I heard a thrush singing and I could see the young storks standing on the nest. I don't think they will be there anymore this time next week. I love the park this time of the morning. And it is good cycling along the canal too, because there is precious little traffic.
Cycling in Amsterdam is not something simple. The rules, written and unwritten, are complex, and I can understand that the innocent tourist isn't aware of all of them. The cycle lanes seem very obvious to us, they are red, and they do have white bicycles painted on them, but sometimes they look a little like pavements, and if you don't have them back home you might think that you are supposed to walk there. You are not. Just as you are not supposed to cycle on the pavement.
Probably not all tourists know that ordinary traffic rules don't necessarily apply to cyclists here. For instance, it is customary for Amsterdam cyclists to ignore red traffic lights and just continue. It is not customary for cyclists to indicate where they are going, where they intend to turn a corner. Cyclists are in many cases allowed to enter a one-way street from the other direction, and even if that is not allowed they will. This may be confusing. I guess the rule is that you take the shortest way. These are just little things, and it does help to know.
I guess the best rule to remember is that cyclists are not expected to stick to the official rules, tourists are. Tourists on bicycles are expected to stick to the the unwritten rules for Amsterdam cyclists. I guess it is simple, really.
Cycling in Amsterdam is not something simple. The rules, written and unwritten, are complex, and I can understand that the innocent tourist isn't aware of all of them. The cycle lanes seem very obvious to us, they are red, and they do have white bicycles painted on them, but sometimes they look a little like pavements, and if you don't have them back home you might think that you are supposed to walk there. You are not. Just as you are not supposed to cycle on the pavement.
Probably not all tourists know that ordinary traffic rules don't necessarily apply to cyclists here. For instance, it is customary for Amsterdam cyclists to ignore red traffic lights and just continue. It is not customary for cyclists to indicate where they are going, where they intend to turn a corner. Cyclists are in many cases allowed to enter a one-way street from the other direction, and even if that is not allowed they will. This may be confusing. I guess the rule is that you take the shortest way. These are just little things, and it does help to know.
I guess the best rule to remember is that cyclists are not expected to stick to the official rules, tourists are. Tourists on bicycles are expected to stick to the the unwritten rules for Amsterdam cyclists. I guess it is simple, really.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Harry
Like a great many other people all over the world I spent much of last week with Harry. I wanted to find out what was going to happen to him, whether he would be able to deal with Whatshisname, and whether he would live to tell the tale, so to speak. I was happy with the ending, it worked out alright, and it all made sense. I'm glad I got to read all of the book before reading the end of the story somewhere else. I'm glad that Harry never was too good to be true, and I'm glad that there are more shades of grey even towards the end. Things are not necessarily what they seem to be. I'll miss him.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Charlotte
Last Sunday I went to an exhibition of the work of Charlotte Salomon. I've seen her self-portrait so often, I knew the name and the face but I never really knew the story. I never realised she wasn't just a painter, and I didn't know the part her art played in her life, and how important it was to her.
She was born in Germany in 1917 as a Jewish girl, and had to flee the country in 1938. She went to her grandparents in France. Her grandmother committed suicide when the war broke out, and then she was told about the suicide of other family members, including her mother. She dealt with this by withdrawing into herself and by creating a series of works of art entitled Life? or Theatre? The series consists of over 800 gouaches. In 1943 she was deported to Auschwitz with her husband, just a few months after their wedding. She was killed on 10 October 1944 while she is four months pregnant. Her husband was killed on January 1 1944.
The art works are unusual and moving, they tell her story and recreate the people that were important in her life. Some look like very sophisticated cartoons, drawn in great detail, others are very simple drawings or pieces of text, and together they tell the story. She was very open and honest in her work, especially considering the time she lived in. The works on show at the museum at the moment are ones that were not included in her own final selection, she painted many more gouaches than she included in her own story. Standing there looking at the pictures it is hard to imagine that they were painted in the course of just a few years by a woman in her early twenties.
Most of the gouaches are available online at the Jewish Historical Museums website: Salomon at the museum
She was born in Germany in 1917 as a Jewish girl, and had to flee the country in 1938. She went to her grandparents in France. Her grandmother committed suicide when the war broke out, and then she was told about the suicide of other family members, including her mother. She dealt with this by withdrawing into herself and by creating a series of works of art entitled Life? or Theatre? The series consists of over 800 gouaches. In 1943 she was deported to Auschwitz with her husband, just a few months after their wedding. She was killed on 10 October 1944 while she is four months pregnant. Her husband was killed on January 1 1944.
The art works are unusual and moving, they tell her story and recreate the people that were important in her life. Some look like very sophisticated cartoons, drawn in great detail, others are very simple drawings or pieces of text, and together they tell the story. She was very open and honest in her work, especially considering the time she lived in. The works on show at the museum at the moment are ones that were not included in her own final selection, she painted many more gouaches than she included in her own story. Standing there looking at the pictures it is hard to imagine that they were painted in the course of just a few years by a woman in her early twenties.
Most of the gouaches are available online at the Jewish Historical Museums website: Salomon at the museum
Friday, July 27, 2007
Summer in the City
I always cycle into work, and that means cycling in the city centre. That poses different challenges every season. In winter you need to be careful when it's been freezing especially in the park and on all the bridges.
Then in the summer, it's the tourists. In most countries people are not used to cyclists, so it's hard to know all the written and unwritten rules. And when it comes to cycling there are a lot of both here in Amsterdam. It seems hard for people who don't live here to understand cycle lanes, and to understand the fact that canals are not pavements but roads. And you get the tourists who explore the city on their rented red or yellow bikes. Or as someone called them the other day, "the yellow danger".
My favourite cartoonist, Maaike Hartjes, draws simple characters, which in can convey a lot of emotion and which she uses to create very recognizable situations. I very much like her stories on her relationship, and relationships in general, and all the things that she experiences in her everyday life. She is a great observer and she has a wonderful sense of humour. And she is a cyclist in Amsterdam. She know what that is like in the summer, and yes, this could be me...
1. Another green light!
2. The wind in my back and it is a lovely day...
3. Watch out!
4. Next time I'm simply going to run them over!!!!
Then in the summer, it's the tourists. In most countries people are not used to cyclists, so it's hard to know all the written and unwritten rules. And when it comes to cycling there are a lot of both here in Amsterdam. It seems hard for people who don't live here to understand cycle lanes, and to understand the fact that canals are not pavements but roads. And you get the tourists who explore the city on their rented red or yellow bikes. Or as someone called them the other day, "the yellow danger".
My favourite cartoonist, Maaike Hartjes, draws simple characters, which in can convey a lot of emotion and which she uses to create very recognizable situations. I very much like her stories on her relationship, and relationships in general, and all the things that she experiences in her everyday life. She is a great observer and she has a wonderful sense of humour. And she is a cyclist in Amsterdam. She know what that is like in the summer, and yes, this could be me...
1. Another green light!
2. The wind in my back and it is a lovely day...
3. Watch out!
4. Next time I'm simply going to run them over!!!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Nynke
Last night it was time for a different kind of music again, Nynke Laverman appeared at the Concertgebouw. A different venue, not some big smoky hall with people standing around talking and holding a beer in their hands, but a sophisticated hall with some 1200 people sitting down very nicely. Audience behaviour wasn't quite as bad, though I still ended up among peopl who insisted on talking even while Nynke was singing, and who were checking their phones every once in a while. I really don't get that. But no smoking, at least, and a very comfortable seat.
I've seen Nynke a few times before. I first saw her when she played "Sielesalt", Salt of the Soul, a few years ago. I'm not sure why I went then, I'd heard about this singer singing Portuguese fado's in Frysian so when I read she would be appearing in Amsterdam I decided to go. The lyrics were actually translations of poems by a poet I admire called Slauerhoff, a poet of the sea, the poet of longing, put to music by Custódio Castelo, originally for Cristina Branco. The songs were put together by Nynke to create a very moving fairy tale. After Sielesalt she made "Maisfrou", Latin American music telling another story, creating another atmosphere.
Last night she didn't play either piece, but she gave a concert, singing songs from both and some other songs. I guess this gave her more room to play and she seemed to be enjoying herself. It's a wonderful place to perform in, I guess, with a great atmosphere and great history. I once saw Ravi Shankar play there, and later Cristina Branco. Nynke seemed to feel at home here, and she gave a good and varied concert.
The Concertgebouw is a little unusual because some of the seats are up on the stage, and that is where I was. You look into the audience and see the performer from the back for some of the time. I quite enjoyed sitting there though, I liked the perspective.
I've seen Nynke a few times before. I first saw her when she played "Sielesalt", Salt of the Soul, a few years ago. I'm not sure why I went then, I'd heard about this singer singing Portuguese fado's in Frysian so when I read she would be appearing in Amsterdam I decided to go. The lyrics were actually translations of poems by a poet I admire called Slauerhoff, a poet of the sea, the poet of longing, put to music by Custódio Castelo, originally for Cristina Branco. The songs were put together by Nynke to create a very moving fairy tale. After Sielesalt she made "Maisfrou", Latin American music telling another story, creating another atmosphere.
Last night she didn't play either piece, but she gave a concert, singing songs from both and some other songs. I guess this gave her more room to play and she seemed to be enjoying herself. It's a wonderful place to perform in, I guess, with a great atmosphere and great history. I once saw Ravi Shankar play there, and later Cristina Branco. Nynke seemed to feel at home here, and she gave a good and varied concert.
The Concertgebouw is a little unusual because some of the seats are up on the stage, and that is where I was. You look into the audience and see the performer from the back for some of the time. I quite enjoyed sitting there though, I liked the perspective.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
The Best
What could possibly taste better than fresh strawberries, on a bread roll, eaten out in the Dunes on a Monday afternoon?
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Edward A. Wilson
Tomorrow would have been Edward Wilson's 135th birthday. He died before he turned 40 though, and he celebrated his last birthday way down south on the Antarctic continent. He died out there, in March of the following year with his Polar companions Captain Scott and Birdie Bowers on his way back from the Pole.
I first found out about Edward Wilson when I found a very good copy of his "Birds of the Antarctic" at the Dutch Arctic weekend. I had never heard his name before, I just saw the words "Antarctic Birds" so I opened the book. I instantly fell in love with the man's drawings, they are beautifully simple and accurate. He was always after truth as well as beauty, and that shows in the drawings. I especially like all the little sketches that weren't really finished.
He was an unusual man too. He worked many hours, both in England and when he was in Antarctica, and sometimes he would work standing up, just to make sure he wouldn't fall asleep. He was dedicated in everything he did. He went with Apsley Cherry-Gerrard on the Worst Journey in the World, to try and find the missing link between reptiles and birds in the eggs of the Emperor Penguins.
He was a man of his time, and he shot many of the animals he loved, though he was also one of the first naturalist artists to draw from life, rather than stick to dead animals. He was one of the first to start the move for Penguin conservation at a time when penguins were still killed to provide fuel.
He was a religious man, and it was religion that shaped his life. He held his own church services in the Crow's Nest while on board the Terra Nova. He was uncle Bill on board ship, the one the men turned to if they needed someone to trust. He was open and cheerful, had a great sense of humour, but was at the same time a very private man.
I like the man, because he is a man of contradictions. He loved the natural world, but he killed birds for scientific reasons. He was a religious man, a man with a great sense of humour, and also a man with quite a temper at times. I like the fact that he has his flaws, he wasn't a saint, though I believe he was a good man. And I like the fact that we share a birthday.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Library
The city has built a new Public Library, a huge building, almost right next to the Central Station, on the Oosterdokseiland which is being developed. I borrowed some books on the 6 June at the old library, but had to return them to the new one. So I guess I helped move some of the inventory.
I went to the new library today, and it is big. You can see that from the outside, and you keep that feeling once you get inside. It is light and open, and there are 6 floors. It all looks fresh and new, there are many places where you can sit down to read, many computers to use, and a lot of books. I like places with a lot of books.
From the restaurant up on the 7th floor you get a great view of the city, I could even see my office from up there, and you can see as far out as the Zuidas and the Arena. The restaurant is a franchise, I guess, it's big and fairly luxurious. It's a good place for a restaurant, with such a view.
I feel a little nostalgic for the old library though. Not quite so big, a little old and worn, but on the Prinsengracht, to my mind much more in the centre of the city. And there was a small café where you could buy a good coffee for very little money and just sit and read a newspaper.
I found the new library a little overwhelming, and I only went to see a small part of it. I'll go and see a little more next time. Looking at the little plan I took there are a lot of intriguing places to explore. So, to be continued.
I went to the new library today, and it is big. You can see that from the outside, and you keep that feeling once you get inside. It is light and open, and there are 6 floors. It all looks fresh and new, there are many places where you can sit down to read, many computers to use, and a lot of books. I like places with a lot of books.
From the restaurant up on the 7th floor you get a great view of the city, I could even see my office from up there, and you can see as far out as the Zuidas and the Arena. The restaurant is a franchise, I guess, it's big and fairly luxurious. It's a good place for a restaurant, with such a view.
I feel a little nostalgic for the old library though. Not quite so big, a little old and worn, but on the Prinsengracht, to my mind much more in the centre of the city. And there was a small café where you could buy a good coffee for very little money and just sit and read a newspaper.
I found the new library a little overwhelming, and I only went to see a small part of it. I'll go and see a little more next time. Looking at the little plan I took there are a lot of intriguing places to explore. So, to be continued.
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