Bloemenvlucht/ flower fields flight in april 2014 with LionAir

After seeing the flower fields from close and inside we were curious to see them again from up in the air. As last year we contacted the friendly and professional LionAir and book one hour "bloemenvlucht". With Michel as pilot we flew over Leiden, Keukenhof, Lisse, Noordwijkerhout and then along the coast: Wassenar, Scheveningen, Monster and Rotterdam...Again an amazing experience and perfect weather with fantastic colours!

Spring 2014 in the Netherlands: flower fields with daffodils, hyacinths and tulips

The Netherlands never seize to amaze me! Here we have the online "buienradar" (literally "storm radar") telling us in how many minutes next rain or storm is coming, very practical when you are by bike...When you have a drink with friends you may spot the funny "zonnenradar" (sunshine radar) on some beer bottles (most probably to remind the Dutch that they get sunburnt quiet easily)... and in the spring we have the "bloemenradar"-page (flower radar), showing people in pictures how many flowers are already out! So after learning and checking the flower radar on Friday I made my weekends plan:-)

 

Spring has been very nice, gentle and warm with us this year, here in the low lands! The great and sunny March invited all spring bulb flowers to come outside the ground earlier than usual (and aslo much earlier than last year)! Already for two weeks colourful flower carpets decorate the famous Bollenstreek between Leiden and Amsterdam. Here are the visual proofs of the flower-photo-tour! Enjoy the colours!

Christmas reflections in Amsterdam

 

Last week, after an amazing concert in Amsterdam, I was surprised by these beautiful lights of the Holland Casino. As there was almost no wind, some beautiful reflections appeared in the canal too...Enjoy and happy pre-Xmas time to all of you:-))

Sunny Amsterdam and the beautiful Haarlemmer(dijk)straat

 

There is something magic in Amsterdam. This city has soooo much charme: once you start strolling though its narrow streets,  while watching out not to be hit by a bike and making sure you dont fall in a "gracht" (canal) while you take a picture! Adding some November sun and amazingly blue sky and you have a perfect combination for beautiful view and fun pictures! So last Saturday we headed to Amsterdam and enjoyed the breathtaking buildings& their colourful details in the Haarlemmerstraat (which is said to be one of the non-tourist shopping street with tons of cosy cafes, designer shops and restaurants). Close to the street there is also the organic market of Amsterdam, which takes place every Saturday, on the square around Noorderkerk... Fresh produce, majestic architecture und reflections in the canal made this walk and visit simply great experience!

Dragonflies and sunshine equals to love dance on Dutch pond

 

This week the Dutch summer reached some 31 degrees....not only we were happy, also the tiny dragonflies were inspired and were doing their lovedance above water at a small pond in thegarden of my work place. I was so amazed by their numbers and beauty, so I biked home after wokr to get my camera and captured them!

Did you know that:
- Dragonflies are expert fliers. They can fly straight up and down, hover like a helicopter and even mate mid-air. If they can't fly, they'll starve because they only eat prey they catch while flying.
- Some adult dragonflies live for only a few weeks while others live up to a year.
- A single dragonfly can eat 30 to hundreds of mosquitoes per day.
(for more info feel free to check "14 Fun facts about dragonflies")

Flight over Zuid-Holland, part 2: Scheveningen, Zandmotor, Monster, den Haag and Delft

 

In the second part of our sightseeing flight with Lionair we flew alongt he coastal line passing by Noordwijk, Scheveningen, Kijkduin (above is the Zandmotor) and Monster.
The Zandmotor is a 2-year-old project to reinforce the costal protection between Kijkduin and Ter Heide. The manmade sand peninsula should support the natural collection of more sand in this part of the coast (and help build bigger dunes),

 
In Westland we went inland and the greenhouses-landscape (see third picture) was all over till the horizon. here a lot of the Dutch fruits&veggies are grown. After we saw some known and unknown places of the Hague and Rijswijk the central square of the Delf Old town charmed me... Simply amazing experience:-) Have a good new week everyone!

 

...and here are the views of den Haag and Delft (last picture).

Spring 2013: Dutch flower fields, lost in daffodils and hyacinths...

 

Every year hundreds of tourists get lost in the Dutch flower fields in search for unique pictures or angles...Due to the long and very chilly winter all Dutch bulb flowers are delayed this year in the low lands. So when my first "flower"-visitors arrived last weekend and we went searching for flower fields, no tulip fields were in sight. However we could literally swim in white-purple-pink-rose-yellow sea of aromatic hyacinths and some daffodils...All pictures are taken in the fields around Lisse&Noordwijkerhout.

The light festival ChinaLight in Rotterdam

Last Sunday the new Chinese Year, the Year of the water snake, has started...
Meanwhile for the last 2, 5 months several Chinese lanterns had been transforming the Park next to the Euromast tower in Rotterdam into a fairy-tale place. This magic finished yesterday, however I managed to look at it (and to freeze) while I did visit the park few days ago with a friend.

 

I also took the challenge of taking night pictures of these fantastic masterpieces. Most of them  were put on water, however few of the ponds were ...frozen! As you may see great reflections were on display! At the end I enjoyed my combi-ticket allowing me to climb the Euromast (185 m high tower) and of course I documented how the light expo looks from above:-)) As of today all lanterns are on sale, so in case you need a human-size-panda or mushroom, have a look online!

 
...and the famous Erasmus-bridge: