Colourful Dutch tulip fields 2012 edition, around Noordwijkerhout

 

One of the most colouful and fantastic ways to enjoy tulipland Holland in the second part of April is a walk/bike through the flower-bulb area...My favourite/secret place is Noordwijkerhout. Around this village every year the tulip and other flower bulbs paint the fields in amazing colour combination and nature masterpieces!

We even flew over the fields into picture above, have a look here:

Bloemencorso 2012, the fantastic flower-parade in Haarlem...

 

For the 65th time the most colourful flower-power event, the Bloemencorso, took place in the Bollenstreek, the flower-bulb-area between Leiden and Amsterdam...This one-weekend-lasting display of fresh flowers respresenting different subjects is always an impressive and charming show to visit and photograph. Despite the chilly and windy weather, the sky was fantastically blue and all participants were parked in the centre of the cute and cozy Dutch town Haarlem the whole last Sunday!

 

The topic this year was communication! the winner was a platform representing colourful parrots:-) My personal favourite was a guy reading newspaper, looking very lazy with one foot in the air...I also loved the mix of creative flower-presentations with beautiful Dutch architecture...and of course this awesome blue sky and warm sunshine!

Dutch flower/tulip fields 2012: seen from the air with Dakota DC3

 

Welcome to Tulipland 2012! Its is again this colourful (however extremely chilly) time of the spring, when the flower-bulb-area between Leiden and Amsterdam offers tons of different colours...So how about looking down at all this beauty from the air? Today I am taking you with me on board of the Dakota DC 3 (built in 1944 in USA) for a flower-tour in the air!

 

This trip starting in Schiphol-Oost will take us over the blooming Bollenstreek, the spring garden Keukenhof up to the beach resort Noordwijk, then we will fly over Noordwijkerhout; Sassenheim and Lisse! Enjoy the geometry of the flower fields, the flashy colours of those tulips, daffodils and hyacinths...In my next entry we will visit the same fields from the ground:-))

 
Can you try zo fidn the word "love" in one of the tulip fields on the pic below (I am helping you by saying: reeeed:-):

 

And last but not least lets have a quick look in the waiting hall&another second look on the fantastic Dakota DC3! A hug thanks goes to the captans& the weather for the sun and blue sky...

Birds in Holland or about birds in my backyard...

 

There are plenty of birds in the low lands...even though the Netherlands are the most crowded country in Europe one can stop seeing birds at every corner. some like water (this is where they live and catch their food), others fly around (and sometimes even inside our flat like the loud green parakeets), another just sing, sit on the tree and enjoy their freedom.

 

On my pictures you may enjoy the following beauties:
- Green Parakeet (in French "Conure Verte")
- Great Crested Grebe ( in German "Haubentaucher", FR: "Grèbe huppé", in NL: "Fuut", in BG. "Голям гмурец");
- (male) Pheasant (in German "Fasan", in FR "Faisan", in BG "див фазан");
- Grey heron (in German "Graureiher", in FR "heron", in BG "Сива чапла");
- Great spotted woodpecker (in German "Buntspecht", in FR "Pic épeiche", in BG "пъстър кълвач");

All birds in this entry I have encountered from my balcony, in my street or in the near-by park where I go jogging:-))

The French Caribbean cuisine/ la cuisine creole aux Antilles Francaises

 

Lately I have realised lately that I have never posted about the amazing and so yummy "cuisine creole", the one in the French Caribbean...So get ready to see some mouth watering dishes, more or less known or unknown to you veggies+fruits and some more! I will start with my absolutely favourite dish: "cassolette de chatrou". Depending on where one orders it it could be cooked with different spices, but the main ingredient is octopus... Another very exquisite dish is the grilled spiny lobster. Of course fresh seafood is a daily great catch here, mostly the fish is prepared on the BBQ or with the local flavours (peppers, cumin, ginger). The dishes are never really too spicy. One get often the so called "sauce chien" (the dog sauce) , which is finely chopped red peppers in oil and vinegar-something if you need more fire:-)).

 

Above is the most famous Caribbean starter ("les accras"), warm cod-fritters. They perfectly suits to a cold beer or a glass of rum or rum cocktail.

 
There are plenty of restaurants held by locals, who do use a lot of the root-veggies like cassava, taro or the local pumpkin and breadfruit for delicious gratins and purees!

Of course I have also prepared some home-made sushi plate with fresh fish fillet...

 

And last but not lest the famous "tourment d amour", the pastry of les Saintes filled with cocos, pineapple or guava marmalade!

Underwater movies from les Saintes, Guadeloupe

Today I would love to show you the underwater life, beauty and colours in movies...Enjoy the abundance of fish, sponges&corals and the cute little turtle in the last movie:-))



In the next video you will meet the cute porcupine fish (in French "diodon"), who can inflate like a ball, when it gets scared.



And as promised a turtle swimming against the current...

About the turtles in les Saintes/ Les tortues des Saintes, Guadeloupe

 

This entry is dedicated to these amazing, friendly and soooo loveable creatures, the turtles! One may meet them often (sometimes ago even several per every single dive) in les Saintes. Unfortunately lately this is not so sure anymore. The fishing kills yearly almost 100 of them, as they get stuck in the net and die...They die because the people are putting traps in their element trying to get more and more fish from the over fished sea. Another problem in les Saintes is the local speciality called "lambi". Five months every year the fisherman here are allowed to fish this shell . Unfortunately for the turtles, these are the nets they get stuck in...Thanks to Claire, my diving master&friend and very good ami with the local turtles, I know what I am aware of now. And I know we can take care of them, because noone wants an ocean without turtles!

 

So this blog is trying to raise awareness: please don't order "lambi"-dish if you want to see/keep the turtles in our oceans! Look at the pictures, smile with them and next time protect them!