Myanmar at the moment

Currently taking a break from the cold, European winter in Southeast Asia.  What better place to visit than Myanmar?  This has got to be Asia at its purest.  It is like stepping back 10-15 years....mobile phones are still a rarety and internet is hard to find. Despite all the hardship, the people are as friendly as you could imagine!  Will be posting more pics from the trip - keep watching here on Flickr

Laundry Day - Nieuw Zuid, 5 Sep 2009

Laundry Day was 2009 GREAT.   I was, and am still, a bit sceptical about the new location; I much prefer the old location at the other end of the Kaaien.   There is also the element of hyperinflation that they need to deal with.  At EUR 20 it was twice the price of last year which was twice the price of the year before…and the year before that (if my memory serves me right) was free!   Previous washes here.

That, said, the ambiance was great and the weather was about perfect....the last rain fell 6 minutes before it started and the whole afternoon was mostly sunny and even pleasantly warm (certainly not hot)....cooled off in the evening but it was only around 21:30 that I had to put on my fleece jacket!  Tiesto was OK...I think I am getting too old for this stuff..and if I understand correctly, he is the reason it was so expensive this year.  Still, it was the first year that I have stayed till midnight...and have pictures to prove it.

Next wash, same place 4 Sep 2010.   The first cut pictures from 2009 are here.

Antwerp by bike - recommended!

 

Found this one by accident via Flickr (and then went along to try it out), and it is great way to spend a weekend summer afternoon.   Antwerp by Bike is an enthusiastic of city-guides-in-the-making.  They are all students who are also studying to be city guides.  They are so enthusisatic about our great city that they are offering their weekend afternoons over the summer to introduce you to the place by bike. 

Interesting route and explanation stops at 't Steen, Schelde, 't Eilandtje, Park Spoor Noord (my favourite), Rivierenhof, Cogels Osylei, Centraalstation and Conscienceplein...among others!

See the pics from the afternoon here.

Rotterdam, where else?

So last year, with V working in Asia, I got to spend my birthday in Bangkok and we had a fantastic week.  This year V is in Sao Paolo, Brazil and I have to say the attractions of going down there to the winter are not so obvious!  So, I politely delined the invitation and headed instead for a day out in Rotterdam!  A few faves from the day already below.

See the full selection here.

Pillow fight - kussengevecht - at Antwerp Central Station

So - quite a nice greeting in the Central Station this morning.  Hot on the heels of the Sound of Music the Central Station is taken over this morning by a big pillow fight.  I often find that the best shots at events like this are taken early on before the event really gets going and today was no exception. I think V will be writing about this in her own style shortly, so I'll not say more here.

See and get prints of the pics here.