Tuesday blues

* Hahaha ! The weather report was predicting yeaterday a "summer day" for today. It is cloudy and I had to wear a leather coat this morning. Summer... hahahah ! Where are the promised 23°C ? I am feeling cheated by www.weer.nl

* The world is exploding in a huge economic crisis and what one reads in the Dutch papers ? "Lady Gaga will perform at Formula 1" (so what ?); "Pamela Anderson half naked in a reality show" (has she ever been decently covered ?); "Many drivers in the NL stoned" (duh !); "The Zaanstad mayor makes a formal complaint about a pie accident" (really ?); "Let's make a deal with criminals - says influential police research Cyrille Fijnaut" (even more ?). Where are news such as this one (click quickly while the links lasts) ? The Dutch media completely ignores international embarrassment of politicians and bankers.

And then I read the title: "Blues legend Harry Muskee dead". After 35 years as a singer, Harry Muskee died yesterday at the age of 70 years old from cancer. Have you never heard of Harry Muskee ? Me neither !! And then I decied to read the whole article which described the ups and down of his career and his work with the band Cuby & the Blizzards. At the end of the article I read that "...photographer and film director Anton Corbijn  chose the melancholic Window of my Eyes for the ending credits of his film The American, with George Clooney (2010). The band received and Edison award for the song." - a lovely song which I divide with you during this gray Tuesday.



Through the window of my eyes
I can see the rainy day
Sitting in the chair
Of my cool room
Looking for a way
To be the one I am
It's useless to cry
For the things I once have known
Thinking it will come back and reach my home

It's like a distant, like a distant face
It's like the shadow on my wall
Something that
That I cannot touch
A heavenly past that calls
the shelter of my mind
Hides my laugh and my tear
and I keep on looking for a reason which is not here...

Friday Hotie, Hot Candy

Candy Dulfer (Amsterdam, 1969)  is a Dutch alto saxophonist and a worldstar.

She has played with Beyoncé, Maceo Parker, Aretha Franklyn, Prince ("When I want sax, I call Candy") and many others.

And she has a much, much younger boyfriend -  how hot is that woman ?

Her new album Crazy is per October 1st available.
It's Candy's 8th album.

Randoms

* Weather predictions for the NL for the next weekend: sunny and dry. Not exactly a synonym of putting a bikini on and diving into the ocean but anyway... you can barbecue outdoors and maybe sail for a while. Maybe even put on some hot pants, who knows ?  Let's toast those cellulitis ! I need some vitamine D. Oh, and I need to take more pics of Dutchie things too.

* The next weeks I will be living in two houses for a while which means my head will be splited into two parts. And there will be renovations on the main road in the pueblocito / dorpje / little town / petite ville where I live - up to November. The chaos is about to start - which means I have to be even more organized with time planning than usual. Absolute perfection and beyond. And I need a new haircut. Wish me luck.

* And tell me what you like to see here in GFH. Oddities & nonsense? Attractions & entertainment ? Lekkere dingen & hoties ?

* Follow me on Twitter: @AnnaGFH

Crazy Dutch Traffic Signs

Holland has traffic signs in EXCESS. I sometimes thinksthey even distract you form the traffic. But then there is ... ahhh, the Dutch creativity !  Above, somebody applied a sticker with  the Death on the board where you read: "dead end path".

Another interesting sticker which regularly appear somewhere in a road in theregion of Brabant. The locals consider it funny. The local mayor considers it the work of a vandal.  

 Some people even  plan and order their own private traffic signs. A farmer ordered this one above and place it along a road near his property. He has a deaf cat and on the sign one can literally read: crossing deaf cat !

And the explanation of this one above...   I have no clue. Any ideas, anyone ?

What should I do now ?

"A little kiss and you drive away". What ??? Well, you spot this nearby schools. The parents should give a quick kiss and drop their kids without parking the car. There are also "K+R" painted on the streets, which means: kiss & ride.

No comments...

Dolfinarium

Continuing with the attractions I have visited with my family this summer...
Ta-da ! The Dolfinarium !

Two shows you cannot miss: the first is the "Spetter" with dolphins in the Dolphin Domain (DolfijnDo Mijn). Loooove dolphins (and big primates) - but by now you know it already, I guess..

Sorry for the blurred photos... The show is quite good. I give it a 8 (I enjoyed it far more two years ago. It was another story then.). The story of a girl who dreamed of dolphins and fought the nightmare monster - the best part of the show, the guy was really mean and powerful but was kicked off by the super intelligent dolphins, of course.

I said "no" to this blinking-magical thing, my parent said "yes !"and purchased a couple of them for my kids. Oh, well... okay then... Let's watch the Band of Pirates (in the Crazy Sea Lion Theather) the second great show you cannot miss. A pirate and a bank manager and his helper (a very playful and intellingent seal), in a very simple story. Really funny, really surprising.

Appropriate for kids from 0 to 100 years old.  

On the first page of De Telegraaf you can read: PIRATES !! Let's hide the money !

Not to worry: the seal give the pirate a well deserved lesson at the end.

They all look like jelly, huh ?

These animals are incredibly sweet and well trained.

That's it for now. Goodbye !

The Dolfinarium is located in Harderwijk, in the province of Gelderland.

(If you like orkas, seals, sharks and the super intelligent dolphins you cannot miss this attraction. It is not needed to understand Dutch at all in order to have a good time at the Dolfinarium, so no worries if you are a foreigner. Needless to mention: there are a couple of restaurants there and all facilities you could expect - but the fish stalls on the street nearby the entrance are also great ! Lovely fried cod from the North Sea... you cannot forget to give it a go ! )  

Wanna know more ?

www.dolfinarium.nl

Strandboulevard Oost 1

3841 AB Harderwijk

The Netherlands

The Dolfinarium can be reached via the A28 (Amersfoort-Zwolle). From the motorway, please follow the Dolfinarium signs.There are plenty of municipal car parks with paid parking (also for coaches).

If you are coming by train, get off at Harderwijk (NS station), then take the bus (no. 144, 147 or 148) to the Dolfinarium.

From the bus stop it is just a few minutes’ walk along the harbour to reach the Dolfinarium.

The video below is not Dolfinarium related, but I though it is a lovely video to finish this post. I wish I could hypnotise some sharks liek that... while dressed like a ninja of the seas - exactly like the incredible Cristina Zenato does. I have to start rubbing some noses in order to get some practice...

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Only in the Netherlands

When I comment with Dutch people that there is an excess of signs everywhere in the country they seem do not have a clue about what I am talking about. Please have a look at this one below and judge yourself.

What do you think the sign above means ? Choose only one option.

a) Attention, water. You may drown.

b) Attention, water. You may drown.

c) Attention, water. You may drown.

d) Attention, water. You may drown.

(Picture taken nearby a small pond in the Zaanse Schans)

Dutch Hoties: Do

My selection for today is singer Do (née Dominique van Hulst). An ex-tennis player, she had a break through as singer in 2003 with an unplugged version of the hit Heaven. Since then she has worked as an actress in musicals (see below)...

...modelled for Hunkemoller (above).

And of course posed for the Dutch Playboy.

On the vid, Do sings a Dutch classic hit "He believes in me", from Andre Hazes. She has recently got a golden plate for it. At the moment Do works on her third studio album (in English) and a single is planned to be released this month.

Awesome Front Doors (Zaanse Schans)

How incredible can these doors be ? Check more about the Zaanse Schans here. I will be soon posting more about this special place, so keep tuned... (and do not forget to follow my blog if you are stil not doing it - ahem !)