Keukenhof
The week before last we had Carmella, a friend from Australia, staying with us, a visit which happened to coincide with the 8 week opening-period of Keukenhof, a massive tulip garden located around an hour south of Amsterdam. So on the Saturday, we set off on the train, heading down to Leiden before getting a bus to the park itself. The weather couldn't have been better - fine and warm (but not too hot) - and the range of tulips (and other flowers) on display is breathtaking, both in the park itself, and in the fields surrounding it. The scale of the place is the most amazing aspect, and photos don't really capture that, but there's a pretty extensive range of photos below in any case!
Keukenhof - Flickr slideshow
Vitreous live @ Club 8
The other big event of the week was my return to live music, playing a laptop set of original music at Club 8 in the west of Amsterdam. The occasion was a charity event organised by Pedro, a colleague of mine, and featured a strikingly diverse line-up (my very tech-flavored set was preceded by Goesting, a Dutch band playing original folk music, Y-Bond, a group of Conservatoire students doing an intriguing set of covers, and Vleppie Auwurs, whose sequined outfits and translated standards, including 'I Will Survive', really defy any further description). The beautiful weather outside didn't help with crowd numbers, but all in all, a good show (I even had my Dutch teacher up and dancing!).
We're sitting here this afternoon listening to them soundcheck across the road in Westermarkt for Queen's Day celebrations, which kick off in about an hour - more photos (and maybe even a video) of that next time!
<-- Chris @ Club 8, as taken on Amber's shiny new mobile, with its 3 megapixel camera!
