Summer colours.

Spotted in Rotterdam.

Het Maastrandje.

Last week we took what we thought would be a very sunny afternoon off but unfortunately there was a sudden weather change that felt like Mary Poppins was flying into town. (Olympics opening… wow!!)

It was still nice to discover a new place in Rotterdam though. Just a few kilometers from us, in Crooswijk, there happens to be a little beach onto the Maas river. The view of the city was from an angle I wasn't used to seeing much, so I could barely recognize Rotterdam. 

Pensive Phil. 

I salute you.
Photo by Phil. 

Ok, give me the camera back. 
Photo by Phil. 

Moss on the rocks and my new skirt!
Amy and her very skilled mum fixed it for me so I wouldn't be showing my bum!

Little plant making its way through the steel. 

Sign turning into a human. 

Plan B for our picnic. 

I don't know the name of this bridge. Maybe you do, Dre?

De Watertoren. Built in 1871, designed by the architect C. B. der Taak, who during that period also happened 
to be the director of the municipality constructions. 

A naughty day off.

This lovely weather makes it hard to concentrate at work. Specially knowing it's only going to last a few days. So when we were kindly offered a ride in a van going to Hoek van Holland on Tuesday, we jumped at the opportunity!

The weather couldn't have been better and the company either.

Like a couple of pros. 

Very sharp on the feet.

A bit scary. But also beautiful. 

Miya, Mia, Sabine, Phil, Rachel Griffin and myself were part of this plan. 

Griffin and her fancy summer hat. 

Hoge Bergse Bos.

The weather is finally summer-like! So hours are to be spent outside, making the most of it. On Sunday Phil proposed to take a detour on our way to Kralingse Bos and we ended up in Hoge Bergse Bos and its surroundings. The views were ideal, little canals everywhere, windmills and happy faces soaking up the sun. 

Couldn't get much more picturesque than this. 

Close up with shallow depth of field. I warned you these kind of pictures would be coming up on my blog...

Camouflaged containers. 

Horsey with highlights in its hair.

Me in my summer outfit. Photo by Phil. 

Hello, sheep.

Blindfolded horses.  No, they aren't actually blindfolded. I learned (I love the internet!) that these masks are to prevent flies getting to the poor horses' eyes. Horses can see through them. 

Artificial ski slope. 

Zevenhuizerplas.

Nice and fresh tootsies. 

My first café con hielo of the year. 

I'm guessing this must be a sign to a chicken farm, but I'm not sure. Update! No, it isn't! Dre says: 

"The sign of the chicken and eggs is the enterance of the petting zoo i used to go as a child. Making cheese, drinking fresh goat milk (milked by yourself) and playing with all the animals. It used to be really nice. I should
go back one day."

The Manna Monument to commemorate the Operations Manna. Some wiki info: 

Operations Manna and Chowhound took place from 29 April to the end of World War II in Europe on 8 May 1945. These two operations—Manna by the Royal Air Force (29 April – 7 May) and Chowhound by the U.S. Air Force (1–8 May)—dropped a total of 11,000 tons of food into the still-unliberated western part of the Netherlands, with the acquiescence of the occupying German forces, to help feed civilians who were in danger of starvation in the Dutch famine.

Russian dinner.

Herring under fur coat. That would be the literal translation for this typical Russian salad I made. It looks very peculiar but tasted delicious (even if I say so myself). I followed this recipe: http://www.enjoyyourcooking.com/salads/herring-under-fur-coat-herring-salad.html

Salted cucumbers. They had been soaked in water with salt and garlic overnight. Yummy! Specially with a sip of vodka. 

 Salad of cucumbers, radish and green onion with sour cream (smetana). And Russian meat. Tasted smoky. Also yummy. 

Sorrel soup. 

There was also fried potatoes and mushroom, Russian caviar, paprika spread and Russian sweets. And of course vodka. 

My first Spiegelreflex.

I have taken the step forward to SLR. Looking back on my blog, sometimes I regret not using a better camera. Considering how many photos I take, I figured its worth going a step further into photography. Please bear with me while I figure the camera out a bit. There will be close-ups of things with shallow depths of field and boring landscapes for a while because I think that for the coming time I will be amazed by the quality of the image. Once I get over that I hope to be posting more interesting photos.

I went for a Nikon D5000, which is a beginners SLR with very user-friendly menus and with a body ideal for small hands like mine. For now I'm quite happy with it. I've already spotted a 50mm lens I might treat myself to in some time.

A special thanks to my friend Jurgen for the ride and advice and empathy while I was getting all excited about having an SLR.

Grafisch Museum in Groningen.

Photo by Phil. 

Phil pointed out this system to hang the papers. Never would have thought marbles could have this use!

Memphis Design taken to the max. Groninger Museum.

I have to admit I was a bit shocked by this museum's appearance. My mind tried to wander towards a negative impression, I started to think it is ugly, but the closer I got and the more I saw of it, the prejudice faded and turned into wowness. The photos aren't good enough to give the right impression of how amazing it is. At the end of this post you'll find a link to a website with better photos of the museum. 

Photo borrowed from: http://i-love-holland.com/cities/visit-groningen

Some wiki info: The radically modernist structures forming the Groninger Museum stand in a canal opposite a railway station consist of three main pavilions: a silver cylindrical building designed by Philippe Starck,^[2] a yellow tower by Alessandro Mendini, and a pale blue deconstructivist space by Coop Himmelb(l)au.^[3] A bridge that connects the museum to the train station is part of a cycling and walking path to the central city.

The architecture's futuristic and colourful style echos the Italian designs of the Memphis Group. Mendini, a former member of the firm who is noted for his furniture and industrial designs, was asked by museum director Frans Haks in 1990 to design the new museum.^[4] Haks wanted something extravagant and insisted on non-architects to create the conceptual studies. American artist Frank Stella was originally approached to design one of the pavilions, however, his plan turned-out to be too expensive because he wanted his structure completely built out of Teflon. The municipality then invited Coop Himmelb(l)au to replace him for the commission.

The museum was mainly paid for by Gasunie, the Dutch national natural gas utility. The company was celebrating its 25th anniversary and wanted to give the city of Groningen a present. Haks, wanting to move out his of the old and insufficient exhibition space, suggested a new museum building. Gasunie agreed to Hak's proposal and granted 25 million guilders for the project.

Alderman Ypke Gietema, a strong proponent of the new museum, was responsible for siting the museum at its present location despite acrimonious objections. During site preparation, protesters managed to halt construction in high court for one year. Citizen's objections centered on the controversial design, fearing their homes would not sell with such a peculiar and eccentric structure nearby. Despite controversy, building resumed in 1992 and it was completed in 1994. Local residents had to get used to the shapes and colours of the building, but it soon became a popular success.

This is the above mentioned yellow tower by Alessandro Mendini. 

Dramatic staircase by Mendini. 

Below water level. 

Phil becomes one with the building.

This woman chose the colours of her outfit very carefully. 

Door handle with personality. (Art direction of this photo by Phil). 

Floating stairs. The design might be by Coop Himmelb(l)au but I'm not sure. 

Info center designed by Jaime Hayon. 

Check here for better photos: http://www.weheart.co.uk/2011/02/09/the-groninger-museum/