Football's over!

So last week was the final match of the World Cup 2010 between Spain and the Netherlands.
It was an exciting tournament with many surprises and small teams reaching higher than the big old famous ones. I was rooting for the underdogs, preferably African countries (Go Ghana!).

I felt kind of bored seeing the same big billionaire teams winning all the time. Brasil, Italy, France, England, Argentina, Germany (although they played very well).. I wanted to see some change, new teams! Obviously I was happy when Spain won the cup!

So now that a week has passed, the world got back to its routine. Tears have dried, laughters have faded, vuvuzelas were put away and conversation topics have changed except maybe for Spain and S. Africa.

So I'd imagine this is what a football field looks like after some time has passed and people got into other things.
I caught this in Spain (what a coincidence) last year outside a tiny slumbering village. I suppose none of the players ever came from this village!

What about you? What were your thoughts about this World Cup 2010? Excited? Disappointed?

Alkmaar Streets

As I'm watching the quarter finals of the World Cup 2010 between Brazil and the Netherlands, I thought it would be a good opportunity to post this picture. I'm not particularly a fan of both teams but hey... I've never been to Brazil yet!
This shot was taken in Alkmaar, a small town of 95000 inhabitants, famous for its cheese market. I had the opportunity to visit a few towns with 2 friends including of course Amsterdam, but I was not really impressed by them. I preferred the relaxing atmosphere and simplicity of Alkmaar with its clichéd windmills and canals.

[Edit]: Well, congratulations to Holland for kicking Brazil out of the World Cup 2010. Good job.

Crisis?

An abandoned Kids Toy House on the beaches of Netherland, North of Amsterdam...

Has the real estate crisis even hit the children where they can't afford to play and maintain a Beach villa anymore?

Sad..

:)

The Lighthouse

"In my empty bottle, I built a lighthouse while others were building a ship"

** Shot taken north of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Ride the Wave!

Just a little fun shot I did while visiting the beaches in north of the Netherlands. The wind shaped those little "sand waves" and I was lucky to find a little shell riding one of those waves.

It's funny how changing the lens on my camera changes my perspective and the look I have on the world. With the wide angle lens, I tend to look far to the horizon, seeking landscapes, buildings, dramatic scenes.. And while I have my macro lens on, I am looking down on the floor, seeking details, tiny stories in our daily lives.

Enjoy and let's surf! Hehehe.

Edit: I also added the social bookmarking widgets at the end of each post. If you like my work or any photo/post, please share it with friends and family. It helps me a lot! Thanks!

Alkmaar II

Another shot of Alkmaar in the Netherlands. I liked this little town for its quietness, nice streets and laid back lifestyle. The building you see at the end is not a church, but a Cheese museum!

In front of it is held the famous Alkmaar cheese market.

It was also a special day as it's quite rare to have a nice blue sky in a country where it rains all the time!

Enjoy!

Windmills

One of the icons of the Netherlands are windmills (along with tulips, cows, canals and red light district).

There are over a 1000 windmills all over the country and where built to power a complex system of pumps to keep the water levels under control. I also learned that mill keepers would position the blades of the windmill (when in resting position) to announce important news like a birth, a death or help

Some are open to the public for visit but I did not get the chance.

Where is Don Quijote when you need him?

Alkmaar - Netherlands

Alkmaar.. A beautiful little town north of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

I came to visit a friend (howdy Eva!) who lives here and we got the chance to walk around, along the "canals", the windmills, the small neighborhoods with their little gardens, the red light district at night (oh baby!) and all the little shops here and there.

A very lovely town where I could almost see myself living in!

Cheers!