*walking over water
auto-reply apologies...
So yes, I go on vacations, from tomorrow till next Wednesday (but that you all know by now!)... What's happened was something like this....
while setting an automatic answer to my both emails, something (what?) happened.... and I realized, a few minutes later, that my mails were already busy sending this message to everybody. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody that has ever email me before....
And all this I think; yes, I think, because i don't really know... which makes it harder to understand... and even harder to make it up.
So, and still, to you all, that have received this non-sense mail (or mails) from me.... my apologies!
October 14th 2008
And untill i get back from vacations!
Here it is!
After leaving a white Holland, and a very busy airport...
we arrived in the blue sky on Porto.
These 10 days in Portugal were great. I really had a nice (short) time there. The weather was great, which always helps, I saw my family and my friends (unfortunately not all) and Tymen spent for the 1st time Xmas with me and my family, which was very special! Yeah! ;)
These were the Santa Claus this year (Maria, Bruno and Rita)... and Matilde... and TMN, of course!
AND A VERY SPECIAL AND HAPPY 2008 TO YOU!
:)
Ohhhhh....
Skype is great!
Storm & Mijne
Last Sunday in Sevenum! They are really 2 nice boys!
tonight's meeting
Live from London, Raks and Luizs babes!
"beautiful boat photo".nl
2 nice action photos, from our last sailing weekend, in Heeg!
The photos were made by a photographer from mooiebootfoto.nl, but i guess that is quite clear, right?
Sailing... I am sailing! (part 2)
What nice this was!!! Good weather and GREAT wind. What would we need more to sail? O yeah... a nice camping and friends! Hmmm.... I think it was really a complete weekend!
CHECK MORE PHOTOS HERE!!!!
heaven...
Reaaaally a long time after, a make a new post, with the 1st photo of our vacations in Portugal. LEKKERRRR.............
Going to Portugal
Tomorrow we'll go on vacations. We'll fly first to Madrid, and the day after we'll continue to Porto.
Because we're flying from Eindhoven, we've came already to Sevenum. So I'm actually also taking 1 day vacations in here! ih ih!
On the photo there is Storm, with almost 7 months old. Nice ah? We've been there yesterday on the way down to Limburg...
North til South
No SUBTITLES necessary of course; however, I'll still make them!
Last week my parents were in Holland for the 2nd time. So I took the chance to do something that I already never do: sightseeing. This time we went quite all over the country.. missing only really the norther north! We started near by Rotterdam... Dordrecht and Gouda. And we continue through Zeeland, Den Bosch, Sevenum; and Alkmaar, to see the famous cheese market.
Finally we were able to see THOSE images from the postcards!!! Hundreds of delicious cheeses in lines... what a dream!
And then we flew to Holland again!
It is reaaaaly nice being in Poland. And with Ronnie. And with Agatha!
POLAND, HERE WE GO!
Tomorrow we go to Poland, to Katowice, to Krakow, to Ronnie and Agatha. But because our fligh is at 8.25 am, we will go now, and sleep in Sevenum, that is more near the airport, in Eindhoven.
This week was a crazy (busy) week, and today as well. I am finishing my work now, and in 1 hour I have to go and catch the train... hmmm. At least I've heard that it is really hot in Poland, so I just have to pack a few t.shirts and that's it!
So, for all email that I didn't have the time to answer, I'm sorry! I'll catch up in 1 week, when I'm back.
XXX for everybody!
1st summer festival???
1st summer festival??? In a 1st look, indeed, it does look like a great summer festival. But no... these images are taken 2 minutes (walking) from the Central Station of Rotterdam!!! Yesterday, in the queen's day! Indeed, the weather is great (thanks to all the world's pollution) and in April, in Holland, when you still would suspect people to be maybe wearing gloves and winter coats.... the summer is installed! Already for 2 weeks, this is how our days have been!
So... in the queen's day, everybody comes to the street to sell their old crappie (but nice!) things. Portuguese speaking, it is really sort of a "Feira da Vandoma", but then during the day... and in every single street of Holland. Always very VERY nice!
(photo from Tymen)
The eggs were there!
These have been busy months! But, fortunately, I have had 2 great weekends! Here was the 1st!
On the Easter weekend, we had a family weekend. I have met almost all the Hanssen family, that is Tymen's family from his mother side! We have met each other in a bungalow park in Durbuy Ardennen! Really beautiful over there! Living 2 days in peace in the middle of nature (and also feeling good to be able to see some mountains!) made me relax and charge my energy for a new week of a lot of (good) work!
Of course that, as tradition (here) says, on the Easter day, we had to go in the garden and find the hidden eggs! There were a lot of us hidden there. Hmmm.... now I am wondering... who put them there???
Today!
(photo: Natasa, thanks!)
Today, the birthday - phase 02, from TMN!!! With one more person joyning in: STORMMMM!
And as we are in the mood for group photos...
here we go: the CIERAAD FAMILY! ih ih!
Who is there and there is where.
Like this we spent the night of yesterday.. celebrating the 28th birthday of TMN! It was really nice!
Not everybody was there, I have to say... we were missing our friends that were/ are working as hell to finish their school very very soon!! However we had the so nice virtual (but always warm) presence of Ronnie with us... straight from Poland and even being our DJ on some moments of the evening!
We also had the always surprising "chouriço" performance... which i will let you see some posts later!
Now Tymen is (and very good!) 28 years old! Congratulations TMN! Congratulations everybody!
shake it!
(photos again from: everybody)
Uh la la...,
how great can it be to have a dance floor and a dj just for us!
This was a night in Batô!!!
>>> a mixed bit of this 06 >>>07
(photos from: everybody)
And for everybody, of course, a happy new year!
:)
Storm Lieve Cieraad
Today Storm was born. Storm is the baby of papa Wiebe and mama Simone... and uncle Tymen!
Congratulations everybody! We are really happy.... and tomorrow we will see him in Den Bosch!
NiiiiiiiCE! :)
HOW COME?
I also don't understand... but since 2 days but weblog is acting really weird.... different images are suddenly not available... and 10 minutes later are already other images that are not available... and so on and so on.... I wil do my best to make it work good again as fast as possible!!!
Living Holland
... de CDA, with JP Balkenende... whom, for obvious reasons, deserves no space for a picture on this weblog.
Yesterday I couldn't vote. But as I could vote last 2 elections (for the EU and for the Mayor of Rotterdam), it came like a big surprise the fact that this time I had no right on it. I understand I might have to have other kind of permission to vote for the country, but I didn't know about that. However I am of course really living (in) Holland, so I feel this pretty much as my duty too. So... I feel also then frustrated I had nothing to say yesterday....................
And the winner is...
Today are, in Holland, the elections for the government! All elections make a bit nervousness go around in the air, and this are no exception... especially because this are "early elections", since the last government "felt down".
Everywhere in Rotterdam you could see this improvised kiosk-places where you could vote! A good incentive for the people who don't feel like walking a bit more to do perform their citizen obligations.
From 9 p.m. on, the results will start to be known. Will we be stuck with the right or will we turn to the left???
Remember him?
At 12.27 today Sinterklaas has arrived again in dutch land: this time in Middelburg! A bit far from Rotterdam... but luckily we could follow his adventures live on TV during all the afternoon!!! Now Sinterklaas will be meeting and giving presents to all good children of Holland.
Short story, long image.
(photos: andreia c. & TMN)
So, we went... and we come. It was great again of course to meet everyone; but this story is always the same! The family is bigger now, with the little Matilde. Bruno, Rita & Maria were also great and actually i miss them already. We spent time with family but also with friends! We went to the performance of Natalia and the performance of João, both really beautiful; we ate a lot as usual; we drank coffee with everybody; and we went dancing.
Now in Rotterdam we feel the Autumn already; the trees are already changing colors.
It is also good to be back and to be good busy again. I feel good energy to get back to work and start new projects! Welcome to R'dam!
Finally vacations!
Again not so many news, I don't like it eather! But, busy busy busy...... of course, because we'll have vacations from tomorrow on! WE GO TO PORTUGAL!! I can't wait actually... to see everybody again!! And even see Matilde for the first time! Great!!!
Mussels! Lekker!
Again... no news for a long time; things have been busy... for work and fun! Only good motives dus... from which i will still talk about it later on. But for now, here it goes, our last night's typical dutch dinner! Ok, it is also typical belgium, but STILL also dutch: mussels with french fries... made at home. Ii was GREAT!
Marnix Bed & Breakfast
(photo: andreia c.)
This last 2 days we went to Antwerp. It was a very-nice-near-by-and-short-vacation with Tymen! We weren't the most lucky ones with the weather (especially yesterday-Friday) but besides that all was really nice, starting with the place we chose to sleep! Going around on looking for hotels in Antwerp, we found out that there is other possibility of BED & BREAKFAST in someone's house! So we ended up in the house of Theresa and Robert, where we had this super cozy room, a kitchen available for us, a garden (that we would have used if it was good weather) and breakfast self-made for us in the morning! It was great! Nice museums, nice streets, nice neighborhoods, nice spanish dinner, and of course nice company! ;)
This is Matilde!
Matilde was born on the 24th of August/ 12h12m/ 47,5 cm/ 3,190 kg. Today I saw her the 1st time... in pictures, like I show here! What a sweet baby she is!
Matilde - Day 01
(photo:andreia c.)
This was the 1st picture I took from Matilde! She was still in the cozy bailey of her mother. But today she'll be born and I am of course very happy with it! Welcome Matilde!
> Friday 11th
Iñiy made this great polaroid on Friday!
Don't blame us.. it was 3 am! And I had a great time!!
> zeeland
This weekend though... we didn't stay inside! We went to Zeeland, a province in the south of Holland, near the sea! There we met Tymen's parents in the family-vacation-house! It was really relaxing to be away from the big city with such a weather! I will post some photos during this week to show a little bit of it (analog photos... always slower than what we are already used to, ãh?)!
Portugal x England
After an exciting game yesterday with England, Portugal will now be on the half final with France! Good, ãh? Besides the game yesterday, the weather was so good that... what else could we do except for another barbecue in Kralingse Bos? A good barbecue followed by an beautiful fire!
What a weekend!!!
(photo: TMN)
(photo: andreia c.)
What a weekend!!! As I had already told, we went sailing this weekend and we were really lucky with the weather! Saturday was fantastic: we could be on our bikini's, dive in the water, and actually have enough wind to be able to sail! The boat was amazing as you see in the photos up... and HUGE! We could just lay down on the sun, go to the kitchen, to the bedroom, to the toilet... get a bier in the fridge! Our captain was Gerard (Tymen's father) because he is the real sailer man! He managed the boat really good, and, even if sometimes it is hard work (to change the direction of the sails, to "park" the boat, etc), all weekend was big fun with the Cieraad family! - more pictures will still come!
Of course that the weekend ended up with the Portugal-Holland game, yesterday night, and we all know the result! It was a quite violent game I thought, dued not only to the teams but also (or mainly) to the referee. Because of that I was not totally proud in the end of the game; however, of course, I am still very happy that Portugal won, and I hope they still can go further on the championship!!! And when I say further, I mean that I hope they win the championship! ;)
Sailing... we are sailing!
(photo: Google)
Tomorrow we will go with Tymen's family to the north of Holland (in Gaastmeer) and sail! We will have a boat similar to the one on the picture above (I think), and we will sail on the many channels around that area. It is something quite new for me, because we will be also sleeping 2 nights on the water! The weather is not actually so sunny and warm as it should (too bad for swimming), but i think we will have very good wind! I guess a lot of more pictures with come next week to show all this that I am talking about!
We will be sailing in Friesland (the province) until Sunday, just before the big game: PORTUGAL X HOLLAND! About the game.... well, I have to say I am very sad that we will have to play against each other already.. I would prefer that both teams would get further than this. But since it is so, I will take my red/green T-shirt with me!!! Meanwhile I saw in Wiebe!'s weblog the results of the last games between Portugal and Holland. Here they are:
1990 Portugal - Nederland 1-0
1991 Nederland - Portugal 1-0
1992 Portugal - Nederland 2-0
1995 Nederland - Portugal 0-1
1999 Portugal - Nederland 0-0
2000 Nederland - Portugal 0-2
2001 Portugal - Nederland 2-2
2003 Nederland - Portugal 1-1
2004 Portugal - Nederland 2-1
> PORTUGAL OLÉ OLÉ > HUP HUP HOLLAND
(image from Google)
Tomorrow I will still dress the 2 t.shirts! But after then... will Portugal and Holland really meet each other? We shall see, but I am for sure very curious to know it!
> back in town
Here I am: back in Rotterdam! This 7 days passed flying in the portuguese heat, sun, rain and storm! It was nice again to be there, mainly with my family, because the time was too short to be able to see all my friends: the new house of Paulo & Luisa, the dentist, the belly of Isabelinha, the communion of my nephews (on the picture above), 2 huge days of traveling with Daniela, etc etc... and here I am again! I arrived safely, but unfortunately my luggage didn't: due to a big mess in the bus, the luggage stayed in Portugal! Shit, yes, but it was also fun to travel only with a little bag on my back! I felt more free and less heavy, obviously!
Here in Holland, the weather is great: big sun and almost 30 degrees!!! It feels good to be back at home and with Tymen. Now I just have to get in the mood to start a working tomorrow morning again!!!
Long time No see
Hello! It has been a while since I don't say anything... it is not because nothing has happened, but because things have been busy, between work and fun! So last Saturday I have been with Nancy in the Rotterdam Danst which is a very nice dance festival happening in the Rotterdamse Schouwburg! Then we had the birthday in Utrecht, from Pieke and a Martine, where we enjoyed the sun by the beautiful water. Also since yesterday it started the Arab Film Festival Rotterdam!
Also yesterday (and more about the photo up) we made our first videochat/conference with Porto!! That is of course so cool, being able to see the people we don't see for such a long time!!! It gives certainly a different feeling on "proximity" matters!!!
Parabéeeeens!
Today is my niece (and goddaughter!) Rita turning 9!! A big girl, then!
Muitos parabéns Rita! Beijinhos de nós os 2 e até breve!
Bib'ó Feirense!
Bruno (my nephew) was playing this year for the first time professional football, in the team of Feirense (from Vila da Feira, the city next from where we are from). Yesterday the season was finished... and they won! They got the trophy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Parabéns Bruno e coleguinhas; eu e o Tymen estamos muito contentes com a vossa vitória!
> water > fire > air > earth
...in Kralingse Bos (the park in Kralinger)!
May in Holland
World War II
> May 14th, 1940 > Rotterdam was bombed by the german, on the last of five days of war in the Netherlands. The heart of the city was almost completely destroyed: 980 killed, 20,000 buildings destroyed (photo from Google).
> May 4th, 1945 > Holland was at last liberated by Canadian troops. Next to Norway it was the country to be longest occupied by the Germans.
> May 5th > "Liberation Day": the 5th of May was declared a national holiday, on which the liberation would be commemorated and celebrated!
A one day revolution!
(image from Google)
The Carnation Revolution (Portuguese, Revolução dos Cravos) was an almost bloodless, left-leaning, military-led revolution started on April 25, 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, that effectively changed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a liberal democracy after a two-year process of a Left-wing semi-military administration. Although government forces killed four people before surrendering, the revolution was unusual in that the revolutionaries did not use direct violence to achieve their goals. The population, holding red carnations, convinced the regime soldiers not to resist. The soldiers readily swapped their bullets for flowers. It was the end of the Estado Novo, the longest authoritarian regime in Western Europe - but not the last to fall, Francisco Franco ruled Spain until 1975. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
Parabéns Bruno!
This is Bruno, my oldest nephew... and suddenly, he is really already turning 9 today! Muitos beijinhos de parabéns para ti, Bruno, de mim e do Tymen!
An easter weekend!
The weekend started at 5 pm Friday, with the dinner with the Film Festival Press Crew! After the nice time at the festival, we met for the 1st time now, with a nice and funny dinner and evening in the Motel Mozaique. Motel Mozaique is a very good music/performance festival that takes place once every year in Rotterdam! So I was there also yesterday, where I was very happy to see Coco Rosie (this most beautiful voices with so amazing songs), and Zita Swoon, with their new project "A band in a Box". What can I say about it? Not so much... it was just again amazingly good! Big feelings always coming in... and out... and also great dance!
Then today it was Easter, so we made a special breakfast/lunch. Tymen (which speciality is to make "hapjes=petiscos") made the typical dutch "gevulde eieren" (ovos recheados), that are boiled eggs, where you use the "yellow part" to make a special cream, with mayonnaise and spices, and after you put it back again in the white part of the egg (it sounds complicated but it is just very good!). I also made a nice desert (that is actually speciality of my mother) for desert: leite creme! Lekker easter lunch, it was!
After that we went to a 2nd hand market with Jaap and Borrie...; and still, because easter fills like sort of a family day, we went the 2 of us for a walk in our neighborhood, where we saw other families walking around! BOA PÁSCOA, everybody!
Just to share with you!
My "almost" big sister, that is actually my cousin Isabelinha, will give birth, in september, to a beautiful girl! Today we got to know it, and we are very happy about it!
> a week in portugal
Our week in Portugal finished yesterday. It was again a busy week in between friends and family! For those who still don't know, this are my nephews: Bruno, Rita and Maria! It was very nice to spend time with them! For the friends, it was nice to have been with you! We were sorry we could not meet everybody, but, new opportunities will come. Now: back in Rotterdam, where it feels also very good to be back!
Amsterdam/Porto - 1609 km
Tomorrow we fly at 14.10 from Amsterdam, and we arrive at Porto at 15.40 (local time). So, if meanwhile you see this airplane, you can wave. We will be inside waving at you!!!
Até já! 
Surprise!
Yesterday, after a long search of in-existing cheap tickets to Porto, we finally bought a not cheap ticket to go! Where are the cheap tickets airlines.. to do this "route" that lately so many people do? Anyway, now we have it and we will go already next week. It is not only vacations but also of course, so I hope the rain that suddenly attacked the country goes away very fast! FAMILY & FRIENDS: HERE WE GO!
Welkom in Nederland!
Yes, here they are, very fresh in Holand! Now it will be a all week of new things!!
Parabéns Renato!
ih ih ih! Gefeliciteerd!
Gefeliciteerd Tymen!
Yesterday was Tymen's birthday! He became 27! And to celebrate his birthday all family Cieraad came to have a portuguese dinner with us! It was also the first time we had them all in our house. The "bacalhau assado com batatas à`murro" was very good, so a good introduction on portuguese food served in the Exercitiestraat. Wiebe made this very nice photo shooting and montage where you can see how good it was! Meanwhile also friends showed up, and the house was suddenly, and for the first time quite full! For us it was a very nice night and we hope more nights like this will happen here again! Thanks for this night!
In between the presents that Tymen got, he received a very nice bookshell, that will help so much in the organising here in the house! So, today after a very lekker breakfast, we started putting it together. It is so nice now already!!! You have to come and see!
2005/2006!
Hey! Long time no speak!! And because of that... i will let you know a bit about what already happened in 2005, and also what has been already happening in 2006!
So in Portugal was really really nice! I spent a lot of time with my family and i had a "old times' dinner" with my friends from Porto. All that i missed already, YOU KNOW!! Now almost everyone is back in their chosen countries! And I am in Rotterdam! Zo werk het!
As I had already told... my arrival was great! Besides the sursprise of Luisa and Paulo, it was also snowing in Holland!!! Everything was white and beautiful, and all the lakes were frozen! For us, was really special to see the birds and the ducks walking on the water! It was logical but very special at the same time.
Suddenly it was 31st December... and 2005 was finishing! We had a nice dinner at home, and at 00.00 we stared at the firework that every single person was burning, from their house and in the street! It was a very beautifull scenario, lots of colour and happiness, but also so noisy that felt scary sometimes. 2006 started like this and now it is going already for 11 days! Time really flies!
back in r'dam
I AM BACK!! So, after my nice 2 weeks in Portugal, shared with familly, friends and Santa Claus, here i am am back in Rotterdam! It was a VERY nice arrival since i had 2 big surprises: first, THE SNOW!; and second, a BIG SURPRISE from 2 best friends from Portugal. They also came just today and waited for me in the aeroport! There they were when i arrived... and also Tymen, that I missed a lot!! Very good to be back home in Rotterdam!
Sinterklaas?
Who is Sinterklaas? That's what I asked myself too, the first time I heard about him.
Sinterklaas (or Saint Nicholas) is a Saint from Spain that comes every year to Holland to give presents to everybody that did good during this last year! Because he can not do it on his own, he brings a lot of helpers, the "Zwarte Piet". So, when you behave, for sure you will have one of this helpers coming to you and giving you a present!
They arrive in Holland by boat in the begining of November, and then Sinterklaas rides all Holand in a beautifull white horse as you can see in the picture. In the 6th of December, unfortenantely, Sinterklaas has to leave to Spain... untill next year again!
Happily, this year they were late going back to Spain, and yesterday, Sinterklaas and his helpers were in Sevenum(where Tymen comes from)! It looks like that we did good this year 'cause the Zwarte Piet gave us a lot of nice presents! Very nice!
Dank je wel Sinterklaas!
old days
I wonder which year this is...
The man in the door of the truck is my grandfather!
They had just came from hunting.... strange days, I think!