Almere + Euro Cup Soccer 2008

This picture related to soccer is about the nicest I was able to make last weekend in the Netherlands and most probably it will be the last one possible to be made after the elimination of the Netherlands from the Euro Cup Soccer 2008 last Saturday ….

I took it together with some other pictures in Almere. If you want to see some pictures of this city, one of the youngest of the Netherlands, please visit following link:
www.photobox.co.uk/my/my_homepage.html

Konnichiwa !

sweet memories from Yuri-ga-hama beach near to Yoron-to (thank you, Rietje!)

European soccer in The Netherlands

I found enclosed picture in a Dutch newspaper dated 15-05-08 showing the already existing madness of the European soccer cup starting in 1 week.

I invite you to email me the best picture you can make, which I will publish on this webblog.

Thanks in advance and have a wonderful orange day !

video - Pilgrims at Yashima-ji temple no. 84

14-05-08

We continued by public bus to Yashima-ji, temple no. 84 of the 88 temples of Shikoku, the pilgrimage after Kobo Daishi. We were so lucky that with us, a bus - so not the diehard pilgrims ... - arrived doing their rituals, incl. reciting/singing. We acted like paparazzi to save it all in image. Interesting to see it so lively and again, no other tourists, great!

video - Koya-san Garan - reciting monk

12-05-08

A monk reciting his prayings at on outside Shinto-temple.

SORRY, YOU HAVE TO TURN YOUR HEAD 90 degrees ...

video - Koya-san Garan - monk ringing the bell

12-05-08

A monk activating the huge bell, present at any Buddhist temple, at 1 p.m.

video - Welcome to Japan

24-05-08

Yuri-ga-hama, situated at 1,5 km offshore of the O-kaneku Beach, noted as the stardust beach, because the deposits of dead plankton on the beach look like star-shaped sand grains. A glass-bottomed boat took us to this mysterious beach that only appears at ebb tide. Impressive views, white sand, crystal clear water, different colours of blue, wow!

We had quite some fun with 5 young pretty Japanese bikini-girls looking for these star-shaped sand grains; our tour guide succeeded to let them act in his video singing in Japanese and English Welcome to Japan ....