maandag 6 augustus 2012

Varend Corso Westland
Varend Corso Westland means Floating flower parade in English. It is a yearly event during the first week of August in Westland, a region in Western Netherlands. It is a three-day boat parade sailing the routes in Westland, Rijmond and Delfland. If it coincides with your visit in the city of Delft  then it is a nice opportunity to see this boat parade. The Delft route is usually on the third day (Sunday) at around 1:45 pm. You can sit beside the canals and wait for the boats to sail. Just go to Oostpoort (Eastern gate), the only remaining brick gothic style gate in the city which was built in 1400.
I notice that most people combine the affair with picnicking. They bring foods, drinks, mats and folded chairs to the location. More than 30 boats join the parade. The boats are decorated with beautiful flowers, fruits and vegetables which make them very colorful. People in the boats show various themes with different kinds of music, dances and theatrical acts which make it very pleasant and exciting to watch. 
Video impressions

zondag 5 augustus 2012

Castlefest
Castlefest is a fantasy festival in The Netherlands which is held every first weekend of August at Castle Keukenhof in Lisse. It is a three-day festival  of concerts, different workshops, food and market stands, campings, story-telling, various tents of different fantasy groups, sword fighting, etc. The visitors are dressed to the best of their ability and creativity. It starts on Friday and ends on Sunday.
Transportation
You can ride a train in going to Castle Keukenhof. If your departure is either Amsterdam or The Hague, you have to find a train which bring you to station Hillegom. There is a shuttle bus going straight to the festival terrain. Price is € 4 for a two-way ticket. The entrance ticket for a day is € 22.
MY VIDEO IMPRESSIONS:
Video 1  visitors in medieval/fantasy costumes and medieval tents of participating organizations
Video 2  feat. Steampunk garden
Video 3  visitors in their creative costumes and Bird live
Video 4 firing a cannon, archery, story telling and battle
PHOTO ALBUM:
Fllickr photos taken by Dedsharp photography  (Dedsharp has already placed a few photos, more coming up so if you are interested, come back to this link from time to time).

zondag 10 juni 2012


Sony Foto & Video experience 2012 in The Netherlands

 Click Foto impressie met gebruik van Sony fototoestel a580
(Photo impression using Sony camera a580)

Video impressies van de voorstellingen met gebruik van Sony CX115E
beelden HD FH (Video impressions of the shows using Sony CX115E, images HD HF)
deel1 vrouw op stelten1 (woman in pogo stick1)
deel2 vrouw op stelten2  (woman in pogo stick2)
deel3 moderne dans (modern dance)
deel4: creatieve dans (creative dance)
deel5 acrobatiek (acrobats)

(see English translation below):
Op 3 juni 2012 heeft Sony een evenement georganiseerd dat heet foto & video experience. De locatie is De Fabrique in Maarssen, Utrecht. Het was voor het eerst dat ik dit heb bijgewoond. Wij maakten gebruik van het openbaarvervoer. Eenmaal gearriveerd op station Maarssen stond er een pendelbus te wachten. Na ontvangst kregen wij een zwarte stevige camerariem als cadeautje en een flyer met programma’s. Er waren workshops o.a. tips en trucs filmen, macrofotografie, lichtbalans, modelfotografie, enz. Op de begane grond waren er voorstellingen van kleurrijke vrouwen op stelten, acrobatiek, creatieve en moderne dans die de hele dag doorging. De sfeer was heel erg spannend, echte Cirque du Soleil-achtig. Sony maakte gebruik van verschillende belichtingen zodat het een uitdaging is geweest voor camera en videobezitters. Wat ik heel erg mooi vond is dat iedereen de hebbedingen mocht uitproberen. Aan de zijkant van het podium waren er lange tafel/losse tafeltjes waar diverse fototoestellen en videocamcorders uitgeprobeerd konden worden. Wij mochten ook verschillende lenzen lenen. Er was ook een ruimte waar je gratis jouw camera kon laten reinigen. Er waren ruimten waar functies zoals ingebouwde projector, 3-D en onderwater camera werden getoond. Er was een demonstratie van de stabiliteit van de nieuwe Sony camcorder in vergelijking met een gewone cam. Wat een groot verschil. De lunch was gratis, drank en koekjes waren in overvloed. Het was een geweldige ervaring. Wat een verwennerij! Sony, hartelijk dank! Je hebt van mij een trouwe klant van gemaakt.

ENGLISH:
On June 3, 2012 Sony organized an event called Sony Photo & Video experience. The location is De Fabrique in Maarssen, Utrecht, a city in the Netherlands. It was the first time that I attended this. We made use of public transportation. When we arrived, there was already a shuttle bus waiting for commuters. At the reception, we got a black durable camera strap as gift and a flyer with programs. There were worskhops like tips and tricks in filming, macrophotography, balanced lighting, model photography, etc.  At the ground floor, there were performances of colorful women in pogo sticks, acrobatic, creative and modern dance which went on the whole day. The ambiance was very exciting like in Cirque du Soleil. Sony made use of various lighting effects which made it a challenge for camera and video owners.  What I loved the most was that everybody had the chance to try the gadgets. There were table/loose tables where  different cameras and videocamcorders could be tried. We could even borrow different lenses. There was even an area where  your camera could be cleaned for free.  There were areas where features like built-in projector, 3-D and underwater camera were shown. There was a demonstration showing the stability function of the new Sony camcorder in comparison with a noirmal videocam. What a big difference. The lunch was free, drinks and cookies were in adundance. It was a great experience. What a treat! Sony, thank you! You have made me your loyal customer. 

woensdag 18 april 2012


Keukenhof
Keukenhof  literally means kitchen courtyard. Actually it is an annual garden show located at Lisse, The Netherlands. It begins sometime in March and ends on the third week of May.
Video 1 of 5 Tulip gardens
Video 2 of 5 Tulip gardens
Video 3 of 5 Oranje Nassau Pavilion
Video 4 of 5 Willem Alexander Pavilion
Video 5 of 5 Inspirational gardens 

Tip: buy a combi ticket for € 21,--. It means you have a return ticket and entrance ticket. You can buy on-line paying with a credit card or buy from a tourist office.

Public transportation is most accessible in going to Keukenhof.
From Schiphol airport
 If you are a tourist waiting for your flight in the evening at Schiphol airport then it might interest you to know that there is a bus going straight to Keukenhof. Duration of travel: 35 minutes. The last bus leaves at past 7 pm.
From The Hague
 If you’re coming from The Hague Central station, there is  bus 89 going straight to Keukenhof but only during weekdays. Travel time: 50 minutes.  The last bus leaves at around 5 pm.
If you’ll be there in a weekend then you ride a train going to Amsterdam which stops at Leiden centraal train station. Train fare: € 6,40 return ticket.  Then ride shuttle bus 54 at platform 1 at the side of the station. Duration of travel with the train: 12 minutes. From Leiden to Keukenhof: 25 minutes. The last bus leaves at past 7 pm.
From Amsterdam
Ride bus 197 from Leidseplein/Museumplein to reach Schiphol. Then transfer to bus 58 in going to Keukenhof.
At Keukenhof, there are 5 pavilions: Beatrix, Oranje Nassau, Wilhelmina, Juliana and Willem Alexander. Pavilion Beatrix houses varieties of orchids. Wilhelmina pavilion is a restaurant. Juliana pavilion has exhibits/films but no flowers. Oranje Nassau has a garden show.
Practical tips
There are restaurants and stalls to buy food and drinks. Tip: If you are a practical traveller like me, I just buy sandwiches from the supermarket as pack lunch because I don’t want to pay € 4,50 for a sandwich.  Tip for travellers from Schiphol airport, buy sandwiches at Hema supermarket or AH (Albert Heijn) to go because you pay the local prices. Tip for travellers stopping at Leiden centraal, opposite the station is Jumbo supermarket.