CARNAVAL

Time for Carnaval… Five days of unlimited fun: music, party, fancy dress, parades, concerts, dancing, singing…

In the Netherlands, the last day of Carnival (carnaval) is held exactly 40 days (not counting Sundays) before Easter, making the days of celebration vary between 4 January and 28 February. Carnival in The Netherlands is the oldest in the west of the southern province Noord Brabant. Here carnival is known as Vastenavend (literally "Fasting evening") or as "Carnaval". Most popular and even renowned places where Carnival is held (although every city, town or village celebrates it) are 's-Hertogenbosch, Tilburg, Eindhoven and Breda. Carnival here has been celebrated ever since the medieval times and was modernized after WW II.

Although the west of Noord Brabant may have the oldest Carnaval, it is the south of the most southern province of The Netherlands, Limburg, where many Dutch go to celebrate it. During Vasteloavend (Carnaval in the local dialect), every town is one big party.

The band I play in has about 25 gigs we’re playing at throughout these five days uf fun. We’ll be playing at numerous parties in the province of Brabant. Many bands get together at massive festivities, but also in the smallest cafes one can imagine...

Will be back on Wednesday...
Enjoy,

HK

SHORTEST FAIRY TALE

Once upon a time there was a boy....
He asked a girl: "Will you marry me?"
She said: "No."

And the boy lived happily ever after.......

THEATER COMEDIANS

photo courtesy: www.hansliberg.com

Last week I went to two theater productions. Thursday night was piano virtuosis HANS LIBERG. Had seen three or four of his previous shows, and as always this guy is absolutely brilliant,... a Victor Borge-clone!
Playing pretty much anything the crowd can possibly ask for and linking old classical masterpieces brilliantly with popular rap-, blues- gospel and rock songs, Liberg took the crowd through the top-100 of classical hits. AMAZING!

Friday night I watched the cabaret Trio Rooyackers, Kamps & Kamps. Totally different programme, but very cleverly put together. Entering the stage in a far too small battery-run vehicle they didn't take long to draw the spectators' attention right into their programme. We were taken back into their "old days" at the start of their success is flashback-like short acts. Drawing some of the people in the crowd litterally into their performance caused some good laughs. Didn't really like the ending of the programme though.

All in all,... great way to end the week which unfortunately led into a very sad following week.

TOO YOUNG

It's too weird..
It's too unreal...
It's too sad...
It's too unfair...
It's too empty...
It's too sorrowful...
It's too depressing...
It's too damn young...

LOSS OF A GOOD FRIEND

This morning I received the sad news of having lost a good friend. Aged only 31 !

It’s hard to find the words to describe what goes through my mind.

I’ve known Barry for the last twenty or so years. We shared the same passion: music & drumcorps. We were members of the same drum & bugle corps. Already at a young age he was diagnosed with diabetes. Everyone in our corps knew this and there was nothing uncommon about regularly seeing him take his medication or last year carry his medical dialysis equipment along. His perseverance was an example to many.

Being at the peak of his life, Barry was awaiting a kidney transplant. Unfortunately this would still take quite a long time. Too long! Way too long! His perseverance was beaten...

Last night this talented fine musician and friend silently left us, leaving both great emptiness and very fond memories behind.

The loss of a friend is like that of a limb;
time may heal the anguish of the wound,
but the loss cannot be repaired.
(Robert Southey)

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR...

I think I'll just keep on dreaming......

SAINT-CIRQ-LAPOPIE

Absolutely one of the most delightful little villages in France!
A new "Les Trois Mousquetaires" film could be shot here, without too many changes to the scenery and street scene.

Looted and razed by Louis the 11th, then by Henri the 4th, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie has nonetheless kept its medieval atmosphere. The narrow streets are lined up with lively façades. The old hospital, the abode of the Consuls and the Musée Rignault help the past come alive. The massive gothic church has engulfed the ancient roman-style chapel in its walls.

Many famous artists such as Émile-Joseph Rignault, post-impressionist painter Henri Martin, Pierre Daura and poet André Breton, came to live in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie at the beginning of the 20th c.

The village of Saint-Cirq Lapopie is perched on a cliff 100 m (330 ft) above the river and is one of the major beauty spots of the Lot valley. In the Middle Ages, Saint-Cirq Lapopie was the main town of one of the four viscountcies that made up Quercy. It was divided between four feudal dynasties, the Lapopies, Gourdons, Cardaillacs and Castelnaus. The village was dominated by a fortress made up of a number of castles and towers. Below the fortress, the village streets lead down to fortified gates. Many historic houses have stone or half-timbered fronts going back to the 13th-16th centuries. The houses are norrow and have steep tiled roofs. The gabled houses fronting on the street are separated by a narrow space called an entremi, which carried away rainwater and waste from sinks and latrines.

Beneath the Saint-Cirq Lapopie cliff there are watermills, weirs, harbours, locks and towpath to recall the days when river transport was the glory of the Lot Valley.

I fully understand André Breton who said : « J'ai cessé de me désirer ailleurs. »

On a personal note I can say... If I were French,... I would love living here!

BEVERLY HILLS

Few street names define a City as perfectly as Rodeo Drive.

Not only does it exemplify the professional service and luxury that is synonymous with Beverly Hills, but it also conjures up images of world-renowned designer boutiques and first-class shopping all within steps of one another.
Absolutely THE place to max out your credit card!!!

Flanked by approximately 65 retail outlets on Rodeo Drive and a variety of other stores within surrounding streets that comprise the area’s “Golden Triangle,” there is no doubt that Beverly Hills is THE ultimate City for shopping.

So far I have taken about four trips to Beverly Hills & Rodeo Drive.
Did quite a bit of shopping too....
window shopping that is!
Last trip up & down Rodeo Drive I didn't even get out of the car!

My mom's cousin used to live in Beverly Hills. Great part of town to take a stroll through, or take a scenic route in your car. Numerous beautiful, incredibly large homes, with massive driveways, swimming pools, gardens, all protected by professional security and neighbourhood watch.

CONTROVERSIAL ART

Personally I think modern art is beautiful! Even when placed in historic locations. Some of the works have created great controversy. Thinking of Paris,.. the glass pyramid (Pei 1989) is definitely still one of the sore spots to lots of Parisians.

One of my favourite places in Paris is the Palais Royal. This palace was built in 1629 for the Cardinal de Richelieu and given to Louis XIII after his death. It consists in two interesting parts : the palace itself and the galleries surrounding it. The old gardens and the galleries (hosting luxury shops) have always been a haven of peace. In fact I think they still are!

But then… in 1986 French sculptor/artist Daniel Buren arrived, and decorated the main courtyard, with access via a vaulted passage, with a set of 260 unequal sections of columns, all striped black and white. This work of art caused such a polemic that work was interrupted. Finally, François Léotard, Minister of Culture and Communication in 1986, relaunched the project which was completed in 1995 and is now totally part of the Parisian landscape as the columns have been found useful for more than one purpose : childs games, seats, ...

The Palais Royal houses the Council of the state, the Constitutional Council, the ministry of Culture and the Comedie Française. Only the courtyard and gardens are open to the public.

REMEMBERING - ARLINGTON WEST

ARLINGTON WEST memorial at Santa Monica Beach

I was totally stunned and left without words when I walked up the pier in Santa Monica Beach (California).
Just north of the pier the beach was filled with white crosses, perfectly lined, each with its own motionless shadow on the sand.

Each and every Sunday since February 15th 2004, this memorial is set up on the sand at Santa Monica Beach by the local chapter of Veterans for Peace and other volunteers as a way to acknowledge the costs and consequences of war as an instrument of international policy.

Volunteers start setup at 7:30am on Sunday mornings - rain or shine - and take down starts just before sunset Sunday evenings.

Also erected in the sand is a "wall" now about 45 feet in length similar to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., listing all the fallen American military personnel since the U.S. invaded and occupied Iraq to the present day.

Visitors can read any of the many names, ages, rank, hometown and circumstance of death, and are invited to select and write the name of a fallen military person on a piece of paper along with any thoughts or sentiments and attach this to a cross along with a flower. Many family members and close loved ones have come and dedicated their own words and mementos of their loved one.

Arlington West offers a place to mourn, to contemplate, grieve, and to honor and acknowledge those who've lost their lives and to reflect upon the true cost of war. A sign nearby calls attention to the number of Iraqi's killed, now numbering by some estimates to be well over 100,000, that the number of crosses required to acknowledge them would fill the entire beach.

Watch Carly Sheehan read her poem "A Nation Rocked to Sleep".

Also featured on my photoblog www.hk-pix.blogspot.com

This image is copyrighted
Credit: Veterans for Peace, Santa Monica Chapter
( http://www.addictedtowar.com/mfso.htm )

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD

I went and see the HOLLYWOOD sign in Los Angeles up closa last Sunday. Pretty impressive! One of the best places to see it is at the end of Beachwood Drive. You can climb your way up a hill there to get a great view.
This famous Hollywood sign was originally built in 1923 to advertise a new housing development in the hills above Hollywood.

The letters were 30 feet (9 m) wide and 50 feet (15 m) high. It originally read "Hollywoodland" and for many years the sign wasn’t taken care of properly. It had only been expected to last a year and a half.
In 1932, actress Peg Entwistle committed suicide by jumping to her death from the letter "H".
Seven years later official maintenance of the sign ended.

In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce stepped in and offered to remove the last four letters (LAND), and repair the rest. In 1978, the Chamber set out to replace the intensely deteriorated sign once again and it was unveiled live on Hollywood's 75th anniversary, before a television audience of 60 million people. Donors paid $27,700 to buy a replacement letter.

The sign, located at the top of Mount Lee in Griffith Park (34°08′02.56″N, 118°19′18.00″W, Alt: 1578 ft./478 m), is now a registeredtrademark and cannot be used without the permission of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which also manages the venerable Walk of Fame.

You can get to within 100 yards (90 m) of the sign. Currently, the letters are each 45 feet (13.6 m) high and range from 31 to 39 feet (9.3 to 11.8 m) wide.

Take a look at the sign from space!

BACK IN TOWN

Palm tree in Santa Monica

Just got back from a quick-trip to the States. People call me crazy for leaving for Los Angeles on Thurday and flying home on Sunday! In fact,... I got to Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam) at 11:20 AM on Monday,… took the train at 12:16 PM, got to Dordrecht at about 1:15PM and found myself in my classroom teaching kids at 1:45 PM…

JET LAG??? NO WAY.

Had a little dip in the evening right after dinner, but even went to rehearsal (Carnaval band). Had a good night’s rest and am back in business today… Was fortunate to have the first hour off…

Trip to sunny California was absolutely great!After the DCI Winter Meeting we made a few stops on our way to the airport: Hollywood, Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive (see my photo-blog) and the Pier in Santa Monica.