Sa concert ni Richard Marx sa Amsterdam, ang paborito ko, Hold On To The...

PHILIPPINE VACATION ‘22: SA SCHIPOL AIRPORT AMSTERDAM

SEE THE BEAUTY OF AMSTERDAM THROUGH MY EYES | With English Subtitles

ME AND MY ANNE FRANK BOOK

Thousand of Boats And Ships At Sail Amsterdam

Sail Amsterdam 2010 (photo credit: AmsterdamTourism)

I first came in the Netherlands year 2010, the same year of the Sail Amsterdam quinquennial celebration. A big event in The Netherlands every after five years. Sail Amsterdam is a maritime event where tall ships from all over the world visit this famous old city, to moor and many people can visit these visiting ships. You can actually step inside whichever ships you will like.

one of the historical ships

very Amsterdam

a first timer in Amsterdam

It was the year 1975 when the first event of Sail Amsterdam was organized, to celebrate the 700 anniversary of Amsterdam. The event was a big success. From that event, it led to the establishment of the Sail Amsterdam Foundation. Last year, it was a big success again.

all about ships 

tall and big ships from all over the world

enjoying  Amsterdam:)

From what I have read, Sail Amsterdam is one of the largest marine manifestation in the world, and the largest event of any kind in the Netherlands. That is absolutely true. In Sail Amsterdam, I have seen tens or even hundreds of boats and ship. Me and my husband, sit on the upper deck of one of the big boats with café and a restaurant and I was fascinated by the view.

parade in the water

If they are people, they are marching. But they are ships and boats. It was so beautiful to see parade of many ships and boats, and you are in the middle of old buildings, in an old city that sitting in the water.
Perhaps you also wish to visit Amsterdam. Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands. The city that has so much to offer. Arts, elaborate canals, narrow Dutch houses with gabled façades. You will definitely get inspired by the 17th century ambiance. The next Sail Amsterdam will be in 2020. You can mark that year. Perhaps you would like to see this fascinating event. Who knows? Maybe there, you will encounter a pirate. A pirate who will catch your heart.

Keukenhof The Largest Tulip Park In The World

Keukenhof 2016

I remember I first saw the photo of this place when I was a kid. It is on the calendar that hangs on our wall. I thought that beautiful garden with so many flowers doesn't exist, I thought it was only a calendar. Not until I saw it myself, right here where I now live.

My first time in Keukenhof, 2013 

my son, Keukenhof 2015

What I am talking is the Keukenhof. The history of Keukenhof goes back to the 15th century. Keukenhof meaning is a kitchen garden. A vast area for an ordinary kitchen. Since The Netherlands is home of royalty, Keukenhof has also a castle. When you visit the garden of Keukenhof, the castle lay nearby. In 1950, Keukenhof opened its gate to the public. In that year alone, 236,000 visitors came and the Kuekenhof was an instant success until today.

One of my most favorite photos, Keukenhof 2015

This year is my third time to visit Keukenhof. My first time to see Keukenhof was when I was pregnant with our son. When I first see that seem endless flower beds of tulips, my feeling is both like I am going to fly or I feel like I adrift in a sea of flowers. It was all so wonderful. I think each year, the visitors continue increasing.

pretty in pink

We travelled there by car, but there are also special bus trips for tourists from Schipol Airport direct to Keukenhof. I saw many Asians, I saw car plates from Switzerland, Denmark, and Latvia. Keukenhof is considered as the most renowned and the largest garden in the world. This year, we invited my mother in law to join us.

The we of me with my mother in law

Between me and my mother in law, we both love gardens and flowers. If you have not yet visited the Keukenhof, picture this in your mind: a spacious 32 hectares of more than 7 million bulbs. This springtime, Keukenhof has 800 varieties of tulips. Yes, they are so many! I still have the child heart in me so when we were there, I like to have a photo with each color of the tulips!

flowers that are so variety in beauty, in colors

The entire day would not be sufficient if I will do that. Every year, Keukenhof has a different theme, so it is never the same. This year the theme is Golden Age, for its 67th edition.

stunning

The highlight of our day was when my son saw the man-made brook, he run fast and started to take off his shirt and short and like to splash in the water.

upclose

My mother in law was very fast to grab him! If you would like to visit Keukenhof, you can come to the Netherlands in springtime.

Since Kuekenhof is called as a spring park, it is open from mid-March to mid-May. But you will see the tulips in their most beautiful bloom around the last week of April till the closing season of Keukenhof.
Keukenhof is in Lisse. It is a half hour trip from major cities like The Hague, Haarlem, and Amsterdam. You can book your ticket online. You can note in your calendar the date of the opening of Keukenhof in 2017 so you will not miss it. It is 23 of March to 21 of May. Maybe I will see you there!

The Philippine Independence Day Picnic In The Netherlands

Every 12th of June is an annual national holiday in the Philippines. It is the day to commemorate the Philippines Declaration of Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. Filipinos around the world has organizations and foundations to celebrate this particular date even thousands miles away from home. Filipinos are well known for these positive traits: strong family ties, religious, and hospitable. But when they are gathered together, foreigners see it that they are fun-loving, love to eat, and are music lovers. When you visit the Philippines, you can see a karaoke session almost anywhere.

My husband paying fees

Filipinos in the Netherlands are also celebrating the annual Philippine Independence Day. They call it Kalayaan Fiesta in The Netherlands or Philippine Independence Day Picnic. This year it falls on 4th of June. Filipinos in The Netherlands travel to Spaarnwoude, Amsterdam, where the annual celebration or picnic being held. They bring their family and friends there.

My `pinoy plate: laing, Bicol Express, and adobo. 

Many installs tents where they can stay the whole day, eating, drinking, having fun with friends, and many are making barbecues. There are stalls where you can buy Philippine products from handicrafts to balikbayan boxes, from foods to beverages.

my husband and son at the handicraft stall

There are tents of agents for condominium units in The Philippines, and also the tent of the Philippine Embassy in The Netherlands. Since I arrived and live in The Netherlands, I have been at the Philippine Independence Day Picnic three times together with my husband.

with my family

Last year and this year, our almost three year old son is also with us. Spaarnwoude is an hour trip from our home by car. The entrance fee is 6 euro each and the parking fee is also 6 euro. Almost every year there is a Filipino celebrity guest. From what I have seen today, there were more people and stalls today than last year.

On stage with Gino Padilla

And I can say, a lot of preparations done this year. This year, the celebrity guests are Gino Padilla and Isabel Granada. Isabel Granada is my contemporary. I remember her as a sweet face with long eyelashes at the afternoon television show That's Entertainment, while Gino Padilla is really a big hit with his classic songs such as Closer You And I, Gusto Kita, and Why Can't It Be. I really enjoyed today with my family. I am now happy  here in The Netherlands but there are also some things back home that I miss occasionally like native foods and Filipino songs. I have never been to a concert in the Philippines, so it was a real treat for me to hear Gino Padilla live for 6 euro.

my son

I left my husband and my son for a while to have a clear view of Gino Padilla. It is like I was star-struck. I am thankful to security personnel for allowing me to get on stage to Gino Padilla. Only those who had Gino Padilla CD and those who will buy his CD are allowed to come near to him. I told them I had no CD and I will not buy, I just like to come to Gino Padilla! And they let me come inside to the stage. I am also thankful to my friend Arlene for making a short video of me with Gino Padilla while on stage. I returned to my husband like a carefree child showing all my photos and the video with Gino Padilla. I told my husband that if I am in the Philippines I will not do that. Because I am in the Netherlands, I did that. It is really different when you are very far from your mother land.

With my friend, Arlene and her son.

It was a very fun filled day. The weather also cooperates because when we travel back home the temperature reached to 28 degrees. At home while I am cooking spaghetti for our dinner, I am smiling while singing this: kahit sabihin na mali ako, alipin mo o bihag mo, ako'y iyong iyo. Yes, I am almost a Dutch now that my Naturalization has done, but my heart remains the same, a Filipina by heart and blood, and it is always a happiness to talk or sing using my native tongue.  I just feel I am truly blessed because I belong to a loving Dutch family here in The Netherlands that loves me and all my Filipino ways.

Visiting The Anne Frank House

I know about Anne Frank since I was a third grader  


 Born on June 12, 1929, Anne Frank was a German-Jewish teenager who was forced to go into hiding during the Holocaust. She and her family, along with four others, spent over two years during World War II hiding in an annex of rooms above her father’s office in Amsterdam.Since it was first published in 1947, Anne Frank’s diary has become one of the most powerful memoirs of the Holocaust. Its message of courage and hope in the face of adversity has reached millions. The diary has been translated into 67 languages with over 30 million copies sold. Anne Frank’s story is especially meaningful to young people today. For many she is their first, if not their only exposure to the history of the Holocaust. After being betrayed to the Nazis, Anne, her family, and the others living with them were arrested and deported to Nazi concentration camps. In March of 1945, seven months after she was arrested, Anne Frank died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen. She was fifteen years old. -The Anne Frank House USA

Anne Frank book from my husband

I was a third grader when I read in our school journal the story of Anne Frank. At that early age, the story remains in my mind. That time, I am a Lea Salonga fan. When I read about Anne Frank, I became a fan of Lea and also of Anne.

I think why I like Anne Frank is because, like her, I likewise love to write. One of Anne Frank's quote says: "When I write I can shake off all my cares." Me too. I write from the heart, I love to express what is building in my head. One of the most important advice that I acquired from my Journalism class is: write to express not to impress. The reading audience feels it when
your writing is with sincerity.

Another thing is that I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. During the Nazi Regime, thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses were also persecuted, many died in the concentration camps and extermination camps. You can search and read Jehovah's Witnesses' Untold Story of Resistance to Nazis by Joel P. Engardio. Like Anne Frank they experienced fiery persecution.

When I found out that the Anne Frank House is in Amsterdam, I asked my husband to take me there. I want to see that place that I have read when I was just a little girl.  The Anne Frank House is one of the main attractions in Amsterdam. Every day many visitors fall in line to buy tickets and have toured inside the house. My husband bought our tickets online. That time they have special entrance for those who purchased their tickets online.

No cameras allowed inside

The tour took  us almost two hours. Cameras are not allowed. Every corner of the house is the living memories of the Frank household. I imagined where Anne sits and writes in her diary or where she long for the war to end. There were moments that I feel I am catching my breath, there were moments that I want to shed a tear, the experience is so moving. My heart aches for Anne. I feel her being carefree and also her agony. 

This part in the book made me really crying

Before we left, I signed in the guestbook. I cannot now remember the exact words what I wrote there, but it is something about my longing for a world that is free of hatred. Then we went to their book and souvenir shop. My husband bought a book for me. When we are already outside, we sit for a while. My husband later told his family that I got a bit emotional. We took a few photos beside the statue of Anne Frank. After visiting the Anne Frank House, we have lunch at the very old Pancake Bakery. It is just a few walks from the Anne Frank House.

Time out at the old Pancake Bakery

 When we got home in the afternoon, I began to read my Anne Frank book. I finished reading it that night. I was crying when I was reading it. The story is sad, poignant, painful, heartbreaking.  I love history. I like to visit historical places, to know historical people. The Holocaust claimed millions of innocent people. The world needs more peace loving people. I am glad I have the hope of the Bible that war will end, when people will beat their swords into plowshares, and all people and races will dwell in peace.