Suzanne Carillo Style Files

Adventures In Zip Lining - How To Have Major Crotch Whiskers

My sister flew across the country to visit me in September and while she was here we did the normal lady-like things you'd expect...shopping, eating, drinking, shopping, repeat.

 The reason I'm not drinking my usual martini is because we were at a Thai restaurant and I needed to try one of their specialty drinks. 

The water pitcher on the table with the yellow top sings like a tropical bird when you pour water out of it. 

Yeah I'm wearing patterned jeans to hike.  It's a blogger thing.

NOT

We were out having lunch and shopping and I didn't bring other pants to change into when we got to the park. As it was we had to change in the car and there was a guy parked next to us the whole time. #bloggeroverexposed. 

We also went to see this...

It was a very wild & funny ride my friends...it goes beyond where you think they will go. Just so you know, the writers were the same people that wrote South Park. And they go ALL THE WAY and then some.

We loved it.

The wild and crazy was only just starting though...as we decided to become "Weekend Warriors" zip lining, suspension bridge tree canopy touring, rappelling and kayaking.  

I've been zip lining before in Costa Rica and loved it...so another go around this time with my sister was a blast.

And yes...I'm a tree hugger...

This was my sister saying goodbye at the 40 ft rappel. I must admit this part had me scared. You have to manoeuvre around at the edge of the platform and then dangle over. Believe it or not...I have a fear of heights.  I put on my big lady panties that day and got through it though. 

The gal in front of us made it worse because she was super scared. It took her at least 10 minutes to get the courage to go down. 

 

How do you like the outfit? Now this is how to layer ladies! I mean how many times can you wear a baseball cap and a helmet on a fashion blog? 

Zero. One

The gloves are a bit gauche though don't you think?

And the harness is doing nothing at all for my crotch whiskers. It does act as a very good external bra though. 

Yeah...that little red helmet zipping away into the unknown is me : ) 

It may not look like it, but this suspension bridge was the scariest for me. You can't tell from the photo...but you are high up...super high up. Our wonderful guide got 4 of us out there at once and proceeded to have all of us lean with all our body weight on one side of the bridge...faces down...stomach flat on the cables. We were laying down, horizontally staring at the vast valley below. 

At this point I may have screamed. 

More than once. 

The whole bridge was tipped.  It felt like it was going to flip around on us any second. 

This really got the adrenalin pumping. 

I felt a bit like Wonder Woman after that.

 

The next day we had a bit of a more tranquil setting...kayaking down Big Creek. 

The biggest deal on the kayak trip was the bathroom...which, as you may have guessed is in the same place where all the other animals in nature do it...in the bush, with one major exception...there was an actual toilet seat.  Someone took four planks of wood and stuck a toilet seat on top. There wasn't even really a hole. You still had to squat all the way down, almost to the ground, but at least you were sitting on a toilet seat! LOL It was weird.  I don't know how that makes it environmentally friendly.  Who am I to judge though...I'm no survivor woman.  One of the other gals on the trip did bring a roll of toilet paper with her...clearly her survival skills are far superior to my own. 

I had never been to Long Point and I can tell you that the beach was vast and the sand was very soft. It went as far as we could see in both directions. It reminded me of the eastern Florida coast, but it's not the ocean...it's  Lake Erie.

Finally I wanted to share one of the wonderful jazz singers from the South Coast Jazz festival. This is June Garber.  I was as impressed with her outfit/nails/lashes/hair as I was with her singing. This woman doesn't let her age dictate a thing.  

I apologize in advance if the camera is a tiny bit wobbly. I had several glasses of wine by that time.

The venue was inside the Burning Kiln winery and you can see some of the vats when I zoom out to the people dancing. 

 

I think every weekend warrior event needs to end with a few glasses of wine and some good music. 

I really like to "rough" it.  

Have you tried any adventure sports? What was the scariest/most fun? I might need to add something to my bucket list.  

Surprising Secrets About Sylvia from 40+ Style

Some of you may read Sylvia's blog from 40+Style. It's not a personal style blog, it's a professional blog designed to aide women seeking guidance and inspiration on dressing themselves after 40. 

Since her blog is more professional than personal I'd like you share a few interesting things I learned about Sylvia when I was in the Netherlands and stayed at her place. 

First off, she was kind enough to let a total stranger come and stay at her wonderful newly decorated house in Haarlem...which is gorgeous BTW.

Before I went to Holland I'd connected more with Anja and Greetje through their blogs than Sylvia. Anja managed to convince Sylvia that it would be "a good idea" to have me come and stay at her house while she finished up some home renovations at hers.  Sylvia generously agreed to this arrangement.

We both promised not to slit the other's throat in the night so we figured that was a good start.  

A little story about when I first arrived at Sylvia's house...we got to know each other rather quickly due to special circumstances, the stairs up to my room were so narrow and steep that my suite case couldn't be carried up. Instead, I had to unpack everything in the living room and Sylvia helped me take it piecemeal up to my room.  You get to know someone a lightening speed after carrying their sundries and undies upstairs.

This is what I came downstairs to find on my first morning at Sylvia's place...

How is that for welcoming? 

Does this look like a woman that suffers from severe Ornithophobia?

No?

Well she does. Big time. Just so you don't need to look that up it means a fear of birds. We had to move inside while eating at an outdoor patio because there were too many pigeons scrounging around and it was stressing Sylvia.

Little quirks. Everybody's got them.

When I first saw Sylvia she was seated in her living room in front of her computer...working away on her blog.  She is a Wordpress/SEO/ blog builder genius.

I came to learn later she is also a dedicated perfectionist, overachiever, workaholic with laser sharpe business focus. She works hard and gets things done. 

Sylvia has no time for BS. Like NONE. I find this refreshing. Like so many people from the Netherlands she is blunt but I think Sylvia has perfected this skill to a level above and beyond most other Netherlanders. No messin' about with her,  you always know where you stand. 

She is highly motivated and dedicated to improving herself which challenges those around her to improve themselves and raise their own personal expectations.

She doesn't waste time. Even when she is on a road trip or in the train she will listen to podcasts to constantly upgrade her skills to enable herself to approach problems from a new perspective. I really admire this. 

She is a fast walker. She isn't that much taller than me, (I walk NYC fast) but Sylvia is twice as fast. She is like a whippet...thin and fast. I had to jog a little to keep up with her. This might be because she is a big sports enthusiast and like almost all type A personalities also intensely focused on personal achievement in physical activity and sports. She plays tennis regularly and fits in Zoomba, combat fitness, yoga or Pilate's. She is a firm believer in detox retreats and does them regularly. Don't be fooled by all of the heavy draped layers of fabric she often wears that hide her enviable figure, this woman has the great toned lithe body of a of a twenty year old. I saw it first hand when we were playing dress up.

This was one of the outfits I chose for Sylvia...I love her in it.

She has either a hollow leg or a very fast metabolism, very likely both. I saw her eat almost an entire package of her favourite Dutch cookies while we were in the car on the way into Amsterdam and not gain an ounce.  It isn't surprising that almost every photo I have of Sylvia shows her eating something...she enjoys eating just as much as me, but unlike me doesn't have to worry about it showing up on her thighs 5 minutes later.

Sylvia made it her personal mission to ensure that I tasted and understood some of the traditional foods of the Netherlands including what they eat for breakfast...which is basically candy sprinkles on buttered toast.

I also split my first Dutch Apple Pie with Sylvia.

My stomach is still thanking her for that chocolate bar she gave me last minute. I really wish I'd brought back about 50 of them. Everything they say about Dutch chocolate is true BTW...

Sylvia is up for more than you give her credit for.  This is undoubtedly the most surprising thing about her. I thought we would get huge flack from her with our wacky idea to play dress up and have everyone wear someone else's clothes and be photographed in them but Sylvia was all game. In fact a bit of her alter ego surfaced (say Aloha to Magenta Marilyn) and we had a blast.  

 

She wasn't as keen on the whole moustache idea.  If I recall correctly it went something like this...

Sylvia, "What are those for?" pointing while making a face at the fake moustaches sitting on the table...

Anja, "To wear when we get dressed up."

Sylvia, "What for? "

Anja, "Just for fun."

Sylvia, "That's a bit silly."

Anja, "That's the point." 

Despite her reservations she played along and was enthusiastic as well...I was delighted.

She isn't too focused on being an adult all the time to let go and have some fun which surprised me because she can come across as rather serious.

She is adventurous, even more-so than the other two gals which was another big surprise for me. She embraces opportunities even if they are out of her traditional comfort zone just for the experience. This is probably because she has lived in so many different countries.

She was willing to try my martini (which BTW I had to explain to the bartender how to make) and even agreed it was quite tasty. She was game to try a few other things with me as well, however I agreed that what happens in Holland stays in Holland... and my lips are sealed. 

She contributed openly to conversations that I thought would make her feel uncomfortable and vulnerable and was hilarious when doing so. I felt that she was always willing to "rise to the occasion" so-to-speak. 

She has a very specific sense of style, prefers quality over quantity and a very powerful sense of self and self worth.  

She is aware of her weaknesses and chooses to focus on her strengths.  She is intense, strong, funny and engaging. 

She can walk through a store in 10 seconds flat and know if anything interests her or not. 

She comes across as confident, fearless and determined. 

She has a good generous heart, a wonderful laugh and a warm personality, all of which are not self evident until you are able to break down some of her professional barriers. 

Sylvia taught me not to judge a book blog by its cover. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to have met her in person. But don't take my word for it...visit her blog. She has begun to open up more about her life and her loves and you can start to see some of the adventurous person I met while in the Netherlands.

Thanks again for letting me stay at your place Sylvia! I owe you one : ) 

 

PS:  if you want to learn some crazy things I learned during my visit check out 10 Things I Learned While In Holland That Have Nothing To Do With Cheese, Windmills or Clogs. 

If you want to get to know the other ladies I visited check out Anja the artist from The Curly Traveller here: Spilling The Beans On The Ladies Of The Netherlands - Part One or the film I made of the art installation that she calls home.

Read about Greetje, the lady that lives to laugh from No Fear of Fashion here: Everything You Wanted to Know ABout Greetje & More

Happy Thanksgiving Canada! A Shout Out To My Readers

Special thanks to all of you, my beloved and much cherished readers.

Without you this whole "bloggy thing" wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

bisous

Suzanne

Adventures in Glamping - Flesh Eating, Life Sucking Monster Moths Part 1

When you think of me you probably think, outdoorsy, sporty type. 

I told you I don't paint my finger nails nor do I wear makeup daily.

How much more outdoorsy can I  get?

When my sister came to visit recently we decided to devote a few days to being "Weekend Warriors". That meant glamping, zip lining, wine tasting, live jazz, star gazing, hiking in the treetops, suspension bridges, canopy tours and a long beautiful trip kayaking. 

This was our "tent".

Inside the tent...

No sleeping bags for us.

No squatting in the bush either.  That opening on the left goes to the little bathroom with hot running water and a proper toilet.

And this guy...

Poised and ready to jump on the first person brave enough to sit down on that toilet.

We had to go and get the manager to come and do a spider sweep of our tent. I kid you not.  

The other door you see leads to the private outdoor shower...

The shower was fantastic!  I loved looking up to the blue sky. Never mind those couple of mosquitos. 

And then... there were our other eight legged greeters...most of them on the outside of the tent. Just you know, hangin' out...welcoming us to their hood.

Do you think that white stuff is millions of baby spiders waiting to hatch in the middle of the night? Or just white fluffy cotton candy?

 

Our first order of business after checking into our tent was to getting to Burning Kiln for a winery tour and some serious outdoorsy wine tasting.  I told you I was intent on becoming one with nature.

I had to take off my sweater, the wine was warming me up too much. 

After that my sister threw another couple of logs on the fire and managed to cook up a little somethin' somethin' for supper...

With her campfire cooking skills I think she should be on SurvivorWoman. 

She even had a waitress serve it. You don't see that often ever on SurvivorMan. 

After we headed out for a night of star gazing. 

That is a powerful telescope perched at the very top of those stairs. We were able to view the rings around Saturn and several other galaxies millions of light years away.

My sister said it was very surreal standing in the dark with a bunch of strangers looking up at the sky and talking about the end of the world.  

I sighed and said,

"Ah, just another Friday night for me."

With that we went out to the big campfire and gobbled up a few chocolate-less s'mores.  Don't even ask...they had run out of chocolate. Really they should have been called s'less. 

When you are camping in the wild you make these kind of sacrifices people.  

No room service and no choloate in the s'mores.

Then we headed back to our tent where our first real "adventure" of the trip took place.

We came into the tent to find a number of creepy crawlies inside, high up on the ceiling and no one around to ask for help. Normally I don't do well with insects, but it turns out my sister hates them even more than me.  After we turned out the lights she freaked, insisting that a large moth had flown onto her face in the darkness. I thought it was weird that out of all the spots in the tent to land it chose her face...but who was I to argue?  Maybe it was in fact a smothering moth and was trying to land on her mouth & nose to silently suck the air from her lungs.  Or maybe it was a flesh eating moth that would leave a big gaping red mushy hole in her face.

Remind me not to watch anymore Walking Dead.

We were tired, in an isolated tent, late at night, in the middle of nowhere, with just romantic spooky insect sounds that keep getting louder and louder like the sacred frenzied chanting heard just prior to a human sacrifice. 

All that wine I'd tasted before was making my mind run in strange directions.

 

I needed to keep calm. 

And get that damn moth.

Trying to balance as best as possible on the bed with a large plastic bag as my weapon with all of my well trained outdoor-gal skills...

amongst a few shrieks, an "almost face plant", and lots of nervous laughter I managed to capture that flesh eating, life sucking monster moth and throw him outside!

 

Wohoo! 

Suzanne - 1

Mother Nature - 0

 

to be con't... 

 

 

Last Summer Day - Picnic, Art, Flowers & Sunshine

When the weather was still lovely we ventured out for a picnic lakeside, art in an old historic house, and a walk through the blooming gardens of Oakville. 

What a glorious way to spend a day!

I've been absent from commenting on blogs and responding to comments lately because I have been away. I will return to regular scheduled programming next week : ) 

Linking up with: The Pleated Poppy What I Wore  Get Your Pretty On - I Feel Pretty, 

 

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Greetje & More

I'm spilling all the dirt on Greetje from the infamous No Fear of Fashion style blog.  One of the gals I went to visit with in The Netherlands.

AKA the lady...with the beard.

Okay... full disclosure, that is actually a feather necklace I made and gave her.  

You thought I'd gone all TMZ on her didn't you?

Where do I start? 

How about her name?

Greetje.

This woman arguably has the most difficult name in the whole of the Netherlands to pronounce.

Try it yourself...

Hret-ch-ai 

with the Hr sound coming from the back of the throat and tiny roll on the R.

Try as I might apparently I made it sound too guttural and German when I pronounced it and Greetje would have just as well preferred that I call her "G" or "Great", which come to think of it suits her perfectly.

 

First surprise?

Her voice.

For a gal born and raised in Holland when she speaks English she speaks like a proper British subject. 

No kidding. It was shocking to hear her speak. I kept expecting some Dutch accent and instead one of my old mates from the pub where I worked in London kept spilling out of her mouth. It was very surreal. She has a very strong British accent with a tiny lilt of Scottish thrown in. I kept thinking I'd missed my connection on the plane and wound up somewhere in northern England rather than Holland when I was with her. Also she uses all the British slang. 

It messed with my mind.

This is me on my tippy tippy toes giving her a big bear hug when I first met her.  I ran up the street screaming, waving and flailing my arms and legs like a deranged person and Greetje never turned and ran in the other direction. 

She is good that way.

Also...as a side note... I don't know if it is because of those extra long legs of hers or what but Greetje walks fast. 

Not, New Yorker fast, because I walk New Yorker fast.

I'm talking olympic-speed-walker-get-out-of-my-frickin'-way-people fast.  Both her and Sylvia are like a couple of speed skaters walkers when they are together.  I felt like a munchkin trying to keep up. I almost wanted to start skipping at one point. LOL Luckily the artsy lollygaggers, Anja and I kept the same pace. 

Greetje takes her job as self assigned personal ambassador and tourist guide for The Netherlands very seriously. When I told her I needed to visit a coffee shop, buy a *special* brownie and go to the Red Light District because... duh...that's what people do while in Amsterdam she didn't didn't even blink. She just took me.

She gets things done. 

Greetje has made it her personal mission in life to try to make the people she comes in contact with during her day laugh. Even if it is in an awkward space like an elevator. Nothing is off limits. If she makes at least one person laugh every single day she can sleep well at night.

When you're out with Greetje be prepared to spend some extra time talking to people on the street, in the stores...on the public transport, wherever you are, Greetje wants to be their friend. 

She will even chat up the cute waiter, or the guy in a hallway. All is fair game.

Normally this would make me uncomfortable, but my Dad is exactly like this, (aside from chatting up men) so I was used to it.

I think all of the shopkeepers know her by name.

Greetje is polite.

No, that isn't correct.

Greetje is hyper polite. She goes out of her way to be extra extra polite, thoughtful and generous.

Perfect example...when we were at lunch and the restaurant was so busy that the waiter hadn't come after 10 minutes Greetje just took it upon herself to go up and order for us. I half expected her to start bussing tables. 

Needless to say...she is a BIG tipper. Like ridiculous. As in, I should have pretended to be our waiter. Maybe she needs a personal assistant or handmaid...

Her politeness extends to sales associates as well. 

If you're shopping with Greetje, please put the clothes back where you found them and do not disturb the shop displays. Personally I figure that is the sales clerk job. I don't leave my clothes in a heap on the floor of the fitting room, I'm not a slob, but I'm not going to walk around the store and put them back.  I got schooled on that though.  Rather than chasing me around constantly picking up after me towards the end of the shopping day Greetje finally just shrugged, sighed and exclaimed on our way out of the shops,

"Ah well,  forgive her...she is Canadian." 

Greetje is a bit of a walking contradiction, excessively polite with a big heart, fair, (as she is quick to point out) but quite tough with very firm fiercely defended opinions.

This photo depicts the Tao of Greetje : ) 

I have a feeling that if you work for her (she is a powerful career woman and a workaholic) she can be quite demanding as she expects others to be as skilled and dedicated as herself.  I'm guessing it might be challenging to keep up with her and meet her expectations.  

To balance that out though

she laughs,

lots

and tells raunchy jokes.  

I told you she has two sides.

 

You can talk to her. About anything. No subjects are taboo. If you ask her a direct question she will answer.

Truthfully. 

How refreshing!

 

She is unpredictable. 

She likes to sing

on the train. 

Not in her head like normal people...

Out loud.

For entertainment value.

You know,

just for the fun of it. 

She has a strong forceful personality but can be very vulnerable at times. Especially when it comes to her looks and fashion sense. In every other aspect of her life I think she is extremely confident, however when it comes to her personal looks and fashion she loses some of that confidence and second guesses herself.  If you read her blog I'm sure you've also sensed that.  She is very hard on herself.

This was clear when we were playing "dress-up" and chose fun clothes for each other to wear.  Greetje had a hard time relaxing into it. As you can see by this photo that clearly states,

"I HATE these friggin' clothes!"

She was brave and stuck it out though. It's all just for a laugh anyhow, and as the self-proclamed joker, that is her daily task.

 

Overall I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to have met such a force of nature and call her friend. 

The comical,

the energetic,

the indisputable,

Greetje

The Great

 

If you feel like you want to get to know Greetje  better stop by her blog and say hi. 

Last up on my series...Ladies of the Netherlands...Sylvia, AKA "The Biggest Surprise of All." 

Spilling The Beans On The Ladies Of The Netherlands - Part One - Anja of Curly Traveller

I was lucky enough to be invited over to the Netherlands by Anja.

You can see some previous posts about the trip here here and here.

During my stay I got to spend one-on-one time with Anja, Greetje and Sylvia. It really was like having 3 holidays wrapped up in one since I was able to see The Netherlands through each of their eyes and also experience each of their unique personalities and sense of style. 

Truth be told I went to the Netherlands not only to discover the country, but also to get to know each of these ladies on a personal level. 

Now I'm gonna spill the beans about each of them...

one

at

a

time.

All the dirt.

Are you ready? 

I'm starting with Anja...

 Anja could be described as the "softie" of the bunch. She is what Malcom Gladwell would call a "connector".  She is the glue that brought everyone together and introduced us to each other. 

She really knows her art and was my own private art historian when we went to art galleries. 

Isn't it cool how this painting matches her outfit?

She also knows her architecture and made sure I didn't miss out on any of the unique details and history of the different styles of architecture in Haarlem and Amsterdam.

 

She is a sensitive artistic soul with a wicked sense of humour.  Check out the barbie mobile she has above her bed!

That just cracked me up.

Out of all the ladies Anja and I have the most similar style and taste. We both love colour and we both love a little bit of the unexpected (quirkiness) in our outfits. There were a whole lot of pieces I would have  gladly taken home from her two massive closets (like this little dress below)...not to mention those great blue boots above!

She has the softest most gorgeous even-better-than-Kim Basinger hair (always the highest hair standard for me)  that has been described by an admirer from Buenos Aires as, "A waterfall of a thousand singing yellow canaries."  

I must concur. 

BUT...she also looks brilliant as a redhead! : ) 

Sisters from another Mister.

I wish I had taken a photo of her whole outfit when she picked me up at the airport...I swear all but the boots came out of my closet...she has on a leopard dress and an olive green army jacket and looked amazing!

She is a great experienced listener and offers intelligent heartfelt advice.

She doesn't eat more than her half of our shared apple tart.

Bonus points for that!

She is a professional tango instructor and DJ...

 

Oh...and she lives part of the year in Singapore, which is mostly what her blog the Curly Traveller is about.

It is strange just how much Anja reminds me of myself. 

She makes her own jewelry to sell and has a craft room devoted to jewelry making. 

I literally think she could outfit the city of Los Angeles with the amount of jewelry she has. No joke.

She has a huge collection of clothes and shoes for all the dancing she does. (We played dress up from her closet one day...more photos to come.)

You might recognize this dress...it's mine.

 But by far the most interesting thing about Anja is her house, her collections and her art. Like me she is an illustrator and painter, but her art goes well beyond paper and canvas and is carried over into the decor of her house, a reflection of Anja's mind and spirit, which is one wild ride my friends.

 

Although Sylvia and Greetje had "warned" me about her house I was truly overwhelmed with just how amazing and cool it really was. 

I made an Oscar worthy short film so you could get a sense of just how unique and detailed her house is.

Every corner of her house in Haarlem holds new discoveries. Even in the bathroom, while seated on the "throne", there were small fish art pieces,  in the shower, the tiles had intricate animated naughty designs on them,  in my bedroom there was an ongoing party of blond barbies having the time of their lives.  Each morning when I woke up I wondered what craziness they'd been up to overnight and why the heck I hadn't been invited. (Highschool all over again!)

Everywhere I looked there was a magical feast for my eyes and an endless delight for my imagination. 

I'll let Anja tell you herself a bit about her house and collections...

 

I've never met anyone that lives in an ever-evolving art installation...but now I have.

Do you have any friends or know of anyone that has massive collections/personal galleries in their house? 

Wouldn't you just love to meet Anja and see her house? 

 

 

 

 

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10 Things I Learned While In Holland That Have Nothing To Do With Cheese, Windmills or Clogs

1. The Renaissance Man still exists.

Greetje is married to one. Ron is a master chef having cooked the four of us homemade paella from scratch. He is a creative genius, he works as modern versions of a Don Draper "the idea guy" from Mad Men.  In addition he casually whips up his own contemporary gorgeous light fixtures made from branches of wood he chopped down only moments before, just for fun.  He captained his boat filled with four female bloggers up and down the canals of Amsterdam for a full day, his dog Charlie nestled at his feet.

Photo courtesy of Anja from The Curly Traveller

How delightful to meet a man of so many varying talents and interests with such a generous heart. 

2. Apple pie is the secret national dish of the Netherlands.

This is not like a traditional North American version of an apple pie as it has more of a cookie crust rather than a pie crust but is equally if not more addictive, especially when served with real whipped cream on the side. All in the name of journalistic integrity and research I test tasted 6 different apple pies while on my trip. I am willing to make these sacrifices in the name of blogging.  You can thank me later. Cash is always appreciated.

I became so obsessed about these cakes that upon my return I decided to make my own version...which I will have in an upcoming post.  I don't like to brag (okay that is a lie) but I think I might have made the best version of Dutch Apple Cake yet. 

3. The sound of silence is golden and it is all around you in the Netherlands.

Due to the lack of automobiles in the centre of the city and the abundance of bicycles powered by people there is no "city vibration" or noise.  It is wonderful and strange to walk the streets and only hear people's voices mixed with a few bike bells. I marvelled at the silence in the evenings in Haarlem where I stayed.

I could hear the odd person's footsteps on pavement as they passed by in front of the house, birds and little else. 

4. Most shop keepers do not want you taking photos in their shops.

This is a real shame because the interiors of the shops there were gorgeous. Not to mention the displays.

 

Even if you ask to take a photo and they say yes and then you happily start snapping away only to be bluntly told,

"You said ONE photo. That is more than one."  

Which is what happened when I took the photo of the mannequin above for my husband.

Overwhelmingly though I was told I wasn't allowed to take any photos inside the shops. Even if I wanted to buy something for someone and simply wanted to send them a photo to see if they wanted me to buy it or not.

I did run across some truly lovely shop keepers though and they brightened my day. 

Also: Be sure to take lots of cash with you. Many of the shops and restaurants do not take credit cards or debit cards unless it is a Maestro debit card. 

 5. Netherlanders aren't private people.

Well at least in their houses.

Many of the houses have vast tall ceilings and no curtains. They like the natural light in Holland which I must agree is spectacular but the "no curtains bit" takes some getting used to.

One morning while getting out of the shower I glanced out of the window and saw a man cooking breakfast in his kitchen wearing nothing but some tighty whities. I can't complain too much since he wasn't hard on the eyes, but I silently hoped for his sake that he wasn't cooking bacon. 

I see some curtains at the very top (for the birds?)...otherwise none.

6. They have fast food vending machine shops.

They carry enormous amounts of food in these old fashioned fast food emporiums that are nothing other than vending machines that dish out rewarmed chemically laden snacks. Croquettes are among the favourites. I thought these might be like a meatball but when you cut into them they look quite liquidy and are filled with a thin stew. 

 

Some croquettes that Anja ordered.

They also like their bread in the Netherlands. It is most often brown and grainy, right up my alley.

7. You can eat like a kid for breakfast.

This is a typical Netherlanders' breakfast.

Pre-toasted round bread that comes in a tin, spread with a bit of butter and then generously covered with chocolate sprinkles...like the ones you use on ice cream or decorate a cake or muffins with. 

Although I wonder about the nutrition value ( slightly less than Captain Crunch?)  it was pretty tasty. 

That Dutch process chocolate that everyone goes on and on about? Yeah...it's really excellent. I should have brought back a whole lot more chocolate bars with me.  

8. The Red Light District Wasn't How I Imagined It    

It sneaks up on you. 

Some towns have one small street like this photo I took of a bordello in the small city of Haarlem.

 

Or the photo below which I took in Amsterdam.

One minute I'm taking a photo of an amazing massive old church and the next thing I know some almost naked gal magically appears as if from nowhere and yells, "No photos!" 

She had snuck out of a little hole-in-the-wall-room from behind me. Clearly the opposite direction of the camera. Also, she was on the same level of the street as myself making it easier for people to walk in and out of her tiny room. And I mean tiny. Just big enough for a bed and wash basin really. No extras.

The ladies weren't high above me dancing or anything like I'd imagined. There were no stripper poles.

They were also all shapes and sizes all of them obviously ridiculously comfortable in their own skin. Most of them looked rather bored with the whole idea. 

Some wore hardly any clothes at all. I suppose showing the goods gets more customers.

I think I'd expected it to look more like a dance club for some reason. I don't know why. 

Also we were there in the middle of the day. The safest time to go into that neighbourhood. Maybe that is why some of the "ambiance" I expected was missing.

9.  The phrase, "Going Dutch" came from the Netherlands

They are apparently a very frugal people. My experience was the opposite. Not only were they willing to generously open their homes and hearts to me... they were overly generous with their wallets as well. This shall not be forgotten ladies ( Greetje, Anja, Sylvia) ...and Ron! I owe you all big time.  Consider an open invitation to visit me here in Toronto any time. 

 10. Look out for bikers!

They own the road in the Netherlands. Those little cobblestone and brick streets aren't really for cars...they are for bikers pedalling fast and hard. They sometimes don't pay attention to traffic signs, and are happy to run you over if you get in their way. I saw one guy get run into by a biker that was going too fast. He was lucky since he didn't seem to be too badly hurt.  So beware! Look both ways before crossing the street and pay attention to bike bells. They mean business.

Were you ever surprised by something when visiting another country? 

 

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I need to fit a regular outfit post in here amongst my travel photos, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone, or as they say in the Netherlands, "kill two flies with one swat" and show off some photos of the canals in Amsterdam and also my outfit of the day on that day.

This is one of those brilliant travel dresses that you can bunch up in a ball, leave in the suitcase, pull it out 5 days later and it still looks great.

I need to thank Anja from the Curly Traveller for this wonderful shot in her garden. 

It got a little cooler on the water so I added the blue jean jacket. The hat was to protect from the sun.  

I really lucked out with the weather the whole time I was there. It only rained once for about 30 minutes when we were out in Haarlem one day. Otherwise, beautiful blue skies and sunshine.

Here I am thanking the captain of the boat, Greetje's husband and all around great guy, Ron.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to show you what the other three bloggers wore while cruising the canals for the day...

Here is Greetje from No Fear of Fashion looking all kinds of hip chic with the white jeans and nautical striped blazer. 

And the lovely Sylvia of 40+ Style whom I can thank for some of the photos here, also a big fan of white.

Did you notice that they both have the same running shoes?  Twinsies!

 

After a full day of cruising the canals Ron docked at a pier for this fabulous restaurant in an old converted boat.  

So cool!

Look at Charlie, Ron's dog peaking out from under the table! 

Also we didn't get a really good shot of what Anja was wearing but you can see it was leggings, a tunic and some bright jewelry. I thought I had lots of jewelry...but Anja's collection is massive. I am a very small player compared to her. Now when my husband says something about how much jewellery I have I can just say,

"Well I don't have nearly as much as Anja!" 

That's what friends are for.

 

And here are some shots I took while cruising along the canals...

 

Cruising the canals really is the best way to see Amsterdam. Even better when it is in a private boat with personal tour guides, refreshments and fuzzy warm companion.

I'm talking about Charlie, the dog...not Ron!

I've made a little movie so you don't have to feel left out.  Enjoy!

 

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore and I Feel Pretty at Get Your Pretty On  Spy Girl 52 Pick-me-up 

 

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What Do You Think Of When You Think of Holland?

This?

Or this?

You probably don't think of beaches that go on forever, massive sand sculptures or dreamy Argentine Tango music and dancing by the sea with the glow of the setting sun kissing the dancers faces.

But that is exactly what I saw on my first brilliant day in the Netherlands. 

 Thanks to Anja my tour guide for the first day we took it all in. She is a pro Tango dancer and had committed to DJing for the club that evening. She had also found the great sand sculpture exhibit and sea wall art. 

 

Photos courtesty of Anja from The Curly Traveller

This is how I reacted when I saw a guy that was casually sitting on a bench nearby unzip his pants and start to show off his ahem... package.

Nothing to see there.

Literally.

 The beach truly was massive and went on as far as I could see on either side. It was also very shallow, and you could walk very far out into the sea. The water was cool and fresh on my toes.

I'm still amazed at the location of the Tango, right on the beach and also at the level of the dancers, many of whom were instructors or owned their own schools. It really was a fabulous show.

 I was asked by two wonderful gentlemen to get up and dance but I had only slept 2 hours in past 2 days and in all honesty was totally intimidated by their wicked dance skills. Instead I was happy to record and take photos of the romantic venue and soak up the wonderful ambiance.

Looking back I kind of regret I didn't push myself a bit more. Ah well. Next time. 

 Here is a bit of the Tango action that I recorded...

 

That was the end of my first day in the Netherlands...

Not a bad start I'd say... 

 

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