Memories of an inauguration

Watching the inauguration of Obama this afternoon took me back almost 30 years when I lived in Washington D.C. for a year. That time it was Reagan who entered office. I remember following the election results for a school project as well as seeing the president in a motorcade during a parade. Many things have changed in the last 30 years, but I was pleased to see that the cardboard periscopes that allow people to see over the crowds are still being sold!

Shopper's paradise

Now that the Pound Sterling is not as strong as it used to be, London has become a shopping paradise for us euroland consumers. During our one day visit to the UK capital Anand and I had some time to go down Oxford Street in search for a few good deals. Unsurprisingly we managed to buy a few choice items.

Just add water

Sometimes you find an innovative product in the most unexpected place. What appears to be an ordinary after dinner mint turns out to be a hand towel after some hot water is added.

A touch of snow

The winter keeps trying, but real snow seems to be a near impossibility. A short while after I took this picture it had already disappeared.

Empty Red Light District

The cold is having an effect on many businesses as people prefer to stay in instead. So, too, in the famed Red Light District where the ladies of the night have fewer and fewer possible clients and tourists passing their windows.

Happy New Year!!!!

The New year is upon us once again. To bring in 2009 I braved the cold and biked to Amsterdam North to celebrate with my sisters. After delicious food, good wine and a tightly fought Trivial Pursuits game the New Year arrived. Despite the financial crisis the Dutch have lit up more than 65 million euros worth of fireworks. For more than an hour the sky above Amsterdam looked like a war zone. Even on the way back home, and long after that, fire crackers could be heard.