All Things Holland

Yes. You read that correctly. And no, I am not buying one. I used to have my dog sleep on my bed when I was little but that was when I was 7. Noortje de Keijzer  (her website) a Dutch designer and illustrator has designed a life-sized, yes life size, knitted pillow in the shape of a man. Or a boyfriend. Whichever you prefer.   Keijzer's " My Knitted Boyfriend " (click this link. It shows the different accessories and the book that accompies your 'man') project consists of two different oversized cushions, "Artur" (white guy with brown hair) and "Steve (darker guy with black hair)." The pillows come with a number of accessories, including knitted moustaches, glasses, watches, bow-ties, and even tattoos. There's also an illustrated book to show you what you can do with your knitted companion.   Keijzer had her mother and grandmother hand-knit the body pillow. (Slave labor?, I'm still wondering why she couldn't do it he

As some might have heard in the news this year is going to be very special one for the House of Orange.  At the end of January Queen Beatrix announced that she would abdicate the throne to allow her son Willem-Alexander to ascend to the throne.  This event will take place on April 30, 2013.  He will be the first Dutch king since 1890.  What does this mean for the Netherlands?  Well for an American outside of Holland the most obvious change will be spring time in the Netherlands.  Queen's Day will be no more!  Instead starting next year, the new Orange holiday will be King's Day; held on April 27, Willem-Alexander's birthday.  King's Day next year is on a Sunday so the party will be held on Saturday April 26.  This year's party will surround the coronation of Prince Willem-Alexander. It seems there are some very Orange years ahead of us! 

With the approaching Tulip Time Festival (May 4-11) in Holland, Michigan,  I have decided to once again write about " t ulipa gesneriana" and specifically the period of time in the Netherlands called "tulipomania".  As you can probably guess tulipomania was a time when Holland was obsessed with tulips.  This period in the 1600's saw the beautifying of Holland, which up until this time was quite muddy and dull looking, and also the strengthening of the Dutch market.   The tulip, originally cultivated in Turkey found its way to Europe in the 1500's.  In fact the name tulip comes from the Turkish word for turban.  One theory for why it became so popular in the Netherlands is because of bleakness of the Dutch landscape.  Another reason they were popular was because of  their rarity.  In the tulip bulb their are little 'offsets' which is how new bulbs are grown. The tulip rave in the Netherlands began with master gardener Carolus Clusius.  He brought

Remember a few months ago when I posted the article on Mars One ? Well according to space.com they're accepting applications. The Netherlands-based Mars One will begin accepting application videos sometime between now and July, charging a fee to weed out folks who aren't serious about their candidacy. The group hopes to raise millions of dollars this way, with the proceeds paying for the ongoing selection process and technology studies. "We expect a million applications with 1-minute videos, and hopefully some of those videos will go viral,” Mars One co-founder and chief executive officer Bas Lansdorp told SPACE.com on April 10. He was in London to speak to the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) that day. Mars One now has 45,000 people registered for its mailing list and has already received 10,000 emails from interested individuals, Lansdorp added. The organization will unveil more details about its astronaut selection process at a press conference in New York Ci

Here are two fun videos about a Dutch Soccer player scoring on his own team. They are all in Dutch but you get the idea of what they mean. The first is his blunder. He trips on his own feet trying to clear a ball from in front of the net. Mike van der Hoorn plays for Utrecht in the Netherlands. Doh!!! Notice how even the other team pats him on the back. That has got to sting. His team went on to lose 6-0. The next video is a montage that the local sports station put together of other players making the same mistake. I think they're trying to make Mike feel better. Perfect song choice. Also a great opporunity to listen to native Dutch speakers as they interview van der Hoorn and the news anchor. Always look on the bright side of life.

KLM, is in my opinion, the coolest airline out there and I've never even been on it! Well, they're at it again, solidifying their 'coolness'. Read this email I received from them yesterday. "The countdown has begun. The countdown to a live worldwide challenge. Are you ready to win the ultimate journey of inspiration? Join the challenge before April 22nd. On that date we will launch a high-altitude balloon. It will carry a precious cargo: a ticket to space. Predict the location of its highest point and claim it as your place. If your guess is closest, you will win the journey of a lifetime: a spaceflight."       LINK one of the coolest interactive sites Too cool. I'd try to link you to my page so my chances are higher at winning but that almost feels like cheating. Someday on my plane ride to Holland I will be on a KLM flight, oh yes I will.

At the beginning of the 16th century gardening in Europe was still an underdeveloped skill, vegetable gardening especially.  It is said that Catherine wife of King Henry VII of England could not procure a "sallad" until Henry sent to the Netherlands to have a gardener sent to England to raise the proper articles.  But, it seems that the Netherlands was on top of this modern gardening trend. In most countries carrots are orange, but that has not always been the case.  In fact carrots in the past were never orange.  Before orange carrots there were Western red and white carrots which today might be called parsnips,  and Eastern purple carrots with the occasional wild carrots of different colors. So what is the legend that surrounds the orange carrot?  Folktales tell us that the orange carrot was bred in the Netherlands in the 16th century to honor William I of Orange (William the Silent).  It was to tribute to William I during the Dutch fight for independence from Spain.  W

Awesome. Seems the Dutch and Europe in general are ahead of us in technological energy saving ideas.