Planckendael Zoo (Mechelen)

A visit to our zoo with my love Mark and my best friend Erik on 5-5-2005
(thanks for the pics Erik)

Iguana Reptile Zoo (Vlissingen, NL)

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

One of the nicest specialized zoo's near us, well ok, not that near actually but it's worth the trip ;-)
This 'zoo' is also an asylum for intercepted illegally imported animals so many of them have missing legs and wounds. Luckily they can now live a nice and quiet life.

To my opinion there can never be too many reptiles in a zoo so this one is rather perfect. You get too see many pretty snakes (a rainbow boa for instance), loads of lizards (a lot of skinks and even a gilamonster!), turtles and tortoises, some pretty neat frogs and toads, a few pretty gecko's, a bunch of crocodylia, interesting insects and even some legless lizards (scheltopusik; brilliant name!). And there's also interesting info on all the creatures!

The zoo recides in two old houses in the centre of Vlissingen (Flushing), very near the sea (Westerschelde actually). Because of it being in two houses it's sort of like a labyrinth. You get to go from the attic to the basement and back and are never quite sure where you are...

The location is ofcourse perfect because there's shops and pubs (with excellent food!) close and you can sit by the sea! And for the tourists among us who have never been to the Netherlands: there is an old mill near the sea so you can make a perfect Dutch pic ;-)

And here is the link (sorry, it's dutch but many nice pics!): http://www.iguana.nl/index1.htm

October

 

 

   It smells like autumn today!!  

 

 

 

Royal Museum for Central Afrika (Africa Museum), Tervuren

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Two special exhibits: Congo.Nature & Culture + Memory of Congo
and the regular collection.

Why is it so good?

1) The great collection of stuffed animals:
I just happen to love animals, even dead. And much to Marks delight they even have a Coelacanth (they have only caught 120 ever!).

2) A nice collection of objects:
I don't know that much about African objects but they often look funny: spoons with legs for instance. And somehow some Inuit objects were mixed in too, really weird...

3) The building and gardens itself:
Well, it is a terrific colonial palace and the perfect place for this museum. This way you really feel what that period was like.

4) The special exhibits where you can learn all about the effects of colonialism and life in Congo:
So much information, especially visual! Very interesting too and never judgemental.
Oh, and I love the old African-Cuban music you could listen to ;-)

Summary: every-one should go!
You can see and learn a lot here, have a drink in the restaurant and have a stroll in the park. And Tervuren itself is a very green and pretty place too.
Oh, and it was for free in our case because of our Werchter wristband ;-D

So what you all waiting for?

Requiem

Today I saw a little dead fox lying on the road

Hit by a car, the poor creature

And I've never even seen a live wild fox yet

Only a dead one today....

So the painting by Degas is for the little dead fox I saw today. And for the dead hedgehog too. And the dead rabbit. And all the flattened creatures on the road I did not yet see....

Pretty insects + spiders

A little crabspider (Thomasidae)!
The female can change color over a period of 2-3 days to match the flower she lives in ;-)

Look what I've seen!

Rockwerchter (festival)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Music
Genre:	Rock
Artist:	various

Day 1:
- New Order: uncomparably perfect and love won't tear us apart...
- Roisin Murphy: I love seeing her perform! Perfect outfits ;-)
- Kraftwerk: Nostalgia nostalgia, to see this show is soooo good! I love robots ;-D

Day 2:
- Dresden Dolls: Brecht&Weill&Brel too, such a great voice and show!
- The Kills (part): Did you bring me the good ones?
- Garbage (part): the band sounds tired but the songs are lovely
- Velvet Revolver: I still have a thing for Slash and they played two of my G'n'R favs
- Green Day: up yours Bush I'd say, nice show
- Elvis Costello: soooo many perfect songs and a perfect version of 'I want you'...
- Faithless (part): great performers and a pretty sound

Day 3:
- The Dears: such a good performance! Great songs too! Loved it!
- Bloc Party: perfect recycling of new wave riffs, great show!
- Millionaire: good musicians but the songs are a bit too freaky for my liking
- Nine Inch Nails: Perfect!! You make it aaalll go away!!
(- Interpol: played at the same time so I only saw one song and I want MORE!!!)
- Rammstein: kein Vogel singt...mehr! My neck is still a bit stiff ;-p

Day 4:
- Soulwax: nice show, nice music.
- Eagles of Death Metal: great moustaches, music should be more rancid.
- Queens of the Stone Age: always nice to hear them...
- Zita Swoon: some nice dinnertime music for us
- Foo Fighters: Wow! This is Rock! They must have great stamina!

Various:
- rain: only wet shoes the first day, loads of mud though (mmm must clean my shoes today)
- food: poffertjes are perfect!
- stuff: I have two perfect t-shirts (NIN and Kraftwerk), two long sleeved shirts and a toy bat. Pity there weren't any nice New Order, Interpol or Rammstein shirts...
- accomodation: perfect as usual, a dry garage and breakfast ;-)

Summary: seen some perfect performances of bands I love together with my perfect love!