Brought the Bieber

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I'm glad that even Justin Bieber has a place here. Right in front of Notre-Dame no less. This trio was a rather funny act ... I would consider them hip hop queens. Poppin' n' Lockin' and swishing those hips a little too easily.

Also, does the video work?

He said it

The bells, the bells!

Notre-Dame

Soaring

Lock me up and throw away the key

I should probably google this before I post it.... I'm not sure why but on many bridges there are locks decorating the fences. I like this tradition even though I don't get it. It's beautiful.

UPDATE: They are love locks. Lovers chain them there as a symbol of their devotion and throw away the key. Note to self, remember to look down at the water below. I imagine a wishing well of keys.

Tower Eiffel

Cologne Cathedral

Or should I say... Koln. No, I probably should since I don't know how to get my keyboard to put the right stresses over the o. It's a double dotter.
I had a brief layover in Cologne from my train ride from Paderborn, Germany to Paris. So I stopped to see the church and window shopped a little.

Springtime in Deutschland

German Countryside

This was the few from my castle hotel room. Overnight trip to the south to visit a few wineries and what 'very German' looks like.

I AMsterdam

Sitting in museumplein, post Van Gogh museum.

Lights on the Singel Canal

I guess there is a reason to go out at night.

Dam Square Reaper

In all the books, they tell you to go to Dam Square to people watch. It's a beautiful day - 55 and sunny. People sit along the fringe. Most town squares are filled with street performers, musicians and magicians alike. Not today. Today it is five morbid costumes standing on milk cartons. The reaper, two V for Vendettas, a sad clown and a hell raiser type. No one approaches them, nor do they engage the passing by. Instead they each just stand there, on their crates being morbidly ignored.

*sigh* the life of a ghoul.

Lastly

I really spent most of my day getting lost. Like off the map lost. After which I was nodding off to a canal boat cruise. By before being lost I spent some time at the Anne Frank House.

A weird feeling indeed. Where the tourists on the floor above you make you feel the presence of the hidden family so many years ago. I could feel their ghosts haunting that building. Anne's room still pasted with photos of celebrity and royalty... Not unlike Bridget's top bunk.

Moving. But I can't really describe why.

Nightlight

The one cool thing in my room.

Should have used the real camera..

So many bikes. This was a bike parking lot near central station... And I used to have trouble finding my car at Mayfair Mall. Four zigzagging levels of black cruisers.
It's cool too see everyone biking. That's how parents pick up their kids from school and how boyfriends pick up girlfriends.

Just architecture

And yes, I have only been taking photos with my iPhone. But don't you worry, I am lugging my SLR around to beef up my traps.

Boats AND Architecture

Boats

On one of the canals whose name I can't pronounce.

You must be very very small

The bathroom door is literally only 16" wide and only has 6" before it hits the side of the bed. The staircase to the fourth floor is not for the weak-kneed.

This is how Holland welcomes you

Ps I can't figure out how to attach multiple photos...

My Orchid

I'm not really sure how my orchid got this way. Sometimes I feed it ice cubes. Sometimes my bottom of the cup backwash. Most times I ignore it. And almost always I am waiting for the green stalk to just DO something.

I don't know how or why, but for being dormant for two years my orchid has finally bloomed. And just in time for me to be out of the country unable to enjoy it's blossom.

Oh well. I hope I don't know this much again next year and hopefully I will be around to see the fusia open.