Albufeira is a main tourist destination. Fair enough, given its vast ocean beach and three hundred sunny days a year.
Portugal ‣ Part 3. Albufeira
Portugal ‣ Part 2. Car and oranges
Concerning the car we rented at our hotel in Albufeira, where we were staying.
Portugal ‣ Part 1. Sand sculptures
Recently I’ve visited Portugal for the first time in my life. The everlasting Dutch off-season makes one long for sun, and where else in Europe can you secure a sunny place, except maybe the Canaries? This spring in Europe is particularly poor, full of floods and cold, so Portugal appears to be the best option for the continental part.
We’ve decided to go for its south coast, the Algarve region. Where the Atlantic Ocean, endless beaches, real waves and the edge of the world are. But first things first.
Warning: tons of photos under the cut!
M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 review
It’s been two years of suffering from the speakers built into my iMac. The speakers, despite all Apple’s marketing noise and even two 17 Watt power amps, suck big time. I’ve already connected my AV receiver via Bluetooth, but it’s quite a hassle to start it up every time. Another issue is that Logitech Bluetooth adapter gives a very low output level, which requires setting receiver’s volume to -20 dB every time I power it up.
Tomasa Quartet in De Observant
Tomasa Quartet, whom I know since Dias Latinos 2011, honoured Amersfoort with a live gig. I couldn’t miss the (quite rare) opportunity of seeing that.
Flower parade
So many things have piled up while I was busy with my website, not sure I’ll be able to handle them.
Let’s take the famous flower parade, or bloemencorso in Dutch. It’s a yearly event, held in late April or early May near Keukenhof, the largest flower garden in the world.
Warning: there’s about a hundred photos under the cut.
Amersfoort Jazz Festival 2013
The Last Queen’s Day
Yet again, precisely on time, Holland has turned orange on the 30th of April. Queen’s day is there, but this time is the last in the modern history of the country.
Jazz: Kramer Shilkloper in Tyumen
I’ve published rare footage I filmed a few years ago. It was a performance given by two greatest jazz musicians of our time, Daniel Kramer (piano) and Arkady Shilkloper (French horn, flugelhorn, alphorn) at Tyumen Concert Hall on February 10, 2008.
My website
Hi all, I’m still there, alive and well. Lately I’ve been busily developing my very own website in the wild world of Internet.
Sound Switcher Indicator ‣ Sound Switcher Indicator for Ubuntu
I couldn’t take it anymore so I created an audio input/output switcher indicator for Ubuntu.
Liberated from property
Prologue
The life in Holland, smooth in general, sometimes delivers nasty surprises.
On the last Liberation Day (May 5, 2012), I was liberated from my wallet (and the wallet, respectively, from me). It was stolen in Utrecht, a very nice city otherwise, at the Central Station, in a Chinese restaurant called Charlie Chiu’s, where we decided to make a pit-stop before a long and exhausting shopping round.