Buitenseizoen is begonnen - Outdoor season!!

Ja we kunnen weer heerlijk buitenspelen!!! Nu de lente in de lucht hangt is het weer tijd om naar buiten te gaan. Donderdag was Bart met Mare naar boerderij zorgvrij geweest. Er waren al lammetjes en kalfjes.

Yes we can play outside again! Mare and Bart went to a educational farm thursday. There were calfs and lambs there.

Of gewoon naar het park genieten van de zon op een bankje.

Or just a visit to the park in the sun.

Zondag zijn we naar een hoge zandduin in onze buurt geweest. Dat trekt altijd veel kinderen aan en Mare heeft dan ook lekker gespeeld.

On sunday we went to a big sand dune near our house. There are always many children there. So Mare played for quit a while there.

Dit zijn de schatten die mee naar huis moesten en die nu op de seizoenentafel liggen uitgestald.

These treasures had to come home, and now found their place on our nature table.

Op maandag haalde ik Mare op van de peuterschool en sprak de moeder van haar vriendje. Zij wilde ook wel even naar de duinen en dus vertrokken we 's middags weer naar dezelfde duin als zondag.

When I picked Mare up from preschool on monday we made a playdate with her friend for that afternoon, and so we went to the same sandy hill again.

Toen we naar huis fietsten liet Mare weten dat ze niet naar huis wilde maar buiten wilde blijven. Dus hebben we nog een uurtje op een klein speelterreintje gespeeld

When we went home Mare made it clear that she wanted to stay outside, so we went to a small playground near our house and played some more.

Bedankt lente, hier worden we vrolijk van!!!

Thank you spring, this makes us happy!

Maandag ochtend - Monday morning

Op het eerste gezicht lijkt het weer hetzelfde als alle vooraande maandag ochtend foto's, wanneer je naar omhaag kijkt. Maar het voelt zo anders. Geen handschoenen, geen tranen van de kou over je wangen....

It does look the same when you look up to the trees, like alle monya up to now grey.....

but it does feel different. No gloves, no tears of the cold wind ..........

En als je dan naar de grond kijkt die je dat het bijna lente is!!!

And if you look down at the earth you see that spring is near!!

The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

This picture already tells you half the history of this mosque. It was first an Aramean temple, then a Roman temple, then a church and now one of the most magnificent mosques in the Arabic country's. But for me it is most importantly such a vivid place. All kind of people walk here, pray but also just enjoying the peacefull place and the sunny courtyard. I sat against one of the pilars for half an hour just taking in the atmosphere

Trees and Magda

Me against my pilar

Trip into Syria's Christian history

On the third day we took a taxi into the country. Sand, mountains and amazing views.

All the way to this monastary. It is a 1000 years old, but only since 30 years it is in use again. It is now eucomenic, and a wonderfully welcome place.

To get there you have to make a little walk, surrounded by these amazing desert jasmins,

And up all these stairs....

Inside there is this amzing little chapel from 1100 bc and there are still fresco's there that are just as old.

Paradise

Hell

Art outside

Then we went to krak de chevalier. That is just amazing. Read the history here

Flowers in the desert have got something very special about them.

Culinairy Syria

Eating and drinking in Syria for me is a real feast!!! Sweet and savory, food and drinks. Here you see, we were only just out of bed and bought these sweets. They don't taste very nice, but the look of them just makes you want to buy them!!!!

Everywhere you can buy fresh juice. They will juice oranges, pomegranets, mullberries, strawberrys and what else, for you in a pretty glass, ready to enjoy on every cornor of the street

In spring time fresh vergetables are no problem!

As Syria is very close to Turkey, Turkish coffee with cardamom is a common drink.

Outside, enjoying Roman remains in the middle of a shopping street

This is my absolute favorite! Baba ganoush! Very different from the baba ganoush we have here in Holland or I know from Marokko. It is roasted eggplant, finally chopped with a knife, mixed with springonions, bellpeppers, nuts, and pomegranate. And ofcourse olive oil. You eat this with flatbread.

Ofcourse Hummus.

In Damascus you will eat in a restaurant like this. There are so many of these old damascene houses that are restored and in the courtyard there are restaurants. Most of them have a roof over the restaurant. Warm in winter nice and cool in summer. This one has an orangetree in the courtyard.

And this I had never had before. It is lemonjuice mixed with fresh mint. Amazing!