I Unleash My Children into the Streets…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Following  yesterday’s post, we have arrived in the Dutch city of Schoonhoven but it’s a busy Saturday so after a getting as close as we can to the centre of town Himself drops us off in a small street and goes to park the car a short distance away.

We use another, smaller street to walk to the centre where the surprise for our kids awaits.

But we are easily distracted… here in the little street we are walking in is a house that makes us giggle…

..there are two cats critically eyeing our every move from the top of a cupboard painted in the Dutch flag colours of red, white and blue (but annoyingly, they are harder to photograph due to the reflection of the sunshine in the windows and without getting my reflection in the photograph as well).

I’m not quite sure which one we liked more: the stern cat security guards, the sign in English on the door or the “duckling”  in the letterbox…  but one thing is certain: I like their sense of humour.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Down Town Singapore, … a Duck’s Perspective.

It’s almost time for our Duck to get out of the water… I’ve shown you some of the bits I found really interesting, but there is still more to see…  here is a round-up of some of the other sights around down-town Singapore.

A few decades ago these would have been affordable housing, these days you need a seven figure bank balance to afford an apartment here on the river…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Bridge photo because I liked the contrast of light and shade, positive and negative space and shapes and lines…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Skyscrapers…  interestingly shaped skyline…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

…palm trees to remind me later of the wonderful tropical heat (especially once I’ve returned to a Dutch winter)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

… the architect designed this with eight sides so that the all important feng shui  principles work from all angles… (apparently it does).

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

yes, these photos were taken a few weeks back… just before Christmas in fact … decorations.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

.. The High Court…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

The old High Court is being renovated and a new High Court (the “flying saucer building” in the background) is under construction…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Beautiful church…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

…A quick glimpse of the famous Raffles Hotel… (low rise, red roof).

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

Ducking Past Formula One….

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

The Singapore Formula One Grand Prix motor race has been held in the Marina Bay area annually since 2008.

The Duck Tour guide tells us that Singapore has an ingenious way of supplying an area suitable for the cars (pit stops, team areas etc) as well as catering for numberous V.I.P. Guests and thousands of spectators.

This building on the waterfront was especially designed so that the lower level can be opened up to become the cars pits and team crew areas, and the upper level houses private and corporate box areas … these rooms are hired out for an eye wateringly huge fees but enable the mega rich to have have the best seats available to watch the race.

The Singapore race is Formula One’s first night race, which has multiple advantages.

Since the event takes place on Marina Bay public roads,  there is less traffic disturbance to cordoning these off at night as well as the time advantage meaning  that the race can be broadcast “live” at a convienent time for European TV aduiences.

I’m no Grand Prix fan …for me a car is a car, four wheels, motor and steering wheel are about as technical as I get, and I don’t “feel the need for speed”  but it’s interesting to see how Singapore manages to make space to stage such a massive event when space is such a premium and the race itself is run on public roads.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

.. and the view from around the other side of the building…

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

… and on that note we go wroom wroom towards the next item on the itinary…

On Tour with Darla Duck?

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

We are looking for a kid friendly activity to do in Singapore.

The Kiwidutch children are still a bit out of sorts due to jet-lag and despite a decent amount sleep and time spent playing at the swimming pool, are exhibiting signs of irratibility and tiredness.

Probably they  haven’t acclimitised to the tropical heat yet either.

I’m keen to get out of the hotel and see some sights but also realise that my crutches present limitations to what we can do… the Singapore Zoo is excellent but we were there some years ago so I know that to enjoy it fully a lot of walking is involved.

There are other activities that are longer or more involved but both the kids and I won’t manage them at the moment.

Then I read a brochure about a Duck Tour…. this is an anphibious car/boat that takes you to see some of the sights of Singapore both on land and from the water. The tour doesn’t take too long, involves next to no walking (apart from boarding the boat) and a shuttle can take us there from our hotel. Sounds like a plan.

We phone the hotel reception desk to arrange it and are on a shuttle into town a little later that afternoon.

It turns out that each “duck” vehicle has a name and ours is called “Darla”.

Our guide is friendly and informative and has a repetoir of corny jokes for the tourists taking the boat trip. The kids giggle and the more relaxed of the adults play along with the silly gags.

We board the “Darla the duck” and head out on the tour which starts on land but soon heads out to the water… a ramp, a splash and we are suddenly floating and puttering along just like a boat.

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)

(photograph © Kiwidutch)