Christmas Visits to Amsterdam and London

It has been many years since I have been to Amsterdam but I was just fortunate enough to visit. for a couple of days. The weather was wet and windy but the city is still fun and the public transport really great.

Whilst there I was privileged to be a guest at the awards ceremony for the Prince Claus awards.

Then I returned 'hot-foot' back to London for an event in the House of Lords.... 

Here are some photos:

Amsterdam has more canals than Venice - and many houseboats

Another canal view

The Rijksmuseum

An Amsterdam tram dressed up for Christmas - sadly without Father Christmas inside

A view of central station (itself looking rather like a palace)

A wonderful cheese ship just off Dam Square

The Royal Palace (lets go inside)

The People's Hall in the Royal Palace where the Prince Claus Awards ceremony is about to begin.

A detail of the wall of the People's Hall

Award winners from Brazil

Award winner from South Africa

Host of the Awards and Honorary Chair of the
Prince Claus Awards, Prince Constantijn 

More about the Prince Claus awards HERE.

And then to London.....

The Palace of Westminster

The Christmas tree in front of the House of Commons and
Ben Ben Tower wrapped in scaffolding and lights behind.

Inside Westminster Hall

Christmas travellers - St Pancras International Terminal

Costa Rican Wildlife 3 - Small Parrots

Small flocks of small parrots are common in the countryside of Costa Rica and also, remarkably and rather wonderfully, in the built-up zones around the capital city too.

Two species are featured here. The first series of pictures are of a flock of orange-chinned parrakeets and the second of their crimson-fronted cousins.

Silhouettes in the early morning light and mist.

These two really like each other - first one feeds his mate

Then there is a little preening

Soon, as the light and warmth from the sun increase, everyone is preening
and preparing for the day.

High above the busy streets of San Jose a small flock of crimson-fronted parakeets go about their noisy lives. They pause on the palm trees just outside my hotel window.

A youngster - lacking the red head-badge of his parents.

There is noise outside and the flock is scuttling around on the roof, and hanging off the drain-pipe actually peering into my room. The reflection from the window glass blurs the image but you get the idea!

Costa Rican Wildlife 2 - Out at Sea

On morning on the Pacific -

The Pacific Coast of Costa Rica

Pretty little islets

A 'flypast' of brown pelicans

Another close to shore

One iselet hosts a roost of seabirds

Magnificent frigate birds - juvenile with white heads

One in flight with its distinctive white tail.

Costa Rica Wildlife 1 - on the land

 I was lucky enough to go to Costa Rica for work recently.

A view across the Costa Rican countryside

The country is rich in extraordinary wildlife and we made a couple of little excursions to take a look at some of the animals ... but sometimes they just came to us.

First here are a few photos taken in and around a rescue centre just outside of the capital San Jose.

You may have to look carefully but there is a toucan in the picture - bill to the top right, tail bottom left and the bright red band on the belly shows this to the a fiery-billed aracari.

A howler monkey - in rehab.

A sloth - I think this is the two-toed species
- also being rehabilitated.

Geoffroy's spider monkey - an endangered species.

Puma (also known as cougar or mountain lion) - coy in its enclosure.

Handsome male green iguana - not a captive, just hanging out in the grounds surrounding the rescue centre.

And here is an example of wildlife coming to me .... scorpion in the wash basin. It must have fallen from the ceiling. A good reminder to sleep with my mouth closed.

The photos from here on are of animals in the wild.

Green coconuts

Small tropical bats in the roof.

White-winged dove

The next nine images are from a boat tour on the Tempisque Rivee which borders the Palo Verde National Park.

Veined tree frog

A sizable American crocodile - well over two metres

A circle of howler monkeys high in the canopy above the river (and the crocodiles)

Being watched by a young howler

Great egret - about a metre tall - hunting for small fish

Little blue heron

Another handsome green iguana male

Black-crowned night heron

Variegated squirrel

A beautiful black ctenosaur (another species of iguana) which shared our lodgings.

Basking on the roof

Costa Rican sunset - over the leatherback turtle nesting beach.