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DUTCH HAPPINESS

BELGIUM – A RELATIONSHIP WITH FANTASTIC FOOD

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E-mail: sentineldesk@gmail.comWebsite: www.thesentinel.eu

Contributors: Sam van Dam, The Observer, Dirkje Bakker-Pierre, Evelina Kvartunaite and Andrei Barburas

Editor: Denson PierreDesign: Dirkje Bakker-Pierre - no-o  ce.nlRealisation: Andrei Barburas Webmaster:www.sio-bytes.tumblr.comWebhost: Andrei Barburas

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The Sentinel Amsterdam

feature - p.04

culture - p.50 travel - p.72 perspectives - p.88

amsterdam city life - p.92 star beer guide - p.94 recommended - p.96

fi lm - p.99 trends - p.100spotted - p.98

health & well-being - p.102

Dutch happiness

Belgium – long-lasting Tongeren Spain – Girona blooms Stress

Bring back Prior Tongerlo Where is this in Amsterdam?

Room2c Space and timeWhere is this in Amsterdam?

Dairy: friend or foe?

‘A shot of wonder to the overall feel of the city’ ‘I seem to be all alone in this

neighbourhood’

technology - p.104

User Interface - Google’s new?

‘Vibrant aesthetic will be rolled out’

‘The wonderful delights that the kitchen of this region has to offer’

‘I never expected that Poznan could scream, jump and dance so hard’

Dam in 60 minutes! Java Eiland

Poland: Censorship, humans, robots and Gorillaz

Belgium – a relationship with fantastic food

FIFA World Cup 2014

perspectives - p.8

culture - p.36

lifestyles - p.22

sport - p.108

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The recently concluded World Cup proved to be a shot of wonder to the overall feel of the city of Amsterdam. We truly love football here and the excitement beamed to us from Brazil showing the young men of Oranje, their coach and technical team, was something special. Low expectations before the tournament got going, to making it all the way to the semi-finals. A truly excellent e�ort considering the perceived shortcomings of the team.

Sport, and this time it is football, has done it again. An entire nation spent most of June and some of July with broad smiles on their faces as orange the colour seemed to become synonymous with glory at key moments in Brazil. Ultimately it was not to be and the Argentineans somehow also did not deserve to lose. Someone has to.

The Sentinel is in step with most Dutch folk in thinking well done, and after the pain of not making it all the way is gone, we will content ourselves with the fact that we are happy here. Happy to be regulars at the top table of global entertainment and sport. Happy that we managed to party hard even if the city administration did not try to play better ball. Amsterdam is still sunshine and smiles in 2014.

by Denson Pierre

DutchHappiness

‘Orange the colour seemed to become synonymous with glory’

‘Happy to be regulars at the top table of global entertainment and sport’

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Dam in 60 minutes!

By Sam van Dam

Java Eiland

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Today I am taking you to a part of Amsterdam that I have never really visited before, the Java Eiland, a peninsula that is situated to the right side of Central Station. To kick-off our trip I start at the station itself and head over in the direction of the public library that sits on an exciting, newly developed area right in the heart of our city. I still remember the old Post CS building that used to be here - featuring Club 11 on the top floor - where I’ve spent many lovely days and nights with friends. There is nothing now left that hints at the former presence of that beloved and mildly ‘underground’ restaurant concept and party location. New buildings everywhere, lots of glass and mirror facades shine high into the sky, visitors and locals crowd the streets and the cafes and shops invite the strollers to come inside and sample their products. I turn left in front of the Hilton Hotel and pass beneath the train bridge together with a large crowd of cyclists and pedestrians. Beyond the bridge a breathtaking view opens up onto the IJ, the north of the city, and the train station that slurps up all the traffic and travellers and redistributes them to their final destinations.

There are a couple of giant cruise ships anchored behind the Bimhuis, itself the prime location for jazz music and other delights, and the long bridge that leads into the eastern parts of Amsterdam is full of bikes on the move. As I travel uphill, along the Piet Heinkade, I admire the many different architectural styles that make this area stand out; old buildings are combined with those new, often side-by-side or even on top of each other. The sun, in the meantime just reflects off the many glass windows and shiny steel elements. I turn left at Pakhuis de Zwijger and bike the span of the modern bridge to the other side, allowing me to fully

enjoy the view of what separates the city from the islands and the northern part of Amsterdam major. As I reach the end of the bridge, I notice a sign that indicates that the cycle lane is ending meaning I had to continue my journey along the street, among the cars, and it feels a bit odd. As I bike deeper into Java Eiland, the absence of a proper and demarked as apart, cycle lane baffles me somewhat. There is usually always a strip of paved roadway reserved for us environmentally conscious travellers; but maybe this is just the new municipal style? On my left there’s plenty of water and on my right I’m passing apartment blocks that each have their distinctive style and look, and considering that I am biking on the main road, I feel a bit frightened, I should really keep my eye on the road and not the skyline, but everything just looks so pretty. The area seems a bit deserted; there are no kids playing in the streets, I don’t see any pedestrians and only an occasional cyclist. I seem to be all alone in this neighbourhood. I take my time to let my eyes take in all of the interesting boats and buildings while stopping here and there to shoot photos and enjoy the silence and emptiness. After a while I hit the KNSM-laan and things get busier as I see some teenagers sitting by a big fountain that features a horse and jockey, a tram passes by, and after I weave through the smaller side streets I come upon Azartplein, where some folk dressed in orange are waiting for the Dutch team to start their World Cup match of the day. Kids are playing near the water, many beautiful houseboats are lined up next to each other and a general feeling of peace and calmness rests upon the whole scenery. From this side of the water the city appears to be ‘different’ and I can’t shake-off the holiday feeling, but then again, I didn’t try very hard. I cross another bridge and observe a group of tiny sailboats, steered by young, student-sailors make their way from one side to the other and back, while their parents stand by the water and cheer them on. A lady in a wheelchair stops next to me and we smile at each other as if to say “It’s a glorious day in our beautiful city, isn’t it?” before we both take off in different directions, she to the local shopping centre, and I back toward the big city that I hadn’t even properly left, but it was able to present itself to me from a refreshing and new point of view.

‘Things get busier as I see some teenagers sitting by a big fountain’

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‘I can’t shake-off the holiday feeling’

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‘Kids are playing near the water’

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‘“It’s a glorious day in our beautiful city, isn’t it?”’

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FROM ASPARAGUS TO MUSHROOMS AND BACK

This past June was time for a small tour through parts of Flanders - tasting our way through some of the wonderful delights that the kitchen of this region has to o�er along the way.

BELGIUM: A relationship

with fantastic food

‘The first thing that comes to you in a lovely, overwhelming way, is all the

beautiful food’

‘Explain the simple brilliance of the cuisine here’

By Dirkje Bakker-Pierre

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We started our food adventure in our all-time favourite city, Antwerp, where we eat one of our choice things - mushrooms on toast. It’s a signature Flemish dish that is actually the perfect example with which to explain the simple brilliance of the cuisine here. The Belgians know exactly what they’re doing, the food is straightforward, the recipes long-standing and everything about it exudes confidence. There doesn’t need to be any experimentation for the sake of it because the recipes are just perfect as they are. So, at every chance we get we tend to enjoy this cherished dish of lush mushrooms, freshly fried, sprigs of parsley, (olive) oil and some crisp, toasted bread; great every time. A perfect dish doesn’t need anything else but quality ingredients, a skilled chef and a lot of love!

This time round we enjoyed our mushroom fix at ‘t Hof van Eden, a very typical Belgian eatery which serves classic Flemish dishes to a wide, dedicated and regular crowd of locals. Enjoy a Bolleke as an accompaniment and feel right at home.

‘t Hof van Eden Groenplaats 11 Antwerpwww.thofvaneden.be

A SECRET GARDEN SURPRISEBroers van Julienne

Now, this is a really highly recommended Antwerp food experience! Vegetarian fare mainly, but they also serve a range of fish dishes. Broers van Julienne is the type of place where you take someone to surprise them, for a romantic dinner or birthday celebration. It’s such a special place, packed with atmosphere due to the authentic old building and the spectacular way they have decorated it.

On the evening we visited this unique place we had already tasted some great, new, Antwerp beer at ’t Pakhuis (Sentinel issue 5#13). On entering the place, the first thing that comes to you in a lovely, overwhelming way, is all the beautiful food displayed in big showcases and of course the intoxicating smells that come with it. Along with the appetising aromas, the splendid interior and the high ceilings, you right away know you were about to experience something di�erent. But it doesn’t end there; our table was located in the back garden, which reminded me straight away of the secret garden. Lush, green, sunny, flowery and utterly enchanting. All visitors found chatting softly in this magical ambiance.

The food is uncomplicated Belgian-vegetarian fare. I ate two types of croquettes (which are my favourite with almost any filling, making Belgium heaven for me as it is), the first batch filled with risotto and those that followed with artichoke… hmmm… food bliss! I then tried one of the many attractive looking oven-dishes, and given seasonality, I chose the one with asparagus. Everything very fresh-tasting with a pure, homemade touch; comfort food! This all combines with very reasonable pricing and an amazing entourage making for a great visit.

A place to cherish and tell all your friends about. Thinking about visiting Antwerp? Be sure to reserve a table at this welcoming restaurant.

Broers van JulienneKasteelpleinstraat 45-47 Antwerpwww.debroersvanjulienne.be

‘Everything very fresh-tasting with a pure, homemade touch’

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MICHELIN-STARRED CAR PARK IN THE SUNSHINE.

In Hasselt we were invited to visit “Proef Limburg”, an outdoor, upscale food festival showcasing top-quality restaurants from the region. Nothing less than 8 Michelin-starred restaurants were part of the line-up!

On a beautiful and sunny Sunday we take a taxi from Hasselt town centre to the food festival, somewhere beyond the easy confines of the historic town. Unfortunately, the location isn’t as upscale as the website and flyer would have you believe; later on we learn that it was actually a last-minute solution due to a change of mind by the city council. The car park where all of the luxury stalls were set-up could only be described as derelict and out-of-the way.

The super-friendly people, the great bites and delicate flavours, the di�erent beers and cocktails up for tasting made it a very pleasant visit somehow, but it is clear that the number of visitors was not great and that this in itself was clearly due to the location. You could not expect all of the chique, Hasselt crowd to hang-out on their high heels on uneven tarmac.

Despite all of that, we had a lovely time lounging in a few beach chairs, enjoying all of the di�erent flavours and fantastic weather; a wonderful summery experience and we dearly hope for the organisers that next time they find a better venue, because all of the delicatessens on o�er are well worth it!

ALL FOR ASPARAGUS

One of the great things about Flemish cuisine is that it is heavily based upon tradition, otherwise, it consists of a wide range of quality and traditional recipes. So, in the mussel season there are mussels everywhere, and now in the asparagus season... There are special asparagus menus everywhere you look. Each and every restaurant has them featured in seasonal, classic dishes.

The regularity of it all is very comforting to me, it just makes me happy to know that I can always count on finding numerous asparagus options during the season, it has been like that for a long time and it will be like that for years to come.

My favourite experience this time was an amazingly nice asparagus risotto (a modern twist!) which I tried at Hotel Century. This restaurant is clearly a big-time favourite in Hasselt and is busy all through the day and evening. They also happen to serve killer mushrooms on toast, so are a huge recommendation as far as we are concerned.

Hotel CenturyLeopoldplein 1Hasseltwww.thecentury.be

‘An amazingly nice asparagus risotto (a modern twist!)’

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AN ORIENTAL STOP ON THE WAY BACK

To conclude our food adventure we stop o� in Antwerp on the way back to Amsterdam to lunch at our all-time number one Chinese restaurant, located just a few minutes walk away from the central station. Many people don’t seem to realise that there is a huge Chinatown sat just there, with numerous authentic eating places and a broad o�er of oriental supermarkets and shops. Our stand-out choice, where we try to go each time we visit Antwerp, is Restaurant City Palace.

Upon entering this quintessentially Chinese restaurant, we were lucky to get a table in the huge dining area. Almost all of the tables are taken up by large groups of Chinese and a line formed just as soon after we sat down. We ordered some wonderfully vegetarian snacks that were unknown to us, like crispy fried noodle sheets and soft, silky sheets in a delightful dip. The experimental manner of ordering things we were not familiar with also brought us a bit of a yellowish jelly which tasted a wee bit too authentic, but I guess that two out of three is a bit of a success. After that we delighted in our favourite stacks of lush greens, plain white rice and exquisite tofu. This restaurant always delivers in superb taste and texture accompanied by the general enjoyment of observing the little cart rushing past the tables with highly-stacked and interesting looking dishes propelled by friendly sta�.

Restaurant City Palace Van Wesenbekestraat 31Antwerp

‘Our all-time number one Chinese restaurant’

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POLAND: CENSORSHIP,

HUMANS,

ROBOTS

AND GORILLAZ

‘Promoting the city and its culture to Amsterdam and the rest of the world’

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POLAND: CENSORSHIP,

HUMANS,

ROBOTS

AND GORILLAZ

‘Damon Albarn was headlining the festival’s closing concerts’

By Denson Pierre

The Sentinel was invited to return to Poznan during summertime as the organisation responsible for promoting the city and its culture to Amsterdam and the rest of the world, together with their partners on the ground, find us to be an open, honest and beautiful publication. This is some responsibility to shoulder when all we are doing is ‘our thing’ with dedication and creativity as fuel. It is though with this generally non-neurotic attitude that we leave ourselves open to the most interesting and often unexpected social adventures while travelling through cultures.

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It is worth mentioning that very early on during this visit I was reintroduced to the passion of the local community when it came to how they chose to show appreciation and somehow what the social mores dictated in terms of both historical and contemporary style and expression.

A mere two evenings before I flew to Poznan I happened to meet a young, friendly, European gentleman at a frequented, A-class drinking and socialising establishment within Amsterdam’s historic entertainment district. In no time at all he was to establish that I was due to visit what turned out to be his hometown. As much as he was happy that an Amsterdammer could be visiting his beloved city, he nonetheless felt the need to lecture me on what to look out for just below the surface of all of the beauty and friendliness he knows his city to be famous for. He described it as a bit of a ‘dark side’ in the thinking of those charged with administering the lives of Poznans (the Catholic Church, right-wing politicians and scared civil servants). Marek spent a good amount of time explaining what he could hardly intellectualise. He had been living and working in Amsterdam for a period of mere months and could not believe the di�erence it made to every aspect of his life. He reported that the city and the Netherlands had freed-up his thinking, and in so doing made it possible to better enjoy the ‘life force’ that comes with being encouraged to practice free thought toward being creative and productive. All

of this and I had not yet packed... Marek let me know that it was his thinking that the church was only able to spoil anything progressive that could possibly evolve in his city and to only do so by engaging blatant hypocrisy in the knowledge that so many of the local (and national) citizenry literally have the fear of god pumped into their psychology, and could be relied on to back any of the medieval dictates that occasionally sprung from Poznan City Hall.

Now, part of the reason for my visit was to make a report on the Malta Cultural Festival taking place across Poznan for the 24th time. Due to other work commitments and the World Cup I was only able to arrive on the final day of the festival but that seemed fine as I would eventually meet the organisers and do an interview to summarise key aspects and o�er some PR for future editions. It was also the case that Damon Albarn was headlining the festival’s closing concerts (29/06/14). Not a bad bit of planning as there was a new solo album [Everyday Robots] and Albarn is a fine A-lister to match the profile of such a festival. “Nothing could go wrong with this plan” I was thinking as I tried to ignore the slight choppiness across the skies of Germany brought on by a huge weather system producing disturbed air all the way from Amsterdam to Poznan. I was yet to land.

On landing everything went into overdrive. One of my first questions to my host from the local tourism

‘It is not possible to feel anything else but emotional and humbled’

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‘Local electro-dance duo – Rebeka!’

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promotion o ce was to do with how the overall festival had passed and how indeed had the rainy weather a�ected attendances etc. The diplomatic reply indicated that the entire festival had been guided into an existential crisis, somewhat. It was the case that a decision by a local administrator, maybe without him realising it, was indeed an act of censorship which ripped the spirit out of the entire festival. The decision made apparently stemmed from criticism of the central theatrical piece to the entire festival for having made use of reworked text from the bible and other unreligious references. This led to the cancellation of the performances **and set the debate about censorship alight not just in Poznan but nationally. You know a controversy has hit raw nerves in Poland when Archbishops are to be found at rallies. When the church comes to town in Poland today, not many other ideas can prevail. I will come back to this topic after my next trip to Poznan as for now the issues are too real for those finding themselves up against the establishment, having a very modern, if belated, and important argument.After this strange news we needed to get into the mood for the evening’s concert. I was taken past the leading beer cafe of Poznan [Basilium] for a re-visit and to have a swift best of Polish brew. To my utter surprise, I was directed to the large, creative display wall of the chique establishment where, in full professionally printed, framed splendour and central to the display, was a sample of the Sentinel piece I had put together

on Poznan from my first visit there during the autumn of 2013. Now, when this sort of thing happens it is not possible to feel anything else but emotional and humbled. It is so nice that the Poznans appreciate what we do and wish to even display it as art. It felt like coming home to a warm kiss and hug.

The GigPoznan has so many ideal venues for the many di�erent types of performance-based events. Now we were in this courtyard of the former gas works which had managed to maintain all of the exciting outer elements that are now so popular across Europe where all that was once industrial, turn of the twentieth century architecture and design is now in vogue. Soaring chimney stacks and gorgeous brickwork made for attractiveness set against the grey and weeping heavens. The venue (courtyard of the gas works backing onto tenement blocks) is cosy, cosy for a five-thousand strong crowd.

It often happens that support acts can seem like flu� to be dusted away while you busy yourself at the bar and surroundings of such a grand, outdoor concert setting. Not so here. We had local electro-dance duo – Rebeka! An exciting and tightly produced swerve through multi-instrumentalism, barricaded by banks of synthesizers, keyboards, samples and drum machines. It just makes you think of Heaven 17 meeting trip-hop by bypassing techno-dance music. Of course, the female-

‘A rather intimate portrayal of a successful musician and man in his forties having fun on stage’

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male dynamic makes you think of The Eurythmics. The female member of the duo [Iwona Skwarek], is surely an eye-catcher who invests the very enjoyment she gets from their own music into a physical message that you too should shake your ass to their many wicked beats. A pleasant surprise and I may well need to check out some more of their music as soon as I can. This could be a band to lead the Polish-wave into Euro significance.

Finally, I was to see Damon Albarn live. Albarn is an artist greatly respected by fans of pop/rock and especially those of his generation. He seems a really nice person who has shown movement and maturity through uncomplicated music over more than two decades, so ensuring that he has millions of fans around the world and across the many genres he has touched musically. Here in Poznan, I suppose even he had to be amazed that, though such a gig - following on from a recently released album - that his Poznan fans would already know most of the words to the numbers. This solo departure is naturally more downbeat from much of his previous work and with the happy, sing-along rapport soon established, it turned into a rather intimate portrayal of a talented, successful musician and man in his forties, having fun on stage together with his very accomplished backing band, to an audience completely sold previously on his charisma.

Nice, super-professional pop with a few atmospheric dashes through dub and reggae. Pleasant and fitting to the damp conditions and enough to even turn neutrals into fans. Oh, all of the serenity was abandoned when, per encore, Albarn was to return to the stage, Gorillaz mask and all, to introduce the Ghanaian rapper from Clint Eastwood fame. I never expected that Poznan could scream, jump and dance so hard to this super-classic from Mr Albarn’s locker.

The next morning it was mostly sunny and a stroll around Poznan was in order.

** malta-festival.pl

Partners on this press trip:poznan.travelpolen.travel/en/www.yezycekuchnia.pl

‘A physical message that you too should shake your ass to their many wicked beats’

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The Mediterraneanas it once was.

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long-lasting Tongeren

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By Denson Pierre

Recently I realised that even if I was to ask a Dutchman which was the oldest town of the Netherlands, I might not get an easy answer. It was therefore a pleasure to be invited to Limburg, Belgium, to what is accepted as the oldest town of that country – Tongeren.

long-lasting Tongeren

‘Everything in the right-sized packages’

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Tongeren is a cute, small place that makes for an ideal weekend break. Maybe benefitting from just being around for so long, there seems to be everything in the right-sized packages. It was not always like that of course, as back in the Roman times they considered Tongeren perfect as a base for imperial operations across the region. As is typically the case with Roman garrison towns, Tongeren ends on a hill overlooking plains and is skirted by a river. The layering of the city means that continuous archaeological findings make the town an absolute must do for lovers of the old and how it has survived into the new. The town is meant to have been recognisable since 15 BC and today is filled with the trappings of the modern world, nicely balanced through the care they have taken to preserve and incorporate historical features. The locals are not the most jaunty of the Belgians I have come across over the years but this could be because they are, despite their size, of the thinking that they need not be overly nice to visitors because they come along anyway. Tongeren has attractions.

It was nonetheless an opportunity for The Sentinel to check the suitability of Tongeren for visit by a typically culturally curious, fun-loving couple who also happen to be quality beer fans. We were honoured by having the director of the tourism promotion office as our ‘culture buddy’ for the two days we would report on. It all became easily recordable as with this being a town laid out for a very different age, there are lovely, interconnected walking tour options and the historic centre is of an easily manageable size. All you need to

do in Tongeren is walk about and you start absorbing a good time. It is atmospheric and you cannot help thinking, with just the right number of people about so that you do not feel trapped in a crush.

Our first walk took us around the town by starting off along the original river channel, checking out the beguinage, along the outline of the Roman wall, pass the medieval city gate and then to a wonderful private museum and traditional meeting place called: Begijnhof. Dropping in here is highly recommended as the story of how the owners first bought the monument for redevelopment only to realise that the gracious beauty of the original 17th century detail meant that the husband (he is an architect) could not bring himself to do anything but restore and furnish the great house to act as a not to be missed lesson about how things were for inhabitants just a few hundred years ago, at this very address. The husband and wife team are all into full, wholesome goodness, tradition and community telling the stories of their heritage. After touring the upper rooms you should really take at least an hour to marvel at the traditional crafts, scrumptious, rustic snacks and teas in the lower common room. This of course would not be Belgium if these masters of consumables did not craftily brew a special house beer to define such a complex, mysterious signature. In terms of a pint-sized, fully-loaded cultural stop to surprise company and yourself with; this little gem is the most cherishable mid-town stop-off imaginable. Go see them, UNESCO lists them.

‘An absolute must do for lovers of the old and how it has survived into the new’

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‘A town laid out for a very di�erent age, there are lovely, interconnected

walking tour options’

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‘How things were for inhabitants just a few hundred years ago’

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‘Roll deep into the night with great beer and funny stories’

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Next on your walk you could include a stop at the impressive basilica which stands watch over the city. With a newly funded archaeological dig and display development, it could be the case that when you get there you are able to view some of the most interesting finds anywhere in the Lowlands.

Next door to the basilica you will find a state-of-the-art and information-rich museum. The Gallo-Roman Museum offers a properly exciting, expertly curated, story of Limburg and Tongeren from pre-history to the end of the reign of the Romans. I find it worth mentioning that this particular museum is quite a feat of beautiful architecture and is actually the best example of a walk-through history with interactive and tactile complements that I have come across. All over Europe museums have been redesigned and laid out to better use technology in telling stories and have really shaken the dust off an exercise which could be faced with lack of interest beyond school visits due to what could be considered staid exhibits. It’s all changed.

There is no need on a Saturday evening, after having done cultural touring, to do much else in Tongeren than find one of the cosy specialist beer cafes and make a few stories. We opted to slip next door to our hotel (Ambiotel) where I had noticed a name that speaks to Amsterdammers as prominent. Cafe Rembrandt and its family man owner (Edgar), is a fine source for prowling around the best of beer. With the help of our host, what was meant to be a pass-by turned out to be a chance to observe locals taking in the last warm-up match of the

Belgian football team before they left for Brazil and to roll deep into the night with great beer and funny stories. It is a cafe to define what cosy, quality beer houses are meant to be like.

Tongeren rises early on Sundays for it is here that they have the world famous antiques market that simply astounds. It is not for the scale of the market – it takes over half of the old town and uses some purpose-built areas – but the quality of the material and craft on sale is simply from the top of any line. The class, variety and range made available means that if someone had an interest in antiques and the loveliness of the market atmosphere, then this alone should make Tongeren a must visit destination for exquisite, European cultural presentations in a handy nutshell.

Gallo Romeins museum galloromeinsmuseum.be

Begijnhof museumbegijnhofmuseumtongeren.be

Cafe RembrantVeemarkt 11, Tongeren

Tongeren infotongeren.be

‘It is here that they have the world famous antiques market that simply

astounds’

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Spain: Girona blooms

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By Denson Pierre

It was planned; after a break of a few days back in Amsterdam I was to return to Catalonia, this time to Costa Brava, to continue my familiarisation exercise with such a famous region of Spain.

Spain: Girona blooms

‘A more typical city tour in a not so typical city’

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This trip was also arranged for a press group from the Netherlands and was meant to be slightly more physically testing and likely to show activities that should be interesting to a more sporty or active potential visitor. Even so, we got started with a more typical city tour in a not so typical city during a period when it was in celebratory mood of the softest kind. Girona is a small city of less than 100,000 inhabitants but this is readily swollen by tourists from across Europe as it is actually one of those perfectly-sized, best-of-Mediterranean Europe stops which could surely satisfy a few days stay should you not be able to move house completely to this charming place.

Part of the easy and grand feel you get from Girona is one borrowed. It should not surprise you to learn that the entire morphology and layout of the city seems so ideal. Girona is historically a Roman city. It sits in an area once so strategically important during the pre-manned-flight frontier days that it is magnificently planned out. It ends on a hill overlooking expansive plains and the many centuries of fortifications and garrison has left behind an exciting open-air observation area. It is strange though that we all seem hardwired to always seek out the higher ground even if it offers little advantage these days apart from helping maintain good fitness levels in those keen to climb.

All effort was rewarded on this trip however, as our visit coincided with the lovely Temps de Flors festival. Throughout, across and even tucked-away in chambers on the higher reaches of the city, you can enjoy this perfectly set festival of flowers. It is all about installations that present the plants in imaginative and

original ways by using both obvious and nicely surprising angles to draw you in to the appreciation and manner in which they can be arranged to create an exciting or almost divine interaction within social space. It feels ever so more esoteric when you learn that this year’s festival was a dedication to the recently (2013) passed Maria Cobarsí. She was a fervent promoter of the entire festival, it’s routing and message to do with a gracious mix of the power of cooperation between the city and voluntary organisations. This year we were present during its 59th edition (10-18th, May). I suggest that it is as gorgeous a time as any during which to visit this compact, friendly city.

Seasons suggest a time to bloom for not just flowers that are decorative but also those that are edible. We were invited for a dinner by Girona City Council and I feel sure they knew that we would be of excited palates after having our senses both stimulated and caressed over a few hours touring their beautiful city. Their choice of restaurant rather blew me away as it was an expert take on the tastefully-designed-and-sensitive-to-the-need-to-exhibit-good-art concept. I felt like I was about to dine in a gallery. The food and wine was full of the art of taste that left us with an utterly enhanced impression of the entire Girona experience.

Partners on this leg of the press trip:

girona.cat/turismedivinum.cathotelgranultoniagirona.com

‘One of those perfectly-sized, best-of-Mediterranean Europe stops’

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‘An exciting or almost divine interaction within social space’

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‘Having our senses both stimulated and caressed’

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perspectives

There is someone called stress,  

    Who is the worst house guest, 

     Try at all cost not to invite her into your home for when she leaves, you are left with less. 

    She comes disguised looking like she has come to bless,  

    Ignore her, she is a thief and a pest, 

    Her motive? To rob you of your peace and rest,   

    Steal your health and leave you in a mess,  

    Make you depress.  

    It is not good to hate but she is one person you should detest,

    For your sanity’s sake keep her away, it is for you best.

Stress

by The Observer

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classifi eds

For complete and world class tours of Prague

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*These are detailed tours designed for visitors who wish to explore with great detail and not suitable for simply sight-seeing tourists.

Day segments and rates:PR: 08:00-12:30hrs / AG: 13:30-16:30hrs / UE: 17:30-21:30hrsAll sessions are priced at u 25 per single adult. Group size upper limit = 8. Accompanied children under the age of five are gratis and school aged children pay 25%. Family package rates are negotiable.

Contact:Jaroslav Cernosek+420 602 228 797Mail: jcernosek@centrum.cz

JC Tours

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BRING BACK:classifi eds

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BRING BACK:

With all of the unexpected fun which they say must have brought a few extra million euros to the hospitality and supermarket economy of Amsterdam during the recently concluded, orange-flavoured World Cup, there is room for improvement toward the next time. It is an age-old issue from both sides with proprietors and ‘fair weather supporters’ not really knowing how to behave during emotionally charged, match-day events in establishments.

First of all, it is the bane of regular football fans and fans of TV-football in bars and restaurants to have the predictable, over-exuberant crowd turn up for matches involving a team they can be said to have something to do with. Sometimes this outing is only meant to, even if devoid of any true personal interest, ‘support’ their partner, intended partner or most desperately, the o ce night out. This no doubt creates extra atmosphere in terms of numbers but because these people are not used to sport viewing in bars they tend to bring their worse, inconvenience-forming, view- and waiting channels -blocking behaviour to a public space where random adults are packed in tightly.

Dutch folk are pretty tall these days and can have an attitude manifestation in which they pretend to simply not ‘see’ you or note your position in relation to having a clear view of a TV or large screen. They will just stand or sit in front of you and then feign ignorance

or upset if you were to tell them that part of the ritual you have practiced means being early to a venue to buy into a good seat and view. Usually they move or adjust themselves so that they are not a nuisance but too often these interactions take place in alcohol-fuelled and excitable situations. The ‘Dutch’ attitude and disrespect often leads to an aggressive face-o� because somehow it seems these ‘irregulars’ have never been trained in the art of making bars into stadiums and in so doing, keep everyone simply happy with a clear line of vision to the screen (and audio if they would just shut-up about everything else but the football on show).

Bring back proprietors and floor sta� having a full understanding that if the focus and reason for the crush is the football on screen(s), then it is their responsibility to make sure patrons follow some sort of sitting or standing arrangement that helps avoid these flashpoints, which could get quite nasty, pretty quickly. ‘Irregular’ football fans, or those who just like the idea of the excitement around the big tournaments should also realise that during high-profile matches is not a good time to arrange dates or dinner with an intention to impress family, potentials or colleagues while surrounded by a majority spending good money to enjoy the football broadcasts and typically raucous beer.

By Denson Pierre

FOOTBALL TRAINING

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Star Beer

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star beer guide

A Trappist blond which has had little di culty scaling the summit for its type of beer in the short time since being launched in 2009. There have been multiple, major awards and this all should be of little surprise as the brewer is from the very first-class.

Prior Tongerlo is an ideal mid-session high-point beer (alcohol content-wise) that really ought to be taken in a specialist beer cafe or bar. There is a magic trick to do with this beer whereby it reproduces two complementary drinks from the one bottle, but to pull it o� you will need the right beer tending professionals and certainly the correct glasses. A pure treat.

The challenge for you now is to find cafes of beer excellence, serving this tasty and robust special with the due care and attention to fun detail.

Prior Tongerlo is brewed by Brewery Haacht, Boortmeerbeek, Belgium

The SentinelStar beer guide

‘It reproduces two complementary drinks from the one bottle’

By Denson Pierre

PRIOR TONGERLO (A.B.V. 9.0%)

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RECOMMENDED

Cafe Oporto 09/07/14 (Netherlands 0 vs Argentina 0

[2- 4 penalties]

We fi nd the best, most fun, most typical, exciting, or local favourite restaurants etcetera in Amsterdam and bring them to you; an easy way to feel like a local.

Café WesterdokSome of the very fi nest and rarest of beers available anywhere in the world. The warmest Amsterdam welcome.Café WesterdokWesterdoksdijk 715A Amsterdamwww.cafewesterdok.nl

Connoisseurs Delight

Café Westerdok

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EUROGIFTSXenonweg 9 3812 SZ Amersfoort

Tel. 033 - 454 35 75 - Fax 033 - 454 35 79E-mail: �lmproef@eurogifts.nl

Website: www.eurogifts.nl

FILMPROEF

ORDERNUMMER: 6021022ARTIKELNUMMER: 65123

Ware grootte (indien uitgeprint)Kleur opdruk : Wit

Mulligans Irish Music BarAmsterdam’s best address for live Irish music: Five (5) nights a week! Check our agenda for upcoming sessions. Amstel 100 1017 AC Amsterdamwww.mulligans.nl

Café KostverlorenCafé Kostverloren is a contemporary cafe o� ering the cosiness of a saloon, an open kitchen and the intimacy of a living room. The large terras is great for sunny days.2e Kostverlorenkade 70 Amsterdamwww.cafekostverloren.nl

GollemGollem’s Proefl okaal, Gollem and Gollem II represent the best addresses serving the fullest range of top Belgian, Dutch and international beers in Amsterdam.Overtoom 160-161 Amsterdamwww.cafegollem.nl

IncantoA restaurant with a classic Italian kitchen. Venetian chef Simone Ambrosin is known for his pure and simple style of cooking with great feeling for nuance.Amstel 2 Amsterdamwww.restaurant-incanto.nl

Cafe restaurant EdelCafe restaurant Edel is the perfect place for lunch, dinner or to simply enjoy a drink. Edel is a unique place in Amsterdam.Postjesweg 1 1057 DT Amsterdamwww.edelamsterdam.nl

Café OportoCafé Oporto is a traditional Amsterdam ‘brown cafe’. Welcoming tourists and regular customers alike, they o� er televised sports, wifi and a wide range of reasonably priced beers and spirits.Zoutsteeg 1 1012 LX Amsterdamwww.cafeoporto.net

BaxA cosy and friendly local café with a focus on special or interesting beers and good quality food.  Open 7 days a week with a professional kitchen o� ering a lunch and dinner service.Ten Katestraat 119 Amsterdamwww.cafebax.nl

To be seen and tasted Fun, Drinking & Music

To Be Seen and Tasted

Fun, Drinking & Music

Fun, Drinking & Music

Connoisseurs Delight

Connoisseurs Delight

To Be Seen and Tasted

Fun, drinking and music

ParckGreat fun, beautiful people and simply the best bar food in town!Overtoom 428 Amsterdamwww.cafeparck.nl

To be seen and tasted

Cafe de Toog1890’s grandeur fashioned into Amsterdam-West, grand, brown cafe-restaurant-cool. Classy drinks and meals.Nicolaas Beetsstraat 142 hs Amsterdam www.cafedetoog.com

Café Rose Red - You will not see and sample a better selection of the very best of European beer elsewhere.Cordoeaniersstraat 16 Bruggewww.caferosered.com

Cafe-Restaurant Du CapA spacious and tasty helping to the Mediterranean vibe within Amsterdam’s new ‘West End’ entertainment district. Kwakersplein 2 Amsterdamwww.du-cap.nl

Molly Malone’sAn Irish pub as it should be and a home away from home! Cosy, friendly, and with its very own character!Oudezijds Kolk 9 1012 AL Amsterdamwww.facebook.com/pages/Molly-Malones-Amsterdam/293030997411277

To be seen and tasted To be seen and tasted

97recommended

Where is this inAmsterdam?Answer to: sentineldesk@gmail.com

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Room 2cfi lm

The creator of the original graphic comic book has vowed never to view this movie. Zack Snyder manages to bring some of the moral, atomic fear to the screen in this alternate take on 1985 with a cast of very ‘normal’ superhero stars.

Guaranteed to encourage you to read-up on historical matters touched upon in the background, while the action sequences, though violent and hyper-real, are extremely well done.

“It reminds me of Beethoven... can you hear it?” Intense action from the go as Jean Reno menaces as a professional hitman with deep-rooted scruples.A girl narrowly escapes being killed by criminals who do murder her entire family. Can she convince Leon to teach her the arts of the hit to avenge them? Cocaine, corruption, chewing gum and a few guns.

A tour de force of writing and direction by Luc Besson.

By dpmotions

By dpmotions

The Watchmen (2009)

Leon: the professional (1994)

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trends

‘We want to know where our food comes from and how it is grown’

By Dirkje Bakker-Pierre

Filtered coffee, the return of vinyl records, WiFi-less café’s, home grown vegetables, knitting, a packaging-free supermarket, the rise of hand-crafted products, all the major lifestyle trends of the moment seem to be about a more human, less technologised lifestyle.

We seem to want to go back to basics, we want to know where our food comes from and how it is grown, AND we want to cook and chop things ourselves. More and more people appear to prefer the scratching and bumping sounds of a record on a turntable over perfectly rendered digital sound.

Knitting and sewing clubs are popping-up all around us, away with all the factory stuff, we want to use stuff that we have made ourselves, by hand, stuff with a soul; if it’s a cuddly toy or an unevenly knitted jumper, it doesn’t have to be perfect as long as it is not plastic or from a factory somewhere. It’s no longer unusual to come across a young person on a train journey all concentrated and at work turning a ball of wool into something useful.

We prefer a weirdly shaped capsicum to a neat, square, supermarket sold example, if possible with some

uneven colouring. Tomatoes grown in hothouses by the millions, we all agree are watery and tasteless, so we fill our balconies, roof terraces, window sills and public spaces with miniature allotments. Every square centimetre that is available can be utilised.

There is a general longing to be more in touch with the actual stuff that things are made of, to not be 10 steps removed from the end product on our plates or in our wardrobes. There is a genuine desire to be less wasteful and more in touch with the world around us. We bike or use public transport instead of driving cars, we bake cakes and cookies and make jams and condiments and preserve them in recycled jars.

At the same time, of course, we have the time for making all these things because we wash our dishes in a dishwasher and we work super-efficiently on the newest laptops and own lots of other handy, time saving tech products and gadgets. We use technology when we need it or find it useful, not just because it is there. We ease our lives and create space to knit our own organic, woollen iPod cover, which we can show off with pride and well, if people like it, we might knit more and sell them through Facebook, or Etsy, or e-Bay, because we read on our iPad that handmade products sell, right?

Space and time

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It seems like a very complex subject when it comes to milk and milk products. I grew up in Lithuania being told that milk is good for you and almost the sole source of calcium and other required goodness. However, it seems like with changing times milk has changed as well. It’s not the same as we were used to when the way from the family ‘pet’ cow to your table was much shorter. Milk and milk products are highly processed foods nowadays however. In fact, dairy, along with soy, wheat, eggs, tree nuts, and shellfish is one of the top food allergens a�ecting the population.

Certain dairy products can o�er a decent source of nutrition for those who don’t su�er from lactose intolerance or casein (the protein in dairy) sensitivities. Yet it is a very trying situation to actually find milk which is traditional or organic. The usual recommendation is avoiding normally processed or pasteurised dairy products entirely otherwise the best options are in this order:- No Dairy at all - Raw, fermented dairy (yogurt, kefir)- Raw, high-fat dairy (butter, cream)- Raw milk & cheese- Organic, hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy

Dairy: friend or foe?

By Evelina Kvartunaite

–

‘Milk and milk products are highly processed foods

nowadays’

–

In Dr Mercola’s article, The Milk Myth, he explains the following: The words “milk” and “calcium” are often used interchangeably in the popular press. But while milk is a calcium source, no standard other than that of the National Dairy Council considers it the best calcium source.

The suggestion that you need to drink three glasses of the secretion of a cow’s mammary glands in order to be healthy is a bit outrageous and doesn’t fit the human evolutionary profile. In fact, most humans around the world cannot easily digest cow’s milk.Yogurt has more calcium than milk and is easier to digest. Collard and other greens also have about as much or more calcium than milk by the cup. Greens, unlike milk, have the added benefit of vitamin K, also necessary for strong bones. Sesame is also very high in calcium.When you measure calcium by cup of food product, milk is high on the list. When you view it by calorie, though, milk is at the bottom. A hundred calories of turnip greens have over three-times as much calcium as 100 calories of whole milk.

So all in all this is not a tale of bad and good milk, just an invitation for you to consider all aspects and make up your own mind!

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health & well-being

–

‘Outrageous and doesn’t fit the human evolutionary profile’

–

–

‘Collard and other greens also have about as much or more calcium than milk’

–

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health & well-being

A few weeks ago, Google held its annual I/O conference, dedicated mostly to developers. It is the time of the year when Google announces what they have been working on and what ‘homework’ developers have for the next 12 months.

Beside unveiling its ‘L Developer Preview‘ for Android (which is the next version of Android), it also unveiled a new “visual language” called Material Design. The vibrant aesthetic will be rolled out across all of Google’s platforms, including Chrome OS and the Web, creating a unified look that binds all of its products together.

The flat design throws in splashes of bright colour to reflect a lightweight, welcoming look. Animations have been tweaked to make the experience more playful, while ensuring the maximum amount of content is always visible.

Google o�ers the following introduction:“Design is the art of considered creation. Our goal is to

UserInterface

Google’s new

‘A new “visual language” called Material Design’

‘A unified look that binds all’

‘A lightweight, welcoming look’

By Andrei Barburas

satisfy the diverse spectrum of human needs. As those needs evolve, so too must our designs, practices, and philosophies.

We challenged ourselves to create a visual language for our users that synthesizes the classic principles of good design with the innovation and possibility of technology and science.

This is Material Design.”

Here are the nine principles that Google created for its UI refresh:

Material is the metaphor A material metaphor is the unifying theory of a rationalized space and a system of motion. Our material is grounded in tactile reality, inspired by our study of paper and ink, yet open to imagination and magic.

Surfaces are intuitive and natural Surfaces and edges provide visual cues that are grounded in our experience of reality. The use of familiar tactile attributes speaks to primal parts of our

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technology

brains and helps us quickly understand a� ordances.Dimensionality a� ords interactionThe fundamentals of light, surface, and movement are key to conveying how objects interact. Realistic lighting shows seams, divides space, and indicates moving parts.

One adaptive designA single underlying design system organizes interactions and space. Each device refl ects a di� erent view of the same underlying system. Each view is tailored to the size and interaction appropriate for that device. Colors, iconography, hierarchy, and spatial relationships remain constant.

Content is bold, graphic, and intentionalBold design creates hierarchy, meaning, and focus. Deliberate color choices, edge-to-edge imagery, large-scale typography, and intentional white space create immersion and clarity.

Color, surface, and iconography emphasize actionsUser action is the essence of experience design. The primary actions are infl ection points that transform the whole design. Their emphasis makes core functionality

immediately apparent and provides waypoints for the user.

Users initiate changeChanges in the interface derive their energy from user actions. Motion that cascades from touch respects and reinforces the user as the prime mover.

Animation is choreographed on a shared stageAll action takes place in a single environment. Objects are presented to the user without breaking the continuity of experience even as they transform and reorganize.

Motion provides meaningMotion is meaningful and appropriate, serving to focus attention and maintain continuity. Feedback is subtle yet clear. Transitions are e  cient yet coherent.

While on paper these principles sound interesting and make sense, it remains to be seen how fl uid and attractive they will be on the multitude of devices that Android runs on (according to the Google Play Developers console there are roughly 5,000 devices).

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fifa world cup 2014

Philipp Lahm

Omar Gonzalez

Ron Vlaar

Tim Krul

FIFA World Cup 2014

Phew! What a tournament that was. First of all I would like to thank the correspondents who managed to get so many of the predictions in The Sentinel up to such, well-researched levels of accuracy. A tiny personal apology to German football fans as I personally and categorically forecast that they would not win the World Cup...

With this piece I am choosing to highlight a few players who made the tournament most exciting and surely have attracted youngsters to consider football. As adults we are oftentimes too taken up with wins, losses and controversy and tend to forget that kids are attracted to sheer brilliance and eccentricity and then go on to try to emulate or master things they have seen on the pitches of Brazil.

This is not a team of the tournament but a sample of those who properly entertained us this time around.

Photos:(GK) Tim Krul(DEF) Omar Gonzalez, Ron Vlaar, Philipp Lahm(MIDF) Arjen Robben, James Rodriguez, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Paul Pogba(FWD) Alexis Sanchez, Thomas Mueller

Time to catch our breath and start the build-up to Russia 2018.

By Denson Pierre

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fifa world cup 2014

Omar Gonzalez

fifa world cup 201411

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Neymar

James Rodriguez,

Lionel Messi

Arjen Robben

fifa world cup 2014111

Thomas Mueller

James Rodriguez,

Paul Pogba

Alexis Sanchez

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