Coco Maria

Ok, a user-error on the system has left me all out of synch!! I was backblipping and somehow a picture of Ulrich got assigned to the wrong day...Here's the first of two shots from one of my favourite places, the Coco Maria, in Veenhuizen, northern Holland. This place has an unfeasible amount of love in it and is run by the mightily eccentric and intensely charming Hein & Jittie. Their style is impeccable and this place a photogrpher's dream! They booked us into the Bitter Sweet Hotel, room 13: part of Vernhuizen Prison as-was. Another magical place, its minimalist decor contrasting wildly with Hein and Jittie's fairy-infested, polka dot haven. The Coco Maria is so special it's aura has spread to the outlying area: on the way here we passed a field of quietly grazing wallabies.
The gig was great- definitely the year's highlight for me. An attentive full-house of 100 or so in a barn heated by a wood stove, drinking mulled wine and hot apple juice. Outside, small fires burned in a snowy courtyard, making the air smell warm and cosy. I love it that in this area people seem to always give us standing ovations and that they smile with a slow blink that seems to come directly from the heart.