Beauty of self-assembling, complex mineral nanostructures

Mind-blowing micro-photographs!

http://www.sciencemag.org/site/multimedia/slideshows/1234621/index.xhtml

Amsterdam & Keukenhof

Here are some photos from a recent trip to Amsterdam (in order to diversify colors, they are mixed with pictures of flowers - mostly taken at the famous Keukenhof tulip park).

Cafe talk about our visit to Keukenhof: 

- Sir, do you like flowers?

- well ... My wife does, and I like my wife, so ...

How many names of tulips do you know? Before coming to the park, for me it was just one word: "tulip". In total there are 7 millions flowers in Keukenhof... Big Smile, Chopin, Orange Emperor,  Cool Chrystal, Calgary, Lilac Wonder, Buster - all these are names of tulips in the park. 

All stairs inside houses are very narrow, thus each building has such kind of feature near its roof - to move furniture and other heavy stuff. Perhaps, it explains why there were not so many famous pianists from this city :)

Girls' best friends? (Diamond museum)

Nail polishing in Amsterdam Zoo

World Press Photo 2013 - strongly recommended photo-exhibition about our mad world (it is held just in the middle of Red Light district in a church, between sex shops, marijuana coffee-shops and other typical realities of Amsterdam).

Amsterdam Library

Readers' cells

Cannon

For those who does not know: Holland had powerful, very powerful fleet.

The only memorable thing that I have learnt in the Rembrandt's house was a fact that color powders were mixed with an old piece of sausage... (one older than 50 years is used for demonstrations).

 This drill was used by Russian tsar Peter the Great for brain operations ... (Hermitage museum). 

Perhaps, this exhibition was the most interesting one for me in Amsterdam this time... He came to Amsterdam, learned everything he could (not only ship-building, but also an art of tooth pulling), returned back to Russia and built the second Amsterdam, St. Petersburg, fleet and modernized Russia.

Peter the Great: 

"My own life I deem of no importance; what is important that Russia lives in fame and favour."

Voltaire:

"Peter I made Russia, before him Russia did not exist." 

Жилые дома-лодки

Finally, some historical background about Holland in 17-18 centuries (which impressed and influenced Peter the Great so much): at that time Holland was worldwide trading empire, probably the most civilized nation in Europe. Home to great scientists (Huygens, Leeuwenhoek), artists (Rembrandt, Vermeer), and philosophers (Spinoza, Descartes). World's leading publisher in many languages (there were more than 400 printers and booksellers in Amsterdam alone). [Simmons, 1992]