Squidoo lensography

If you have Dutch ancestors and want to find out more about them, you will be pleasantly surprised about the wealth of information that is freely available on the internet. In this lens, I will guide you to the best places to find your Dutch ancestors online.

We married in the summer of 2008 in Tacloban City, the Philippines. It was a filipino wedding with all the bells and whistles: barongs, filipiniana dresses, a large entourage, arrhae, chord, veil, candle, and all the other attributes. The theme of the wedding was Filipiniana, the motif burgundy and gold. The groom had a burgundy barong, the bridesmaids beautiful burgundy dresses.

When I visited the Prado gallery in Madrid in 2003, I stumbled upon Goya's black paintings. I was impressed by the dark, haunting images and probably spent more time here than at the paintings I planned to see. In 2006, I transformed the notes I took into blog posts, and later an article series on my website. This lens introduces the black paintings and my article series.

This lens introduces you to five places in Holland (or The Netherlands, as my country is officially known) that you must see: Your trip to Holland is not complete without them. The five excursions can easily be done on daytrips from Amsterdam.

This lens won a purple star award.

In the Philippines, just outside Tacloban City, is a hill with the name Calvary Hill. On the slopes of Calvary Hill are groups of statues depicting the stations of the cross. It follows the traditional stations, from Jesus' condemnation to His entombment. There is one extra statue on top: Jesus arisen from death. Follow me as I climb Calvary Hill on my way to the arisen Christ.

In the 17th century, the Dutch republic became an economic and military superpower. It was also an era in which Dutch science and arts blossomed. This era is usually referred to as the Dutch Golden Age. All art forms flourished in this era, but the Golden Age is especially remembered for its painters. Artists like Rembrandt, Johannes (or Jan) Vermeer, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter and Frans Hals all painted their masterpieces in Holland in the 17th century. In this lens I introduce what I consider to be the ten greatest masterpieces of the era. At the bottom of the page you get the chance to vote for your own favorites.

On our way back from Sulangan to our base in Tacloban City, we made a small detour to visit Balangiga, a small town in the south of Samar.

From the New Netherland settlement to the post-war mass emigration to Canada and Australia, for almost 400 years Dutch emigrants have tried to find a better life in the New World. Reasons to emigrate were diverse - fleeing the law (or the in-laws), searching for religious freedom, adventure, but above all looking for prosperity.

I made this page because I work hard on my Zazzle gallery and my photos, and wanted a fun way to reach new people like you. Here's the link to my Zazzle Gallery. Head on over and look around: http://www.zazzle.com/henkvk.

In the Philippines, on the island Samar, near the town Sulangan, is the shrine of San Antonio de Padua (Saint Anthony of Padua). Pilgrims from all over the country flock to the shrine to pray to San Antonio, and to ask for his intercession. My wife has made the pilgrimage twice in the year before our wedding, from her home on the neighbouring island Leyte. A few months after our wedding, when we visited the Philippines, we went to Saint Anthony's shrine together. This lens is a squidoo'd version of our travel account A pilgrimage to Sulangan, on our website.

What do you give someone who has everything already? Simple: You give him (or her, of course) something unique. Below a few tips that are guaranteed to make anyone happy.

Do you have Dutch roots? Do you know everything about Dutch genealogy and Dutch emigrants? Take this short quiz to find out! If you have read my other genealogy pages you should know the answers.

A travel account of a trip through France, from Paris via Nantes and La Rochelle to Pau. We follow in the footsteps of the famous French king Henry IV (Henri IV in French), the Huguenot who became Catholic to become king of France. We start in Paris, where we visit the locations that played an important role in his life and in the history of the Huguenots. Then we move to Nantes, where the king signed the famous edict. Next we visit La Rochelle, the Huguenot bastion. And we end in Pau, Henry's birth place.

I'm not a photographer, but I do like to carry a camera with me. A small point-and-shoot camera that fits in my pocket. And although I can't compete with experienced photographers with their expensive SLR cameras, my photos often do come out quite nice. This page shows a small selection of some of my favorite photographs. I will add (or replace) photos from time to time, so if you like my photos do bookmark this page and come back soon!

Do you want to decorate your house a little bit different this year? Looking for a finishing touch for your decorated home? This page shows five sets of unique Christmas decorations that are guaranteed to make your home look great this Christmas!

During office hours Henk van Kampen is a software engineer, in his spare time he writes about genealogy and cemeteries, about art and literature, and sometimes about the Philippines or the Netherlands. This page introduces you to a selection of Henk's articles on the web.

After our wedding we spent a few days on the beaches of Panglao, a small island off the coast of Bohol. We did not do much, except for one single excursion: a one-day highlights tour of Bohol.

A selection of lenses by Henk van Kampen. For more articles by Henk see this lens. Note: This page is aimed at Squidoo lensmasters. If you are not a lensmaster (or don't know what that is), read Henk van Kampen instead.

A selection of calendars based on the photography of Henk van Kampen.

Are you looking for an original Christmas card? On this page you find some unique Christmas cards based on the photos of Henk van Kampen. All cards can be ordered as-is, or customized with your own greeting.

The goal of this lens is to introduce the Trace your Dutch roots website, the premier Dutch genealogy guide on the internet.

Make your iPhone 4 and your iPad stand out from the crowd with these unique designer cases.

Oliebollen (singular: oliebol) are basically deep-fried balls of dough, sometimes with raisins - think donuts without the holes. They are served with powdered sugar.Traditionally we eat them on New Year's Eve. Many people make their own (and if they do you can often still smell the oliebollen days later in their kitchen), but in the last few days of the year they are also widely available from bakeries, supermarkets and market stalls.

Poffertjes are a traditional Dutch treat. They are a kind of tiny pancakes, made of batter baked in a special poffertjes pan. In this lens I share the recipe with you.

A beautiful Paris wall calendar, available from Zazzle.

As I am married to a Filipina, I have visited the Philippines several times. Our base is always Tacloban City, but when possible we visit a few other places too. Below is my bucket list of ten places I must see in the Philippines. I will create a lens on each place we've already visited.

The 2011 Philippines wall calendar is the perfect Christmas gift for any Filipino! Twelve great photos of Manila, Cebu, Boracay and many other places, by photographer Henk van Kampen. If your Filipino friends are from Leyte, they will also enjoy the Tacloban City wall calendar!

Holland is tulips and windmills. The 2011 Dutch landscapes calendar has both, of course, but we also have a Dutch windmill and tulips wall calendar! This calendar is the perfect gift for a Holland fan or someone with Dutch roots. Talking about Dutch roots, our Wilhelminakade wall calendar would make a fabulous gift for someone whose grandparents were Dutch immigrants!

In December, we celebrate three traditional holidays: Sinterklaas, Christmas, and new year's eve. I'll tell you how we spent these holidays here in Holland first. After that, it's your turn: Please share your family's December holiday traditions below in the guestbook.

An index to the traditional Dutch recipes found here on Squidoo. If you always wanted to bake (and eat) a Dutch apple pie, stroopwafels, oliebollen, or poffertjes, or you just want to know what it means, you have to visit this lens!

Sun and sea, glamour and jetset, but also history and culture, the Bahamas is a tropical paradise. If you've been there, these calendars will bring back memories. And if you have not been there yet, you will still the great photographs by Henk van Kampen.

A cruise is not for old people anymore: With entertainment, education, swimming pools, restaurants and bars on board, and almost every day another exotic destination, cruises nowadays appeal to young and old. And whether you are a regular cruiser, only did one cruise, or are still dreaming of your first cruise, you are guaranteed to enjoy this beautiful cruise wall calendar.

What better place to relax than the beach? For most of us it is not always possible to visit the beach, but with the beach wall calendar, with great photographs by Henk van Kampen, you have an entire year of beach fun.

I'm Dutch, and many of my lenses are somehow related to Holland (a.k.a. the Netherlands): From Dutch genealogy lenses to Dutch recipes, and of course a travel lens with tulips and windmills. In this lensography I present an overview of my Dutch lenses.

In the Philippines picture postcards are often hard to find, and the choice is limited, so you're better off ordering them in advance and taking them with you if you plan to send your loved ones postcards from the Philippines. Of course they also make great pasalubongs (souvenir gifts) for Filipino's abroad. Most cards are available as postcards or as greeting card, and fully customizable with your own message or greeting.

My wife is Filipina, so I've visited the Philippines several times (we even married in the Philippines). So it comes as no surprise that several of my Squidoo lenses are somehow related to the Philippines. This page gives an overview of my Filipino lenses.

A collection of great picture postcards and greeting cards from Cebu City in the Philippines, showing Cebu highlights like the taoist temple or the cross of Magellan. The cards are fully customizable with your own message or greeting. Photography by Henk van Kampen.

Boracay island is a tropical paradise in the Philippines. Sun, sea, palm trees, pristine white beaches: It has everything you expect from a tropical paradise island. It is, unfortunately, discovered by the tourist industry, so the island is a bit too developed and can get busy, but it is never very crowded, and the bars and hotels are not visible from the beach - the buildings are low and hidden behind the palm trees. On this page you find a collection of great picture postcards and greeting cards from Boracay. The cards are fully customizable with your own message or greeting. Photography by Henk van Kampen.

A collection of beautiful greeting cards for Saint Valentine's day, designed by Henk van Kampen. All greeting cards are fully customizable with your own message, Valentine greeting, or love poem. Click on your chosen design to order.

Tacloban City is the largest city and economic center of the Eastern Visayas region, and the capital of the province Leyte. On this page you can find a collection of great picture postcards and greeting cards from Tacloban City and surroundings, showing highlights like the McArthur landing monument or the San Juanico bridge. The cards are fully customizable with your own message or greeting. Photography by Henk van Kampen.

A collection of great picture postcards and greeting cards from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. All cards are fully customizable with your own message or greeting. Photography by Henk van Kampen.

Looking for a birthday gift for a Filipino friend? A Christmas gift for your Filipino staff? Or a beautiful souvenir from the Philippines for yourself? Have a look at these special mousepads, with great photographs of the Philippines by Henk van Kampen.

Looking for a birthday gift for a friend with Dutch roots? Or a souvenir of your recent trip to Holland for yourself? Look no further: These beautiful mousepads with Dutch scenery by Henk van Kampen are just what you need!

This page is an overview of the lenses (that's how we call webpages on Squidoo) highlighting cards by Henk van Kampen: Picture postcards of exotic destinations, or special greeting cards for special occasions.

Make your Apple iPad stand out from the crowd with these unique Philippines-themed cases. These iPad cases make great birthday or holiday gifts, especially for your Filipino friends!

Make your Apple iPhone 4 stand out from the crowd with these unique Philippines-themed cases. These iPhone cases make great birthday or holiday gifts, especially for your Filipino friends! Photography and design by Henk van Kampen. Note: These cases are currently available for iPhone 4 only!

The first part of this page contains flower cards based on photographs by Henk van Kampen. All cards can be customized. Add your own greeting or message, for example. The cards are for sale at Zazzle. Further down this page is a selection of great flower cards for every occasion by other artists. New cards are added all the time, so check back often!

An overview of my lenses that received one or more SquidAngel blessings.

SquidAngels are Squidoo volunteers that seek out great lenses and give them a little boost in the Squidoo rankings. I'm flattered that so many of my lenses are considered great and worthy of one or more blessings. Thank you SquidAngels!