Pavlik_NL's VirtualTourist Home Page

Picture title:

"What's that over there, papa?"
"That, my son ... that is the world ... and it's there for us to discover!"

Hi there,

Irina came from Russia, represented the East
brought a while of happiness, that at least
Paul is from Arnhem, a true flying Dutch man
travelled a lot in Europe, America and to Japan
Ilja is our pride and joy, came forth from her and me
is curious like father, knows there's a lot to see
So to The Netherlands we also welcome you
I'll show what to see, how to visit, what to do
In English, German, some Russian, French and Dutch
Welcome to you all, let new friendships enjoy us much

Wish you were, would or will be here,
Ilja & Paul

These pages are from:
Ilja Daniëls, Russian-Dutch, born in Arnhem on 23-10-2001
Paul Daniëls, Dutch, born in Arnhem on 13-01-1968

Well, to be honest, I do not like to talk about myself so much, but ? maybe some favourite-listings can create a personality around the mystery (-:

It is all about travelling at Virtual Tourist, so I am in luck and can start out with my most intensive hobby:

Top three "been there's"
1. Japan
2. Russia (discovered regions)
3. South Western United States
In The Netherlands and especially my hometown Arnhem I feel at home from which I want to discover our great and wonderful world.

Top three "wish to be"
1. Nepal
2. Russia (Kamchatka)
3. New Zealand
As travelling now is limited by another great journey in my life: my girl Irina and our newborn son Ilja (23-10-2001), I have more time to spend with them and attending to other hobbies. My hobby to write travel reports (also on VT) and correspondence to friends is now slowly making progress (I had fallen behind in this). Further I can spend time with music, films and books again. So let's add them on the lists

Top three "music"
1. "Freudiana" from an outsider Alan Parson's Project
2. "Forbidden Colours" from David Sylvian and Hruichi Sakamoto
3. "Who wants to live forever" from Queen
Music is more then a hobby, it's a passion. As John Miles sung, I can also sing "Music was my first love ? and it will be my last." With music belongs dance and that too is a thing I love to do, in particular latin and ballroom, though I am not the biggest star in it.

Top three "films"
1. What dreams may come
2. Joyeux Noel
3. The Breakfast Club
Science Fiction is, if there is more then just special effects, a genre that holds my preference outside the three already mentioned films.

Top three "books"
1. George Orwell's "1984"
2. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings"
3. Frederik van Eeden's "De Kleine Johannes"
Furthermore I admire Jules Verne's books and love to read any travel book about future destinations.

Irina has in her life seen many environments. Born in Majkop, the Adegian (autonom state within Southern Russia) capitol, she grew up in Azerbaidjan. The later teenageyears were spend in Donetsk (Ukraine) after she also spend almost a year in Blagoveshenks na Amur (the Russian Far-East). Then she lived some years in Krasnodar, which is actually rather close to the place where she was born: Majkop.
We met and she came with me to Arnhem, The Netherlands. But never left the past behind. Adapted, but also did not, and after eight years left again. Alas ...

Ilja is our pride and joy. Born on the 23th of October 2001 and since then he is the middlepoint of my life. It's quiet exhausting to have and hold him, but every effort is worth it and he gives so much pleasure with every little step he takes, every little new experience he does and every little development he goes through.

That he hopes to be the next Virtual Tourist-member as soon as he can work with a computer might be concluded from the travels in the first year of his life. In his mothers belly he went already through Germany, Austria and Italy. When he was out he took his grandmother to see Düsseldorf (Germany). His parents were demanded to show him Antwerp, Gent, Brugge, Oostende and Brussels on a tour through Belgian Flandres. In the early summer he desided that Paris should be discovered and on the way back he made his father stop in Epernay (capitol of the Champagne) and Luxembourg. Then he got intrested in his Russian family and we went for a full month to Moscow and Krasnodar (South Russia). Proove enough that a new little "globe-trotter" is there.

More pictures will appear in the enclosed picturebook on this homepage, buts also on picturebooks that will be reached through URL's underneath:
Ilja's third year
Ilja's fourth year
Ilja's fifth year
Ilja's sixth year
...

Here I will add some links that make navigating through my pages a little more easy (I hope). In between my most favourit past destinations are few that have a more personal nature (history of my family or places that had a big impact on my life and who I am). For those who want to find out more about this Pavlik_NL:
My hometown Arnhem with on it links to our surroundings. Also from this page you can navigate easily through personal pages about my youth, Ilja's growing up and many more pages of Arnhem and vicinity that just couldn;t fit anymore on the main page.
Elden, village within the town and close to our home, where I show some more about us and especially Ilja
My homeland The Netherlands and it's capitol (well, officially at least) Amsterdam
Irina's town Krasnodar in Southern Russia and highlights in it's "Kraj"
Birthplace of my mom's in the province Limburg: Heythuysen
The birthplace of my father in province Northern Brabant: Bladel
The town Boxtel in the same province, where I (re)discovered myself.
The country that (now) has my full attention: Belgium! Where my most explored place is Ieper (and surroundings) as well as Antwerpen

Travels are great, especially to meet new and familiar faces. While going around, never forget "getting there is half the fun".
After I spend a decade of having the great opportunity to see far away places (Japan, America, Russia), now these travels belong to the impossibilities as for our little son. But the soul still longs to discover and thus we decided to look around. How pleasantly surprised one can be, when finding the most magnificent places, right in your back garden! Added to this are the opportunities I get through my work (organising expositions) I always try to combine pleasure and business by visiting a special place nearby. It is sure that my pages will grow within the following countries The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany first. Our holiday this year brought us back to Russia, where we visited Irina's family's hometown Krasnodar and the Black Sea coast.
Krasnodar
Sochi
Krasnaya Polyana
Dagomys and
Adler

Finally: my Nice page is ready, the final work from our Cote d' Azur holiday (2003).

Finally: my Vienna / Wien megapage has it's pictures on it. It was a romantic shortbreak of Irina and me in 2003.
Picturebooks of our Italy holiday also will start appearing: Lago di Como.

Furthermore I am continously updating my Hometown Arnhem page but this process might take forever.

My humble appologees for my absence in mail and forums, but above all for the long duration that the building of new pages take. Sadly enough I just do not have the time to finish them yet, as in our family the priorities lay within the family. Even though it is my utmost wish to find 36 hours within a day to create tips about my latest trips within the Netherlands, as well as to Italy, Germany and Belgium

Travelling and discovering new places is still my favourit hobby, but an enormous pile of pictures is waiting to be placed on virtual-tourist. Therefore, I simply will place a list here about spots I have (re)visited intensively and about which everyone who's interested can post questions in my mailbox of VT.

"Still to do high priorities" :
full reconstruction of my hometown Arnhem
Nice (holiday 2004, still over 100 pictures waiting)

"Still to do" in the Netherlands :
Enkhuizen (79 pictures)
Keukenhof (65 pictures)
’s Hertogenbosch (91 pictures)
Amsterdam (many extra pictures and tips plus Sail 2005)
Alkmaar (73 pictures)
Rotterdam (104 pictures)
Oudewater (54 pictures)
Roermond (68 pictures)
Den Haag (55 pictures)
Muiden (14 pictures)
Haarlem (67 pictures)
Gouda (69 pictures)
Utrecht (first 43 pictures taken, adding another 40)
Ambt Delden (28 pictures)
Apeldoorn (13 pictures)
Efteling (50 pictures)

"Still to do" in Belgium :
Antwerpen (extra tips and photos)
Gent (88 pictures)
Kortrijk (94 pictures)
Roeselare (33 pictures)
Torhout incl. Wijnendale (29 pictures)
Brugge (117 pictures)
Oostende (extra tips and photos)
Liège (75 pictures)

"Still to do" in Germany :
Cuxhaven (43 extra pictures)
Kleve (adding few tips and photos)
Anholt (27 pictures)

"Still to do" in Italy :
Lago di Como (35 pictures)
Bellano (32 pictures)
Bellagio (32 pictures)