THE HAGUE---DON'T BE VAGUE!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM


Daniel Mantz taking a leak in the canal. When he becomes Emperor of Europe, this photo will haunt him for sure

Daniel Mantz, Angie, Raphael and Gloria Mantz at Animal Farm outside The Hague, Holland

Daniel Mantz checking out the goats

OF GOATS AND BARNYARD ANIMALS, CANAL ROWING AND WINDMILLS

Today, 30 June 2012 Michael Mantz took Daniel, Gloria and Raphael Mantz, Angie their nanny and me to Animal Farm in the suburbs of The Hague or Den Haag in Dutch for a day's outing.

It was such a lovely day though dark clouds gathered as we rowed a rented boat (5 euros for 1 hour) on a canal with 3 historic windmills standing conveniently nearby! 


Daniel mimicking a rooster

Daniel Mantz practising Formula One


Gloria practising her equestrian sport

Merrying around

Checking out the pigs

Smelly!

Still smelly!


Raphael not too keen


Gorgeous view of the 3 windmills by the canal where we rented a boat

Reminds me of a Vincent Van Gogh painting!


Even more reminiscent of a Van Gogh painting!

Or a Cezanne waterlily pond

Angie and her charges

This was one of the boats we rented 

So lovely the setting!

Scenic or what

Daniel, Gloria, Raphael and Angie their nanny

Like father, like son

Windmill on my mind


Kee Hua Chee, Gloria, Raphael and Angie

 Touches of Vincent van Gogh and Cezanne's water lilies

Father and son fishing

When a man has to go, a man has to go!

All done!

Kee Hua Chee, Gloria, Angie and Raphael Mantz


More of the same

The sun got into his eye

Charming Dutch custom; the school bag is hung up high on flag pole upon completing High School!


the end

I AM IN AMSTERDAM!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

I AM IN AMSTERDAM!


Angry!  l love this photo of Gloria, darling daughter of Princess Becky who showed her displeasure when her mother tried to remove her Iphone! Look at her fabulous frown!

Nathalie Dekker, Miss Netherlands 2012, Kee Hua Chee and Christian Mantz

Nathalie Dekker (Miss Netherlands World 2012) and Christian Mantz

Kee Hua Chee and Nathalie Dekker, Miss Netherlands World 2012

Nanny Verwey-Nielen Miss Netherlands 1976 and Princess Dr Becky Leogardo

No, Miss Netherlands World 2012 is not digging her nose!

Kee Hua Chee and Christian Mantz

 Michael and Christian Mantz, father and son

BELOW ARE IMAGES OF GLORIA MANTZ IN BAD MOOD








I ARRIVED ON 28 JUNE 2012 ON MALAYSIA AIRLINES, THE BEST AIRLINE IN TERMS OF SERVICE AND COMFORT, DESPITE THE HEAD WINDS AND TAIL WINDS IT IS ENCOUNTERING WHICH CAN BE RECTIFIED IF THEY MAKE ME MANAGING DIRECTOR.

Actually I am staying in The Hague but it does not have an airport and uses Schipol Airport as it is 40 minutes drive from The Hague, 30 if you speed a bit.

I am here with Princess Dr Becky Leogardo as someone has to pay Malaysia Airlines to fly me here as apparently the tickets are not free. I also need to be fed and watered and taken sightseeing plus a roof over my delicate head. So we are staying in the townhouse of Michael Mantz, the lawyer husband of Princess Becky.

Her entourage consisted of 5; me, her twins Gloria and Raphael and their 2 maids as God forbid Princess Becky and I would ever soil our manicured fingers changing soiled nappies. Or even dressing them up or tying their Louis Vuitton shoe laces or making their milk.

We arrived at 6.30am and after lunch went shopping in The Hague's main shopping street and bought next to nothing! Princess Becky managed to buy a dress from Mody Mary but everything else was as boring as yesterday's beer.

On Friday 29 June we all drove to Amsterdam to the main shopping street called Pieter Cornelius street. Incredibly, considering KL is so far down the rung compared to the ancient historic city of Amsterdam, there is only 1 Louis Vuitton, 1 Gucci and 1 Prada boutique whereas in KL there are 3 Louis Vuitton stores! And KL is not exactly Paris either! So in the glamour stakes, we are really much ahead as the Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Prada and Ferragamo stores in KL are much bigger than the ones in Amsterdam. The Louis Vuitton boutique in Amsterdam is really a poor cousin to the KL's big brothers!

Anyway there was nothing, absolutely nothing, worth buying in the LV store so we gave up and hightailed to Hermes which is one third the size of Hermes Pavilion. 

I demanded, on Princess Becky's behalf, to buy 3 Birkin handbags and was told there was none in stock. So I had to seduce Marcel Altenberg, Jeroen Brouwer and manager Bianca before a brown crocodile Birkin was finally produced! 

We almost fainted from orgasms as it was a lovely new colour and at 31,200 euros, an absolute steal compared to what Hermes Pavilion KL charges! 31,200 euros is about RM 125,000 whereas Princess Becky was forced to pay RM 172,000 for her purple Birkin in Kuala Lumpur! And the boutique also forced the poor dear to buy tons of porcelain plates and other stuff no one ever buys just to be in the loop! If I were Hermes, I would stop producing everything else and concentrate on making Birkins and Kellys! 

I mean, who ever buys a Hermes saddle or ash tray or shoes? Perfumes OK but why flog a dead horse when the queue to buy Birkins is 43.2 miles long?

So Princess Becky got her third crocodile Birkin and 16th Birkin bag. All due to me which is probably the main reason she pays for my trip. 

The savings between an Amsterdam Birkin and Kuala Lumpur Birkin is around RM 47,000 and that is excluding 14% VAT! So the total savings is around RM 52,000! 

A normal Birkin in calf leather in Paris sells under 6,000 euros or RM 24,000 whereas in Kuala Lumpur it is at least RM 36,000! Why the discrepancy is beyond me but those in the know fly to Europe for European designer goods for good reason! You get the same item plus a free luxury holiday! 

Anyway I am surprised anyone ever bothers to buy a designer item in KL or Asia as whoever can afford an European designer can afford a MAS ticket to London, Paris or Milan.

And I had never been offered champagne in Hermes Pavilion! Here in Amsterdam I was drowning in champagne at Hermes boutique and ditto for Valentino which offers superb service like couture coffee and designer cookies on sterling silver tray.

Ferdinand, the manager of Valentino is half Indonesian so he is always partial to us folks but don't speak Bahasa Indonesia to him as his command of this great language is terrible. 

There is always a little corner where sales items are offered, from 30% to 40% so don't be shy---ask to see the sales items. Many if not most of Valentino's past seasons' collections never arrive in Starhill which has been downsized due to the exorbitant prices but here in Europe they are not so heart-attack inducing. Ferdinand is not the snooty, snobbish and irritatingly arrogant sort but is very friendly, charming and easy going and all designer managers should be like him.