Dutch Royals Visit South America: March 2003

[Jacqueline]

Dutch queen visits town founded by immigrants from the Netherlands
Thu Mar 27, 2:49 PM ET

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on Thursday visited a rural Brazilian town in a region settled by Dutch immigrants more than 50 years ago.

Accompanied by her son Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his Argentine-born wife, Maxima Zorreguieta, Queen Beatrix visited Holambra, a southeastern town of 10,000 inhabitants.

The first Dutch immigrants arrived in Holambra, some 155 kilometers (100 miles) from Sao Paulo, in 1948.

On the fourth day of her five-day visit to Brazil, the queen also visited a a Catholic Church-run center that cares for underprivileged children infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS.

On Friday, Queen Beatrix plans to visit colonial remains in the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife, such as the Dutch-built Fort Orange.

Dutch Prince Maurits van Nassau in 1637 took control of the then-most important region of Brazil around Recife, where he modernized the city and the sugar cane plantation industry. The Dutch were expelled by Brazilian-Portuguese forces by 1654, but some Dutch architecture and culture has survived in the area.

Article From: Yahoo News

[Mandy]

3) A hat & flowers for Julia & Jacqueline :)

5) Something for the future!?!

6) A picture is worth a thousand words.

9) Is W-A holding a baby pacifier !?! And grinning like that!?! I tried zooming on the article but to no avail... my vision is not as good as it used to be. So what are your hits or misses!?! All in fun of course!!!

10) They do seem happy about something!?!

11) Does she have a secret!?!

Pictures from RexFeatures.

[Julia]

Hi Mandy!

Thank you for the wonderful photos. :) Maxima looks truly happy. I think that being back in South American must agree with her very much. W-A and Beatrix look terribly proud of her in these photos. I think she must be taking to her royal duties with great aplomb.

I wish I could tell you that W-A is holding a pacifier but it looks, to me, like a small MP3 or something.

Thank you Mandy for all of the great pics!

[Jacqueline]

Thank you for the pics Mandy!. :)

Julia, I agree with you completely. I think that Maxima is extremely happy to be back in South America-a little homesick and this trip may have done the trick. She looks fantastic and so relaxed. :)

[Josefine]

Picture from www.polfoto.dk

Picture from www.polfoto.dk

Picture from www.polfoto.dk

Picture from www.polfoto.dk

I am sorry, the clothes that Maxima has been wearing of late are not very flattering in my eyes. I mean red and brown - and what's up with that gold suit (U.G.L.Y. ) While I am picking a bone about her - can someone tell her to do something about her hair, everytime I see her she looks like she needs her hair washed. The ends need to be clipped, I could go on and on. :(

[Jacqueline]

Originally posted by noor76@Apr 20th, 2003 - 3:24 pm
I am sorry, the clothes that Maxima has been wearing of late are not very flattering in my eyes. I mean red and brown - and what's up with that gold suit (U.G.L.Y.* )* While I am picking a bone about her - can someone tell her to do something about her hair, everytime I see her she looks like she needs her hair washed. The ends need to be clipped, I could go on and on.* :(

Well, it certainly isn't anything to apologize about. Some of us like different things. I love the combination of the strawberry and the chocolate brown, because it is different to me and I like different things. However, I don't think that just anyone could pull off that particular combination along with that of the gold suit. It is really better suited to individuals with a particular skin coloring, height, and of course personality. I guess that what I like about Maxima's sense of style is that her choice of colors reflects the personality surrounding her amazing smile and also her Latin heritage. I think that she makes excellent fashion choices that reflect her own personal likes and her personality. It's obvious that not many people could wear the things that she wears. Honestly, I think that ordinary clothing and colors along with combinations would not flatter Maxima as much. It simply wouldn't be her. She would appear very frumpy and that doesn't seem to be who she is.

I don't think that her hair looks like it needs to be washed. I don't find that it looks dirty. But, at times it doesn't always look at great as it could. I think that it is a matter of the fact that Maxima seems to have several shades of highlighting in her hair and it is somewhat misleading at times. Actually, it appears to me that very rarely does Maxima's hair seem to look the same-coloring or texture. It may be a bit over-processed. I think that a nice trim would get it to grow more and perhaps thicken it a bit and make it look much healthier. I think that it is much easier to see the flaws, of course, when she wears her hair down. However, she really has very lovely hairstyles when she decides to pin her hair up IMO.

[thissal]

What I see as the problem is not Maxima's choice in colors or style, but her own coloring is not good -- something seems labored about her as if she is in physical pain. I don't get this impression from any of the other royals currently, so maybe it's not just my imagination. She should get her circulatory system checked for starters.

[Alexandria]

I agree Jacqueline, I think some of Maxima's more "colourful" outfits could only be pulled off by her. I think the neutral and pastel-coloured suits look lovely on Maxima, just as they do on Mathilde of Belgium. But by the same token, I don't think Mathilde could pull off the brown and strawberry coloured dress or gold suit Maxima has been able to. Maxima just seems to have a certain flair in her personality to pull them off and carry them well she does!

[paulette]

I think Maxima looks good on her dresses because she knows how to carry herself but I disagree on the way she chooses the colors even though if the styles are magnificent because she should also think that 2 colors should really go together not just to pick colors that are not good for her...

[Jacqueline]

Originally posted by paulette@Apr 29th, 2003 - 8:44 pm
I think Maxima looks good on her dresses because she knows how to carry herself but I disagree on the way she chooses the colors even though if the styles are magnificent because she should also think that 2 colors should really go together not just to pick colors that are not good for her...

I don't really believe that this in this day that two colors actually "go together." I personally adore the strawberry and chocolate combination-very different, but looks wonderful on Maxima. I find it to be pleasing to my eyes. It reminds me of a chocolate covered strawberry! I think that depending on the style and cut of an ensemble along with that of its accessories that many colors that one may not dare to pair with one another can look fantastic together. There are very few limitations IMO. Of course, certain people will always be stuck in a rut of conservativeness and matching things together relentlessly (If they like it, then good for them), but I find that there is something great about pairing things that do not normally go together (or doing what has yet to be done or not done in a while). I have found nonconformity to be one of the most important marks of some of the greatest and most successful designers along with that of those who are considered to have maginificent personal styles.

I disagree that the colors that Maxima have chosen are no good for her. I do not think that anyone else could ever wear those particular colors and look good wearing them. It would be very difficult for anyone else to do so. Maxima has the coloring and the personality to wear her clothing very well.

I also disagree with the person who said that her coloring was a bit off. I am sure that Maxima has days like most of us when she may not have gotten off on the right foot in the morning or may have had a long night (or is simply having one of those days-I call them my "Slow Motion Days" ), however, I do not find her to appear ill. I think that her coloring is very nice. It has changed a bit IMO (she is a bit lighter), but she looks fine to me. I wouldn't say that anything concerning her appearance has made me think that her health would be in jeopardy.

[Josefine]

how many state visit was it on this travel?