http://www.spacetrekkers.fcpages.com/
As I also mentioned, we have now moved. Not far but just to the next town. Over here, we had to move even the light fittings and all sorts of things. But we finally did it. After having a lot of trouble finding a place to rent that is. Private rentals over here are through the roof unless you are signed up with a rental agency who gets you a place at a more reasonable price. However, the waiting lists for these are extremely long and we only had several weeks to find somewhere and move. So we had to go private and are now paying 1900/month just on rent. It was quite a worry there for a couple of weeks because we couldnt find a place big enough for all the stuff that we could afford. We eventually found this place and we both love it J It is very small upstairs and no room for a guest room so I think we will have to get a sofa bed but other than that it is fabulous. Oh and the kitchen is pretty small and I only have these 2 spaces about the size of a sink each as my bench spaces. We have a proper laundry which is rare in Holland (most have their washing machines in the bathroom), a big attic that we dont really need to use (it is one that uses the pull down stairs), the tiled floor downstairs has floor heating and gets quite warm, there is a huge garage out back that could fit 6 cars (needless to say that we have it full at the moment), a nice area for bbq’s, a little cellar, and a huge fully enclosed grass backyard (another rarity here in Holland). It is also a free standing house!!! We love it but dont intend to stay here for too long. Next year we are going to look at buying in Belgium where houses are much cheaper and bigger. The Belgian town we are thinking of is only about 10-15 minutes from where we are now and much closer to Hans’ work.
I have now seen Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Keukenhof Tulip gardens, and I will also have to include Hans’ birthday party and bbq in this letter as they were a real cultural experience too. Everything is done so differently here and I am still discovering so many cultural differences. Mind you all these things are now quite a while ago since it has been so long since I wrote but anyway.
First, Amsterdam! I finally got there earlier in the year. All I can say is I cant wait till I get there again. I absolutely loved it sooooooo much. Even though it was just a shopping trip with some of the girls and I didnt get to see any of the museums but one or I didnt see the red light district or go on a canal ride or anything, the city itself was magnificent. It is so old and cosmopolitan at the same time. The houses and buildings in Amsterdam are really funny to see as they are gradually sinking and they all lean over. It is something to see to believe but it is like every building there is a leaning tower of Pisa or something. And it is so noticeable. You walk along some of the narrow streets and you think the buildings are going to fall over on you. Quite an experience! Amsterdam is so old yet you walk down some of the streets and it has all these trendy cafes and restaurants and places like Hard Rock Cafe and flashing neon lights. You think it would clash with the old surroundings but it tends to lend to the atmosphere and feel of the place. I loved it sooooooo much. There is a square we walked through that has the Royal Palace along one side and it really is spectactular to see the palace just there on the edge of the square, no fence or anything. The only museum I got to see that day was the one the other girls thought would be best for me to see. You got it…..the sex museum. Only in Amsterdam!!! It was quite an eye opener but very interesting history wise with some things there dating back to the middle ages.
The day was mostly spent shopping though. We went to all the expat stores including the American Book Store, Marks and Spencers, this big English bookstore, and this really terrific tiny grocery store that sold all kinds of foreign products including cream of pumpkin soup which I paid about 6NLG for. They also had vegemite which was about 10NLG for a tiny 100g or so jar, tinned sponge pudding, turkish delights, salt and vinegar chips and all kinds of other goodies. All I bought there though was the soup as it was all sooooo expensive. Things were much, much more realistic prices at Marks and Spencers where I managed to get such goodies as Hot Cross Buns for Easter (Hans found these very interesting), English muffins, salt and vinegar chips, honey bacon chips, and best of all, crumpets, and Hans really liked the crumpets too J It was the first time he has tried Hot Cross Buns or crumpets. I also managed to find a bookstore that sold new books really cheap (ones that hadnt sold for a long time in the stores) so I got several star trek novels too. This was good because I hadnt been buying any books with the prices of them over here. A typical plain paperback novel in English is about 30 guilden. I managed to get them for 9 each which was a huge bargain. So I have actually had something to read lately J Amsterdam has this huge flower market there too, I think it might be everyday. We had a walk around it and some of the flowers were so wonderful. It was full of tulips and all kinds of other beautiful flowers.
The cafes in Amsterdam dont deserve their reputation. We stopped at 3 different cafes for a drink or lunch during the day and saw no evidence of any drugs or anything at the cafes. They are just normal cafes although I think you can probably get drugs there. The drug scene isnt anything like the reputation it has. Mind you, that day was the first and only experience I had of it when you could smell it as you walked along the streets and on the train but otherwise I havent seen any evidence of it in the 18 months I have been here. I think the reputation comes from the fact that drugs use is legal but this can have its benefits. The mayor of a city has authority to close coffee shops which do not meet the strict conditions. Their methods do seem to work in reducing drug related crimes and rehabilitating addicts. There is also more drug users in France than here.
Anyway, I just adored Amsterdam and cant wait to see more of it. I really would love to see Anne Franks house, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, and go on a canal ride. I did get to have my first tram ride (yes they still have trams) here though. And talk about crowded! But they are definitely a cheap and easy way of getting around Amsterdam.
Rotterdam I wasnt overly enthused about when we went in May. It is very modern and probably not much different to Brisbane and I really wasnt over impressed. The reason it is so modern is because it was literally flattened by bombing in World War 11 and had to be completely rebuilt. There are some old areas and old buildings here and there but the city centre itself was very modern. I had a really terrific day though and loved all the things I saw J There is really way too much to see in Rotterdam as it is just full of museums too and we really only got to see the one museum. We didnt even have time to see the Euromast which is the same basically as Sydney Centrepoint Tower but we were walking around sightseeing from about 9am to 5pm apart from when we stopped for lunch. I was sore for about a week after, covered in blisters, and totally exhausted. You need a few days to just scratch the surface of Rotterdam.
An Australian friend here, Tiina, met us at the train station in Rotterdam and off we went sightseeing. Our first stop was the Delfste Poort. Old Rotterdam used to be surrounded by a moot and there were 10 gates which were part of the city’s defences. As the city grew, most of the gates were demolished to make way for the expanding city. 2 of the last 3 gates were demolished in 1854 and 1856. The only remaining gate, Delfste Poort, was one of the gateways to the city from the 14th century and it was also flattened in WWII. However, an architect erected a modern metallic poort in rememberance on the exact site of the old Delfste Poort. You walk through it and they have displayed, parts of the original gate.
Our next stop was the Rotterdam markets and St Laurens Church. The street markets were HUGE and about the biggest in Holland. I particularly loved them as there were several vege stalls that sold butternut pumpkin. Of course we had to get two which Hans carried all day in the backpack then J There were also several flower stalls that sold Australian natives. There were Banksias and even whole bunches of Kangaroo Paws. I was totally amazed! St Laurens Church was fabulous and we stopped for coffee in the church canteen too. It is a gothic church built in the 14th and 15th centuries. It also was bombed in the second world war but restored to its former glory. The huge bronze doors were absolutely magnificent as were the three Marcussen organs, the largest one is the largest mechanical organ in Europe. It is not only a typical church but also hosts lectures, concerts, and other cultural events.
After our refreshing coffee it was on to the cube houses which really are something different. The cube houses are modern architecture in an old part of the city and people actually live in them. There is quite a lot of them and they are cubes tilted so they are standing on one corner. One of the home owners has opened his place up for people to look around and it certainly was an experience. They are very disorientating at first and you get pretty giddy when you look out the window. All the furniture for them has to be especially made too so that it fits. The cube houses are a famous landmark of Rotterdam. The houses are on the edge of Oude Haven (old harbour) which is a popular cafe and restaurant area and very picturesque.
Afterwards it was time for my first ever subway ride on our way to the historical area called Delfshaven. Tiina thought it was hilarious how excited I was about a train ride but it was definitely an experience for me. I insisted on having my photo taken in the subway station J The trains are tiny and wouldnt be any wider than a bus. And talk about noisy! But they are a fast way of getting around the city. Only Amsterdam and Rotterdam have the subway I think. Delfshaven was more like Amsterdam and very historic. I loved it although it is apparently the rough part of the city with a lot of weird people. All I was interested in though was the fact that this is where the pilgrims left from to settle America. We found the Pilgrim Fathers Church and although it wasnt open to the public, some people at the church said we could have a quick look if we wanted. So of course we did. It wasnt spectacular or grand like St Laurens Church but it was real special. This is where the pilgrims set sail from on the Mayflower. I could just imagine the pilgrims walking the streets all those years before and it was real special.
The day we went to Rotterdam also happened to be an open day for windmills in the country. Just down from the Pilgrim Fathers Church was a working flour mill windmill. We went up although I did not like the very steep and tiny steps which basically aren’t much more than ladders. It is several floors high in the windmills but they only let us explore the first four or so. This was real interesting. And it was a beautiful view from the verandah like thingy they have about half way up J
We then had to find somewhere for lunch which was easier said than done. All the restaurants around Delfshaven either only opened for dinner or only catered to organised tour groups and functions. I think it was probably because of it being a poorer area. So we caught one of the trams (tram not train) back to a nice cafe Tiina knew and had a wonderful lunch out on the terrace. Afterwards, Hans and I went on to explore the maritime museum. Rotterdam is by far the largest port in all of Europe and even the second largest of Europe only does about half the workload. It also has a rich maritime history. So you can only imagine how fabulous the museum was. The Maritiem Museum Rotterdam is entirely devoted to the port and shipping in the past and the present. The museum consists of two parts, the main building and the outdoor museum with as main attraction museum ship "Buffel". This vessel, a former ironclad turret-ram of the Royal Dutch Navy, dating back to 1868, has been almost fully restored to its original state: the upper deck, fully fitted out; the officers quarters and the Captain’s cabin, furnished in style and the decorations fore and aft. Along the harbor basin an outdoor museum has been set up with large objects and maritime workshops. We really loved this museum. And afterwards we met up with some good friends from Den Haag for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. It was the first Mexican I’d had since arriving in Holland and boy did I enjoy it!
For my birthday, Hans planned a really special day and boy was it special! First we picked up our friends Paula and John and off we went to Kuekenhof, the famous tulip gardens. They were absolutely incredible!!!!! It was tulip season and the tulips were in full bloom. It was so breathtaking. The colours and the work, it was fabulous. I just dont know how else to describe it. It is definitely a magical place and the arrangements are beautiful. There is also a windmill there, lookout over the surrounding flower fields, and pavilions of orchids etc. The gardens are only open in April and May but they also have a summer garden in summer, except it is other flowers and not tulips at that time. After Kuekenhof, Hans drove us to Scheveningen (I hope I have spelt that right?). It is on the coast near Den Hague (where the Dutch parliament is) and is a tourist beach. We had dinner at this gorgeous restaurant out on the end of the pier looking back at the beach. The pier is a long enclosed one with shops in there and everything. The pier and beachfront reminded me of something you would expect to see at California or somewhere and I cant think of anything it would be like in Australia. It was sooooo wonderful and I really enjoyed it so much. That part and the dinner was a big surprise he had been planning and refused to tell me about J I loved it! I would have liked to spend more time there but it was so cold and windy so we didnt get to walk around much. Maybe I will get back there again soon.
Hans birthday was a month later and I organised 2 parties for him. The first one was a surprise party with some of our expat friends. John dressed up as the grim reaper and stood right inside the door when Hans came home from work. It was soooo hilarious!!! That was such a fun day. It was Hans’ 40th so we also organised a bbq for family and close friends. This was a cultural difference. For example, we went shopping at the butchers to put our order in for the meat, and Hans went along picking out all these fancy marinated meats etc. I kept telling him “what about some plain steak for burgers” but was just about laughed out of the shop. I had to go to the supermarket on the morning of the bbq to get a bit of plain steak for me J When we put our order in at the bakery, he also wasnt going to get any breadrolls but instead wanted to just order several french sticks. I definitely changed that and made sure he also got some breadrolls. They definitely do things differently here. While everyone was eating their plates of fancy food, I went ahead and made my breadroll up with the plain steak, tomato sauce, etc. Marty came in and said “is that how they do things over there?” He said he was learning things too, it was so funny. It never ceases to amaze me how different the cultures really are and I would never have expected that. For example, they dont really celebrate 40th birthdays here but when you reach 50, WATCH OUT! They then call you Abraham or Sarah, depending of course on whether you are male or female. Big signs go up on the front of the house, all the cards and gag gifts have Abraham or Sarah on them, etc, etc, etc. Oh I am going to have so much fun in 10 years when Hans reaches 50 but I think I will make sure we take a trip to Australia for my 50th.
Birthday parties are also very different over here. They are like a traditional custom like xmas and have set guidelines. They are nothing like parties back in Oz. First, guests can arrive at any time of the day or night, as the party is usually an ongoing thing and people come when they can make it. When a guest arrives, they first have a cup of coffee and a piece of vlaai. Vlaai is the Dutch birthday cake and is like a huge fruit tart or topless pie or I am not sure how to describe it other than it is delicious and comes in any number of varieties. After Vlaai and coffee, snacks are put out and usually consist of spicy nuts, brie and other cheeses with crackers, among other things. This is also when you will start on the colder drinks. The party atmosphere is very different with everyone sitting in a big circle and nobody gathers in little groups. Music isnt a big thing but you will probably have some background music. And alcohol isnt that big a thing either and nobody really gets drunk or anything. Like I said, a very different kind of party.
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