Friday, June 20, 2008
Biking in the Netherlands
I wanted to leave you with a rather amusing link on bicycle trends in the Netherlands. I've seen pretty much everything mentioned, including one of these!
Day 4
Today was a day for much rejoicing.
Today we bought the stovetop espresso maker from Ikea. After our 6 mile trek to and from the store of tasty purchases and cheap and still cheaper home furnishings, we were able at last to partake of the tasty goodness that is the homemade latte.
According to legend, my younger brother nearly starved one holiday in Berlin when the stores closed unexpectedly, and he was left without groceries for weeks on end (it was actually only one day). When he returned to the US, we knew that such had truly occurred - he had surely left 100 pounds behind (it was probably 20 pounds). And so it was, that fearing greatly lest we be faced with a day of rumbling tummies, we stocked up on groceries.
This was probably a bit more preparation than is really necessary, as the very helpful English speaking expat website In Touch says that grocery stores in Rotterdam, which is close to us, are open on Saturdays, generally for some part of Sunday and sometimes on Monday. I think our town is a bit smaller, so we're shooting for safety on our first weekend here. =)
Last night I made some decent (as in not all that great, but certainly edible) spaghetti sauce with chicken and twisty pasta for dinner. Tonight it's mac and cheese - provided the butter we bought is actually butter... There were cows on the front and it says boter or something on the package... We'll see. At least I think the flour isn't self-rising - that would make for some interesting sauce. =D I'll take a photo next week of our breakfast fare. From Andy's and my prior experiences in Europe, I think it's a very European breakfast. We'll see how long it lasts. ;D
And now, I will take photos of the apartment so that you may see how we guests of Holland live in the lap of luxury!
Today we bought the stovetop espresso maker from Ikea. After our 6 mile trek to and from the store of tasty purchases and cheap and still cheaper home furnishings, we were able at last to partake of the tasty goodness that is the homemade latte.
According to legend, my younger brother nearly starved one holiday in Berlin when the stores closed unexpectedly, and he was left without groceries for weeks on end (it was actually only one day). When he returned to the US, we knew that such had truly occurred - he had surely left 100 pounds behind (it was probably 20 pounds). And so it was, that fearing greatly lest we be faced with a day of rumbling tummies, we stocked up on groceries.
This was probably a bit more preparation than is really necessary, as the very helpful English speaking expat website In Touch says that grocery stores in Rotterdam, which is close to us, are open on Saturdays, generally for some part of Sunday and sometimes on Monday. I think our town is a bit smaller, so we're shooting for safety on our first weekend here. =)
Last night I made some decent (as in not all that great, but certainly edible) spaghetti sauce with chicken and twisty pasta for dinner. Tonight it's mac and cheese - provided the butter we bought is actually butter... There were cows on the front and it says boter or something on the package... We'll see. At least I think the flour isn't self-rising - that would make for some interesting sauce. =D I'll take a photo next week of our breakfast fare. From Andy's and my prior experiences in Europe, I think it's a very European breakfast. We'll see how long it lasts. ;D
And now, I will take photos of the apartment so that you may see how we guests of Holland live in the lap of luxury!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Day 3
Well, we've made it through 2 and a half days so far.
Yesterday we bought some food for dinner (pasta, olive oil, garlic and crushed red peppers), took that home and then scoped out all the shops after they had closed at 6pm. Yes, they closed at 6pm. Apparently this is some sort of standard practice. Nevermind that they're allowed to stay open later. They just don't.
I don't know what people do after 6pm yet, but they're not on the streets - at least not between 6pm and 9pm when it's still daylight and we've given up trying to stay awake and have decided to go to bed. So, yes, that means I've been through two nights in the Netherlands and haven't seen what nighttime looks like. =)
Andy went to work yesterday and found out about some cheaper bikes that we might be able to get. Hopefully the guy who told him about them will be able to tell him where they are today, though we probably shouldn't buy them until we get paid. Which will hopefully be very soon...
As for today, Andy stayed home this morning so we could go buy some towels - we have four sets of bed linens (remember the twin beds, that's two sets for each bed) - but no towels. Now we have towels. And shampoo and conditioner and lotion and soap all in normal quantities rather than hotel sized. =) We also got some sponges for cleaning in the kitchen and a brush for cleaning in the bathroom. All we need now is the stovetop espresso maker... I guess I should have followed up on the instinct that said, "Must have coffee. Bring maker." Too bad.
Did I mention before that we don't have a freezer? This is a travesty for a kid who has always purchased extra meat and then frozen it. Not to mention that the only ice cream we'll be getting has to be purchased in single servings. Doh.
My goals for the rest of the day are: buy more groceries so we can eat something besides pasta, garlic and olive oil; vacuum because nobody vacuumed before we moved in; do the dishes after dinner (I'll probably be doing dishes twice a day unless I get a job so we can buy more plates!). Tomorrow I hope to take some photos of the place so you guys can check it out (I'll be sure to take photos of my favorite parts too!).
Yesterday we bought some food for dinner (pasta, olive oil, garlic and crushed red peppers), took that home and then scoped out all the shops after they had closed at 6pm. Yes, they closed at 6pm. Apparently this is some sort of standard practice. Nevermind that they're allowed to stay open later. They just don't.
I don't know what people do after 6pm yet, but they're not on the streets - at least not between 6pm and 9pm when it's still daylight and we've given up trying to stay awake and have decided to go to bed. So, yes, that means I've been through two nights in the Netherlands and haven't seen what nighttime looks like. =)
Andy went to work yesterday and found out about some cheaper bikes that we might be able to get. Hopefully the guy who told him about them will be able to tell him where they are today, though we probably shouldn't buy them until we get paid. Which will hopefully be very soon...
As for today, Andy stayed home this morning so we could go buy some towels - we have four sets of bed linens (remember the twin beds, that's two sets for each bed) - but no towels. Now we have towels. And shampoo and conditioner and lotion and soap all in normal quantities rather than hotel sized. =) We also got some sponges for cleaning in the kitchen and a brush for cleaning in the bathroom. All we need now is the stovetop espresso maker... I guess I should have followed up on the instinct that said, "Must have coffee. Bring maker." Too bad.
Did I mention before that we don't have a freezer? This is a travesty for a kid who has always purchased extra meat and then frozen it. Not to mention that the only ice cream we'll be getting has to be purchased in single servings. Doh.
My goals for the rest of the day are: buy more groceries so we can eat something besides pasta, garlic and olive oil; vacuum because nobody vacuumed before we moved in; do the dishes after dinner (I'll probably be doing dishes twice a day unless I get a job so we can buy more plates!). Tomorrow I hope to take some photos of the place so you guys can check it out (I'll be sure to take photos of my favorite parts too!).
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Strange
The strangest thing I've noticed (aside from the toilet which is a thing hateful to me and that other thing I was going to say, but forgot about in my toilet seethings) is that everyone goes around wearing jackets like it's cold outside.
Now, it's true that I probably put my wool coat on faster than most people in Chicago, but it's also true that I don't wear a jacket when it's practically 70 outside. Not only does everyone wear a jacket and it's not cold out, but many of them are heavy jackets like you might wear in the late fall or early spring in Chicago.
I have to wonder, are they really cold, prepared to be out all day long when it's chilly in the morning to when it's chilly in the evening or prepared for sudden changes in the weather?
I hope it's either the first or the second and never ever the last!
Now, it's true that I probably put my wool coat on faster than most people in Chicago, but it's also true that I don't wear a jacket when it's practically 70 outside. Not only does everyone wear a jacket and it's not cold out, but many of them are heavy jackets like you might wear in the late fall or early spring in Chicago.
I have to wonder, are they really cold, prepared to be out all day long when it's chilly in the morning to when it's chilly in the evening or prepared for sudden changes in the weather?
I hope it's either the first or the second and never ever the last!
The Apartment
The apt was a bit grungy when we moved in, but it looks like it'll due for 6 months. At least I got the toilet to stop stinking... Which reminds me that the darn thing is so tall only my toes reach the ground when I sit on it. We have twin beds, but the management was kind enough to scoot them together for us - so thoughtful! The dish situation is rather interesting - two boxes of the same stuff, each containing one plate, one shallow and wide bowl, one set of eating utensils, a wok type thing, a pot, a tiny cutting board, a large serrated knife and a bottle opening.
We have one tiny fridge (which I expected), a tiny gas range, no oven, no microwave (which I didn't even think about), a single basin sink, some trash cans, a desk with a lamp and desk chair, some bookshelves, table with 4 chairs, 2 comfy chairs and a coffee table, 2 short chests of drawers, a small wardrobe with no hangers, some toilet paper (2 rolls!), very dim overhead lighting and some super random lamps attached to the wall in the bedroom, a washing machine (which is very exciting) but no drier and a laundry line with clothes pins, a large vacuum cleaner with a mop, mop bucket, tiny broom and dust pan.
The walls are pretty darn ugly and we have some maroon colored drapes that don't even come close to matching the pasty, creamy, orangy weird color of the walls. Oh, and don't forget that there are two doors into the bedroom (on the same corner of the room no less) and a door leading from the hall into the living room. What??? Thank goodness there's no door on the kitchen - it's so small I think I'd get claustrophobic with a door on it. The kitchen has a door leading to the balcony, as does the living room. In fact, the doors are right next to each other... At the top of the walls between the bedroom and the hallway and the bedroom and the living room are, you'll never believe this, windows! Yes! Windows, in case you, what? wanted to stand on a chair and see into one room from the other? wanted to know if someone got up in the middle of the night and turned a light on in the other room?
So that is our crazy insane apt.
We have one tiny fridge (which I expected), a tiny gas range, no oven, no microwave (which I didn't even think about), a single basin sink, some trash cans, a desk with a lamp and desk chair, some bookshelves, table with 4 chairs, 2 comfy chairs and a coffee table, 2 short chests of drawers, a small wardrobe with no hangers, some toilet paper (2 rolls!), very dim overhead lighting and some super random lamps attached to the wall in the bedroom, a washing machine (which is very exciting) but no drier and a laundry line with clothes pins, a large vacuum cleaner with a mop, mop bucket, tiny broom and dust pan.
The walls are pretty darn ugly and we have some maroon colored drapes that don't even come close to matching the pasty, creamy, orangy weird color of the walls. Oh, and don't forget that there are two doors into the bedroom (on the same corner of the room no less) and a door leading from the hall into the living room. What??? Thank goodness there's no door on the kitchen - it's so small I think I'd get claustrophobic with a door on it. The kitchen has a door leading to the balcony, as does the living room. In fact, the doors are right next to each other... At the top of the walls between the bedroom and the hallway and the bedroom and the living room are, you'll never believe this, windows! Yes! Windows, in case you, what? wanted to stand on a chair and see into one room from the other? wanted to know if someone got up in the middle of the night and turned a light on in the other room?
So that is our crazy insane apt.
Day 1
So technically I'm not sure if we live in Holland, but we're in the Netherlands anyways, and Holland is in the Netherlands, so I'm guessing you get the idea of where we are.
I'm blogging the day after because I didn't think to blog the trip until the first night while I was trying to sleep, so there ya' go.
On arrival to Amsterdam, we set about getting train tickets to our destination along with finding an ATM. I changed my PIN right before we left and now the silly thing doesn't work. Fortunately, Andy's did so we got some money and were able to get on the train.
The first leg was a bit awkward as we decided to move down into the sitting compartment which meant lugging 2 large and 2 small suitcases plus my backpack and Andy's bag up 2 steps to get in the train (why must you step UP to get into the train???), through a glass door and down 4 or 5 steps to reach the seating area. We only did that once. Another two trains later, and we arrived, changed over our travelers' checques for 35 euros (though next time - if there is a next time - we'll probably just carry cash) so that we could pay the first month's rent in cash (ugh!) and walked somewhere between a half mile and a mile with our luggage to the housing office. This town is made for bikes and cars, not pedestrians - half the time the sidewalks disappear or are so poorly maintained that you can't walk side by side even without luggage. Needless to say we took a taxi to the apt. It wasn't bad - only 10 euros for 2 miles...
After we put all of our junk in and rested a bit, we walked out to find something to eat. The first couple of places we found were Asian, not especially cheap and not in English. The next place was a Turkish place advertising doners! Doners have exceedingly tasty meat of some unknown type on them and I remembered them from Germany, so we stopped there. They were quite tasty, though there were tomatoes (promptly removed) and too much salad (I expected that, but I admit I didn't tell Andy about it!). All together lunch was 8 euros. *sigh*
Once lunch was done we walked over to the place where Andy would be working to say hello and meet a few people, most of whom I am likely to never see again. Whatever. While there we asked about bikes, since that seems to be the principle form of transportation, and it turns out that most shops have waiting lists for bikes! Waiting lists for bikes. Yes, I did say that.
Then we went to the grocery store. The closest store to our place that we were told of was an Aldi where we bought sandwich meat because we were too tired to cook when we got home, plus milk and orange juice for breakfast, but apparently after Andy decided to get these two items he was too tired to get cereal and I didn't even think about it. We did the cart thing where you put in a euro to get the cart and take out a euro when you pick it up. Also, they don't sack your groceries, plastic sacks to carry them cost money, and I'll probably be taking a small suitcase to buy groceries (hey, there was another lady doing it!). 7 euros for 6 sandwiches (hopefully), some cleaning supplies, a liter of oj and a liter of milk. At least we can afford to eat sandwiches!
I think we were in bed by 8...
All in all a productive first day. So far the second day is not so much, but that's another post...
I'm blogging the day after because I didn't think to blog the trip until the first night while I was trying to sleep, so there ya' go.
On arrival to Amsterdam, we set about getting train tickets to our destination along with finding an ATM. I changed my PIN right before we left and now the silly thing doesn't work. Fortunately, Andy's did so we got some money and were able to get on the train.
The first leg was a bit awkward as we decided to move down into the sitting compartment which meant lugging 2 large and 2 small suitcases plus my backpack and Andy's bag up 2 steps to get in the train (why must you step UP to get into the train???), through a glass door and down 4 or 5 steps to reach the seating area. We only did that once. Another two trains later, and we arrived, changed over our travelers' checques for 35 euros (though next time - if there is a next time - we'll probably just carry cash) so that we could pay the first month's rent in cash (ugh!) and walked somewhere between a half mile and a mile with our luggage to the housing office. This town is made for bikes and cars, not pedestrians - half the time the sidewalks disappear or are so poorly maintained that you can't walk side by side even without luggage. Needless to say we took a taxi to the apt. It wasn't bad - only 10 euros for 2 miles...
After we put all of our junk in and rested a bit, we walked out to find something to eat. The first couple of places we found were Asian, not especially cheap and not in English. The next place was a Turkish place advertising doners! Doners have exceedingly tasty meat of some unknown type on them and I remembered them from Germany, so we stopped there. They were quite tasty, though there were tomatoes (promptly removed) and too much salad (I expected that, but I admit I didn't tell Andy about it!). All together lunch was 8 euros. *sigh*
Once lunch was done we walked over to the place where Andy would be working to say hello and meet a few people, most of whom I am likely to never see again. Whatever. While there we asked about bikes, since that seems to be the principle form of transportation, and it turns out that most shops have waiting lists for bikes! Waiting lists for bikes. Yes, I did say that.
Then we went to the grocery store. The closest store to our place that we were told of was an Aldi where we bought sandwich meat because we were too tired to cook when we got home, plus milk and orange juice for breakfast, but apparently after Andy decided to get these two items he was too tired to get cereal and I didn't even think about it. We did the cart thing where you put in a euro to get the cart and take out a euro when you pick it up. Also, they don't sack your groceries, plastic sacks to carry them cost money, and I'll probably be taking a small suitcase to buy groceries (hey, there was another lady doing it!). 7 euros for 6 sandwiches (hopefully), some cleaning supplies, a liter of oj and a liter of milk. At least we can afford to eat sandwiches!
I think we were in bed by 8...
All in all a productive first day. So far the second day is not so much, but that's another post...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)