I’m in the process of getting sick, and fighting it. I hope I curb this with my planned mass amounts of hot tea drinking and Emergen-C consumption. I will be miserable if I don’t. I also know why this all started….
I had planned to go visit Erik on Friday. I hadn’t heard from him for a few days and was a bit worried about our plans. He ended up emailing and he told me he would be in Delft till about 10:30 pm so I should just go hang out with his family until then. I love his family and I didn’t see anything wrong with that suggestion but it was just so late! My parents hardly stay up past 8! I call their house and get the youngest daughter on the phone and she tells me to come around 8 or 8:15 pm. I still think its super late to be showing up but she assured me it’s Dutch and I shouldn’t worry. I say OK! Erik had emailed me instructions on how to get to his parents house from the train station. This thought was overwhelming but I figured I’d give it a shot!
I took the bus for the first time in Haarlem to the bus station. It was raining and I had a big bag with me. Lazy won out. But the bright side, I figured out how to use the bus in Haarlem!! Not so difficult, but still, the ice has been broken! So I jump on the train down to Delft and sit back and enjoy the 40 minutes that I have. I thought I had synced my Ipod so I could watch my show, but it didn’t work so I read my book instead. I have started reading “The Blind Side.” While I’m not generally one for football books, I really like it. I get lost in the football talk but I like the characters and the story behind it.
Anyways, I get off in Delft and follow the signs to the new bus station and jump on the bus that Erik says. I look at the bus driver a little lost, I tell him where I need to go, he confirms that stop is on his route and I pay the €1.30 and sit down. A few stops later, I get off the bus. I was a bit worried about how I was going to find my way from the bus stop to their house, but Gina (Mark and Erik’s mom) was waiting for me. I was so HAPPY to see her!! I was so proud of myself for getting there totally Dutch style too. Full use of the public transportation system! She led me back to their house where I settled in for a few hours to wait for Erik. It was so nice to spend time talking with their family (and their American exchange student). She performed Lady GaGa at the school’s talent show and they had filmed it. I was super impressed!! She is really good! And it took a lot of guts to get up there and perform. I never would have! Americans are quite competitive so my first question was “Did you win?” I was informed it wasn’t a competition; it was just for fun for the students. What is funny, when Mark called later that was his first question as well. Apparently America is rubbing off on him also!
Ton, the father and husband of the family, is really good at finding cheap air fare. Kelly and I have a few trips up our sleeves and I started talking to him about them and he started looking online. I had ran into an issue when I was looking because I couldn’t book them on a budget European site because I don’t have a European billing address for my credit card. This is just another issue that I have with the Dutch monetary system. I ended up not booking anything yet because I have to verify my holidays but I do think I’m going to try and open a bank account today after work. Maybe tomorrow, we’ll see how the weather is. It snowed again last night so we are back to white.
Another issue with this credit card/chip card thing is the OV chip card. This OV card is for use on subways, busses, trams, and all other public transportation systems in Holland. Basically, you scan your card when you get on public transit vehicle and then it charges you €4. You scan it again when you get off at your destination and it credits you back the difference of your travels. Pretty handy, right? Now I’ve seen signs for this card but have no idea how to get one. I even asked the train station lady and she didn’t really know either. I asked Erik, he knew! So that was his mission, to help me get an OV Chip card. The downfall, I can refill it unless I have a bank chip card. Another reason I need a local bank account, the stupid chip card!
So anyways, at about 11 pm Erik and I headed off towards Rotterdam. His parents were perfectly fine staying up so late. I guess it really is Dutch style. Ton took us to the train station where we intercepted the train and took the 20 minutes (or somewhere around there) down to Rotterdam. Erik’s fraternity house is only about 10 minutes from the train station but it was kind of drizzling and ruining my cute “party hair.” It was my first Dutch party; I had to have cute hair! We arrive at his fraternity where they are having a bit of social hour and I get to meet a few of the other members. I found the cute, tall Dutch guys!!! They are still in college…and not living in Haarlem! Dang. But at least I know they’re out there.
After I drop my stuff off in his room, and he promises me the mice won’t get it, we head out for the evening. You will have to tune in tomorrow to find out how it went!
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Mar 8, 2010
Feb 15, 2010
Half Broke Horses
This weekend was uneventful but I did manage to eat some great food. Friday evening Kelly, C, and I all went out for dinner but we wanted something light since we were still full from our amazing lunch. Richard had taken us to a CUTE place on the harbor that served amazing chicken sate. Kelly had a burger that looked great as well. The best part was sitting by the windows looking at the ice filled dock area and icy lake. It is a sight you definitely don’t see in the Southwest.
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This restaurant had some candy to grab on your way out. Richard made his way in search of a particular sucker and urged us all to try one. So Kelly and I both grabbed one, C did not. I opened mine, liked it and it tasted alright. Richard opened his and had Kelly taste the powder that was in the middle of it and she started yelling and practically gagging. She was not happy with Richard. Apparently, it’s no tootsie pop…it’s a black/white. Kelly’s said the sucker tasted like licking the bottom of the ocean floor. Heading that warning, I proceeded with caution. I made me way through the sweet exterior of the sucker and once I started getting the salty, yucky taste I stopped. On the car ride back, Richard told me to ask another one of our American coworkers about this sucker. I took the liberty and asked, apparently, it got the best of him too. He is not a fan, to put it lightly. Lesson learned: the Dutch have an odd taste for sweets.
After all of the lunch adventure, none of us were very hungry for dinner so we decided to go somewhere light. We went back to XO (or first repeat dinner) for their wraps and quiches. It was just as good the second time around. C has a sweet tooth so she talked us into desert and man oh man does this country have some fantastic ice cream! Since I have a special spot for ice cream anyways, it’s just a little slice of heaven in a bowl.
On Saturday, Kelly and I enjoyed sleeping in and we planned on meeting C for lunch. She had a lazy morning and went shopping but we weren’t that motivated. We started walking along the shopping street and there are so many cute deli-like places but they are always closed for dinner so we just picked one for lunch. It was great! It was called Pluk and they had a bunch of organic things and their bread was big thick soft pieces of dark, almost black, goodness. They also served fresh smoothies so that was a nice way to spice things up a bit. Apparently, Americans are not the only ones to have credit card trouble. After C had been shopping all morning and didn’t have any problems with her card she tried to pay for lunch. They don’t accept credit cards. She explained it was a chip card, it still wouldn’t work because it was a credit card, not a debit. We then all had a big discussion because many of these vendors tell us that “Holland doesn’t accept….” when the store right down the street didn’t have a problem with it. I think this country needs to get on the ball and choose a story and stick to it. Either way, Kelly and I are used to it and always carry cash on us now. We then headed back to get C’s luggage and headed off to the airport. She was our first victim of the airport routine, so all future visitors, we are now experienced.
On Saturday I had finished my book “The Friday Night Knitting Club” and it was such a good book! It made me cry! I then started another book “Half Broke Horses” and managed to finish it in one day. It was an easy, enjoyable read. The book was set in New Mexico, West Texas, and Arizona and talked about ranching, the weather, and how hard life was then. It was so fun to read, though, because I knew places like the Hondo River Valley and Lincoln and Capitan. The book was written by the main character’s granddaughter based upon stories she had heard from her grandmother and mother through the days. It also made me realize how little I know about my grandmother’s upbringing. I need to call her more often anyways so I guess now I will have questions for her. I better learn this part of my family history before the opportunity is lost. The book took up most of my Sunday while I read and watched some of the Olympics. Nothing like a lazy day reading, watching the snow outside, and wishing you were off skiing with all of the Olympians at Whistler. Maybe next year……
The building at the end of the road on the left is the restaurant. Super tasty foods!
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There is the icy harbor/docking area. Some boats didn't get rescued before the ice it, but that seems to be semi normal. Ice can be beautiful.
This restaurant had some candy to grab on your way out. Richard made his way in search of a particular sucker and urged us all to try one. So Kelly and I both grabbed one, C did not. I opened mine, liked it and it tasted alright. Richard opened his and had Kelly taste the powder that was in the middle of it and she started yelling and practically gagging. She was not happy with Richard. Apparently, it’s no tootsie pop…it’s a black/white. Kelly’s said the sucker tasted like licking the bottom of the ocean floor. Heading that warning, I proceeded with caution. I made me way through the sweet exterior of the sucker and once I started getting the salty, yucky taste I stopped. On the car ride back, Richard told me to ask another one of our American coworkers about this sucker. I took the liberty and asked, apparently, it got the best of him too. He is not a fan, to put it lightly. Lesson learned: the Dutch have an odd taste for sweets.
After all of the lunch adventure, none of us were very hungry for dinner so we decided to go somewhere light. We went back to XO (or first repeat dinner) for their wraps and quiches. It was just as good the second time around. C has a sweet tooth so she talked us into desert and man oh man does this country have some fantastic ice cream! Since I have a special spot for ice cream anyways, it’s just a little slice of heaven in a bowl.
On Saturday, Kelly and I enjoyed sleeping in and we planned on meeting C for lunch. She had a lazy morning and went shopping but we weren’t that motivated. We started walking along the shopping street and there are so many cute deli-like places but they are always closed for dinner so we just picked one for lunch. It was great! It was called Pluk and they had a bunch of organic things and their bread was big thick soft pieces of dark, almost black, goodness. They also served fresh smoothies so that was a nice way to spice things up a bit. Apparently, Americans are not the only ones to have credit card trouble. After C had been shopping all morning and didn’t have any problems with her card she tried to pay for lunch. They don’t accept credit cards. She explained it was a chip card, it still wouldn’t work because it was a credit card, not a debit. We then all had a big discussion because many of these vendors tell us that “Holland doesn’t accept….” when the store right down the street didn’t have a problem with it. I think this country needs to get on the ball and choose a story and stick to it. Either way, Kelly and I are used to it and always carry cash on us now. We then headed back to get C’s luggage and headed off to the airport. She was our first victim of the airport routine, so all future visitors, we are now experienced.
On Saturday I had finished my book “The Friday Night Knitting Club” and it was such a good book! It made me cry! I then started another book “Half Broke Horses” and managed to finish it in one day. It was an easy, enjoyable read. The book was set in New Mexico, West Texas, and Arizona and talked about ranching, the weather, and how hard life was then. It was so fun to read, though, because I knew places like the Hondo River Valley and Lincoln and Capitan. The book was written by the main character’s granddaughter based upon stories she had heard from her grandmother and mother through the days. It also made me realize how little I know about my grandmother’s upbringing. I need to call her more often anyways so I guess now I will have questions for her. I better learn this part of my family history before the opportunity is lost. The book took up most of my Sunday while I read and watched some of the Olympics. Nothing like a lazy day reading, watching the snow outside, and wishing you were off skiing with all of the Olympians at Whistler. Maybe next year……
Feb 5, 2010
Where's the Love?
Today is an exciting day. It is the day that Kelly and I head to Paris!!! As you American based people are reading this, Kelly and I will most likely be there, looking at the Eiffel tower. I’m sorry to rub it in, but we are SOOO excited. We are both packed and ready to go!
On another bright note, I finished my boring book. I hope the movie is better because I have no idea why anyone chose to make a movie about this book. Maybe it’s because the book reads like one of the really boring movies I don’t like. Maybe that’s why I don’t like the book. Maybe I’ll just save myself the 2 hours and the money and never see the movie. I am that bitter about this book.
On a less bright note, I found out my mother doesn’t read my blog religiously. I know she has a busy life and is constantly on the go, but I spoke with her last night and she said she hasn’t checked it in over a week. No wonder she had no idea what I was up to. Granted, she does get more “up to date” info via BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and I try to send her pictures, but I don’t give her that much info. I figured that my mother, the reason I started this blog so she could have all the details of my life that she craved, would read my blog religiously. I was dreaming - a sad day to the daughter’s ego. We shall see how long it takes before I get a BBM mad at me for making this post. It’s a challenge Mom!
Kelly and I have this amazing little pizza place down the street from our apartment. I have mentioned it before, New York Pizza. It was our first dinner in Holland. Comfort food. It’s also right on the way home, cheap, and fast. I was a bit grumpy last night by the time we left work so we stopped and got a pizza and a bottle of wine for dinner. The wine was slightly disappointing; more of a college day’s cheap wine than anything else, but the pizza was, as always, great. I love spicy foods. I even brought my habanero sauce with me from Mexico to make sure that I had spice in my life. This pizza, my favorite I’ve decided, has spicy chicken and jalapenos on it. I also enjoy jalapenos just a bit more than I used to because I have now been to the capital of the jalapeno pepper, Xalapa or Jalapa, Mexico. Since pizza is also a great leftover food, I brought it for lunch today. Yummy pizza! For all of you that haven’t caught on, I’m definitely NOT starving over here. Don’t worry.
I can’t wait for my next (several) post(s) because it will be about our trip to Paris. I hope to take lots of pictures and will do my best to put as many up here as possible! I hope you all have a great weekend!
On another bright note, I finished my boring book. I hope the movie is better because I have no idea why anyone chose to make a movie about this book. Maybe it’s because the book reads like one of the really boring movies I don’t like. Maybe that’s why I don’t like the book. Maybe I’ll just save myself the 2 hours and the money and never see the movie. I am that bitter about this book.
On a less bright note, I found out my mother doesn’t read my blog religiously. I know she has a busy life and is constantly on the go, but I spoke with her last night and she said she hasn’t checked it in over a week. No wonder she had no idea what I was up to. Granted, she does get more “up to date” info via BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) and I try to send her pictures, but I don’t give her that much info. I figured that my mother, the reason I started this blog so she could have all the details of my life that she craved, would read my blog religiously. I was dreaming - a sad day to the daughter’s ego. We shall see how long it takes before I get a BBM mad at me for making this post. It’s a challenge Mom!
Kelly and I have this amazing little pizza place down the street from our apartment. I have mentioned it before, New York Pizza. It was our first dinner in Holland. Comfort food. It’s also right on the way home, cheap, and fast. I was a bit grumpy last night by the time we left work so we stopped and got a pizza and a bottle of wine for dinner. The wine was slightly disappointing; more of a college day’s cheap wine than anything else, but the pizza was, as always, great. I love spicy foods. I even brought my habanero sauce with me from Mexico to make sure that I had spice in my life. This pizza, my favorite I’ve decided, has spicy chicken and jalapenos on it. I also enjoy jalapenos just a bit more than I used to because I have now been to the capital of the jalapeno pepper, Xalapa or Jalapa, Mexico. Since pizza is also a great leftover food, I brought it for lunch today. Yummy pizza! For all of you that haven’t caught on, I’m definitely NOT starving over here. Don’t worry.
I can’t wait for my next (several) post(s) because it will be about our trip to Paris. I hope to take lots of pictures and will do my best to put as many up here as possible! I hope you all have a great weekend!
Feb 4, 2010
MMM Tasty!!!
I was going to blog about my book today since I didn't have anything better to talk about, then Kelly and I went out for dinner. Trust me; it was WAY better than my book!
Around the corner from our apartment, literally across the closest street, there is a restaurant called Gonzales' Barbeque. Now what is a Gonzales doing making barbeque? Kelly and I were definitely skeptics but we wanted to go out to eat and we wanted to eat somewhere close. We walked up to the menu outside (almost all restaurants put them out for you to read before entering, it is very handy!), read it over, and it looked pretty basic, but tasty. They had schnitzel, which is my favorite, so I wanted to get that.
Well, we walk through a glass door that has is etched with a geisha and a fan on it so now we thinking “A Gonzales family barbeque joint that has a geisha on the door, Hum.” It was looking a bit more sketchy. After we walk in they ask us if we want barbeque and we ponder “What else is there?” We say “Yes” and they seat us at a little table that has a little fire pit for a real life barbeque. They explain how it works. There is a bowl for soup (it was tomato), then a smaller plate to get the raw meat from the salad bar, then the larger plate for the salad and cooked meat. The picture below is of table with the pit (and all of our eaten off dishes, we can never think to take pictures first), and then of our bbq skewers with our dinner. So tasty!
We finished off dinner by splitting a chocolate muffin. They were great!! It couldn’t have been a better dinner. It was also very reasonably priced, which helps. So all visitors, be expected to be sent there! You can thank us later.
Ok, for the book review. I am reading Up in the Air. I sure hope the movie is better than the book. Maybe it will be because George Clooney is in it. I have 30 pages left and I cheated and read the last page and I’m not excited. I am going to finish it just out of principle. I hate it when I get excited for a book and it lets me down.
Around the corner from our apartment, literally across the closest street, there is a restaurant called Gonzales' Barbeque. Now what is a Gonzales doing making barbeque? Kelly and I were definitely skeptics but we wanted to go out to eat and we wanted to eat somewhere close. We walked up to the menu outside (almost all restaurants put them out for you to read before entering, it is very handy!), read it over, and it looked pretty basic, but tasty. They had schnitzel, which is my favorite, so I wanted to get that.
Well, we walk through a glass door that has is etched with a geisha and a fan on it so now we thinking “A Gonzales family barbeque joint that has a geisha on the door, Hum.” It was looking a bit more sketchy. After we walk in they ask us if we want barbeque and we ponder “What else is there?” We say “Yes” and they seat us at a little table that has a little fire pit for a real life barbeque. They explain how it works. There is a bowl for soup (it was tomato), then a smaller plate to get the raw meat from the salad bar, then the larger plate for the salad and cooked meat. The picture below is of table with the pit (and all of our eaten off dishes, we can never think to take pictures first), and then of our bbq skewers with our dinner. So tasty!
We finished off dinner by splitting a chocolate muffin. They were great!! It couldn’t have been a better dinner. It was also very reasonably priced, which helps. So all visitors, be expected to be sent there! You can thank us later.
Ok, for the book review. I am reading Up in the Air. I sure hope the movie is better than the book. Maybe it will be because George Clooney is in it. I have 30 pages left and I cheated and read the last page and I’m not excited. I am going to finish it just out of principle. I hate it when I get excited for a book and it lets me down.
Feb 3, 2010
No Part 3
So Kelly managed to organize her stories of Antwerp into a 3 part series. I only managed 2. Oh well. She did finally post the video of the organs playing though so you can hear them here.
On Friday Kelly and I are headed to Paris! We haven’t lined out all of the details yet, but we do have a hotel room and we are driving. It should be about a 3-5.5 hour drive depending on who you talk to. I would suspect about 4.5 hours but I’ll let you know that detail after I make it. I will say though, driving 4.5 hours and ending up in Paris is better than driving 4 and ending up in Albuquerque. Sorry Chris...and Mark who gets the lovely other end of the spectrum and ends up in El Paso.
I would like to point out that the sky was already light blue this morning, and it was still very light out on our drive home yesterday. That means our days are getting longer! I love having a bit of sunlight in my life. Yesterday was pretty drizzly, rainy weather but today looks better. I’m just happy there has been sun and it’s no longer grey out. I can handle all other weather as long as sun is involved occasionally.
We also made it home early enough yesterday to go to the post office and bakery. I had a letter in my mail box saying that the post man tried to give me a package but I didn’t have it. Well since I’m no expert at reading Dutch, I figured it was at the post office since it’s only across the street. I took the note to the post office but my package wasn’t there. The lady was kind enough to point out though, that he left the box with my neighbor in Apt 28. That’s why the number 28 was on there when I live in Apt 18. It’s making sense now. I ask Kelly to go with me when we got back from the bakery and she said she would. So up we go to floor 3, Apt 28 and ring the doorbell. We haven’t met any neighbors and rarely see anybody at all so this was a new experience for us. There was a wheelchair in front of the door so I suspected they move a bit slower so we wait for a while and an elderly man answers the door. I speak English, he doesn’t. So we talk back and forth for awhile at each other in our respective languages then I hand him my little note. He gets its, says something about Christensen, then I point to myself and we have an AH HA! moment and he points the box then says “please” (in Dutch) and I get my box thank him (in Dutch) and go on my way. I’m excited about my new books!!!
So this morning I go to the group of guys who teach me Dutch and ask them how to say “I’m sorry, I can’t speak Dutch.” All of the guys also got haircuts so then I had to learn how to say “I like your hair cut.” Which lead to me learning how to use the term Opa (Grandpa) in everyday talk as well as learning how to tell the old man that I like his baldness. They all got a grand laugh out of this; I found it slightly less amusing. Regardless, I’m still working on learning Dutch! So in honor of that…..
Tot morge!
On Friday Kelly and I are headed to Paris! We haven’t lined out all of the details yet, but we do have a hotel room and we are driving. It should be about a 3-5.5 hour drive depending on who you talk to. I would suspect about 4.5 hours but I’ll let you know that detail after I make it. I will say though, driving 4.5 hours and ending up in Paris is better than driving 4 and ending up in Albuquerque. Sorry Chris...and Mark who gets the lovely other end of the spectrum and ends up in El Paso.
I would like to point out that the sky was already light blue this morning, and it was still very light out on our drive home yesterday. That means our days are getting longer! I love having a bit of sunlight in my life. Yesterday was pretty drizzly, rainy weather but today looks better. I’m just happy there has been sun and it’s no longer grey out. I can handle all other weather as long as sun is involved occasionally.
We also made it home early enough yesterday to go to the post office and bakery. I had a letter in my mail box saying that the post man tried to give me a package but I didn’t have it. Well since I’m no expert at reading Dutch, I figured it was at the post office since it’s only across the street. I took the note to the post office but my package wasn’t there. The lady was kind enough to point out though, that he left the box with my neighbor in Apt 28. That’s why the number 28 was on there when I live in Apt 18. It’s making sense now. I ask Kelly to go with me when we got back from the bakery and she said she would. So up we go to floor 3, Apt 28 and ring the doorbell. We haven’t met any neighbors and rarely see anybody at all so this was a new experience for us. There was a wheelchair in front of the door so I suspected they move a bit slower so we wait for a while and an elderly man answers the door. I speak English, he doesn’t. So we talk back and forth for awhile at each other in our respective languages then I hand him my little note. He gets its, says something about Christensen, then I point to myself and we have an AH HA! moment and he points the box then says “please” (in Dutch) and I get my box thank him (in Dutch) and go on my way. I’m excited about my new books!!!
So this morning I go to the group of guys who teach me Dutch and ask them how to say “I’m sorry, I can’t speak Dutch.” All of the guys also got haircuts so then I had to learn how to say “I like your hair cut.” Which lead to me learning how to use the term Opa (Grandpa) in everyday talk as well as learning how to tell the old man that I like his baldness. They all got a grand laugh out of this; I found it slightly less amusing. Regardless, I’m still working on learning Dutch! So in honor of that…..
Tot morge!
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