There is no such thing as bad weather; just inappropriate clothing.
I’d really like a little sign stating this so when I’m in Australia or the UK I can hold it up each time I hear a girl complain about how bad the weather is while trying to navigate through the snow in heels or wonder why she’s cold in the belt she’s passing for a skirt. Dress appropriately people and you will never be uncomfortable! ;)
Credit cards are a life choice not a necessity.
As the Dutch mantra goes; we don’t spend money we don’t have. Based on my credit history this is advice I really should have taken on a long time ago!
As the Dutch mantra goes; we don’t spend money we don’t have. Based on my credit history this is advice I really should have taken on a long time ago!
Santa lives in Spain. (Or Sinter Klaas as he's referred to in Holland)
Sinter Klaas graces the Dutch shores each year via boat mid November. After making his way through the country with his black faced sidekick-slave in toe. (Swarter Piet) In the weeks leading up to Christmas the streets are lined with the tiny shoes of blissful children eager to wake up in the morning and find them filled with papernoten (a small gingerbread like ball) and other sorts of sugary goodness. Also, forget coal. If you’re naughty this year kids you run the risk of being put in Swarter Piets bag, thrown onto his boat and taken back to Spain. Really the story of Sinter Klaas needs and deserves its own post so I'll leave the rest for another day!
Sinter Klaas graces the Dutch shores each year via boat mid November. After making his way through the country with his black faced sidekick-slave in toe. (Swarter Piet) In the weeks leading up to Christmas the streets are lined with the tiny shoes of blissful children eager to wake up in the morning and find them filled with papernoten (a small gingerbread like ball) and other sorts of sugary goodness. Also, forget coal. If you’re naughty this year kids you run the risk of being put in Swarter Piets bag, thrown onto his boat and taken back to Spain. Really the story of Sinter Klaas needs and deserves its own post so I'll leave the rest for another day!
Patat met mayo & pindasause. Enough said.
Biking is the best way to get anywhere.
However if you have to bike any further than 8-12minutes to get somewhere then it’s too far away. This made me giggle each time I heard someone argue or whine our destination was too far to bike to. I could drive to Belgium in less time than my daily commute has taken me back in Sydney. I felt lucky to even have the option to bike somewhere in Holland.
However if you have to bike any further than 8-12minutes to get somewhere then it’s too far away. This made me giggle each time I heard someone argue or whine our destination was too far to bike to. I could drive to Belgium in less time than my daily commute has taken me back in Sydney. I felt lucky to even have the option to bike somewhere in Holland.
If you can move it with a car or a van you can move it with
a bike.
Riding a two wheeled bike with a wooden carriage on front - packed full of five children, a dog, a sofa & carrying an umbrella to shield them all from the torrential rain is a perfectly normal way to start your day. Holland is known for the crazy rain and blow you over wind yet biking is still the no 1 mode of transport. You haven’t experienced Holland until you’ve battle-biked home with one hand on the bike trying to counter steer the wind, one hand up holding your hood in place as you’re half blinded by your hair, soaking wet and unsure if you’re crying from the sharp raindrops piercing through your eyeballs or it’s just another splash from the stream running down your nose.
Riding a two wheeled bike with a wooden carriage on front - packed full of five children, a dog, a sofa & carrying an umbrella to shield them all from the torrential rain is a perfectly normal way to start your day. Holland is known for the crazy rain and blow you over wind yet biking is still the no 1 mode of transport. You haven’t experienced Holland until you’ve battle-biked home with one hand on the bike trying to counter steer the wind, one hand up holding your hood in place as you’re half blinded by your hair, soaking wet and unsure if you’re crying from the sharp raindrops piercing through your eyeballs or it’s just another splash from the stream running down your nose.
Urinating in the middle of a busy plein is not only accepted
but encouraged.
So you’re just biking along minding your own business when suddenly like something out of star wars a giant silver cylinder begins to erupt from beneath the pavements. Without warning the immerging robot startles you enough sending you toot-sweet off path and into a stack of parked bikes. What the eff just happened. What just happened was it’s coming into peak hour and one of the many pop up urinals has opened up (or popped up in this case) for business. You can find these open air urinals all over Holland joining the party during peak hours outside and around clubs or populated night life areas. An idea to free up some of the tiny bathrooms and discourage men from just going anywhere, anyway.
So you’re just biking along minding your own business when suddenly like something out of star wars a giant silver cylinder begins to erupt from beneath the pavements. Without warning the immerging robot startles you enough sending you toot-sweet off path and into a stack of parked bikes. What the eff just happened. What just happened was it’s coming into peak hour and one of the many pop up urinals has opened up (or popped up in this case) for business. You can find these open air urinals all over Holland joining the party during peak hours outside and around clubs or populated night life areas. An idea to free up some of the tiny bathrooms and discourage men from just going anywhere, anyway.
Albert Heijn is the answer to all things food.
Unlike Australia there is really only the one kind of supermarket. Other than the little corner stalls Albert Heijn has no competition & there’s basically one on every block. This makes sourcing out the awesome envy-inducing food in other peoples cupboards fantastically easy to acquire.
Unlike Australia there is really only the one kind of supermarket. Other than the little corner stalls Albert Heijn has no competition & there’s basically one on every block. This makes sourcing out the awesome envy-inducing food in other peoples cupboards fantastically easy to acquire.
Open windows, no blinds. Because we have nothing to hide.
I knew Holland had changed me when I returned to Australia and couldn’t help but feel sneaky or a little shady each time I closed the blinds in my house. Majority of the homes in Holland boast large open glass windows that look straight into bedrooms, kitchens, lounge rooms or any other room for that matter. I must admit it feels pretty weird the first few times you’re sitting there having dinner or lazing around in your pjs watching TV in plain sight of any pedestrian or biker that happens to pass by.
It is not possible. Even when a little running around would
make it so.
I’m going to use this excuse as the reason for my complete lack of attention to this blog lately.
Sorry, it just was not possible to post anything new recently.
I’m going to use this excuse as the reason for my complete lack of attention to this blog lately.
Sorry, it just was not possible to post anything new recently.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
How funny that the bad kids get taken to Spain! Well, I suppose with all the economic problems there are here it would be a punishment these days... :)
ReplyDeleteBiking around Holland is actually starting to sound almost like an extreme sport from your post.