Dutch life

In general there is an air of social acceptance here. This is much more the case in the southern portion of the Netherlands. I have seen dogs many places they are not allowed in the US. These are pets, not service animals.  I have seen them in HEMA (like Target), get on the bus, tied just inside the grocery store entrance, in restaurants. Once we saw three dogs from different parties at the same large table in a restaurant. These dogs are generally well behaved and just watch the world go by.

Swearing is not bleeped out on TV. F’s and S’s and D’s especially are heard after 9pm, along with more skin than in the US. It is like a parallel universe to see the 80′s hit The A-Team dubbed in German, Japanese animine in Dutch, COPS with subtitles. Did you know there is an international edition of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and it is shown on CNN?

Things I have seen people carry on their bikes : a folding chair, a cello (in a hard case with straps like a backpack), three children, two other adults, another bike, two full cases of beer.

Tonight for dinner we had a Dutch dish called stampot. Basically kale and potatoes boiled together and mashed then served with Rookwurst (like ring bologna or polish sausage). One of my co-workers made it for us. It was total comfort food and actually pretty good. We ate it all.

Things I will miss: Walking to work/grocery store/people watching/pidgeon chasing/library/along the river/everywhere, great courtyard for Natalie to play in behind the apt., new friends, easy access to organic food that does not cost much more than non-organic food, easy access to fabulous chocolate, general awareness of resources being used. They are not very wasteful here as we tend to be in the US.

Things I will not miss: dog poo on the side walks/bike tires/shoes, the awful exchange rate, being 7 hours ahead of friends and family, being unable to read a cereal box/newspaper/etc, not being able to understand the local news cast.

It tooka lot of time and effort on our part and Natalie’s part to adjust to her new school. Now she seems to really like it. When Mark asked her if she wanted to play with her Dutch friends or her Minnesota friends, she made a sad face and said her Minnesota friends.  She points at planes and says she is going to fly back to her Minnesota home/friends/school tomorrow. Natalie is still fascinated by Dutch dog poo, maybe it reminds her of Isis and Porter back home.

We have about 2 1/2 weeks until we come back to the US. It has gone fast.

Germany

We rented a car and drove to Germany this weekend.  We went through a drive-through or two. This picture was taken in the Moselle River Valley. The Moselle River is a tributary of the Rhine and joins the Rhine at Koblenz. There are actually two buildings built over the road here. There is a brown building behind the white one. I don’t know what the buildings are.

 Wineries are every where in the Moselle River Valley. The hillsides are covered in grapevines. Totally covered. Most areas are actually covered from the roadside to the top of the hill, others like one are terraced.

  

No we did have any wine. Well actually I had a little it with dinner. It was mixed with beer, I didn’t realize what I was ordering. I don’t think I would get it again. Just not my taste.

 

Our destination was Burg Eltz . Burg Eltz was home to the Eltz family for hundreds of years. It was never destroyed in any war due in great part to the strategic marriages the family made. The Eltz family was aligned with most powerful families in Europe. They do not allow pictures of the inside, but the outside was really cool too.

 

 These were rain spouts on the outside if the castle. Pretty funny.

 

 

The way down to the castle was lined with stations of the cross. Some where missing and the remaining ones were very worn.

 

 We spent the night in Bernkastel-Kues, one of the many small towns along the river. This is a picture of what used to be the main square. The shops were closing as we took this picture, we were unable to check them out. Very picturesque, even with rain moving in. We had to seek cover shortly after this picture was taken and we ate schnitzel, roasted pork, sauerkraut and potatoes. Very yummy. Except for the beer/wine mix.

 

 

 

 It snowed overnight especially on the top of the hills.

The car we had was a Citroen, a French car. It is the same spelling as the Dutch word for lemon. Again pretty funny.

We had rented a TomTom GPS system along with the car, but it did not have Germany maps, only Benelux (Belgium/Netherlands/Luxemburg). We really did not have trouble on the way there. Germany has very good signage and  we stayed to the highways and small towns. I was glad we had the TomTom to guide us through Luxemburg and Belgium though. They had poor signs and we had to go through Luxemburg city and Liege. Liege is an armpit, not a place I would recommend a tourist to stop. The I think it was in Germany that the TomTom kept telling to go up an on-ramp to the highway, but the on-ramp had obviously been closed for quit sometime. We were able to program our destination around that obstacle, but we never totally trusted the TomTom again. 

I found the TomTom a handy security blanket-type item, but it was also limiting. You must an exact destination in mind, not just a town and it is not easy to spontaneously change your destination. You cannot see what is around your location, only what is within maybe a quarter to half mile on the map. I like the freedom of being able to say, “Hey if we turn here we can go to X. Let’s do it!” That is much harder with the TomTom. But like I had, it was nice to have to guide us throug Liege.

Easter

Above is Natalie’s new traveling companion, Super Dog. Super dog now goes on all our trips.

 

Easter in the Netherlands.

To start our day, Natalie and Ellie went on a Easter egg hunt. It was a bright sunny day but on the cold side around the mid 30′s and it didn’t warm up much from there. The kids had fun hunting for eggs while moms and dads guided them in the general direction.  After that we were on the move headed to Hoensbroek Castle where they have a midevil castle with games to play and a whole castle to explore. It didn’t disapoint. The castle oldest part was built in the 1300s and the last addition was completed in the 1700s. It was in beutiful shape and it didn’t look to have been but minimumly restored.

The Dutch celebrate Easter Monday and Nicole and I had the day off as well as Natalie. As you can see it snowed a couple of inches Easter night which for Natalie ment it was time to build Frosty the snowman. After that on to Vaulkenburg to catch the steam train to Simpleveld, about 30 minutes east of Valkenburg. When we arrived back at Valkenburg we stopped in the Coffee Pot for a late lunch.  This place had the best milk I have ever tasted. We got Natalie milk and Nicole took a sip because the glass was extremely full for a 2 1/2 yr old. Nicole said that I had to taste this and I couldn’t believe how sweet and buttery the milk tasted mmm. Milk back home never tasted this good, I think its the cows. That was our Easter weekend and with the last picture taken of Natalie on the train back to Maastricht was one very tired little girl, awh. 

Brussels

Saturday we went to Brussels, Belgium.  Unfortunately they were erecting a very large stage and tent in the main square so it was difficult to get a good picture of the incredible buildings surrounding the square. We managed a couple  pictures. I don’t know what buildings they are. Most had dates from the 16oo’s.

No trip to Brussels is complete without a visiting Mannekin Pis. He was in all his glory while were there. The challenge here was getting close enough through the crowd of tourists. I had to crop out some random guy’s head.

We also visited Mannekin’s little known little sister Janneke Pis. She is not mentioned in many tour books and certainly not in the ”official” tourist information put out by the city.

Finally every kid’s best friend is their dog and is Mannekin and Janneke’s dog Zanneke.

Brussels definately has a zany side and some large instruments.

 

Most European cities have a problem with dog owners not picking up after their dogs. Brussels is trying a new strategy-poop corrals. Some even have extra posts in the the middle for the dogs  to mark. I’m not sure they help that much.  

Things I learned in Brussels:

1) I am a tourist, no use hiding that fact. I need to have my map out to find my way.

2) People will ask for directions even if you are sitting on a bench studying a map in a guide book.

3) There are Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world and they will approach you even if you are sitting on a bench studying a map in a guide book.

4) My husband is incredibly patient and I will keep him.

We also got on the wrong part of the train coming back to Maastricht. The train split and some cars went one way and some went another.  We took a side trip to Hasselt that night coming back. It was a little nerve wracking since the trains start running less frequently, it was dark and hard to see the signs at the stations and they apparently stop announcing the stops at 7pm.  There were some very nice people on our trains who spoke wonderful English and helped us identify our stops. 

I will never make it as a tour guide, all my clients would get lost.

Spring

Spring is slow to come here. When we arrived almost 3 weeks ago, the grass was green and trees were budding. The grass is still green and the trees are still budding. The buds are bigger and more trees are budding, a few more flowers have opened, but the whole process is much slower than in Minnesota. Perhaps it is the shorter days, or the lack of sunshine or the cool temperatures. We have maybe made it to the 60s for a few hours one day. It is generally cloudy and in the 40s. So, yes it is warmer here, but it is not bursting out all over as spring does in MN.

The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) has begun. It is the world’s leading antiques and art fair and it is about a block from work at the MECC. Admission alone is about $75 per person and Van Gogh’s last painting is listed at about 30 million Euro or about $45 million. Not a bargain considering the weak dollar. There are so many BMWs, Porches, Mercedes, Audis, etc driving around.

Almost every time I am out walking around with Natalie, someone asks me for directions. I find this very funny for a few reasons: 1) I am quite directionally challenged, see previous post. In fact someone asked me for directions as I was looking at a map posted by the street. The map was not useful because it did not have a large “You are here” with an arrow and I could not see any street signs from my location standing by the map. 2) I think we stick out as Americans due to our colorful clothing. They wear a lot of black/gray as outerwear here. Mark was concerned after someone yelled something at him (in Dutch I am sure) as they drove by. He felt he stuck out too much due to his bright yellow coat. Natalie has gotten many, many comments on her dragon hat. In general, dress in Maastricht is more formal due to the french influence since we are not far from France. Sporty-style dress is not commonly seen. 3) Does walking around with a kid make us seem more approachable or more knowledgable? I don’t know, but I am always impressed with how easily people switch to English after we tell tham that we on speak English.

All the same . . .

Some things don’t change no matter where you live.

Mom is silly and Nat needs a hug.

Daddy and Natalie are buds playing trains the neighbor loaned us.

Jam on toast is yummmmy!

 

Three hour tour

Friday evening Mark called and said he had to work late, so Natalie and I went exploring by ourselves.  We took the stroller our neighbors loaned us and set out with no particular destination in mind. Now those of you who know me well, know I am directionally challenged and are able to the dark clouds on the horizon of this tale.  We crossed the river Maas and took a stroll through the old part of the city. Shops were closed by this time, but restaurants were still open.  Anyway we found the little park on this side of the river, the larger park on the other side of the river, a green where boys were playing soccer, a pool where people fed the ducks, part of the old wall around Maastricht, some cool stuff.  After about half an hour, I told Natalie that we needed to start home so we could get home before Mark.

Now the old part of Maastricht was not planned, it just happened which means streets run in no particular direction.  So I struck off down a street towards the bridge that we crossed on our way out. The street ended and I had to turn, but neither option would take me where I wanted to go. So I tried to keep in mind where the river was and kept criss-crossing through the old part of the city trying to get closer to the river. It was getting dark and starting to rain and I felt we were not getting any closer to the river and was moving further down river and away from where I wanted to go. Once we got to the river, I could just follow the river to the bridge and get home. But I could not get to the river.

I discovered the deer park which was a bit creepy and I did not linger there.  The houses we were walking by were very nice, but I was in an unfamiliar part of a city in a foreign country in the dark and rain with my daughter who was also getting worried.  I pulled out my cell phone and the phone number of a neighbor and I was going to call for help, but first I had to get to an intersection so I could actually tell them where I was.  Not all intersections have street signs so it took me a few blocks to come to a fairly large intersection that was lighted (so I felt safe to stop) and had street signs.  By now it was totally dark, except for street lights and raining steadily. When I actually stopped to call, I realized that I  could also see across the river and knew where I was and how to get home.  I hurried home positive that Mark would be home and worried about us out in the dark and rain.

We made it home in a about 50 minutes when it should have taken about 15. We were wet, tired, cold, thankful to be home and Mark was still at work.

About the deer park, I am not really sure what the deal is with the deer park. It is basically 4 paddocks with some goats and various types of deer in them. Like a small zoo. The deer and goats look very bored. There are also ducks and geese in the canal that runs on the other side of the path. There are also some animal sculptures in the area. One is a very sad looking bear who is sitting on a bench with his head hanging down. The wierdest part is the giraffe.  There is a large round enclosure and inside the enclosure is a moat and a center island. On the island is a giraffe laying on the ground and a girl stroking the giraffe. There were other sculptures of animal in the moat. There was no water in the moat, just a lot of moss growing on things. Extremely realistic and a bit freaky. I was weirded out enough that I did not want to take a picture of it when we went back the next day (shorter route this time). Anyway I think it was some sort of commentary on zoos and their impact on the animals in them.

Adventure 1 new photos

When I started writing about our first adventure Nicole was showing me how to do some stuff on writing blogs and she accidentally promoted the page before I was finished uploading pictures. So here are some more pictures of Valkenburg.

  This is a candid photo of Mark and Natalie on the train to Valkenburg. 

Then I gave them a warning, say “CHEESE!”

Naughty girl-

Knight’s Hall

Nicole’s rump in the Knight’s Hall

The ones below are pictures of the city.  This is a statue on a private bridge to a private residence. Pretty cool.

This is a telephoto view of one of the streets in Valkenburg taken from the castle.

 Here are Mark and Natalie in front of the canal where Natalie spent about 25 minutes looking at the ducks. They were just like ducks in Minnesota. But somehow they were facinating. I was afraid we were going to spend all day looking at the ducks.

March 4

It snowed last night. Not much, a dusting really. But  it was only the second time this winter they have gotten any snow in Maastricht. It is already half-melted slush, but still notable.  This week is colder and windy.  The highs are mid-30s to 40. 

We do not have a thin hat that Natalie can wear under her bike helmet and her helmet will not fit over her dragon hat. She has a silk scarf that she could cover head with and it will fit under her helmet. IF she will wear it.  She has not been interested in wearing it, but she may change her mind after a cold bike ride to childcare without it.  There are not many places here that still have winter hats and mittens. We scoured many stores and bought two pairs of mitten for the tyke since we arrived. The second one has a string that runs through her coat so we will not lose one. We lost one of her first mittens.

 Yesterday I tried a kikastick for lunch, again it was something you would expect to find at the state fair. It was chunks of pork(?)  sausage and piecces of onion on a stick and deep fried.  The mustard I had with it was good.

I saw the article in the Startribune about the FIRST Robotics competetion.  Good luck, Centennial! Mark wishes he could be there to see the competition. Keep us updated.

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/16200832.html

We are gaining almost 4 minutes of daylight each day
Sun rise 7:14 am

Sun set 6:23 pm

Culture

Yogurt is very popular here. It is also very different than in the US.  Most US yogurt has gelatin in it and here it does not. Here it is often just milk and the bacterial culture and it turns out oh-so-wonderfully creamy, even the no fat yogurt. I don’t know why it is so different.  Yogurt is often drunk here. This is especially the case if the yogurt is plain. But even the plain yogurt does not have the typical sourness that US plain yogurt does.  I am very enamoured of the yogurt here. Mmmmm.

 Yesterday was the first Sunday of the month which meant that the shops were open. Most shops close about 5 or 6 pm weekdays and Saturdays, but are closed on Sundays.  Shops are open later on Thursday (Shopping night). Cafes and restaurants are often open on Sunday. But most shops are open the first Sunday of the month also.  Some grocery stores are open later during the week, but are also closed on Sunday. Seems complicated, but you get swing of it soon enough when you cannot go grocery shopping on a Sunday and so have no milk.  Shopping hours vary by city as the hours a type of shop may be open are set by the local government.

Mornings start slowly here, especially weekend mornings.  I like a nice quiet walk to work. I can walk it now with out always looking to make sure I am on the right street. The walk is about a mile and is a nice 15 min walk to clear the mind, get the blood flowing as one transitions from home to work and back.

 A number people work part-time, especially if they have families. It is fairly common for a parent to just spend more time with their children and home and they are not seen as less serious about their work.  It is much more common than in the US. When people go to work, they work. There is some chit-chat and visiting, but much less than in the US. People are polite and get to know each other, but they work at work so they can get home and be with their friends and family. Staying late is not usually seen as a sign of hard work, it is seen as a sign of not effectively being able to get your work done.