Having lived in the Red Light District for a number of years, I thought I'd pass on this blog which talks about what it's like to work in the Red Light District: Behind the Red Light District.
As a disclaimer, the woman writing it is rather frustrated with some of the propaganda related to cleaning up the Red Light District. Although I disagree with her often enough, I do think she has a lot of valid points and thus deserves to be heard. I especially agree that the whole 1012 project has not resulted in better businesses in the neighbourhood, although I would argue that the fashion/design place at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 93 was actually doing quite well (or at least it was when I lived next door).
Showing posts with label netherlands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label netherlands. Show all posts
08 April 2016
03 March 2013
Dagje Eindhoven
Matthijs and I went to Eindhoven yesterday - simply because we could. As often happens when we head out to explore a place, we found it delightful. After all, how could it not be? We left all the stresses and responsibilities at home, had looked into the area a bit (to make sure we had a couple of ideas of what we could do), and, most importantly, opened ourselves up for whatever we might bump into.
The following are a few of the highlights of the day - shared not because they were so special, but more so in the hope that others might be able to delight further in exploring the world around them (sharing that with a curious partner helps too!)
- an 'oh' moment to begin: on the way to the train station (at 9:30 in the morning), there came rollerskating along the bikepath a man with a naked bum. I did a doubletake, asked Matthijs if he'd also noticed, wondered a bit about how that could be comfortable or even do-able, and kept walking so we wouldn't miss our train.
- De Witte Dame - We started by the ANWB and purchased their Architecture walking guide (worth picking up or borrowing from us), which I'd wanted for awhile. The only problem was that the book (and lots of signs) kept mentioning the building the Witte Dame (white lady), and as I couldn't figure out what they were talking about, it remained the mystery of the day. A quick google search reveals a website for it - turns out it's a rather boring building that we had actually seen.
- the Van Abbemuseum,
- a concert in the Catharina church (Boccherini). I found the first half wonderful, but the second half (more soloists) rather dull, although Matthijs assures me it was quite good. The stained-glass windows in the church had me (much to my delight) searching for all the biblical references in them.
- dinner at a Spanish restaurant. The food was very good, but better still was having time to talk to each other outside of the rush of the every day. Having already spent 8 hours continuously together, we'd managed by then to have brought up most of the more mundane and pressing things we'd been thinking about lately, which meant that we were both ready to spend time talking about big ideas and our hopes for the next while.
Add to that some walking, lots of buildings to look at, good food, and good conversation - and it was a recipe for a great mini-vacation without the hassle of packing :)
The following are a few of the highlights of the day - shared not because they were so special, but more so in the hope that others might be able to delight further in exploring the world around them (sharing that with a curious partner helps too!)
- an 'oh' moment to begin: on the way to the train station (at 9:30 in the morning), there came rollerskating along the bikepath a man with a naked bum. I did a doubletake, asked Matthijs if he'd also noticed, wondered a bit about how that could be comfortable or even do-able, and kept walking so we wouldn't miss our train.
- De Witte Dame - We started by the ANWB and purchased their Architecture walking guide (worth picking up or borrowing from us), which I'd wanted for awhile. The only problem was that the book (and lots of signs) kept mentioning the building the Witte Dame (white lady), and as I couldn't figure out what they were talking about, it remained the mystery of the day. A quick google search reveals a website for it - turns out it's a rather boring building that we had actually seen.
- the Van Abbemuseum,
- a concert in the Catharina church (Boccherini). I found the first half wonderful, but the second half (more soloists) rather dull, although Matthijs assures me it was quite good. The stained-glass windows in the church had me (much to my delight) searching for all the biblical references in them.
- dinner at a Spanish restaurant. The food was very good, but better still was having time to talk to each other outside of the rush of the every day. Having already spent 8 hours continuously together, we'd managed by then to have brought up most of the more mundane and pressing things we'd been thinking about lately, which meant that we were both ready to spend time talking about big ideas and our hopes for the next while.
Add to that some walking, lots of buildings to look at, good food, and good conversation - and it was a recipe for a great mini-vacation without the hassle of packing :)
17 August 2012
Bike ride to Zandvoort
Before heading out on our long weekend away, I took a day off to go biking with a friend. I've always wanted to bike to Zandvoort, a village on the North Sea about 35 km away from Amsterdam, so that's what we did.
We started in the Westerpark and headed out towards Haarlem, following the paths that seemed to be as close as possible to nature. Halfway to Haarlem, we came to Halfweg, which actually means "half-way." The following is a picture of a church (since no trip for me is complete without checking out the local churches :))
The next stop was Spaarndam. Looking back on the trip, I tink it was Spaarndam that was the most interesting. The town itself has a picturesque feel to it, as you can sense by this picture.
But also delightful was the bike ride from Spaarndam towards to Haarlem, as there's an old fort along the way.
Haarlem is also a wonderful city to visit, but this time we just biked through and did our best not to get lost. By the time we knew we had the cut-off to Zandvoort and we were heading in the right direction, we had practically bumped into Overveen. In the train, Overveen is the "almost there" stop - the one right before Zandvoort. I've walked from Overveen train station to the sea before, so I knew it couldn't be much longer still.
Except I forgot that dunes are hilly. Not surprising, since the Netherlands is notoriously flat. Flat, except for the dunes (which we biked up and down) and also Berg en Dal, where we had to walk up a significantly steep incline for 15 minutes in order to get to our hotel during our vacation.
The following gives an idea of the dunes. These were taken in different directions from the lookout point.
It was thus actually a rather disappointing lookout place, although it was a good place to stop and drink some more water. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather, although a bit cloudier would have been good, too.
We celebrated our arrival in Zandvoort with one last steep incline on the bike and then having apple pie with cappucino and taking a walk by the sea.
Follow this link (the same as the one on Facebook) to see the map of our trip: http://soc.li/2vAZctb
We started in the Westerpark and headed out towards Haarlem, following the paths that seemed to be as close as possible to nature. Halfway to Haarlem, we came to Halfweg, which actually means "half-way." The following is a picture of a church (since no trip for me is complete without checking out the local churches :))
The next stop was Spaarndam. Looking back on the trip, I tink it was Spaarndam that was the most interesting. The town itself has a picturesque feel to it, as you can sense by this picture.
Haarlem is also a wonderful city to visit, but this time we just biked through and did our best not to get lost. By the time we knew we had the cut-off to Zandvoort and we were heading in the right direction, we had practically bumped into Overveen. In the train, Overveen is the "almost there" stop - the one right before Zandvoort. I've walked from Overveen train station to the sea before, so I knew it couldn't be much longer still.
Except I forgot that dunes are hilly. Not surprising, since the Netherlands is notoriously flat. Flat, except for the dunes (which we biked up and down) and also Berg en Dal, where we had to walk up a significantly steep incline for 15 minutes in order to get to our hotel during our vacation.
The following gives an idea of the dunes. These were taken in different directions from the lookout point.
We celebrated our arrival in Zandvoort with one last steep incline on the bike and then having apple pie with cappucino and taking a walk by the sea.
Follow this link (the same as the one on Facebook) to see the map of our trip: http://soc.li/2vAZctb
05 June 2012
Eating french fries on a bench, Amsterdam-style
About a week ago, my cousin and her family stopped by on their way to friends in Germany. I thus had the opportunity to get to know them better - and enjoyed getting to show them around. We managed to cover all the major dutch highlights: windmills, canals, the flower market, pancakes, stroopwaffels, trains, lots of walking, an orange soccerball, croquetten and french fries. And the french fries were eaten in classic Amsterdam style.
We bought the fries at a famous little stand around the corner from both the flower market and Begijnhof (I take more people here, so you might recognize it!). We walked to the benches by the flower market so that we would hopefully not spill/dip all the fries and mayonaisse over everything. It being a beautiful warm day, we had to share the bench not only with the usual tourists but also some of the locals. And the locals of the day were about four middle-aged homeless guys. I'm not sure if the tourists were intimitated by the open beer cans or the two kittens in the coat of the one homeless guy, but the only places still open were beside these guys. So we sat down next to them and enjoyed some random conversation, and the kittens were a delightful and obvious distraction for my cousin's little one.
Before I moved to Amsterdam, I would have felt horribly uncomfortable sitting in the midst of a group of homeless guys (my cousin, having lived in Toronto, was obviously more used to this kind of thing). Now, however, I have a higher appreciation for homeless folk than I do for tourists! And sitting beside them seemed like the most normal thing in the world - the homeless, after all, are my neighbours and the ones I would feel comfortable greeting on the street, and they are at least as much a part of Amsterdam as I am.
We bought the fries at a famous little stand around the corner from both the flower market and Begijnhof (I take more people here, so you might recognize it!). We walked to the benches by the flower market so that we would hopefully not spill/dip all the fries and mayonaisse over everything. It being a beautiful warm day, we had to share the bench not only with the usual tourists but also some of the locals. And the locals of the day were about four middle-aged homeless guys. I'm not sure if the tourists were intimitated by the open beer cans or the two kittens in the coat of the one homeless guy, but the only places still open were beside these guys. So we sat down next to them and enjoyed some random conversation, and the kittens were a delightful and obvious distraction for my cousin's little one.
Before I moved to Amsterdam, I would have felt horribly uncomfortable sitting in the midst of a group of homeless guys (my cousin, having lived in Toronto, was obviously more used to this kind of thing). Now, however, I have a higher appreciation for homeless folk than I do for tourists! And sitting beside them seemed like the most normal thing in the world - the homeless, after all, are my neighbours and the ones I would feel comfortable greeting on the street, and they are at least as much a part of Amsterdam as I am.
08 July 2011
Dutch Theologians go home at 5
In normal life, I don't think I know many dutch theologians who do go home at 5 - most go home later than that. But when you're at an International Biblical Scholarship conference, five in the afternoon is apparently the time to head back home.
After all, if you take the train home at five, you'll have had a couple of free hours between the end of the conference and departure time so that you can go sightseeing in London - and you'll still make it home that night.
At least, that's what Matthijs and I were planning to do. It was a delightful surprise to discover that we were not the only dutch folk at the conference who'd had exactly the same idea! And so travelling home, after a good conference, we could greet the other dutch folk - and even if we didn't say much, there was a sense of comraderie born of having done things together and heading towards home together.
After all, if you take the train home at five, you'll have had a couple of free hours between the end of the conference and departure time so that you can go sightseeing in London - and you'll still make it home that night.
At least, that's what Matthijs and I were planning to do. It was a delightful surprise to discover that we were not the only dutch folk at the conference who'd had exactly the same idea! And so travelling home, after a good conference, we could greet the other dutch folk - and even if we didn't say much, there was a sense of comraderie born of having done things together and heading towards home together.
03 June 2011
Adventures with Crystle: Exploring Delft and Rotterdam
During my recent trip to Canada, I couldn't visit with Crystle because she was at a sailing competition at the same time (in the Netherlands, ironically). Fortunately for me she decided to stay a couple of extra days so I could see her when I got back. Once I'd had a good night's sleep, we decided to have an adventure exploring: we chose Delft and Rotterdam.
My original thoughts were to take the train to Delft, walk around, take the train to Rotterdam, rent bikes and bike around, and then return on the train. Crystle suggested we bike to Delft, which seemed like a lovely idea, so we did. When we got there, we followed a walking tour of the city. And then we biked to Rotterdam since we were already halfway. Biking to Rotterdam has been on my list of wishes for awhile, so it's great to have done that (and with Crystle!).
And like most exploring trips, it was full of adventure. We left with maps, a city walking tour book, and general ideas - and we'd see what we'd find.
And what did we find?
- a visit to Delft's Old Church and New Church,
- spring rolls and fried fish from vendors,
- a coloured cow in the middle of a square,
- a view of the parade of flags and cubed houses,
- bread, grapes and beer from a supermarket (with the beer being opened with a key chain - it works but I don't recommend it!),
- a trip through the bike tunnel under the Maas river (also on my list of things to do)
- and sore bums and legs from biking 41 km, each of us sharing time on the fold-up bike.
A couple of pictures and our route are here below:
View 1 june bike ride - Den Haag to Delft to Rotterdam in a larger map
My original thoughts were to take the train to Delft, walk around, take the train to Rotterdam, rent bikes and bike around, and then return on the train. Crystle suggested we bike to Delft, which seemed like a lovely idea, so we did. When we got there, we followed a walking tour of the city. And then we biked to Rotterdam since we were already halfway. Biking to Rotterdam has been on my list of wishes for awhile, so it's great to have done that (and with Crystle!).
And like most exploring trips, it was full of adventure. We left with maps, a city walking tour book, and general ideas - and we'd see what we'd find.
And what did we find?
- a visit to Delft's Old Church and New Church,
- spring rolls and fried fish from vendors,
- a coloured cow in the middle of a square,
- a view of the parade of flags and cubed houses,
- bread, grapes and beer from a supermarket (with the beer being opened with a key chain - it works but I don't recommend it!),
- a trip through the bike tunnel under the Maas river (also on my list of things to do)
- and sore bums and legs from biking 41 km, each of us sharing time on the fold-up bike.
A couple of pictures and our route are here below:
 |
| In the garden of the Prinsenhof |
 |
| The entrance/exit of the bike tunnel under the Maas River |
View 1 june bike ride - Den Haag to Delft to Rotterdam in a larger map
21 December 2010
When it snows, it rains...
There is snow in the Netherlands - lots of it, and it's not going away. Last year was the first year in a long time that the Netherlands got a significant amount of snow, so people are slightly more prepared for things - but the snow still makes everything somewhat more complicated.
Fortunately, public transportation is still running. And I can still bike. But since they don't clear the paths or roads (only salt certain areas), biking now involves going over ice sections, through slush, and/or digging through 10 cms of semi-packed snow. I spent almost 2 hours today biking - to go to and from some place that normally takes 15 minutes with a bike!
And it is great that the trains are running (albeit on reduced schedules and with only minimum delays). It just seems that for some reason in the last week, some of the major stations have had hours during the day when almost no train could get in or out.
Thus, it's now a perfect time to stay home, right? except it's now leaking in our bedroom - cold water is coming through a section of the ceiling....
On the bright side, the snow is beautiful - and the encouragement to not take things for granted and to do things a little snower and travel less isn't a bad reminder. And furthermore, the cat is fascinated by the snow (see pictures), so if we ever get bored staying home, we can just toss him out on the balcony :)
Fortunately, public transportation is still running. And I can still bike. But since they don't clear the paths or roads (only salt certain areas), biking now involves going over ice sections, through slush, and/or digging through 10 cms of semi-packed snow. I spent almost 2 hours today biking - to go to and from some place that normally takes 15 minutes with a bike!
And it is great that the trains are running (albeit on reduced schedules and with only minimum delays). It just seems that for some reason in the last week, some of the major stations have had hours during the day when almost no train could get in or out.
Thus, it's now a perfect time to stay home, right? except it's now leaking in our bedroom - cold water is coming through a section of the ceiling....
On the bright side, the snow is beautiful - and the encouragement to not take things for granted and to do things a little snower and travel less isn't a bad reminder. And furthermore, the cat is fascinated by the snow (see pictures), so if we ever get bored staying home, we can just toss him out on the balcony :)
08 September 2009
adventures with Kristin (again)
since Kristin came to visit (again!), i once again had someone with whom to share in some random adventures (as well as having an excuse to do so). even though it was a bit rainy during her visit, we had a lot of fun exploring different places and laughing together a lot. the following are some of our adventures, with some pictures:
more pictures can be seen at my profile on Facebook.
with thanks to Kristin who took most of the pictures above.
more pictures can be seen at my profile on Facebook.
with thanks to Kristin who took most of the pictures above.
06 June 2009
a tulip field adventure
in honour of spring in the netherlands, which started about 1.5 months ago (although unfortunately in the last few days temporarily disappeared), a couple of friends and i went (then) out in search of tulips - more specifically, tulip fields.
the original plan was to take the train to Voorhout and rent bikes there in order to bike to Lisse through the tulip field areas. The bike renting thing didn't work out so well, so we changed plans by walking around Voorhout - just to explore it and see what was there. And we bumped into a little grassfield, an old church, with a beautiful graveyard, and even some tulips - but no tulip fields :(
so off again with the train - north to Hillegom. and there (as you can see in the picture of the train), we bumped into fields upon fields of tulips.
ironically enough we managed not to bump into the crowds of people and the rather large flower parade, that was happening in the same place as we were. i'm not entirely sure how that happened, but it does say something about the random-ness of adventures.
And below are some final pictures of our adventure:
beautiful, eh?
the original plan was to take the train to Voorhout and rent bikes there in order to bike to Lisse through the tulip field areas. The bike renting thing didn't work out so well, so we changed plans by walking around Voorhout - just to explore it and see what was there. And we bumped into a little grassfield, an old church, with a beautiful graveyard, and even some tulips - but no tulip fields :(
so off again with the train - north to Hillegom. and there (as you can see in the picture of the train), we bumped into fields upon fields of tulips.
ironically enough we managed not to bump into the crowds of people and the rather large flower parade, that was happening in the same place as we were. i'm not entirely sure how that happened, but it does say something about the random-ness of adventures. And below are some final pictures of our adventure:
beautiful, eh?
07 April 2009
exploring again
with the beginning of warmer weather, i've been enjoying exploring again [having someone to share exploring with makes it more fun, too]. the other weekend was to Muiderslot Castle in Muiden and last weekend was to Zandvoort aan Zee, via Overveen.
i've been meaning to get to Muiderslot Castle for awhile now. now that i've discovered that there are old castles in this part of the netherlands, i'm excited about getting to see them - and Muiderslot is probably the most well known castle in the area. the following are a couple of pictures:
the castle as you'd see it from the water
a view of the area behind the castle, looking towards the sea.
the view from above the drawbridge - important for our attempts to figure out how to conquer the castle (we never did find a great method).
and for those of you who appreciate maps, the following will help you see where the castle is located. it's east of Amsterdam. we took the train to Weesp and then walked (bus back) to Muiden.
View Larger Map
and the last weekend was a bit of a different adventure - a walk in nature. it was supposed to be a day of enjoying the sun at the beach. and friday was gorgeous weather, as was sunday. unfortunately, saterday, the day we decided to go to the beach, was dreary.
so instead of taking the train all the way to the beach, we got off halfway at Overveen and decided to enjoy a walk through the woods and dunes and hope that the sun would show up by the time we got to the beach. and so we walked through the stillness of nature where nobody else was in sight, climbed a large hill (odd in the netherlands, must have been an old dune), tried to sight buffalo, instead sighted deer elsewhere, found a castle-like wall by the deer, jumped over a fence (though we'd stayed at paths like we were supposed to, i think one of them was more of a deer path than a people one and we ended up fenced in), got lost, ate lunch by a rabbit hole, walked against the wind at the beach, ate ice cream, walked until we were sore, and almost fell asleep on the train ride home. all in all, it was a lovely day of exploring.
to give you an idea of where we were, the following is a map between Overveen and Zandvoort.
View Larger Map
we started out walking east, along the northside of the tracks. at some point we crossed under the tracks, and eventually we ended up on the Visserspad. it's the inbetween part that i'm not sure about... but that's also part of the adventure of exploring :)
i've been meaning to get to Muiderslot Castle for awhile now. now that i've discovered that there are old castles in this part of the netherlands, i'm excited about getting to see them - and Muiderslot is probably the most well known castle in the area. the following are a couple of pictures:
the castle as you'd see it from the water
a view of the area behind the castle, looking towards the sea.
the view from above the drawbridge - important for our attempts to figure out how to conquer the castle (we never did find a great method).and for those of you who appreciate maps, the following will help you see where the castle is located. it's east of Amsterdam. we took the train to Weesp and then walked (bus back) to Muiden.
View Larger Map
and the last weekend was a bit of a different adventure - a walk in nature. it was supposed to be a day of enjoying the sun at the beach. and friday was gorgeous weather, as was sunday. unfortunately, saterday, the day we decided to go to the beach, was dreary.
so instead of taking the train all the way to the beach, we got off halfway at Overveen and decided to enjoy a walk through the woods and dunes and hope that the sun would show up by the time we got to the beach. and so we walked through the stillness of nature where nobody else was in sight, climbed a large hill (odd in the netherlands, must have been an old dune), tried to sight buffalo, instead sighted deer elsewhere, found a castle-like wall by the deer, jumped over a fence (though we'd stayed at paths like we were supposed to, i think one of them was more of a deer path than a people one and we ended up fenced in), got lost, ate lunch by a rabbit hole, walked against the wind at the beach, ate ice cream, walked until we were sore, and almost fell asleep on the train ride home. all in all, it was a lovely day of exploring.
to give you an idea of where we were, the following is a map between Overveen and Zandvoort.
View Larger Map
we started out walking east, along the northside of the tracks. at some point we crossed under the tracks, and eventually we ended up on the Visserspad. it's the inbetween part that i'm not sure about... but that's also part of the adventure of exploring :)
11 January 2009
a lovely winter sunday
to take advantage of the below zero temperatures here in the Netherlands, we spent the afternoon skating (in Museumplein). and it was lovely. the following are some pictures to share it with you:
me on my borrowed Nordic skates - i did really well, especially since it's been about 6 years since i last skated - and nordic skates are a lot longer than i'm used to. and i enjoyed it tons (and am only a bit sore).
a random close up as we paused on the ice.
enjoying the skating by dancing - i thought they were doing great!
and it ended with a fire, candles, cookies and hot chocolate in the Kajuit.
lovely, eh? just how winter should be enjoyed.
me on my borrowed Nordic skates - i did really well, especially since it's been about 6 years since i last skated - and nordic skates are a lot longer than i'm used to. and i enjoyed it tons (and am only a bit sore).
a random close up as we paused on the ice.
enjoying the skating by dancing - i thought they were doing great!
and it ended with a fire, candles, cookies and hot chocolate in the Kajuit. lovely, eh? just how winter should be enjoyed.
09 January 2009
when is it too cold to bike?
every day this week as i've biked to the university, i've been wondering about when it really is too cold to bike. monday, as my out-of-shape body grunted my way home, was probably when i wondered the hardest. is it too cold when i see my breath? when the canals start freezing over? when it's -10 Celsius? when the roads are too slippery?
and every time i get on my bike, i put on my hat, i put on the wool mittens, have a scarf on, my coat's done up, and sometimes i even have my long johns on. after about a minute on my bike, i'm cold. it takes about 10 minutes before i'm relatively warm again (although sometimes my hands and feet stay cold longer).
and then i think of the alternative: being cold in the subway system (the metro). the newspaper has been reporting that the heating systems on the subway haven't been doing so well lately - and even the free hot chocolate near the end of the line isn't really a decent compensation.
so, i bike. it saves me money, takes about the same amount of time as the subway, gives me exercise, and i have a bit more control over how cold i am. and it makes me feel stubborn and dutch - and i don't mind having an excuse to whine every once in awhile :)
and every time i get on my bike, i put on my hat, i put on the wool mittens, have a scarf on, my coat's done up, and sometimes i even have my long johns on. after about a minute on my bike, i'm cold. it takes about 10 minutes before i'm relatively warm again (although sometimes my hands and feet stay cold longer).
and then i think of the alternative: being cold in the subway system (the metro). the newspaper has been reporting that the heating systems on the subway haven't been doing so well lately - and even the free hot chocolate near the end of the line isn't really a decent compensation.
so, i bike. it saves me money, takes about the same amount of time as the subway, gives me exercise, and i have a bit more control over how cold i am. and it makes me feel stubborn and dutch - and i don't mind having an excuse to whine every once in awhile :)
30 December 2008
Sinterklaas - a bit late
Sinterklaas is celebrated on the evening of 5 December in the Netherlands but he worked around the schedules in the community so that he could come a couple of days late. Traditionally, if a child were good, presents would be given - but if a child was bad, Zwarte Piet (Black Pieter), Sinterklaas's helper, would put him/her in his sack to take to Spain where Sinterklaas lives (Seeing as a lot of Dutch people vacation in Spain because of the warmth, it does seem a bit of an odd punishment). Nowadays, Sinterklaas just brings presents (and sometimes quite large ones).
With the present comes a poem. And the present has to be wrapped in a "surprise," which generally means creatively designing a package for the present that has something to do with the present or the one receiving it. This can take hours and sometimes involves papier-maché and sometimes involves an waterproof container that needs to be fished out of several litres of pudding... Often the poem and surprise are the best part of the present - and both allow give ample opportunity to tease and annoy each other, making present giving fun for adults, too.
To see photos of the day, check out the pictures on Facebook, as well as Tom's blog entry on Sinterklaas (which was up in a much more timely manner).
With the present comes a poem. And the present has to be wrapped in a "surprise," which generally means creatively designing a package for the present that has something to do with the present or the one receiving it. This can take hours and sometimes involves papier-maché and sometimes involves an waterproof container that needs to be fished out of several litres of pudding... Often the poem and surprise are the best part of the present - and both allow give ample opportunity to tease and annoy each other, making present giving fun for adults, too.
To see photos of the day, check out the pictures on Facebook, as well as Tom's blog entry on Sinterklaas (which was up in a much more timely manner).
22 November 2008
odd weather
although there is much in my head that i could talk about, i'll begin with the weather. the weather is, after all, a favourite topic of conversation here. the weather tends to change a lot - and very quickly. for several months of the year, packing an umbrella is a wise thing to do, even if it's sunny when you leave the house. and i tend not to bike when it's raining, because if i don't have to be at work at a certain time - and can wait an hour or two, it will have most likely stopped raining.
but even though the weather here is usually somewhat odd, the last two days have been exceptionally odd. i think it's snowing now. but it's also been sunny. and raining. and hailing. and the wind is 30 km/hour (20 mph). and yesterday, the wind was even stronger! i biked yesterday, and although the buildings around me mostly blocked out the wind and i managed to stay dry for both trips to and from the University, it wasn't the most pleasant of trips. hail, even for five minutes, is not something i have any desire to experience again - biking into it is rather painful.
we'll see if the snow comes back again or decides to remain at all, but for now here is a picture of the amount of snow we usually get in Amsterdam:
as you can see, you have to search for the evidence of snow. there's some white in the large plant pot :)
but even though the weather here is usually somewhat odd, the last two days have been exceptionally odd. i think it's snowing now. but it's also been sunny. and raining. and hailing. and the wind is 30 km/hour (20 mph). and yesterday, the wind was even stronger! i biked yesterday, and although the buildings around me mostly blocked out the wind and i managed to stay dry for both trips to and from the University, it wasn't the most pleasant of trips. hail, even for five minutes, is not something i have any desire to experience again - biking into it is rather painful.
we'll see if the snow comes back again or decides to remain at all, but for now here is a picture of the amount of snow we usually get in Amsterdam:
as you can see, you have to search for the evidence of snow. there's some white in the large plant pot :)
30 October 2008
hunting for castles
i enjoy getting to explore what's around me. and Kristin's visit was a great opportunity to do more of that with someone who would delight in it as much as I. our last adventure was hunting for castles. i'd done some googling and talking with others and had a fairly decent idea of where we could find castle ruins but we had no idea what to expect.
we began our adventure with visiting the St. Bavo church in Haarlem, something Kristin had always wanted to do. and the church was as beautiful as we both hoped, both peaceful and majestic.
then off to hunting for castles! first, bike rental: the bikes were courtesy of OV-fiets, a coupon i'd received when i bought my train discount card. next, finding Castle Ter Kleef with only a couple of street names, a vague sense of direction, and random maps along the way. when we found Ter Kleef, the first thing we bumped into were the cows: random plastic structures of cows, the sort of thing that was begging for pictures. and then off to the ruins and garden. the ruins were definitely ruins, so that you knew that something large and brick was there (with water around it) but you'd have no idea of what it really looked like. the garden was lovely, with an indoor greenhouse in the back, flowers still in bloom, and little gnomes telling you different things you should do along the way.
and then to the Brederode castle. this is in Sandport-Zuid, so we got to bike close to the dunes and past majestic houses in order to get there. the ruins were fairly significant - the castle has been an official country monument for almost 150 years. and so we got to walk up stairs and look in old rooms, read about the history of the castle and admire the strange art displayed inside.
and then home. on the way back, we walked by Febo, so Kristin got to try one last really dutch experience: buying food "out of the wall." she let me taste it, and it was much better than i expected!
See Facebook for the rest of the pictures.
we began our adventure with visiting the St. Bavo church in Haarlem, something Kristin had always wanted to do. and the church was as beautiful as we both hoped, both peaceful and majestic.
then off to hunting for castles! first, bike rental: the bikes were courtesy of OV-fiets, a coupon i'd received when i bought my train discount card. next, finding Castle Ter Kleef with only a couple of street names, a vague sense of direction, and random maps along the way. when we found Ter Kleef, the first thing we bumped into were the cows: random plastic structures of cows, the sort of thing that was begging for pictures. and then off to the ruins and garden. the ruins were definitely ruins, so that you knew that something large and brick was there (with water around it) but you'd have no idea of what it really looked like. the garden was lovely, with an indoor greenhouse in the back, flowers still in bloom, and little gnomes telling you different things you should do along the way.
and then to the Brederode castle. this is in Sandport-Zuid, so we got to bike close to the dunes and past majestic houses in order to get there. the ruins were fairly significant - the castle has been an official country monument for almost 150 years. and so we got to walk up stairs and look in old rooms, read about the history of the castle and admire the strange art displayed inside.
and then home. on the way back, we walked by Febo, so Kristin got to try one last really dutch experience: buying food "out of the wall." she let me taste it, and it was much better than i expected!
See Facebook for the rest of the pictures.
20 October 2008
on holiday/vacation with Kristin
i'm on semi-holiday for the week. Kristin, a great friend (she did let me live with her for 4 months this year!), is visiting. i'm still in the community and doing a few random chores but i've rearranged my work schedule and minimized other things. and her visit definitely has the feeling of a holiday - for i get to ask "so, what should we do today?" and it's been lovely just having random adventures and exploring places with her.
thus far, we've gone bike riding north of the IJ, amidst the dikes and water and farmland. we've eaten at a Surinamese Chinese restaurant. we've gone shopping (more for me) and to see the biological/organic/trendy market. we've seen the inside of the Noorderkerk and the organ of the English Reformed Church. we've spent some time with the community here, and watched the movie, "Alles is Liefde" (Everything is Love). we've gone to the wedding of a colleague of mine. we've drank coffee and wine. we've talked about bodily functions (which either means we're really comfortable with each other or we think like we're in junior high). we've visited the beach (Zandvoort aan Zee) and ate fish. we've walked a lot and surreptitiously checked out what the inside of houses look like (so many people here conveniently leave windows open and lights on and looking inside is not frowned upon, although the person inside is just as likely to be looking out at you as you are at them!) and we've giggled and talked and laughed. and most of all, we've had the joy of being ourselves and enjoyed exploring the world around me here.
the following are some pictures:
eating kibbeling at the beach
the strange fake stumps that exist under Amsterdam Sloterdijk station
the view of the lake north of Durgerdam
at the centre of Ransdorp
more pictures can be seen via Facebook. [these were updated again on 30 October].
and the route of our bike ride (a decent total of 17.25 miles (or 27.5 km) - made more impressive since it was rather windy!)
View Larger Map
thus far, we've gone bike riding north of the IJ, amidst the dikes and water and farmland. we've eaten at a Surinamese Chinese restaurant. we've gone shopping (more for me) and to see the biological/organic/trendy market. we've seen the inside of the Noorderkerk and the organ of the English Reformed Church. we've spent some time with the community here, and watched the movie, "Alles is Liefde" (Everything is Love). we've gone to the wedding of a colleague of mine. we've drank coffee and wine. we've talked about bodily functions (which either means we're really comfortable with each other or we think like we're in junior high). we've visited the beach (Zandvoort aan Zee) and ate fish. we've walked a lot and surreptitiously checked out what the inside of houses look like (so many people here conveniently leave windows open and lights on and looking inside is not frowned upon, although the person inside is just as likely to be looking out at you as you are at them!) and we've giggled and talked and laughed. and most of all, we've had the joy of being ourselves and enjoyed exploring the world around me here.
the following are some pictures:
eating kibbeling at the beach
the strange fake stumps that exist under Amsterdam Sloterdijk station
the view of the lake north of Durgerdam
at the centre of Ransdorpmore pictures can be seen via Facebook. [these were updated again on 30 October].
and the route of our bike ride (a decent total of 17.25 miles (or 27.5 km) - made more impressive since it was rather windy!)
View Larger Map
02 October 2008
receiving my master's diploma from the Vrije Universiteit
on monday, i received my Master of Arts from the Vrije Universiteit. it was a bit anti-climactic since this master's degree is merely a step towards my goal/hope of getting a Ph.D., a step that i had already unofficially completed/taken last december! [A blog entry from 13 dec gives both the step and a summary of my thesis].
the delay between my completing the work and getting my diploma was due to some incomplete paperwork, the lack of familiarity at the University with this new degree (it was formerly a doctorandus), my being in America for most of january-june, and how summer (holiday) in the Netherlands makes it difficult to make arrangements for anything. thus, in August i could have picked it up in person - or just wait another month to receive it as part of a ceremony. i figured it couldn't hurt to wait.
back in North America, graduation consists generally of: a large event with a speaker (of interest to everyone), some sort of liturgical event (singing, poetry and/or a biblical passage), some praise for the graduating students (plus a student speaking on behalf of all the graduates), the (dozens of) students being called forward one-by-one (quickly) to shake hands and receive their diploma. and when we're finished, we stand around and drink juice or tea and eat cookies and cakes and fruit and so on.
Master's degree ceremonies in the Netherlands are different. a few words of explanation for the event are given and some praise to the students or certain programs, but the majority of it is about the accomplishment of each student. each student is invited forward, has a few words said about them (that are provided by their supervisor), is asked to say a few words about their master's thesis, shows their (previous) diploma that qualified them for entrance into this program, is possibly asked other questions, and then has to sign their diploma before receiving it. although i remain puzzled about the need or desire to show your previous diploma (this might be biased slightly by the fact that my previous master's diploma is still sitting in a closet in my parents' house in Canada - i couldn't arrange to get it when i was only told 3 days before the ceremony that i needed it), there is something wonderfully personal about this. the audience gets a stronger sense of the work that each student did in completing their diploma.
but, when there are a lot of students, each student is limited in what he/she can say. irrelevant of how interesting the different theses are, in 2 sentences you cannot say much - and hearing 2 thesis sentences 24 times just gets long and dull. and with so many students over a wide range of programs (religious studies, cross-cultural readings, systematic theology, theological education, islamic studies, biblical studies), it's less likely that the students know each other - or are known by the faculty. and the person handing out the diplomas and conversing with the students up front had a lot easier time showing enthusiasm about and asking good questions of students that she knew than those she didn't. and for those students who were part of a larger group/program or a program that was unusual or new, more was said. i was part of a small program and unknown, and felt generally ignored (although i did get a couple of looks for whispering during the ceremony - it was partially to help with translation and partially to be more able to enjoy the event). but, nonetheless, i was thankful to be there. every experience is good to have once (but i've told friends that there's no way i'm going to their ceremony if there's more than 10 people i don't know receiving their diploma). otherwise, i'll just come to the celebration after the ceremony - for in Europe, they serve wine and beer after the ceremony :)
and tonight i celebrate my new master's degree with the community and friends. it's a "tussen feestje" - an in-between party - celebrating that i've come this far (and recognizing that i've been able to do something that most people would love to do but never will) - and looking forward to my hopefully getting a Ph.D. some day.
the delay between my completing the work and getting my diploma was due to some incomplete paperwork, the lack of familiarity at the University with this new degree (it was formerly a doctorandus), my being in America for most of january-june, and how summer (holiday) in the Netherlands makes it difficult to make arrangements for anything. thus, in August i could have picked it up in person - or just wait another month to receive it as part of a ceremony. i figured it couldn't hurt to wait.
back in North America, graduation consists generally of: a large event with a speaker (of interest to everyone), some sort of liturgical event (singing, poetry and/or a biblical passage), some praise for the graduating students (plus a student speaking on behalf of all the graduates), the (dozens of) students being called forward one-by-one (quickly) to shake hands and receive their diploma. and when we're finished, we stand around and drink juice or tea and eat cookies and cakes and fruit and so on.
Master's degree ceremonies in the Netherlands are different. a few words of explanation for the event are given and some praise to the students or certain programs, but the majority of it is about the accomplishment of each student. each student is invited forward, has a few words said about them (that are provided by their supervisor), is asked to say a few words about their master's thesis, shows their (previous) diploma that qualified them for entrance into this program, is possibly asked other questions, and then has to sign their diploma before receiving it. although i remain puzzled about the need or desire to show your previous diploma (this might be biased slightly by the fact that my previous master's diploma is still sitting in a closet in my parents' house in Canada - i couldn't arrange to get it when i was only told 3 days before the ceremony that i needed it), there is something wonderfully personal about this. the audience gets a stronger sense of the work that each student did in completing their diploma.
but, when there are a lot of students, each student is limited in what he/she can say. irrelevant of how interesting the different theses are, in 2 sentences you cannot say much - and hearing 2 thesis sentences 24 times just gets long and dull. and with so many students over a wide range of programs (religious studies, cross-cultural readings, systematic theology, theological education, islamic studies, biblical studies), it's less likely that the students know each other - or are known by the faculty. and the person handing out the diplomas and conversing with the students up front had a lot easier time showing enthusiasm about and asking good questions of students that she knew than those she didn't. and for those students who were part of a larger group/program or a program that was unusual or new, more was said. i was part of a small program and unknown, and felt generally ignored (although i did get a couple of looks for whispering during the ceremony - it was partially to help with translation and partially to be more able to enjoy the event). but, nonetheless, i was thankful to be there. every experience is good to have once (but i've told friends that there's no way i'm going to their ceremony if there's more than 10 people i don't know receiving their diploma). otherwise, i'll just come to the celebration after the ceremony - for in Europe, they serve wine and beer after the ceremony :)
and tonight i celebrate my new master's degree with the community and friends. it's a "tussen feestje" - an in-between party - celebrating that i've come this far (and recognizing that i've been able to do something that most people would love to do but never will) - and looking forward to my hopefully getting a Ph.D. some day.
01 September 2008
good for a smile [or another reason to be proud of the Netherlands :)]
The following newsbrief made me smile so I thought I'd share it. It is from GOOD magazine:
"Authorities at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam have etched the image of a black housefly into each urinal. It seems that men usually do not pay much attention to where they aim, which can create a bit of a mess. But if you give them a target, they can’t help but try to hit it. Similar designs have been implemented in urinals around the world, including mini soccer goals, bulls-eyes, and urine video games (seriously). Do they work? Since the bugs were etched into the airport urinals, spillage has decreased by 80 percent." [found via the blog, Gruntled Centre]
For those interested, toilet stickers can be found in Europe. I laughed so hard when I first heard about them - and have even given one (as a joke) to each of my brothers-in-law [perhaps the gift was really to my sisters, though :) although it was more when they have too many guys visiting].
"Authorities at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam have etched the image of a black housefly into each urinal. It seems that men usually do not pay much attention to where they aim, which can create a bit of a mess. But if you give them a target, they can’t help but try to hit it. Similar designs have been implemented in urinals around the world, including mini soccer goals, bulls-eyes, and urine video games (seriously). Do they work? Since the bugs were etched into the airport urinals, spillage has decreased by 80 percent." [found via the blog, Gruntled Centre]
For those interested, toilet stickers can be found in Europe. I laughed so hard when I first heard about them - and have even given one (as a joke) to each of my brothers-in-law [perhaps the gift was really to my sisters, though :) although it was more when they have too many guys visiting].
27 August 2008
biking in the Netherlands
i've been reading more blogs written from the Netherlands - often from people who've moved here like me. it's been good to hear/read other's experiences - especially when it feels like the blog entry has done a good job in capturing a bit of life here. when i see such a post, i'll try to post a link on my blog to it.
the following is one related to biking here: What is a Dutch Bike? as taken from Orange Journey.
the following is one related to biking here: What is a Dutch Bike? as taken from Orange Journey.
24 August 2008
another sunday afternoon bike ride
in honour of my not having to do anything (it being Sunday :)), i went for a bike ride. i went through the islands on the Ij (because i was now familiar with them - and wanted to see more of it) and to Durgerdam (because i wanted to see the sea). and this time i remembered my camera.
More pictures are available, via Facebook. The last eight photos are actually all taken from the same place - just to give you an idea of the many different things that can be seen when looking in different directions.
The following is the map. Move it to Amsterdam, if you need to. Click on satellite, so that you can get a bit more of an overview of the land.
View Larger Map
Total distance covered: about 30 km (19 miles).
More pictures are available, via Facebook. The last eight photos are actually all taken from the same place - just to give you an idea of the many different things that can be seen when looking in different directions.
The following is the map. Move it to Amsterdam, if you need to. Click on satellite, so that you can get a bit more of an overview of the land.
View Larger Map
Total distance covered: about 30 km (19 miles).
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