US Trip to NH & WV

We took a trip this month to visit New Hampshire. Why, you ask? Did we throw a dart at a map and pick a random spot? Sounds like it, but no, actually Chad is exploring some possible employment opportunities in Hanover, NH, so we wanted to check out the area to see if we’d like to move there. It was similar to our trip to Rotterdam almost three years ago, when we came over for Chad’s interview and to check out Holland. However, it was very different in regards to the geography and the town itself (notice I say ‘town,’ not ‘city’).

Hanover is a town of just over 10,000 people. I come from WV and even I think that is small. But it’s not just the size of the town, it’s the location. It is over a 2 hour drive to the nearest large city, and to the airport in Boston. So, while I may have been to towns in WV or PA that are equally as small, they are usually just outside of a larger city. The remote location made me a bit nervous, especially on the 2+ hour drive up from Boston when all we saw was mile after mile of trees. But, I tried to keep an open mind and see what impression I would get from the area.

What Hanover does have is Dartmouth, an Ivy League school and one of the top overall universities in the country. It also has a beautiful geography of mountains, rivers, & endless trees. It reminds me a lot of WV. It’s a good thing that Chad and I are active people, because there is nothing to do in NH except outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, rowing, & skiing.

Our initial impression was that we were taken aback by the small size. We had tried to imagine ‘small’ in our heads before arriving, but we couldn’t picture small enough. Hanover & Lebanon (the neighboring city of 12,000), both basically have one main road that is 2-3 blocks long, with a couple shops and restaurants, and that is it. Then you have the residential areas surrounding.

West Lebanon has one long stretch of road where all of the chain stores in America reside, since they are not allowed to build them directly in the towns in NH. So at least we know we can get what we need from a well known store. In Hanover, the Dartmouth campus encompasses most of the city, which means the buildings and landscaping are immaculate & well kept.

After the initial shock of the small size, we had a nice 3 day visit in the area. Though, we were a bit anxious the whole time trying to imagine if we could live here, and if we could afford a house, or even an apartment. We went to the Hanover Street Fair, which is the biggest event of the year. We also drove around NH & VT in a half-hour radius to visit the surrounding ‘villages,’ which were even smaller than Hanover & Lebanon. If we were to move here, we wanted to see what other potential towns we could live in, since the cost of living in Hanover is surprisingly high.

On Monday, Chad started his 2 weeks of conferencing, and I flew to my parents’ house for a week. I had a nice relaxing week with my parents. My dad and I drove down to see Sittee, & get some great food. She is still doing great at 90 years old! In Morgantown, we went to the 6th annual Mountainfest 2010, which is a motorcycle rally with over 50,000 bikes! Lots of interesting vintage bikes to look at, great food vendors, & live music.

As Chad spent more time in Hanover, and did some of the outdoors activities that we would most likely get into, he reported back on a more positive note. Not to mention, the job opportunity he was looking into started to sound better and better. So, we will see what happens.

Is New Hampshire the next destination for the Kanick’s? Only time will tell, but we’ll keep you posted. ;)

- S

See more pics from our trip on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157624628365220/

Orange Fever

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As you know, from our previous posts, the World Cup was this year in South Africa. Happening once every four years, we were happy that it landed on a year when we were living here. It was nice to be in Holland and feel the enthusiasm they have for their team. It’s not just a city or university team, it’s their national team. Almost every business, pub and neighborhood street hung up orange flags and banners, and it was all that people talked about for an entire month.

For the first two weeks of the tournament, Chad and I happened to be in Barcelona & Mallorca. During the first round, there are three games a day, so there was almost always a game on the TV. We stopped in countless pubs to catch some or all of the interesting matches. It was cool to see how people from different countries came out to watch their teams.

For the first Dutch game, we were in a bar on La Princesa in Barcalona. A group of 8 Dutch men, all dressed in orange, came into the pub just before game time, and proceeded to hang up strings of orange flags all over the walls, across the ceiling, and around the door. They didn’t really ask, they just grabbed chairs, stood on them and hung up the flags. It was great (and the Dutch won, thankfully).

As we previously posted, we had some good luck with Chris & Brandi visiting us during the Quarter Final game between Netherlands & Brazil. We watched the game at Coco’s Outback in Amsterdam, and were able to celebrate with the orange crowd when they beat the odds and won the game.

For the Semi Final game against Uruguay, we went to a pub in the Old Harbor to watch the game with Erin, Jake & Hanna. All of the bars around the harbor were packed, inside and out. When the Dutch won, people were singing and dancing and blowing those dreaded vuvuzela’s. Other, more daring (or stupid) fans jumped in the harbor water to celebrate. I hope they’ve had their vaccinations!

For the World Cup Final, Chad wanted to go to Gouda to watch the game with Arjen and Linda. They are big football fans, and they know the players well and follow them team all year, so he thought it would be fun to experience that with them. Plus, while it’s fun to be in the big crowd to watch the game, like we had for the previous two games, it is also sometimes annoying because you cannot always see the screen or get a drink because there are just too many people.

We went to Gouda and first had a delicious barbeque. Then we put on our orange gear and got pumped up to watch the game. Unfortunately, the game did not go as hoped, and the Netherlands lost to Spain in extra time.

Nevertheless, the Dutch still greeted their team like heroes upon their return to the Netherlands. Two orange F16 fighter jets escorted the team plane from the Dutch border to Schipol, and were then welcomed by the Queen. The next day, in true Dutch fashion, they had a boat parade on the canals in Amsterdam, with tens of thousands of fans lining the canals and standing on boats to cheer for the players. They finished off the festivities with a huge celebration in Museumplein, where the team went onstage to say a few words, drink some beer, and dance to the music.

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In the end, it was nice to see that the fans were still so happy for their team. Even though they lost the final game, they still came in second in the world, and received a silver medal. And with that, all of the Dutch hung up their orange gear until the next event (which will probably be Queen’s Day).

As for us, Chad and I learned a lot about football by watching so many games. It is much more interesting when you understand the rules & strategies. I think we’ll enjoy watching it more in the future, because of this experience.

Hup Holland Hup!

-S

The Taylors and the Tour (de France)

This really was our lucky day. The Grand Depart of the Tour de France is in Rotterdam this year, and July 4th of all weekends. And fortunately, Chris and Brandy were able to plan a trip to visit us on that weekend. They are moving to Dresden, Germany (Yay!) and are going house hunting the following week. So they swung by Holland for a few days beforehand.

Can it get any better? Of course (didn’t someone once say we live a ‘charmed’ life)! Holland also made it to the quarter finals of the 2010 World Cup this year, and their game happened to be on the Friday when the Taylors where here. What a weekend!

Amsterdam and the World Cup Quarterfinals

We spent that Friday with the Taylors in Amsterdam. Brandi was first introduced to the best pancakes in the world; the ones in that café, by the canal, in the red light district… you know the place, right? Then we headed over to Rembrandtplein to our old faithful sports outback, Coco’s, scene of the crime for the viewing of the Steelers 2009 Super Bowl victory.

One hour before game time the terrace outside, where they added 4 flat screen TV’s, was already overflowing. So we found a spot inside by the fans (remember this is Holland, no A/C), and plopped down in front of one of the 20 HD TVs. Festivities ensued as the Dutch proceeded to beat Brazil, the #1 team in the world, and advance to the semi-finals. It was really fun to be in a crowd that was singing, cheering, and jumping up and down. Donning our orange shirts, we enjoyed celebrating with the natives who poured out onto the plaza after the game.

So, what’s the best thing to do after an exhilarating sports victory? Visit a depressing museum, right? Haha, well, sort of. Brandi has always wanted to visit the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, so she and I went over to see that while the guys got acquainted with the varieties at international beer bar. We rounded off the day with a late train ride home, and showers at 2 AM to clean off the day’s sweat.

Tour de France Prologue

As hot as it was on Friday, in typical Dutch fashion, the weather took a 180 on Saturday and brought in the rain. The time trials of the Tour de France took place over several hours, as each racer completed the course one at a time. They started in Zuidplein, rode across the Erasmusbrug, along the river down Boompjes (the street with the flags), then back across the river on the Willemsbrug, and back to Zuidplein. We braved the rain for all of those hours, as Lance Armstrong didn’t go until 2nd to last.

Eventually the rain did clear. It was really exciting to be so close to the riders. Jake and Erin brought a Texas flag, which they waved wildly as Lance rode by (b/c he’s from Austin). We got some great pics of the riders, too.

That night we went to the pub to watch the Spain/Portugal game, & then to the Argentinean restaurant to get steaks. To top things off, everyone came over to our place so that Brandi could promptly kick our butts in Apples To Apples. She has some sort of manipulative powers that drive people to pick her cards. I must study her and learn her ways.

Sadly, the Taylors had to leave for Germany on Sunday morning. It’s always nice to have visitors, especially when they are good friends. That afternoon we watched the prologue of the tour right from our apartment balcony, as the riders rode down the street in front of our place! It was cool to see the pack riding through our neighborhood. Then off they went on their looong race.

That afternoon, the gang went to the park for a 4th of July picnic, complete with burgers, beer, and tossing the (American) football. No fireworks, of course, but J&E did make a flag cake out of cinnamon rolls, whipped cream, blueberries & strawberries.

Happy Birthday America! Here’s to the next 234 years!

- S

- More pics of watching the World Cup in Amsterdam: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157625012701392/

- More pics of the Taylors' visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157624888341427/

- More pics of the Tour de France Prologue: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157624293410979/