Fietstrommel Trouble…

It's been a while since we've entertained you with a frustrating story of Dutch bureaucracy. This one involves trying to apply for a "fietstrommel," which are little bike sheds that they place around the city. You can get a key to one of these shelters to keep your bike more protected (from weather and theft). We decided to try to get a couple spots in the one next to our apartment. With the help of our Dutch colleagues, we navigated the website, found the necessary form & filled it out in Dutch.

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Chad headed down to city hall, and after the standard hour or so wait, his number came up and he went to the desk, only to get a blank stare from the person on the other end. They said that they couldn't help him because they knew nothing about the fietstrommels. There was only one person who deals with these forms, and they were not in that day, and they did not know when they would be in next. So he asked how he was supposed to know when to come back, and they said that they did not know what to tell him. They suggested that he just mail in the form. We had not wanted to mail the form, because these things tend to go into a black hole, and you never know if they will come out. So in the end that was our only option. In the mail it went.

The crappy bikes we're trying to protect.

OK… I'll try to make this long, painful story short.

We mailed the form in September. One full month later we got a letter saying that our application had been received. That's all the letter said. It took them one month to tell us that they had received my letter. More waiting, and waiting, and received nothing further in the mail. It is hard to know who to call or what to ask in these cases, because most likely the person you talk to will have no idea what you are talking about in English. After 3 full months, though, I had reached my limit, and I asked a Dutch colleague of mine give them a call. I listened to a long and confusing conversation in Dutch, during which my colleague was put on hold twice for 5 minutes or more while they "looked into it." In the end, they had to take down his phone number and they said they'd call back because the person who knows about this wasn't there that day.

So, again we waited. A week later and still no call back, so my colleague generously agreed to call them again. This time they gave him the email address of the person who handles these bike shelters. So I emailed him, and as you may have guessed… no reply. It was the middle of December, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was out on vacation. So I waited until after the holidays and I emailed him a second time in the beginning of January. This time, miraculously, I got a response! He informed me that one of the two bike spots we had requested were available. So we could have one spot now, and then would be put on a waiting list for the other spot. He said he would inform me when the key was ready for me to pick up at city hall.

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Just to break up the monotony of text, here's another pic of our bikes in the winter.

Again I was waiting… get the trend? After a couple weeks I hadn't received any additional letters in the mail, so with a couple more emails back and forth with the gentleman, he informed me that it would be done that week. It finally came, and I went to city hall, waited an hour, and thankfully there were no mix-ups or other hold ups, and I was able to get my key to the fietstrommel at last! Unfortunately, all of this did not happen soon enough to avoid some damage to my bike in the meantime. I was keeping my bike locked to a street light pole on the sidewalk, and a horrible parker (as there are so many of in Holland) drove up on the sidewalk and crushed the main gear. Luckily I found a small repair shop that was able to fix it up for only 25 Euro.

So, let's recap. This process started in September, 2008. Two trips to city hall, two phone calls, several emails, and 6 months later, I finally "succeeded" in getting the key to one of the two fietstrommel spots in February 2009. Now, THAT my friends is Dutch efficiency at it's finest!

-S

Carnival, Breda - February 21, 2009

In the south of the Netherlands (where there used to be predominately Catholics), they celebrate Carnival the weekend before Lent starts. It's a similar celebration to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They have parties all weekend, and on Monday or Tuesday cities will have a parade with big floats. One of my co-workers, Tyer, lives in Breda, which is a city about 45 minutes south of Rotterdam. A group of us, including Anna, Simo, & Marianna, met up at Tyler's house to get dressed up in our costumes. Unfortunatley, Chad was sick, and not feeling well, so he couldn't come.

We made our way to downtown Breda, and it was a mad house. It was really crowded outside and inside. It took a while to get everyone a drink, because the lines were very long. The lines were also long to get into the bars, because they were all completely full. There was a stage in the market plaza with bands playing all sorts of horrible Dutch music. Haha. It was funny to see all of the costumes. It is basically like their Halloween. I'm not sure what the reasoning is behind wearing a costume for Carnival, but people got pretty creative with them. Eventually Anna and I met up with Rene and his friends, and we found a Pub where we could chill. All in all it was a fun night, but I don't know if I'd go again, at least to the same spot, because the crowd got sort of annoying towards the end. We'll see what happens next year. ;)

-S

More pics from Carnival:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157614219262233/

Valentines Day in Bruges (it's in Belgium)

- February 13-15, 2009

Anyone who has seen the movie In Bruges, after you stop laughing, has probably thought to themselves, "you know, that town does look like a freakin' fairy tale." ;) (if you've seen the movie, you'll get the joke) Chad and I had been wanting to go to Bruges since we saw the movie. Since it is touted as the most romantic city in Belgium, what better time to go than on Valentines Day?

Once again, the major convenience of living in Europe pays off, as Bruges is simply a 2.5 hour train ride away from Rotterdam (with a train change in Antwerp). We arrived on Friday evening, so we could have the entire day Saturday, and most of Sunday to explore the city. When we arrived, it was already dark, and as we made our way from the train station, it appeared as though we were walking through an abandoned city. At night, there are not many people on the side streets, and all tiny shops are closed. The town is so old, and the streets are narrow and windy, with buildings or walls lining either side. The sidewalks are only wide enough for one person. I liked it, though. I already felt like this was a quiet little place where you could really relax, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Chad had booked a nice little hotel very close to a plaza that had bars, restaurants, creperies, and even the local Bruges brewery. The Half Moon Brewery makes Bruges Zot beer, blond and dubbel, and it's pretty good. On Saturday we took a tour of the brewery, which was interesting. We even saw an old Yeungling can in their "beer museum," which had walls full of rows and rows of cans of beer from around the world. We spent the day slowly wondering around the city. It was beautiful and sunny, though a bit chilly, as it was still February. Everywhere you turned there was a beautiful canal, winding cobble stone streets, Belgian chocolate shops & lace shops, creperies, the clop clop of the horse drawn carriages, outdoor cafes, buildings that were hundreds of years old, a church bell in the distance, people kissing, swans… man, this place really is a fairy tale!

The beer stores in Bruges were really impressive. They have hundreds of types of beers, each with their own special glass. We had fun picking out a couple new ones to take home and try. Chad tries to find the ones that look like they'll be the strongest, or have the most hops. I pick the ones with the cool labels. Haha. Our backpacks were definitely a bit heavier on the way home.

We also went to the Basilica of the Holy Blood, and saw the vile which is said to contain Christs blood. A clergy man is always sitting behind it to protect it, and to wipe the glass shield of any fingerprints. It was hard to tell what exactly was in the glass vile. It looked like a piece of cloth with a reddish brown stain. There was also a large cathedral in Bruges, that we went in. They happened to have an incredible art exhibit of paintings of the Stations of the Cross. It was painted by an artist who spent time as a monk in the Westvleteren Monastery (the ones who make the best beer in the world… literally). Chad liked them so much that he bought a book of the paintings.

Unfortunately, we did not see any midgets during our time in Bruges, which was a bit disappointing. Though, all of our other expectations were met and exceeded. It is a beautiful, small, historic town with many surprises. Bruges is one place we definitely want to visit again.

-S

Photos from Bruges:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157614071961579/

Watching the Super Bowl in Amsterdam

February 1, 2009

One thing we definitely miss being in Europe is going to football games in the fall (and hockey, baseball, and basketball). Once Football season rolled around this year, we were feeling a bit home sick; missing the tailgating, and the atmosphere of the game. We can't complain, though, because at least we have Slingbox, so we can watch any game we have taped. If we had moved to Europe 5-10 years ago, we wouldn't even have that. But, it's not the same as being at the game, or in a pub in the home city.

So, wouldn't you know it, the year we move overseas the Steelers go to the Super Bowl! Not that we would actually go To the Super Bowl even if we were still living in Pittsburgh, but when we won it 3 yrs ago, we were in the South Side, and it was the best place on earth to be next to being at the game itself. People were cheering and pouring out into the streets after the game. I'm really glad we were there for the One-for-the-Thumb!

This year had it's own unique experience though. Since the game started at 12:30 AM in the Netherlands, we had to find a bar that would stay open late enough, until about 4, to show the whole game. With a quick search online for Steelers bars, we found Coco's Outback, an Aussie bar in Amsterdam. It's true what they say, Steelers Nation extends around the world. Coco's has a Super Bowl party every year. Bingo! So, Chad and I got a cheap hotel room next door to the pub, so we could stumble home after the game. We arrived in AMS around 4 PM, checked in… and the waiting began. We had planned on walking around the city all day, as we normally do in AMS, but it happened to be freezing cold this day, and a bit rainy. Not tolerable walking weather. So, we went to grab a bite to eat, and then just laid around in the hotel room, relaxed and had a couple beers. You know… resting up for the big night. ;)

We decided to go to the bar around 7:00, so we could get a good seat. And I'm glad we did because we found an awesome spot with our own table, and about 6-8 TV's surrounding us. Picture this, though, you are at the pub at 7:00 PM, ready for the game, and it doesn't start for 5 hours! Sort of reminded me of the first Super Bowl when Kyle, Karen, Chad and I went to the South Side at Noon for an 8:30 kickoff, and still barely found a table. Ahh, the things we do for our team.

The rest is history, as they say. We all know that Sixburgh won the big game! Yeah! It was definitely the most exciting Super Bowl I have seen in my life. There were about 150 people there watching the game, and Chad and I were the loudest ones in the whole pub (you're shocked, right?). The Australian bartenders got such a kick out of Chad, that they started to offer him free shots at the end of the night. As if he needed any encouragement. We had a blast. Not many people can say that they watched the Steelers win the Super Bowl while in Amsterdam. Hopefully we can do it all again next year! -S

New Years Eve in Amsterdam - 2008-2009

New Years Eve in Amsterdam with Christy & Vegar

After our trip to Norway, Christy and Vegar came down to spend a few days in the Netherlands. They stayed in Rotterdam for a couple days, and then went up to Amsterdam to stay with their friend, Jurian. It was nice to have my sister visit, because it made this place feel more like home. :) Plus, we had an opportunity to go shopping for wedding dresses, and, wouldn't you know it… she actually found her dress! It was really fun to be there with her when she found it. We were so excited afterward that we had to keep ourselves from talking about it all night in front of the guys.

We had booked a hotel in Amsterdam for New Years eve, but other than that, we didn’t have any real plans. We weren't sure if we wanted to go to Dam Square, or Museumplein, or one of the other major squares, because they tend to get really crowded and crazy, much like Times Square. As things usually happen, everything worked out just perfectly. We went to Jurian's apartment to hang out, relax and have a few drinks. He was such a wonderful host that he even cooked us a pasta dinner, which we were not expecting.

A few minutes before midnight, we went outside and walked down the street to the local plaza area in Jurian's neighborhood. There was a good size crowd there, but it was not packed. So, we could comfortably stand around, and drink our beers. We had a couple bottles of champagne, too, so we popped the top on those. Even before 12:00, people had started to set off their own fireworks. For the next hour solid, there were flashes, cracks and booms all around us. People setting off fireworks from the ground, from balconies, and even from rooftops. And not everyone was shooting them straight up in the air, so people were literally ducking out of the way.

In the center of the square was a clear, paved area, so people would lay out long strips of sparklers and noise makers, or set up some of the large flaming volcano type of fireworks. Over the canal next to us, there were some larger proper fireworks. The alarms on the motorcycles and cars were going off all around us because of the loud blasts of some of the fireworks. People even set fireworks in the middle of the street, and cars and fire trucks were driving over them while they were on fire! What I'm trying to describe here is a scene where there is something going on literally all around you and above you. You always have to keep your head on a swivel, and watch your eyes. After most people had set off what they had, people started sweeping all of the leftovers and papers into piles and setting them on fire. They would also throw handfuls of whatever small noise makers or firecrackers they had left right into the fire.

Afterwards, we went back to Jurian's. He brought out a huge cheese tray with several types of cheeses, hummus, sausage, & crackers. The Dutch really know how to be good hosts! After seeing how everything actually happens on NYE in Amsterdam, we were glad that we did not go to one of the main squared. I can imagine a bit of chaos when people are shooting fireworks and bottle rockets into a crowd of thousands of people. The next day, as we walked through Dam Square, the aftermath of the night before was still all around. Trash and broken bottles were everywhere. Broken bikes were left locked to light posts, and cars were driving over broken glass in the road. Hardly anybody was out yet at 11:00. I would definitely go to Amsterdam again next year for New Years. It was an experience that is hard to find anywhere else.

-S

More pics from New Years in AMS:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157612405876527/

Christmas in Norway - December 23-28, 2008

Spending Christmas in Norway with Christy, Vegar and his family

We felt very fortunate this Christmas. Not only did we get to see Christy and Vegar, but we had the extraordinary opportunity to travel to Norway to visit Vegar's family and share the holidays with them. Naturally, we did miss the rest of our families. Though, fortunately, we were able to Skype with both. This was the first year that I was not in Morgantown at all for Christmas, and I think the same goes for Chad with Wheeling. But, if we couldn't be home with our families, this was the next best thing. Meeting our new extended family, and seeing the beautiful country of Norway.

I can't say enough about Vegar's family. His mom and two sisters, Siri and Marte, were very gracious hosts. They have a lovely, comfortable home that was decorated beautifully for Christmas. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome and at home, and we really did. There was never-ending, delicious food; Christmas cookies, rice porridge, beautiful spreads of cheese, meat and fish (very Norwegian) for breakfast, and even reindeer meat for Christmas dinner. It was delicious! I'm not sure I'll describe it correctly, but I believe the meat had been dried and salted, and then to cook it they slowly steamed the meat to get the salt out. It was really tender and had a wonderful flavor.

Vegar drove us (his dad, Christy, Chad & I) up the coast to a beach that had old Viking graves. Shiva, their beautiful dog, came along as well.

She had a cute habit of resting her head on the back of the seat right behind you. Her eyes would just move around following the people who were talking. The graves were interesting. They were essentially piles of rocks on the beach (which was a rocky beach). There were a couple very large piles, but most were smaller, in a row. I am really fascinated by the history of the Vikings, so it was neat to see these graves and to imagine what lies underneath.

The next day, we went down to the port of Larvik and met up with some of Vegar's HS friends. There is a park area where you can walk out on huge rocks, or boulders, that run out into the water. It is a beautiful view from on top of these rocks. Since we were so far north, and it was the middle of winter, the sun was only up for about 4-4.5 hours a day. This meant that it did not rise very high in the sky, but rather slowly crept from one side of the horizon to the other. The light always made it feel like it was dawn or dusk, when really it was 3 PM. But, the sunlight from this angle made a beautiful reflection on the sea and the rocks.


For lunch on Christmas eve, it is tradition in Vegar's family (and maybe others, I'm not sure) to eat rice porridge. In the porridge is one white almond, and whomever finds the almond in their bowl wins a prize. Christy found it this year, and she got a marzipan pig! We sliced it up for everyone to share. Really tasty. Vegar swears that one time when he was younger, he had the almond in his bowl, but he accidentally swallowed it before realizing what it was. Nobody would believe him, and they wouldn't give him the prize. Though I don't think anybody else found the almond, so maybe he was telling the truth. ;)

Another Norwegian custom is to exchange gifts on the evening of Christmas eve. This was a really wonderful experience. We all sat in the living room--Christy, Vegar, his parents & two sisters, and Chad and I--and Sori handed out gifts one by one. We took time to watch each person open their gift. It was nice to make the process slow and thoughtful, instead of a mad rush to rip open everything as fast as possible. Dinner that night was, as always, extremely delicious. That night Chad and I were laying in bed and talking about how thankful we felt to be there. It is really humbling and heart warming to have another family welcome you with such open arms. We were also happy to be learning about the Norwegian culture, and where Vegar came from.

We then went to Oslo for two days. Chad and I stayed in a Hostel, and Christy and Vegar stayed in a friend's apartment. The first night the four of us walked around the city for a bit, and went to a huge sculpture park. An artist had made dozens of large marble and bronze statues of people in their most primal emotions. All of the statues were unclothes, and had a different facial expression or body position. It was incredibly moving.

We went to the Viking Museum just outside of Oslo. They had two full size Viking ships that had been excavated and preserved. How cool! It was interesting to see the details of the woodwork, and to read about how the vikings built these ships and what they were used for. You could even walk up some stairs and look down inside the ship. At night, Vegar took us to an area of town with a little plaza that had several restaurants and bars. We went to a pub that had some really nice local micro-brew beers. Chad was in heaven, as we can't these in NL. On the way home that night, Vegar took us to a place in the city where the small river, or creek, had a big waterfall. There were lights shining on it, which gave it a neat atmosphere. It was so cold (probably 20 degrees F) that all of the water that splashed out of the waterfall was freezing on the tinly little tree branches and bushes along the side.





The next night we took the ferry across the inlet to Vegar's Aunt's house. We met more of his family, and they were just as nice and welcoming. We had a delicious dinner with the reindeer meet (yum!). For desert, they had the usual spread of sweets on the table. One cool thing was a cookie tree made of cookies shaped into round circles. The circles were large on the bottom and got smaller and smaller, stacked on top of each other.

We really loved our time in Norway. It is a beautiful country, and it was nice to have a local "tour guide" to show us some of the neatest areas. But, our time spent with Vegar's family was really the most memorable part. It will be nice to see them all again in August for the wedding! Hopefully we can go to Norway again, when it is Warm, and go further north to see the mountains and fjords. Will have to add that one to the list.

-S

More pictures from Norway:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157612398149003/

Glasgow, Scotland - November 25-30, 2008

Thanksgiving in Glasgow with the Pittsburgh Expat crew

As most of you know, the same time we moved to The Netherlands, our good friends Kyle and Karen moved to Glasgow, Scotland. They had an added adventure with their move, which was that they had a baby in August, after they arrived. A beautiful, healthy girl, named Brennan. Ever since she was born, we had been eager to make a trip up to Glasgow to meet her for the first time. We finally got our chance in November, for Thanksgiving! To make things even better, Joel & Jill were also able to make the trip up from Cambridge, where they now live. So it was really a Pittsburgher-Expat reunion. For starters… Oh Man!... Brennan really is such a cutie! Even at only a couple months old, she had such a little personality (no idea where she gets it!). She was also making a lot of faces already, and smiling quite a bit. We even got to hear some of her first giggles. How cool!

OK, I could spend this whole post writing about Brennan, but, we did really enjoy seeing Scotland, too. It's such a beautiful country. Very different than Holland because everything is green, with rolling hills and even mountains in the distance. It reminded me a lot of WV, actually. Our first day there, Karen took us around to see the University buildings, and some other interesting areas of town. There were some really nice buildings in Glasgow. The architecture is very old, and sort of midievil/gothic. Karen did a good job navigating the stroller (or pram, as they call it in the UK) up and down the hills & cobblestone streets.


We also went to a really neat museum in Glasgow, and had dinner across the street at a fabulous Scottish restaurant, where Chad and I tried haggus for the first time. It wasn't as bad as everyone says it is. We tried it a couple times during our trip, and some are better than others, depending on how they serve it, and the sauce that it comes with. Another day we walked around the main shopping area, and got to see a different side of the city, including a festival they had set up for Christmas time. It was a cool atmosphere with all of the holiday lights and decorations. It was also freeezing out, so we couldn't spend too much time outside. We did see a really cool Scottish Highlands band performing on the street, though. They had kilts, bag pipes, drums, the works. We liked them so much we bought their CD.

The last day we were there, we took the train to Edinburgh (pronounced Ed'nbura). This city is sometimes described as the "pretty sister" to Glasgow. It really is a beautiful city, and I would like to spend more time exploring it (but maybe in the summer!). At the top of the main hill is the Edinburgh Castle, which is impossible to miss. We lucked out and happened to be in town on a holiday, so entrance to the castle was free. Once you are inside the outer walls, you realize that it's not so much one castle, but rather a whole tiny village. There were several different buildings you could go in, and a display of the crown jewels, but the best part was the view of city. You could look out on the city from all sides of the castle, and it was beautiful, especially at sunset.

The Crew at Edinburgh Castle (can you tell it was cold!)

Of course I said we went there for Thanksgiving, and no Thanksgiving would be complete without a big feast. Kyle and Karen had prepared an awesome menu for Thanksgiving, that Thursday. We all chipped in to help with the preparation and cooking. It was fun to have everyone together, and the food was excellent. We even managed to make some pumpkin pies with the pumpkin filling we found at the American food store. Yum! The best part was really just being able to hang out with our old friends from back home. There never is enough time when you are visiting good friends. I feel like our trip was so short, even though we were there for 4-5 days. It was great to be able to see Brennan when she was so small. When we see her next time I'm sure she'll be crawling or walking around. At least we can keep in touch via Skype. Thank goodness for technology!

-S

Pics from our fabulous trip to Scotland:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanickmoses/sets/72157610555343567/