I'd like to start this post with an apology to my loyal followers... all 13 of you :P I'm sorry for being so long-winded and linguisticly indulgent. I've just finished reading a friend's blog of her time here in Maastricht and it is succinct, witty, to the point but observational but overall, as Goldie Locks would put it, juuuuust right :)
I on the other hand have been carried away lately with the freedom the internet affords in terms of space. After 5.5 years of cutting copy to fit newspaper holes and trying to make every word count the luxury of an online ramble has got the better of me. Which should not be a surprise to anyone who's spent any time with me in person and tried to get a word in edgeways! Regardless, I fully intended to keep these posts short, sharp and to the point when I started (60 posts ago!) ... but then this blog became a kind of record for posterity as much as an exercise in a different kind of writing. And I didn't want to have to cut anything anymore in case I was one day too senile to remember these times.
The consequence I realise though is that it's probably not always very readable unless you're my parents and then you have to spend the time wading through it anyway! So, from this post on I will try valiantly to keep my loquaciousness in check!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Countin' down the days ... and stocking up the cupboard!
Just a quick one to say there's less than 100 days left of 'my year of peanut butter' ... and that I may have bought 2 jars of peanut butter at one time recently, when it was again safe to have it in the cupboard after the departure of a certain visitor. AND I may also have got my housemate addicted to Jumbo brand crunchy peanut butter. But that's about all for 'my year of peanut butter' related things for now...!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Day 254 - Hup HOLLAND Hup!
Day 254 (Tues) My Euro 'football' experience
Now I’m more of an AFL girl than a soccer fanatic. At home I really only go to the soccer if the tickets are free! And I regularly put Brett and my mother to shame with my complete lack of knowledge or interest in the players or the rules. BUT this was not going to stop me from experiencing a real European ‘football’ match. And so, with the excited encouragement of Nakita (Sydney ) (who has been desperate to see a match since we landed on foreign soil) it came to be that I found myself on a coach, with her and Andra (Canada), headed for Amsterdam’s Ajax stadium to watch none other than our new adopted ‘home’ team (and almost world champions, need I remind you) take on Hungary. Apparently it was some sort of ‘qualifiying’ match for some European competition next year, but it didn’t really matter to me…
The bus ride there was an interesting experience in itself as we quickly realised it was full of vocal American students (vocal about being American that is) and the rest mostly Canadians and one or two other stray Aussies. It was a three hour ride but the driver only turned some music on about half an hour out from the stadium. So in the meantime we were serenaded by the American ‘choir’ sitting in the back half of the bus and their trusty portable speakers. We were all decked out in orange – such a flattering colour that we had to buy most of our gear as, really, who OWNS orange clothing – while the finishing touches (think faces covered in dutch-flag-coloured face paint) were added on the way.
on the bus - pre face painting
We arrived at the stadium about 7pm for 8.30pm kick off. There were already hordes of Dutchies streaming into the stadium complex, dressed head to toe in their national colour. They’re much more creative than us Aussies who usually just chuck on an Australia jersey or a flag around the shoulders and maybe a fake tattoo on a bicep or two or some sort of zinc-face paint design if we’re particularly feeling it. Instead, the Dutchies were walking around in DIY costumes made of fake orange fur, hats with lions heads on top (the team symbol… I think!) or full body lion suits, one guy even had this crazy hat/wig on made of these wobbly organge jelly spikes!! So needless to say it was an entertaining atmosphere as we made our way to our ticket gate – stopping for Grolsch on the way. And its lucky we did because Ajax Stadium is 100 per cent alcohol free inside. Now this is probably not such a bad idea given the propensity of European soccer fans to beat each other to a pulp over the slightest disagreement(!). But what we found really odd was the stadium operator’s decision to offer alcohol free beer inside instead! (which by the way apparently tatsted awful).
the stadium
crazy Dutch supporters who crashed our photo
the Grolsch!!
Regardless, alcohol was not necessary to enjoy the night – the on-field action was far more engaging than expected and I probably would have just spilled anything I was drinking over the guy in front of me (who happened to be a Hungary supporter). Our group was RIGHT up in the nose-bleed section, sort of behind one of the goals but in the corner. And our two rows of English speaking, flag waving, over-excited student-tourists certainly drew a bit of attention from the rows of Dutchies behind us.
As for the match itself, Holland scored about 13 minutes into the first half and the Oranje crowd went nuts. The paper flags we found on our seats were out and the Dutch songs were sung (we just kind of yelled). Unfortunately though that was as much excitement as we were treated to in the first half – while the inaction led to a lot of Mexican waves, clapping to various beats and more Dutch singing (and some abuse!) The second half was a complete turn around. True to form, I missed the first goal of the half (by Hungary!) because I looked away for a split second. And then before we knew it Hungary scored again! Nakita was going nuts because she had decided Hungary needed to score to get the Dutchies fired up so we would actually have a game on our hands. And was she right or what? All up there were seven goals scored in the second half, quite a few in quick succession. We were up and down constantly, jumping around, waving our orange flags and yelling "Oh Ja, Oh Ja" and “Hup Holland Hup” cause apparently that’s what you do...
lining up for the national anthems - first time we'd actually heard the Dutch one I think!
some of the action
At the end of the game the final score was 5-3, we’d all lost our voices and even the three Hungary fans in front of us seemed to be satisfied with an exciting game (keeping in mind Holland thumped Hungary 4-0 the week before). Getting out of the stadium seemed to take a while but really it was all very well organised. No time for a celebratory beer on the way out though as it was back to the bus to get home. The game finished about 11pm so we didn’t make it back to Maastricht until about 2am (needless to say the bus was much quieter on the way home) and then we still had to cycle home from where the bus dropped us off!
NB: Ironically, Australia also played just over the border in Germany that night and they won too. So it seems both my ‘home’ countries did alright :D
Thursday, March 24, 2011
These times they are a changin'
Just takin' some time out to put down a few observations of late.
This blog comes slightly out of order, in that I’ve just got back from 2 weeks holidays with the lovely Brett (which I will blog about soon I promise but its looming as a massive undertaking for another day) but I’ve noticed a few things which I wanted to share.
Spring has finally sprung in Maastricht. I’ve been waiting for it for so long because I got here in time to see the trees change from green to autumn colours to deathly black sticks and I’ve been so looking forward to seeing all the leaves and flowers come back. Now don’t get too excited, the signs are only small at the moment – but the promise they hold is making everyone here noticeably more happy. Little daisies are starting to sprout in the green lawns now that they’re no longer suffocated by snow, and rows of yellow or purple flowers are popping up in random clumps in large patches of grass (for example there’s a rectangular sort of section of flowers out the front of our guesthouse building in the middle of a whole field of grass). Japanese blossom trees are flowering and there are daffodils in people’s front gardens. (All of this bodes very well for our planned trip to the Netherland’s largest display of tulips and other flowers up north in about a month’s time).
The weather also has pulled its finger out – it got to a whopping 16C yesterday! (although the average has been more like 13C during the day and about 4C at night.) Still, there’s sun, oh glorious sun. It was actually warm in the sunlight, like ‘break a small sweat if you were mildly physically active in said sun’ warm. My new roomie even hauled a chair out on to her balcony (which I don’t think anyone else has used since I’ve been here) to read a book in the sun. And it won't be long before Nakita gets out those shorts she's been longing to wear (and so whinging about) for months! When we first got here all the Aussie gave these Euro wimps crap for ripping off their tops and dining alfresco as soon as the weather tipped above 10C but after months of sunlight deprivation and night falling as early as 4.30pm we know understand. When Brett and I left here 2 and a bit weeks ago it was about 5C, gloves, scarves and hats were necessary. On my return I find I need only wear 2 layers now and I can even get away with cycling without gloves. I don’t even need the 5 pairs of woollen socks I’ve accumulated. Over the last few days I too, like some deprived European sunflower, have begun turning my head to the sun every chance I get (although I argue it is still a bit too chilly to sit outside to eat).
I am most pleased though at the extended daylight hours – it’s now light until at least 6.30pm which means less riding home in the dark. AND its lighter earlier in the mornings which, yep, you guessed it, means less riding TO uni in the dark. All in all the weather over the past few days has reminded me a bit of home, those days between summer and autumn where its no longer beach weather but its perfect for a drive with the window down or a walk on the beach (but not a swim).
However, I am weary not to get ahead of myself. We have had bursts of nice weather before (say a week of 8C days in between weeks of frost and fog) and even during one day the weather can turn – you leave the house without a scarfe, hat or gloves because you think it won’t be necessary and end up coming home an ice cube. So I refused to be suckered in completely. But it is officially spring here and the signs are good for a gradually move back to that elusive European summer I experience for just a few weeks at the start of my trip.
And on another note, I know I've been a bit slack with your Dutch lessons (although I've still been going to mine) so here's some Dutch I've learned:
"Helas pindakaas!" = "that's crap!"
spijkerbroek is the Dutch word for jeans (go firgure)
and a cute one... krumeltjes = crumbs! :)
This blog comes slightly out of order, in that I’ve just got back from 2 weeks holidays with the lovely Brett (which I will blog about soon I promise but its looming as a massive undertaking for another day) but I’ve noticed a few things which I wanted to share.
Spring has finally sprung in Maastricht. I’ve been waiting for it for so long because I got here in time to see the trees change from green to autumn colours to deathly black sticks and I’ve been so looking forward to seeing all the leaves and flowers come back. Now don’t get too excited, the signs are only small at the moment – but the promise they hold is making everyone here noticeably more happy. Little daisies are starting to sprout in the green lawns now that they’re no longer suffocated by snow, and rows of yellow or purple flowers are popping up in random clumps in large patches of grass (for example there’s a rectangular sort of section of flowers out the front of our guesthouse building in the middle of a whole field of grass). Japanese blossom trees are flowering and there are daffodils in people’s front gardens. (All of this bodes very well for our planned trip to the Netherland’s largest display of tulips and other flowers up north in about a month’s time).
(a taste of the Keukenhof flower gardens - maastricht doesn't quite look like this yet!)
The weather also has pulled its finger out – it got to a whopping 16C yesterday! (although the average has been more like 13C during the day and about 4C at night.) Still, there’s sun, oh glorious sun. It was actually warm in the sunlight, like ‘break a small sweat if you were mildly physically active in said sun’ warm. My new roomie even hauled a chair out on to her balcony (which I don’t think anyone else has used since I’ve been here) to read a book in the sun. And it won't be long before Nakita gets out those shorts she's been longing to wear (and so whinging about) for months! When we first got here all the Aussie gave these Euro wimps crap for ripping off their tops and dining alfresco as soon as the weather tipped above 10C but after months of sunlight deprivation and night falling as early as 4.30pm we know understand. When Brett and I left here 2 and a bit weeks ago it was about 5C, gloves, scarves and hats were necessary. On my return I find I need only wear 2 layers now and I can even get away with cycling without gloves. I don’t even need the 5 pairs of woollen socks I’ve accumulated. Over the last few days I too, like some deprived European sunflower, have begun turning my head to the sun every chance I get (although I argue it is still a bit too chilly to sit outside to eat).
I am most pleased though at the extended daylight hours – it’s now light until at least 6.30pm which means less riding home in the dark. AND its lighter earlier in the mornings which, yep, you guessed it, means less riding TO uni in the dark. All in all the weather over the past few days has reminded me a bit of home, those days between summer and autumn where its no longer beach weather but its perfect for a drive with the window down or a walk on the beach (but not a swim).
However, I am weary not to get ahead of myself. We have had bursts of nice weather before (say a week of 8C days in between weeks of frost and fog) and even during one day the weather can turn – you leave the house without a scarfe, hat or gloves because you think it won’t be necessary and end up coming home an ice cube. So I refused to be suckered in completely. But it is officially spring here and the signs are good for a gradually move back to that elusive European summer I experience for just a few weeks at the start of my trip.
And on another note, I know I've been a bit slack with your Dutch lessons (although I've still been going to mine) so here's some Dutch I've learned:
"Helas pindakaas!" = "that's crap!"
spijkerbroek is the Dutch word for jeans (go firgure)
and a cute one... krumeltjes = crumbs! :)
Day 217 - Cologne in a nutshell (and in a day)
Day 217 - Weeeee got a ticket to riiiiiide :D
After my Turkish room-mate (who only stayed about 2 weeks in the end) disappeared to Cologne for the weekend on a spontaneous trip I decided it might not be a bad idea. However, we only went for the day but still, going to another country for the equivalent of a ‘Sunday drive’ sounded pretty spontaneous to me! So Nakita (Sydney), Andra (Canada) and I hopped on the bus/train and less than 2 hours later we were in Cologne, Germany.
Not knowing a lot about the place and having done minimal research (that wouldn’t be very spontaneous would it!?) we decided the easiest thing to do would be to jump on one of those oh so cool tourist buses (double decker of course) with the nifty headsets that tell you about the place in a bajillion different languages. Good thing there was no walking tour option (which we would have taken) because the city is actually quite spread out, over two sides of a river, and it was unusually cold that day both in Cologne and Maastricht, cold enough to get tiny tiny little flecks of snow at times. So we sat on the bus for about an hour and a half (along with a guy who, no joke, burped loudly about 5 times during the trip!!! with not a hint of bashfulness) as we were driven past the place that actually first made cologne cologne (you know, the smelly stuff of the same name - but to be honest the stuff stinks!), the zoo and botanic gardens (which would NOT have been a pleasant stop on such a cold day), a chocolate factory on the river bank and most memorably a brewery on a big square where we promptly marched back to for lunch after the bus tour!
the cologne-ery
Our waiter was hilarious, taking every opportunity to put another glass of the beer brewed right on premises down in front of us. It was nice, refreshing beer with a windmill as its logo. The place was small and cozy, like a slightly dwarfed version of a normal german beer hall, and the food was great – schnitzel just how we like it (tender and pan fried pork) with whatever kind of potatoes you can think of to ask for. Of course we had to indulge in some streudel for dessert … and a couple more beers (which we really HAD to indulge in, the guy wouldn’t say no, even Nakita had more than one!! ;P)
After a stroll back through the shopping district (a network of pedestrian malls which are pretty well advertised in Maastricht etc as a good place to spend a day melting the plastic) we arrived at the real attraction in town – the Koln Dom, or Cologne Cathedral. Now this thing is just awesome – literally. A textbook example of a gothic cathedral, all grey and black and imposing. It’s so tall (can't fit it all in any of our camera lenses), and so detailed and SO old (like 600 years old) and so big inside. EVERY window is filled with detailed leadlight and the most vibrant colours (even on an overcast day) that I wonder how they actually produced such colours back then. Unfortunately we had intended to climb to the top of it for the view but the bloody stairs closed at 4pm! (remember I said we didn't do any research) so we admired from the ground.
Given the frosty weather, the only things left to do were a pit stop at the souvenier shop and a bakery (to grab a berliner donut for the trip home) and a quick squiz down at the waterfront (as the train station was near the river) and then it was back on the train/bus to Maastricht. Home by about 7pm – not a bad way to fill a day :)
After my Turkish room-mate (who only stayed about 2 weeks in the end) disappeared to Cologne for the weekend on a spontaneous trip I decided it might not be a bad idea. However, we only went for the day but still, going to another country for the equivalent of a ‘Sunday drive’ sounded pretty spontaneous to me! So Nakita (Sydney), Andra (Canada) and I hopped on the bus/train and less than 2 hours later we were in Cologne, Germany.
the intrepid daytrippers
Not knowing a lot about the place and having done minimal research (that wouldn’t be very spontaneous would it!?) we decided the easiest thing to do would be to jump on one of those oh so cool tourist buses (double decker of course) with the nifty headsets that tell you about the place in a bajillion different languages. Good thing there was no walking tour option (which we would have taken) because the city is actually quite spread out, over two sides of a river, and it was unusually cold that day both in Cologne and Maastricht, cold enough to get tiny tiny little flecks of snow at times. So we sat on the bus for about an hour and a half (along with a guy who, no joke, burped loudly about 5 times during the trip!!! with not a hint of bashfulness) as we were driven past the place that actually first made cologne cologne (you know, the smelly stuff of the same name - but to be honest the stuff stinks!), the zoo and botanic gardens (which would NOT have been a pleasant stop on such a cold day), a chocolate factory on the river bank and most memorably a brewery on a big square where we promptly marched back to for lunch after the bus tour!
the cologne-ery
Our waiter was hilarious, taking every opportunity to put another glass of the beer brewed right on premises down in front of us. It was nice, refreshing beer with a windmill as its logo. The place was small and cozy, like a slightly dwarfed version of a normal german beer hall, and the food was great – schnitzel just how we like it (tender and pan fried pork) with whatever kind of potatoes you can think of to ask for. Of course we had to indulge in some streudel for dessert … and a couple more beers (which we really HAD to indulge in, the guy wouldn’t say no, even Nakita had more than one!! ;P)
After a stroll back through the shopping district (a network of pedestrian malls which are pretty well advertised in Maastricht etc as a good place to spend a day melting the plastic) we arrived at the real attraction in town – the Koln Dom, or Cologne Cathedral. Now this thing is just awesome – literally. A textbook example of a gothic cathedral, all grey and black and imposing. It’s so tall (can't fit it all in any of our camera lenses), and so detailed and SO old (like 600 years old) and so big inside. EVERY window is filled with detailed leadlight and the most vibrant colours (even on an overcast day) that I wonder how they actually produced such colours back then. Unfortunately we had intended to climb to the top of it for the view but the bloody stairs closed at 4pm! (remember I said we didn't do any research) so we admired from the ground.
cathedral
some of the beautiful leadlight
Given the frosty weather, the only things left to do were a pit stop at the souvenier shop and a bakery (to grab a berliner donut for the trip home) and a quick squiz down at the waterfront (as the train station was near the river) and then it was back on the train/bus to Maastricht. Home by about 7pm – not a bad way to fill a day :)
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