Life with the Dutch

I’ve now been in Holland for over a week, and I’ve been enjoying my stay thoroughly. It was great to meet Dirk’s family last weekend, and check out where he is from. Not surprisingly, his family is wonderful. They were so warm and welcoming to me that rather than make me miss my own family more, I just felt at home. PLUS, there is an old windmill practically in their front yard. I know Holland and windmills go together like Canada and maple syrup, but I really enjoyed all the colourful, old windmills spread out around the towns. The weather was beautiful on Saturday so Dirk gave me a tour of Zeeland. It was a nice change of pace to be out in the country after spending a week in London. Sunday was not such beautiful weather, so we spent the day lounging and eating, apart from taking the dogs on a walk.

Modern windmills

The windmill near the Hundersmarck home.

The week has been great as well. The weather has, admittedly, been miserable. Every morning I peak out my curtains and hope for sun, and almost every morning, it is gray. There are intermittent patches of blue sky, and even some sunshine from time to time, but it has been mostly gray and often rainy. However, the company makes up for the weather (Dirk’s housemates are great too, which has made my stay that much better). We’ve gone on a couple long bike rides, we’ve eaten Oliebollen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliebol) and Dutch pancakes (much like crepes) and bread with chocolate sprinkles, we’ve cooked dinners and drank wine, we’ve gone out for pizza and sushi and Belgian beer, and listened to live jazz. We’ve checked out the market and biked home with the goods, and we’ve sat on the (amazing) couch watching Dutch reality TV or Toy Story 3 or Two and a Half Men while catching up and cursing the rain. And we hunted the mouse that had been living in the apartment for the last few weeks. It was a long battle, but we recently came out victorious.

To top that all off, yesterday we went to see Sinterklaas on his way through Rotterdam. Sinterklaas is, of course, the Dutch version of Santa Claus. However, he visits on December 5, leaving candy and small gifts in the children’s shoes, and he rides a white horse and has a sidekick called Black Pete (who is black from chimney soot). Also, Sinterklaas looks a lot like the Pope to me – the Pope with a very long white beard. It was fun to see him in all his regal glory, surrounded by his sooty sidekicks.

Sinterklaas!

This week I’ll go to Amsterdam for a few days, and then on to Spain. I’ve yet to sort of all the details in the middle, but I’ll be meeting up with Andrea and Danielle in Madrid on the 29^th. Hopefully there will be a little bit more sunshine there. However, I still have several days left in Holland. Maybe tomorrow when I peak outside, I’ll see some sun.

Sending more love from Rotterdam!

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

My good friend Andrea was set to arrive in London from Bologna on Tuesday afternoon. He and I were going to stay at his friend Marco’s house for the night. I had planned to meet Andrea and Marco at a specific station, but hadn’t realized how much longer it takes to get to some of the districts. So when I missed them at the station, I asked around for directions and was aided by another hand of wonderful locals. Marco was quite surprised I was able to find his place on my own, but Andrea said he expected it from me. At any rate, I was very excited to find the house and collect an Italian hug, or three.

After some tea and dessert, the three of us made use of all available public transport – bus, tube and boat – to make our way to the Indigo Arena. There we met Daniel (“London”), Amy, and her friend Jo in time for a glass of wine before the Temper Trap show!

The concert was excellent – certainly even more so due to the company and the location. It was such a neat experience; seeing this band that I’d first loved in Melbourne, along with friends from Melbourne, but while in London. The Underground went on strike that night, so it was a bit of a hassle to get home, but we made it eventually. I detoured to London earlier than I’d expected specifically for that concert. Though I greatly enjoyed my whole week, the concert and company alone were worth the trip.

The Temper Trap!

Our little Deakin reunion.

The next day, Andrea, Marco and I ventured out to Camden Town to shop around at the markets. Later in the afternoon, Marco headed to class, and Andrea and I found a pub and enjoyed a London Pride beer with some standard, but tasty British pub grub.

I saw Andrea off on his way to the airport, headed back to Marco’s to collect my own bags, and then made my way out as well. Given the strike, it was not all that easy. However, yet another handful of lovely locals helped me navigate the bus system across the city where I could connect to Stansted Airport for the night. Yes. For the night. There’s a first for everything, and Wednesday night, I spent my first night ‘sleeping’ in an airport. And though I use the term ‘sleeping’ loosely, I did probably manage about 3 or 4 hours dozing off and on.

Now I am in Rotterdam, Holland with Dirk! We spent yesterday catching up on the couch with tea and wine and little Christmas biscuits (that makes the Danes, and apparently the Dutch very excited). Oh, and liver pâté, which seems to be following me around Europe, and slowly growing on me. Today we are going out to Dirk’s parents’ place in Dreischor and then to a nearby birthday party. The weather is fairly miserable right now, but we’re also hoping to go for a bit of a bike ride around the city (I missed biking in London!).

And if anyone is wondering, I made it into the Netherlands without a hitch. In fact, there were literally no questions asked. I got my passport stamped and walked straight in. A much better start.

Sending love from Rotterdam!

London Calling

Wednesday was not a good day. Saying goodbye in Denmark wasn’t bad, because I know I’ll be back again sooner than later. However, though I was excited to see London, the transition from being with friends to being alone is a bit tricky sometimes. Oh, and I got lost in London.

After landing in London around 12:30, I headed for customs, where it seemed there was a possibility I might not be let into the country. The officer did not like my lack of plane ticket back out of Britain, or the fact that I had no permanent address, or the fact that I quit my job to travel when I left Canada. At any rate, after providing him with all the information I did have, I finally made it through. I bought a train ticket towards the city, and headed to platform 4 as I had been instructed. About half an hour later, I asked a local about the direction of the train and learned I was on the wrong one. The backtracking took a long time… so two trains, two underground transfers, and a 15-minute walk later, I finally made it to my hostel about 5:30. (On a side note: I mentioned that I thought living in a palace would be an effective way to fight physical inactivity. On Wednesday, I decided that if everyone backpacked at some point during his or her younger years, it might be good motivation to stay fit. Even the next day, I marveled at how easy walking was without an extra 20 kg on my back and front.)

Thursday was a new day, and I thoroughly enjoyed checking out the sights that London had to offer. I saw Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Big Ben, the Buildings of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square… Seeing Big Ben and the Buildings of Parliament was surreal. I actually had to close my mouth at the sight of them. It was fairly humbling standing in front of something so, so enormous. Oh, and I conquered the underground tube system.

Checking out the Queen's house.

The Buildings of Parliament

Friday was another good day. I visited the National Gallery, the Tower of London, walked up all 311 tightly wound stairs to the top of the Monument, and then I visited Abbey Road, which was another really cool experience for me.

Beatles tribute graffiti

Unfortunately, disaster struck that night. I’d been moved into a very small 4-share bedroom for Friday night, and when I arrived back, I had the chance to meet my new roommates: three middle-aged British men on a group cycling tour. They were very friendly, but one was in his briefs, and another said, “I’d might as well warn you now. I snore.” He was not the only one. The noise that those three men were capable of making was terrifying. At any given time, two of three were snoring. I’m pretty sure my bunk was shaking. Around 12:30, I decided my only hope was to find earplugs. So as I climbed down and headed for reception, I prayed that they would have some for sale.

They didn’t.

Instead, they miraculously had an empty three-share bedroom that they suggested I move to. I went back to my first room, stripped my sheets in the dark, and escaped to my new room. And the new room had a double bed with a down comforter. It was heaven. So if you ever get to London, check out Equity Point hostel – the hostel itself is nothing special, but the people working there are great.

Saturday morning, I packed up and caught the train to Birmingham to visit Freddie – another friend who I met while studying in Melbourne. Birmingham is suspiciously absent from the Europe Lonely Planet, and according to a book of Frederic’s, “the city lacks obvious charm.” However, apparently it is known for its nightlife. So we went out. Freddie’s group of friends was wonderful – a very eclectic group of international students who were all very welcoming. We went out to a couple of places and had a good time. The Halloween costumes I saw were all fairly repetitive, and unoriginal (zombies, men wearing pink, witches, unknown female characters in short skirts). However, all I had to offer was the pair of bee wings that someone generously offered me, so I couldn’t talk.

Today, we’ve been extremely lazy. Tomorrow I’m taking the train back to London, and then possibly to Oxford to visit Amy. Tuesday, I’ll meet up with Andrea when he arrives from Italy! That night, he, Amy, Daniel and I will see Temper Trap. And then early Thursday morning, I fly off to the Netherlands to visit Dirk (after all, I promised the customs officer that I would leave Britain)!


Sending love!

Danes

So it's been a week since I arrived. And a great week, at that.

On Wednesday, Kasper's Mom delivered her bike so that I could use it while I was here. At the time, I didn't fully realize what a blessing this would be, but oh my gosh, I love biking around this city. It's such a fast way to get around; and with the city laced with bike paths as it is, there is a much, much smaller chance of being run over by a bus in Copenhagen than in Winnipeg. It's just the neatest feeling being surrounded by bikes all the time. Though they signal with both hands here, which felt a little bizarre initially. Good thing I'm such a quick learner ("clever like the Danes").

So we biked to check out the parliament building, and more of the city centre, we biked to Christiania,  we biked to the Royal Library, we biked to Tivoli, we biked to pick up wine and groceries, we biked to the main train station, we biked to the Glyptoteket... But I'll elaborate a little bit:

Christiania is this eclectic little community in Copenhagen that apparently is partly run by it's own government. It's a pretty cool little place that sort of reminds me of being at the lake. The houses have a sort of cabin feel, the children's area is brightly painted, there are street vendors, and cafes to get a hot drink, and there is weed everywhere. The police just sort of leave it alone. I think there's been some major controversy surrounding Christiania over the years, and now the police have just decided to leave the community to it's own devices - though I am not the best one to describe it. It's neat, at any rate.

The sign as you leave Christiania (photos weren't allowed in there - to keep the pot smoking a secret..?)

When I was in New Zealand, I travelled part of the time with Lasse and his youngest brother Laurits. On Friday, Laurits arrived in Copenhagen to visit yours truly (and maybe his brother as well). So it's been great to have the chance to catch up with him as well. The three of us, along with Kasper, checked out Copenhagen's amusement park Tivoli on Friday afternoon. Funny, they don't celebrate Halloween here, but the park was bursting with Halloween decorations! We rode the big rollercoaster, the Golden Tower, and played in some weird illusions-type room. I tried a glass of Gluhwein - warmed red wine and (I think) whisky. Not a drink to be messed with. Then we headed back to the apartment and stayed in for pizza night (and more home-made ice cream). 

As usual, the weekend passed pretty quickly. We went out for drinks Saturday night. Much to my dismay, smoking is still allowed in some small bars, but we found a spot that wasn't too smoky. Sunday, we checked out Denmark's massive collection of ancient art at the Glyptoteket.

Then yesterday Laurits and I spent the day roaming Copenhagen checking out some of the things I'd missed. We climbed up Rundetårn - or Round Tower in English - to get a view of the city. We walked by the Queen's Palace, which is gigantic. I don't even understand how one can live in a place like that. However, if everyone lived in palaces, physical inactivity would no longer be a global problem. We also saw the colourful, harbour neighbourhood Nyhavn, and Frederick's Church, which has the highest ceiling I have seen to date. It was pretty awesome - in the literal sense of the word.

The view from Round Tower

The Guinness World Record's tallest man in the world - 8'11" / 272 cm

Nyhavn

The guys' cousins Jakob and Morten came for dinner last night, which inevitably meant more ice-cream. And they were extremely nice, so all-in-all a good Monday.

Which brings me to now. Today we met up with Julie! - another lovely Dane who travelled a few days with us in New Zealand. It was great to see her and catch up. And it was a gorgeous, sunny day, so we wandered around the Botanical Gardens and grabbed an Organic Danish hotdog. Pretty delicious, and I'm sure much healthier than your average street stand dog. 

The Botanical Gardens (this is why I love autumn)

Laurits, Julie, Lasse and I.

Tonight is my last evening in Copenhagen (of round 1, anyways). I'm a bit bummed, because it's been such a great week. But apparently some people need to study and work like responsible Danish citizens. And some other people need to fly to London tomorrow morning to explore, and then meet up with Amy, Andrea, and Daniel on November 2 to see Temper Trap play at indig02. Plus as much as I've enjoyed trying to exercise my Danish speaking skills, that darn "soft D" is driving me mental.

So Denmark, I'll see you at Christmas. London, I'll see you tomorrow. 

Sending love from Copenhagen.

Velkommen til København

Yesterday I arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark.
It was 7:15 am - 7 hours ahead of Winnipeg. It was dark, raining, and I had not slept on the plane - despite my best efforts. I breezed through security (the only question I was asked before I got stamped into the country was "so, this is your first time in Denmark?" I must look trustworthy), picked up my backpack and headed through the arrival gate to meet Lasse (who I met in Melbourne). Only we missed each other. So I set down my pack, considered my options, and by the time I decided on looking for a pay phone, he found me. We'll blame a lack of sleep for that one.

We made it back to his apartment for brekky with Lasse's roommate Kasper, and then I had to retire for a quick nap. I needed the nap, however, I definitely staggered like a drunk when I tried to get up. The sun had come out (I knew Copenhagen would cheer up when it saw I'd arrived), so we pounded back some water and decided that a wander through the city would be the best bet to avoid sleep.
We found the grave sites for Niels Bohr and Hans Christian Anderson, and Lasse actually spotted two Danish celebrities. Unfortunately, I didn't know either of said celebrities. It ended up being a fairly long wander, and the city looks pretty great. I'm excited to explore more. By far, the coolest thing is the number of bicycles. Bicycles in all shapes and sizes, locked up on the street everywhere, and ridden by all varieties of people. I expected it, but holy moly there are a lot. We're going to join the throng soon as well, so it's a good thing I was biking more at home this summer. Cross your fingers for me.

We wrapped up the afternoon by picking up groceries. Lasse made lasagna AND home-made ice cream for dessert (Dirk, Stef, Andrea take note.. he set the bar pretty high), while I handled the spinach salad.
I declared bedtime shortly after 10:00, which I thought was incredibly respectable.
There are quite a few things on the Copenhagen to-do list, but Lasse is in class currently, and I'm being lazy. So I decided it was a good time to start up this blog. If you're impressed that I can properly spell "welcome to Copenhagen" in Danish, you should be. I'm expanding my vocabulary. I actually had to set up this blog in Danish, which is even more impressive. Hopefully it's worked out as I hoped.

Sending lots of love from Scandinavia!