Owner: Antony Ranger's Travel Blog URL:http://kiwiant.blogspot.com Join Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2007 11:59:15 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: "The adventures, sites, sounds and tastes of Europe whilst I'm living in The Netherlands". Site statistics:Click here
Mmmmm, bier 2007-08-25 02:45:00 I've always been a fan of Grolsch bier although back in my student days it was a bit expensive for a student budget. Unlike Heineken, Grolsch remains brewed and bottled in The Netherlands and shipped out the New Zealand in its natural form even though the bottles have lost their ceramic cap. Now that I'm here it's the perfect opportunity to try all the delights on offer including the huge variety of European beers. Unlike the supermarkets in New Zealand you can buy single bottles (or mini-kegs) rather than by the six pack or dozen. This makes sampling the large selection even easier. Last October I discovered a little known (even amongst the Dutch) named Grolsch Weizen (Wheat even though I thought it meant White). I declare it my current favourite beer. From the first moment the wire rips the neck seal and the ceramic top pops with a little cloud of gas escaping you know something special has begun. As you pour its amber contents into a glass the fine froth reaches back up the glass
Microsoft Surface 2007-08-25 02:40:00 Despite the name, Microsoft
Surface is extremely cool and will revolutionise where and how we interact with computers. This is a real product that you can buy today for lots of money. Enough talking, go to the Microsoft Surface site, look and the videos then watch the one below for a actual non-marketing real-world demo.
Winter is coming 2007-09-24 14:11:00 A little over a week ago I looked outside and and there in the middle of the greenery there was a patch of orange. With summer officially over we are into Autumn and the trees are very quickly preparing for hibernation. Even though we have been blessed with clear skies the temperature rarely gets above 18 degrees. In the sun it is warm but the the shadows are cold. Everyone is now dressing in their winter clothes with big coats and scarf's but its not actually that cold.... yet. It's strange to think that if I was in New Zealand I would probably be on a mountain skiing in similar conditions. Perhaps in a t-shirt in September. Update: Autumn has struck with a vengeance. A couple of weeks later and the days are misty, the roads are covered with leaves and the trees presenting with a colourful display or gold and orange.
Snake in the Grass 2007-09-23 03:40:00 Yesterday whilst we were riding in the forest I saw my first real live snake that wasn't in captivity. I've seen plenty of creepy crawlies over the years in various countries but never a snake even in Australia. Anyway, it turned out this little fellow is the stock standard Grass Snake
("Ringslang" in Dutch) identifiable from its distinct yellow/black neck markings. It was actually pretty cute measuring about a metre long but only about 15mm at its widest point and it was curled up like snakes do. I found it in the middle of the road so herded it to safety with my bike safe to live another day. Updated: I remembered I have seen a sea snake in Fiji too.
Op je fiets (On your bike) 2007-09-15 03:40:00 The entire time I've been living here we have only used the car once to go somewhere local. Hey it was a rainy night and we felt like curries (Mmmm, oh how we miss Sages). We literally go everywhere by bike and why not? The steepest street is up a bridge over the river. Fietspaden (cycle ways) are footpaths especially for bikes and scooters. At major intersections they have their own traffic lights but normally bikes have the right of way. This is pretty scary at first deliberately biking into the path of an oncoming car but they stop. Glad I'm not coming from Holland to New Zealand. Nijmegen is a student town so there are a lot of young people but its also home to many older people and disabled (I can't remember the current politically correct term). They are just as quick on the fietspaden with their supercharged mobility scooters. Maybe Top Gear should do an episode of them. I wonder how many scooter vs. car accidents there are. The local constabulary often patrol the streets
Food, glorious food 2007-09-09 03:36:00 Kaas and brood (Cheese and bread) is the staple here for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner. Unlike New Zealand the supermarkets are considerably smaller with the local Albert Hein XL (which everyone comments "how great it is to have a large supermarket") is only slightly larger than the local 4 Square. Due to the small size of these establishments the selection is somewhat limited. For example, you can reach to both ends of the cereal section without moving a foot. This is quite unlike the 50 metre isle 2 stories high at the Pak N Save next door with 100 different types of cereal. Where this is "turned on it's head" (opposite for Dutchy's) is the Drop (Dutch licorice) isle. Unlike myself in Kiwiland who drives to the supermarket next door buys huge amount of food to last me a month, the Dutch go daily to buy what they need for that day and perhaps breakfast the next day. This may seem inconvenient but I don't know how I could fit my normally load on the bac
A litre of petrol... 2007-09-08 03:26:00 In Holland petrol is €1.56 per litre
whilst in New Zealand it's about the same but in New Zealand dollars. That's about half the price so count yourself lucky kiwis. Petrol is so expensive on the motorways that they don't even advertise the prices. At the smaller stations some unmanned you just use your cash point card and are played ads on a TV screen at the pump as you fill up. One of the guys in my Dutch class, Ali comes from Iran and recently petrol has increased from 3 euro cents per litre to 8 euro cents per litre in the last few years. Most people in Holland use bikes to get around or public transport. Of course if you live you live in one place and work in another town off the main rail links people still drive. Every morning the news shows a map of Holland with all the traffic jams shown in red and measuring hundreds of kilometres. In winter it can be up to 800kms which is more than double the height of the country!
Double Dutch 2007-09-01 03:26:00 In Holland it means using two different types of contraceptive but I've ways know it as something that is confusing ("This is all double Dutch
"). Learning Dutch has been both good fun and hard. Good fun because its learning something new and talk in a different language but difficult because everyone speaks English and you never know the exact words to say in Dutch. I can't exactly have a conversation with Renate after a hard days work "Hallo Renate, Ik ben Antony", its more like "ok, and so the person's foot has rotted away because they weren't taking their medication correctly. Everyone in the Dutch class were there learning Dutch for themselves rather than having to learn it as part of living in Holland. We came from a wide area including Estonia, Bosnia, Iran, Iraq, Romania, Thailand, Turkey, Colombia and of our me from New Zealand. Our tutor Peter did a great job although I can imagine the frustration at times. We took a couple of trips to help us w
The Dutch Wedding as a day guest 2007-08-25 03:23:00 It was a lovely summer morning and we needed to drive to Enschede to be there for 9:30am. If you're a day guest the Dutch
wedding starts very early. We started with tea, coffee and cake at the bride and groom's apartment with the rest of the day guests everyone dressed up for the big day. Hubert (the groom) was safely staying at his family's place but soon arrived to pickup Corine and together welcomed the day guests. It was then a short walk from their apartment across the centre to the city council building whilst Hubert drove Corine in the wedding car. The city council is the official marriage in the eyes of the government. Photos were taken in the large halls before moving upstairs into the small chapel like room where the ceremony took place and the marriage certificate was signed. Afterwards we headed outside and around the corner to a lovely old Catholic church where we were treated to a traditional Catholic wedding with the lighting of the candles and communion. No so tra
Burial or Cremation? 2008-03-02 02:19:04 Warning: Some of this post may conjure up graphic images. As a youngan I used to deliver circulars (aka Junk Mail) for a bit of extra cash. One of the houses had the word Death written on the letter box. Later I worked out this was pronounced De Ath. What has this got to do about my travels in the Netherlands? I don't know but its certainly a more religious country than NZ. The question arose one day Burial
or Cremation
? The answers I'm sure vary greatly depending upon your religious beliefs, the impact on the environment and a number of other factors. Whilst staying with a friend in London a few years back he comment that they may be doing "double-decker" burials at the local graveyard soon. I certainly didn't think would happen but many city graveyards are simply running out
Flight of the Conchords 2008-03-02 02:14:55 Some how, some place HBO in American loved the Wellingtonian comedy duo of Bret and Jemaine (aka Flight
of the Conchords) they decided to turn it into a TV series. It's the story of a struggling band trying to make their way in New York full of dry kiwi humour. Intermixed with the stories are segments based on popular music videos from years gone by including if I'm not mistaken the Pet Shop Boys as well as rappers, raster's and even possibly Devo. Anyway, here is a sample clip of their song Business Time to get you in the mood. Oh and a thank you must go out to Prime TV in New Zealand for not only airing it after TVNZ opted out but for repeating it so I can catch up. Bring on series two!
Likes and dislikes of living in Holland 2008-02-12 03:59:26 After 7 months living in Holland
where is what I have enjoyed the most: Living with Renate of course but that is the point. No rush hour. Ok so this isn't a Dutch thing but I can wake up in the morning and be working at 7:30 without sitting in a car for 30-45 minutes. Biking pretty much everywhere. The movies, shopping for groceries, going to friends houses or even the forest. Different foods. Lots more interesting types of food to try both at the supermarket and dining our or at friends places. Fresh figs aren't $2.50. Being so close to everywhere else in Europe. Weekend trips to other countries. Meeting new people Learning all the subtle cultural differences (some not to subtle). I even went to a ballet :-) The great selection of beers on offer and of cour
Camping on Vlieland in Holland 2008-02-12 03:57:55 It's the end of summer here so the crowds are gone leaving the camp sites empty. Renate's parents were at the end of their 3 week holiday on Vlieland so we decided to join them for a weekend. It was such as good idea that Renate's sisters both came along as well with their respective friends/partners. I've been here before but its nice to be back in the place where Renate and her family spent many years for their summer holidays. It's difficult to describe as its more of a feeling but the words baron and wild come to mind. Vlieland is one of the Islands just off the North coast of Holland
. Although there are cars on the island they are just for the locals so you need to carry everything you need. After departing the ferry we balanced the tents and bags on the back of bikes and walked t Read more:Camping
Not the Nine O'clock News 2008-01-18 18:12:57 For your viewing pleasure here are a couple of my favourite clips from the old show. Gerald the Gorilla Darts Sketch
Interesting facts about New Zealand 2008-01-18 18:12:28 Lake Taupo, the big lake in the middle of Zealand
's North Island is the worlds largest volcanic crater. If you were to lay New Zealand on a map of Europe, Invergagill would be about Zurich in Switzerland and Cape Reinga would be 300kms into Africa. Famous New Zealander's include Sir Edmund Hillary who was the first person to climb Mount Everest and Ernest Rutherford who was the first to split the atom and of course the first person to fly Richard Pearse. In 1987 New Zealand became a nuclear-free country free from nuclear weapons and power. Of course this meant the US Government downgraded us from a ally to a friend (C'est la vie). The Kiwifruit unlike the Kiwi (confused by European's as the fruit rather than the bird or person) was imported from China. When I was young t Read more:facts
Mt Pirongia Tramp 2007 2008-01-18 18:11:55 Mt Pirongia is the main landscape feature just to the west of Hamilton. It's very close to Auckland but seems almost forgotten. Mike, Regina and I headed down on the Saturday morning and planned to spend the night at the hut as always taking tents just in case all 6 bunks were full. On a previous visit we thought we had taken the wrong track as it was quite rugged and took under longer than expected. With this in mind I checked all the signs and times and we set off up the Mahaukura track. It was an overcast day with the cloud trapping in the heat so it was going to be a sweaty one. Shortly after starting the walk I had a nagging feeling my car was unlocked and the feeling didn't fade so after running back to check I discovered I had made the right call, locked my car and returned to th
Te Henga (Bethelle's) Walk 2007 2008-01-18 18:11:15 After Holland its straight back in the bush, well sort of... Auckland is one of the narrowest points of New Zealand nestled between the Tasman sea, Pacific Ocean and home to three large harbours. The east coast is littered with sheltered white sandy beaches where as the west coast is a lot more rugged with its black sand large surf. The walk follows an established and marked route from the top of the cliffs and Murawhai and takes you North along the cliff tops to Bethelle's beach. All in all its not a long walk and the sea breeze certainly keeps you cool as there's almost no shelter from the sun along the walk. Wear sunscreen. It takes about 3-4 hrs each way but we cheated and parked cars at both ends but in some ways you spend more time doing this that walking. We finished the d
Whilst in Holland... 2008-01-18 17:04:09 Two guests came to stay from New Zealand (not that I expected everyone to come over). 5831 photos taken which in a 2 hour sideshow would mean less that one a second. Two others deserted New Zealand indefinitely. My brother Rob and Stanley a good friend and Salsa instructor. Visited seven other counties (Belgium, Germany, Turkey, UK, Czech Republic, Guernsey and Slovenia). 8 babies born. Congratulations to the parents Matt & Belinda, Rob Hogan & Barbara, Norman & Victoria, Simon & Sandra, Simon & Cara, Kelly & Fiona, Sean & Tracy, Craig & Heleen and another 3 on the way that I know of. 5 weddings of which I was able to attend a couple in Holland
. Congratulations Corine & Hubert, Ginny & Nick, Vicki & Rodney, Geoff & Leig
Saturday morning soccer 2008-01-18 17:02:23 Just around the corner is the local soccer club NEC whose colours are black, green and red. Every time I go through the park and they are practicing or playing it reminds me of my soccer days. Wind the clock back quite a few years and on Saturday
mornings we would get up early, suit up in our outfits, shiny clean boots and the all important shin pads. Rain, shine or hail, mum and dad used to take us boys off to our different games which must have been difficult (3 boys and 2 parents). They would stand at the side lines for more than an hour and a half as we warmed up and then played. If it was our turn we would bring along oranges for half time. My team was East Coast Bays but my brother Nick and I also teamed up in the 2nd 11 for Rangitoto College. Go East Coast Bays! The Dutch
Garbage in, garbage out 2008-01-18 16:59:52 Don't you hate it when you are in the supermarket and in a split second before you can say "no bags please" they have your bags wrapped inside other bags inside other bags and only put a couple of items in each bag? Sometimes I feel like I come home with more plastic than I do product! I try to recycle as much as possible at home however I feel like we can always do more. In Europe this is this is almost a reality with everyone brining their own bags which has started to take off in New Zealand. In Germany I believe if you need something from the deli you just bring your container and get them to fill it for you. Cool huh. The only exception to this phenomenon has been in New Zealand news recently and that's the one of "food will kill you, you will die" and it needs
Winter is coming 2007-10-04 09:44:07 A little over a week ago I looked outside and and there in the middle of the greenery there was a patch of orange. With summer officially over we are into Autumn and the trees are very quickly preparing for hibernation. Even though we have been blessed with clear skies the temperature rarely gets above 18 degrees. In the sun it is warm but the the shadows are cold. Everyone is now dressing in their winter clothes with big coats and scarf's but its not actually that cold.... yet. It's strange to think that if I was in New Zealand I would probably be on a mountain skiing in similar conditions. Perhaps in a t-shirt in September. Update: Autumn has struck with a vengeance. A couple of weeks later and the days are misty, the roads are covered with leaves and the trees presenting with a col
Microsoft Surface 2007-10-04 04:12:58 Despite the name, Microsoft
Surface is extremely cool and will revolutionise where and how we interact with computers. This is a real product that you can buy today for lots of money. Enough talking, go to the Microsoft Surface site, look and the videos then watch the one below for a actual non-marketing real-world demo.
The Dutch Wedding as a day guest 2007-10-04 04:07:13 It was a lovely summer morning and we needed to drive to Enschede to be there for 9:30am. If you're a day guest the Dutch
wedding starts very early. We started with tea, coffee and cake at the bride and groom's apartment with the rest of the day guests everyone dressed up for the big day. Hubert (the groom) was safely staying at his family's place but soon arrived to pickup Corine and together welcomed the day guests. It was then a short walk from their apartment across the centre to the city council building whilst Hubert drove Corine in the wedding car. The city council is the official marriage in the eyes of the government. Photos were taken in the large halls before moving upstairs into the small chapel like room where the ceremony took place and the marriage certificate was signed.
Double Dutch 2007-10-04 04:04:25 In Holland it means using two different types of contraceptive but I've ways know it as something that is confusing ("This is all double Dutch
"). Learning Dutch has been both good fun and hard. Good fun because its learning something new and talk in a different language but difficult because everyone speaks English and you never know the exact words to say in Dutch. I can't exactly have a conversation with Renate after a hard days work "Hallo Renate, Ik ben Antony", its more like "ok, and so the person's foot has rotted away because they weren't taking their medication correctly. Everyone in the Dutch class were there learning Dutch for themselves rather than having to learn it as part of living in Holland. We came from a wide area including Estonia, Bosnia, Iran
Food, glorious food 2007-10-04 03:59:03 Kaas and brood (Cheese and bread) is the staple here for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner. Unlike New Zealand the supermarkets are considerably smaller with the local Albert Hein XL (which everyone comments "how great it is to have a large supermarket") is only slightly larger than the local 4 Square. Due to the small size of these establishments the selection is somewhat limited. For example, you can reach to both ends of the cereal section without moving a foot. This is quite unlike the 50 metre isle 2 stories high at the Pak N Save next door with 100 different types of cereal. Where this is "turned on it's head" (opposite for Dutchy's) is the Drop (Dutch licorice) isle. Unlike myself in Kiwiland who drives to the supermarket next door buys huge amount of food
Snake in the Grass 2007-10-04 03:42:18 Yesterday whilst we were riding in the forest I saw my first real live snake that wasn't in captivity. I've seen plenty of creepy crawlies over the years in various countries but never a snake even in Australia. Anyway, it turned out this little fellow is the stock standard Grass Snake
("Ringslang" in Dutch) identifiable from its distinct yellow/black neck markings. It was actually pretty cute measuring about a metre long but only about 15mm at its widest point and it was curled up like snakes do. I found it in the middle of the road so herded it to safety with my bike safe to live another day. Updated: I remembered I have seen a sea snake in Fiji too.
Op je fiets (On your bike) 2007-10-04 03:41:34 The entire time I've been living here we have only used the car once to go somewhere local. Hey it was a rainy night and we felt like curries (Mmmm, oh how we miss Sages). We literally go everywhere by bike and why not? The steepest street is up a bridge over the river. Fietspaden (cycle ways) are footpaths especially for bikes and scooters. At major intersections they have their own traffic lights but normally bikes have the right of way. This is pretty scary at first deliberately biking into the path of an oncoming car but they stop. Glad I'm not coming from Holland to New Zealand. Nijmegen is a student town so there are a lot of young people but its also home to many older people and disabled (I can't remember the current politically correct term). They are just as quick on the fietsp
A litre of petrol... 2007-10-04 03:39:16 In Holland petrol is €1.56 per litre
whilst in New Zealand it's about the same but in New Zealand dollars. That's about half the price so count yourself lucky kiwis. Petrol is so expensive on the motorways that they don't even advertise the prices. At the smaller stations some unmanned you just use your cash point card and are played ads on a TV screen at the pump as you fill up. One of the guys in my Dutch class, Ali comes from Iran and recently petrol has increased from 3 euro cents per litre to 8 euro cents per litre in the last few years. Most people in Holland use bikes to get around or public transport. Of course if you live you live in one place and work in another town off the main rail links people still drive. Every morning the news shows a map of Holland with all the
Mmmmm, bier 2007-08-25 02:49:27 I've always been a fan of Grolsch bier although back in my student days it was a bit expensive for a student budget. Unlike Heineken, Grolsch remains brewed and bottled in The Netherlands and shipped out the New Zealand in its natural form even though the bottles have lost their ceramic cap. Now that I'm here it's the perfect opportunity to try all the delights on offer including the huge variety of European beers. Unlike the supermarkets in New Zealand you can buy single bottles (or mini-kegs) rather than by the six pack or dozen. This makes sampling the large selection even easier. Last October I discovered a little known (even amongst the Dutch) named Grolsch Weizen (Wheat even though I thought it meant White). I declare it my current favourite beer. From the first moment the wire rips
Interesting facts about Holland 2007-08-19 04:28:46 The drinking age is only 16 so I haven't been asked for ID. Soft drugs and only soft drugs like Marijuana and Magic Mushrooms are legal in Holland
and can only be sold at licensed coffee shops. You can however grow your own. What's going to happen next year when the smoking ban is introduced? Prostitution is legal but you must be at least 18 years old and you must be at least 16 to participate. Why do Dutchies like orange so much? It's the name of the royal family "House of Orange". Tulips don't actually come from Holland. They come from Turkey just like the Kiwifruit is actually from China (the Chinese Gooseberry). They do however grow and sell the most. Some people still wear clogs and dress in the old "Milk maid" outfits. Of course this isn't everyday people walking down the street on Read more:facts
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