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
Spring is here 2007-04-01 18:36:00 Since my previous post about the weather, it has certainly improved. The sun has been shining and the sky's are clear staying warm late into the evening. Most of the smaller trees are blossoming but there is still no sign of life in the larger trees. The animals are getting frisky so it must be spring. With all the good weather the mercury has risen and its now hotter in the day in the Netherlands than it is during the night in New Zealand.... but only just :-) Everyone is out and about walking, biking and inline skating (which I have not ventured into yet). Thanks again Wim for the inline skates, I'll put them to good use soon. At the moment I'm sitting here in a t-shirt with the balcony door open at 6:30pm. I've spent the day biking in the forest with a couple of biking/climbing friends making it to Germany for lunch. Most of the mud in the forest has dried up and other trails are dusty making for some great riding. Renate has night shifts at the moment so unfortun Read more:Spring
Why am I here? 2007-03-29 17:31:00 Some of you have asked what am I doing in the Netherlands and others who is this Renate person. Well, the answer is the same for both questions. A woman! The lovely Renate is mijn mevrou, a girl from Holland who couldn't find a suitor in her native land. One January three years ago she came to New Zealand and found one almost next door to her cousin Martin (that was handy). Since then we have played a giant game of leap frog jumping back and fourth across the worlds oceans a couple of times a year. When we can, we spend several months together either traveling or exploring each others cultures. So, "Why am I here?", to spend time with the one I love. To better know her family and friends, the Dutch culture, language and experience more of Europe.
Sooooooo cold.... 2007-03-21 20:27:00 The thermometer on my computer says 2 degrees, the one outside 25 degrees. I know which one is correct as the steam escapes from my mouth. I think Renate uses this old thermometer to make her feel better about the cold telling herself "it's not that bad". Riding to school at lunchtime on Thursday felt like I had just eaten an entire tub of ice cream. I'm used to the cold and I love it but its a different sort of biting cold, the sort that freezes creatures in fantasy movies. Maybe it was the fact that I was traveling along the road at about 20kmph into a head wind that I was afraid to breathe for fear of my lungs freezing. Before leaving the house I thought "I shan't need my beanie & gloves" (I won't make that mistake again). I found out later that night Renate permanently has gloves in her jacket. On Sunday we went for a walk in the woods near by to get a bit of fresh air and interrogate Jorien's (Renate's sister) new boyfriend. On the way back it started hail
Party Party Party!!! 2007-03-20 20:47:00 On Saturday it was Renate's birthday. She had arranged for some family and friends to drop in for the afternoon and evening. What she had failed to mention beforehand was that it was also a surprise welcome to Holland party for me! As everyone arrived they also wished me a happy birthday for Renate which is the done thing here. It started quietly with taart, koffie and thee (pie, coffee and tea) and as the evening came on more and more people started arriving. Most of the people I had met before but it was good to chat to everyone again filling in some of the blanks.The dinner was a buffet style like we do in New Zealand where every brings a dish. This isn't the norm and was part of the New Zealand theme. Huge amounts of great food from Dutch worst (sausage) to pizzas, quiches and wraps. We still have some left overs in the fridge that I'm working through each lunchtime. Read more:Party
Settling in nicely 2007-03-17 11:25:00 As well as St Patrick's day, Renate's Birthday, Issjah's birthday and Stella's birthday today also marks one week in The Netherlands. I've been fighting off a cold for the best part of the week. Something I picked up in Auckland before I left but matured somewhat due to the interrupted sleep. It comes in handy having a doctor on hand so the antibiotics were quickly dispensed fighting off the bug. The week has gone quickly getting everything organised from finding an office chair, signing up for Dutch lessons and registering with the local government so that they know I'm living at Renate's place with her permission (Everyone needs to register where they live). On Tuesday, Renate had planned a belated Valentine's day and took me to Brugge for the night. We stayed in a B&B very close to the centre sampling the chocolates and beer on offer and taking in the old town and canals. After dinner we walked around the city again taking in the beautifully lit
We are currently at Home Land Security threat level Orange 2007-03-11 14:15:00 One of the many such announcements blasted out over the PA system feeling like I was in Bladerunner or the 5th Element. All my recent travel has been through Asia so this was the first time I have experienced the paranoia of the US security forces.After the initial scare on the plane that I didn't have a smartchip passport things went relatively smoothly taking my finger prints, photo and emptying the contents on my day bag. I did however forget to empty my bottle of water between the flights and I just drank it in front of the officers. No security officers with guns this time which I felt weird, after all it was threatlevel
orange.Anyway, I'm all unpacked, bike assembled ready to go. I've even done a couple of hours work already :-)It was great to see Renate again after such a long time. We didn't get up to much yesterday as my flight arrived late but we are venturing out today to see some of her family. Tomorrow I'm off to the bank so sort things out there, buy an office chair Read more:Orange
The final countdown 2007-03-05 07:05:00 Only 4 sleeps to go now trying to get the lot of chores out of the way before Friday. My battle with the insurance company is hopefully over with them deciding to settle on only part of my camera. They wouldn't pay out fully because I'm not sticking around for 3 weeks just to have it repaired. By the way my insurance company for another 7 months is IAG through ASB :-)Nice to see everyone yesterday for Yum Cha as its going to be a while before I see most of you again. I hope to see a few of you over in Europe later this year.I would like to sincerely thank my company Acquire for allowing me this opportunity. You guys are fantastic!I'll be flicking an email around shortly with my contact details while I'm in The Netherlands (Holland sounds better).
Stone Marten (Martes foina) 2007-04-06 19:48:00 Related to the Weasel and Stoat the Marten is a curious little creature that lives in the wooded areas and forests of Europe. They grow to between 40 and 50cms in length and have a large bushy tail. Marten's are omnivores, their diet includes worms, eggs, fruit, other smaller mammals and high-tension leads in car engines. As in the case of Renate's little Renault Clio the Marten completely ate through the lead for the number 1 cylinder. Probably a mid-night snack after finding a nice warm spot to sleep for the day.This guy must have had good taste as he picked the most extensive cable at 70 euro. Read more:Stone
Easter 2007 2007-04-12 10:14:00 We have both been quite restrained with our chocolate intake. Except for the chocolate cereal (real lumps of chocolate), the only chocolate we've bought is a small box of Bon Bons from Belgium and we are only two thirds of the way through them.Easter
was spent doing a few bits with Renate's family and since Renate had to work on the Sunday and Monday I did the same. We spent Saturday at Renate's parents and had a Gourmetten meal. You cook yourself from all the bits on the table. Very cool like a Steam Boat. On the Sunday night we had a couple of Renate's friends Maaike and Jelle over for green curry as they were in Holland instead of their home in gay Paris (mmmm, Dutch people can't take hot food).It was probably the limited exposure to chocolate up until that point but I felt the need to stuff a chocolate Easter bunny "Browny" (a gift from Marjan) with Australian branded Belgium chocolate ice cream. Browny was quickly beheaded allowing the chocolate ice cream to flow (the Do
Istanbul and Troy, Turkey 2007 2007-04-22 09:15:00 You will need to check with Renate but I probably still smell like Turkish cigarettes. We arrived under the cover of darkness and quick settled into our hotel for the night. We arrived late to our hotel room. It was on the 1st floor next to the lift so we heard everything (I bought earplugs the next morning). Our first sight was the impressive nature of the eyebrows and moustaches putting Movember to shame (women too, just kidding). As we walked into the centre of the old city we could see the mix of old and new. A modern light rail system snakes its way through the Roman ruins, mosques and modern shops. Parks with trees and gardens full of Tulips make it a very green city to visit. Do you know Tulips actually come from Turkey
and not Holland? (Holland is full of Daffodils at the moment, not Tulips).We saw most of the sights in the first day including the Sultan Ahmet Camii (The Blue Mosque), Hagia Sophia, Yerebatan Saray Sarniçi (Basilica Cistern) and Kapali Carsi (Grand Bazaar) mana
ANZAC Day 2007-04-29 21:28:00 This year we remembered ANZAC day in two parts. The first visiting the site of the battles at Gallipoli and the second part in Den Haag (The Hague). On the 25th April, ANZAC cove is normally full with everyone camping and drinking. Instead, we opted for an earlier visit with a quiet atmosphere. It was surreal having perfect weather, beautiful scenery with no one else around, contemplating the death and destruction that occurred 92 years ago.Over the years the trees and shrubs have grown back, the trenches have filled up and the bodies of the allies have been buried in graveyards. Unlike the ANZAC's, British, Indian (Gurkhas), French, the Turkish soldiers were buried where they fell. No grave stones, just names on a memorial. We spent ANZAC day in Den Haag to attend a morning ceremony at the Westduin Cemetery. It's the first time I have seen VIPs at ANZAC day from so many nations. Wreaths were laid by representatives from New Zealand, Australia, Holland, Turkey, Belgium, Canada, Brita
Moeders Dag (Mothers Day) 2007-05-12 18:12:00 Yep, it's the same day New Zealand as it is in Holland. In fact the largest percentage of countries have it on the on the same day (2nd Sunday in May) and the rest are pretty much randomly spread across the year. This is just a quick post to wish my mum Pauline a wonderful day and big hugs from across the world. I'll also throw in a couple for Renate's mum as well.Like every good Dutchy it's back to the weather... After 7 weeks without hardly a drop of rain just as sprinkler restrictions here about to be put in place the skies opened and haven't stopped. Since Monday its been raining most of the time giving the ground and sandy mountain bike trails a good drink. One evening Renate and I just turned off the lights in her lounge to watch and listen to the electrical storm overhead. Love you Mum Read more:Mothers
, Mothers Day
Koningindag (Queen's Day) 2007-05-10 18:03:00 Every 30th of April Holland turns Orange (the colour and name of the royal family - "House of Orange"). This year the weather was perfect and in reality its a great excuse to have a party with people decorating their houses with the national flag. Traditionally the Queen
takes in a small town and a city so we headed straight for Den Bosch to see what all the fuss was about. First of all we headed through the local Goffert Park where another Queen's Day even was taking place. Queen's Day is also the day when the Dutch have a giant garage sale (Vrij Markt) across the whole country. The city centre parks and streets are filled with people selling all their junk. It was massive and the selection of goods covered topics from old records, furniture and pieces of drain pipes. The train station was a sea of people wearing Orange heading to Den Bosch and Amsterdam but we managed to meet up with Renate's sisters and Maarten. On our arrival we were having numerous pieces of head gear offered t
The Wedding of Giny and Nick 2007-05-19 16:15:00 Yesterday we attended the wedding of Giny and Nick (our first wedding when we could both attend at the same time). When compiling the invites the engaged couple decide on how good a friend they are. Should they be invited as a day guest with the dinner or only invited to the party in the evening. Dutch weddings are spread across the entire day, firstly with everyone visiting the local government in the morning for the official part (signing the documents). Afterwards it is the Church service for those religious folk followed by entertainment for the day guests whilst the photos are being taken. It is then time for dinner and speeches for the day guests. In the evening the big party takes place sometimes filled with songs, sketches and games. The party was in a beautiful old castle Slot Doddendaal flying the Dutch flag proudly as we entered. We lined up to have our photos taken and write a message in a book in which the photos will be added later. Inside we were offered coffee and tea w
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer 2007-05-27 14:30:00 We don't know if it has already screened in New Zealand but we have just returned from a rainy Sunday afternoon at the cinema watching "Perfume
: The Story of a Murderer
". The cinema was miniscule with 27 seats and almost a full house. No ads, no breaks just the movie. This tale is a must see with the same magical feel as Chocolat but darker (Dark Chocolate?). In some ways it has a lot in common as Chocolat focuses on taste, Perfume is about smell. It is the story of a child born in the slums of Paris in the 18th century with an extraordinarily powerful sense of smell. The tragedy is that he has no body odor himself. How that is a problem you'll have to see the movie but he becomes obsessed with making the worlds best perfume. Rarely a film of this character comes along. It is visually appealing, original, and captivates you from its beginning to interesting conclusion. Oh yeah, there are hot red head chicks in it too. PS: The main character looks like a young Martin Kleine-
Apartment living 2007-05-26 15:16:00 I've never been keen on the idea of apartment living. Firstly I can't imaging living in a sterile hotel style place and I like to have some greenery (trees, grass etc). In most cities around the world its not an option to have your own house in the burbs. When Renate moved back to Holland after her stint in New Zealand she wanted to find a place that would suit us both. Keeping me in the loop with photos she finally decided on a top floor apartment overlooking the local Park. It's a beautiful location surrounded by green trees and everything is accessible by bike include the local mountain bike park. It is a spacious single bedroom open plan design on a corner. Two sides are covered with windows providing plenty of light and of course we look out straight onto the trees. Unlike New Zealand the Dutch are proud of their living rooms and maybe because they also have double glazing there are no curtains (except the bedroom). You can look straight into anyone's house day
The Big Donor Show 2007-05-31 13:06:00 Next week the Dutch broadcaster BNN will broadcast their new Big Brother style show named "The Big Donor
Show". You have probably heard about this as I first heard about it from a kiwi. A 37 year old woman dying from a brain tumour will decide from 3 contestants via SMS voting who gets her kidneys. Normally cancer patients cannot donate organs but the exception is brain tumours. I don't know what the legal aspects of this are but certain in NZ people cannot sell their organs but they can donate their kidneys and bits of liver to whom they choose (relative, friend etc) providing they are healthy. As I see it there is one major advantage of airing the show and that is to perhaps highlight the lack of organ donors around the globe. However I doubt this is their message. I can't stand these sorts of shows so we don't plan to watch it.
The Big Donor Show was worth watching 2007-06-01 15:02:00 Follow up to my previous post The Big Donor
Show. It's all over. The show was aired this evening starting with all the news headlines across the world and a montage of the networks founder Bart de Graaf. Bart was on dialysis for 13 years before having a kidney transplant. Before he died in his 30s his founded BNN (Bart Nederland Network) with fun shows. The audience was filled with transplant survivors and they covered the donor crisis in the Netherlands. The number of donors is actually decreasing whilst more than 200 people die a year waiting for organs. Most European countries have a policy where you are a donor unless you opt-out but Holland has an opt-in policy. Lisa (the donor) firstly selected from 25 compatible recipients removing those over 50, the very young and both smokers and ex-smokers. From there she whittled the list down to 3 possibilities who appeared on the show. She then asked the possible recipients questions about how they live and what they would do after their
The Kiwi's are the next America's Cup challenger 2007-06-06 13:15:00 Congratulations to the New Zealand America
's Cup team for taking the Louis Vuitton Cup 5 zip over Luna Rossa. They needed to win 5 of the 9 races but in the closest race of the finals, the New Zealand team won their 5th race in a row by a mere 22 seconds. It was a bit of a challenge to get a live feed and most are pay-per-view services. TVNZ's Desktop TV service requires viewers to be in New Zealand which didn't help (anyone know a free NZ proxy server?). In the end I was able to listen to the race on www.americascup.com. For those who don't know the America's Cup is a rich mans sailing race which also happens to be the oldest sporting cup still in use in the world. Since it started in 1851 the cup has been fraught with controversy but the yanks managed to hold onto it until 1995 briefly losing it to Australia in 1983. We lost the last defense with our boat almost sinking to Switzerland's Alinghi (a land locked country). Most of the previous Kiwi team had jumped ship (n
Wild nights in Nijmegen 2007-06-11 15:41:00 The last couple of days have been very muggy with the temperature topping out at 31. On Friday night Renate made it home just in time before the skies lit up with a thunder and lightning show. Fork lightning so close that the building shook and children down stairs started crying. Everyone was at their windows watching natures performance.Part 2 of the evening started shortly after with the slightly different sound. The Rolling Stones were in town for the night playing at the Goffert Park next door. Everyone got completely soaked at the concert but luckily no one was struck by lightning although the bolt in the photo above looks like its striking the stage. Shortly after the rain stopped we headed across to check it out. A double fence system separated those with tickets from those without. Similar to the Berlin Wall with a no-mans land in between (except for the mine field and automatic weapons). People were queued up sneaking a peek and listening to the concert. Some people even boug Read more:nights
For real? 2007-06-26 15:17:00 Strange but true, a New Zealand couple decided to name their child to be 4real. For some reason the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages decided this wasn't appropriate. I guessed there must have been rules for names but never really thought about it. Along with numbers, a name cannot be Satan, Adolf Hitler or other offensive names. I can probably guess this was the talking point of the country for a good few days making a change from the usual politics. read more
Guernsey and Sark 2007-06-29 14:49:00 Whilst in the UK we took a short side trip to Guernsey to visit my uncle Clive. It's only a small Island just of Normandy a world away from the UK and one of the worlds financial centre's although you wouldn't know it to look. Part of the British commonwealth its neither part of the UK or the EU and this I guess is for tax reasons. For such a small island Guernsey has a rich history dating back to the stone age 5000BC, the Roman Empire, through the middle ages, Napoleonic wars and even during World War II. It was actually part of the Norman conquest of England back in 1066. During our stay Clive showed us around the key spots and we even had time to swim in the English channel although it was very fresh. Much of the natural landscape reminded me of the New Zealand's east coast but the narrow streets, old buildings and walls were of a European village. On Guernsey we took a day trip to the Isle of Sark not too far away in terms of the boat ride but quite a d
Only a four needed for a century 2007-06-28 14:33:00 Ryan Air needs to be seen to be believed and for 20 euro return to the London I'm not complaining. Everything is extra including priority seating and putting your luggage in the hold. It's literally a race to grab a seat as you don't have an allocated seat. Onboard the plane the seats are plastic and don't even have seat pockets. The safety instructions are printed on the headrest of the seat in front of you. Advertising lines every overhead locker as they even sell lottery tickets and rail passes on the planes. The worst part is the landing which the pilots are still trying to master. I was last in the UK five years ago when my brother got married so it was about time I went back especially being so close. It was my grandmothers birthday on my fathers side and Nan was turning 96 and just as cheeky as she probably was as a young lass. Just imagine what those eyes have seen from 2 world wars, countries coming and going like the tides and of course space exploration and new technolo
Goodnight Kiwi 2007-08-03 15:51:00 Probably more appropriate for my last days here but here it is both the original and directors cut. For those who have never seen, this clip was played at the end of the TV coverage for the evening in New Zealand before 24hour TV coverage was the norm. Read more:Goodnight
Vierdaagse (Four day walk) 2007-07-21 13:17:00 Every year at this time Nijmegen hosts its biggest event on the years calendar. Much like the Tour de France but on foot, in Nijmegen, and only for four days. People flock here from all over the world to join in for the week of walking and parties with over 42,000 people participating in the walking and everyone else joining in on the fun. Everyone can join in with people as young as 12 and as old as 90 walking 40kms every day for 4 days in a row. If you want there is even a 50km/day walk. This year 63 counties were represented including New Zealand. Some Dutchies do it every year as a sort of holiday with the record being 66 times (that's over 10,000kms which is like walking half way to New Zealand in 264 days). Every day there is a different walk each taking a different route out of the city and back in later in the day. The streets are lined with seating and some people even reserve spots early by padlocking their couches and chairs to trees in the days bef
Prague (Praag, Praha), Czech Republic 2007-07-09 15:36:00 I've been wanting to visit Prague
for a long time ever since I first saw pictures of the Gothic city covered in snow in winter. Well it wasn't winter but the city is just as spectacular and a lot more vibrant that I had imagined.It is one of the nicest cities I have been too with beautiful buildings, castles, churches, culture and history. Prague is real mixture of all the architecture styles from Gothic, Renaissance and all the other styles I know nothing about. It is spit down the middle by the river Vltava/Moldau and high up on the hill is Prague Castle, housing its own cathedral which is one of over 250 churches in the city.Our first excursion was to the Terezin not your usual holiday spot. The town was turned into a Jewish Ghetto/Concentration Camp and nearby prison fortress close to the German border. No one was gassed at Terezin but the conditions were pretty harsh with the Jewish leaders deciding the fate of the citizens as the trains left bound for Auschwitz. Built in 1780, Read more:Czech
, Republic
, Czech Republic
The Dutch Stag Night (Vrijgezellenfeest) 2007-07-04 14:47:00 Corine and Hubert will be getting married on the 20th June so it is only fair they get one last night of freedom. Whilst the girls made necklaces and ate Gourmetten the boys headed out of town for an afternoon of fun and adventure. It started with a Canadian Canoe trip down a river joining two nearby towns. We caught a ride to the start and jumped in our boats. Everyone wanted to avoid being in the same boat as Hubert just in case he was targeted so at the end only Hubert, Pascal and I were left. We finally launched our vessel after the others giving them a head start. Slowly we caught up to the other boats and after a brief tussle managed to pass each without capsizing. Some of the bridges were so low that you have to lay down in the canoe or hit your head. Other obstacles included mini waterfalls and getting stuck in the reeds. As we approached the last part of our journey, we stumbled across some children and educated them in river warfare. We concluded the session by indicatin Read more:Dutch
, Night
Farewell Nan, we will miss you 2007-08-16 13:14:00 Just before heading to Slovenia for a weeks holiday I rang my grandfather in New Zealand to wish him a happy birthday. It was anything but, Nan wasn't doing well and he didn't expect her to last much longer. A day later and after 86 wonderful years she left us. For as long as I can remember, she has always been a part of my life spending large amounts of time together when I was younger, for this I consider myself very lucky. I was her first grandson and first generation New Zealander in the family. I am grateful for the family bond and values passed down the generations and will continue this myself with my children and grandchildren. Without her I would not be the person I am today. We found it difficult being on holiday at such a time and wished we could be there with everyone. Back in New Zealand there is great family support and the mountain walking in Slovenia gave me ample time to reflect on her life and what she meant to us. It was a beauti Read more:Farewell
Interesting facts about Holland 2007-08-14 13:14:00 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 the way to work but older more traditional communities (not just the tourist towns). Holland has the highest population density in Europe with over 493 people per square kilometer. Netherlands li Read more:facts
The mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee 2007-08-13 13:14:00 When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes". The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectivel
Recommend Site To A Friend
