Portugal April 2009

Lisbon and Sintra – April 2009

Steve and I spent Easter weekend in Lisbon and Sintra Portugal. I sent out a link to the photos shortly after we returned (click here to see them again plus a few more that we just added). Finally, here is the narrative to go along with the pictures.

Our trip to Portugal was a chance for both of us the experience a new place. Neither of us had been to Portugal and we were excited to finally be going. It did not disappoint. We saw beautiful churches, glorious castles, mysterious palaces, gorgeous tiled buildings, and funky old rattling trams and funiculars.

We spent the first two days exploring Lisbon. We must have walked a marathon in those two days, but it was hard to stop when there was so much to see. Our first day included a walk from our hotel to the Castelo de Sao Jorge. Along the way we saw the beautiful cobblestones of Rossio Square, the many shops and restaurants along Rua Augusta, the statues of the Arco do Triunfo, the cloisters of the oldest cathedral (Sé) in Lisbon, and the conveniently located (if you are a man) sidewalk urinal. The castle was magnificent and we had lots of fun exploring. It is a good thing we worked up an appetite, because dinner was a huge seafood extravaganza. Steve had an amazing platter of grilled seafood and I had a lovely Portuguese stew with cod (bacalhau) and rice. Believe it or not, we needed more walking after our huge meal. We walked to Rossio Square and found a long line of people waiting to be served something being poured from a large unmarked bottle in to a little plastic cup. According to our guide book, it was the local cherry brandy (ginjinha). We had some; it was good!

Our adventures on day two included gathering picnic items and walking to the botanical gardens and the aqueduct. That evening we had an amazing crab dinner at Cervejaria de Trindade, a former monastery turned in to a beer hall. We liked this place so much, we went back again two nights later.

We took a train to Sintra on the third day. Sintra is enchanting. One of the main attractions in Sintra is the Castelo dos Mouros, located high up on a big hill. Steve convinced me that we should walk up to the castle from town. I grumbled a bit, but went along with it and I am so glad we walked! It was much, much better than taking the crowded bus. The castle was fascinating and really a privilege to see. A short walk away was the Palacio de Pena. It is an extravagant, pink and pastel palace, located even higher up on the big hill. It was built to be a summer palace for a former king and queen. The building combines many different styles and includes carvings and statues of mythical creatures. I am sad to say that I forgot to charge the camera battery the night before, so we did not take many pictures of the Palacio de Pena.

We could not restrain ourselves from taking pictures at the next place we went, so we resorted to using our cell phones to try to capture the amazing things we saw at the Quinta da Regaleira. The pictures aren't great quality, but the memories are amazing. The Quinta da Regaleira estate was built in 1892. The main house (palace) has an incredibly detailed Gothic façade; from a distance it looks like a drip sand castle. Each room inside is decorated in a different theme. Nearby is the chapel, which also has a Gothic façade and many fascinating things to see inside. But, the real fun and mystery is in the gardens. As we entered the estate we saw that several people had flashlights with them and we didn’t understand why since the sign said the place closed before dark. We soon learned that a flashlight would indeed have been nice to have (a useful tip to include in a guide book!!). Once again, our cell phones came in handy; we used the lighted displays to illuminate the path when it got too dark to see our hands or feet. Throughout the gardens are towers, bridges, stepping stones across ponds, hidden doorways, stairways to nowhere, and long, dark, dark tunnels. Unfortunately a young girl did not find the stepping stones across the pond as wonderful as we did. We think she inadvertently stepped off of a stone on to the “grass” and was very surprised to sink. We did not see it happen, but we pieced together the scene from what we heard - happy chattering, then a splash, and then screams from both the mom and the girl. Then, we saw a sad, dripping-wet girl being admonished and dragged back to the car. We were so delighted to come upon Quinta da Regaleira and know next to nothing about it; everything was a great surprise. (Sorry if I ruined it for any of you who might go there someday. It is still worth the trip because you have to see it for yourself.)

Belem and the much sought after Belem tart were the focus of our fourth and last day in Portugal. We had hoped to go to the maritime museum in Belem, but it was closed. We meandered through town and saw the Belem Tower and the Padrao dos Descobrimentos (a monument to exploration and discovery). Before heading back to Lisbon we got Belem tarts at the Antiga Confetaria de Belem. A little nibble of heaven.

Springtime and Visitors - April and May 2009

Our friend Sheila came to visit in April; perfect timing for a visit to the Keukenhof and a trip to Paris. In May, Steve’s mom came for 10 days, and it was off again to the Keukenhof – I don’t think a person can go too many times. We enjoyed being tour guides and got to see new places as well.

The Keukenhof is the big tulip display garden in Holland. It is open from the end of March until the end of May each year. The pictures speak for themselves. A person cannot take enough pictures at the Keukenhof. The Web site says it is the most photographed place in the world – a lofty claim to be sure, but it might be true. Click here for photos.

Sheila and I took a quick weekend trip to Paris during the week she visited. I loved being in Paris again. The Thalys train line was having a special, so we got a discount on first class tickets for our trip. What a difference from second class! First class passengers get served a hot meal, which comes with your choice of beverages (e.g. wine, beer, soda, etc.), and dessert. There is also free wireless internet access. Wow! We had a great ride to Paris. When we arrived, we went straight to see the Eiffel Tower, which was beautifully lit for the evening. We decided a nearby bench was the perfect spot to enjoy our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we packed along for the train ride (b/c we did not expect to get food on the train). We spent two beautiful, busy days seeing Notre Dame, The Louvre, and The Musee d’Orsay and walking along the Champs Elysee. Photos of Paris.

One of the highlights of Steve’s mom’s visit was our afternoon at the Kroller-Muller Museum and Hoge Veluwe National Park. We brought the dogs, hopped on the free bikes, and enjoyed a nice picnic. The sculpture garden was beautiful.

During his time off, Steve and I took a day trip to Haarlem where we saw the Christiaan Müller pipe organ at the Saint Bavo church. The organ is over 100 feet tall. In July, Steve and I went back to hear an organ concert. The sound was truly amazing. The St. Bavo church is also known for its wood carvings, I have included a picture of the “Pillar Biter,” one of our favorites.

April 30 every year is Queen’s Day in The Netherlands. It is the day the whole country celebrates the reigning queen’s birthday. Usually the date changes with each new monarch, but the current Queen’s birthday is in January, so she decided to keep April 30 (her mother’s b-day) as the national holiday so the festivities could be held outside. The biggest party in the country is in Amsterdam. The streets and the canals (all of them) fill with people wearing something, anything orange. It really is a fun time.

Also, this spring we had a chance to see Theo Jansen’s kinetic sculptures on the beach. The sculptures are either powered by compressed air or can be pushed by hand across the sand. They are amazing to watch in motion. Photos of Kroller-Muller, Den Haag, Haarlem, Queen’s Day, and kinetic sculptures on the beach.

United Arab Emirates March 2009

Click here for photos


In March, I (Candi) had a fantastic opportunity to visit a friend in the United Arab Emirates. I spent time in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Dubai is a steel and concrete jungle in the desert that continues to expand through many, many massive construction projects. Spectacular architecture, amazing engineering, and influences from all over the world are evident at every turn. Dubai exists primarily as a business destination, but the tourism industry is growing. Abu Dhabi is not as big and glittery as Dubai, but there are still many high end hotels and very large shopping malls.

In Dubai, my adventures included window shopping at the Dubai Mall and an afternoon browsing the open air souks (markets). The Dubai Mall claims to be the largest shopping mall in the world. I only saw a small part of it, but in that small part was a full size ice rink, domed ceilings, an aquarium, a beautiful sculpture of divers in a waterfall that is several stories high, and countless jewelry and rug shops. The souks were very touristy – as in kitschy and crowded with large organized tour groups. But, I adored the spice souk where I bought yummy cardamom coffee and saffron threads. The aromas and colors were wonderful. Near the souks is the Dhow Wharf. Old wooden boats (dhows) still dock there. The boats are essentially shipping containers, bringing in goods from other countries. They are unloaded by hand. In contrast to the open air markets and the Dhow Wharf, are the modern, massive, air conditioned shopping centers with all the chain stores and restaurants you can imagine. I snapped a couple of pictures of a Starbucks and an Ikea sign written in Arabic.

The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi is a “7 star hotel.” I’m not even sure what that means…but the foyer was definitely palatial and the food and cappuccino at the lobby café were divine. A schedule of events posted in the lobby advertised a concert by Coldplay, so I assume there is a venue big enough to have a rock concert within the hotel. We went one afternoon to see a photography exhibit; ironically the exhibit was of Europeans and scenes from Europe.

One of the most memorable cultural experiences I had in the UAE was seeing the many mosques and hearing the daily calls to prayer; the calls just before dawn were especially unforgettable. The shopping malls have ablution (cleansing) rooms and prayer rooms so people can observe the call to prayer and not have to leave the mall. Most mosques are closed for tours and non-Muslims are not permitted inside. However, The Grand Mosque, located in Abu Dhabi, is open to the public for tours. It is a project initiated by the former president of the UAE to educate people about Islam. The Grand Mosque is a beautiful structure, and stunning to see from any distance. To go inside, female visitors must wear an abaya (a full length dress) and a head scarf. These are provided at a kiosk before entering. In my experience, wearing these did not increase the amount of respect people gave to their surroundings. Many women were giggling and posing for pictures or struggling to try to keep the head scarf on or not trip over the hem of the abaya. It definitely takes a practiced hand to correctly put them on and wear them with ease.

The food was incredible. Food from anywhere in the world is available. For example, we had Indian, Japanese, Thai, Korean, and lots and lots of Lebanese food. The hotel buffets were fresh, elegant, and diverse and visually stunning. I had the absolute best falafel and tabouli at a little neighborhood restaurant in Abu Dhabi. I got addicted to zataar croissants at Starbucks and I think they should feature them in all their cafes everywhere in the world. I saw, but did not try camel's milk. Perhaps I will give it a try on the next visit.

Photos - Lisbon April 2009

Dear family and friends,

Here is a link to some (60!!) photos from our Easter weekend trip to Lisbon, Sintra, and Belem, Portugal.  These are amazing places and we are glad we had the opportunity to see them.  We enjoyed walking on hills (big ones!) and seeing the beautiful parks, gardens, churches, castles, and monuments.  And, of course, we had spectacular food.  We will write a longer update soon, for now we hope you enjoy these photos.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Candi.Wines/LisbonApril2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCP3jzd3Vm9rQ8AE&feat=directlink

Love,
Steve and Candi
candi.wines@gmail.com
steve.b.ferguson@gmail.com

Netherlands Update #7 January 2009

Happy New Year Everyone!

It has been a few months since the last update in October. Here are some highlights from the past few months.

Steve and I spent Christmas and New Year's resting and relaxing at home. On Christmas Day, we went to the beach and flew a kite. The beach was surprisingly crowded despite the fact that it was about minus 1 degree Celsius. But the sun was out, thus people were out in droves. We also took a day trip to nearby Utrecht on the long weekend around Christmas and went to the neighborhood park to ice skate on New Year's Day. It was very cold in The Netherlands during December and just before New Year's the canals and public skating areas were frozen solid enough to support ice skating. The canals have not frozen solid enough to support skating in a number of years, so people were very excited to finally have the opportunity to get out on the ice. The canals were packed with skaters of all ages and abilities on the weekends and after school. We had great fun skating when we could. During the last full moon, a few people were out skating in the moonlight. It really was a wonderful thing to see. The temperature rose and stayed above 0 in early January, so the ice has melted and I think outdoor skating might be finished for the season. But, it has been cold the past few days and it is even snowing today, so maybe we will ice skate again before spring arrives.

In late November, we saw the arrival of Sinterklaas and about 300 Zwarte Pieten from Spain. Unfortunately, the pictures did not turn out very well because we didn't have a very good vantage point in the massive crowd that gathered at the Scheveningen Harbor to see the SS Madrid arrive. From late November until December 5, Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet travel around Nederland and visit children. Sint Nicolaas Day is December 6 and that is when children receive gifts from Sinterklaas. And they get loads of gifts on Christmas too!

In November, we had a fabulous trip to Washington and Oregon for Thanksgiving. We visited with several friends and spent a few days with Steve's family. Given the unusual amount of snow at Christmas time affecting the Seattle and Olympia area, we are glad we chose to visit in November. Unfortunately, the house we are renting out in Olympia sustained a little damage from the weather and we are experiencing our first wave of repairs, frustrations, and related expenses associated with the rental. We hope those of you who are in the area made it through the snowy weather without any major mishaps and that you were safe from the recent flooding.

Also in November we took a day trip to Munster, Germany. It was a Sunday... so we learned a good lesson about traveling in Europe outside of the peak tourist season: many places are closed on Sundays. Munster is beautiful, however the day was not very fulfilling as we drove for a long time, arrived in town, parked the car, walked around, ate lunch, and then left and drove again for a long time to get home. I think our next trip to Germany will be more thoroughly researched. One great thing about Germany that doesn't seem to exist in The Netherlands is public toilets! We saw our first European roadside rest stop on the way to Munster. It was a very welcome sight.

We seem to have created somewhat of a routine and it feels more like we live here now. I am not saying we feel settled; everyday is still a learning experience. We have delayed unpacking many of our boxes because we have been hoping to move from this apartment, so we are still searching for things in boxes on a semi regular basis and still uncertain about how long we will stay. However, with much of the bureaucrazy of moving from the US behind us, we have finally been able to focus more on living here and getting to know our neighbors and community a little better. I finished a 12 week Dutch course in January (Steve's comment - Candi received a very high score on her exam!) , and will be starting the next level on February 3. Together Steve and I are absorbing more of what goes on around us, but it is still a guessing game most of the time.

We recently had dinner with some neighbors who made us a traditional Dutch meal including two varieties of homemade stamppot (a mix of mashed potatoes, cooked green vegetable, and one of several types of mystery meat) and griesmeel pudding for dessert. It was very good, and incredibly filling. It took us three days to be hungry again after that meal.

We discovered that for New Year's one of the the traditional sweets is oliebollen (literally "oil balls"), which, we are told, are a precursor to donuts. Oliebollen are only sold in sidewalk kiosks and bakeries during the couple of weeks before and after January 1. They are deep fried balls of dough (i.e. huge "donut holes") either plain or with currants and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Yummy. Also for New Year's the whole country goes crazy with fireworks. We have never seen anything like it. It put our Fourth of July to shame and I think it even surpassed the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics. The major differences here are, all the fireworks are set off by random people in the streets. The show is not a publicly sponsored event put on by professionals and it doesn't just last 15 - 20 minutes; it goes on for hours. Standing on our patio was like being in the center of an Omnidome theater with fireworks blasting from every possible direction. The downside of it all was that the air was thick with smoke through the next day and the streets were littered with firework debris for weeks afterward. Not pretty. We read in the paper that the population of the Netherlands (approx.16,645,313) spent 65 million euros on fireworks for New Year's. Incredible.

All in all the Christmas holiday and New Year's were interesting and filled with new and unusual experiences, however, we both found ourselves missing home and longed to be with family and friends.

This past weekend we got off the continent for a few days and spent a fabulous weekend in London, England. It was a very relaxing travel experience since were were somewhat familiar with London from previous visits, but we also got to experience several new things. Since we were lucky to have some sunshine, we walked for miles and miles despite the cold, windy weather. Of course we were happy to warm ourselves in pubs with hearty food and great British beer.

We are looking forward to visits from friends and family in the next few months and we are planning a few trips to see more of Europe. We hope to share more travel stories and pictures in future updates. We wish you and yours all the best in 2009.

Here is a link to some recent photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/Candi.Wines/January2009?authkey=ZTg-C1_lIIY#

Cheers!

Steve and Candi

The Netherlands Update #6

Geachte vrienden and familie:

We had a pretty incredible October in many ways, and a difficult one in other ways. We took two wonderful trips this month but the enjoyment of both was slightly stunted by illnesses, injuries, and carrying around more than the usual stress.

Our first trip this month was to Bruges (Brugge), Belgium. Bruges is beautiful (see the photos). We had a lovely weekend touring the city by foot and by boat, visiting museums, eating good food (including amazing Belgian chocolate), and drinking great Belgian beer. We arrived in Bruges later than we planned on a Friday night because of late trains and missed connections, but we did eventually get there. We also left just in time on Sunday afternoon; the Belgian train workers scheduled a strike that started at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday and halted all train traffic in Belgium through the next day. When we first moved here, the locals told us we were crazy for taking the train. They complained that it was unreliable. We thought they were exaggerating, but now we are beginning to understand the disenchantment with the train system. When the trains run smoothly (and they usually do), it is a fantastic way to travel, but as soon as one glitch happens, your whole itinerary gets out of whack and it is difficult if not impossible to get back on schedule. For the most part, we still think the train is the best way to go to most places and we much prefer it to sitting in traffic. And, the car traffic here is unbearably bad. It is the worse we have ever seen. The long and convoluted train ride to Bruges was made even more interesting by the "The Gospel Singers vs. The Brazen American Tourist" incident. A group of three women sitting in the row in front of us were singing gospel songs, chatting, and laughing at the top of their voices. Usually trains in The Netherlands are very quiet; conversations are whispered to neighbors or people keep to themselves, so this was very unusual. For most of the journey (about an hour and half), people in the train tried to shut the noise out and pretend they were invisible. Aside from the occasional raised eyebrow, nobody complained; it was clear nobody wanted to be the one to ask these women to be quiet. Until... the tired American tourist sitting two rows behind us decided she had had enough and asked them (in English) to "keep it down." For about two seconds, a stunned silence settled over the train car, then the women who were singing began to yell at the tourist and tell her off (in Dutch). Things got pretty tense for a minute or so, and Steve and I were sitting right in the middle of it all - angry Dutch and English words flying over our heads like rocks. Luckily for all of us, the Dutch women were getting off the train at the next stop, so things settled down quickly, and finally did get quiet. Interestingly, when we first boarded the train, Steve overheard one of the singers complaining to her friends about people who demanded that she speak English at her job...so I guess the American who didn't understand any Dutch was prime for her to unleash her frustration.

Our second trip was to Torremolinos, Spain! This was our attempt to squeeze in one last week of summer before the cold, rainy winter set in over Den Haag. It worked! We had a great week basking in the sun and being too hot to do anything except lay on the beach in the breeze and eat fresh seafood tapas. We did have one rainy day, which we spent in Malaga viewing the Alcazaba, the Gibralfaro Castle, and the Picasso Museum. The Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle are breathtaking. It is challenging to do them justice in photographs, nevertheless, I took many, many pictures. One of the strange things about this trip is that we practically had the place to ourselves. It was definitely "off season." There were still tourists - surprisingly, many of them were Dutch so we still heard Dutch being spoken everywhere we went! But, the beaches in the Costa Del Sol are packed with hotels and condos and they have an enormous capacity. Since most hotels and condo complexes are not booked to overflowing this time of year, it didn't feel crowded at all. The only downside to this trip was that both of us got sick and we were distracted by thoughts of work and world events. I got a sore throat and a cold, which destroyed my appetite (can you believe I didn't want to eat?!), and I injured my leg in the middle of the week so I couldn't walk much for a couple of days (good thing the beach chairs were only a few steps from our hotel!). Steve had tummy trouble and unfortunately he couldn't fully enjoy the amazing food either. Before we went to Spain, Steve had an unprecedented stressful couple of weeks at work, which continued to nag at him during the week. Also, as with many of you, we are closely watching the economic situation in US and concerned about how it will affect us. This trip was a much needed escape and chance to relax and recharge our batteries. We avoided tv and newspapers and had very limited internet access, so it was easy to "tune out." Despite our ailments and distractions, we enjoyed ourselves and appreciated where we were. We discovered a couple of great tapas bars, had some good local sherry and excellent fresh seafood, challenged each other to air hockey matches every evening at the local arcade (Steve is the reigning champ, but it was close!), and soaked up the Mediterranean sunshine.

On the local front, we recently discovered a beautiful park in Den Haag called Clingendael. Twice a year, the Japanese garden in the park is open to the public; once for a few weeks in the spring, and once for one weekend in the autumn. A couple of weeks ago, we rode our bikes to the park and viewed the beautiful fall colors in the Japanese garden. As we walked around the rest of the park, we came across some very photogenic mushrooms.

Folks around here are gearing up for the fall and winter holidays. As I understand it, Halloween isn't celebrated here like it is in the US (i.e. no costumes or trick or treating). Some people have mentioned that the "American ways" of Halloween are becoming more common here (they sort of rolled their eyes when they said this..). I have noticed some Halloween decorations on houses and in stores, but I have not seen any big bags of candy or costumes for sale. Of course, Thanksgiving isn't celebrated here either. But that is OK, we will be in Oregon for Thanksgiving! The big events here in the winter are the arrival of Sint Nicolaas (he usually arrives sometime in November by boat and there is a big parade) and Sint Nicolaas Eve/Day, which is December 5/6. St. Nicolaas Day is mostly for children, who receive candy and gifts. Other St. Nicolaas traditions involve hiding gifts and writing poems that "lovingly" make fun of people. If you want to know more about it, here is a Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas. Also, David Sedaris wrote a humorous short story about the first time he learned about Sint Nicolaas Day, it is titled, "Six to Eight Black Men." December 25 is generally more of a religious event, involving church and spending time with family but it is becoming more commercialized and focused on gift giving. There are tons of x-mas decorations and goodies being peddled in the stores and several Kerstmarkten (Christmas Markets) will open soon throughout The Netherlands.

The last couple of pictures in the October 2008 batch are from the day I spent with my friend Patricia at the Royal Delft Pottery Factory. We toured the factory and museum and painted our own vases. I think mine looks kind of pathetic, but it is definitely an original work of art (despite having used a stencil for the design)... priceless.

As of October 30, we finally have Dutch license plates for the Subaru!!! The car passed the second inspection and Steve was able to complete the import and registration process. It is a big relief to be done with that.

Happy Halloween! Be well!

Warm Regards,
Steve and Candi
http://steveandcandi.blogspot.com/

The Netherlands Update #5

Hi Everyone!

We had a visit from some friends in the beginning of September, and we continue to ride the seemingly endless wave of bureaucracy of moving to another country. Here is what we have been up to...

Steve took some time off from work in early September and we went exploring with our friends Andy and Bronson. Unfortunately, the weather was not very pleasant the first week, but we still got out and about and were lucky to dodge some heavy rain most days. The second week brought great weather just in time for us to begin our stay at the beach. (Note: I realize I frequently mention rain in these updates... that is because it rains a lot here, maybe more than in WA, which I didn't think was possible.)

One of the places we went was Kinderdijk. Kinderdijk is a rare place where there are 19 windmills within close proximity to each other. The site became a Unesco World Heritage site in 1998. The day we visited it was heavily overcast so it wasn't the best weather for taking pictures, but I hope you can get a sense of how unique this place is from the photos (click here to see them). People live in several of these windmills and one is open as a museum for tours.

The same day we also went to Dordrecht, the oldest city in Holland. Dordrecht has many sites of historical interest, it is best known for its strategic role in trade (mainly wine) and shipping. It is also the site of the meeting of Dutch city leaders when they declared independence from Spain in 1572. Dordrecht also has a stunning "Grote Kerk," that originated in the 1100s. We arrived after the church closed for the day, so we didn't get to see the inside this time.

We spent one day in Delft. We took our chances with the weather and rode our bikes - amazingly we managed to stay mostly dry. We enjoyed the the open-air market, had a lunch of fresh lekkerbeck (big, fried fish filets), yummy handmade goat cheese, and fruit from the market, and visited the Oude Kerk and Nieuwe Kerk. This time we walked ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP of the Nieuwe Kerk tower. It was really, really, really high and a very long climb up skinny, winding stairs. It was a blast! However, I am used to balconies on towers being enclosed to prevent things or people from falling, but this balcony was not enclosed. I was actually really nervous being up that high with nothing but a low stone wall between me and the ground.... but the view was incredible as you can see from the photos.

One of the highlights of our vacation was a trip to the Hoge Veluwe National Park and the Kroller-Muller museum. Free bicycles are available for use within the park. At the entrance, we hopped on bikes and rode about 2 km to the museum, which has a remarkable collection of paintings and sculptures, including an amazing Van Gogh collection. We took a different route back to the car after touring the museum so we could see the hunting lodge and enjoy the landscape of the park. It occurred to me as we were riding around that there weren't any canals in this park.... I think it is the first place I have been in The Netherlands that wasn't crisscrossed with canals.

Another highlight was a naturalist-lead canoe trip through polders and an old Dutch village near Amsterdam. We learned a lot about the natural history of The Netherlands and how land is reclaimed from the water or maintained. Midway through the trip we stopped and got to walk around on a polder that is essentially water-soaked peat moss, which makes it very spongy and bouncy. Jumping up and down on it makes the ground move in waves and the people standing near you wobble. It was neat. We got very lucky with the weather that day and didn't get rained on, but it was incredibly windy and difficult to paddle the canoes at times. There were moments when I thought we might be blown out to the North Sea, but thanks to Steve's excellent captain skills we didn't get blown away. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera, so no pictures of this experience.

After the canoe trip, we found a wonderful little bar in Amsterdam that serves jenever (pronounced kind of like "yanafer"). It is the Dutch version of gin, but really tastes nothing like gin. It comes in an overwhelming assortment of flavors (liqueurs) and various ages (like scotch). The bar tender was very entertaining and friendly; he spoke four languages fluently (Dutch, German, French, and English). We listened to him speak all four languages to different groups of people while we were there. He was also a master of his craft - mixing flavors of jenever to make amazing drinks. He made us some wonderful concoctions such as "chocolate covered cherry" and "creme brulee." There is even a jenever that tastes like a cinnamon-clove spiced Dutch cookie. It would have been very easy to get to the point where one couldn't walk out of there... but we had a reasonable amount of restraint.

We spent the last few days of our vacation on the beach. I think our timing was perfect - we got to enjoy the last four days of summer weather lounging on the beach. We also did a lot of bike riding on trails along the beach and the dunes and through the city to visit the Haagse Markt. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have my "American" bike. It is like a dream after riding the circus bike.

Of course, I can't write an update and not talk about food... We had some interesting and amazing food while Andy and Bronson were here. We made them try several different Dutch delicacies including harring (the raw fish), drop (a variety of different types of licorice-like gummy bits...), hagelslag (chocolate sprinkles for toast), bitterballen (basically deep fried balls of gravy with small bits of meat in them), pannenkoeken (crepe-like wraps served savory or sweet), and various tasty pastries. We enjoyed a wonderful Indonesian rijstafel dinner and incredible Arabic food served to us "family-style" on large platters as we sat and lounged on huge pillows.

The dreamy vacation eventually ended and we had to get back to reality. This month our reality has included getting the car inspected and registered in The Netherlands so that we can get it insured and eventually drive it...although given the high price of gas (around $9.20/gallon), it is likely just to sit in the parking garage. We expected that the inspection and registration process would be a formality and not be a big deal. Afterall, we have a modern car that meets all of the American safety and emissions standards. Well, as with many things, Europe has its own standards for cars. It turns out that we have the wrong lights on the car. The wrong headlights, the wrong taillights, and the wrong indicator lights. So, we have to get these changed before we can register the car. That should be easy enough. No. In order to legally drive a car on the road in The Netherlands, it must be insured. In order to get insurance, you must have a Dutch license plate. In order to get a Dutch license plate, you must pass the inspection. Do you see where this going? You can get a "one day permit" to drive the car to an inspection station and an insurance company will insure you for that day.... but the agency that issues one day permits will not issue a permit to drive anywhere except to an inspection station. So, if you fail the inspection, you cannot get another permit, therefore you cannot get insurance, to drive the car to a garage to get it fixed. As a former government employee, I must say, this is stupid - why make it so difficult for people to comply with the rules? So, after spending an hour and a half on the phone going in circles with both the insurance company and the RDW (the government's car inspection and registration agency), I finally just called a mechanic. It turns out that some garages will tow the car; some charge for this service, some don't. OK, well that problem was "solved." But then I started to get cost estimates for the work. The cost was outrageous! Extremely frustrated, I asked one of my neighbors for advice. It turns out that her husband is (distantly) related to a retired mechanic that owns a garage around the corner from our apartment. He now restores old cars for a hobby. My neighbors very kindly asked him if he had any advice or knew anyone that could do the work on our car. He said he would be willing to do the work and he would do it for less than the cost estimates I was receiving from other garages. What a relief...I think, but this ordeal isn't over yet. I hope it turns out well.

As you know from the last update, we received our shipment of stuff from the US at the end of August. I unpacked a few essentials right away, but several boxes are still sitting in the dining room unpacked. After Andy and Bronson left, I finally got around to moving a few things down to our now clean storage unit that had been dry and sewage free for a couple of months now. Wouldn't you know it, the very same day I put boxes in the storage unit, water began to leak out of the ceiling in the parking garage (I was told it was because of some leak in the shops above the garage). The water seeped through and under the concrete walls into the storage units - ack!!! Luckily, only a very small amount of water seeped into one corner of our storage unit, and I had arranged the cardboard boxes so they would not get wet if less than three inches of water accumulated on the floor. I could not believe the timing. It had to happen on the same day I put stuff in the storage area.... geesh. I am glad that the water didn't come from the ceiling the storage area - then things would have been a mess. Needless to say, we are not thrilled with the construction of this building. It is barely a year old and there have been numerous problems. However, finding another place to live is proving to be challenging.

To keep our sanity, we have "hit the trails" on the weekends. Most recently we rode our bikes to Hoek van Holland and Wassenar. In Hoek van Holland, we had a picnic along the canal where the big ships enter to go port. It was mesmerizing to watch the tugboats pilot a massive ship through the canal as we had our lunch. I think this round trip was about 30km. Wassenar is a beach town just north of The Hague. It was a gorgeous ride through woods and sand dunes. This trip was about 50km roundtrip and there were actually some hills (little ones, but they were hills!!!!).

I had my first Dutch language class on September 30. There are about 12 people in the class. Surprisingly, I am the only American and only one of three people whose first language is English. The other students are from Poland, Czeck Republic, Thailand, China, Japan, England, Spain, Peru, and Germany. Everyone seems to speak or understand some English in addition to their native language and, in some cases, one or two other languages. Despite having learned some Dutch so far, I had a very hard time understanding the instructor and the instructions in the book. I think I have a steep learning curve ahead of me over the next 12 weeks.

We have really appreciated the notes and emails from some of you sharing your own fun adventures or frustrations with bureaucracy. It is nice to be reminded that bureaucratic snafus happen in every country, and can even happen when you think you know your way around a system. Thanks for sharing.. keep the emails coming.

Once again, you can see all of our updates on the blog - http://steveandcandi.blogspot.com/.

We hope you are all well. Take care.

Best Regards,
Candi and Steve


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