Flat Tire

But I survived nearly 9 months (minus the 2 1/2 we were in Moldova and not counting the near arrests upon my arrival here) without any bike problems!

Here's the Proof...

Here's the "split train" sign. Passengers going to the Hague (Den Haag) go to the front of the train. Passengers going to Rotterdam should be in the back of the train. After arriving in Utrecht, the train magically splits in half. I confess, Dan and I got off the train, and I made Dan stand with me in front of the magic car to watch it split. After waiting for 10 minutes, in great anticipation, camera ready for all the wonderful shots I was about to get, the train departed...in one piece. Somewhere after leaving Utrecht it splits. Phooey.


There's the honden toilet sign.
Nevermind the quaint Dutch street...focus on the UFO on top of the building at the end of the street.

Things You Wouldn't See

In the States, you just wouldn't see a 45 minute Oprah show, at least not without the aid of TiVo. Here, Oprah, Dr. Phil, MLB, NFL ... it's all shown without the commercials between 75% of of the commercial breaks. When Oprah says, "We'll be right back," she really is right back - in 5 seconds!

Yesterday was full of "wouldn't sees".
-The white guy being the one getting arrested in an ethnic neighborhood.
-A UFO on top of a building.
-So many people in line at the afhaal shop, they were outside the door waiting on the sidewalk. (You can guess what they were buying.)
-Trains that mysteriously split in half somewhere en route.
-Honden Toiletten signs. At least in the States, they are kindly named "dog runs".
-300 year old windmills, 600 year old homes, 900 year old churches.

Pictures coming...but not as fast as Oprah will be back.

WWII

I suppose this is a surprising post, but bear with me. I'm in a reflection kind of mood (is that what happens when you enter the last year of your twenties?? Ok, ok, that was really mean to all of you who are much, much older than me).

Last week in Luxembourg, Dan and I stopped to read a plaque commemorating the liberation of Luxembourg. It's not the first time that we have taken a few moments to stop, read, and then reflect on what happened in the particular place where we were standing. It is chilling to think about what happened 60 years ago in the specific places where we have been. It is surprising to see how many markers of this war there are all over Europe. It is remarkable how fresh the war still seems to so many people.

We have heard stories - Dutch businessmen reflecting on how the war hurt the economy and impacts Dutch business even to this day. The city of Rotterdam flattened by bombings; our own home sustained roof damage from the shellings. Rotterdammers who were captured.

We have seen landmarks - Most notably the Anne Frank house, and this week we are planning a trip to the Corrie ten Boom home. These are both homes in Holland that served as protection by hiding innocent Jews.

We have seen plaques and witnessed other signs of remembrance - Like the one in Luxembourg, there are many other plaques scattered throughout Europe. We have celebrated Liberation Day, a day celebrated throughout Europe.

I struggle with words in trying to describe what I feel when I am in these places. It is thankfulness, gratitude, horror, sadness, and many other emotions rolled into one. But it is a good thing to think about, and to experience.



If you can't read it, it says, "On this square on 10th September 1944 the people of Luxembourg warmly welcomed its liberators, the valiant soldiers of the US 5th Armored Division and their royal highnesses Prince Felix of Luxembourg and Prince John Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg."

By Popular Demand

Well, by demand of shellbell alone, but she is quite influential. I don't have a picture of the castle because it is under reconstruction. Long story short...in the 1970s they painted the castle with some sort of paint that didn't let the timbers breathe, so the castle started to rot. So now they are fixing it and all the pictures would show is scaffolding and green netting. But I do have a picture of the city gate!

Road Trip

Yesterday, Dan and I were in four countries, and we followed road signs in 3 different languages: Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Driving through Belgium was funny - a billboard in the south would be written in French; in the north, the billboard would have the same picture and message, but it is written in Dutch.

For a reason why taking the train makes sense for environmental reasons and for your pocketbook, here is our gas bill. We were nearly empty when we filled up - remember, 3.7852 liters = 1 gallon and US$1.2 = 1 Euro!

My Neighbor Lives in a Castle

We are going to drive to Germany this week to visit a friend. Here is an excerpt from the directions she gave us. Once we are here, we are two turns away from her house:
"Go straight, past the castle and through the old gate (an archway) and the road comes to a T. "

So Dutch

Today, my 30-minute bike ride turned into a 75-min bike ride. I still don't know how I ended up where I did, but at least I eventually found my way back. That's not Dutch, though, I don't believe. That's Beth-Dutch.

What IS Dutch, is that after my ride, I spent some time next to the lake. Watching the birds and the sailboats. I also listened to 6 or 7 teens having a teen-aged discussion. They were lying down on the grass, their heads meeting in the middle of their circle and their bikes surrounding them. The tree branches draped gracefully nearby and the water showed their reflection. That is Dutch.

Double-Take

What does this say about me?

Reading a book on Friday night, where the author describes a letter he sent to some acquaintences, I pondered, "Well, I wonder how he got it translated." Wait a second most people don't need to translate letters they send (or receive) including this author.

Then, on a (US) TV show, one of the characters approached two women on the street and asked them a question (in English, since shows here aren't dubbed). And I questioned myself, "How did he know the ladies would understand him?"

Such is life. I have grown so accustomed to living with a "second" language, I am beginning to think it must exist this way for everybody!

I Will Learn How to Bake

I will learn how to bake. I will learn how to bake.

I could do it in the States, why not in Nederland?

Here's something I just wrote to my mother, describing my most recent chocoloate flop.

The weather is gorgeous today, but I ruined it by grocery shopping. I have been feeling a little more love towards the store since we got back and found out it changed. Then I went today to do "big shopping" with the shopping cart and on foot. Blahk. Yuck. Phooey. I also ruined it by trying to bake (again). (Which ties into the horrible experience at the store-why wouldn't a store have cocoa powder????) Nevermind that I didn't have (because I couldn't find) 4 of the 6 ingredients for the cookies I wanted to make. I decided to "improvise". Now, instead of "no bakes" or "guess whats" (with coconut, oats, chocolate, etc.), I have something that resembles chocolate meatballs and tastes similar to chocolate sawdust.

Favorite Places

One of the perks of this experience is all the traveling Dan and I have been able to do. We are fortunate to have taken at least one trip every month since I've been here. It's great to think about how much I've learned just by traveling to places like London, the Rhein Valley, and Turkey. I've been able to absorb new facts about history, architecture, culture, and agriculture just by being in so many places and making an effort to understand the place I am in.

There are, of course, some "magical" places and moments that stand out for me. In no particular order, here they are!

Rome...especially at night walking along the Tiber River. Or was it the ice cream that made it so great?



Finland...the bluest skies, clearest lakes, and greenest forests



Keukenhof (Lisse, Netherlands)...TULIPS



Big Ben...wow



Trasylvania in summer...haystacks dotting green hillsides



Dubrovnik...the old town is very intact and the views are breathtaking



Vienna...the area around the cathedral is so European

Vla

As I was pouring myself a cup of pudding tonight, I pondered all the things I've grown accustomed to since moving here, like pourable pudding (called vla!).

-New treats like vla and stroopwaffels.
-Life without credit cards. Our airmiles are suffering!
-Finding out about things as they happen...nearly all means of communication is in Dutch. "Oh, there's a marathon today. That's what those street closure signs were about."
-Dutch-speaking Chinese, Arabs, Africans, etc. This seems weird, I know, but think about our language in America: "Chinese-Americans", "African-Americans". Not the case here. And in Chinese restaurants, we sometimes have to order in Chinese since the workers often don't know English!
-Hearing Dutch and knowing the sounds are familiar, but not having a clue what is being discussed.
-Life on limited fossil fuels...bikes, trams, and trains, carrying our own bags to the grocery store, rampant recycling. This is something I'm increasingly glad about. The madness must end.
-Hearing our neighbors below us, on either side of us, and behind us. The baby to our north cries every night around 7 p.m. and the baby to our south cries around 3 p.m. The neighbor behind us (across the garden) needs to either close the blinds or wear clothing.
-Senior citizens wheeling down bike paths in their wheelchairs. There was an elderly couple with matching walkers in the store yesterday. So cute! And so refreshing how mobile they are here.
-Seinfeld with Dutch subtitles. I don't think Kramer is translate-able, however.
-Euros.
-Birds, birds everywhere. The cats love bird-watching as much as I do.
-Dog poop, dog poop everywhere. Beware where you step.

P.S. Vla is great...it comes in cardboard cartons (think quart of milk) and is meant to be poured. It tastes like the pudding served in the school lunches at Norrie Elementary (which I always liked).