Tot Ziens

This is the last post on Dutch for Beginners as my time as ex-pat wife in the land of tulips, cheese and windmills, has come to an end, and I am writing this from my home back in the UK.

I never learnt Dutch. We never fully immersed ourselves in the Dutch culture, although having said that I found the Dutch lifestyle, especially the emphasis on a work/life balance and the predilection for family based outdoor and physical activities, admirable and inspiring. As a European I found it much easier to fit into the Netherlands than I did in the crazy commercial/materialistic/car is king world of California, even with the addition of the language barrier (and let’s face it, the Dutch speak impeccable English and I wasn’t totally sure my American neighbours ever really understood me!)

One of the main reasons I was happy to take on another overseas assignment was because I was about to face the empty nest syndrome at home – however, the nest still felt empty despite the scenic surroundings of Haarlem and the Hague, and I am over the moon at the prospect that one of my little fledglings is about to return home, at least temporarily, now that I am back in the UK.

However, I did find the time to complete that novel – and fingers crossed there will be more news on that in the very near future. As for my attempts at writing a book based on my experiences of being a sane (well at least relatively) English woman in LA, current working title ‘Is It Just Me?’, sadly this is no closer to reaching an end, having now been superseded by the need to write a guide to ex-pat life in the Netherlands. I haven’t decided on a title for that yet – it’s a toss up between ‘On Yer Bike’ or  ‘Into the Wind’, or a combination of both!

To anyone ever contemplating a move overseas, my advice would always be to give a try, because if I can survive it, anyone can. At the end of the day the traumas and frustrations of being an alien in a foreign land pale into insignificance. For me, it will always be memories of the friendships I’ve made along the way that will linger.

Travel certainly broadens the mind, and my mind has definitely been broadened by being in the Netherlands (especially since I joined the health club!).  Even if you don't want to live there - at least go for a visit. It's a wonderful place, full of history and culture, and once you've finished taking in the sights and smells of Amsterdam, head out into the countryside.

And to finish, a picture which just about sums it all up - and there's even blue sky! 

Health & Safety

After nearly three years of living in the Netherlands I should be pretty au fait now with the Dutch psyche. I know, for example, that when the sun comes out - the Dutch stop whatever they are doing and grab some rays. There are plenty of dull moments over here and you have to make the most of that sunshine when you see it. Wednesday saw us on the beach with everyone else who was skipping off work early, overdressed I might add, in our shorts and T-shirts (why hadn't I thought to bring my bikini?) and Thursday it was back to coat, jeans, scarf and boots.

At least I’m ending my stay here on a high. The forecast for my final week in the Netherlands is warm and sunny.  

With the improvements in the weather Mr T and I have taken the opportunity to explore new areas of Den Haag. We finally made it to the Zuiderpark, a huge area of greenery in the south of the city, which besides several lakes and ornamental gardens, is also home to another ubiquitous Dutch deer park as well as an urban farm/nature reserve.  Also spotted in the Zuiderpark was Dutch dad teaching child to cycle down steps, despite child’s wailing protest (why would you?) The only saving grace was at least the child was wearing a helmet - not an every day sight over here. The Dutch are great risk takers. I still wince every time a parent cycles past me with a baby strapped to their chest, but that's what they do.

And talking of taking risks, choosing a chef’s ‘surprise’ menu when eating out makes for a decision free evening. We've done it before and not been disappointed. This time, after being asked if we had any allergens, Mr T did reply that although we were allergy free there were certain foods we did not like. Such as? asked the waiter. Knowing how much the Dutch love their carpaccios I had the good sense to hastily reply, Raw Meat. Well that was the ‘surprise’ starter rumbled but the waiter hurried away and confirmed that we could have a fish based first course instead. Phew! But the tastiest course in the whole evening - a very posh bitterball in asperagus veloute. Yes, I said, a bitterball. I'm finally going native!

To coincide with my last weekend, and not to celebrate my departure,  Mr T’s work had organised a family day out a medieval castle where we could partake in the olde worlde activities of sword fighting and jousting, and more total Dutch disregard for health and safety. For avid fans of Games of Thrones like me this was the ideal opportunity to show off my inner Arya Stark. (As it turns out I’m not bad with a crossbow but I’m pretty useless with a sword). For Mr T's Dutch work colleagues it was the ideal opportunity for them to demonstrate what they really thought of their overseas counterparts with a spot of one on one combat. Fortunately, Mr T didn't need stitches. 

The day was rounded off with a falconry display. Why wouldn't you want a vulture with claws the size of your hand wandering loose amongst the crowd? 

Back in the safety of town our feathered neighbours are far more docile, and celebrating the birth of quins.

Hills and more!

After nearly three years of living in the Netherlands, we finally found what we’d been looking for – hills!! For our final escape to the country Mr T and I set off for a weekend in Maastricht. Maastricht lies in the very far south east of the Netherlands in the region of Limburg, a Dutch peninsular landlocked between Germany and Belgium.  We could hardly contain our excitement as we watched the altimeter on the sat nav reach the dizzy heights of 120 m above sea level. Mr T was nearly overcome with altitude sickness – where we live on the west coast we’re lucky if we get above sea level, let alone into double figures. Triple figures was a cause for a major celebration!

Mr T had selected a hotel which had received very good reviews on trip advisor.  Personally, my idea of a 9 out of 10 hotel is one that doesn’t involve standing naked in a shower waiting 10 minutes for the hot water to kick in. I would have had a bath if there had been a working plug.

I liked Maastricht a lot – the flavour of the town definitely felt more Belgian or even French, but then you turn a corner, and you know you're still in the Netherlands when you find a sculpture like this in the middle of a medieval square!

We took a boat trip down the River Maas which cuts through the city, and after that, we climbed a hill. From our view point at St Pieters Fort we watched some vertical archery. I’d seen Michael Portillo do this on one of his great continental train journeys. You know you’re turning into your parents when you find yourself watching programmes about train journeys, but this happened to be a journey he did in the Netherlands, and he visited the Hague and Haarlem - that's my excuse anyway.  The idea of vertical archery is that you aim at a shuttlecock perched on the top of a flagpole. Of course the major flaw in this game is that having aimed, and missed (or even hit the target) the arrow then descends, rapidly, to the ground. Apparently the arrows do have rubber ends, but even so.  Not the sport for me - and I apologise for cutting the top off the photograph - another case of turning into my mother. Trust me, there are shuttlecocks at the top of this pole!

After Maastricht we headed even further east to the tourist spot of Valkenburg. Valkenburg is the only place in the Netherlands to have a castle on a hill. The castle is now in ruins, but beneath the hill there is a maze of tunnels created by sandstone miners, and in December, Valkenburg is famous for the Christmas markets held in these caves. Personally I found the caves totally spooky; we took a guided tour with a Dutch boy scout (or at least he look liked a boy scout) who pointed out the various highlights, including an underground chapel and lots of etchings and sculptures, and recounted the gruesome tales of various people who had perished in the catacombs over the years (including some who became lost as recently as 1993).  I made sure we kept within touching distance of him at all time. It was a relief to reach fresh air!

I have in the past complained that the trouble with the Netherlands is that wherever you go it all looks the same. Well it doesn’t. I’m man enough to eat my words. There's a very small portion of it that is different (but it's a very small portion!).

Kings Day and other Dutch stuff

Yesterday was Kings Day which is the day the Netherlands goes orange. It's basically party day – a national holiday specifically for the purposes of consuming large volumes of alcohol and listening to live music all in the name of celebrating the reigning monarch’s birthday (this year King Willem was 50). Here in The Hague we found it a somewhat subdued affair compared to Haarlem where the party always starts quite early with a mass secondhand sale of household goods – you simply set up a stall outside your house and sell off your old junk. In the Hague itself there were very few people selling off their old junk – maybe a sign of the city’s large international community, or the fact that people in the Hague are so posh they don’t have old junk.

There were several pop-up stages for live music around the city centre, and pop-up bars – of course, and a huge fun fair selling the largest bags of candyfloss I think I’ve ever seen. (The Dutch have very sweet teeth). The Dutch for funfair is kermis – an easy word to remember when learning a language by word association. Think Kermit the frog on a big wheel.

Another Dutch word I have recently learned is woonwagonwooner.  This little gem I picked up whilst watching an edition of Midsumer Murders with Dutch subtitles. It was used as a translation for ‘traveller’ – not someone setting off on a long journey but someone who lives in a caravan (literally living-wagon-dweller).  I’m still trying to think of a suitable word association analogy although with the days being ticked off now until I move back to the UK permanently it’s a little too late to be worrying about learning Dutch now.

Last weekend was the Bloemencorso – another wonderful Dutch word.  The Bloemencorso is a flower parade, and it takes all day to make its way from the bublfields of Nordwijkerhout, near the Keukenhof Gardens to Haarlem. We headed up to Haarlem to see the floats parked up on Sunday morning, bumped into our old neighbours, and thought to ourselves all over again how lucky we were to spend two years living in such a beautiful city. 

So, it's been a week of doing lots of Dutch stuff - which also involved a hazardous trek to the supermarket avoiding hail and sleet showers, as well as ducking falling masonry from men working four stories high on unnetted scaffolding. and been run over by a man and a dog on a motorbike. 

Meet the Neighbours

Since we arrived in the Hague I have to admit I haven’t exactly gone out of my way to make new acquaintances. There are plenty of ex-pat groups available, but with old friends just a train ride away in Haarlem and Amsterdam, it all felt like too much effort to start all over again – especially as I always knew my stay in the Hague was due to be short-term. Making new friends on the ex-pat circuit is relatively easy – as long as you are prepared to put yourself out there and join in.  However, after eight years of travelling, having to tackle another round of ‘first dates’ to introduce myself to a new friend set just seemed one hurdle too many.  

I was hoping that living in an apartment block might provide some sort of social hub – after all we made good friends living in a similar complex in the US.  I suppose a communal swimming pool and endless sunshine does increase the opportunity for social-action with the neighbours.  Here we’re not quite so lucky. I‘m not naturally the most out-going of people but I will generally smile and say hello if I pass someone on the stairs or in the corridor. It still surprises me that there are people who can stand next to you in an elevator and pretend you don’t exist, but it happens. I could blame it on the language/cultural barrier. The Dutch are not known for their small talk, or their manners (twice last week in the supermarket I was the victim of trolley bashing by the boy filling the shelves – no 'excuse me', no apology) but the majority of our immediate neighbours are not Dutch. The Hague has a huge international population.

Fortunately, having set myself the target of cracking on with novel number two while novel number one does the round of publishers, I’ve been quite content to hide myself away with my computer. When I need a break I head out to track down the evening meal at Albert Heijn, when I need the exercise I head off to the gym for a swim.  It’s a lifestyle that would have sent a social butterfly completely bonkers, but fortunately I am not a social butterfly, although the insanity issue is still up for debate.

So anyhow, the whole purpose of this post is basically to show off a photograph of our more friendly neighbours – a pair of swans who have built their nest in the middle of a nearby canal,

and a mother hen, spotted not nearby, but wandering around a park in Breda. We visited Breda over the Easter weekend, mainly to tick it off the list.

The Dutch do like their captive animals. As I said in my last post, most towns will have a deer park, and many neighbourhoods will have a small city farm with goats, cows and hens. Presumably this little family of chickens have escaped from some such establishment – so good luck to them.

As for the pony in the next pic, we came across this on the beach, in a pizza restaurant. In my opinion there is definitely a place in society for ponies, but not as an Easter display, and definitely not when I’m sat in eating a restaurant.

A Dutch Spring

When I was deliberating whether to return to the Netherlands or not after my winter break in the UK, Mr T assured me that the Netherlands was due to have its hottest spring ever. As luck would have it, it appears he is right. Last weekend although not quite as hot as certain parts of the UK,  the temperature hit 22 and the Dutch flocked to the beach.

We were early birds, determined to beat the rush. Catching up with old friends from Haarlem we  headed to Scheveningen on the bikes for brunch. It doesn’t take much for the Dutch to strip off (as I have learned to my cost since joining the Health Club) and the sun worshippers were already stretching out on the sand as we settled into one of the many pop-up beach restaurants.

A typical Dutch breakfast - and all for me!!

Scheveningen was packed. Trams were sardine cans, off-loading day-trippers in their thousands, but of course it was a one-day wonder. By Monday the temperature had halved and it was back to coats and scarves.

A Dutch spring is of course most famous for the tulips. The previous week I’d met up with friends from the US who were spending a few days in Amsterdam. I’d offered my useful travel tips which included booking their tour of the Anne Frank house five years in advance to avoid the three hour queue and visiting the bulb fields. Fake news travels fast – they’d been informed the first week in April was too early to catch the tulips.  Fortunately with my insider knowledge I was able to put them right. It always helps to know a local.

(not wanting to mislead this is actually a picture from last year but you can get the gist)

And talking of locals, I’ve been continuing my exploration of The Hague and encountering the wildlife at close quarters. Like most Dutch towns and villages, the Hague has a deer park, which seems quite a bizarre thing to find right outside the main central station, but there you go. 

All countries have their customs, and it will soon be time for Kings Day, where everyone wears orange, plays loud music and drinks a lot, and then it will be Bevrijdingsdag, which is a Liberation Day celebration which also involves (funnily enough) lots of drinking and loud music, followed by graduation day in June, when schoolbags are hoisted onto flag poles (and probably also involves lots of drinking and loud music).  By then, hopefully, we’ll also have had another hot sunny day.

More locals out for a stroll

Tourist Mode

Visitors are always a good excuse to get out and about and see the Netherlands through new eyes.

Yes, it's that time of year again, which means another trip to the Keukenhof Gardens. I like gardening and it's always good to get some ideas, but I couldn't help but feel this year's exhibits in the flower arranging section were just a little lacking!

Nevermind, the sun was shining and although it's very early in the season the gardeners had done their best to ensure colourful displays outside. It was more of a crocus-fest than a traditional tulip party, but definitely, some ideas to take home. It would never occur to me to plant rhubarb in a flower pot, but it's one to try, as is hyacinth wedding cake.

However, the most inspirational idea - the book chair. Perfect.