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Scheveningen (Or: Walking amongst sand and seashells)

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Niki

Scheveningen, one of the districts of the Hague, is a seaside beach resort. I first visited there in December 2010, wearing a heavy jacket and swearing a bit at the hefty sea breeze. I was shocked to see a few folks surfing – in full wet suits, of course.

The Scheveningen pier which juts out into the North Sea (Summer 2011)

The second time I visited was in early August 2011. The temperature was a bit warmer (maybe 70F or 21C) although the water was still ice cold. Hordes of seashells washed up with every wave, making walking along the beach a very cautious maneuver.

The Kurhaus, a restaurant and hotel near the beach. Note the child in mid-swing of a bucket.

After my fiancé and I headed back up the beach, we walked along the boulevard for somewhere to eat. We finally settled on Copacabana, where I had the Copacabana burger (chicken, tomatoes, pickles, cucumbers, some variation of mayo, etc). It was huge and hard to handle but oh so good. While we were waiting for our food, the sun set and the chilly sea wind took over once more.

Walking along the boulevard, including a pancake restaurant ('t pannekoekenhuisje)

Categories: Food, Scheveningen | Tags: | Leave a comment

ESPN America (Or: Some sacrifices are worth it

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Niki

All of my life I have enjoyed watching sports. I grew up a Chicago Bulls NBA fan, fully immersed in the Michael Jordon era. I enjoyed the occasional free tickets Dad was able to get for my brother and I. And then somewhere along the way, I found football. I kept watching until I figured out exactly what the heck was going on. And then there was the unrequited love of the Chicago Cubs, from a grandfather who would turn the television on, yet put it on mute and listen to the radio commentators instead. At least they knew to talk about the actual game.

My first NFL game (the Jets), in which we trounced the Cincinnati Bengals in a thrilling, freezing shutout game. My new love of the New York Rangers hockey, and pretzels with cheese.

And what does The Netherlands have? The Hague have? ESPN America.

Baseball... baseball... and more baseball

ESPN America is the sole American sports channel I’ll have, mostly focusing on baseball (a bit too much), football, and basketball. There’s not much hockey on it, although there’s not much hockey on the regular ESPNs over here in the states, either.

With the time zone difference of 6 hours, the NFL pregame shows will be starting around 6PM Dutch time, for the early afternoon games. So on a good day, we might see one of the early games before we sleep. The late afternoon and night games are out. No Monday Night Football. But my fiancé did state that I should plan to stay up late to watch the Super Bowl and take the next day off. Perhaps find an expat gathering and hang out late into the night.

Some pros – I might actually watch enough soccer to like it. There’s not enough on to enjoy it over here. Perhaps I’ll be able to watch enough of the Tour de France to understand what everything means, as they never show it live over in the States it seems.

It’ll be an adjustment. But still, at least there’s ESPN America. And a lot of downloaded TV shows.

Categories: Sports | 9 Comments

Spuistraat (Or: Quaint Claustrophobia)

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Niki

The most striking thing about the street Spuistraat is how many phone stores there are crammed into a tiny little space. T-Mobile, Vodafone, BelCompany, the Phone House, and more. There’s even a Burger King at the very end.

When I visited this past summer (2011) they were in the middle of renovating the street. While they were doing the work overnight to prevent inconvenience, during the day the streets were covered with cardboard and other materials to prevent shoppers from walking on the streets themselves. A bit odd to walk on.

Spuistraat in Den Haag (December 2010) - at a relatively quiet time

Random things I learned:

1. Most shops close at 6PM, except on Thursdays when they stay open until 9PM.

2. At first I was confused because Spuistraat had an H&M. And then I was told H&M is a European company which made its way into American malls.

3. The streets get rather claustrophobic with the crowds of people walking through them.

4. Don’t wear red and step into Kruidvat. Otherwise someone will assume you work there and start speaking to you. In Dutch. (It was my first day alone, so it was a bit nerve wracking.)

Categories: Shopping, The Hague | Tags: | Leave a comment

Bikes (Or: Controlled chaos on wheels)

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Niki

One thing that struck me was how many fietsen (bikes) there are in the Netherlands. The Dutch boast almost one bike per person. In the Hague, bike paths seem to take precedence over even the roads themselves. Generally the transportation is as follows: roads (for cars, buses, and the occasional tram), bike paths, and pedestrian paths. Bikes also have their own traffic lights at most stops. Interestingly, mopeds also seem to ride on the bike paths, which can make crossing them a bit dangerous at times…

Picturesque Delft canal bordered by homes, and a few bikes to complete the scene

The Netherlands is, as a whole, very flat. I found one “hill” in the Hague — which turned out to be a man-made bridge that was only a few feet high. In the country itself, the highest hill (the Vaalserberg) is just over 1000 feet tall.

A parking lot for bikes in Amsterdam

Categories: Amsterdam, Delft, Transportation | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Libraries (Or: A cool place to learn Dutch)

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Niki

One of the first places I visited in the Netherlands was Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (lit: Public Library Amsterdam), which is a name of all public libraries in Amsterdam. Specifically, I went to Centrale Bibliotheek, or the central library of Amsterdam. With almost 2 million books, it is the largest public library in Europe.

Subject areas in Dutch… with helpful English below!

My first library job was as a children’s services assistant in a small public library. So I did take special interest in the children’s area. Interestingly, I had already showcased Amsterdam Public Library in a library website I made for my Information Technology class, so I was familiar with the library. But it was cool to see it in person. Before I left, I read one picture book: Tien Kleine Heksjes, or, Ten Little Witches. With help of course.

Overlooking the children’s area

Some facts and figures:

over 1,000 seats, 600 of which have PCs

28,000 square meters of space

2,000 bike racks

50 multimedia workplaces

26 automated lending machines

Gaming in the library… Note the Guitar Hero logo, although they are playing a different game.

 

Categories: Amsterdam, Culture | Tags: | Leave a comment

Dutch gourmetten (Or: An exercise in hungry patience)

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Niki

One of the traditional Christmas activities for the Dutch is gourmetten, where a grill is placed in the middle of the table and small pieces of meat, potatoes, and extras such as mushrooms are cooked. The meal is very social in nature — it can take a few hours for enough meat to be cooked so expect to get a lot of talking done!

The top of the grill is shared. Below are individual grilling areas for each person, where the food is placed on a little spatula. You can also share brood (bread) and knofloofkboter (garlic butter – yum!).

A typical dutch gourmetten meal

Within the Netherlands, it is possible to visit grocery stores (for example: Albert Heijn) to purchase special gourmetten sets which include pre-cut meats. Of course, you will pay a few more euros for this convenience…

Categories: Food, Holidays, The Hague | Tags: | 3 Comments

Fireworks (or: Blowing up a small piece of the country)

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Niki

One of the cooler New Year’s Eve (oudejaarsavond, lit: old year’s eve) traditions is setting off fireworks at midnight. When I visited last year in December 2010, the Dutch spent about 65 million euros on fireworks (vuurwerk, singular and plural form). This year it was estimated to about 70 million euros.

part of the set of ground fireworks we purchased

The only way I could describe it in the part of the Hague I was visiting was loud, unexpected noises at every turn, huge flashes, and the need to be very, very careful.

Because there could be unexpected surprises around every turn…

a burning couch on a random street corner

Fun facts: the country’s entire public transportation system shuts down around 8PM that night to avoid issues. Mailbox openings are closed off to prevent “incidents” with lit vuurwerk being placed inside. Christmas trees used to be collected before New Year’s, but now residents are asked to keep their trees inside until after that date, because enterprising souls would take them and burn them on oudejaarsavond.

Categories: Holidays, The Hague, Transportation | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Sand (Or: A moment locked in time

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Niki

During my first trip to Den Haag (The Hague) in the summer of 2010, possibly even on the first day, we came across sand art near Buitenhof (lit: Outer Court, as it is lies outside the Binnenhof, or Inner Court).

Notice the hand beneath the boat...

The sand art was designed by the World Sand Sculpting Academy.

He looks a bit too stern. Perhaps he is the father of the daughter, and does not approve of either of her suitors?

If you would like to see the above sculpture in the middle of being created, check out this Wikimedia Commons photo. The rough texture of the nearest figure is especially noteworthy.

Musician and his cattle

Categories: Culture, The Hague | Tags: | 2 Comments

12 months before the Hague move

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Niki

Having moved from Chicago to New York with only two suitcases to my name, I look forward to the move even further eastward to the Netherlands — the Hague to be exact! The move date will be around Christmas 2012.

tram at a street corner (pssst...turn right for the "bibliotheek" or library!)

This blog will detail life before and after the move, including immersing myself in a culture that seems alien but also shares a lot of Americanized features — there’s even a New York Pizza joint just up the corner from the apartment I will be moving to!

Categories: Moving, The Hague, Transportation | Tags: | 1 Comment

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