Marco and I had a bit of time to kill this weekend so we decided to buy a few things at Big Bazar, a discount store. We were in the toys section when Marco spotted an interesting Playmobile set:
That’s right – there is a bank robbery in progress! And the side of the box shows the ATM and how you *ahem*… withdraw money from it.
Playmobile is actually kind of cool. But I’ll always be a LEGO kind of girl.
For a few days at least…
Tomorrow (from 6pm Wednesday the 27th through Sunday the 31st) begins Media Markt’s “btw-vrij actie” for 2016. Media Markt is one of the larger electronics stores in the Netherlands. In this country, tax is included in the price listed, rather than added on at the register. During this sale, most items will be tax-free. There are of course some notable exceptions like Apple products, gaming consoles, movies, computer software… but if you are looking for big ticket appliances like fridges or microwaves, this weekend is your best bet.
Except of course it still pays to do research beforehand. For one, Media Markt is both an online website and franchise stores, and availability and prices can vary a bit between each franchise. The other reason to do research is that the price you pay at Media Markt without tax might just be the same you would pay at another store with tax.
Oh, and except HUGE crowds that make it all but impossible to navigate through the store. Sort of like America’s Black Friday shopping day, but only at one retailer and marginally more manageable.
Happy shopping!
You heard me. Coloring books… for adults! You thought coloring was only for kids? Think again. I asked (and received) one as a Christmas present, along with a nice set of coloring pencils. I decided to start coloring it in while waiting for the SpaceX launch this past Sunday (Spoiler: the overall mission was successful but the attempt to land the rocket on a barge in the ocean failed).
Of course, the designs are more intricate in an adult coloring book than one for a kid:
This one took me two and a half days (though, being an adult I can’t spend the entire day coloring. Sadly.) But it’s about as relaxing as putting a jigsaw puzzle together, something I used to do last year. Actually, I need to start doing that again…
Even libraries have started to notice this new hit, offering “social coloring groups”.
Here is the coloring book I have (which Dutchies can buy at bol.com):
And a few looks at the pages inside:
The only thing I wish was that the format was a spiral book. The pictures go right to the edge of the page, which makes it hard to color. Another type of coloring book is the mandala coloring book. A mandala is a sacred symbol in both Hinduism and Buddhism made from squares and circles. The original research about coloring mandalas as an anxiety reducer can be found in the Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association (pdf available through ERIC).
Marco surprised me tonight with a stir fry for dinner. He altered the receipe slightly, adding rice and a bit of chicken to change it from a side dish to a full meal:
Garlic, chili and broccoli stir fry
Yum!
I recently went to Xenos to look for chocolate chips for baking. I didn’t find any, but M&Ms from Albert Heijn did just as well in the end. While wandering around I came across what I call the souvenirs/Delft blauw section:
It is of course much cheaper to buy these items here than in a souvenir shop. I try to keep that in mind when we visit other countries. Always try and find the discount stores as it is possible the same souvenirs are there.
Some items are pretty cool too. At the bottom left there are some The Hague mugs with drawings of some of the more famous spots in the city. We gave one to my sister-in-law when we visited for Thanksgiving.
The weather is absolutely, positively cruddy today. It’s been raining all day — even pouring during the evening commute. Yuck!
On another note, it is my 4 year anniversary by WordPress today. Hard to believe.
Albert Heijn (a grocery store) has been running a promotion the last few months. Save up 50 stamps and you can exchange them (for a bit of money as well) for luxury silverware. You can get one stamp for every €10 you spend. Don’t get me wrong – it’s an expensive way to get the silverware. But if you don’t change your buying habits just to get more stamps it works out. Marco and I have about two cards full (with help from Roger and others). Marco is specifically saving up for a few of the knives.
An Albert Heijn stamp booklet
A look at the knives on offer
Some of the knives are so sharp they even come with instructions on how to get them out of the packaging safely.
If you are also saving stamps — happy (future) slicing!
As of January 1st, Dutch stores are required to charge for plastic bags. Here is an advertisement at the tram stop:
Advertisement in the Netherlands for “no more free plastic bags”
It basically says “You (will now) pay for your own plastic bag” and underneath in small letters “your own bag, better for the environment”.
I think it is a good law change. Marco and I almost always have extra bags with us (I have one at work in my drawer and one permanently stored in my backpack) so there isn’t much effect on us. I did find it funny to go to Action (a “dollar” type store) as the sign said the charge for one bag was 3 cents. We don’t even have pennies in the Netherlands — thankfully! I wish I had taken a picture of that sign.
Most stores have had signs up for a few months now, so it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.
Over the weekend Marco and I visited the Fred, a shopping area close to (but not quite in) Scheveningen. The name comes from the Main Street it is on, or Frederik Hendriklaan.
One of the stores we visited was Simon Lévelt. We were able to pick up a package of lebkuchen, a traditional Christmas cookie in Germany.
Yum! Made with lots of tasty spices (cardamom, aniseed, ginger, etc.).
Marco and I received a pizzarette oven as a Christmas gift from his father and his father’s wife. How awesome! It is similar in concept to the gourmet sets that I wrote about a few days ago. This particular set was a four person set (4 mini pizzas can be cooked at the same time). On Saturday Marco and I used it for the first time.
A look at the tables – complete with the mini oven and the toppings ready to go
You assemble the pizza on the provided spatulas and then set it in the device to allow it to bake.
A close-up look (no tools needed for assembly)
Small pizza with jalapenos, paprika, onions, and cheese
Small pizza with paprika, ham, bacon, cheese and chili rings
Small pizza with sun-dried tomatoes and cheese
We made more than enough mini pizzas on purpose, so now we can also enjoy the pizzas again tonight!
Marco, Roger and I went outside on New Year’s Eve this year to see the fireworks being shot off this year. Here are some of the photos I took, although in some cases they are a bit blurry.
A photo of the fireworks sparking up as someone stirred up the fire with a stick:
Christmas trees usually end up in most fires as you can see in this family photo:
Random look at ground fireworks:
Random look at fireworks from a distance:
Someone was stupid enough to try and drive their car over a fire in the middle of the road. They drove through quickly and then got out to inspect the damage. Admittedly those streets are narrow and it would be almost impossible to turn around.
Building a fire (early on in the evening):
Here’s a look at a the remnants of the fireworks surrounding a bike, the day after:
Until next year’s festivities!
Life in the Hague 