Here is a momento from the day we met (after the hockey game he went to, not at).
October 19, 2006 hockey game
September 19, 2013: the day we married.
Topics
Waiting (Or: Inside Schiphol airport)
Today we are going to pick up my parents, brother, and sister-in-law at Schiphol airport. It is only one day before the wedding!
Here are some pictures that Marco and I took back in July while waiting for our flight (so beyond the security area):
Where would you like to sit?
Can you see the cat?
Obstacles (Or: Construction in The Hague)
It seems like all of The Hague is under construction, though I’ve been told that the construction is perpetual and never-ending.
Here’s a view of what my parents, brother, and sister-in-law will see when they arrive tomorrow at the crack of dawn (!):
It is just one example of many things which are under construction. At the next corner, they are building a Mark and Spencer’s, which you can read more about at this link.
Holland Spoor (Or: Bikes, bikes and more bikes)
This photo is from a few months ago, and shows the bike area of Holland Spoor. That’s a lot of bikes!
Holland Spoor is one of the transportation hubs of The Hague, along with Central Station. The latter is bigger, although that is mostly because Holland Spoor is classified as a public monument and can’t be expanded.
Weather (Or: Rain, rain, go away)
The weather has changed after the first few days of September (when we actually hit 30c/86f). The last few days have been nothing but rain, rain, and more rain. It was pouring about 10 minutes ago and I am afraid to look outside to see if it still is.
After a slow start to the summer, we have been spoiled by some moderate, dry weather since then. Of course I am only worried because the wedding is in 11 days… it is truly crazy to realize that!
Today’s the start of another week (and the start of another school week). I was able to get my textbook on Thursday morning (Taaltalent) so I do not have to worry about that anymore.
Here’s a random photo from a few weeks ago. The sign amused me, but I’m not sure why:
Of course there is a stereotypical bike nearby.
If it was me, I would have drawn a line from “sure you do” to “yes”, rather than “buy a new pair of jeans”. The person who originally said no to a new pair of jeans needs to still agree that they need a new one. Seen at Baretta Jeans.
Random, I know.
Cookies (Or: Yum, white chocolate cranberry)
Time has definitely got away from me. It’s only 17 days until the wedding (!) and tonight I begin my next Dutch class (B1 level). It meets every Monday and Wednesday night for three hours. For some reason I am not that nervous about it, and I’m not sure why. But there’s still at least 4 more hours to get nervous!
A few weekends ago Marco and I went to Hema to work on and discuss wedding details. We were pleased to see that Hema again sells the white chocolate cranberry cookies (and amusingly labels them as “Amerikaanse koekje”, or American cookie). Probably because they are jumbo sized!
As the cookies are made fresh by Hema (I presume) they are nice and soft. They are also very delicious with black coffee…
And now I want another one.
Bedelaars (Of: Kun je wat geld missen?)
Beggars (Or: Can you spare some change?)
I must admit that the question “Kun je wat missen?” or”Kun je wat geld missen?” is any oddly formed question that manages to reverse itself to get across the objective – it basically translates to “Can you miss some money?” (geld = money), thus implying “Do you have enough gold that you can miss some without feeling the loss too much? If so, I’ll take it!”
Today was the first time that I was asked while walking alone (though it’s possible I’ve heard the question soon after moving here but wasn’t able to translate it). I was walking through a less than affluent neighborhood in The Hague when I spied someone stopping the person walking ahead of me. After they didn’t receive any help from that person, they decided to ask the question to me. Kun je wat geld missen?
I didn’t quite get it at first though I did hear “missen”, so I said “Huh?” (great language skills Niki!) Then the guy asked “Heb je vijftien cents of zo?” – that was thankfully much easier to translate: Do you have 15 cents? I replied truthfully – Nee, ik heb geen geld bij me. (No, I have no money on me.) Why would I be silly enough to carry money when walking through a less than affluent neighborhood? Phone and keys, that’s all you need really!
The Hague did get enact a ban on begging of sorts, although it really just says you have to be a few feet away from the building and can’t stay in one spot too long. I suspect it only for the city center, though.
Dutch wedding cakes (Or: The Cheesecake Company)
Marco and I have figured out what we will be having for our bruidstaart (wedding cake). The decision was the case of ‘a friend of a friend’; we have chosen the Cheesecake Company in The Hague. The American owner, Rebecca, does some beautiful cheesecakes for weddings, with some pretty crazy flavors.
After a lot of tasting with family, we finally moved away from the crazy flavors (like razma-limey, a sourish combination of raspberry and lime) and settled with two strawberry cheesecakes and one chocolate cheesecake — double chocolate chocolate chip to be exact. …Though it’s not nearly as insane as ‘Death by Chocolate’ The smaller cake for Marco and I is cappuccino white chocolate. That’s the actual cake that he and I will cut. Yum!
1 cent (Or: A very tiny euro coin)
I must admit that in the 9 or so months I have been in the Netherlands, I have never seen a 1 euro cent piece, much less used one.
But a few days ago I found one:
1 euro cent, 5 euro cents, and an American quarter (25 cents), for size comparison
It was actually in my wallet, of all places. I guess I was given it as change. It’s quite possible that I received it while I was in Dublin’s airport waiting for the flight home. It’s actually quite tiny – much smaller than the euro 5 cent piece.
But I’ve never seen it in use in the Netherlands. I’ve seen a few signs saying that it isn’t accepted at certain stores, but that’s the only reference to it. The reason the 1 cent piece isn’t used here is because when you pay with cash, the prices are rounded up or down to the nearest 5 cents. If you use your debit card, then you pay the exact price.
Blue (Or: Painting at the Centrale Bibliotheek)
I saw this painting on display a few weeks ago at the Central Library in The Hague.
The crazy thing is you don’t see the “hidden” elements unless you are quite close by. Otherwise it just looks like blue with a hint of red.
Life in the Hague 