Helloooooooooo there! I realize it's been awhile since posting - but rest assured, I'm alive and well. :) Survived the holidays in the US, New Year's, a hectic couple of weeks at work (I went to Madrid!), and now back to normal.
So I'll start this post with Museum Night - a night in Amsterdam in which some 40+ museums are open till the wee hours of the morning. Here's a pic of me trying to plot out which museums to hit up, while Romeo conveniently decides to take a nap on my map...
First museum we went to had a [not good] band.
Some interesting artwork.
Of course we had to stop for the seasonal "oliebollen" donut-type treats. The literal translation is "oil balls" so not exactly heart-healthy...but oh so delicious!
The Rijkmuseum had these really cool beanbags to hang out on.
And in place of tickets and information, a dj jammin' out.
The last museum of the night we went to was Van Gogh. It was definitely the busiest, and my personal favorite. I particularly liked the contrast of the Bar sign above the Audio tour information area.
Every 20 minutes the dj changed the music to a different era, based on a voting system of all the people there. It was pretty cool to stroll through the gallery of all these paintings with house music pulsing in the background. Definitely going to do this again. :)
Afterwards, we went to the local sports bar to watch some US games, since they were actually playing at that hour. The popular special of the night was 10 shots of jaeger for only 10 euros.
Our feet were weary by the end of the night from all the walking, and luckily there was a bicycle taxi right around the corner. What a lovely view we had all the way to the train station!
And finally back home...
My post wouldn't be complete without more pics of my favorite farm animals. Here you go!
Oooh - me too!
December 5th is Sinterklaas day. This is the main day of Christmas gifts for all the dutch children. Basically, Sinterklaas is a guy who looks like Santa but dressed like a priest, who's originally from Turkey, but lives in Spain, and takes a boat to Holland from Spain each year to bring gifts to all the good boys and girls. He is surrounded by a posse of "zwarte-piet" - or "black pete's", who are his helpers with their faces painted black. Not exactly politically correct, but an interesting tradition nonetheless...
In the winter ice-skating rinks pop up all over the place. This year it wasn't cold enough for the canals to freeze, but people still suited up for the rinks. This one's at the beach.
Another of my favorite dutch treats: poffertjes - mini pancakes coated in butter and powdered sugar. mmmmmm...
Ryan thought it would be clever to take a picture of me in my rain cape / parka / blanket / batman-costume that i need to wear when i bike in the rain. You probably notice I look really thrilled with this fashion statement.
And here's the happy Ryan... Savoring the rarest beer in the whole world - Westvleteren 12. This beer is so special in fact, that it can only be brewed by trappist monks at their monastery. You must schedule an appointment to drive to the brewery in the middle of nowhere outside of Bruges (Belgium) to taste it. It is not sold for profit, and the monks keep the quantity brewed each year to a minimum. Ryan scored one of these and as you can see, is quite happy to enjoy it. :)
Some brass-playing Santa Clauses (not to be confused with Sinterklaas of course!).
And our neighborhood American/Irish/British foods store where I can get my secret chocolate chip cookie mix. :)
Here's a couple of my favorite Christmas pics I took while back home in the states:
I think our favorite nephew liked the cheesehead. :)
and our favorite niece too!
i think everyone liked the cheesehead!
After a whirlwind week in the states (4 days in each of Milwaukee and CT to visit both families), we were back just in time to celebrate New Year's Eve in the Hague. And I must say, I'm happy to still have all my fingers, limbs, and eyes after that night because it is every bit as crazy as I'd been warned! Fireworks are illegal in the Netherlands, except for NYE. On this day, anyone can buy any type of fireworks they desire, and small convenience stores all of a sudden become warehouses for these mini-bombs, and pyro-maniac kids are lined up left and right to get their hands on them. Rather than professionals setting them off, anyone is free to light off whatever they chose, wherever they want! This means that you can hear explosions coming from every direction all day long, only getting stronger and more frequent as midnight approaches. It seriously feels like a war zone, and the smell of gunpowder dominates the air.
We were at the beach for the midnight fireworks...(not the best visually, but the sound is deafening from fireworks being set off left and right all over the beach!)
The special attraction at the beach is the annual bonfire rivalry between Scheveningen and Kijkduin. Each year beginning in early December, men from both towns construct these massive towers of wooden pallets (often stolen from construction sites), to try to outdo each other. People take turns sleeping on the beach "guarding" their pallets from the other town, and mothers bring sandwiches and blankets to keep their "soldiers" fed and warm. It's no exaggeration that the towers can be taller than a 3-story building!
This YouTube video captures the construction perfectly. Remember - these are not professionals - just crazy men trying to build the biggest fire they can!!
Click Here:
Bonfire!
And some pictures of course...
midnight smooch!
Besides all the excitement of the holidays and New Year's, I've been busy playing soccer with a dutch women's team in Scheveningen. We train 2 days a week, and have games on Saturdays, and I couldn't be more happy with the girls on the team - they are such a fun group, and I think this will really help me to learn dutch (since everything is in dutch!!). Here's a couple pics from our game against Delft:
Us
Them
Messi's female equivalent...
And...not so much. Hope this evidence doesn't get used against me!
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