Am I dark skinned.....no
Do I have a dot in the middle of my forehead.....no
Was I surrounded by my family, extended family and villiage pets.....no
Hmmmmmmmm.....
After that confusion, we were greeted by my uncle and aunt who were all to happy to let us shed our massive arrangement of backpacks and bags into their car. We would be staying with them for the next couple of days in a little town called Monster (which is the same town where I lived when I was younger). On the agenda was food, food, coffee, drinks, more food and finally a total sickness of food (and that takes a lot for me!). The hospitality was very appreciated and from the look of my uncles belly, it was not only on display for us. This was the first time both Dids and I had to experience a foreign language on the trip and it was a nice change.
After food we set about getting ourselves a car. Just down the road was my cousins business where he sells second hand cars, very handy. After perusing the lot, a bit of negotiation and a test drive we settled on a little maroon Ford Festiva. The car is small in space but large in boot stuffing capacity. Insurance was a bit of a difficulty since neither Dids or I were dutch, but that was worked out over the next couple of days.
While we waited for the car to sort itself out we thought we would embrace the cycling culture of Holland. It is fantastic! There is something definitely to be said about the flattest country on earth! Riding around the place we noticed that all the provisions had been made for cyclists. There were dedicated traffic lights, bike ways and to our shock an educated motoring public who would actually take notice of riders. People were so good I actually felt comfortable riding around without a helmet.
Holland is a very organized place, but I would hope it to be with the amount of tax they pay! (The maximum tax bracket here is 62%!) The houses and sprawling landscapes are very nice as are all the other little differences like sheep/ponies/windmills in the front yard. Taking in the sights, we headed on a 24km round trip to some markets in Den Haag. The day was exceptionally cold and Dids "the polar bear" (apparently the cold was going to get me more than her, haha!) was freezing.
The markets was our first experience in buying goods on this trip in another language. It was pretty cool. After stopping off for a well deserved hot chocolate and soup to warm up we made our way home to my relatives house.
The next day we got final possession of the little red machine and stuffed it as full as she would go.
Battling this countries crazy culture of driving on the right hand side of the road, we headed for Julianadorp, just north of Amsterdam. The area is famous for it's tulip fields but unluckily we just missed the harvest by a week and only a few fields still remained. We were greeted at our destination by my cousin Inge and her partner Frank. Little did we know, they had plans for us which unfolded pretty quickly. The photos say it all....
After I was stripped of my manliness, we set out for beers and a bit more sight seeing. The night culture here is very different to Australia. My 72 year old uncle and aunt are up until about midnight every night and wake around 9am. My cousin Inge manages to squeeze in a 1 hour nap after dinner (at about 7pm) to help her keep trucking until midnight and beyond. And here is me, like an idiot getting up at 5:30am! Damn my Australian way!
The second day was Franks birthday and he celebrated with work while we kitted up the car for traveling. That night we partied outdoors bbq'ing every bit of meat known to man and knocking over a whole bunch of Amstel beers (which come here by the crate and are served cold!). Friends and family were around and the mood was good.
On the third day we went to the island of Texel for a day of bike riding, food and beer. Dids and I rented a tandem bike for the novelty of it and it proved awesome! Dids did however have to relinquish the controls for a bit more stable kind of driver (me, haha!). See the movie below for some riding action.
This island is famous for a few things and sheep are one of them. They are everywhere and they just mooch around the bike ways. My "I want to mess with it" urges had me chasing a couple around and I did manage to get a hold of one........it didin't like it. Sheep are stupid.......See some photos from the island below.
Last night we joined in with some Rummicub festivities (a simple puzzle type board game) and we all got to see Did's obsessive compulsive side :) She monstered the field with swift moves, big calls and prolonged turns. She didn't win though cause Van Gaalen RULES! (That is my mums maiden name and Inge's last name) I know it is eating her up inside, though she wont admit it, and I fear there WILL be a rematch!
Well today we are organizing some of our following moves. We are heading to Amsterdam for 1 night, 2 days, before making our way to Germany. Should be good.
Firstly, when you have a 95KG hulk on the back of a tandem ,it is VERY difficult to do anything! And secondly, you can BEt there will be a rematch. Yellow 10. Arggg!
ReplyDelete