Huis Uitzetten

This is the Nederlands word for what happens when you don't pay your rent and/or taxes, here you pay property tax even when you rent a place...house eviction/throw out. It finally happened to our next door neighbor, that shares our landing, yesterday.

About 5 years ago an Antillian man moved into the place. Arjan knew he had a lot of children, speculating they were probably from different women. I only saw the man a few times because after I moved here the man didn't live here...he had other people living in the place. The one living there the most was a son going to a nearby college who told us he was the only son and there were 12 daughters!, some still in the Antilles. There have been all sorts of people coming and going including an Australian, a German, and most recently a woman with a little boy. We have reported the barrage of strange people coming in and out, especially when they do things like ring our bell at all hours to be let in the building, those keys cannot be copied and we have found the back door left with something in it so people can get in that way, which they have to climb over a fence to do or luckily arrive at the time a person with a key to access that alleyish way comes along. We don't answer it at night at all, unless we're expecting someone, and a few times Arjan wouldn't even let them in because he said he didn't know them, I got to tell them that one time. People from the city did come to check it out but when they came only the son was in the house.

It was almost 3 years ago when the first note was put on the door that there would be a sale of goods in the house to pay off taxes, Arjan said there was one before that also. That was the first of 3 since I've lived here, the latest was for a sale Feb 17th. Each time the sign was torn off the door and no sale happened. Arjan was home when people came to do things like cut off their satellite dish and take items from the home like guitars, last year. The past two weeks have been very quiet over there, no one has been living there and the middle of the week things started being removed from the house and we just thought they were finally giving up the place and moving everything out. I was most bothered when the cats came jumping on the bed with me at 12:40 a.m. yesterday, I could hear something and realized they were still moving stuff out. No one had been there all day and then they come particularly in the middle of the night to take stuff. Arjan was fast asleep snoring and they didn't wake him up or I'm sure he'd be out in the hall yelling at them about the noise they were making at that time of night.

When I got up around 8:30 I heard a big truck and it was delivering 2 empty containers in empty parking places. We knew this was probably a house uitzetten because it had just happened to someone on the other side, though it worked out so they weren't thrown out, nothing happened. Next the van with the people who pick out the things that can be sold arrived and the next thing we knew the entourage was knocking on their door. The entourage consists of a police officer, a neighborhood "agent" that carries the order of what is to take place, 3 men from the resale place that will take the items, and a lock smith. If the people can make a plan of payment or some such thing, it's different based on what it is, then they can stay with possibly nothing taken. We opened the door and Arjan was glad to let me tell them the story of how no one was there and how they had been taking things out since Wed and were doing it during the night. The lock smith got in and all they took from in the house were a couple ornate chandeliers. They hit a semi-jackpot in their storage beneath that had exercise equipment, what anyone would do with that in these little places I have no idea, a wall unit, a table and a couple other things. They only used one of the containers and left the empty one. I hope that means a cleaning agency will arrive next week to take everything else out. The balcony has a rusting weight bench and weights, a rolled up old carpet, a broken plastic pot, and a few other misc. items.

Arjan is praying that a nice Turkish family or couple will move in, while I'm praying for some Dutchies, which he believes and probably is impossible in this neighborhood. I told him in these times you never know, some Dutchie may need to trim their costs. It will probably be a couple months before we have new neighbors.

Just another adventurous day living in this neighborhood.

Now it's off to make American cheeseburgers for dinner...

The FURminator

I just have to do a plug and commercial for The FURminator. It is one of the best items I brought back from the US along with the best $36 I spent. I was so sick of combing and brushing our cats consistently, it seemed, and still having hair all over the place. I researched on line and read great reviews about the Furminator and knew that's what I wanted and couldn't find them here.

So, first I went to Petco where they were $40 then I went to Petsmart and learned how less expensive it is on everything. This week in my Bed, Bath, and Beyond newsletter they're selling it, at least online, for "only" $34 so if you have a 20% off it's only $27.80. It really works getting the hair out and from the undercoat and I only have to use it once a day or twice if they're shedding, which is beginning. Arjan is not vacuuming 2-3x a day because he sees no hair on the floor. It really works.

Arjan couldn't believe all the hair I got off them when I first used it on them. Now is not so dramatic. I was afraid I was going to leave them bald and couldn't believe all that extra hair they had. It definitely cut down on fur balls and really did make Oscar's coarser upper side coat softer, his white under is thinner and so soft, and made his hair much easier to comb and get out. The comb also cleans real easy and the grip on it is ergonomically friendly.

There are 3 sizes of The Furminator, this one being the smallest especially for cats, and cheapest, but the sales guy told me for bigger cats, which mine are, a medium would work as well.

So, if you're looking for a good comb to get the hair off your cat or dog...get The Furminator, http://www.furminator.com/.


A morning's combing Columbo, Oscar, Pim--unbelievable Oscar had more hair that morning

P.S. At the Petsmart I had to ask for it. They are a easily stolen item so were placed in a locked back room.

Eng Weer

Today we are having what Arjan calls "eng" weather. What's so funny to me is the word sure sounds right for this cloud covered, drizzley day but the English translation is "scarey/creepy or narrow", neither of which make sense. For a more accurate word and some appropriate sentences regarding this weather, check out today's (Feb 27) Dutch Word of the Day miezeren (to drizzle). I got a few pictures that show what the day has been like.

I'll start with this man I first saw when I went out for my walk. I had to remember I wasn't in San Diego. What was he thinking? Most of the rest of us were in winter coats, it was only around 40F. It just looked so funny and I had to document it as I believe it's going to be the earliest I see someone walking around in shorts here.

Then on my way home from my trip to pick up the 3 free newspapers and get a few things at the grocery store, what did I see parked on the block before our place but "my" car, a further indication of the type of weather we've had today. I see it and a couple others that are the same color I had, this one is a 3 door, around but this is the first I've seen it parked. It made me miss my reliable great car a bit and think of all the good memories with it.

Finally, looking at Columbo you can see the drizzle. Columbo is our cat that loves to go out when it's wet, sometimes as it's raining even, and lap the water up from wherever he can. I tried to get a picture of him sitting on the little table on the balconey drinking away but as I opened the door he jumped down. His coat is so thick he doesn't feel it, especially on a day like today.

It's hard to believe that yesterday I had laundry out to dry, which they partially did, in the pleasanter windy day with intermittent sun.

I am feeling much better, really hanged low and around the house this week, which was so nice, but when I woke up today my head felt like it looked outside, not as bad as I experienced in San Diego but some sinus pressure that did nicely leave once I was up and about.

De Griep

One of the ways I see the influence of the Netherlands in America is when I hear Nederlands words that was something that was used when I was a child in New York. The grip is one of them. I can hear my Mom saying, "You have the grip." or "stomach grip" if it involved a stomach ache. Another interesting aspect of learning the language here is how the Dutch use one word to cover a variety of things which we don't do in English and official Nederlands dictionary don't do. De griep is one of those words. Officially it means the flu, a virus with a fever and pain in your muscles according to my Nederlands as a 2nd language dictionary, and that's how I'd describe it. My English/Dutch dictionary is more realistic in how the word is used by Nederlanders. It can mean the flu, a cold, or just generally not feeling well.

So, first Arjan mentioned he hoped I wasn't getting de griep, then my project manager Cas e-mailed that he thought I had de griep. I e-mailed back that I did not have the griep than he e-mailed back that the term is used here for overall illness and feeling ill, and I do remember hearing that in the inburgering course.

Well, I do not have the flu, nor do I have a cold, and I haven't had a fever, but I do have some sort of virus that began the night of the 13th with a terrible sore throat and has led to seeming to wake up every other day with something new, today being a sinus headache that left as soon as I was up and around, and just not feeling 100% any day. The symptoms clear up by the following day and then it's something else the next day. The terrible thing Cas told me is that he has a friend that has had similar symptoms for 8 weeks, 3 of which she lost her voice. I'm praying that's not the course I'm on. I'm getting plenty of sleep, something I know my body needs from when I was a sick 12 year old at the doctor's office and he looked at my mother and said, "You have a child that needs her sleep, 1o-12 hours at this age." Some days recently have included a nap or two, like Saturday I slept for almost 7 hours total during the day! Needless to say, this has put me far behind in blogging.

I do have to just love my kitties. They are so sweet, especially during these times. When I take a nap, they all like to sleep around me with Momma's Boy Pim under the cover with me. Below is the picture I took of him on Saturday after I got up and he moved right over into my place and was sound asleep.

Meeting Truus

Monday I went to Delft to meet up with my friend Becky from AWC so she could introduce me Truus. Truus is a 64 year old Dutch woman who had been a member of AWC and took Becky and her husband under her wing when they first moved here at the same time I moved here. From the first day I met Becky, she told me she had a lady she wanted me to meet because she'd be a good person for me to know in the Netherlands.

Truus and her husband lived in Saudi Arabi for 20 years on a compound with mostly Americans, her sister and husband immigrated to Chicago years ago, and her oldest son married an American out of a family they knew in Saudi. He is a KLM pilot and they live here but his wife is not integrating...been here almost 5 years and hasn't completed an inburgering course or knows the language, and only watches US tv. Yes, Becky was right, Truus was very happy to meet an American here who can speak some Dutch and is inburgered and I was happy to meet an open Dutch woman who knows Americans well but is echte (real) Dutch like Arjan. (Too many of the American woman married to Dutchies that I've met at AWC have what Arjan and I refer to as "Americanized" Dutch families that do things like celebrate Christmas with presents and a big deal and celebrate Valentines Day.)

They returned to the Netherlands 7 years ago when her husband retired but once he turned 65 he received all kinds of job offers, they can pay him less, and is back in Saudi for 6 months where the family will be going to visit him next month.

Truus was going to take us to her favorite restaurant for lunch, but remembered it was Monday and it's closed, so she had the usual Dutch spread of assorted breads, spreads, and things for bread. (I'll cover that more in future posts of the typical Dutch meals.) Then first she called her American daughter-in-law to see if she wanted to come over but she had a sick child so couldn't come then she called her daughter who works at the Royal Delft Factory, the only one left and it's not doing well. Her daughter wasn't working but called back and said if her Mom would pick her up, she'd go along and show us around. I was really excited because Arjan has no interest in going there.

That took us on a road trip to what she called the "new" part of Delft where her daughter lives. It was built in the early 1980's with totally poor planning. It's a large area with a mix of "social" housing and owner housing...all row houses with narrow one way streets and one way in and one way out and lots of speed bumps and Truus is a speed demon, which thankfully she warned me about. (A real change from my slow driving Arjan.) Truus told us at least 5x how hard it is for emergency vehicles to get in and around in that area, which you can see.

We picked up Caroline who totally confirms what the Language Development textbook I taught out of said...if children learn a 2nd language early, they will speak both languages with the right accents. This 39 year old speaks perfect American English, normal accent, and then I almost fell over when I heard her speak perfect Nederlands. How she can turn the hard "g" and "r"'s off and on is a miracle to me and speak English with no Dutch accent. She is in sales at the factory and said her contract is up on June 1 and she's not expecting them to renew it due to business so she's already searching for another job, which is not going to be easy in these times.

As always when visiting a place, it's best to go with a native or someone in the know of the place, especially when they can get you in for free:), and it was no different here. Caroline was able to tell us so much about Delftware and it was interesting to learn just how popular and how used Delftware has been. Probably what amazed me most was the life sized Rembrandt's Night Watch painting in Delft tiles. She explained how they projected the painting on a wall, charcoal traced it, broke it into tile pieces and artists painted the tiles going from the outer tiles to the inside tiles.

It was a nice visit and Truus dropped us off at the train station, driving by their house that was near the train station which the city bought from them 10 years ago to put the train underground but it's still there...some of the houses have started to be boarded up so it looks like there's progress but Truus is still mad that they moved them and then haven't done anything. Truus said she'll see me in April, after she returns from Saudi, and then she'll take me on a drive around Delft. How fun...

Delft is one of my favorite cities, you'll learn I have so many, so it'll be fun to see and learn more about it then the touristy center.

One day I'm going to write about the American cars, old American cars, I see here but when we we got in the car to leave the factory I couldn't believe this car that was parked in front of us...


Sorry I forgot to enlarge it. It's a CA licence plate MI6BOND with a Chicago Bears rim. I told them I think it's someone military related, making it easier to get their car here, who moved to CA from Chicago. I have only seen one other CA plate here and it was an old, old plate on an old car. You'll be seeing that picture.

Here's a picture of the Delft architecture that was done in the 1800's-early 1900's. This garden area showed off the different styles that could be done.

Can't shake it

After thinking I beat illness that began as a sore throat...it just seems like it's something else every other day. This morning when I first woke up at 3 a.m. the room was spinning, again at 5:30 when I also had to give the cats more food and bent down...then I knew it was my full ears. And those ears have now drained into my gland. The dizziness has left, thank God, but not my gland or ear fullness. URG! If I still have it Monday, we'll make an appointment with the doc. Otherwise I feel ok, should as I slept a lot today. I was supposed to make a trip to Utrecht just to visit and do one shop. If I'm up to it I'll go tomorrow...we'll see.

It has been very gray (grijs) today, which is what they call it, and is expected to be tomorrow and actually looks like that's the weather in sight, with mist and some rain, and warmer temperatures, close to 50 and maybe some glimpses of the sun. I did see bulbs coming up and snow drops out on Monday in Delft and there should be more, and around here, next week with the warm temperature. I'll just try to remember the sunny Wed and last Sat we had!

The week, since last Sat, had some events in it I have wanted to write about so I'll hopefully be able to catch up in the next couple days...

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentijnsdag in het Nederlands... (No, that's not a spelling error, the Netherlands is a "het" word.)

Every year more and more Valentine's items appear in the store, and earlier each year. To Arjan and other older Netherlanders, this is an Americanized holiday that's crept into life here and we do niks, nothing, for the day...though I did buy the rook kaas, smoked cheese, we both like when I went to the store today as our Valentine's treat.

This year a department store, V&D, had this, what I call Dutch kissing couple gone Valentines, ad campaign this year I wanted to share with you. Just one more of the changes I've witnessed in the 3+ years I've lived here.

To all my friends so far away...have a very happy day and a special Happy Birthday shout out to DB.:)

Heart Pillow Project

Before I tell you about the heart pillow project I do want to address the tragic plane crash near where I grew up. For those not familiar with Buffalo or who have visited me there, the crash was about 8 miles from where I lived. When I turned on my computer this morning and saw the news, my heart felt similar to when I was there on 9/11. I can just hear people talking about how they, their families and/or friends knew someone killed or a family member of someone killed. Then I just got a news alert from San Diego that the pilot catching a ride to Buffalo to visit his grandma is from San Diego. It's a very small world, not to mention the widow of a victim of 9/11, who is from the town I lived in, being one of the "only" 49 people on that plane. I thank God that it was not worse because it could have been in that particular area and for the wonderful, strong Buffalo community who will weather this with flying colors as they have done everything else that's come their way...mostly in the form of weather. Thoughts and prayers are with my Buffalo friends. On to the Heart Pillow Project...

At the first AWC meeting I attended, I met Celeste Brown. She introduced herself and when she heard I was here for a Dutch man, she attached right to me. Her "story" is a quite similar to mine. She was a single career woman who had never met a man she wanted to be with till she was 44 and met Jaap, still don't know the details of how that happened. Like me, she gave up her career, sold her house, and moved here when she was 45. She has been here 10 years, so definitely a good resource for me. She is president of the Federation of American Women's Clubs, the organization uniting AWC's around the world. The meeting started and soon Celeste was called up to talk about the Heart Pillow Project. Turns out Celeste had just recovered from having surgery and the treatment for breast cancer. Thankfully, her cancer was at a very early stage, involved no lymph nodes, and not invasive. She basically had a large lumpectomy.

Shortly after surgery, Celeste received a heart pillow from the American Women's Club of Denmark. It is a special heart with a deep "V" to fit under the breast. It's also very helpful in relieving pressure and pain from a shoulder belt in the car. Celeste wanted to know if our group would be interested in making pillows for the women in Leiden, where she lives near and has her doctor, and Den Haag. A group of us were very interested. People donated extra material they had, we scrounged for fiber fill-- not widely available here and when it is very expensive, but members brought some back from trips to the US and we found the stuffing from the large square pillows you can buy at the market 2/5 Euros works well--met on 3 Tuesday afternoons to cut, pin for sewing--which people with sewing machines took home to do, turn, stuff, and stitch the opening, cut out a heart shaped information card to go with them, package them in bags, and tie ribbons on the bags. We made a total of 105 and stashed them in a closet. None of us were familiar with them, though the website says they began in the US.

Today was the first delivery day where Leslie, Anu--an Indian allowed in as an associate member who volunteers more than most, and I met Celeste at Leiden University Medical Center where we had a meeting with Celeste's doctor, Gemma. Gemma is a lovely, kind Dutch woman who was amazed that we would make these for her patients.

Arjan was also surprised we would do something like this but I reminded him...that's what American's do. This is just another reason I wanted to become involved in this club, they do projects and fund raisers to give back to this community and country.

If you'd like to know more about the Heart Pillow Project or make one for someone you know, you can find info and the pattern at http://www.heartpillow.dk/. Besides the physical comfort it brings, it also brings emotional comfort that someone cares.



Stuffing & sewing


The Finished Product
Front: Eileen Back: Celeste, Sherry, me, Robin, Becky, Tina


Leslie, Celeste, Anu, & I making the delivery
Photo courtesy of Gemma


Gemma, oncologist specializing in women

AWC of The Hague

The American Women's Club of The Hague was begun in 1930 and in 1984 was able to buy this big house in the Scheveningen area of Den Haag on Nieuwe Duinweg. Though it has been here so long and I was aware of it from before I even moved here, I didn't become a member till October 2008.

What took me so long? I came here intent on integrating and not relying on Americans and insulating myself in a group of Americans. I wanted to learn the language and make Dutch friends, etc. Well, making friends with the Dutch is the topic for another day...but when I returned to the US for the first time this past summer and the people were just as nice as when I left, and they are, and I returned here with even a couple more American friends, I knew I needed those connections here. I know the language enough to communicate with people who don't speak any English and I read very well and write ok in Nederlands, I can venture into the Expat world and speak English and even Nederlands with Nederlanders or other expats. There is an American Women's Club in Rotterdam but I have heard the Den Haag group is nicer and does more. (It's also evident in their websites.)

In September I went to the "Feel At Home in Den Haag" fair and there was the AWC table and I said how I live in Rotterdam and one of two people at the booth comes from Zwijndrecht, south of Rotterdam where one of Arjan's niece's lives. These women were so friendly and welcoming...I now go to the Club just about every week, and sometimes 2 or 3 times, and have taken the Program Chair position, they wanted me to take one of the 2 open VP positions but I don't like the responsibilities of either. I have met some really neat people, some have been here a long time, married to a Dutchie, or one woman lived here with her American man for over 30 years, he died, and now she has a Dutch man. One that just joined is a Dutchie is divorced from an American, returning here after they divorced. She totally understands the Dutch thinking but also the American and missed the friendship that Americans give and have. Others are wives of American men here for work. You'll be seeing pictures and hearing about them in the future.

Today was our monthly meeting and lunch. Each meeting has a special program, usually with a special speaker, and today our member Jane, who is a volunteer at the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in Den Haag, gave a presentation titled Love, Romance, and Deception. It was very interesting. The Mauritshuis is a smaller art gallery mostly housing works of art from the Golden Age, mostly 16th-17th century. This is the home for Vermeer's The Girl with the Pearl Earring.

Jane was asked how she came to be so knowledgeable about and interested in art. Her story was interesting...an American who has lived here over 20 years with her Dutch man. She went to Trinity College in Dublin and studied Irish History, and she's not even Irish but finds their history most interesting and loves the music, we'll be talking further! She ended up in education then met her Dutchie and moved here and then said exactly how I feel, when you move to a new country not as a worker expat, you end up finding that you have to reinvent yourself, you just can't get jump into the profession you were practicing in your home country. So, she figured it was a good time to maybe try something else and ended up becoming very knowledgeable about Dutch art.

God only knows where I'll end up...there's a German member who has a PHD in Psychology, she has lived almost all over the world, but mostly America and Europe, she has a house right near the AWC, and she speaks 5 languages. She is working on research studying how the brain has changed as people no longer have to memorize things like telephone numbers. Ok...that totally lights my fire, especially because I've considered the same type of thing. Today she encouraged me so much by telling me that the average age of people in the Open University here is 54 and a woman there just earned her PHD in Psych at age 60. There is hope and even in NL! It did bring me back to my junior year sitting in my beloved advisor and professor's office and I clearly heard him, as if it was today, tell me that if I was going for a Bachelor's in Psych and wanted to remain in that field, I'd have to get a Masters and Doctorate, and how I left college not wanting to return, then in my 30's the bug came and think isn't leaving me...just took a detour.

Then Laurie drove me all the way home today, quite a treat. Typically she drops me at a tram stop or Central Station to get home. Laurie is my God send. She just moved to Rotterdam in January from Westport, CT. Her husband is a ship architect for an American Chemical shipping company that moved it's entire business and operations to Rotterdam the beginning of last year. Their youngest son was in his senior year so she stayed till he got squared away in college and then decided to wait till after the holidays to make the permanent move, but already has to return next week for a month. I love it because she likes it here so much and is learning so much...she doesn't want to return to the States yet, but a couple family weddings call. The other great thing is she's in my age group and she has a son who shares my birthday, which excited her, as well as me--finally someone born on my day instead of dying. The other good thing is that she doesn't live in the area so far North where most other Americans live, she lives a bit closer to us on the North side of the city and comes over to my South side to go to "my" Jumbo!, what I call the American supermarket here. Also, they are here for the long haul, at least till he retires in 15 years. Hooray, someone who isn't leaving in a year, 2, or 3 and that has an auto paid for by the company, including the gas!, yes, some people receive some high perks to come here, to be able to do things with. Because her husband is here for a job she was able to just trade her American license in for a Dutch one, something those of us here for a Dutchie aren't able to do. And maybe Laurie will turn out to be a person who will take care of the boys so Arjan and I can take a real vacation!

Picture of the Day

I'm hoping to get something posted every day and should at least get a picture up on days like today when I'm short on time. I have so many pictures and try to take at least one picture a day. Today's picture is from one of my visits today located in Oude Noord, north of the centrum of Rotterdam, we live south. I remembered that last week the list of the top 20 "achterstandswijk", meaning disadvantaged urban area, in Netherlands was released. Oude Noord was #4, worst in Rotterdam, which garnered 8 areas on the list, topping all other places in the country. We live in an achterstandswijk but our's didn't make the top 20, which means ours is further down the list for getting money. Besides income, employment levels, and crime, they also consider the housing conditions and for that I think we should be in the top 20, though there is some newer which is probably what put Oude Noord so far ahead because nothing but a small store area appears new.

Today's picture from Noord Singel, a border of Oude Noord, shows one way to make it easy for people to find your house number.





P.S. It did start out nice and sunny the first half of the day.:)

The Weather/Het weer

Every day I discover something new or interesting here and yesterday it was this reiger (heron), as I looked out the window, sitting on the houses across the street. I was able to get this decent picture of him before he flew away. This was a rare sight.

Since I have learned that more people reading this know some Nederlands and know a few others want to learn some, I decided I do need to include some Dutch in my blog. It also helps me in remembering and spelling the words. So, I will put Nederlands, the official name of the language, words in italics.

It has been very nice because I've pretty much been able to stay home the past two days. I was supposed to go on a visit today but I changed it to do with another visit tomorrow because it was so nasty out. "Nasty" is what my freshman year roommate used to call the weather at Houghton, in the middle of nowhere in southwestern New York, when the weather was not pleasant, which could be often. She was from Maryland so thought a lot of the weather was "nasty". I sure think of that and remember her here! Here they call yesterday saai (boring/dull) and dull it was, just various grayer clouds all day. Today, on the other hand, we had weather. Rain, snow, more rain, sleet, hail...and on my walk today the sun peaked through the clouds. We had it all today. This brings me to the title for today's post.

Nederlanders love to complain (klachten) and their favorite topic is the weather. Not only did I learn this in the inburgerings cursus but you only have to talk to a few Netherlanders or over hear their conversations and you'll hear the complaining about the weather. After a couple days like today I well understand it but, the secret I have is that the weather is no where near as slecht (bad) as most think it is or I was led to believe by those San Diego Nederlanders who didn't want me to move here! Folks...come forward to 2009, it was even in the news recently how Nederlands has 30% more sun than it did 10 years ago, I think it was. It really isn't that bad most of the time and I am very happy to say that I can usually find the sun peaking through at some point during the day, if only for a brief moment. That's another reminder of San Diego because I think there were only 2 days I didn't see the sun at some point in the day in the over 21 years I lived there.

I close with the sun coming through on my walk this afternoon.


De zon gaat door. The sun comes (goes) through.



The road into Katendrecht looking towards Maas Haven, for those who know Rotterdam.

Scheveningen Photos

Think I've figured this out and will edit tomorrow. Off to sleep...

Scheveningen

Scheveningen is, besides being a difficult word to say that I have mastered:), the most popular Nederlands beach north in Den Haag. Since the fall I have had the great pleasure of going there once a month or more because it's where one of the shops I have to visit is located. The American Womens Club of Den Haag, which you'll be hearing more about, happens to be just a few tram stops away from the beach and it takes the same amount of strips, costs the same, to travel there so I can easily make a visit also on the days I go there.

After most of my prior days there it was rainy and cloudy, the past two times I have been there have been BEAUTIFUL. The last time the tide was the lowest I have ever seen. There are three stone paths that lead out to where the water was I didn't even know existed previously. I was so excited because I thought I would be able to do some tide pooling. That is definitely one of the activities I miss from San Diego. This time of year there aren't many people on the beach so it's really a lovely walk, cold but lovely. So, I went walking out on these stones wondering what I would find. There were two college age gals walking behind me and I figured I'd ask them. The one gal said her father had lived in the area his entire life and never mentioned being able to see any fish or sea creatures. She went on to tell me that she thinks there is more to be seen on the US side because the water there is cleaner. Of course I was surprised to hear that. Needless to say, all I saw were a ton of smaller shells on the beach and a bunch of sells stuck to rocks.

So, here are the first pictures of Scheveningen. (Still trying to figure out how to post pictures in the place I want them and looks like they're going to end up in there own post at least one more day.)

Photos from Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk Skaters

One month ago my friend Marjorie was here from San Diego for a few days. As always, Arjan and I had fun showing our guest around and feeding her Dutch foods. She ate so many Dutch foods at our house as well as when we were out and about. She came at a very special time as it was the first time in 12 years that the ice froze enough in many places for people to skate. I was grateful she came when she did because that meant we took a trip to show her all the windmills at Kinderdijk so I got to see the skaters.

Kinderdijk is a special place where you can see the most windmills in one place, 19, where you will be taken when you visit--unless you protest, and where Arjan and I say we truly feel in love. I'm sure you'll see more of Kinderdijk and one day I'll write the story of the place and how it got it's name of "Child's Dike".

Finally

I finally decided to start a blog back at the very end of last year, a new years goal, and it has taken me this long to figure it all out. This will be a much better way to keep friends updated, tell about life here, and make it easier to share pictures. There are so many places, people, and things I want to write about and this will be a good place to do it. So, here goes my new adventure of blogging...