Worldly Chatter

Want to do something fun and a little off beat in Amsterdam, maybe even get a little tipsy with some beer in the middle of the afternoon? Try going to the Heineken Experience! Dutchie and I went with my brother and his girl to the Heineken Museum at around one in the afternoon. My brother, being a fan of beer, tried some of our beer here in Holland and enjoyed them thoroughly and finally understood what I was telling him about Heineken tasting different in the Netherlands verses America. So, with this new found passion for Heineken on his taste buds we set out to find out all about Heineken on one of his days in Amsterdam.

For €11 you get admittance into the museum with four tokens; one token for a gift when you leave and the other three are for beers at their bars along the way! When you get in, you start off with a history of Heineken with interviews from Mr. Heineken himself as well as a picture tour, first billboards and commercials.

Let me take you back to 1863, Amsterdam, with Gerard Heineken who has just risked his entire family fortune by buying out a 250 year old brewery that is on its last legs. He wants to make the best beer in his little corner shop and you get a little interactive piece of how this came about as you walk through. You walk through the huge kettles and see the process made. The ingredients and methods used by a master brewer, Mr. Feltmann and chemist, Dr. Elion was considered scientific yet magical. Some of the information is technical yet much of it was fun and amusing for the visitor. You get to take control of two Shire horses and ride them through the narrow streets of Amsterdam delivering beer in this neat ride. There is also the feel of being a Heineken bottle from filling to delivery; that was a bumpy ride! The four of us drank our beer, learned how it was made and the business that is Heineken. There was music to listen to; a place to relax and we even learned what the company is doing to help reduce use of electricity and water. I suppose it just isn’t beer anymore when you learn what it does on an environment friendly stand point.

The free gift was a hollow bottle of Heineken with a bottle opener inside. We took a little more home with us though; pictures and a jacket for Dutchie! My brother took home a t-shirt or too and a wonderful understanding of his favorite Dutch beer! It was a blast through and the beer was good. I do, however, feel my brother had the best time out of all of us because when asked what his favorite thing in Amsterdam he had done, this was it, the Heineken Experience!

Amsterdam tourism, Heineken Experience, Worldly Chatter, Heineken Beer, Holland Tourism

If you ever get the chance to go to Holland, there are hundreds of things to do here! This past week, I have learned there is so much I haven’t seen until this past week and there are tons of activities and sites I still need to see here! I have so much to share about this vacation but I am going to stick to one right now. It was actually the Amsterdam Dungeon and it was an amazing place! It is a tourist attraction on Rokin, between the Dam Square and Rembrandtplein for those who understand the Amsterdam layout. It looked rather creepy when Dutchie, I, my brother and his girl decided to go. Of course if you are in Amsterdam, go to the exchange offices and tourist booths, my brother and sis-in-law found a great deal where we would go to the Amsterdam Dungeon and Madam Tussauds for €25 instead of €36, so definitely keep an eye out, tourist places usually have stuff and if they don’t have anything appealing go to the exchange places. Aside from exchanging dollars into Euros they have other information but I am getting sidetracked.

As I was saying, it looked kind of creepy in a fun, let’s get scared kind of way! When we went in we had a woman all decked out in costume hand us axes and my brother on this device. We looked like we were about to chop his head off when she took the picture! Once our little photo op was done we waited for some more people to come in before we got a tour of Amsterdam during the Dutch East Indies Company most influential and profitable period, as well as the time during the great plague and the Blood Council, the 16 and 17 hundreds. We had a bar maid attempt to recruit us for work on board a ship, offer ale she spit in and told us tales of the men working on the trading ships. The whole place was decked out to look like a real tavern one might go to after getting off a ship. She eyed the whole group asking them to join a ship and eying the ladies for jewelry when she actually confronted Dutchie when she saw two rings on her hand. They had a bit of a staring contest and neither wanted to budge! These actors are great let me tell you! She finally kicked us out and we ended up at bottom of a ship with a captain bellowing to bring the fresh working hand on deck to start work! There was some more storytelling and then the room filled with smoke so that you couldn’t see in front of you! They were under attack you see.

Poor Dutchie, not only did she get picked on with the bar maid, she got picked on by the make shift doctor. You see, the make shift doctor was looking at the dead doctor, inspecting him and verifying that it was, in fact, the plague. There were more patients of course; one in particular needed his leg amputated. It just so happened that where Dutchie was sitting was in direct alignment with the doctor and when he hacked the leg off, blood squirted out and Duchies leg was soaked. More importantly though, even with all the antics of the would be doctor there was a story to be told of the plague and how it ravaged through Europe. There were stories of the trade ships and then finally came the Blood Council.

The

Going through the Dungeon you see a variety of rooms with things that are less than pleasing. There were contraptions for stretching the body pealing the skin and chopping, breaking, stabbing the body into any form of confession. For whatever the person was in there for, they were tortured and beaten practically to death. Once they confessed they were sentenced to death in a variety of ways. If they didn’t confess, they died during their torture. When we were put in front of the Blood Council Dutchie was once again the center of attention. This time it was a t-shirt she was wearing that caught the courts eye. New York was plastered on her chest, a shirt we bought in the city and the court asked her name and condemned her on the count of bad fashion sense! She would have her left arm and leg removed and they would watch her swim in circles until she sank!

To say the least it was an interesting afternoon! Educational and fun as hell! The four of us had a blast and I highly recommend it to anyone in Amsterdam!

Amsterdam Dungeon, Amsterdam Tourism, Worldly Chatter, Amsterdam, Rokin

I finally received some pictures of the wedding while we wait for the photographer to finish with the professional pictures. So since I have something to show you, I want to write about our big day and finally becoming a Mrs.!

It started a little after ten in the morning, a little late because we were waiting for some guests and taking pictures outside the town hall. It was a beautiful blue sky and everything finally fell into place except for me. I was a mess! I wanted to cry all morning, ok, actually I cried between 9 and  9:30 and tried to compose myself when my family, Duchies’ sister, the photographer and car showed up at 9:15-9:30. We drive to town hall in a blue Volkswagen Beetle, top down and the ride I am still trying to remember, I was so emotional! I was about to be married, I was beside myself with joy and excitement!

Our registrar, ambtenaar in Dutch, was wonderful from the beginning. She spoke to everyone in the room about how we met, she mentioned Duchies’ co-workers and all they did to make it possible for me to stay and even my own co-workers who attended and what that meant to us. She is a woman with a sense of humor yet very professional when she has to be. She was compassionate and even touched when both of our fathers walked us in the room. She had never had two fathers give two brides away before and was very moved when we walked in. She also read a poem for the occasion that I want to share. It is titled Ik heb je… by Jan-Simon Minkema.

Ik heb van jou wel duizend foto’s:
Ik heb je als je drinkt en eet,
Ik heb je als je staat te praten,
Ik heb je als je dat maar weet.

Ik heb van jou wel duizend beelden:
Ik heb je als een kind zo blij,
Ik heb je als een wijze meester,
Ik heb je als liefhebberij.

Ik heb van hou duizend gezichten,
Ik heb je als je met me vrijt,
Ik heb je als je ligt te slapen,
ik heb je voor de eeuwigheid.

Ik heb voor jou wel duizend zinnen:
Ik heb je lief, ik heb je beet,
Ik heb je door, ik heb je nodig
ik heb je als je dat maar weet…

I know there are many of you who cannot read this and for that I am sorry. I can read it yet some of it is not easily translated. I want to put it up there because it is beautiful and an important part of our ceremony. As she read it, I translated it as fast as I could, she was reading slowly but my brain needs time to translate here, there was but one word I missed but the rest I understood and loved it dearly. It made her smile when she asked if I understood. A lot of the ceremony was in English because of me and some of our guests, the only part mandated in Dutch so it was a wonderful touch to have something else in Dutch. After all, I live in Holland and my wife is Dutch so it was very appropriate and warming to hear.

We had our vows and the I Do’s and let me tell you I had tears! I don’t believe there was a dry eye in the room! First we had the Dutch part and both Dutchie and I said ‘Ja’ then Dutchie said her vows first and by the time I was done with mine, my knees felt weak! We put our wedding rings on each other and I should mention we do it different here. Our wedding rings go on our right ring finger, not the left. A tear or two fell down my cheeks when we did that! In Holland they have a trouwboekje, it’s our version of a marriage license. It translated to marriage book. First Dutchie and I signed the legal license, then my father and my sister-in-law, finally our registrar and a gentleman to notarize it all. She announced that we were married and we sealed it with a kiss! I had a lot of tears fall that morning! I like to think I can keep it all together and not show a lot of emotion but it all came out that day! I am a married woman! I, an American lesbian, am a married woman! I really never thought I would marry and here I am, Mrs. Joppe-Schmalfuss! I still can’t believe it!

I want to go on and on but I am getting all teary eyed again! I am someone’s wife! I am Dutchies’wife!

worldly chatter, A Dutch Wedding

Dutchie went through www.weekendcompany.nl to find something for us after our family left for NY. Weekend Company is a Dutch vacation site that gives you fabulous deals on weekend get-a-ways in Holland and the surrounding countries. We have used them before and have enjoyed the service and the place we stayed at immensely! This time we both have been completely blown away! Hotel Restaurant Vue Des Montagnes is located in Limburg, in a town called Berg en Terblijt, it is right in the middle of Valkenburg and Maastricht. We booked ‘Love is in the air’ accommodations for our weekend honeymoon which is as follows; two nights with the first night a four course, buffet, candle light dinner, breakfast in bed the following morning and the last morning has a breakfast buffet. With all this it was less than two hundred euro.

However calling it a hotel seems to cheapen the experience you have here. The staff here has been a pleasure from the moment we checked into our room. The room we have is situated on the top floor and gives a spectacular view of the rock face across the street which was once a marlstone business by the original founder of the hotel. The food is flavorful, delicate yet filling and truly incredible for your pallet! We had red wine with our meal which was delicious and enjoyable throughout the appetizer and main course. The appetizer buffet consisted of meats and fishes to go with salads and breads. Limburg trout and catfish with salad and a little bit of roast beef with a fresh baked roll is what I started with. Dutchie started with salmon salad with fillet trout, catfish, tuna with a little of fresh salad and a roll with roast beef. Our main course was just as filling and diverse! Dutchie had the rib eye steak, seasoned potatoes, pork roulade, chicken breast; the meat was with truffle sauce. She also had fresh vegetables and cod fish rolled up. I had tortellini, seasoned potatoes, fresh vegetables and fillet of codfish with lobster sauce. We had dessert which had a variety of cakes, pies, fruits, ice creams and cookies. All this was inside the restaurant and after we finished it off with a cup of cappuccino on the terrace. Each time we had something our waiter came by discretely taking our plates, he talked to us to let us know a wedding had taken place across the street and would be coming in momentarily and that we should get ahead of them with the food. He asked us if we needed anything once or twice and left us be the rest of the time. We were eating for two and a half hours and it was pure pleasure for our taste buds as well as our overall experience of the night. A few hours later we went back down to the terrace for a night cap. One waiter asked us if we wanted candles on the table while another got us a beer and a few moments later a bowl of peanuts.

The hotel as well as the restaurant gives off a cozy yet elegant feel the moment you walk in. Even without the package deal we received the rooms are affordable and the hotel itself gives package deals to accommodate each party attending. If ever you stay in Limburg I highly recommend Vue Des Montagnes, View of the mountain! The staff, the food the atmosphere; it all makes for suck a wonderful place for a weekend get-a-way! It is near all the tourist hot spots, beautiful walking areas and little towns that if you drive by and blink, you will miss it! It is unlike the rest of Holland in that it is a different atmosphere and the scenery is more vibrant with color, hills and farms. As I told Dutchie, the northern part of Holland has pockets of green, Limburg has pockets of civilization. Vue Des Montagnes is in the middle of all that, it is near enough to get to anything yet it is just far enough to keep to local personalities and traditions. A highly recommended place to stay, Dutchie and I are planning to return in the near future to do more of Maastricht!

Maastricht, Valkenburg, Worldly Chatter, Limburg, Vue Des Montagnes, Berg en Terblijt, South Limburg

There is so much to write about on my wonderful week with my family here in the Netherlands! Naturally there is our wonderful wedding that took place on Monday but there is also the two days prior and the week that followed and all the sites we saw in Holland. There are experiences and observations that must be mentioned and finally the feeling of it all. I will be in Limburg from Sunday to Tuesday and finally life will go back to some form of normalcy on Wednesday. My family flew home this morning and I await knowledge that they have landed safely back in America and I while I wait I wanted to write of my plan for this page for the next week or so. Something to look forward to you could say.

I want to tell you of my family and how the four of them saw this open and somewhat laid back nation. Their stories they take back to New York will all be different as well as what they wanted here. It was an interesting experience for me to see how they interacted with this place, its people and the flow of its society to say the least. I want to tell you of our wedding day and every detail I can possibly recall. There is Den Haag and Delft to tell you of as well as Hilversum, Arnhem, Oosterbeek and Amsterdam. The happiness and sadness of having them here with us and the plans we have made to go to NY and them to return here. It is a lot and I want it detailed. This is just a short hello to say I am alive and that my vacation is nearing its end. Writing will commence and much to read when I do!

Right now I will wait to know something and try to keep my body awake for the night as it has been an incredibly busy and sleepless week! Check back and I will start my series on our wedding and vacation!

I apologize greatly for being a slacking writer! In my defense there are valid reasons here. A wedding and family coming over from America kind of preoccupy the mind and day. Nevertheless, I should be more diligent in my work.

Now for the good stuff.

This evening the Justice of the Peace who will be marrying us came over to our home. We went over every detail of what we wanted and she got to know a little about who she is marrying. She was a very nice woman who had coffee with us as we told her about us and she asked question after question. Our wedding will be bi-lingual but part of it has o be done in Dutch. According to Dutch law the part where she says ‘do you take… ‘ and we say ‘ja’ must be in Dutch. That’s fine with me of course; our vows will be in English though. We discussed when we would say our vows, having my father and her son walking us down the aisle and which music would be playing, all that sort of thing. I was a little nervous actually because she was running a tad late and I was thinking the worst! Of course there wasn’t a reason in the world to be nervous but hey, this is my first time around so I had no idea what to expect. Her English was easy to follow. A cross between a British accent and a Dutch accent but very clear to understand, it was rather important to us that whoever it was, they spoke English. She was a humorous lady which we both loved, charming and sweet. We told her we weren’t stuffy people and we liked her relaxed manner so keep with that for our day. She really was a pleasure to talk to. We told her how we met and when she started asking us questions we really got an idea of how different we can be. Neither Dutchie nor I think about how different we are much. We work so well together and our differences make it a pleasure to us. It makes for interesting conversations and a diverse atmosphere to live in. When we were talking about what we like and don’t like we realized there are many things that make us different. I suppose the average person might not think about it much and neither do we, its just interesting when it is brought to our attention.

Pretty much everything is taken care of or being taken care of so I am a very happy camper. I am getting my hair cut tomorrow after work, went to a tanning salon yesterday and doing that again on Thursday. Our lunch is booked and everything else I can think of. May the gods help me if I forgot anything! The plan is to get up around five or six the morning of our wedding. So much to do in the morning that we want hours to prepare! Over doing it? Maybe but at least we are prepared!

Aside from the wedding there isn’t much to report, it has consumed so much! Naturally once the family is here there will be much to show you and tell you and I look forward to seeing more of Holland and sharing! Until next time, cheers!

wedding bells, worldly chatter, wedding plans

I invited two friends from work to our wedding and they are both coming! A happy camper I am! Dutchie finally met one of them today as we shopped around Hilversum for the afternoon and grabbed lunch together. It was actually a really nice afternoon until the wind picked up. Anyway, our rings are here and we are both looking at them constantly. My dress is officially out for its two-week breathing period before the big day! I haven’t tried it on yet but I have to. When I bought it, I was nearly 65 kilos, now I am 63 kilos so I need to know how that is going to affect how it looks on me. Of course, now that it is out of its bag, I have been staring at it constantly! I will be a married woman in TWO WEEKS! My mind is going all over the place here! Two weeks is closing in fast! So fast!

We have friends and family coming, a small lunch/reception in the afternoon and I simply cannot wait! I just can’t think about anything else, does this happen with all brides as the day gets closer? Flowers will be here first thing in the morning as well as the photographer and car. Dutchies son has to come back to the house from Ridderkerk before the wedding so he can dress before because he left his clothes here. My family will be here and everyone else should be meeting us there at town hall where the wedding will take place. We don’t want a church wedding so we are having it at the modern looking town hall in Hilversum. Actually, it is quite lovely with nice interior and a nice water feature and park in the front. It isn’t the same building where you go to town hall for permits and what have you, this is separate, more for the ceremonious stuff that takes place.

We have the place we want to have our lunch at, all we have to do is book it and that you can do up to a week prior. I know, it’s two weeks but with Dutchie being sick and so much going on around us, we only recently found the place we want! It is a restaurant, which is a part of the hotel my brother and his girl will be staying at here in Hilversum. The wonderful thing about this is not only is it a lovely place but also across the way is a beautiful park we are going to have our wedding pictures taken! I love it when things work out like that!

I know this is another ramble about the upcoming day but really, you wouldn’t be able to help it either!

wedding plans, worldly chatter, Dutch wedding

Oh, I can almost feel it on my finger already! Dutchie called the jeweler about our wedding rings and they are ready! So, tomorrow we are off to Den Haag to try on our rings and have them engraved! The plan is simple, go to the jeweler and try them on, make sure they fit and have them engraved with our names and date. While we wait for the engraving, it will be lunch on a terrace in Den Haag to enjoy the potentially wonderful sunny day! Like I said, I can almost feel it on my finger already! Doesn’t every bride get so excited that they get butterflies all over just thinking about it? That is me right now, tingly all over at the fact that I will be wed in less than a month!

I recently had a conversation with a co-worker about our big day, as he seems intrigued about it all. He was telling me of his wedding and how he didn’t really see the point in a ring. He was a young man and wasn’t into jewelry or the significance of the ring. Though once he put it on his whole perspective changed. He finally saw how the ring is the one thing that puts physical on the emotions of the relationship that otherwise as nothing tangible. A relationship has physical components sure, but how do you touch an emotion in ones heart. He tried to explain to me how he saw it on his wedding day and hopes that I understood. It seemed important to him that I understand his story and not look at it as a ring, something of tradition and not much more. I told him I couldn’t do that, it seems wrong to go to such lengths to find the perfect ring only to look at it as something everyone else does so I should too, kind of thing. We went to so many jewelers in various towns before we found the pair perfect for us. To go through all of that only to think that it is just a ring seems ridiculous to me.

We also chatted it up during a drive about the ceremony and how it will be done. Will we incorporate Dutch and American traditions or will it be an American style or all Dutch style wedding. The questions never stopped but somehow I never tired of them, I am getting married and can’t seem to shut up about it! We will be having a little of both. It will be a Dutch wedding with a little bit of American custom adding in. They don’t have a place for the father of the bride to give her away yet we are doing just that. We are doing the something blue, something borrowed bit as well but it will be, for the most part, a Dutch wedding.

Listen to me, I can go on about this until the cows come home! Wait a minute… They do that here in Holland! I need to get a better expression!

A fellow 451press writer posted an article that caught my attention and tore my heart up reading it. Lez Keep It Real, I thank you! It is the story of Brett Conrad and Patrick Atkins’, their 25 years together and Patrick’s’ sudden illness in Indiana. In March of 2005, Patrick had a ruptured aneurysm and later a stroke while in hospital care. When Brett Conrad went to see him, the Atkins’ family barred him from seeing their son. They were against the relationship from the start and do not want their son’s partner of 25 years to visit. This has made it all the way to court! They lived together for 25 years, sharing bank accounts, renting various apartments before finally buying a home together. It meant nothing. Guardianship went immediately to Patrick’s parents where he now lives. The court granted Brett Conrad visitation rights but left guardianship in the hands of the parent. The article can be found on Lindsey’s Lez Keep it Real page.

As I read this article aloud to Dutchie, it really got us both thinking. As you are aware, September 3^rd is our wedding day. It is legally binding and I will be guardian of Dutchie should anything happen, as she is mine. I would be responsible for her, the assets and debts we share and anything else that may come up. It will be a marriage just as any heterosexual couples with all of its benefits. I will have what so many gay people in my own country desperately need, security, protection and peace of mind. I am so blessed to have this and I know it every day I wake. Many people want what I have for the very reasons that Atkins’ and Conrad wanted it, to ensure that they would be able to care for each other and not have the law run amuck of their lives and tear them apart.

In the Netherlands, Canada, Spain, Britain and Belgium, our marriage will matter and upheld to the fullest of the law. If anything were to happen, Dutchie and I would be able to care for each other, as these countries acknowledge we are married.

What happens when we visit America?

As we read this story our hearts sank for them and a realization began to hit us. Our marriage won’t mean jack in America! What if something were to happen to me, would Dutchie be able to maintain guardianship over my health and wishes? On the other hand, would she have to wait in the waiting room until my parents arrived before she could even see me? In NY, for example, there is no law allowing us to even have a civil ceremony. We do not have any form of NY documentation on Power of Attorney nor will our marriage license mean anything to them as they do not recognize gay marriage. What in the world would happen then?

What if we visited Texas, Tennessee or California where none of my family lives, would anything Dutchie does or says matter in how I am cared for? The thought frightens me terribly! The very thing I will be blessed to have in less than a month won’t mean anything in America and this story makes me wonder if the same thing could happen to us even though we are legally married in the eyes of the law under the Kingdom of the Netherlands? I don’t believe for a second that my parents would deny Dutchie anything, they know her, love her and have welcomed her into the family. However, there are couples from Canada, Belgium and Holland who travel to America and are married. What if anything happened while on vacation? Would America accept them as guardians and do what the partner feels is in the best interest of their spouse or would they call the next of kin?

It really makes me wonder… 

 Everyone is equal under the law, isn’t that how it goes? yeah…

gay marriage, glbt rights, Gay Marriage in America, Marriage in the Netherlands, Worldy Chatter, Patrick Atkins and Brett Conrad of Indiana

I got to wear my wedding dress again! We had to be in Eindhoven to have the end altered to the proper length and it was the only thing that needed alteration; I love it when it fits like a glove! It felt so good to wear it; I couldn’t help but feel like the prettiest girl in the world! The assistant helped me into it and aided me with my shoes so that I might stand on the podium for a half hour or so while she folded and pinned away the fabric.

The last time I wore it was three weeks ago and since then I have been working and riding my bike twenty kilometers five days a week. It actually fit a bit different since last I wore it, better actually. Around my waist and rib area, I had a little more breathing room and it looked slimmer on me. A girl cannot argue with that now can she! I was just glad it wasn’t so much so that they would have to take the top in for alteration too! Since I started losing weight over two years ago, it has not stopped! I have had to buy new clothes every summer and even replace some stuff in the winter because the weight has not settled down yet. I was nervous about the dress having a little too much room by the time the wedding comes. I still am as the wedding is still six weeks and two days away!

Dutchie couldn’t help herself, she had to take pictures of the event. All I wanted was one but there are six now sitting on the computer. She sat in awe once again while the assistant was hard at work. I think she was trying not to cry again while she drank her coffee and patiently waited. What else is there to do but watch while you wait and when she watches, she cries! I wonder how much it took for her not to.

Now, normally, the bridal shop does not do fittings on Saturdays. It is one of their busiest days for women who want to try on dresses. Mon-Fri is usually the appropriate time but we are coming from Hilversum an hour and a half away, we would both have to take the day off to do this but we were willing. It is our big day we reasoned yet the woman who helped us decided that despite company policy she would do the fitting on a weekend for us! Amazing and so kind of her to do isn’t it! Then she does another wonderful thing for us! Normally when you have alterations done you have to come back another day to pick up the dress. They don’t do alteration that same day, especially on a Saturday but she said that because we are coming so far they could do the alterations now and have it done in roughly two hours all we would have to do is stick around town for the time being. This saves another long drive! So we went out to the center of Eindhoven and shopped around and took in some sights while we waited. Three hours later, we were paying for the alterations and putting my wedding dress in the car!

The women at Ann & John are so kind and accommodating! They did all that for us simply because we were coming from Noord Holland when they are situated in Noord Brabant! We have my dress and some accessories for it in the house ready for six weeks and two days to come already! We promised them we would send pictures so they can see how lovely their dress worked out. They got to see pictures of what Dutchie will look like on our big day and can’t wait to see some pictures of us together! Six weeks and two days!!!

Wedding planning, worldly chatter, wedding dresses, Ann & John in Eindhoven

Thanks to handy directions on www.9292ov.nl and a little help from a Dutchman, I finally found the Consulate! Ik heb een vraagje. Ik zoek voor deze adres, waar is het alstublieft. Now my Dutch is a serious work in progress but Dutchies really do like it when you try, even if you do botch it up. Ik weet het niet maar… and he calls a co-worker who might know. He does! He tells me I am on Museumplein and to goes straight that way and it hangs to the left. Alles is Museumplein? Dat klopt. (that’s right) Hartelijk bedankt! (Thank you SO much!) I walk on and there was the American flag! I love Dutchies! Yesterday I had to deliver mail on my own bike and as I road past an intersection I dropped mail and this older woman called me and helped me load it back up! She was in her late 60’s I would gather and in the middle of this busy road assisted me in putting my mail in my bags while I balanced the bike! So sweet she was, really! She went on to tell me how I needed to get bigger bags to do this; the black bags aren’t big enough and doesn’t Selekt mail provide them. I am getting better with the conversing! I love Dutchies but I am losing track here.

I see the building and go around to see a line of about 15 people and rising. I go to the front and ask if this is all for the consulate. Of course it is was the reply. So I get to the end of the line and wait. You see, This line leads to a locked gate that is unlocked every time they let someone in. When no one is entering, it is locked. A security guard asks for people with passport issues to come forward. I am there for a civil affidavit so I get to bypass the now 20 some odd people. He unlocked the gate, let us pass and locked it again. We now entered a small overhang where we had to hand over our possessions for search and had to have the metal detector wand passed around us. We get our stuff back after the search and wait in another line. This one is to actually enter the building! Again, he asked for passport persons and told me to come with. He unlocked the door and let us through, locking it behind us. Once inside, we are in a little room where there is a booth with a woman behind it and shelving you might find at a hotel where they keep the keys and another door. The security guard searches my bag again and asks me if I have any electronics. Of course, I have a cell phone. Can I have it please, you will get it when you are through. He hands me a card and places my phone in one such shelf then tells me to go to booth 5 to the right and unlocks another door! He unlocks it so I can now enter the waiting area and booths then promptly locks it behind me. So much security its maddening!

So now that I am inside the Consulate I go to the booth and hand in my piece of paper. I need to redo it the kind woman with a southern accent says; I will get you another one. I fill it out and she processes it. I pay thirty US dollars at another window and wait. Another person calls me and tells me to raise my right hand. “Do you swear that the information you have provided for this affidavit is the truth to the best of your knowledge?” “I do” I then sign it, he signs it and stamps it and I am done! All this security for a piece of paper that took maybe ten minutes to get!

I then go to the door but find I cannot leave that way, I must take another one that leads me right back outside and I am standing in the overhang again but I don’t have my cell phone! I whip out the card and wait for the security guard to open the door I just went through and tell him I need my phone. He is aware but procedure states you get all electronics AFTER you leave the building. Are you kidding me! I have to leave the building just to get a phone. Fine, I wait another minute or so when he comes back, takes the card and leaves again only to return a moment later with my phone. All the while, he is locking and unlocking every time he needs to go in or out!

Now here is an interesting contrast. I was informed that I can get the seal I need in Den Haag and don’t have to send it to Albany! Great! I call the number given to me when I get back to Hilversum and am told that I can come in Monday through Friday between 8:30 – 12:30. Now, when we need stuff from government offices here in Holland, pertaining to Dutch stuff, all Dutchie has to do is one of two options. Call and explain what she needs where she is told how much and they will mail it or she walks right into the building with none of the stuff I just went through and gets it. I go to the Consulate and I get ALL this security and all Dutchie has to do is walk right in to her buildings! Very, very big difference! I will be going to the Ministry of Justice on Monday to finally get the one piece of paper that is preventing our marriage. We can then go to the town hall here in Hilversum, hand it in and get married in September!

I just had to tell you of my little venture into Amsterdam today! I had to mention the drama that goes on just to get in one building!

American Consulate, Affidavit of Civil Status, Worldly Chatter, Amsterdam, Museumplein

What a weekend! It was my birthday on Sunday and I turned 27 but that wasn’t the only thing that made my weekend! As you know, we went to Eindhoven to see about a wedding dress. Dutchie booked a hotel room so we could relax for the day and then head to Den Haag in the morning. We checked in and with our little map headed to the bridal shop. There is something giddy about trying on a wedding dress or two. You feel like a princess and feel as though you are the luckiest woman on earth! The assistant helping us pulled out some dresses out for me to try on according to the style we were looking for and our budget.

The first one I liked, I liked it a lot actually but it would have to have been altered at the waist because it was nice and smooth up top but out of nowhere my hips sprung out and it reminded me of those Elizabethan style dresses where its tight up top and flares dramatically at the waist. We put that aside because I stilled really liked it and tried on the second one. The assistant undressed me and dressed me again. I walked out of the changing room feeling like a beautiful princess! Dutchie was sitting and her mouth just dropped when I came out! She was actually speechless! A rare occasion I assure you! It looked perfect, it felt great and I was in love with this dress! It was THE dress for me to wear on our day though the assistant still had a dress out she wanted me to try. I really didn’t want to take it off though I grudgingly had her undress me and dress me again in another dress. I wasn’t crazy about the third one, it was too straight and very formal. We took it off and put the second one back on! It was THE dress and now we needed to have another look and talk about what we would do as far as accessories and what have you. The assistant grabbed a sheer shawl and I placed it loosely around my shoulders and my wrists with a bouquet of flowers in my hands, she places some flower clips in my hair and I was in heaven! Dutchie was still speechless but nodded a lot that this was perfect and she cried! We ended up getting the dress and the shawl and was done in two and a half hours. I have to go back there in three weeks with the shoes I picked out after to have the end measured and hemmed slightly. The waist and chest area was perfect and the only thing needing alteration is the bottom, shorten it slightly.

We left the bridal shop giddy as schoolchildren! I had a dress for our wedding! We headed to the center of Eindhoven and continued our shopping. We found my shoes there and found Dutchies pants suit in Eindhoven. This suit is beautiful, this gorgeous coat and pants that flattered Dutchie beautifully. With her figure as a body builder she has broad shoulders with a tiny waist but with this jacket it all comes together smoothly! Though because she does have broad shoulders the coat was a different size than the pants she needed so the jacket is from Eindhoven but the pants are being sent to us from Zwolle. We then found the perfect tp to go under the jacket! My god she is beautiful! And to top it all off she is wearing heals! This body builder has rather girlie shoes! But my goodness the whole thing looks amazing!

We spent the night in Eindhoven, having a great dinner and Dutchie spoiling me with a bubble bath and a body massage. In the morning we had breakfast and headed to Den Haag. Happy birthday to me! We went to the center and started on more shopping but this time with some accessories and more shoes we went to a jewelry store to look at wedding rings. I tell you this weekend was perfect! We found THE pair for us! These rings are bi-colored, small and perfect! As soon as we tried them on we knew, we just knew these were for us! My ring will have Dutchies name and our wedding date and Dutchies will have my name and date. We paid for them and will be picking them up in three weeks or so, they have to be resized slightly.

Now that was the best birthday gift! Finding our wedding rings and having all this stuff coming together for our wedding day is the best birthday gift!

So, this is where we are as far as the wedding goes.

The wedding is taking place in Hilversum and we have the place booked. We booked our car which is coming from Amersfoort and the photographers are coming from Huizen. My dress and shoes are from Eindhoven as well as Dutchies jacket but the pants going with it are coming from Zwolle. Our wedding rings, paid for, are from Den Haag as well as Dutchies shoes. Thus far, it looks like our wedding is coming from all over Holland! Some of the accessories are from Den Haag and some from Eindhoven. Yet all of this has been so much fun! Planning and putting this all together is a wonderful experience! Its my wedding and I don’t just want the day to be perfect and have the best day but I want to enjoy the experience of planning it and putting it together too.

Dutchie not only spoiled me in Eindhoven for my birthday but also got me a basket for my bike as well as saddlebags and then bought me some clothes. She has fabulous taste in clothes so I wasn’t scared at all! Two tops and three pairs of Capri’s and I loved it all. Her sister and mom gave me a new journal and a really nice pen to go with it. I have a slight obsession with pens and am always in the market for a new book to write in so it was perfect! This weekend has been amazing! Absolutely amazing and am slightly sad that its over already. I went to work and chatted about my weekend with a co-worker as I was giddy and I couldn’t stop thinking about it!

wedding plans, wordly chatter, wedding dresses, wedding rings, birthday wishes

Well, it is settled! We have a photographer for our big day and a car to get us there and back! Ok, technically, we have two photographers; they work as a team and get different angles and more pictures. They came to our house today to show us more of their work and discuss what we wanted. www.fotofrank.com is the site. It is in Dutch but you get the idea! The portfolio they brought with them was beautiful! They take great pictures in motion and still. They had one picture that was rather neat, a picture of the hubcap with a reflection of the couple in it. We picked our package and talked about how it was going to work that morning. When they would come and all that jazz. The car and they will be here at the house at 9:30 and the click happy couple will start taking pictures of our wedding then. After the wedding, itself we will have a photo session and the lunch we will have after. Overall, it was a really productive day! We chose the car and Alex talked to them today, a confirmation will be coming and the paper work to go with it.

A slight change in plans for the weekend as well. We were supposed to go to a theme park for my birthday on Sunday but the weather has been rotten and will continue to be rotten on Sunday. So we are still going to Eindhoven on Saturday to pick out a wedding dress and on Sunday we are going to Den Haag to pick out wedding rings! Oh, the excitement is boiling over in my tummy! Butterflies everywhere I tell you! I am so excited about the rings! It is customary here in Holland for the rings to be engraved, I would have Dutchies name, our wedding date engraved inside, and she would have my name and date. I am absolutely loving this!

The closer we get the more I get excited and the more I freak about everything getting done on time! I can’t help it really! I know it will be fine and all will be done and the day will go on beautifully but still. During the day, while at work I think about it and chat about it with a coworker of mine. It is constantly brewing around some part of my brain! I am getting married, simply cannot help it!

wedding plans, fotofrank, Trouwauto’s-Trouwservice H van Noordenburg, worldly chatter, Photographers, drivers, weddings

Two months will be here sooner than I think and there is so much to do! I spoke with my father and emailed my brother. They both are wondering about lodging; where would be the best place to stay? We live in Hilversum and that’s about a half hour from Amsterdam. Should they stay where we are or should they stay there in Amsterdam? One thing that has come up in conversation is driving or train. I am a fan of the train; I have to hop on one tomorrow to get to the consulate in Amsterdam. Yet if I and Dutchie have to either meet up there or have them meet back here it is going to get mighty expensive on both our parts and we are not the richest in Hilversum! Brother is trying to figure out where to stay so he can book his flight, there are many deals with hotel and flight combos but one has to know where to stay so they can book right? I have to call him again as well as other family members so we can figure this out. Brother really wants to book now, its usually cheaper than waiting to the last minute.

On Wednesday we have a photographer coming to our home after work to look at his work and talk about our wedding. Saturday is the day we drive to Eindhoven to look at wedding dresses and we need to go from their figure out what Dutchie will be wearing. Flowers also have to be taken care of and since we want them to match what we are wearing that is also waiting until after we get back from Eindhoven. We still need to plan a day to Den Haag and we are waiting to hear back about two places we were interested when it came to transportation on our big day.

I have to remember to talk to the Mrs. of the house over at my father’s home as well as my brother and see if I can get a hold of my sister. I need to talk to my father again so we can finally get something going. I fear these two months will fly by and I will be standing there a week before the wedding going ‘did we get everything done? Is everything taken care of? What about this!?” I fear I may freak when that last week comes. I do not want to but I am sure that a good old fashion freak fest will happen and Dutchie will be standing there trying desperately to calm me down. We have four people from my family coming and it all has to go smoothly. Arg, the freaking is already starting!

worldly chatter, wedding plans, flights and hotels

Oh my word, there is so much going on it is almost maddening! Today Dutchie called her father; both he and his wife will be attending our wedding making Dutchie giddy and lighter than air all morning long! Her mom, who cannot attend due to health reasons, still wants to be a part of it any way she can. As a wedding present to us both, she is paying for our car rental for our day. We have decided to go with the Volkswagen Beetle! Dutchie has made inquiries about it today and we should hear something soon. Next weekend we are going to Eindhoven to look at wedding dresses for me! This will likely be an all day affair and I cannot wait! There was a pantsuit that looked positively stunning on Dutchie that we are hoping is still available. That was here in Hilversum. If not we shop around until we find something perfect for her.
There really is so much to do! We have to go to Den Haag where we saw a few jewelry stores that had wedding rings we really loved! Prices were right and they were stunning to say the least. This will be another all day affair so we have to plan a Saturday to do this. Another inquiry must be made about flowers and inquiries have been made about a photographer we liked. Then there is Dutchies son who needs something to wear and a position in the wedding. He is too young to be a witness but want him to be a part of it in some way. We have been tossing the idea of the ring bearer so we shall see how he likes the idea!

This is by no means a formal tuxedo occasion here. Most of Dutch weddings are on a more casual side. Dutchie has had me watch this television show where Dutch weddings are preformed. You can see different styles and what really happens at a wedding here. Some have church services and some don’t. The church service weddings are where you find your more formal weddings but that isn’t always the case either. I have to inform my father and brother that a suit with tie optional is appropriate attire for our day.

There is also the trip I must make on Tuesday to Amsterdam. I have to have an affidavit of my marital status in America to get married to Dutchie. The IND have my original and won’t give it up so now I have to take a train to Amsterdam, get another affidavit and then have it sent to Albany so it has the seal of approval. Then I must give it to the Town Hall here in Hilversum where they will be happy little campers and allow our wedding to continue! This of course requires American dollars! I deal in Euros here and the last time I actually dealt with dollars was last year. Fun stuff to be had because I also have to enclose $20 for Albany so they can seal it and send it back in a timely manner.

There are accessories to get after we get our clothes, appointments for our hair and gobs more to do! Dinner for our party after the wedding is also a must and the list goes on and on! Yet I don’t mind at all! Bring it on! I am getting married!

Wedding plans, Dutch weddings, Amsterdam, worldly chatter, to do lists