Worldly Chatter

Oh Gods have mercy upon me! I work four days this week before we go to NY, still managing 32 ½ hours, if I don’t stay later again! My key goes to my fellow American friend who works at Subway too. Of course I get it back when I return in two weeks. The Boss likes how he works and feels he could fill my shoes while I am gone. I almost don’t want to leave work, almost. I am going to miss so much in those two weeks. Really, I didn’t work this weekend and when I came in this morning the upstairs was completely different and the basement was a mess! But like I said, almost.

We are going to NY in four days! I only work until three on Thursday and our flight takes off Friday at 9 in the morning! If you have traveled before then you know all that goes into this even before you arrive at the airport!

Tickets, passport, license, and any hotel or car rental paperwork you might have; is it in your carry on or purse? Might not be going anywhere without that!
Cannot forget to take care of the packing! Clothes and toiletries; accessories are a must! Yet you also have to keep in mind the weight limit the airport might have on suitcases. You go over you will be sure to pay a fee.
Take care of the trash and any foods that might go bad while you are gone. I would hate walking in the door to that!
Never forget to turn off anything that needs to be shut off or locked.
Take care of all pets and what might go on with them. (Simple for me, I don’t have any at the moment!) Some have people house sit, babysit or put them in a kennel for the duration of their leave. If you like bringing them with make sure you have that squared away.
Where is the car going? Is it in the drive or at the airport? Ours is staying at the airport. Sweet deal and its safe.
Are you on medication? Do you have enough for your stay? If you do, will you have a day or two supply until you can get more?
I plan on doing laundry Wednesday night after work so that on Thursday when I pack, I have every possible article of clothing I could possibly want. Kind of goes with packing but you would be surprised how many people don’t do laundry before they go and then sit there with an empty suitcase complaining they don’t have anything to wear.

Just a small list but it’s enough to get you going for an afternoon or entire day! It all depends on how efficient and organized you are. Since we recently got married we have on our list wedding photos for the family, our little trouwboekje and we also have little gifts for some people. We cannot forget the requests we have had for little trinkets and foods we can bring over!

Well, this little list is definitely keeping me and Dutchie busy on top of our work hours! Happy travels and good luck packing!

traveling, New York, Travel Check list, Vacation check list, 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

I think my father had a field day while he was here in Holland. My father, being a World War II buff, HAD to see Arnhem while he was here. A bridge too far, I hope it rings a bell to people here. Operation Market Garden wasn’t a bright spot during the war and people have been studying the operation, writing about it and of course, making movies on it. Now I have been getting into the war, history wise, but it is slow and I am by no means an expert on it. My appreciation for history in the past hasn’t involved the war; rather it was more ancient histories and religious history. So this is new and fascinating territory for me and when my dad came we went traveling and I got to learn a great deal about the war from him and the scenes right in front of our faces!

We traveled to Arnhem on a Sunday by train and got there just as the town was waking up around noon. After a little confusion, I purchased some maps and we were off to find the John Frost Bridge! If ever you are in the neighborhood to see War sites, might I recommend the maps? Not only are they helpful but particularly in Arnhem, you need them! The six of us were actually attempting to find the bridge via usage of the street signs. Here in Holland there are street signs everywhere. Traffic signs, street signs and signs to help you find landmarks and what have you. Such a huge tourist attraction and landmark, there were signs for the bridge. Don’t do that, EVER, in Arnhem. In any other town this is fine! In Amsterdam, den Haag, those signs work wonderfully, but here, it just takes you way out of the way and in circles! We sat down to drink some coffee and use the maps to find it ourselves.

Once we got there it was pretty neat. My dad bellowed that he was on his bridge and read the plaques and snagged some pictures of different stuff in the area to pay tribute to the battle. However, the really fascinating stuff about the battle came from Oosterbeek where the museum sits. It is actually the Hartenstein Hotel where the Allies set up base in Oosterbeek to control the men going into Arnhem. When you first arrived there were tanks and cannons to greet you. From there you went into the hotel to begin your tour. You can find everything in English and Dutch including the video they show to tell you of the battle and the significance of the place and Market Garden. As you go through the rooms you see documents, weapons, personal effects and other items pertaining to the troops as well as the operation. It was a learning experience I shall not soon forget. I tell you, it was one hell of a history lesson for me! To actually see, touch and hear about this battle from a military and historical point of view as well as a personal point of view was intense and enlightening. Yet we did one other thing before leaving Oosterbeek. We went to the Arnhem war cemetery that was a 15 minute walk from the museum. There you had older men walking through crying. It was a moving experience. These men we saw there had to be in their eighties or nineties and one stood somber looking while another was simply crying. As the six of us walked about you saw mainly British troops but there was also a section dedicated to the Polish men who fought alongside them. If you stand in the middle of the yard, you get swallowed in all the crosses and you begin to feel rather small among them.

The feeling didn’t change when we went to Amsterdam and went into the Anne Frank house. No pictures are allowed and there are times where you can hear a pin drop it is so silent in there. Some of the rooms had that silence while a couple had little televisions to show you interviews with Otto Frank and other survivors. You wanted to crawl in a hole and cry when you walked through what they hid in! You read the book as children, or adults, and you think you understand but in reality you can’t, not until you stand in that little room Anne had to share! You don’t get it until you see the tiny kitchen where they cooked and ate all eight of them. It was an experience I personally don’t want to do again. It is only a house but you know what happened and when you stand there, you can picture it all! It was a bit much for me. I am glad I went and recommend everyone to go because to never forget you need to see it and feel it but it isn’t something I plan on doing again.

When Dutchie and I were in Limburg for our honeymoon we were driving around our first day, just checking it out when we stumbled on an American Cemetery and Memorial, an odd thing to see in Holland so we followed the signs we saw and found it near Maastricht. What it is is a tribute to all the Americans who sacrificed their lives in the attempt to liberate the Netherlands. There is a massive monument to honor these men and two walls on either side. On this wall is a list of every single man who died in the Netherlands in the fall of 44. It is immense and overwhelming as you read some of the names and which state they were from. It also has the story of what happened and maps of the plans and routes taken in a little open room to the left of the monument. It goes into great detail about Market Garden and what happen once the men were dropped. It also explains in a little chapel behind the monument why this is all here in Holland and why it that location. Of course I read every detail, it is in both English and Dutch, and was moved that the Dutch and Americans came together to pay tribute to those men who tried to free the Dutch and didn’t live to see its liberation.

Overall it was an amazing experience, walking through history like that. I thoroughly enjoyed that I got to share some of it with my father; it is something we have in common and can enjoy together. There is still much to see, I am sure but that is for another excursion!

World War 2 sites in Holland, Oosterbeek, Arnhem, Limburg, Worldy Chatter, World War 2 Memorials in Holland, Operation Market Garden, A bridge too Far

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

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

Today is the first day of the three-day affair that will take over parts of Amsterdam! It is one of the biggest gay pride parades and festival on the globe and it is a blast! Gays and straights alike join in for the parties and canal parade and it can go on until the wee hours of the morning! My first gay pride was last year in Amsterdam and it was Dutchie, myself and another couple we knew who met up and had dinner together, partied and drank until the last train took us home! And trust me on this, you see all walks of life when you are there. You could see families with their children, gay, lesbian, transgendered, and everything imaginable in between. There were some interesting clothing choices and the canals showed off everything everyone had to off! There were stands and booths for services for AIDS prevention as well as counseling and advice. Bars and clubs were hopping and live music with little stands serving Heineken was everywhere! What a blast! It wasn’t just a means for us to show ourselves off, flaunt it and demand the things gays and lesbians have been trying to get for years now. It was also a means for the outside world to see a bit of us and how we really are. Not all of the festivities is flamboyant and full of drama queens with butchie women tough in their tanks and military cuts, it was also a sense that we are just as everyone else is. You really could see in some parts of the festivities that they wanted people to see we aren’t evil, that we have culture, history and class.

Dutchie and I are unable to attend this year’s event. We originally intended it, booking a room in Amsterdam for two nights and made plans with some friends. Yet with Dutchie sick and making other plans for Ridderkerk and Den Haag we had to cancel the reservations and inform our friends we weren’t able to make it. Other stuff came up of more importance. Yet this will not deter me from informing you of it and linking you to this year’s big weekend!

Another thing that has been going on in Dutch life is that Dutch embassies situating in several countries where it is in good relations, gives aid is pushing to change legislation in countries where gay, and lesbians are beaten, exiled or executed based on who they are. They want to put their influence into practice and try to stop the current legislation stating homosexuality is illegal, taking inventory of every country and law it currently sits in, which is 36 and of that 18 currently hold such legislation. I hope it does some good and works to save those who suffer far worse than I can possibly imagine. (article here

Picture Property of www.amsterdamgaypride.nl

gay pride, worldly chatter, Amsterdam gay pride, glbt community, gay and lesbian news

Edam and Volendam; Delft, Den Haag and Scheveningen. These are two days of touristy stuff for the family coming over for our wedding! Since Edam and Volendam are close together, tourist hot spots and Edam was mentioned as a must see we are making these two towns a one day trip. Same as Delft, Den Haag and are going to try and squeeze in Scheveningen. They are only here for a week and while Holland is small, it isn’t THAT small! There really is so much to see and we want them to get in as much as they can but I fear they will need another trip to get more!

They plan on staying three days in Amsterdam so that’s all set. Amsterdam is definitely a few days kind of town. Dad wants to go to Arnhem, more like a need, and that’s a bigger town with a lot of history and stuff to see so that will be a day trip all on its own. Dutchie has been home sick so tomorrow after her blood work is done she is looking up museums in Arnhem and trying to put together a rough sketch of what will happen when they land in a month and a half! She is so stoked about showing them her country and I can’t help it but be right in there with her on the excitement! I call this home and now I can show off all I know, and don’t know, and what I love about here! Its great stuff!

Imagine you have a friend coming over from another country, you would want to show off your home and squeeze in all you can right? Well, that’s what we are trying to do. Not sure it will work but we are determined to try! Dutchie is so excited about showing off Den Haag and I just want them to see all the neat stuff I saw! The palace where the queen is, the government and even the museums, there really is a lot to Den Haag!

They will stay four days in Hilversum when they arrive and that’s the place they plan on staying is around the corner from our home so it’s perfect. They will be at our wedding! I still can’t get over that part! Must plan! Must, must, must!

planning a trip in Holland, worldly chatter, Netherlands, Amsterdam

What a day! Saturday Dutchie took me to the Efteling, was to be a birthday gift but due to a few factors, we were unable to go on my birthday. Just fine by me because for one, the weather was absolutely perfect for the trip and really, does it matter when you go so long as you have a good time once you do? The Efteling is a 55-year-old fairy tale theme park! The first thing we did was go through the enchanted forest where we saw Snow White, Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and the story where the wolf eats all but the baby goat and so many more! You are walking through all the stories you heard as a child. There were a great many I had never heard of and had a ball learning about them, seeing them in action and having Dutchie shake her head that I didn’t know them! This is Holle Bolle Gijs! He is the bottomless pit who says “Papier Hier!” and then Dank je well when you feed him trash!

We stopped to chat with Momma Dutchie and send a post card to my mom. Dutchie bought a hat and we were off for the rides! The carrousel was the first ride, a water ride that left half of me dry and the other half a sopping mess! We went on the Volk van Laaf, (Laaf are much like dwarves) and it takes you on a journey of who they are and how they came to live at the Efteling. Vogel Rok, Bird Rok, is a ride into the darkness as he flies past the equator and over the rainbow! There was a wonderful 3-D show called PandaDroom, Panda Dream and see Mother Nature, her world, how beautiful it is, and how we are harming it. You see the animals alive, feel the water and wind and at one point, they even have a tree collapse over us to show even more effect as they chop down trees! We went on the hunt for the train station to take a train ride through the park only to find out there were two stops and we were actually near it before we set out across the park for the only one we did know of! There was a concert with Dutch bands and singers to entertain the kiddies, we went on a mini hike and went rowing! Now that was interesting! Aside from white water rafting, I have never actually rowed a day in my life and when I did go white water rafting I had three other people helping me with the direction of the raft. This time I had Dutchie laughing her butt off at me while I tried in desperation to get the boat to go in the direction I wanted! Whether it was one oar or two, I tried to steer it to see a building that had caught my eye. Dutchie filmed it on her phone and at some point actually decided to help only to bump into three other rowboats in the water! (don’t listen to her, she will tell you it was their fault!)

There were a few rides neither Dutchie nor I would go on such as Pagode; a viewing station that goes up, up, and up until you can see the whole park from the top! Not only does it go so high to see the entire park it also turns so you can get the whole 360 view! I do not think so! The other was a wooden roller coaster, Pegasus and I wasn’t going there. I remember going on a wooden roller coaster at Lake Compounce in CT and that was freaky. I hated it so I wasn’t going there again. There was however a ride I was going on that Dutchie wouldn’t because of her neck; the Python! Dutchie waited while I waited on line and went on this awesome ride that gives you such a rush of excitement and adrenaline! Whoa! You go through loops, actually go at an angle and feel as though you are sideways about to fall out! Amazing stuff! We checked out the concert for a minute or so, checked out the other sights and overall had a great time! There was one ride I was so stoked to go on however and this merits a bit of attention. De Vliegende Hollander, The Flying Dutchman; commercials here have been advertising it for this seasons newest attraction and I was gearing up for it! Now previously, three weeks ago, the ride broke down and was out of service for a few days, not a good way to start your first season but it was up and running and I was ready! It was later in the evening, after I had gone on the Python when Dutchie noticed the line had grown substantially. I didn’t want to wait on that line so we were going to go on the Carnaval Festival and go back to it, closer to closing time. Well, throughout the park, they have boards next to park maps that tell you how long the waiting time is for each ride and Dutchie notices that De Vliegende Hollander has broken, again! Well scrap that idea! In three weeks, this thing has broken down twice! I got to check out the décor for the ride, see how they made the ship and all that but the ride itself, not going to happen this time around. Bugger! The Carnaval Festival is a ride that takes you through all the these characters and scenes throughout the world! Holland, Germany, England, Scotland, Japan and more. I had a serious brain fart and made the mistake of taking Italy for Paris, huge duh moment I blame on the fact that we were on the go since seven in the morning and it was nearing ten. It was a relaxing ride to end the day! After the ride, we were heading back to the entrance when we saw that De Vliegende Hollander was open again but with a 55 minute wait. Maybe I will go next time; depending on how many times it breaks down. We had a ball the entire day! We were there from 11am until 10pm! We took the train in so Dutchie wouldn’t have to drive home which worked out great. We got a little figurine of Langnek, one of the original mascots of the park, for our home, I got a logbook of the Flying Dutchman. I wanted it because one, I love new books to write in and two, I need something to show for my sea worthiness! I rowed! I did fairly well and have earned the title fairly good sea worthy woman of the Efteling!

worldly chatter, De Efteling, Hollands Amusement park!

An interesting news piece for those traveling to the US: According to the associated press, Congress plans to create a non-profit organization to help promote travel to the US. This organization would not only promote travel to the US but also clear up any misperceptions about US travel policies. It would work with other agencies on fixing visa policies and entry processes that discourage visits. Since 9/11 tourism has dropped, as was expected, however, it hasn’t stopped going down.

JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer “The global pie of international travel is steadily increasing, while the U.S. share has been slowly decreasing,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the Travel Industry Association.
Visits from the six countries that provide the most tourists — Britain, Japan, Germany, France, South Korea and Australia — have dropped 15 percent since 2000 while travel from those six to other countries was up a robust 39 percent.

Interesting isn’t it that these countries will go elsewhere rather than go to America. I am going to fill you in on something. There isn’t much in way of misperceptions when it comes to entering America. All the scary stuff people hear really does happen.
Take for example two people who want to enter the country for a vacation, they fill out the proper forms and hand them in to customs. They are average people with no record of any kind but banned from entering the country. How can that be? Well, when families enter the country they fill out visa wavers and other forms stating they are traveling together and they are in fact a family. Yet these two people were two men who happened to be gay and married according to their country’s laws. The US does NOT acknowledge gay marriage therefore the form they filled out was wrong, they are not a family, and they are not married and therefore cannot enter.

Your landing at JFK all stoked to be on solid ground and ready to conquer it all! It is vacation time! You have been to America before so nothing is new to you. You hand in your paperwork and hand over your passport but there is a problem. The last time you entered the country you forgot to hand in your visa waiver! According to the system, you have been in America for four years now! However, how can that be since the ONLY way to get to the booth you are currently standing in front of is from the landing area where your plane is still sitting on! There is NO way to enter the area from the rest of the airport unless you are personnel. Therefore, you stand there and explain what happened. You tell them you have just landed; you left America and went back to your country. You have an employer, friends, and family who can vouch for your existence there. Ye gods, why would you want to stay; you are beginning to think to yourself! Meanwhile, though all the explanation and proof of you leaving the man behind the overly tall booth belittles you, harasses you and treats you like a common criminal! Right next to you is a man who is in shackles because he did not have the right work visa therefore being deported. The fact that your English sounds like that of a native is another thing crawling under his skin so he nags at you about that. ‘Sounds like you have been here a nice while’, never mind the fact that other nations speak English and rather well, he pushes the issue and wants to know how you learned to speak English so well if it isn’t your mother tongue. ‘Do you want to end up like that guy? You better start cooperating. If you aren’t careful you will end up like that.’ While he points to the deportee in shackles. ‘Are you married?’ Yes. ‘Where is your husband then?’ Back at home. ‘Why are you traveling alone then?’ The drama goes on for some time, nagging, harassing, belittling and staring you down until you feel like you should be on the floor! Proof of your ability to take care of yourself financially is necessary. Prove you were in your place of birth! Drivers license, passport, bankcards from homeland all done within a year are not good enough proof. Where are your receipts! No, you don’t empty your wallet before vacation! No receipts, incites more aggravation and belittling from the man in the tall booth. Finally after a good hour or so with the man behind his booth, staring you down and showing he is boss, lets you through. Only because a nice man who was also on your flight (most likely a sky marshall) came to your aide and told the official that you were actually on the flight that just landed in New York. What a way to start your stay in American huh?

Well, the first story is factual. It actually made news it was that dramatic of an affair. The second story that is actually Dutchies second time into America. Her third trip was a doozy too because even though her name was cleared they still felt it necessary to bust her balls a bit more.

I tell you this because our government feels the drop in tourism. It is slipping more and more and these stories are just some of the reasons why. Rules change, some countries need visas to enter while others don’t. They interrogate you if you don’t breathe right. It is a mess. The last time Dutchie and I entered America went all right but it wasn’t a ‘welcome to America and enjoy your stay’ atmosphere. You feel like you are guilty of something when you land. How is that going to bring people wanting more? Those misperceptions they want to clear up, they might want to realize that they are facts, not misperceptions and do something about it so people will WANT to come to America and bring their money.

worldly chatter, tourism in the US, travel to the US, visa waivers, getting into America

As I said yesterday, because of the zomertoer through the NS, we were able to have a little adventure anywhere in Holland we wanted after our trip to Den Haag. Since we had to head back to Leiden, anyway we decided to stay a bit and take in some sights! It was a rather wet and dreary morning but that did not deter us from having our fun! We stopped to enjoy the views along their canals, I love windmills for some odd reason, so we had to stop at each one we came across! There is also the Marekerk, Lodewijkskerk, Pieterskerk and the Hooglandsekerk that we stopped at; kerk is church. I am fascinated with churches, I find them beautiful, moving in some cases and every time I go in one I think of my grandmother and light a candle for her. We only went into one, sad to say, but a couple was locked and another one was in the middle of cleaning and I didn’t want to interfere. There are more churches in Leiden, we just didn’t hit them all.

We stopped for some coffee and was a tad disappointed when we had it. We stopped at a Subway, yes we have a handful in Holland, and thinking the food was good and its Holland so the coffee would be good we had some. No, it was not, probably due to the imported splenda we used. Don’t do that. Just drink Dutch coffee with Dutch milk and sugar and you will have a beautiful cup every time! Anyway, the weather warmed so we walked some more, picked up a post card for my mom and had some lunch.

After lunch it got rather interesting; well, for me anyway! We aquired some tourist pamflets while purchasing our post card and one had a map. This map had a red dot right in the middle of it. A green patch and a red dot in the middle. Well, Dutchie was all inquisitive about this dot so on the hunt we went! We followed the street signs and map thinking we would see it at any moment, Dutchie getting more and more excited about finally knowing what this dot was! Mind you, she can be a child sometimes and was literally seeking out a red dot in the middle of Leiden! Shes a ball to hang out with when she gets in her childish, I want to have fun moods, you ALWAYS laugh!
We bumped into an old orphanage and then the Hooglandsekerk. Quite a sight to see such old preserved buildings! The history at your finger tips is amazing! But Dutchie says we have gone too far! You see, we were walking and I pointed out a street sign. Dutchie couldn’t find it on the map so in her infanite wisdom said it was wrong, the street simply did not exist! Well, now we have gone too far and we backtrack our steps and come right back to the street that doesn’t exist but wait a minute… Dutchie takes another look and what do you know, it exists after all! We take it and find the green patch first. You look up and there is the ‘red dot’, De Burcht! A circular fort built centuries ago to aid in the protection against the Rijn River. Dutchie stood with pride at the gate with her finger on the red dot, she had found it!

After roaming about and taking in one last cup of coffee we headed back to the station where Dutchie, and her wisdom to guide her, decided she was going to play point and pick a platform! Which ever platform she picked, that’s the town we were going to! Well, she picked and ran for the platform, up the stairs we went, though I went faster up, I wanted to know where we were going! I get up there and see Haarlem and Amsterdam Centraal. I opt for Amsterdam Centraal and we get on. What a way to pick your destination! Thanks to the NS and the zomertoer, we had such luxuries for Dutchie to point and pick!

We walked around, enjoying the warm sun until the rain poured down again. I showed her where the consulate was and how close I was to finding it when I first sought it out and got lost. We took some pictures and Dutchie took a few for a tourist then we headed back to the station once more. It was finally time to go home! We started at 7:59 and we finally arrived home at 7 in the evening! Den Haag, Leiden and Amsterdam in one day and it was a blast! Anyone who plans on coming during the summer months, definitely look into the zomertoer it is well worth it!

Amsterdam, I Amsterdam, MuseumPark, Leiden, Hooglandsekerk, Worldly Chatter, De Burcht, Den Haag, Holland

Absolute madness! That is what I have to say about my morning in Amsterdam. I had to go to the consulate to an affidavit of my single status in America. I need this so I can marry Dutchie, as you know. So, I take the 8:22 train this morning from Hilversum to Amsterdam Central and get there around 9:00. According to the site, I can take the 2, 5, 16 or 24 tram to get there. After going to two different money exchange places and an ATM on Damrak I saw the number 2 come in so I took that. I wanted to be there around 9:30 – 9:45 so I can actually get this done because the hours to do anything are from 8:30-11:30am.
I hop on, stamp my strippenkaart and take a seat. I go ALL the way to the end of the line! There wasn’t one stop for Museumplein throughout the whole ride! I get on the tram heading back and get off at Leidseplein knowing that Museumplein is nearby. This on its own has killed nearly 35 minutes of my morning mind you and I still had to head in the general direction of the consulate. I go that way and find myself at a money exchange place. I ask where to go and he tells me I have to continue to go straight and head towards the Museums but it would be easier if I waited for the 5 tram, it will stop right in front. I head towards the tram stop but see that only the 7 and 10 tram are coming this direction, it is now 10:30. I know I have an hour to figure this out so I have a smoke and wait, and wait and wait. Only the 7 and 10 trams have stopped here. Therefore, I head up again; following the kind mans directions and find myself between the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. Now, I know what you are thinking, this means I am close right! Museums mean Museumplein, your finding it girl!

That’s what you think!

I stop at one of those little souvenir stands that sells Van Gogh t-shirts and other such stuff and ask the woman tending it as to where I am to go, I know I have to be close after all. She states to go right and past the field, the Museum Park, and then right diagonally. All right, let’s do this! I go, looking for the consulate, I walk past the field and head right after that. I am starting to freak out here. I am not seeing it. I have now circled Van Gogh 3 times! I bump into some men who are cleaning and working in the park. They ask me what is wrong so I tell them I am lost; I need to get to the consulate. He tells me I am headed in the right direction, just keep taking this road all the way down and on the left will be the consulate. This calms me some. Only some mind you. It is pouring buckets here and I didn’t bring the umbrella. I go and do this where I end up on a street I have never seen before and further freak. I am actually now crying I am freaking so bad! Not only have I circled Van Gogh 3 times but I have also ended up on Leidseplein 4 times and have circled the entire length of the Rijksmuseum twice, circled the park 3 times I believe and have now found myself on a street I don’t know where is and still have not found the consulate! I walk up the street the kind workers said I was supposed to be on and look up and down for the consulate. No, nothing, nada, NIKS!

I walk back down the road and head back to the road I don’t know, there is a payphone there and a tram stop. Now, do you remember the cell phone I bought the other day? I bought twenty-euro worth of minutes with it; I just forgot to add it! So I have no minutes on my phone while I am lost, crying and freaking! I call Dutchie and she informs me there is no point in looking further, its 11:15. Bugger off! I took off work to do this and got nothing done!

I get on the tram and headed back to the station. I grab a sandwich and cappuccino before catching the train back to Hilversum.

You see, dear readers, I have the directional skills of a lamppost! I panic when I am lost despite my best efforts not to. I was supposed to have this done today and now have to go back next week. Dutchie has offered to go with and I feel bad because of it. I should be able to do this darn it all. Take the 2, 5, 16, 24 tram and get on Museumplein where the consulate will be.
American Citizen Services
U.S. Consulate General
Museumplein 19
1071 DJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Simple right? Uh huh, right…

American Consulate, Museumplein, Wordly Chatter, Directions, Amsterdam

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 wow, today was my first pay day after starting last Monday and with it I was able to pay off two bills! It feels so good to be working again! I got home from work this afternoon and went straight to the computer to check the account. There it was, Olympia had paid me at noon today! Now I should see a pay slip at some point this week for it, probably Friday I am guessing. It feels wonderful to be useful, productive and actually contribute to the household again! I know that the government forced me to wait while they processed me but it didn’t make me feel any better. I work, I enjoy bringing in money and having a full and productive day. Maybe I am crazy but either way I am a happy camper!

And since we are on the subject of money there are a few things I should tell you my fellow American readers. If you ever plan to make a trip or permanent stay here in Holland or anywhere else in Europe there are a few things you need to know. I have to have a chat with my father next week on this very thing so when he comes he is prepared. First off, I did not see a pay check, Holland does not deal with checks anymore. Dutchie has been working for a little under 18 years now and she has never seen a pay check, it automatically goes into her account. She can also recall her father working and getting the money directly deposited in the account, no check seen in the house. Everything is done electronically here so you cannot come and expect to pay with a check; most wouldn’t have ever seen one to know what to do with it!

When it comes to shopping in Holland there are two things one must remember; one, there is a cash machine nearly everywhere you go and you can find them attached to walls, geldautomat. The other is this, not everywhere accepts credit cards! Pin cards, or bankcards, are used at grocery stores and a good chunk of regular stores, no credit cards allowed. There will be a sign in the window as to which credit card is accepted. Mostly your major department stores, restaurants, though not all, that sort of thing. Dutchie and I either pin or pull money for our grocery shopping. We bought my bike with a credit card; see where I am going with this?

When Dutchie went to America she thought she would be able to pin everywhere she went, just like here but as you know, not all places allow you to pin! There is definitely a difference in not only currency but also how money is used and handled between the two continents. Master Card and Visa are the most popular here in Holland, American Express and Discover I rarely see. You can of course bring travelers checks with you; Amsterdam has close to ten cash exchange places on the Damrak, right before the Dam square and that is just one street!

My point in all this is simple. If you travel, talk to people or research the country and how it shops. Find out if you use bank, cash or credit when shopping and where. Find out what credit card are popular and how easy is it to cash a travelers check. My advice is do this in advance to get all your finances in order before you leave. I have to have this conversation with my father and step mother so when they come they are prepared. I know my father likes his credit cards but I fear the ones he is comfortable with, we don’t use here, or at least frequently enough to see it around town.

Happy travels and happy spending!

travel, money, payday, travelers checks, credit cards, worldly chatter, euro, dollar

I was chatting it up with Dutchie after I received my bike on some of the things one can find in, let us say, Amsterdam for tourists. What could I recommend to those who are interested in vacationing it in Amsterdam? Well for one, stop at the one of many tourist booths throughout the city and two is get a bike or a strippenkaart. You could easily find a bike rental place; you can even make reservations for bike rentals on line much like a hotel, car or flight. A strippenkaart is a strip with slots on it for stamps. When taking a bus or tram in any city in Holland you bring this card and either have the bus driver stamp it or punch it on a machine available on the bus. Each destination can cost you one, two or three slots to get you on your destination. What I find easy is this: if you are not sure of how many slots, have the driver stamp it for you. This and a bicycle is much easier driving in Amsterdam, or any city in Holland for that matter. Being an old country the city and residential areas were designed with bikes and feet in mind. In some of the much older cities such as Utrecht or Amsterdam, car traffic is bumper to bumper because the streets are so narrow. Newer cities such as Almere, only 30 years old, or Rotterdam, rebuilt after the Second World War, the streets are a bit wider but also one has to keep in mind another thing narrowing the already small roads: cyclists and pedestrians. There are bike paths and pedestrian paths on either side of the road, in most cases, so most of roads are one way. Its one-way country!

France, Belgium, the Netherlands or even Germany are older countries with cities developed in the age of horse and buggy, the first bicycles and when the automobile was a rich mans toy. Their buildings were closer together and the roads were narrower making it easier for more buildings and whatever else was needed to make a city flourish. Walking around Amsterdam or Utrecht I can tell you how narrow some side streets and main roads are! I can recall one side street where it would be too small for three people to walk side by side through it! These very same countries use cycling as a major mode of transportation to school, work and leisure. At any bike shop or tourist location, you can find a map of the city or country and a person there to give you the run down on how the bike roads work. They can get you back and forth in the city or recommend a great trail to take to get to know the countryside a bit better.

In my first week of getting to and from work, I have learned a lot about one-way streets, road signs, street signs and traffic lights. While riding in traffic, yielding and stopping I remember these things! One is there are ground markings, street signs and traffic lights; street signs trump ground markings and traffic lights trump street signs. The other is this; the bike is bigger than the pedestrian is and the car is bigger than the bicycle! It keeps me alive and traffic flowing! Now really I have to remember when I have to yield and when I have right away; I have to remember where my wheels can go and when I am off limits. I love that Holland is known for having the most traffic signs in all of Europe! It helps me to remember all this with little trouble!

So, if you are curious I have some links to guild you along your way. Some are for European travel and others are strictly the Netherlands. Check them out and plan your trip! Come see Germany, Holland and Belgium on two wheels. Travel like the French do and see the country of your favorite places!
First we have a site to show road signs in Europe. I know, common, but not all American cities have some of these.
European based cycling and backpacking Here and Here!
Here is a good article on Holland cycling on an idependent travel website and something Dutchie found of interest on Wiki here!
And finally, the kiddie exam I took before I headed on open road! (in Dutch)

backpacking in Europe, Cycling in Holland, Cycling in Europe, Netherlands, Worldly Chatter, bike tours, bike rentals

Germany has been up to a lot as of late when it comes to their World War 2 history. They do not want to hide the things they have done, rather they seem to want to embrace it. A couple of months ago I read about the underground tunnels existing under Berlin that were used during WW2 as well as the Cold War and how they want to open as many as they can for tourism, to finally see what is really under Berlin. Roughly, three hundred tunnels and bunkers exist under Berlin out of a thousand or so.
The Holocaust memorial is becoming an even bigger attraction than they imagined. Opened two years ago it is over two thousand concrete blocks covering the space of three football fields. Even with the slight growth in neo-Nazism in Germany over the years, vandalism isn’t something they contend with much to their surprise. It also contains a database of over 3.5 million known names of those who died under the regime.
Then there is the place where Hitler’s bunker used to be, about 100 meters away from the Holocaust memorial. It no longer exists yet still people flock to it yearly.
Yet the newest is the Berlin exhibition that focuses on the slave and forced labor from Poland. “Rememberance Preserved: Third Reich Slave and Forced Labour from Poland 1939-45″ and opens at the city’s Rote Rathhaus. In the Niederschoeneweide District it reminds everyone of the Polish, Czechs, Ukraine, Belorussian and Dutch men and women were deported to Germany and forced into labor in the three thousand camps located in and around Berlin.
With everything Germany has been doing in recent years to stop hiding it’s shameful past there are still many who do not trust the country, its people or the efforts it is making. Laws that have made it illegal to read certain materials or deny the holocaust put into place with much success. Yet World War 2 is still considered THE war despite the war going on now and there are still many who remember or who have family members who remember. It has been 62 years and there is still little trust. Germany can do so much to erase or attempt to undo its horrid past but with so many who do not trust the country or its people will it be another 60 years before trust and faith is restored? Maybe…
Regardless, one should never forget and if given the chance to go to Germany, go see the memorial, the tunnels and bunkers. You can see some of the camps that exist today but that is up to the individual. I personally do not see myself going to any such camp but would love to check out other WW2 sights as well as non-historical places of the city. I know my father plans on coming to Germany in years to come to see war sights as well as check out the restaurants and attractions. It seems the Germans themselves are trying to cope with the lack of trust as best they can and do fine despite it. People still come to their country for a vacation or to live so it’s getting somewhere.

Berlin, Germany, WW2, Holocaust Memorial, Berlin tourism