European Adventure 2005 Day 15

After enjoying a good breakfast, i said goodbye to the marvelous staff at Schimmelpenninck Huys and thanked them for providing me with beautifully charming accommodations, excellent service, best Wifi connection (even better than the Wifi @ the businessman hotel i stay at in Utrecht) and friendly smiles.
i loaded my bags in my rental car parked in the nearby garage and having another 3 hours of parking time to my credit, i walked into town in search of the Klompen Zaal Leatherwear on Oude Ebbingestraat. i easily found the shop, but no klompen... only lots of nice leather jackets and coats. i did find a discount shoes shop just up the street and found nice clogs with wooden soles and leather uppers... too bad they only had my size in white (eeks, not a fan of white footwear!). but, since my clogs are about 15 years old and quite worn, i bought a pair of the white ones for a reasonable €14 with the thought of trying to dye them black when i'm back home. good luck, eh?! lol
anyway, I proceeded to the busy shopping district hoping to find brown or black clogs in my size, but found no clogs in any of the shops...
BUT, i did find some real wooden klompen in one of the shops. (ok, i guess all the wooden klompen are really tourist items, but, hey, where do the old-timer Dutch guys get their real klompen??) the klompen in my size were priced at €27. i remembered that the klompen i saw at the cigarette kiosk when i first arrived Groningen were exactly like these, but only €16....


heheheee, so i went to the kiosk on the town centre square and i now have my long-wished for Dutch wooden shoes... quite stylish, eh!? B-)
:D
This is what the tag on the klompen says...
"Certificate of Genuineness
Wooden shoes as protection, for men and women sizes. Inspected in the prescribed way 89/686/EEG Institute:0336. Produced in accordance with the Dutch Wooden Shoes Association (NVK)
The Dutch have worn wooden shoes since the 13th century. Thanks to the orthopedic form wooden shoes support your feet. Especially for children this is important. Hygenic, fresh air around your feet and the wood absorbes perspiration. Thanks to the natural ventilation of wood, cool in summer and warm in winter, a good insulation. Wooden shoes are safe; your feet are protected on all sides by the wood.
Attention: risk of slipping."

btw, even though rather clunky and making my feet look quite large, klompen are surprisingly very comfortable :)

after feeling content with finding clogs and klompen, i had an espresso-for-the-road and said tot ziens to Groningen. i found my way to the highway without any problem and began my drive back to Utrecht with good impressions of Groningen... a city of 179,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of which are students, blending city action with rural ambience and charm. there's so much nightlife and bustling activity of a city, but, yet, the warmth a small town.

the drive back south went smoothly and the weather was good... a bit of haze, but sunny and warm. saw lots of cows grazing and farmers working the fields in heavy farm equipment.

also, stopped along the highway to get a few photos of the modern windmills and what appears to be a huge dyke somewhere along the route A6. i'm guessing i stopped in Flevoland along the Merkermeer just south of the Noordoost Polder and IJsselmeer... i don't really know, but for many kilometres, i saw what must have been literally hundreds of the windmills turning in the strong wind.


btw, if you look closely at this photo (click on pic for closer view), you can see in the distance that maintenance work is being done on the huge dyke... teeheehee, guess that little Dutch boy i read about as a child who stuck his finger in the hole in the dyke to keep the water back has grown up and got himself a machine to make his job easier :p
:D

seriously, it's really very impressive and i could not help but to wonder at the ingenious technology and the Dutch ability to adapt to the conditions of nature.

so, i had a pleasant drive listening to Simple Minds' and Intwine's new CDs and seeing the sights along the highway from Groningen to Utrecht without incident....
until i exited the highway at Utrecht and got lost at the first roundabout. lmao, i spent a good hour backtracking and trying various combinations of exiting spurs on the 3 roundabouts between the highway and my Maliebaan hotel. at one point, i looked over and saw that i was almost within spitting distance from where i wanted to be, but i was in a neighborhood of narrow one-way cobbled streets and cul-de-sacs. aarrgghhhhh, driving in Holland is driving me mad!! lol

finally, found my hotel where i was rewarded with a very convenient parking spot only several metres from the front door :)
spent the evening enjoying a sandwich i bought at a nearby grocery shop and a large draft beer from hotel bar while catching up on emails. then, fell to sleep while watching BBC TV.

European Adventure 2005 Day 14

Today, the gameplan was to check out Groninger Museum and take a canal boat ride. so after sleeping through breakfast, again (heheehee, anybody noticing a theme here... sleep-get lost-beer-food-beer-sleep :p), i quickly looked at my town map to get a general sense of direction and set out to find the museum which is across the street from the central bus station & train station.
The day was sunny and warm and it was an easy walk... the way to Groningen Central Station is very well marked with signage so i had no trouble finding the Groninger Museum, a building of very modern architectural and colorful design.

BUT, what caught my eye and attention is Groningen Central Station... WOW! what a beautiful work of architecture is this grand old building. the train station is quite large and is stunning in its glorious brickwork which seemed to be enhanced by the newer, more sterile brickwork of the neighboring bus station. the area in front of Central Station is currently under construction, but still this does not take away from the beauty of the building. i was so intrigued that i found myself being pulled into the train station rather than the museum. i spent more than 2 hours just wandering around the busy station, having a cappucino in the brasserie and just sitting in the central lobby marveling in the intricate designs of the stained-glass windows, rich old polished woodwork and amazing muli-colored brickwork thinking that whoever designed this building was more than very talented architectural designer, but, also, a real artist in his/her own right.


This is a photo i made by tilting my head straight up at the ceiling as i sat in the lobby.... incredibly beautiful, but my simple camera does not do it justice!



After delighting in the glory of Groningen Central Station, i decided that i would walk along the canal rather than do the boat ride. so, i did a leisurely walk of the perimeter of central Groningen town following the main canal and doing exploratory side trips onto interesting-looking streets. i discovered the university area, many lovely residential areas and saw many many beautiful old boats harbored on the canal. there is one section of the canal that is a very congested with boats of all sizes, types and in various conditions of repair. it seemed like a little city of water dwellers... i got the impression many people lived year-round on their boats harbored there.
One large and well-maintained schooner named Zwadde, caught my interest and as i was admiring it, a man approached and boarded. i said hello and asked if he was the owner of the beautiful boat. he said yes and told me a bit about his ship (he prefers to call his classic seafaring vessel a ship rather than boat :) ). in the summer, he charters sailing excursions and during winter he rents the ship as a residence. he even gave me his website address.... check it out, real nice website with good pics and interesting history of the ship. sounds quite the interesting excursions that are offered and something that i would like to experience, sometime.


After chatting with Mr. Bakker about his ship, we said 'tot ziens', wishing each other a pleasant day and i continued on my merry way. by now it was mid-afternoon and i was getting hungry and thirsty, so i headed up the Nieuwe Ebbingestraat in search of an available outdoor table at a cafe for a beer and bite to eat. i found a comfortable table under the shade of a canopy at Cafe´ Boezeroem. as it turns out, the cafe was not yet open for business (many eating/drinking establishments in Groningen do not open until 4pm), but the very nice cafe operator served me a couple beers and a tasty Tosti of boerenworst [i think that's what it's called] and kass (toasted salami and cheese sandwich). she was very pleasant and we enjoyed a nice interaction as i had my late lunch/early dinner.
Revitalized from my refreshments, i completed my circuit following the canal and then retreated to my hotel to enjoy a cappucino and chocolate in the garden courtyard cafe while accessing the Wifi and updating my journal.

Sometime around 9pm, i headed out to the Cafe de Toeter and discovered the bar jam-packed with patrons enjoying lots of beer, music and 'quiz night'... a trivia competition. the owner and the bartender were pleased to see me return and the owner introduced me to his wife... she is very friendly and chatted with me throughout the busy evening as she helped to serve massive amounts of frothy Grolsch, lots of Jenever and offered various free hors d'ouvres to the crowd. i've been curious to try the Dutch traditional hard liquor, Jenever, and the bartender gave me a small sample of the clear liquor. it is served ice cold in a small shot glass... funny, i found that it has no real taste ( i thought it would taste strongly of juniper like gin does), but i suspect that the stuff probably packs a pretty good punch despite its smoothness in going down the throat.
I spent a couple of hours @ de Toeter enjoying a few beers while chatting with a very good looking, very tall and very charming guy from Leeuwarden. he and his friends were participating in the trivia quiz competition and asked my help with some of the questions that related to books, music and American pop culture. had a really great and relaxed evening at de Toeter. it really is a cool and friendly bar with great atmosphere and i'm glad for the recommendation to visit the place :)
On my way back to my hotel, i decided to pop into a small bar that was playing some good music on the iTunes playlist on the computerised stereo system and have one more beer and a proper shot of Jenever. i was served an apertif glass filled to the very rim of ice cold Jenever and was still amazed that the stuff has no flavor and tastes pretty much like water. lmao, i guess i understand the warning i got previously from a Dutch friend to take it easy with the Jenever... when i woke up the next morning, my head was a bit foggy... was it the effects of the Jenever? or maybe, the combination of several glasses of Grolsch and Jenever? :p

Anyway, my last day in Groningen was very nice and filled with a good time. Groningen is a real nice town.

European Adventure 2005 Day 13

Began today by again sleeping away the morning in this ultra-quiet and comfortable room, then set off have a strong black coffee at one of the many open-air cafes on town centre.
i was happy to discover that today is market day in Groningen and found the expansive plazas at town centre filled with marketeer booths of many kinds... textiles, various and sundry dry goods, tourist items, jewelry, flowers, a multitude of fresh vegetables and fruits, herbs & spices (both fresh and dried), delicious-looking cheeses, fresh meats and poultry, various types of salami-type dried meats, fresh fishes and food stands that included broodjes (sandwiches) and deep fried fish & frites (fries). the market was bustling and i saw lots of locals purchasing the fresh food goods.
the booth that fascinated me most was one that sold fresh and deep fried fish... there was a guy there working nonstop cleaning and de-boning some sort of small fish (herring, maybe?) for a long line of customers. after squeezing fresh lemon juice over the deboned fish, it was pressed into chopped onion and then the customers would hold the onion-covered fish by the tail, tilt back their head and take a bite of the fish. the fish would be eaten in 3 or 4 bites in this manner. i don't know what this snack is called, but it sure looked like some sort of old traditional culinary delight. i was tempted to try one, but it was a bit too early in the day for me to eat raw fish. now, i wish i would have tried it... might have made a nice breakfast :)


since it was a beautiful and bright sunny day, after browsing the market, i decided that today would be a good day to climb the Martini Tower which dates back to the mid-1400's. the Martini church dates all the way back to 800!!
i paid a very reasonable €3.50 for a very informative brochure of Martini Tower and it's history and a pass that would allow me access to the tower stairway. wow, what an incredible feeling to walk up the very narrow steep staircase made of old brick, stone and mortar that winds upward toward the top of Martini Toren. i felt fortunate that i had the tower and the stairs to myself... it was indescribably cool to be hearing the echos of my own steps while imagining the many echos of those who had shared the same space over the centuries.


while the actual climb took about 20 minutes, i spent nearly 2 hours enjoying the view from the various galleries where you could leave the interior of the stairway and walk the perimeter of the tower. what a view of the town below and the countryside expanding into the horizon in all directions!

also, cool to see up close are the giant bronze bells that are suspended from huuuge timbers inside the tower. i stood for many minutes in the bell chamber gazing upon the ancient beautiful old bells and timbers and marveled on what it must have taken to raise such incredibly large and heavy things so high into the air. in the early days, before crankshafts, it took 12 men pulling at the bell ropes to ring the largest bell. that's a big bell!
i descended the tower as more visitors began to appear on the tower's galleries, feeling a sense of wonder and satisfaction of having been afforded such a pleasurable experience of soaking in some history and enjoying a grand view of Groningen town and Province.





i spent the rest of the afternoon just wandering aimlessly around town, stopping occasionally for a beer. late afternoon, had a dinner of mosterdsoep (mustard soup... something new to me and quite delicious) and bitterballen with a beer and chatted with a woman who immigrated to Germany from American some 20 years ago.


then later in the evening, i stopped by a 'bruine kroeg' called Cafe de Toeter as recommended by Prof., the Dutch guy who reads and comments on this blog. very cool and laid back place with lots of dark wood and an atmosphere that reminds me of an Irish pub. the owner is very friendly, as is the bartender. there was lots of guys throwing darts (it was competition night) and great music was being played by the bartender. the bartender chatted with me about music and played some songs by bands that we were discussing as he served lots of Grolsch draft and other beers to the patrons. the cafe soon became very busy (Groningen really seems to come alive after dark) and it was time for me to head back to the hotel, so i said 'tot ziens' and was on my way.

had another nice day in Holland :)

European Adventure 2005 Day 12

Slept in late this morning and it felt great. not only is this hotel room charming, it's really quiet (combination of the thick stone walls and facing the inner courtyard garden, i suppose) and the bed and pillow are sooooo comfortable.

after struggling and failing to be able to push the massive and heavy window open for the fresh morning air (lol, that freaking thing is REALLY heavy!), i showered and made my way downstairs to the sunroom cafe that is directly under my room and looks out to the courtyard garden for a late breakfast... what a beautiful room to enjoy waking up with a pot of coffee and an excellent breakfast buffet. besides a wide choice of cheeses, meats, breads, cold cereals, fruits, juices, milk, hard-cooked eggs and sweets, there is also a choice of hot breakfast foods... scrambled eggs, bacon, some kind of fish and potatoes. really quite an impressive spread for breakfast buffet, i gotta say.
i enjoyed a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, juice, milk and coffee which must have invigorated me because before heading out to explore the town i struggled to open the window, again, and succeeded in wedging the block of wood under the window frame. lmao, i think i'll sleep with the window open the rest of my stay here!

i spent a big part of the day walking and exploring and taking photos, occasionally stopping for a coffee, cappuccino or espresso... was in the mood for a good caffeine buzz today and i got a good one going :)

definitely no mistaking that this is a university town... is there anybody here over the age of 30??!! saw lots and lots of university age students everywhere, on bike, on foot, gathered around cafe tables, sitting on the steps of the big buildings of the town centre and by the adjacent big open plaza that appears to be the market square. it was hot and sunny today and it seemed as though everybody was out enjoying the great weather.

something else that stands out to me is how clean and tidy is the bustling town centre and how open and expansive are the market square and center plaza. not only are all store fronts clean and tidy and there's no litter laying about, but the bricks themselves that make the streets and sidewalks are so clean that they look new. could this be because these areas are closed to motorized traffic except for the public buses and vehicles on official business?
which reminds me... when i first arrived Groningen and got lost, i remember driving through the town centre and thought how lucky i was that traffic was so light. i thought traffic was light because it was Sunday. lol, now i know it's because i was driving in a forbidden zone! ooopss! :p


btw, isn't that the cutest little trash truck you ever saw?! hehehe, i thought the work vehicles in Switzerland are tiny, but the Dutch got the Swiss beat when it comes to cute little trucks. lol :D


also, standing out to me is the amazing number of cafes, restaurants and shops this town can support. Groningen seems to be a smaller city than Utrecht, but it strikes me that proportionally this town has more eateries and shops.

OH! also saw some klompen while walking around.... but, somehow buying klompen at a newstand/cigarette kiosk just doesn't seem right to me.... think i'll keep looking for my *real* clogs ;)

sometime in the afternoon, after picking up a town map for future exploration, i returned to the hotel and relaxed with a biertje as i caught up with some writing and checking mails.


then went to the Cafe Hoppe (really cool big place with lots of dark wood everywhere) for some dinner. had a simple, but very good, weinerschnitzel, fries seasoned with paprika and salad. really quite tasty, but couldn't finish the generous portion of fries. oh, and, no i didn't ask for ketchup... the mayonnaise was very good with the frites :p


had a fun conversation with the friendly university student (studying to be a physical education teacher/sports coach) who was working. we talked about Dutch musicians (surprised him that i listen to Kane, Intwine, Racoon & Anouk) and actors (i learned that Rutger Hauer is Dutch) and about life in Holland vs the States. he even demonstrated to me his ability to do various American accents that he has learned from watching TV and movies.... his New York accent being the best.

after dinner, i wandered around a bit and stopped in a very packed bar where the music was loud and good and the glasses of beer with frothy head were pushed across the bar nonstop. the bartender put Stevie Ray Vaughan on the stereo at my request and i had a philosophical conversation with some guy who claimed to be an artist.

tomorrow will set out again, this time with a map, and see if i can find the art museum. will check into climbing the Martini Toren, too. hope the weather is as nice tomorrow as it was today.... wanna get a good pic from way up there :)

European Adventure 2005 Day 11

Today, i left Utrecht and head north to Groningen. didn't do so badly getting here, either.... what should have been 185 kilomtres and 1.75 hours driving time only took me 210 kilometres and 2.5 hours. Yay! :D
i found my way to the highway and out of Utrecht without problem and sailed along the well maintained highways toward Groningen. it was a sunny day and a nice drive through farmlands. saw herds of cows and sheep and even some very large beautiful horses grazing in the green fields as i drove. also, saw a whole bunch of modern Dutch windmills lined up nice and straight and continuing for kilometres into the horizon so i guess i was driving through the famous polders that are created by the draining of water from the land. the windmills weren't the picturesque kind that Americans always think of, these were very modern and businesslike. they look like giant airplane propellers, either 2 or 3 blades, mounted on top of very tall poles and they were turning slowly and methodically. a few weren't turning, but were stationary.... made me wonder if they were malfunctioning and awaiting maintenance. i should have stopped to get a photo of them, but didn't. silly me! will try to do that on the way back south in a few days.

so, as i'm approaching Groningen i'm feeling very good about myself having successfully driven across The Netherlands without getting lost. but i shouldn't have been so smug.... it took me only about 2 minutes once i exited the highway to get lost. lol, i discovered that Groningen is a town of one-way streets. this worked out pretty much in my favor because after about half an hour of driving around the town i found myself back at the highway. cool, i got back on the highway and tried to find my way, again. woohoo, after only a few minutes, i found myself pretty close to where i thought i wanted to be and asked someone for directions. yippeee, i was right in front of the parking garage i was looking for and only a minute walk from my hotel. very cool! B-)


and, wow! what a grand hotel it is! i love old buildings and this one has captured my heart and my imagination. i have never stayed in such a marvelous hotel as is Schimmelpenninck Huys. this old house's history dates all the way back to 1100!!! with the last major building works being done in 1723.... the ceilings must be 12-14 feet high, marble floors, deepset windows of massive proportions, rich old woodwork, chandeliers, fireplaces, steep but wide winding staircases, sunroom, library/lounge, restaurant and large dining rooms, courtyard garden.... incredibly impressive and beautiful.
oh! and, not to forget that an elegant and extensive breakfast menu, Wifi and bicycle use (very practical amenity!) is included in the room rate... the cool thing is that this hotel is much more beautiful and charming, but considerably less expensive than the other hotels with which i have booked stays. amazing.


this single room is narrow like the room i had in Amsterdam, but is larger. and, i thought the window in the Amsterdam room was large.... this Groningen room's window is massive..... it must be 10' tall and 6 feet wide. it nearly fills the wall facing the garden. hehee, to open and close the window, i've got to hunker down below the counter/work station that has been placed wall-to-wall across it. good thing there are 2 brass handles on the giant window to hold onto while removing the block of wood that holds the window open. medium-thick dark peach velvet drapes keep the room warm at night when loosened from the brass hooks.... which reminds me, i've noticed that the Dutch don't seem to cover their windows like Americans. they live and work behind open windows rather than closing off the world and hiding behind curtains. i find that an interesting thing.... but, here i sit with curtains and drapes pulled back so i can enjoy the view as i type away on my laptop.
somehow, sitting in this room, feel i'm soaking in some real aspect of the Dutch culture, history and lifestyle.... may sound silly, but i told ya this ancient building is capturing my imagination :)


lovely garden view i have from my room, eh? :)

anyway, pretty tired from my adventures of yesterday and today, so walked up the street to the town centre and had a simple supper of beer and sandwich while admiring the church clock tower and then crashed early. looking forward to checking out Groningen properly... so, stay tuned....

European Adventure 2005 Day10

today, i took the train from Utrecht Central Station to Zevenbergen, a small village south of Dordrecht in southern Holland, via Rotterdam Central Station. it was a nice trainride of about 1.5 hours and i'm happy to say that i had no trouble finding my way around the very busy stations to the appropriate boarding platforms.
so, why was i going to the village of Zevenbergen way down south? why to see Golden Earring do a live show, of course :)
i first saw Golden Earring circa 1973 as one of the very first concerts i ever attended and seeing Golden Earring play in their home country was one of my primary objectives while travelling Holland. i was pleased when Golden Earring put me on their guest list and really looking forward to the show.
although, i wasn't expected at the concert hall until 19:00, i arrived Zevenbergen mid-afternoon so i could explore the village and have some dinner before finding my way to the sports hall where the concert would be held. Zevenbergen is quite small so it took me no time at all to get 'Lost and Found' (Golden Earring songtitle ;) ) before having a nice meal at a lovely cafe on the town centre square.
the plan was to meet Golden Earring's promotional manager at 7pm so that he could give me my pass that would allow me priority admission and also to meet the band members after the show. really exciting stuff, but i got even luckier...
i arrived at the sporthal Lindonk about 17:00, just in time to see George Kooysman, lead guitarist for the Earring, getting out of his car! i had no trouble to recognise him.... teeheehee, as gorgeous as he was 30 years ago with his long hair, tight jeans and rocker attitude he's even more handsome, now. anyway, i walked over to him as he was getting his guitarcase out of the back of his vehicle and said hello. i told him about the first time i saw Golden Earring and how much i've enjoyed his music over the years. typical stuff that i'm sure George has heard a million times. George was really nice and down-to-earth and actually took interest in what i had to say. he looked me directly in the eyes as we had a really nice chat for several minutes and then he offered his hand to mine as we parted. wow! it was really a cool and relaxed interaction between musician and fan. as far as i'm concerned, that was far more special than getting a quick autograph.
a few minutes later, i met Rinus Gerritsen, bass player, as he was walking his dog before going into the sports hall. he was rather shy (but aren't most bass players introverted?) and not very chatty, but flashed me a smiled and blushed a bit when i told him that his bassline on 'She Flies On Strange Wings' is totally kickass rockin' bass playing. he seemed to appreciate that and thanked me for the compliment.
then, making a grand entrance as he jumped out of a black Mercedes, arrived Barry Hay, lead singer/frontman. lol, Barry was the consummate rock star in his black shades, jet black hair, tattoos and confident swagger. he was too busy shouting orders to his driver, the roadies and crew members to say more than "thanks, darlin'" in my direction over his shoulder.
unfortunately, i didn't get to meet Cesar Zuiderwijk, one of the most talented drummers on the rock scene. sure wish i could have because i'm a real fan of power-drumming and Cesar is an awesome and very creative power-drummer.
as i stood there glowing from my good luck and thinking how great it was that concert venues in Holland don't have the strict security as do venues in U.S.A., the tour manager approached me and told me to come with him... hehehee, he told me that i was invited to soundcheck and escorted me into the empty concert hall. (actually, was indoor tennis courts covered with flooring and a large stage.)
wow, how cool to listen to Golden Earring run through the soundcheck while roadies and techs and various crew members scurried about tweaking the stage/sound/lighting setup.

after soundcheck, the promotional manager found me, surprised that i was already there and attending the soundcheck, and gave me my pass asking me from where i would like to watch the show. lol, i really wanted to be backstage, but.... i said that by the mixing board would be the best for sound, but could i please be right up front where i could see the guys play. so, there i was watching Golden Earring from a distance of about 2 metres and just right of center stage, directly in front of George Kooysman's mic stand and pedal effects board :D
the show was great and met all my expectations.... those 4 guys might be 'old' now (in their late 50's, i guess), but they rock just as hard and energetically as they did in the '70's. their classic anthem 'Radar Love' definately showcased their talents as musicians with each member doing super-cool solos... Cesar's drum solo was incredible and complete with gong. better power-drumming i've never heard!
there was no going backstage to meet the guys after the show, though, because the band left immediately after the encore. but, i'm not that disappointed.... despite not having met Cesar, my preshow activities were way cooler than an organized meet-and-greet.

oh, and something else that's cool... one of the roadies gave me a handful of George's & Barry's guitarpicks which i shared with the nice couple next to me. they're active members of the Golden Earring fanclub for more than 20 years and got George's copy of the playlist. wish i had thought to ask for that! but, i'm content to have a photo of it :)
the show ended about midnight and the taxi i had previously arranged to take me back to my Utrecht hotel was promptly awaiting me.
it was another great day of adventure in Holland :)

European Adventure 2005 Day 9

let's see what did i do today?... oh, yeah, spent the morning hanging out at hotel before headed into town sometime late-afternoon in search of The Netherlands' (and maybe the world's) first and oldest coffee shop, established in 1968.
Sarasani is way cool :) [check out the Press Release page for description in English] it's in a cave-like basement set under the street alongside the Oude Gracht (canal). the coffee and chocolate are free, the staff very friendly, the smoke very reasonably priced and reknown to be of the best quality, the atmosphere & ambiance totally chilled and mellow. heeheehee, exactly the kind of place that my mother always feared i'd fine one day :p
anyway, the coffee and menu are available to customers upon entering and the lounge area is further back to the rear of the cave where low benches, cushions on the floor and small simple tables made of cementblock and wood line the walls. listening to a Santana concert DVD on the movie screen while spacing out on authentic fluorescent paintings under blacklight took me back in time a bit. Sarasani is very much a timewarp place, for sure.
after chilling in the lounge for a while, i sat at the bar and drank coffee while conversing with a biker guy. he told me all about the history of Utrecht and Sarasani; about going to Hell's Angels parties with Barry Hay (frontman of Golden Earring) and about the political/economics importance of coffee shops to Holland. (we came to the conclusion that the whole coffee shop business finds it's basis on the historical Dutch merchant import/export tradition, and, therefore, has cultural significance... which should be protected by the E.U.. heheehee) he was quite knowledgable and very interesting. turns out he is the bouncer at the coffee shop.
got a very enjoyable education @ Sarasani this evening. nuthin' like interesting, stimulating conversation with the locals over a good cuppa coffee and a smoke :D

will update this travel journal soon...

[hopefully will have good internet connection at next hotel]

it's 01:30 sunday morning as i write this note
and i'm just back from Golden Earring gig in Zevenbergen...
spent last 2 days partying and on my way to Groningen in a few hours...
lol, wonder how many hours and how many kilometres it will take me to find my next destination?! :D

*gets 'Moontan' CD ready for driving music*

European Adventure 2005 Day 8

Today was a kicked-back lazy dag of grey sky and druilerig (drizzling rain). after a typical Dutch breakfast buffet (so called on the hotels' menus) of fruit juice ... mmmm, mango this morning... milk, coffee, bread, cheese and a selection of nicely sliced meats, i took full advantage of the good internet connection that i'm paying 7.50/day to access and caught up on emails and podcasts and surfing fav websites. felt good to lay back for a bit...

anyway, sometime mid-afternoon, i donned my beret basque to keep the rain off my head (didn't feel like carrying an umbrella today) and took a walk into town in search of food. after walking through neighborhood areas i had not yet ventured into, i found myself headed toward the Dom and town centre. i must not have looked the typical tourist walking without fear of the rain (i like rain) because i was stopped a few times by people asking me for directions (clueless), the time (could help with that), something i didn't understand because the old lady waiting at the bus stop was very much Dutch (she smiled widely and waved me on when she understood i didn't speak Dutch) and a couple of young guys with clipboards soliciting to locals... one was apparently representing a bank. even after establishing the fact that i was an American visitor, he still wanted to know if i had an account with a Dutch bank... hehehehaha, i told him "no, but if he wanted to give me one i would be appreciative on account i've got almost no money in my American banks." he flashed me one of the most beautiful smiles i have seen in a while and wished me a good day and nice stay in Holland :)
which reminds me of something i'm beginning to wonder about.... are there any unattractive Dutchmen? if so, the government must hide them...
also, wondering if all Dutch children are well behaved and happy. if not, the government must be hiding the unruly screaming children, too.
anyway, by now i had decided it was time to get out of the rain for a while and have a bite to eat. i had a great meal at a beautiful old restaurant at the base of the Dom Tower called Lokaal de Reünie. while listening to the beautiful chiming of church bells in the near distance, i had a very delicious meal of pasta met gerookte zalm en salade (fettacine tossed with smoked salmon, fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, 2 kinds of olives and tender greens) and red wine followed by espresso with little Belgian chocolates. very nice and very reasonably priced at €15.20 + small tip for great service. i think i'm getting better at not over-tipping... hard habit to break when so used to the American system where food service people are paid next to no salary and earn nearly the entirety of their wages in tips.


Utrecht has a whole different vibe going on than Amsterdam. Utrecht is much more mellow with an air of quiet dignity pervading. people here seem to take more of a moment before speaking than do Amsterdammers, but yet do not hesitate to interact. there are a lot of schools (of all levels), and centers of learning in Utrecht. (btw, i saw an impressive old building called Pathologisch Instituut near my hotel). also, i'm impressed with how many bookstores (old and new), artisan shops, artist studios, art galleries, antique shops, furniture restoration/refinishing shops and musician shops i have seen while exploring. the vibe i'm getting is that Utrecht is a town that places value on higher learning/education and craftmanship and this permeates the social dynamics and general attitude here.
also took note that the native Utrecht people i've talked with take much pride in being from Utrecht. they seem appreciative of and enjoy the historical aspect of their town. i get a real sense of community in Utrecht that i did not feel in Amsterdam. one cafe owner emphatically told me that the character of Utrecht is special and not like that of Amsterdam because Utrecht people are not "arrogant bastards" like the Amsterdammers. it's my impression he told me this not to be particularly mean to Amsterdammers, but to explain to me what makes his town unique.
so, with thoughts of how Utrecht is different from Amsterdam, i asked which direction was the Maliebahn (the stately tree-lined avenue adjacent to my hotel) and set off to find my way back to a warm, dry room and hot shower.

oh! here's some nice decoration i saw on a bicycle on my way back to my hotel to dry off and watch some BBC TV before sleep. pretty neat use of beer bottle caps, eh? :D

European Adventure 2005 Day 7

Explored Utrecht by foot again today. it was raining, but it didn't stop me.... i fully expected to be rained upon while in The Netherlands and have been surprised that i've had such hot sunny days, thus far.
after a pot of morning coffee in my hotel room, i set out with my city map in one hand and umbrella in the other. i walked around aimlessly discovering and enjoying this mellow university town for about 7 hours, occasionally stopping for a biertje. during the late afternoon, i sat under the canopy of a cafe and had a delicious broodjes Brie and enjoyed a respite from the soft, drizzling rain. it's been my experience that Europeans enjoy good food and the Dutch are no exception. the sandwich was of very generous portion (i couldn't finish it all) and made of good crusty bread, brie drizzled with honey and topped with roasted pinenuts, fresh sprouts, radicchio and tender greens. hmmmm, yummy... het is lekker. :)
as i had my supper, i saw lots of interesting activity bustling about the cobbled street and plaza including a young priest on bicycle, a guy with the nattiest dreadlocks i have ever seen, an ambulance motorcycle (never saw one of those before), two police officers strolling and keeping the peace, a young woman on a bench who appeared to be a student grabbing free Wifi with her iBook, mothers with toddlers on bicycles... oh, yeah, that reminds me... understand the plexiglass windshields on bikes, now. it's to protect small children from the wind and rain as the ride :), lots of students travelling in groups, the endless parade of bicyclists including a guy carring a small table on his handbars, a group of guys having a great time laughing and being silly... hehehe, i think they had just left a coffee shop.
speaking of coffee shops, i discovered that coffee shops and red light districts are not confined to Amsterdam. during my walk, i found myself in a neighborhood off the beaten path of the busy town center and decided it was time to stop for a bier vaas (medium size draft beer) and look at my map to see if i could figure out how far off the track i had ventured. as i sat at an outside table at the cafe enjoying my drink, i noticed the guy next to me smoking herb. that was cool, lol, i got a free contact buzz with my beer. after finishing my beer, i walked down the cobbled street headed back toward town centre. suddenly, i realized that behind the windows of the houses on both sides of the narrow street were women scantily dressed in red and black lace. i now also noticed that the windows were lined with brightly lit red light bulbs. wasn't indicated on my map, but it was clear what business district i had stumbled upon. lol
anyway, decided it was time to head back to hotel, so found my way back to town centre and a small supermarket where i bought a couple bottles of water, 2 small splits of red wine, a couple bottles of Grolsch, some nuts and an avocado.... nice to have refreshments in the hotel room and much more economical to shop in the local grocery store than the hotel bar. teeheehee, am i assimilating the Dutch idea of 'zuinig'? :D
it was a nice day in Utrecht.... looking forward to seeing/experiencing more tomorrow :)

European Adventure 2005 Day 6

today i left Amsterdam and headed off to Utrecht. lol, what should have been a 40 minute/45 kilometre drive turned out to be 2 1/2 hour/90 kilometre drive! why is it that i've not had much trouble driving from point A to point B in Ireland and the United Kingdom, but driving in The Netherlands is tremendously difficult for me?!? lol, i guess it's because of the language barrier and the fact that the Dutch squeeze sooooo much into so little space. i've got to think of appropriate punishment for that Dutch guy who told me that having a car would be beneficial. :p next time i come here, it's definitely going to be trains, trams, buses and bicycles for me!!

Utrecht is an ancient town with lots of historical interest, especially as a religious center. i took an exploratory walk into town this afternoon and got lost for almost 7 hours. saw lots of the town along my way... old town, new town and residential neighborhoods... even saw a windmill in the middle of town somewhere!!! it was very cool to round a corner and there ahead of me was an old windmill standing watch over the street.

another sight which dominates Utrecht is the Dom Tower. what an incredibly beautiful piece of marvelous architecture! i stood for quite awhile just gazing in awe at the Tower and the remaining section of the old church, which is quite huge, btw. i may be a bit silly, but as i stood looking at such impressive grandeur, i was swept up in a wave of emotion and had to choke back the lump that was rising in my throat and blink away the tears that began to well up in my eyes. i don't know why, but i was overcome with intense emotion standing there in the shadow of such an ancient and grand building. i'm not much of a religious person, but i swear i felt the glory of what god put into mankind to be able to create buildings of such stature.

after my 'religious experience', i found a table at one of the numerous outside cafes and had a late supper of broodjes ham (ham sandwich) and a biertje (small beer) and got directions back to my hotel from a friendly local couple.
sleep felt good after a day of being lost by car and by foot :)

European Adventure 2005 Day 5

today was another day of exploring Amsterdam.... this time, in addition to tram and foot, i took a tourboat ride around the canals. it was pretty cool to see the waterways and the harbor while listening to the recorded tour speech describing what we were passing, but i don't think it was worth the 16 Euros it cost me. i've gotten much more enjoyment out of discovering Amsterdam by foot. wish i would have rented a bike and tooled around town rather than take the boat tour.
speaking of bikes... i think i must have improved in my usage of the complicated, crowded and confusing streets/tram tracks/bikepaths/pedestrian paths... i have not had a bicyclist ring their bell furiously at me since my first day here when i was nearly run over by a stampede of mad Dutch bicyclists :) in the last days, i only get a polite bell ringing if a bicyclist is coming behind me on the pedestrian path... sometimes, pedestrians and bicyclists share the same section of the passageways.
it is very interesting to see how the Dutch have been able to squeeze 4 distinct passageways into the narrow streets.... cars, trams, bicycles and pedestrian paths. often trams and autos share the same section of the streets.... kind of scarey to be driving on the street over the tram tracks wondering what to do if a tram suddenly appears, but it seems the locals must have an innate sense of how to avoid/handle this situation.
call me weird, but i see this sharing of the small roadways by so many different modes of travel as an indication of how adaptable and accepting are Europeans, in general, and the Dutch, in particular. it's indicative of how people here know that we are all in this small world together and we all need to share the space with others and not take more than our fair share of limited resources. dunno, just a thought that came to me today as i was walking across the busy Leidseplein. trams, autos, bikes, motorbikes and pedestrians all sharing a common space... at first glance it looks very chaotic, but in taking a moment to observe it became obvious to me that there was order to the seeming madness.

so, the big event for me today was going to a live show at the Paradiso. (that's the Paradiso in the photo) wow! how cool is it to hear a good rock band play in an old church! the band i saw is called Wilco and they were very, very good. the house really got into the show and the band responded. Wilco did 2 encores for a very pleased crowd. Paradiso is really quite a cool place. so neat to see the band on stage with stained glass church windows as the backdrop. the concert hall is rather small with a mainfloor where there is a bar on one side and the mixing board/sound engineering center on the other side of the hall opposite the stage. two tiers of balconies rise above the main floor. the outside architecture and interior of Paradiso still looks like a church with the exception of having no pews, but i did notice there are seats on the balconies. i stood beside the mixing board, trying to charm the sound engineer into plugging my iPod into his Powerbook that he was using to record the show. hehehe, he was very nice, but was unwilling to disconnect his own iPod :p
oh, and, the acoustics in Paradiso are great. so happy i was lucky enough to catch a good show at Paradiso... i've watched several of their webcasts, so it was a real treat for me to attend a live show there.
i've had such a good time in Amsterdam, i am a bit disappointed to leave already. but, i'm off to Utrecht which should prove to be quite interesting.
i just hope i have good internet connection at my hotel there. my Amsterdam hotel is real nice and the owners are very accommodating, but the internet connection here royally sucks!! i cannot believe i am paying 10 Euros per day for almost non-existant internet service. oh well, just got to learn to be happy with what i got and go with the flow, eh? don't wanna be the typical complaining unhappy American, do i? :)
hehehe, which reminds me of something cool that happened to me, again, today.... i was again mistaken for a European tourist rather than an American tourist.... it happens to me often when i travel and this pleases me very much, i must confess :) anyway, i don't know what nationality he thought me to be, but a Dutch cafe owner was telling "stupid American" jokes to the Belgians sitting at the table next to me. (hehe, i find this funny, cos don't the Dutch usually make fun of Belgians??) his jokes were pretty comical and i laughed at them, too. when it came time for me to leave, i asked for my check. lmao, the cafe owner must have taken better notice to my accent and his face reddened a bit as he asked where i was from. i suppose i should have been kind and told him that i'm Canadian or sumthin, eh? but, he handled the situation quite well... he explained to me why The Netherlands is below sea-level. it's because once upon a time a Dutchman accidently dropped a penny and it sunk into some soft soil... the Dutchman desperately began digging with his shovel trying to find it....
:D :D

European Adventure 2005 Day 4

the tour my friend gave me enabled me to have a great day of exploration in Amsterdam Centrum. i took the 10 minute tram ride into the center of town and spent 9 hours walking and discovering and getting lost. getting lost was not much of a problem or concern for me because i was always able to find my way by using the canals and Amsterdam palace, known as The Dam, and the steeple of on old church rising high into the air to find my way... a cultural compass system as shown to me by my Dutch friend.
in just the couple of days that i have been here, i have come to understand why people fall in love with this city. Amsterdam surely does have a unique and warmly compelling charm. i am in total awe of the architecture... what incredibly beautiful and intriquite brickwork. i took scores of photos of the architecture and the the old narrow houses and buildings which lean precariously into each other.... i'm totally amazed at all the intriquitely warm brickwork. i've always thought of bricks as cold and hard, but here, an infinite number of bricks seem to magically transform into a cozy, albeit ironically and precariously fragile, solid habitat for all that society has to offer ... not only boggles my mind, but blows my mind.
and the friendliness of the local & multicultural inhabitants is impressive. and, what antiquity & history permeates the air here!
i'm not one who feels so comfortable in cities, but this country girl has discovered that a city can, indeed, be a warm and embracing place.
people are unimaginably friendly... both the Dutch and all the multitude of nationalities living here.
food good, beer better, ambiance best :)
Amsterdam is definitely the nicest, easiest city this countrygirl has ever had the pleasure of meeting.

oh, yeah! almost forgot to mention....
also, as any good american tourist will do, i sat and had a bier and a smoke ;) in the Red Light District. lol, i found it very interesting to sit at an open air cafe beside the de Oude Kerk at 4 pm on a Sunday afternoon and witness prostitutes enticing passersby from behind glass doors. soooo different from the Puritanical society from which i come!

European Adventure 2005 Day 3

today i slept the morning away.... funny, but when i travel eastward jet lag takes a while to set in with me (travelling westward i feel jet lag immediately). after catching up on some sleep, i set out on foot to see if i could find Albert Cuyp street market. i love open air markets for some reason... not sure why exactly, but perhaps it is the bustling energy and great variety of fresh foods and abundant goods that captures me. Albert Cuyp market is larger than i had imagined and is a marvelous shopping experience. i bought some very good cheese, salami and bread and had a picnic in Vondelpark after checking out the market.
oh! i also found a music shop while at the Albert Cuyp market. hehehe, bought a dozen Golden Earring CDs... found releases that i never knew existed, so i'm very happy to add them to my music collection. the shop owner, a Golden Earring fan herself, was very nice to me.... she gave me a double CD free since i bought so many and she appreciated the fact that i'm a fan, too :)

had a nice surprise when i returned to my hotel after my marketing and picnic... had a message to get in touch with a Dutch friend so we could meet up. my friend took me into the center of Amsterdam and gave me a fantastic tour. as we walked, he pointed out special features and buildings of interest in the city. he also explained to me how to use the canals and city skyline as a compass so as to be able to find my way in the ancient ringed city.

European Adventure 2005 Day 2

today was spent in art museums - the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh. Rijksmuseum is certainly impressive with pieces of historical interest, but it is gazing upon the 400+ years old paintings of Rembrandt and other classical artists that took me to into another time & place... amazing feeling to be standing within inches of the great masterpieces and tangibly feel a disconnection from the present and connection to the past.
But, it was the Van Gogh museum that really captivated me. Van Gogh is my favorite classical artist. i spent a full 5 hours immersing myself into the captivating brushstrokes and use of texture and colors of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings. Van Gogh elicits much emotion in me when i look upon his work and to stand so close and be able to examine each stroke of his brush, pen, pencils and charcoal washes an incredible amount of emotion over me. Van Gogh is very expressive, and, it is totally astounding the number of works he produced in only a few years... the man was truly a genius and had vision and sensitivity beyond imagination. if ever you've the opportunity, check out the Van Gogh museum!... a very well done display of some of the world's greatest art.
also, at Van Gogh museum i gazed upon a few of the works of my second fav classical artist, Claude Monet. it was a good museum day :)

Day 1 of my European Adventure 2005

Holland has been really adventurous thus far..... the drive from the airport to the hotel should have been 17 km. lol, i put 68 km on the car before i eventually found my way to the hotel. many thanks to a very nice Dutch policewoman who told me that i was only one block from where i needed to be and got me turned around and headed in the right direction.
the hotel is very charming and run by the couple who own the beautiful old building. it's in the Embassy district and right next to Vondelpark.... which is the Amsterdam version of New York City's Central Park. i've got a real "Amsterdam single" which means the room is very small and cozy. but, it does have it's own private bathroom & shower and has a HUGE old window with 11 window panes and is arched (really nice architecture) that looks directly at the park. hehehe, i even have one of those canals that Amsterdam is famous for below my window. ok, so it's just a tiny canal, but it's a canal, all the same.
speaking of Vondelpark.... i was in Vondelpark only 10 seconds before i was nearly killed by what appeared to be 100's of mad Dutch people on bicycles! lmao, i was trapped in the middle of the path with bikers racing by me from both directions. what the hell is a pedestrian suppose to do when they ring their bells??! i had no place to go without being run over so i stood there like an idiot until they finally past. although rather scarey, it was pretty funny.
i walked twice around the park checking out the sights and, wow!, are there plenty of sights to be seen... all kinds of people riding all kinds of bikes... business men & women in suits, mothers with babies, women in dresses and skirts, old people, young people; bikes with plastic crates tied to the handlebars for use as baskets, bikes with saddlebags, new bikes, rickety old bikes, bikes with twisted wheels (beats me how they peddle those things)... but, my fav are the bikes with plexiglass windshields. lmao, crazy freaking Dutch!
saw lovers "doing it" on the grass by some trees, groups of musicians playing and singing, kids playing soccer, people playing Bocci, picnickers, even saw a parrot fly by me (thought the hotelier was kidding me when she said i'd be awaken in the mornings by parrots squacking in the trees outside my window), people sunning themselves, old men fishing in a lake, dogs swimming in the lakes, rollerskaters, joggers, a group of kids practicing gymnastics, wierd-looking guys oogling the young girls in the gymnastic class, people sleeping in the grass. oh! and caught the scent of what smelled like really good quality pot drifting through the air. musta smelled about 4 different kinds of the stuff. hehehe, so wierd for me to walk by people smoking marijuana out in the open in public.
Vondelpark seems to be a little city in and of itself.... i think the environ with all its inhabitants would make a good subject for an ethnographic study.
after walking and checking out the scene, had a nice carpaccio salad and a couple of good draft beers called 'Brand' for dinner at an outdoor cafe called 'Vertigo'. real nice end to a real event-filled day.
now, off the sleep, even though only 9:30 PM, cos i'm beat.... well, to sleep after a Amstel Bier from the mini bar in my cute cozy typical A'dam single.
further updates to come :)

Today, I Begin My Travels :)

well, after 4 years of planning and saving and a postponement because of last year's hurricane season, i am finally on my way across the big pond to do a driving tour of The Netherlands, Belgium and bit of northern France. i'm really excited about this new adventure. i'm filled with anticipation of what i will discover...
Will i garner the courage to attempt to utter a word or two of the impossible Dutch language?
will my Vondelpark hotel in Amsterdam really have view of the park as promised?
will i be able to get a ticket to Wilco @ the Paradiso?
will i giggle like a star-struck schoolgirl when i meet Golden Earring backstage after their gig?
is southern Netherlands really one giant metropolis? and will the mad-driver skills i honed in Dublin City and Guatemala City be called upon?
will i recognize a polder when i see one??
will i see acres and acres of tulips?
will i see windmills turning idyllically in the countryside?
will i find my wooden shoes?
do the Belgian really eat massive amounts of fried potatoes dipped in mayonnaise?
is Belgian beer really better than Dutch beer?

do i still remember enough French to make my way through Belgium and northern France... well, i'm sure the French people will let me know how bad is my skill with their language. hopefully, the Belgian are more forgiving.

stay tuned for the answers to these compelling questions and more!

Stargazing

Venus, Jupiter and the Moon are gathering for a beautiful sunset sky show.
click here for more details about showtime.

EU Aids USA

"The US may not really need baby food from Italy or divers from Belgium, but its call for European and international help shows that, after the divisions over Iraq, it has now realised that even superpowers need friends."
EU sends aid to Katrina victims"

It's good to know that the international community is willing to put aside state politics and lend humanitarian goodwill even if it is the arrogantly agressive U.S.A. now needing aid.

Changing Our World

"While the effect of human activity on the global climate is hotly debated, physical signs of environmental change are all around us."

I'm not quite sure what is the 'debate', but wouldn't common sense dictate that it is inherent and inevitable that a species as proliferate, domineering and rapacious as the human species would have a major effect on the environment?
When will it be too late to correct and adjust our attitude and behavior toward the environment and natural resources? ... an environment we share with other species, we should not forget.

Neither Rain, nor Sleet, nor ... Hurricanes will keep Computer Geeks From Letting the Servers Go Down

"Occupying the 10th floor of a downtown Big Easy office building, Zipa is a typical web-hosting and co-location center, with one key difference: It's sitting smack dab in the middle of some of the worst devastation the United States has ever experienced."
amazing!


*Edit @ 16:20..... here is more about the story.

Benelux

In just a few days, i'm gonna fly across the big pond and spend the month of September here. sure is pretty from high altitude.... cannot wait to discover the beauty up close and personal :)

Story of Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee Native American told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 wolves inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,"Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."