I finally got my cable hooked up tonight so I was scanning through my 60 someodd channels and low and behold about 6 of those are "adult" viewing! You know you are in Holland when roughly 10% of your cable is adult viewing.....I didn't even order the premium channels! I just wanted to have the North American Sports channel.
I returned from Dublin safe and sound. I had a great time. On Friday I went to the old castle and had a tour, then I went to one of the old churches (everything in Dublin is old) and was able to sit in on an evening prayer service (it was an Anglican church). The next day I got up and went to Trinity college where there was another guided tour. The tour guide was a college student which made it alot of fun. Along with the tour you get to see the book of Kells which are.....old books in what kind of library??? OLD! But the books were fascinating. I then went for lunch at a little place called the Queen of Tarts-I would have gone there just for the name but the food was actually quite good. I then went on a hop on and off tour bus so I could see more parts of Dublin. I decided to skip the Guiness Brewery it was 14 Euros to get in and I didn't have time to do everything I wanted to do. So I stayed on the bus and went to a very old jail! Actually the jail was my favorite part of the trip. We had a guided tour and I learned alot of the history. For being such an old place (I don't know if I mentioned that Dublin is old or not) there is also a very recent history with an uprising in the early 1900's in which about 15 people were executed (at the jail). After I finished the tour I took the light rail about 20 minutes out and went to a fishing village and walked around. It was beautiful-of course it was cold and rainy but I felt very Irish with my wind swept hair! I saw an old abbey and climbed up a hill to look out over the ocean. I should have stuck my toe in to say I had been in the Irish sea!
The next morning I got up and went for a typical Irish breakfast (of which I took a picture). A typical Irish breakfast consists of: bacon, an egg, sausage, blood sausage and something else I wasn't quite sure about. I only ate food I recognized-I'm not that adventurous! I spent the rest of the day walking around, I found a bookstore and of course was in there for hours! All in all it was a great trip. The hotel was typical European hotel, I had to walk up 3 flights of stairs, around a corner up more stairs and down a hallway (I kept hoping to run into Harry Potter!). The room had a heated towel rack-that is when you know you have arrived!
I am off to Paris in two weeks. I was watching the Tour de France Sunday and decided I needed to be in Paris to watch it end! So I booked a ticket and made a room reservation! I am very excited. I am proctoring the Foreign Service Exam tomorrow so I had better get a good nights sleep!
Jamie
Monday, July 14, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
Happy 4th of July from Dublin!!!
Good morning!
I just arrived in Dublin and have already created the ultimate tourist faux pas....I took a picture of my lunch! I went to a "typical" Irish restaurant (full of American tourists!!) and ordered Irish stew and it was very good and very picturesque. It was also beef, probably the first time I have had beef since I have been overseas. Not much beef to be found in the Netherlands, I also can't find cheddar cheese! There is EVERY kind of Gouda and Edam but not a bit of cheddar!
I now have my first official 4th of July function under my belt. On Tuesday we had the official party, Dutch Parliament is out today and there was concern that the attendance would be way down if we had it today-which was great for me! It was held at the official residence-of course I had already been there to have tea with the staff....I didn't realize official functions would be such hard work! Being gracious for 3 hours is hard work! I met two of my "contacts" so it was well worth it. The day dawned bright and blue and I remember thinking, it is just as well we didn't bother with the giant tent in the back yard this year it isn't going to rain! Everyone stood around and drank beer and wine for an hour until it was time for the Marines to raise the flag. As soon as the Marines started across the lawn there was a deluge of rain! Everyone started to run towards the house, as we were going up the stairs my heel caught on the steps and I lost my shoe! I had visions of being trampled as if I was at Woodstock...luckily I made it under cover with both of my shoes and my dignity! During the afternoon I must have been asked 10 times who I thought would win the election and I responded "according to CNN it is a statistical dead heat, we will all find our in November" talk about being diplomatic! (I guess my 6 months in DC weren't wasted!) With my luck if I had given an opinion the headline the next day would read "American official predicts November election! Our Ambassador arrives on August 1st which is going to be very interesting as all Ambassador's political appointees or career appointees will turn in a resignation on the day of the inauguration.
I had better get back on to the streets of Dublin. I am hoping my internet is on when I get home. My phone isn't working here so I am not able to call my neighbor to see if they came to install it today.
Have a happy 4th!
I just arrived in Dublin and have already created the ultimate tourist faux pas....I took a picture of my lunch! I went to a "typical" Irish restaurant (full of American tourists!!) and ordered Irish stew and it was very good and very picturesque. It was also beef, probably the first time I have had beef since I have been overseas. Not much beef to be found in the Netherlands, I also can't find cheddar cheese! There is EVERY kind of Gouda and Edam but not a bit of cheddar!
I now have my first official 4th of July function under my belt. On Tuesday we had the official party, Dutch Parliament is out today and there was concern that the attendance would be way down if we had it today-which was great for me! It was held at the official residence-of course I had already been there to have tea with the staff....I didn't realize official functions would be such hard work! Being gracious for 3 hours is hard work! I met two of my "contacts" so it was well worth it. The day dawned bright and blue and I remember thinking, it is just as well we didn't bother with the giant tent in the back yard this year it isn't going to rain! Everyone stood around and drank beer and wine for an hour until it was time for the Marines to raise the flag. As soon as the Marines started across the lawn there was a deluge of rain! Everyone started to run towards the house, as we were going up the stairs my heel caught on the steps and I lost my shoe! I had visions of being trampled as if I was at Woodstock...luckily I made it under cover with both of my shoes and my dignity! During the afternoon I must have been asked 10 times who I thought would win the election and I responded "according to CNN it is a statistical dead heat, we will all find our in November" talk about being diplomatic! (I guess my 6 months in DC weren't wasted!) With my luck if I had given an opinion the headline the next day would read "American official predicts November election! Our Ambassador arrives on August 1st which is going to be very interesting as all Ambassador's political appointees or career appointees will turn in a resignation on the day of the inauguration.
I had better get back on to the streets of Dublin. I am hoping my internet is on when I get home. My phone isn't working here so I am not able to call my neighbor to see if they came to install it today.
Have a happy 4th!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Cheese Cheese Everywhere
Good morning-I am at a little bagel place called Bagel & Beans down the street from me since I STILL don't have internet access at home!! Holland is the land of Monopolies (and I don't mean Park Place Monopolies!). There is only one cable/internet/phone company and they were scheduled to make an appearance last Tuesday but they had "overbooked" and would be more than happy to come over on July 5th (a Saturday, a Saturday of my first 3 day weekend in Europe!). Luckily my neighbor-who is having the same problem will let the cable company in. So I am keeping my fingers crossed that when I return from Dublin I will have internet. Luckily the apartment still has cable so I can get my daily dose of Dr. Phil at night with Dutch subtitles.
All is well here, we are preparing for the July 4th festivities(from my understanding no turtle racing or seed spitting contests) actually they are July 2nd this year because Dutch parliment will be out and no one would be here on the 4th (yeah us!). It is at the Ambassador's residence-which I got a tour of last week by the Residence Manager. I will have to attend because I need to meet my contacts-I didn't even knew I had contacts! It is very small this year because we currently do not have an Ambassador in residence. Then early on Friday I am headed out to Dublin!!! I am very excited. I found out last week that I don't have to go to the consulates 4th of July celebration (no contacts there I guess) on the actual 4th of July so I am free to travel. I found what I thought was a good fair to Dublin on Aer Lingus. THEN I started the process of filling out all of the necessary information.......will you be checking a bag? 15 Euro (the answer is no-15 Euro will buy some Guiness)...would you like a seat!!!!!!! I had to pay 5 Euro each way to have a seat! Of course I could have paid 10 Euro to sit closer to the front of the plane or if I was feeling flush, as all government employees do, I could have paid 15 Euro for a bulk head seat!!!! So by the time I paid for everything-I am sure I will have to pay to check in, pay to use the bathroom and might even have to pay to pedal the plane! I am still very excited about the trip.
I am taking this weekend very easy-you almost feel guilty if you are living in Europe and you aren't out and about touristing. But this is the first weekend I have had a chance to revel in the fact that my household goods came last week. I was very lucky in that my parents were here when my household goods came. I went in to work for a few hours and by the time I got home at 9:00am most of the truck was unloaded and a number of boxes unpacked. The movers were gone by 10:30! It was quite a luxury for me to come home every afternoon and see the progress being made by my helpers! Don't worry it was not all work and no play. We went to Gouda-which is about 30 minutes by train and walked around the town and saw an amazing church with 70% of the stained glass in the Netherlands. We then watched with great disappointment as Holland lost to Russia in the EuroCup. Sunday was almost a national day of mourning after the loss.
I had forgotten how stressful moving is. I still don't remember my address: I feel like I am six again and need to have it pinned to my shirt. But could you remember Schenevingsweg (which I am sure I have misspelled)? That is the name of my street-Schenevingen is the name of the beach which is about a mile away. During the war the Dutch would ask anyone they felt might be a German spy posing as a Dutch citizen to pronounce Scheneveingen-if they could they new they were Dutch if they couldn't they were caught!
I am about out of battery and I may have worn out my welcome so I will close. I will try to write next week from Dublin!
All is well here, we are preparing for the July 4th festivities(from my understanding no turtle racing or seed spitting contests) actually they are July 2nd this year because Dutch parliment will be out and no one would be here on the 4th (yeah us!). It is at the Ambassador's residence-which I got a tour of last week by the Residence Manager. I will have to attend because I need to meet my contacts-I didn't even knew I had contacts! It is very small this year because we currently do not have an Ambassador in residence. Then early on Friday I am headed out to Dublin!!! I am very excited. I found out last week that I don't have to go to the consulates 4th of July celebration (no contacts there I guess) on the actual 4th of July so I am free to travel. I found what I thought was a good fair to Dublin on Aer Lingus. THEN I started the process of filling out all of the necessary information.......will you be checking a bag? 15 Euro (the answer is no-15 Euro will buy some Guiness)...would you like a seat!!!!!!! I had to pay 5 Euro each way to have a seat! Of course I could have paid 10 Euro to sit closer to the front of the plane or if I was feeling flush, as all government employees do, I could have paid 15 Euro for a bulk head seat!!!! So by the time I paid for everything-I am sure I will have to pay to check in, pay to use the bathroom and might even have to pay to pedal the plane! I am still very excited about the trip.
I am taking this weekend very easy-you almost feel guilty if you are living in Europe and you aren't out and about touristing. But this is the first weekend I have had a chance to revel in the fact that my household goods came last week. I was very lucky in that my parents were here when my household goods came. I went in to work for a few hours and by the time I got home at 9:00am most of the truck was unloaded and a number of boxes unpacked. The movers were gone by 10:30! It was quite a luxury for me to come home every afternoon and see the progress being made by my helpers! Don't worry it was not all work and no play. We went to Gouda-which is about 30 minutes by train and walked around the town and saw an amazing church with 70% of the stained glass in the Netherlands. We then watched with great disappointment as Holland lost to Russia in the EuroCup. Sunday was almost a national day of mourning after the loss.
I had forgotten how stressful moving is. I still don't remember my address: I feel like I am six again and need to have it pinned to my shirt. But could you remember Schenevingsweg (which I am sure I have misspelled)? That is the name of my street-Schenevingen is the name of the beach which is about a mile away. During the war the Dutch would ask anyone they felt might be a German spy posing as a Dutch citizen to pronounce Scheneveingen-if they could they new they were Dutch if they couldn't they were caught!
I am about out of battery and I may have worn out my welcome so I will close. I will try to write next week from Dublin!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Hallo from Amsterdam
Greetings-
I decided to pop into Amsterdam for the day before picking my parents up from the airport. I won't have internet connection until June 24th so when I saw the opportunity to post a quick blog I took advantage. I do want to make it clear that any errors in typing or spelling come from a European style of keyboard not from anything that is offered in Amsterdam!!
All is orange in Holland so I feel very much at home! The Euro Cup is on and Holland is shocking the world! They won the first match against Italy in convincing fashion on Monday. I had the tv on in one room and was doing something elsewhere in the apartment when I start hearing all sorts of loud noise from outside-I thought I was going to have to duck and cover and start preparing to evacuate when I realized Holland had just scored a goal! If you look out on the streets during a game there is not a soul in site. Last night they beat France (and Who doesn't like to beat France!) so they are automatically in the quarterfinals-very exciting stuff! I made alot of friends when I wore some of my orange this week to work! (Orange is the national color).
I must say I felt very civilized last week when I rode the tram home from work, got off with my reusable shopping back, stopped in to at the local Cheese monger, purchased my cheese for the week, moved on to the bakery and bought some bread and finally stopped in at the local grocery store to finish my shopping. I then loaded up my reusable bag and started walking home. I felt so very Dutch. I have decided this should be the newest diet rage: you only eat what you can carry! It does make a difference in what you buy when you realize you must carry it home. (Thank goodness chocolate doesn't weigh very much!) I could have also stopped at the Herring stand for my freshly gutted herring covered in onions and eaten in one bite but I decided that there is not enough Heineken in Holland for me to take a chance on Herring!
I haven't ridden my bike yet BUT I have unlocked it and walked it around the parking lot. I haven't had a chance to register for local health care so I figure I had better wait until I do that before I begin biking.....I will be a pro before this is all over.
Well my 15 minutes on the internet are up. I am looking forward to having company for a week and hopefully my household goods will arrive while I have an extra pair of hands.
More later....
I decided to pop into Amsterdam for the day before picking my parents up from the airport. I won't have internet connection until June 24th so when I saw the opportunity to post a quick blog I took advantage. I do want to make it clear that any errors in typing or spelling come from a European style of keyboard not from anything that is offered in Amsterdam!!
All is orange in Holland so I feel very much at home! The Euro Cup is on and Holland is shocking the world! They won the first match against Italy in convincing fashion on Monday. I had the tv on in one room and was doing something elsewhere in the apartment when I start hearing all sorts of loud noise from outside-I thought I was going to have to duck and cover and start preparing to evacuate when I realized Holland had just scored a goal! If you look out on the streets during a game there is not a soul in site. Last night they beat France (and Who doesn't like to beat France!) so they are automatically in the quarterfinals-very exciting stuff! I made alot of friends when I wore some of my orange this week to work! (Orange is the national color).
I must say I felt very civilized last week when I rode the tram home from work, got off with my reusable shopping back, stopped in to at the local Cheese monger, purchased my cheese for the week, moved on to the bakery and bought some bread and finally stopped in at the local grocery store to finish my shopping. I then loaded up my reusable bag and started walking home. I felt so very Dutch. I have decided this should be the newest diet rage: you only eat what you can carry! It does make a difference in what you buy when you realize you must carry it home. (Thank goodness chocolate doesn't weigh very much!) I could have also stopped at the Herring stand for my freshly gutted herring covered in onions and eaten in one bite but I decided that there is not enough Heineken in Holland for me to take a chance on Herring!
I haven't ridden my bike yet BUT I have unlocked it and walked it around the parking lot. I haven't had a chance to register for local health care so I figure I had better wait until I do that before I begin biking.....I will be a pro before this is all over.
Well my 15 minutes on the internet are up. I am looking forward to having company for a week and hopefully my household goods will arrive while I have an extra pair of hands.
More later....
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
3 days and counting until the Herring Festival
I have to say I am counting down the hours until the Herring Festival on Saturday. I am not exactly sure what it entails but I do know that lots raw herrings, onions and brown bread. It will be this weekend at the Harbor (did I mention that I live 1 mile from the beach?). I haven't decided if I am brave enough to see what it is all about.
Work has been crazy busy. I have told myself that I leave at 6:00, I could stay all night long but everything will still be there in the morning. Tomorrow there is an awards ceremony and guess who gets to MC? I have spent the entire day practicing my Dutch pronunciation.
I have my bicycle, I feel like I am 6 years old again-I plan to practice by riding around the apartment building, then up and down the street and then maybe over to the next street and back-maybe by the time I leave I will have worked my up to riding to work. The big big accessory are the saddle bags on the back of the bike-they come in bright flowery patterns (I think that is the only way you can pick your bike out of the hundreds that are lined up on the street).
I am starting to get used to Dutch food, my sponser was nice enough to provide me with groceries at the apartment. I remember looking at some cookies the first day and they word Rom in the title so I thought-I think those look really good but I don't want to eat anything with Rum in it when I am so jetlagged. I finally found out that Rom meant cream and they were cream cookies! My restaurant dictionary is my most important accessory.
Dutch tv is very interesting. I have 34 channels-some are in French, some are in German we have one or two in Dutch (to include Hannah Montana), CNN and BBC sometimes I will be watching something for a few minutes and I finally realize it isn't in English (especially Hannah Montana!) I had a great weekend I didn't hear the words Obama, Clinton and McCain for a whole weekend and it was fantastic (I don't think it will last).
We have a three day weekend coming up for the 4th of July-hhhmmm what should I do? Am I in the mood to head to Barcelona? Maybe Ireland or Lake Cuomo in Italy?? Life is rough!
Work has been crazy busy. I have told myself that I leave at 6:00, I could stay all night long but everything will still be there in the morning. Tomorrow there is an awards ceremony and guess who gets to MC? I have spent the entire day practicing my Dutch pronunciation.
I have my bicycle, I feel like I am 6 years old again-I plan to practice by riding around the apartment building, then up and down the street and then maybe over to the next street and back-maybe by the time I leave I will have worked my up to riding to work. The big big accessory are the saddle bags on the back of the bike-they come in bright flowery patterns (I think that is the only way you can pick your bike out of the hundreds that are lined up on the street).
I am starting to get used to Dutch food, my sponser was nice enough to provide me with groceries at the apartment. I remember looking at some cookies the first day and they word Rom in the title so I thought-I think those look really good but I don't want to eat anything with Rum in it when I am so jetlagged. I finally found out that Rom meant cream and they were cream cookies! My restaurant dictionary is my most important accessory.
Dutch tv is very interesting. I have 34 channels-some are in French, some are in German we have one or two in Dutch (to include Hannah Montana), CNN and BBC sometimes I will be watching something for a few minutes and I finally realize it isn't in English (especially Hannah Montana!) I had a great weekend I didn't hear the words Obama, Clinton and McCain for a whole weekend and it was fantastic (I don't think it will last).
We have a three day weekend coming up for the 4th of July-hhhmmm what should I do? Am I in the mood to head to Barcelona? Maybe Ireland or Lake Cuomo in Italy?? Life is rough!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Goedemorgen von Den Haag
As you can see my Dutch is progressing admirably! Well I have finally reached the Hague and I am actually at an internet cafe where everything is in Chinese so I fit right in!
I left on Wednesday and had a lincoln town car come to pick me up, I figured I might as well head out in style. The driver was crazy, he kept wanting me to watch (as he was watching) the streaming video on his IPOD-I wondered if I would get a discount if we ran off the road. I arrived at the airport and each of my bags weighed about 65 lbs so I had a $100 surcharge before I even got off the ground! Before my plane left I found a place in the airport that does 10 minute pedicures so I had my last bit of pampering before I left. The flight was fine, somehow I was in economy plus which means that I had 5 extra inches of foot room and it was very nice. I arrived Thursday morning and my sponsor picked me up. Prior to my arrival I emailed my sponsor to ask him what proper attire would be in case I was going to have to go straight into work, he replied no worries he would be the only person I would meet. That made me very happy so I just wore jeans, afterall when I made my first appearance on Friday I would be in a suit and make sure that my crucial first impression was a good one.......it turned out that my sponsor had forgotten my cell phone so we just were going to run in for a minute to pick it up. 5 hours later I left! As soon as I got there he took me in to meet my boss, she then took me up to Country Team meeting which is when all of the section heads meet for the week. She wanted to make sure everyone met me and knew me. I was thinking surely noone will recognize me the next time they see me and I have had a shower, don't have airplane hair and the drool from sleeping off the plane has been wiped off of my shirt. Then I had a series of meetings about situations that needed immediate attention. I wanted to hit the ground running, I need to be careful what I wish for.
I then went to my apartment which is fabulous. It is in a very wooded, green area. I am on what I consider the second floor but when I took the elevator the other day I found out I am on the first floor. I figured this out after a couple of tries trying to get into the wrong apartment! The apartment is very spacious and open with huge windows on either side. There is also a front and back balcony which I have decided is just for show because there isn't any room for a chair much less a table and chairs. The avocado green bathroom is everything I hoped it would be and more, in addition to the avacado green sinks and tub I was blessed with an avocado green bidet. I promise to send pictures. Finally this morning I realized that yes I do have hot water in the shower/tub. I finally figured out that one side of the "faucet" was how much water you want and the OTHER side is temperature. This does make the bathing experience much better.
To get to work I just walk across the street and jump on a tram which takes me about 3 blocks from the Embassy. I am sure you are thinking-how nice to just have to cross the street but it is much more than that. To cross the street you must first look both ways to make sure you don't step in front of a bicycle, once that hurdle is crossed you can cross the street, then another bike path and then the tram tracks. When you walk anywhere you must be aware of bicycles, trams and cars I am sure that at one point I will be hit by one of them and I am hoping it will only be a bicycle. There are bikes and bikers everywhere. I have even seen bikes with cart type attachments in the front so people can put there children in them!
One of my neighbors took me walking around the neighbor hood yesterday. I have a grocery store, bakeries, cheese shops, a butcher and a hardware store just done the street. This morning I tucked my Target reusable bag into my purse and headed to the Albert Hein (my neighborhood grocery store). I put my .50 euro piece in the grocery cart so I could use it and started shopping, I never could find sugar or bars of soap but I am sure they are there. I then bagged my own groceries as all good Europeans do and walked home. I must say knowing you are going to carry your groceries home does change your shopping habits (maybe it is a good thing I didn't find the sugar and the soap).
I hope that anyone that was thinking of coming for a trip will. I have found the Hague to be absolutely charming, I was thinking with all of the government entities here it would just be a big city (Charles Taylor of Liberia fame is on trial). But it is an amazing city that defintely has a small town European feel to it, of course I am going to say that until I get run over by a rogue bicyclist!
Off to the museum and then some exploring. I promise to be a better blogger now that I have exciting things to write about.
I left on Wednesday and had a lincoln town car come to pick me up, I figured I might as well head out in style. The driver was crazy, he kept wanting me to watch (as he was watching) the streaming video on his IPOD-I wondered if I would get a discount if we ran off the road. I arrived at the airport and each of my bags weighed about 65 lbs so I had a $100 surcharge before I even got off the ground! Before my plane left I found a place in the airport that does 10 minute pedicures so I had my last bit of pampering before I left. The flight was fine, somehow I was in economy plus which means that I had 5 extra inches of foot room and it was very nice. I arrived Thursday morning and my sponsor picked me up. Prior to my arrival I emailed my sponsor to ask him what proper attire would be in case I was going to have to go straight into work, he replied no worries he would be the only person I would meet. That made me very happy so I just wore jeans, afterall when I made my first appearance on Friday I would be in a suit and make sure that my crucial first impression was a good one.......it turned out that my sponsor had forgotten my cell phone so we just were going to run in for a minute to pick it up. 5 hours later I left! As soon as I got there he took me in to meet my boss, she then took me up to Country Team meeting which is when all of the section heads meet for the week. She wanted to make sure everyone met me and knew me. I was thinking surely noone will recognize me the next time they see me and I have had a shower, don't have airplane hair and the drool from sleeping off the plane has been wiped off of my shirt. Then I had a series of meetings about situations that needed immediate attention. I wanted to hit the ground running, I need to be careful what I wish for.
I then went to my apartment which is fabulous. It is in a very wooded, green area. I am on what I consider the second floor but when I took the elevator the other day I found out I am on the first floor. I figured this out after a couple of tries trying to get into the wrong apartment! The apartment is very spacious and open with huge windows on either side. There is also a front and back balcony which I have decided is just for show because there isn't any room for a chair much less a table and chairs. The avocado green bathroom is everything I hoped it would be and more, in addition to the avacado green sinks and tub I was blessed with an avocado green bidet. I promise to send pictures. Finally this morning I realized that yes I do have hot water in the shower/tub. I finally figured out that one side of the "faucet" was how much water you want and the OTHER side is temperature. This does make the bathing experience much better.
To get to work I just walk across the street and jump on a tram which takes me about 3 blocks from the Embassy. I am sure you are thinking-how nice to just have to cross the street but it is much more than that. To cross the street you must first look both ways to make sure you don't step in front of a bicycle, once that hurdle is crossed you can cross the street, then another bike path and then the tram tracks. When you walk anywhere you must be aware of bicycles, trams and cars I am sure that at one point I will be hit by one of them and I am hoping it will only be a bicycle. There are bikes and bikers everywhere. I have even seen bikes with cart type attachments in the front so people can put there children in them!
One of my neighbors took me walking around the neighbor hood yesterday. I have a grocery store, bakeries, cheese shops, a butcher and a hardware store just done the street. This morning I tucked my Target reusable bag into my purse and headed to the Albert Hein (my neighborhood grocery store). I put my .50 euro piece in the grocery cart so I could use it and started shopping, I never could find sugar or bars of soap but I am sure they are there. I then bagged my own groceries as all good Europeans do and walked home. I must say knowing you are going to carry your groceries home does change your shopping habits (maybe it is a good thing I didn't find the sugar and the soap).
I hope that anyone that was thinking of coming for a trip will. I have found the Hague to be absolutely charming, I was thinking with all of the government entities here it would just be a big city (Charles Taylor of Liberia fame is on trial). But it is an amazing city that defintely has a small town European feel to it, of course I am going to say that until I get run over by a rogue bicyclist!
Off to the museum and then some exploring. I promise to be a better blogger now that I have exciting things to write about.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Four weeks and counting
Well by the end of the month I will finally be in the Hague. I must say I am feeling a slight since of Deja Vu-wasn't I just getting ready for the movers to come and filling out change of address forms. Next week I am sending out my UAB (unaccompanied baggage, goes by plane and will hopefully be there within a couple of weeks) and my HHE (house hold effects), the UAB can only be 200 lbs including the packaging and HHE has to be at least 200 lbs so there is alot of moving between piles and of course shopping to ensure I have at least the necessary 200 lbs.
I have been getting information from post-one of the pieces of information was a list of what is "hard to find" in the Hague, needless to say everything on the list is now in my living room. After all who wants to be without 6 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread and 2 boxes of Angel Food Cake, I have never in my life made Angel Food Cake but I don't want to be without. So those of you coming to visit plan on a meal of Angel Food Cornbread.
I was able to meet with the HRO that I am replacing and I found out many of important things: that there is a bakery down the street from my apartment, that there is a cheese store down the street, that there is a grocery store down the street and a butcher store down the street....who could ask for more? She said she would go to the bakery every other week and I figured I would folow in her foot steps but I am thinking more along the lines of every other meal, after all going at lunch as well would be glutinous. She also told me about the "Chicken Man" this is someone who comes to the Embassy once a week with fresh chicken, cheese and eggs! I think that is the neatest thing-I do have concerns about how fresh the chickens will be.......
I have gotten pictures of an apartment that is in the same building as mine so I am really getting excited. The apartment is on the tramline straight to work and a couple of miles from the beach. I have already bought a bike and have my housekeeper lined up (I may have talked about this before) but she will come one a week, to do laundry, clean and cook.
Hope all is well and more before I leave,
Jamie
I have been getting information from post-one of the pieces of information was a list of what is "hard to find" in the Hague, needless to say everything on the list is now in my living room. After all who wants to be without 6 boxes of Jiffy Cornbread and 2 boxes of Angel Food Cake, I have never in my life made Angel Food Cake but I don't want to be without. So those of you coming to visit plan on a meal of Angel Food Cornbread.
I was able to meet with the HRO that I am replacing and I found out many of important things: that there is a bakery down the street from my apartment, that there is a cheese store down the street, that there is a grocery store down the street and a butcher store down the street....who could ask for more? She said she would go to the bakery every other week and I figured I would folow in her foot steps but I am thinking more along the lines of every other meal, after all going at lunch as well would be glutinous. She also told me about the "Chicken Man" this is someone who comes to the Embassy once a week with fresh chicken, cheese and eggs! I think that is the neatest thing-I do have concerns about how fresh the chickens will be.......
I have gotten pictures of an apartment that is in the same building as mine so I am really getting excited. The apartment is on the tramline straight to work and a couple of miles from the beach. I have already bought a bike and have my housekeeper lined up (I may have talked about this before) but she will come one a week, to do laundry, clean and cook.
Hope all is well and more before I leave,
Jamie
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