Angela Rhodes - Perpetual Travels

Finding Social Mecca - And Then Moving On

2011-12-18T00:51:00.002+01:00

This week we packed all our favorite things in a handful of boxes, and a little moving company came to take it all away. That's right folks, we're moving on from Amsterdam.

As a Sydneysider targeted by the cities social incompetence I’d daydream about moving and living around the world, always finding a new exciting place to explore and if I was lucky enough, to call home. In the most exasperating times I swore I would never go back as I imagined myself in some rural part of Hawaii living it up with the locals (that turns out only existed in my mind, but that’s another story).

But as it did turn out, it was Amsterdam with its socially forward thinking, beautiful in its old town charm and lively yet relaxed in its atmosphere that gave me everything I was looking for. Amsterdam revolves around pleasant social gatherings. The Dutch have a word for this; “Gezellig” and there is no direct translation for it, the closest I could come to describing it is “cozy” but even that doesn’t really capture the feeling of Gezellig. Gezellig is enjoying the company of good friends over food and wine, it is sitting by a lake in the sunshine with your partner chit chatting as you watch the boats go by, it is sitting on the back of your partner’s or friends’ bike with your arms around their waist as you ride back home from the theatre. When you experience it you’ve essentially hit social Mecca.

And in the last few months, it was exactly this that had me asking the questions; is moving away the right choice? Will I find this in my next home? Why am I leaving the friends I love so much? Why am I leaving this amazing community I built for myself? Am I crazy? Spoilt? or just stupid?

But, there is one solid reason why I’m leaving Amsterdam, the lack of being close to nature and beaches that are so fundamental to my happiness, without them I feel lost and find it difficult to picture myself living a fulfilled, happy life in any place.

So our adventure in Amsterdam may be over, but the adventure itself continues. Lisboa let’s see what you have to offer!

Fitting In and Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions

2011-11-23T11:44:00.000+01:00

When I moved here almost 3 years ago I felt I slipped into Amsterdam so effortlessly that at times I wondered if I had lived here my entire life. I found the locals easy to understand and easy to deal with, I loved the sense of community that I felt all around me and I loved that women were completely liberated, independent and confident.

And recently this all made sense when I learnt a little about Hofstede and his Cultural Dimension Theory, Hofstede identified several values (dimensions) that differentiate a country's culture and society form another; Masculinity, Power Distance, Individualism, and Uncertainty Avoidance.

So I ranked my home culture(s) using a really cool cultural differentiation tool I found online, and this is what happened:

Masculinity MA - The degree to which a country’s society supports the traditional male/female roles.
Power Distance PDI - the extent of equality and inequality between people in a country’s society, low PDI scores point toward more social equality while a high PDI indicates inequalities of wealth and power.
Individualism IDV - the degree to which a country’s culture values and supports the value of the individual over the group.
Uncertainty Avoidance UAI - the degree of which a country’s culture accepts uncertainly and ambiguity. A low VAI indicates a societies willingness to accept change and consider new ideas whereas high VAI cultures try to minimize the amount of unknown situations, high VAI cultures also tend to be more emotional.

All the things I hated and loved about growing up as a Greek in Australia were either toned down or toned up in the Netherlands; annoying, stifling gender stereotypes and crazy emotional reactions, gone, replaced by a better sense of community.

In fact the only thing I really struggled with in the Netherlands compared to Australia was power distance differences that I picked up on here in the work force, kudos to my fellow Aussies on that one!

Rollende Keukens - Rolling Kitchens

2011-06-05T12:43:00.000+02:00

The delicious Rollende Keukens or Rolling Kitchens was in town again this long weekend for the 4th year in a row. Dozens of mobile kitchens head to the park at Westergasfabriek turning it into a delicious open air restaurant with live music and theatre, and the atmosphere is nothing like what you would expect in Amsterdam: big trucks, carnival rides for kids, horses, music and smoking BBQ's all give the feel of a small American county fair.

Although our group missed Korean Taco Party the Korean Mexican fusion stall from last year there was plenty of deliciousness to enjoy, smoked pork, BBQ ribs, pulled pork and coleslaw burgers, spit pork, fresh seafood and shellfish, delicious sweet crepes and gourmet savory galettes were just some of what was on offer and perfectly accompanied by sangria, fresh homemade lemon and mint iced tea's, cocktails, ciders and wines.

Crossing the Street in Rome

2011-04-13T12:00:00.000+02:00

When in Rome, do as the Romans do, you will have to if you want to cross the street.

During my 9 day vacation in Rome it was day 3 when I was finally fed up waiting for traffic to stop for me at zebra crossings and so with no Italians in sight to follow I decided that I would be assertive and cool and just like the Romans I would start walking across the street and not wait by the sidewalk, I even turned to my husband said “you know what? I’m just going to walk, I’m walking… I’m walking… I’m not going to stop” As the cars approached my husband hurried across (what not to do no.2) and I caught myself acting like a deer struck by the bright headlights of a car in the middle of the street, not knowing if I should run backwards or forwards, went forwards turned and went backwards then turned and ran forwards again (what not to do no.1), by then my husband was standing on the other side of the street looking at me with a huge grin on his face.

When in Rome, you will quickly realize that the endless stream of smarts, scooters, buses and cars don’t stop for pedestrians not even at zebra crossings and so the task of crossing the street is probably the scariest thing that will happen to you there. But it turns out there is a trick to it and although cars wont stop for you they will slow down and adjust their route for you.

Step 1: confidently step onto the street but watch out for scooters weaving between cars that might not see you.

Step 2: keep walking and keep calm, because cars adjust their route to it is important that you don’t stop or run.

Once you’ve mastered steps 1 and 2 you can do like the Romans and stride across the street cool and composed as cars and scooters buzz around you.

The A-Z guide for moving to Amsterdam

2011-03-28T00:58:00.007+02:00

On a regular basis I receive emails from people all around the world hoping or planning to move to Amsterdam, they ask for all sorts of things from how to find a job and an apartment to how to cope with the weather. I try my best to get back to everyone but with my A.D.D a couple sometimes slip through the cracks – If I never got back to you I sincerely apologise, and if you’re still thinking of moving and need advice email me, I will reply this time, I promise… or you can just read this post.

Apartments
I keep hearing (and reading) that good apartments are hard to come by in Amsterdam, however most people I know who have stable full time jobs have found great apartments and found them relatively quickly too. I won’t lie though, apartments in Amsterdam are expensive and space is sparse, but the further you move from the city centre the apartments get bigger and cheaper.

Also, before you can get an apartment you need to show a work contract to confirm that you are able to pay rent.

And most importantly, do not use a rental agency, these agencies charge you the first months rent, a rate I think is ridiculously high after the costs involved with moving overseas in the first place. I always suggest the Marktplaats, an online Dutch trading site great for finding an apartment.

Banking
You will need a job/proof of income, a local address and a BSN to open a bank account. I have been using ABN-Amro and I find them easy to deal with, I am not sure what experiences other people have had with them, there are of course plenty of other options.

Biking
You wont need a car in Amsterdam but one of your first purchases should be a bike, it’s quicker, healthier and much more pleasant. If you’re a newb (like I was) Amsterdam is the perfect place to become confident on your two wheels, the bike lanes are amazingly well structured and a breeze to ride on. Because they get stolen often, go for something second hand and don't pay more than ~€150.

Dutch
Almost everyone in Amsterdam speaks fantastic English, so like myself it might be hard for you to find the motivation to take a Dutch class if you don’t really need to. However, if you want to intergrate (better than I have) and meet new people there are plenty of options and the local municipal also holds courses
click here for more info.

Employment
If you’re not an EU resident you will probably find it’s almost impossible to land here without having a job lined up and finding a job without speaking fluent Dutch isn’t easy, there are however a handful of international companies that don’t require Dutch language skills. Success on finding a job will mostly depend on your field and experience (a recent geology graduate like me has no luck) however I know several people in industries like finance and marketing who picked up positions fairly quickly. Click here for a list of recruitment agencies.

Happiness
Accept that you’re in a new place, that life here is different and don’t compare it to home otherwise you will never be truly happy (and you will probably bore the people around you).

Hospitals
Pray to god you never need surgery or anything else that requires painkillers, Dutch hospitals have a weird stance on them, that is they don’t think you need them (which I find totally contradictory when they allow pot smoking for leisure but not painkillers for… pain). A friend of mine commented something along the lines of home births being so popular in The Netherlands because at least then women can role a joint to ease the pain of labor.

Medical
Once you’ve settled in make sure to register with a local doctor and dentist, click here or here to find the closest to you.

Mice
They’re everywhere and there’s not much you can do to keep them away for very long. Unless you don’t mind mice you should probably do as the Dutch do and get a cat.

Patience
Don’t leave home without it, Amsterdam moves at a slower pace than most other places, you will find yourself waiting longer than usual for service in most bars, café’s and restaurants but the best thing about it is no one rushes you either.

Registration
When you move here you need to register yourself with the IND and get a BSN, if you have a job already lined up then your HR department should be able to help you with the details for this otherwise click here for more info.

Socialising
There is a HUGE expat scene in Amsterdam, you will probably not have a problem finding friends unless you don’t make an effort Meetup.com is a great place to start, there are several meet ups for both Dutch and foreigners in Amsterdam to choose from.

Supermarkets
I mean minimarkets. Be prepared to find that the supermarkets here are small and have a small selection, but there are some great alternatives if, as you will soon find, you are not tempted by the local Albert Heijn on your corner. My favourite place to shop is Noordermarkt a small farmers market in the Jordaan and the Albert Cuyp Markt in the Pijp. Marqt supermarkets have a habit of disappointing me with overpriced, not really bio, just pretty packaged food so I opt for a NatuurWinkel or BioMarkt instead

Taxes
I’m not even going to try and help you with this minefield, like most other expats I know I have a consultant to do my taxes. Talk to your HR advisor they should be able to help you find a trusted tax consultant. Also prepare to wait a looooooong time before you see any €’s return.

Weather
It doesn’t rain nearly as much as people think or say it does. The autumns and winters can drag out a bit but Amsterdam is perfect for cosying up in your local bar or cafe with your friends over a beer or hot chocolate plus the vibe in spring and summer is incredible and totally worth the wait.

The XYZ’s
The I Amsterdam website on living in The Netherlands is by far the best and most updated resource, I would definitely recommend having a good read of it.

And finally, avoid the Expatica forums at all costs, they are full of negativity and whining that can really make you tear your hair out.

The Work Situation

2011-03-08T11:19:00.006+01:00

Some numbers related to my professional life in Amsterdam since moving here almost 2 years ago;

~ 13 - jobs somewhat related to my career that I could apply for
~ 28 - jobs not specific to my career that I would do out of shear desperation for something to do
1 - university course related to my career path I could apply for

5 - volunteer jobs in the Netherlands I would love to do

9 - recruiters that I am signed up with

~ 46 - job applications and cover letters sent
2 - emails regarding university studies sent

0 - rejection or follow up letters

2 - call backs for jobs somewhat related to my career
2 - call backs for jobs not related to my career
2 - interviews for a jobs somewhat related to my degree
2 - interviews for a jobs not related to my degree
1 - rejection letter following an interview (pointing out that I went to 4 here)

1 - job

1 - number of years employed

(If you're considering moving to Amsterdam and are reading this please don't let it discourage you, my field is very specific (geosciences, geospatial) so finding relevant work here is harder than many other fields).

Pretty pathetic and extremely frustrating. More frustrating is the pattern of never hearing back from any of these places in regards to my application. Not one rejection letter, do companies and institutions here lack that amount of common courtesy and good business practice? It boggles my mind.

Milan In Less Than 3 Days

2011-02-14T00:11:00.020+01:00

I'd never heard much about Milan but reading about heavy discounts on designer clothes, markets with vintage shoes and cheap flights from Amsterdam it felt natural to do a girls trip there. So last Friday Amanda and I jumped on a plane and headed toward Italy.

Unfortunately heavy discounts meant that instead of paying €4999 for an Armani (or; Dior, Gucci, Prada etc etc) dress you could pay just €1699 for it, and that vintage second hand items started at over €100. So there I was, shocked to find almost* everything was out of my budget.

Ok, so I wasn't going to shop on this trip but that wasn't the end of the world because Milan had so much more to offer.

Tea and cookies in Art Nouveau Heaven at Zucca in Galleria located in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II just opposite the Doumo, completely over priced at €4.80 for a cappuccino but the cookies are to die for and in combination with the setting the tea and cookie option at €6 is totally worth it.

Inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele ll

A quick hop over the Piazza Doumo to the Museo del Novecento (the Museum of the 20th Century) is well worth a visit, on display is contemporary Italian art and it hosts several works of Umberto Boccioni and surprisingly some work by Pablo Picasso. Entrance until the end of February 2011 is free.

Happy Hour in Navigli happy hour in Milan is unlike anywhere else I have seen, between about 6-10pm bars offer their take on the Italian aperitif (a glass of prosecco and some bar snacks before dinner) in the form of an all you can eat buffet with any drink/cocktail purchase (usually between €6-12), the buffet includes warm and cold snacks such as pizza, pasta, cured meats, cheeses, grilled and cured vegetables, salads, desserts… the list goes on and on and by the time you're done you're too stuffed for dinner anyway. The district of Navigli is a great area for Happy Hour, here canals are lined with some great bars and restaurants that all compete against each other when happy hour roles around, lavish buffets are on display in their windows. Guides will often advise you not to over indulge and state that treating the buffet's as a dinner is considered tasteless by the locals, however this does not seem to bother the locals we encountered who piled on the goodies and went for 3rd and 4th rounds themselves.

Happy hour!

Stroll through Navigli back to Milans canal district Navigli during the day is also worth a visit, filled with art studios and galleries, vintage clothing and antique stores, well stocked book shops, outdoor markets and cozy cafe's it is a great place to take a walk, pick up a bargain and enjoy a coffee and croissant.

Gorgeous bag found in a second hand vintage shop and still completely out of my budget

Breakfast in Navigli

Climb the Doumo Milan's Doumo is an incredible cathedral made of marble, the Doumo is exceptionally detailed with 3,500 statues, sculptured stories told on it's brass doors by different artists and beautiful stained glass windows. The inside is so special that even an atheist like myself can marvel at what man's faith is capable of creating, but to really appreciate it's grandness pay €5 and climb to the roof (or €8 for the lift), the detail on the 135 spires is stunning when viewed from the top.

The Doumo, view from the top and sculptures on the doors.

On the top of the Doumo

Sample delicious handmade Mozzarella after climbing the Doumo treat yourself with a sundowner at Obika Mozzarella Bar. Located on the top of a lavish several story department store the restaurant has a gorgeous view of the Doumo spires and the sunset viewed here while enjoying a bottle of cool white wine was the highlight of my trip. Oh and the food is damn good too, Obika has a completely new restaurant concept and offers different types of mozzarella accompanied by delicious and fresh traditional Italian sides, yum!

Get cultured the Biblioteca Ambrosiana (WOW) is another of Milan's highlights, the library also houses a the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana (the Ambrosian Art Gallery) which displays some fantastic masterpieces including Raffael's "School of Athens" and works by Botticelli and Leonardo. The library section is also impressive with 30,000 manuscripts. My only wish is that we had more time so that I could really explore it, we did however see what we went to see and it was totally worth it, the current exhibit of Leonardo Da Vinci's The Codex Atlanticus, these sketches were mind boggling and seeing Leornardo doodles on the edges of the paper used for his designs was a great sight! We were lucky enough to get free entry that Sunday but the usual €15 entry would be totally worth it!

The Castello Sforzesco is also a must see, the caste has several museums within it's walls including an archeological and prehistoric museum it also has a great art collection which includes Michaelangelo's last sculpture the The Rondanini Pietà.

Ah Milan.

*almost everything, except for these babies at just €39.95 from OVS Industry

2010 Alphabet

2011-01-10T12:30:00.001+01:00

Although I didn't updated much, 2010 was a year of up's and down's. I figured the best way to summarize the year was to do like Amanda and do a 2010 alphabet.

Chilling in Amsterdam

A. Amsterdam - I loved this city more and more everyday and at the times when I realized I actually lived in Amsterdam I felt so awesome. Although every so often I had itchy feet to move somewhere new and exciting, the thought of leaving Amsterdam always had me thinking twice about taking any action on that.

B. Beach sickness - More than anything else I missed warm, clean beaches to swim in. I had so many dreams of running and jumping into warm pacific waters, I even had lucid dreams where I controlled my setting and brought the pacific to me with just a simple snap of my fingers; sun - snap! Happy chilled out beach people - snap! Beautiful beach - snap! At least there I could swim as much as I liked and all while never leaving Amsterdam.

C. Cymbeline - My long, overly perfectionist, super love for detail search for a wedding dress ended with a dress from a Parisian designer named Cymbeline. Unfortunately the dress was 40% over my budget and I needed weeks of wedding budget shuffling and budget cutting to cover the cost. The search for a wedding dress was one of the best experiences I had last year, nothing felt as good as trying on fine gowns worth several thousands while chatting with the girls and sipping tea. I wish I could do it again and again and again.

D. Depression - Unfortunately this came and went a few too many times last year but never really lasted long because my life here was so friggen' awesome that at the end of the day I couldn't really get too deeply bogged down by anything.

E. Edwardian Pearls - While shopping for wedding earrings in Amsterdam's antique district I decided I would try on a pair of 100 year old, €2000 Edwardian Era pearl earrings that I absolutely could not afford only to have one break as I was putting it in my ear. Luckily for me the man behind the counter said it happens all the time with antique jewelry and let it go (how lucky was that!?).

F. Friends - Not only had I met an amazing bunch of people in 2010 but I also bonded more with amazing ones that I met in 2009. I was surrounded by such a great group of people last year that sometimes I wondered how this little introvert was capable of juggling so many social events like an extrovert.

Discovering new restaurants

G. Gourmet - I tried some amazing restaurants/cafe's last year. My top 3 included Ron Blauw which totally blew me away, the restaurant has 2 Michelin stars and dining there was an experience that I felt I should applaud. Gartine had possibly the best high tea I have ever had anywhere with delicious home grown ingredients, an excellent atmosphere and super friendly staff. And Brasserie Flo Amsterdam (& Lisbon!) which had excellent seafood and classic French dishes in a gorgeous art nouveau setting.

H. Holland Hup! - Such a great vibe in the city, it was lots of fun being in Europe for a world-cup and even more so in a country where the team made the final.

I. Insomnia - When I wasn't lucid dreaming of warm pacific beaches I spent a lot of my time tossing and turning and trying to fall asleep.

J. Jerks - I ran into a lot of them this year, especially a lot when it came to organising my wedding. Nuno Flores - who provided our live music sent us 2 violinist instead of a cellist and violinist which is what we asked for from the very beginning. Marina Cruz - who after paying them €300 for wedding hairstyling slyly added additional costs to the total value of €500 and then charged us for the coffee we drank on the morning of my wedding at the salon. I do I do - who's service was too shockingly rude to be in the wedding service industry. The cynical ladies running Quinta dos Alfinetes in Sintra who rudely tried to force us to have our wedding on a weekday or a weekend in November because they didn't want to give us a weekend spot in September/October. The list is pretty long so i'll just stop here.

K. Kilos - The gym became an important part of my life and I lost about 10kilos leading up to my wedding, my gown was taken in 3 sizes and body pump and core and stability classes almost turned into my religion.

L. Love Parade - We spontaneously joined some friends heading to Duisberg for the Love Parade, this was probably one of the worst experiences i've had not only in 2010 but in my entire life. When we returned to Amsterdam I had to wash my hair 4 times before the water ran clear from the all the dust off the coals of the shitty industrial area the organisers thought they could squeeze so many people into.

M. Mor - Sadly Mats' grandmother passed away early in the year and I couldn't attend the funeral because of some minor surgery I had the week before. Mor was a wonderful host who welcomed people from everywhere into her home and I will remember the few christmas' I shared with her forever.

N. Norway - In summer we headed over to Norway for Mats' mum's 60th Birthday. And again back for Christmas at the family farm.

Celebrating my 30th

O. Older - I turned 30! And spent my birthday drinking red wine and eating mussels in a brasserie in France.

Pre wedding in Ericeira

P. Portugal - Probably the word we used more than any other the entire year, Portugal was the main focus of everything for us, our families and closest friends. After flying there to settle on a wedding venue we had 8 months of looking forward to Portugal. We honeymooned pre wedding in Ericeira and post wedding in Sesimbra, they were beautiful sunny days filled with delicious seafood and salt water that was too cold for swimming but perfect to smell in the air.

Q. Quit my job - Not so wise finically, but oh so liberating. After seeing my yearly contract out I decided not to renew and am again a lady of leisure looking for something new and exciting.

Roadtrippin' the French Riviera

R. Roadtrip! - Our annual roadtrip with Mats' brother Jonas took us down to Dijon, further down to sunny Marseille and across the Riviera, to Nice and Monaco, up through Italy to Lake Como and back through France to Strasbourg and all the way back to Amsterdam.

S. Sintra - The little town where we got married, we were so thrilled to share this magical place with the people closest to us!

T. Tonsils - I had them snipped out, and it was 2 and a half weeks of complete hell because of the doctors refusal to prescribe me any pain killers stronger than paracetamol. Crossing my fingers I never break any bones in this country...

U. UK - We spent a weekend in London with family and I got to do plenty of shopping. Although I could never live there, visiting London is always a highlight.

My brother and his gf visit Amsterdam

V. Visitors - We were lucky enough to be visited by more friends and family from Norway and from Australia last year among them was my brother and his girlfriend, a very good friend and her son, and my cousin and his wife.

W. Wedding! - I got married, twice! On September the 23rd Mats and I caught a bus from Ericeira to Lisbon and were officially married by the Norwegian Ambassador to Portugal in the Norwegian Embassy. The whole experience took about 10-15 minutes and before we knew it we were married and catching a taxi to Brasserie Flo where we celebrated with champagne, oysters and delicious deserts. A little over a week later we headed to Sintra with our closest friends and family for a beautiful wedding weekend where we were married once again in a symbolic ceremony on the terrace the hotel that we hired out for the weekend. It was an amazing day that flew by far too quickly.

Waiting for the bus to Lisbon

X. Y. & Z - Impossible to think of any x y & z's!

So there, I've updated on my 2010, hopefully this year I will update more than a total of 3 times.

Recurring Dreams

2010-03-28T12:40:00.000+02:00

I'm pretty certain I never want to live in Australia again but in between bouts of insomnia are persistent dreams of familiar beaches, surfing and warmth hitting on my body. The frequency of the dreams is getting a little disturbing now... They started roughly six months ago in October with one dream a month, then by January they increased to about two a month and by february they occurred about once a week. Now, this week I have already had three, last night was the most recent.

The scenes and people change but they always take place by Sydney beaches, there is always sparkling clear blue water and sounds of people enjoying themselves, there is always sun, lots and lots of sun, and I'm always blissfully happy. Occasionally, they get lucid, and I begin to think to myself - something isn't right because I live in Amsterdam now, of course! i'm visiting Sydney, I need to call my parents and tell them to come say hello before I head back to my life, but I can't, I have to fly out soon and there's no time. And then the dreams fade out and disappear.

Am I homesick? Or am I just going mad from all the cold and lack of nature and clean beaches?

Restaurant Week in Amsterdam

2010-03-14T17:46:00.000+01:00

Last week was Restaurant Week in Amsterdam, for €25 you can try a 3 course menu at one of Amsterdam's finer restaurants that you might not usually be able to splurge on. We were a little lazy with organising so we only got to try two restaurants, we will definitely try and reserve in advance next year.

Nomads
Rozengracht 133, Amsterdam
http://www.restaurantnomads.nl/

Food 7/10
Atmosphere 8/10
Service 7/10
Value 7/10

Nomads is one of the most atmospheric restaurants I have ever visited. It is decadently designed like a sultans harem with large mattresses and pillows, private booths with huge sofa's separated by curtains. Nomads comes complete with ambient and Arabian music and on some nights even a belly dancer. The cuisine is Middle Eastern/North African and you wine and dine reclining while hot and cold mezzes are served to you on a platter.

Pros: The deserts are incredible!
Cons: It was a little bit too see-and-be-seen for me. The music is a little too loud and makes chatting difficult.
Tips: Best to go with a group.
Don't order cocktails - with a small bar staff and large crowds cocktails can take more than 30 minutes to arrive.

Flo

Amstelstraat 9, Amsterdam

http://www.floamsterdam.com/

Food 9/10

Atmosphere 9/10

Service 9/10

Value 9/10

Hands down the best food I have had in Amsterdam so far. Flo is a French Brasserie concept restaurant, with plenty of fresh seafood and typical French dishes, the food is excellent quality with excellent presentation. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and really gives the busy Parisian bistro vibe, best of all is the gorgeous art nouveau setting.

Pros: Michelin recommended restaurant.

Cons: Couldn't find any!

Tip: Must try the French classics like steak tartare and creme brulee.
Do ask what wine they recommend with a particular dish - the combination can be pretty amazing.

Where in the World is Angela Rhodes?

2010-02-03T20:15:00.001+01:00

It's been so long since my last update, between work, being knocked out by the flu right after NYE, insomnia, headaches, wedding planning and bleak Amsterdam weather I haven't found the time or the inspiration to update my blog at all lately.

Until I took a little break down Sunny Portugal way. It seems like we retraced our steps and ended up being there almost exactly one year since we were there last. I can't say that my first trip to Lisbon was a pleasant experience, I was jobless, homeless and fund-less, by the end of the trip I had actually wrote it off completely, declaring I never wanted to go back.

This time around I was left in shock at how much I enjoyed it, I'm sure I repeated "what the hell happened now?! Lisbon is so awesome!" several times over and over. Maybe it was the romance of heading down there to book a venue for our wedding in gorgeous Sintra or maybe it was the sun and temperate weather that I have missed for months now in Amsterdam, who knows.

View from the hotel

Lisbon has an old town (Alfama) that seems to go on and on. It is filled with narrow streets, wrought iron balconies and terra-cotta roofs all of which can be enjoyed from several look out points. The most charming thing (to me at least) is that every so often a palm tree falls into view reminding you how nice it is to be back in a temperate zone away from icy pavements.

What really impressed me though, was the the Oceanarium (Oceanário de Lisboa), which happens to be the worlds second largest oceanarium. The centre is made up of a huge tank that represents the global ocean and is surrounded by 4 smaller tanks that represent the North Atlantic rocky coast, the Antarctic coastal line, the Temperate Pacific kelp forests and the Tropical Indian coral reefs. The best bit is that the tanks are 2 levels high so you can see the wildlife from above and from below. If you ever head down Lisbon way the Oceanarium is a must see (and take my advice and totally hang out by the cuttle fish tank).

Curious little cuttle fish swam right up to us when we stood outside his tank, then put on a show for us by changing his colours, awesome! Don't eat Cephalopods!

In between doing the tourist thing we headed over to Sintra to do some wedding planning and venue scouting. Sintra is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of it's exceptional beauty and 19th century architecture and it is definitely the most beautiful little town I have ever visited.

We were given a recommendation to try some queijadas (Portuguese desert) from a little cafe on the road to Sintra's old town, they may have been some of the nicest treats I have ever tried and broke my strictly no gluten rule 3 times in a row :(

In the last hours as we headed to the airport we had a basic conversation in broken Spanish with our cab driver who was keen to know how we liked Portugal, his face filled with smiles when we told him about all the delicious Portuguese sites and tastes we loved. I got a pang of wanting to live in Lisbon, but for now it's back to Amsterdam and back to reality. At least I can look forward to heading back there before too long to show all our friends and family the special little town we've found to take our vows.

Shots of the wedding venue we finally decided on

Off to Norway

2009-12-22T23:09:00.000+01:00

It's that time again...

Time to head off to beautiful Norway for another white Christmas.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

I will be back on the 27th with lots and lots of photos to share.

One year abroad in pictures

2009-12-13T19:58:00.000+01:00

Yesterday morning I compiled a bunch of pictures from the last year to have printed and sent to my mum back in Sydney. After spending almost the entire day at the Albert Cuypmarkt and having no time to print them, Mats suggested I upload them onto an Australian photo printing website and have them sent directly to her house instead, that way she'll get them before Christmas. This morning I was getting ready to have them printed when I saw I could make a photobook instead, I chose that option and put in the dates; 12.12.08 - 12.12.09 and it hit me, yesterday had been exactly one year since I had left Sydney. One year since we recklessly boarded a plane and moved overseas with no apartment or jobs lined up. One year since I said goodbye to my family and friends, one year since I last crossed Sydney heads on the Manly Ferry. Time has gone so quick.

So here is the book that is now waiting to be printed and shipped to my mum for Christmas, here is my life in one year (click the images for a larger picture).

Christmas in Norway 2008 (Then off to London to look for work - Jan 2009)

Hiring freeze in London, off to Lisbon & Sintra, Portugal Jan-Feb 2009 to look for work and enjoy the sun where it's cheaper, but it turns out it's not that much cheaper. Back to Norway Feb-Mar 2009 to look for work again.

April 1st 2009 we moved to Amsterdam

Spent the next few months exploring Amsterdam and some of the Netherlands, several friends visited and we celebrated our first Queensday.

Mats' Brother visits us in Amsterdam and we all go on a road-trip through Luxembourg, France and Belgium.

We fly to Norway in Aug 2009 for a Summer party hosted by Mats' parents.

Back in Amsterdam we're busy meeting some really cool new people.

Oct 2009 - We celebrate that I finally found a job by spending the weekend eating delicious seafood in Brussels.

Autumn comes to Amsterdam.

Dec 2009 we head over to Germany with some friends for the Cologne Christmas Markets.

This year did not start off easy, as nice as hanging out down sunny Portugal way might sound the truth was we were freaking out about work, money and about where we were headed in life. Deciding to go back to Norway to continue looking for work was a hard decision and we regretted having to leave London, but once we moved to Amsterdam everything fell into place and everything ran smoothly, so smoothly we're convinced it was meant to be.

Drama on the Marie Heinekenplein

2009-12-13T18:27:00.003+01:00

Köln Christmas Markets: part twee

2009-12-10T21:45:00.001+01:00

There is something special about Christmas in Europe, having grown up in Sydney, the days leading up to Christmas' composed mostly of humidity, bikini's and fake snow from a can on windows. But in Europe you really feel Christmas is... Christmas. Hot mugs of glühwein, the smell of cinnamon in the air, people in big coats and gloves, pepperkaker, and ice skating rinks outside, outside!

So imagine how much I was bursting with excitement on the days leading up to our weekend in Köln a weekend dedicated to checking out Christmas markets! A concept I had only heard of a few months ago. After all the excitement I am happy to report back that I was not disappointed at all. The markets, the food, the smells, the sights, the goods were soooo good and so so Christmas'y.

Doughnut men with cherry hearts

Shot 10 seconds before we all gorged on chocolate covered fruits

Amandaliscious

Assorted spices

The Köln Christmas markets turned out to be an excellent way to start to the Christmas season. And on our return to Amsterdam all the Sinterklaas decorations had been replaced with Christmas ones, this weekend we will pick up a tree and before we know it we will be zooming over to Norway for another white Christmas.

Köln Christmas Markets: part een

2009-12-09T19:30:00.002+01:00

Last Saturday Mats and I jumped into a car with Amanda and Dave and drove to Köln. I was surprised to find that it was not a pretty city at all, being almost completely bombed during WW2 most of the cities architecture is from the 1950's so it lacked a lot of the old charm many other large European cities have. But what it did have were some amazing Christmas markets (have I mentioned markets are my favourite thing of all time?), excellent tastes and a pretty good vibe.

I'm sure my body still hasn't recovered from all the delicious beer and market food I stuffed into it - delicious egg nog, yummy (and probably glutenous) potato cakes with apple sauce, currywurst, chili mushroom stroganoff, jalapeno and mango shots, deep fried brie, chocolate coated mandarin pieces and probably many, many more things my brain has conveniently repressed.

A Case Against Meat

2009-11-22T14:24:00.004+01:00

My attention was caught by an add on Facebook today; the head of an orangoutang in cling wrap ready to be sold in supermarkets. I clicked the link which took me to a page that warned meat sold in Albert Heijn was soy fed, soy which is grown in plantations in South America that are not only damaging the environment but are also the cause of human rights violations.

I googled around a little and found this video which was part of an investigation by The Economist into Europe's cheap meat, click here to read the full article or watch the video below.

Friends of the Earth in The Netherlands has an ongoing campaigning about this apparently The Netherlands is the world's second largest importer of soy. If you feel as sick as I do right now please read and sign their petition.

We have already cut down drastically on meat mostly because we've found the quality of meat here pretty shocking, after reading this though, there is just no way we will be going anywhere near soy fed meat and instead aim at organic and free range. Can that even be found here in the Netherlands? Eating for me is getting harder and harder by the day. I am now a gluten free, sustainable fish only, extremely strictly non cephalopod, organic/free range meat eater. Bloody great...

Autumn in Amsterdam

2009-11-11T21:40:00.000+01:00

Every morning for the past month I have biked through Vondelpark on my way to work and watched as the leaves on the trees slowly turned yellow and orange and fell to the ground. I have only ever experienced a real autumn once before (when I lived in Canada all the way back in 2005) and although I often like to complain that my fingers freeze as I ride my bike, I actually really love experiencing this season.

Vondelpark in November

Autumn for me is synonymous with cosiness, warm candle lit homes, dinner parties in with friends and warm cafe's with rain drops on the windows and Amsterdam is the perfect setting for all these things. So so gezellig...

Where has Summer gone?

2009-10-31T19:26:00.000+01:00

I hate to admit it, but it happened today, a pang of wanting to be living back by the beach. A pang bad enough to even make me want to be living back in Manly Beach, Sydney. My expressed wish, my "big dream" has always been to live on one of the isles of Hawaii. I feel so far away from all of that right now.

I love Amsterdam and I love liberal European ideals but the cold in combination with the early darkness and the high density urban sprawl was a little gloomy today. I want sun and beaches and nature.

Sunny days followed by torrential rain

I miss clear blue water and waves. I even miss almost being killed* several times while trying to learn to surf "Ang!!! PADDLE PADDLE PADDLE" as a wave the size of me comes crashing down, tosses me around and sends my board slamming into my face.

The Bower Break. Just off our local Shelly Beach

Secret trails to secluded beaches

I miss early morning swims before work, and cracking open a coconut for breakfast at a secluded beach not many people venture to.

Collins Beach, will always remain as Little Penguin Beach to us

I miss smoldering weekends, packing our boards and heading up or down the coast with friends. BBQ's on the beach and the music of guitars with a Corona in hand and our bare feet in the sand.

The mini mal I hardly got to use

Looking at the tropical birds in the trees

I love Amsterdam and I love my life here. But being here is part of a road that will eventually take me away. Until then all I can do is dream of the tropics and enjoy the ride in what I think is the most beautiful city in the world.

* I may be exaggerating a little.

Free Cat

2009-10-21T18:45:00.096+02:00

Free to a good home*

*Also willing to trade for another cat

Of course this is a joke and I would never abandon or palm off my sweet little kitty just because she has picked up some annoying behaviours (probably from me) lately.

The last couple of weeks she has been seriously bullying us. She has been waging biting wars against our unsuspecting feet and Jumping up on chairs and our bed to bite our arms. We have been trying several things suggested by cat behaviourists to stop this behaviour, spray bottle, yelling "ow", putting our palm in front of her face and forcing her to back off... It just has her coming back for more.

It has crossed my mind that she is suffering a little from separation anxiety because I am no longer here with her all day. Before leaving for work she sits between me and the door and meows very sadly. My aim this weekend is to invest in a lot of kitty toys to keep her entertained during the hours i'm at work, hopefully it helps and I have my happy kitty back before too long!

Brussels Weekend Snap Shots

2009-10-18T16:23:00.001+02:00

Last weekend we jumped on a train over to Brussels (something we have been meaning to do for a while now). From Amsterdam, Brussels was only 3hrs away and cost €44 for a return ticket. We treated ourselves (because of my new employment status) and stayed at the Grand Metropole which had some incredible French Renaissance mixed with Art Deco architecture.

One of the things we noticed during our first stop in Brussels a few months ago was the amount of street art and murals all around the city, Belgium also has a big comic book culture and a lot of these characters can also be found painted around the city too.

Inside the Comic Trip Center.

As well as waffles, chocolate and Beer, apparently Belgium is also famous for having fantastic moules mariniers - mussels cooked in a delicious broth of white wine, butter and herbs and served with a side of fries. It seemed like they were all the rage too, restaurants were full of people eating them and we couldn't resist either.

We strolled through a little antique market, I was hoping of finding some original Art Nouveau or Art Deco jewelry or home wares but instead I got the same feeling I often get at antique markets - that it's just people's old junk they no longer wanted :)

Before heading home we made sure to pick up some speciality Belgian beers and chocolate. Then we spent 3 hours standing up in an over booked train while first class carriages were empty. Apparently Benelux Weekend tickets don't even entitle you to a seat on the train. Thanks a lot NS Highspeed.

Early Autumn at the Bloemenmarkt

2009-10-07T15:42:00.000+02:00

Autumn is here and the Bloemenmarkt is stocking up on winter hard plants and selling off the last of Summer's sunflowers.

Beautiful!

Amsterdam Drug Dealers

2009-10-05T17:01:00.000+02:00

The other week Mats and I were out on the town and stopped outside a "Smart Shop" to see what sort of mushrooms they had on display, it was the first time we had been approached by a drug dealer in Amsterdam...

Drug dealer: "Hello there, I noticed you were looking at drugs, that shop is closed but I am open, would you like some drugs, cocaine?"

Mats: "No, we're OK"

Drug dealer: "OK, no worries! (smiles) Well, have a good night" Walks off whistling.

50 metres down the road we walk past him; he smiles, waves and says "hello!"

Amsterdam Art City

2009-10-04T13:50:00.001+02:00

Open Ateliers in Amsterdam
October (and some November) Weekends

One of the first things I noticed when I got to Amsterdam was the abundance of high quality, original art everywhere. And before too long I knew exactly why, Amsterdam is inspiring, it is for the free and it is an incredibly beautiful city, with water reflecting all around you, beautiful blossoming flowers everywhere, world class parks, trees lining the streets and canals, stunning architecture, a laid back atmosphere, several festivals and markets, Amsterdam is a city that is vibrant and alive.

And if you're an artist the best part is you live in a country where the government and society supports the arts. There are several world class art schools that attract artists from all over the world and several community programs that get people involved and encourage creativity, to add to this there are festivals, markets, galleries and exhibitions all year round that focus on the arts.

During October and some November weekends Amsterdam has a free open exhibition known as Open Ateliers where artists open their workspaces, it is the perfect opportunity to see how artists work and to see some of their works in progress as well as many of their completed works, best of all you can also meet with the artist and discuss their work.

Yesterday we went to open galleries in The Pijp, it was very eye opening for someone who dabbles in painting to see such a high standard of work among the local artists, probably higher than I have seen anywhere else. Some of my favourites included: Pieter Schmits who's nudes were incredible, with nice uses of colour and an interesting technique of letting thinned out paint flow on his canvas leading to beautiful flowing lines of the female form. Julie Dassaud (below) who had some very cool mixed media paintings with an industrial edge.

John Paaijmans who works with Indian ink using syringes and drips to create some really funky drawings. And, Antonio Fuertes who's beautiful profiles (like the one below) and still life's had a classical style with a modern edge.

If you missed it this weekend, then I really suggest you don't miss one of the other weekends.

Open Ateliers Locations include:

The Pijp - October 3 & 4

Nieuwmarkt - October 3 & 4

De Baarsjes - October 10 & 11
Plantagedok Mogelijkhedenplaats - October 17 & 18
Hotdocks - November 14 & 15

I look forward to seeing more during other weekends!

Job Hunting Hell in a Foreign Country

2009-10-02T15:39:00.000+02:00

I recently mentioned how hard it has been for me to find work here in Amsterdam. Most expats probably line up work before they head to their new country. But if you're part of a couple you probably found it's not that easy... As in our case, one of you probably found a job and the other made the move hoping to find a job once you got there.

This is more difficult than it sounds. Back home, I used internet job boards to find work, but in my experience as far as the Netherlands goes, searching for jobs online doesn't do you much good. My first steps after arriving here were to contact geological, engineering and environmental recruiters and after signing up with them, or never hearing from them I then contacted companies in these fields directly, even if they weren't hiring. This didn't work for me, but I felt it got my name out there at least.

Of course my job search would have been much easier if I knew Dutch, there is an abundance of jobs related to my field here, all posted in Dutch, none ever got back to me.

But I guess at the end of the day nothing beats word of mouth for getting yourself a new job. And so, 6 months and 1 day later I am gainfully employed and it's in exactly what I want to build experience in. Life was so good yesterday and now it's even better.

Amsterdam Elephant Parade

2009-10-01T23:20:00.003+02:00

Amsterdam Elephant Parade

On now until 31st October

At the beginning of September 100 baby (art) elephants were scattered around the streets and parks of Amsterdam. The open-air exhibition aims to raise awareness and funds for Asian elephants which are threatened by extinction. You can read more about the Amsterdam Elephant parade here.

If you're in Amsterdam and you haven't already seen them then I suggest you check them out soon. They will be around until the end of the month, then they get auctioned off!

Locations include: Museumplein, Koningsplein, Westermarkt, Kalvertoren, Nieuwmarkt and many more.

Here is a little taste:

Expats & Books

2009-09-29T00:14:00.001+02:00

I was recently approached to participate in an interview about expats and books by Anita from Greetings from Holland.

Here is an excerpt:

An important book in your life is....
"Paul Coelho's ‘The Alchemist’
The Alchemist is about a young boy named Santiago who sets out to live his dream instead of settling down into mundane everyday life like so many of us do. The book is written simply in the style of a fable, it is full of fantasy, symbolism and adventure similar to what we find in fairy tales but the message is beautiful..." Read the rest of the article.

On the topic of books, I have to say that lately I have really been getting back into reading tonnes of fiction and it is gezellig overload as I lay on the sofa reading while Pogo sits on belly and purrs. At the moment I am picking up a little obsession for Paul Auster (who I recently wrote about here). After finishing his 'The Book of Illusions' I started on his signature work 'The New York Trilogy'.

Just like The Book of Illusions, The New York Trilogy keeps you on the edge and keeps you guessing. Like I mentioned in the interview these novels are a little "dark" and "leave you a little chilled" but I can't help wanting more, so next on my list is 'The Brooklyn Follies'.

6 Months in Amsterdam

2009-09-28T15:02:00.001+02:00

This Thursday the 1st of October will mark our 6 month anniversary in Amsterdam.

It's hard to believe we've been here 6 months already but at the same time it feels like a city we've lived in for years. I often find myself walking the streets around our home, walking down the Overtoom, walking through Vondelpark, running into people I know and needing to remind myself that these streets that I feel so at home in aren't the streets i've walked all my life. It's a beautiful feeling to finally feel at home somewhere.

Here is the last 6 months of my expat life broken down simply;

I am still jobless:
I try not to let this get my expat adventure down but the truth is - it's depressing how exceptionally difficult it has been to find positions in my field that do not require fluent Dutch. It's depressing to think my career ambitions have been halted, my ambition is pretty specific, and I'm dying to keep moving toward it. If my Hawaii dream is ever going to come true then I need experience in my field and I need funds, so I want an exciting geo job now please!

On the positive side, I am waiting to hear back about an exciting opportunity this week, if I don't get it, my next course of action is to enrol into an express Dutch course.

I have also been busily building a website directly related to my studies, mostly as a way to keep myself updated on current research and to keep myself in the field.

I've become a social bee:
We have met some wonderful new people and made some wonderful new friends, actually sometimes I can't believe how easy it is for me to make friends outside of Australia. I am really enjoying how rewarding and pleasant socialising here is, so much so that thinking of it right now makes me want to bake cookies and buy presents for all my new friends here!

The visitors haven't stopped coming:
We have been bombarded with visitors and people on stop overs, and it's been bliss! It seems like Amsterdam is a place many people are keen to visit. In the 6 months we have had three friends and Mats' brother come stay in our apartment, Mats' parents come visit, and five friends swing by on stop overs while touring Europe. And there are even a few more visits expected on the way! (I am working on printing a photo of each of these people in Amsterdam and putting them in our foyer and making an "Amsterdam Wall of Fame").

Other bits & pieces:
We travelled a little.
We got a kitty to solve our mouse problem.
I spent too much time lamenting about my life in Sydney &
I found life blissful enough to offer advice no one asked for.

Amsterdam is fabulous, life is great and I can't wait to see what the next 6 months has to offer!

Inner City Living & the Neighbours from Hell

2009-09-23T16:41:00.006+02:00

I try to keep bitching levels low and optimism high on this blog, mostly because that's how I like to live my life these days. But it's time for a little rant (sorry!).

The most obvious thing that hit me about living in a city was the all noise around me, the noise of people everywhere, the sound of cutlery on plates, the sound of chitter chatter, the sound of people making love, the sound of radio's, TV's, children and pets. I love it, I love the feeling of living among people.

If you don't like city life and the noises that come with it, then maybe you should move out of the city and into the suburbs? I speak of my neighbours downstairs, of course.

Every afternoon at 3pm he comes home, starts by yelling at his children and then turns up his T.V so loud it vibrates through the floor boards. I can tolerate this because hopefully soon enough I will be working when he is at home harassing his family. I can also overlook the fact that he is such a bad parent that his little children are up crying at 11pm when they should be well asleep. This I tolerate because I like to hope that when they grow up they won't take his shit, they will see how Dutch kids all around them are much happier than they are and they will begin to question his psychopathic tendencies. I also tolerate this because I have accepted that these are city noises, and they are unavoidable.

What I don't tolerate though, is when he bangs on his roof (our floor boards) once a week on Friday or Saturday night when we decide to play some music and enjoy a glass of wine, rather than talking to us about it in a civilised adult manner.

What I also don't tolerate is him banging on my door and yelling at me the first time some water from my balcony plants dripped onto his balcony (which he never uses might I add). This is another thing he can come and talk to me about in a civilised adult manner. I refuse to reward aggressive behaviour so I continue watering my plants (which I don't really see any problem with doing anyway) I will do this until he stops behaving like an aggressive 5 year old and starts behaving like the grown man that he is supposed to me.

However, since standing my ground, I have noticed that everyday I get on my bike I find a new problem with it, is this a coincidence?

- My wheels rattle and have been damaged by what looks like a kick.
- My kick stand has been broken off.
- My tyres were inflated so much that they felt like they would burst (we know they can't, but you know, people like him are stupid enough to think they can).
- The battery on my front light was drained even though it was brand new.
- One of the reflectors behind the handles has been smashed.
- Glass was put under the tires.
- A long metal antenna was hidden in with the spokes of my wheel (luckily for me I'm not as good on my bike as a Dutchie so I don't just jump on it and ride away).

Am I being paranoid here? Or are these the classic signs of a psychopath getting revenge by vandalising the only thing of mine he can? Or the behaviours of a psychopaths children who think I'm the bad guy?

My Truths About Amsterdam

2009-09-22T14:15:00.010+02:00

Bill O'Reilly recently portrayed Amsterdam as a cesspool of corruption and liberal failure. In his attack he failed to refer to any sources where he found his information, because he didn't have any - not that this is surprising, when have we ever seen a right wing conservative use cold hard facts?

Here is the original video:

(I just love how she says "social tolerance" like it's a bad thing).

In response to this, two Amsterdam locals Robert and Elian, launched a video (and a website) showing the cold hard facts O'Reilly failed to mention.

Here is their video:

Their video gives the percentage of population in the Netherlands and in the US that has ever used cannabis (US: 40.3% Netherlands: 22.6%). More interesting though was a statistic I found on NationMaster - that Cannabis users in the US doubled those in the Netherlands;
US: 12.3% - Netherlands: 5.24%

What's more, it turns out that this crime infested cesspool of anarchy also has a fraction of assaults compared to those in the US;
US: 7.569 per 1000 - Netherlands: 2.689 per 1000

Their experimentation with "free love" that is also contributing to their liberal failure not only leaves them with a fraction of teenage pregnancies per capita compared to the US;
US: 1,671.63 births per 1 million people (highest in the world) - Netherlands: 172.061 births per 1 million people
but also with so few abortions that they don't even make the list;
US: 4.0945 per 1000 people - Netherlands: less than 0.113986 per 1000 people

(Statistics from from NationMaster).

Statistics aside, here are my truths about Amsterdam:

- I feel safe when going home alone in the middle of the night.
- I feel safe walking the streets of the red light district, which I can't say for any other place i've been were prostitution is located, and let's face it, it's located almost everywhere.
- I see happy people all the time. Happy adults and happy children (in fact according to UNICEF the happiest children in the world).
- Although I have easy access to it I still choose not to smoke weed.
- I feel safer here than I did in any of the suburbs I lived in in Australia.

What's your truth about Amsterdam?

Adventure Calls

2009-09-17T12:24:00.008+02:00

I have been lucky enough to do a lot of travelling the last few years since I made a serious effort to start living my dream. I have sat and enjoyed coffee in Parisian café's, walked down cobble stone streets in Germany and stood fascinated at the size of the waves in Portugal. I have walked in 104 different towns and cities in 18 different countries.

But I often find myself craving more, craving to climb more volcanoes, volcanoes that are more wild than the ones I climbed in New Zealand, I crave walking streets that teach me to rely on myself like the ones I walked in New York City, I crave to feel adrenaline like the adrenaline I felt when I found myself crawling into a glacier in the cold, dark Arctic.

What dread and excitement at the same time looks like.

What pure satisfaction looks like.

I have missed doing something that requires me to push myself. And as I look at photos of my last adventure and reminisce, I find myself opening Google Earth and looking down at the adventures I hope to have ahead of me.

Going overland from Europe to Asia via the Transiberian
Spending weeks walking the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela
Seeing the Wallace Line for myself
Trekking through the jungles of Columbia to find the 'Lost City'

Ah adventure. I've missed you, my friend.

The Happy Expat

2009-09-15T17:02:00.014+02:00

If you're someone who plans on coming to Amsterdam and reads the Expatica forums, you might find yourself reconsidering your move to the Netherlands all together. It seems that a handful of people have found the Expatica forums a perfect place to vent all their little frustrations.

As I read the hostility in these people's words and their sweeping generalisations about the Dutch, I often find myself wondering if there is a certain type of person who is best suited to the expat life, the type of person who has learnt not to judge others, not to attribute one annoying trait of an individual onto an entire country people, the type of person who finds cultural differences fascinating rather than branding them wrong or constantly comparing them to their own cultures.

If you have never lived in a new country but are considering it, there are some very important rules to leading a happy expat life;

1. Do not judge or criticise others' way of life.
2. Explore and be curious.
3. Think of everything as a learning experience.
4. Remember that it's not always easy.

A happy expat knows that being an expat isn't always fun times, it's not always easy and it's not a vacation (like some people think of it). Being an expat means leaving behind friends and family, it means leaving behind everything that is comfortable to you, it means starting everything from the beginning, new sites, new smells, new tastes, new streets, new people, new banks, new doctors, new jobs, new everything... And what makes it so bitter sweet is that a lot of these things are what also make the expat life so damn rewarding too.

Amsterdamned is Best Amsterdam Expat Blog?

2009-09-03T09:46:00.003+02:00

Why Go Amsterdam recently posted an article called "Best Amsterdam blogs: Photos, travel advice, food and expat issues"

And Amsterdamned was mentioned under the category of 'Expat Blog'!

"This is really nicely written by an Aussie expat named Angela, who is more than willing to share some parts of her expat life with the online world..." (read the rest of the article)

Blogs in other categories included:

Food Blog: Amsterdam Foodie
Expat Events Blog: Cosmo-polite
Photo Blog: One Year in Amsterdam & Photodam
Local Tips Blog: Spoted by Locals - Amsterdam
Travel Blog: Shannon's Amsterdam Travel Blog
Internet Radio Channel: Radio free Amsterdam

Amsterdam Must Do's

2009-09-01T22:19:00.004+02:00

We have been lucky enough to have several friends and family visit us here in Amsterdam, and as locals now, we have been doing our best to give our guests the best experience they can get. Here, in no order, are some of our guests top things to do (of course some things are best kept secret :)).

BBQ in Vondelpark.
On a sunny day Vondelpark fills up with so many people you might actually begin to wonder if it’s a public holiday. On a day like this buy yourself a disposable BBQ (roughly €4-€6) from most supermarkets and a bottle of red wine and have lunch/dinner in the park. It’s bliss.

Hire a bike and check out the Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Forest).
That’s right, forest. The forest was built (planted?) roughly 70 years ago and has since become overgrown, but because it was a planned park it has lakes, several leisure and sports facilities and an open-air theatre. There are also canoes, kayaks, horses and pedalos for hire. Because it is massive, we have always been content to just ride our bikes and explore. The Amsterdamse Bos is gorgeous and it’s hard to believe there is such a tranquil place so close to the city, no wonder it has become the favourite place to visit amongst most our guests.

Try some Indonesian food.
It was surprising in our first weeks here to see so many Indonesian restaurants, take a-way’s and eetcafé’s. Why Indonesian? During the 17th Century Indonesia was occupied by the Dutch, and so many of these Indonesian spices and dishes were introduced back in the Netherlands. If your budget allows it, go for the rijsttafel (rice table), a Dutch invention that includes rice with several small dishes. Our favourite Indonesian place so far is Kantjil & de Tijger on the Spuistraat, if your budget doesn’t allow for the rijsttafel here (between €44.50- €57.50 for two) then I strongly recommend one of the Rames (between €13.50- €16.40 per person), which gives you a taste of several different dishes on one very generous plate.

Tour Jordaan on foot.
With its picturesque canals and bridges Jordaan is probably the most charming part of Amsterdam. You will find several cosy brown cafés, quirky shops, tonnes of art galleries and some fantastic markets. And speaking of markets, while in Jordaan don’t miss the organic farmers market on the Noordermark. It has some delicious fresh food; the goat’s cheese and the homemade truffle chocolate are to die for. If you like markets as much as I do, then this website has a list and brief description of what's on offer in Amsterdam.

Do a bicycle beer and bitterballen crawl.
My fiancé and I love riding our bikes along the canals and stopping for beer and (occasionally) a bit of bitterballen. Our only rule is that once we leave a bar we have to go into one of the next three bars we see. This way we get to walk into places we usually might not walk into, because of this we have discovered some really great bars/brown cafes that we’re keen to go back to! We usually hit up a different area each time we go but we tend to avoid areas such as Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein because we find that bars and restaurants here tend to be expensive (and the quality of food not too great). But having said that, people watching in Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein is great fun and sometimes having a beer in an outdoor courtyard there can be a lovely way to start a bicycle beer and bitterballen crawl.

Visit the Beach.
I have mentioned before how great a cycling trip to Bloemendaal aan Zee via Haarlem is. If you don’t have it in you to ride the whole way, the train is your best option. You can take a train from Amsterdam Ceentral to Zandvoort aan Zee, it takes close to half an hour and costs roughly €9 for a return trip. From here you can walk along the beach to Bloemendaal aan Zee. All along the beaches here are beach bars with deck chairs and day beds for customers. A few ice cold Heinekens with your bare feet in the sand is a day well spent!

Book Review: The Book of Illusions By Paul Auster

2009-08-27T13:32:00.005+02:00

The Book of Illusions is without doubt one of the best books I have ever read.

Six months after losing his wife and two young sons in an airplane crash, Vermont professor David Zimmer spends his waking hours mired in a blur of alcoholic grief and self-pity. Then, watching television one night, he stumbles upon a clip from a lost film by silent comedian Hector Mann. Zimmer’s interest is piqued, and he soon finds himself embarking on a journey around the world to research a book on this mysterious figure, who vanished from sight in 1929 and has been presumed dead for sixty years.

When the book is published the following year, a letter turns up in Zimmer’s mailbox bearing a return address from a small town in New Mexico inviting him to meet Hector. Torn between doubt and belief, Zimmer hesitates, until one night a strange woman appears on his doorstep and makes the decision for him, changing his life forever.

The Book of Illusions drew me in from the first sentence and because I couldn't put it down I (sadly) only got to know the characters for a very, very short period of time.

It is a difficult book to describe because the plot was simple, but what made it so hard for me to put down was the eloquent way Auster portrayed his characters, it was powerfully descriptive and so emotionally charged that I found myself chocking back tears several times. They were real, so real it was hard to believe they didn’t really exist, that they didn’t really live these experiences, even if their experiences and circumstances were unbelievable.

The story is told in several narrative layers and as it progresses you begin to see parallels between the lives of David Zimmer and Hector Man; both are broken, both are profoundly sad, both are guilt ridden and both are doing penance from events of random but tragic circumstance.

The Book of Illusions is packed full of symbolism of which I hear Auster is very well known for, but this was the first of his books I read and I intend to familiarise myself with more of his work, so waiting for me on my bookshelf is The New York trilogy :)

Benelux and France in one weekend

2009-08-03T11:34:00.018+02:00

So our mini road trip ended up looking more like this.

We didn't really have a plan, all we knew was that Jonas wanted to eat a baguette and some French cheese while wearing a beret. So we would head to Northern France via Luxembourg and return via the Coast. As you can see the coast plan didn't happen and Jonas didn't get to eat cheese on a baguette while wearing a beret either, but we did have a blast!

Benelux and France in one weekend:

Wooshed down to Luxembourg, checked into our hotel and went for a beer.

Impressions of Luxembourg: Very pretty but kind of creepy. Most things were shut by 11pm on Friday evening. One bar we walked by that seemed lively was shut down by police. We ended up having a beer in an empty bar down the road, where the waitresses looked emptily down at the floor. A drunk man walked in complaining that his mother picked up his best friend at the party he was just at, he then picked up a stool and was tackled to the ground and physically thrown out by a bouncer. We headed into the city centre for a beer only to find it was full of drunk kids. Actually, Luxembourg was just like being back in Sydney! Decided to leave really early in the morning.

Hit the highway out of Luxembourg and into France. Leisurely drove through the Northern France countryside.

Stopped for lunch and a stroll in a quaint little French Village.

Jumped onto the highway, drove non stop to Lille and hunted for a hotel.

Impressions of France: GORGEOUS. The countryside was lovely with it's rolling hills, quaint little villages and exceptionally friendly locals. Lille was a fantastic city that kept surprising us because we had no expectations at all. Saw a local do a magic show, tried some fantastic red wine, strolled around for hours and had dinner at 11.30pm (gotta love Southern Europe!). The best thing was most people in this area of France didn't speak English so we had to attempt to communicate in French (which neither of us really knew) and by using our hands, which made for some very funny experiences, god I love traveling!

Checked out some Sunday markets had some crepes and hit the road to Brussels.

Impressions of Belgium: Our 2 hour stop in Brussels was great fun when we weren't stuck in traffic, we didn't feel like we saw enough though, so a Brussels trip is on the itinerary. We had a couple coffee breaks in some small villages in the countryside, which was also lovely. Except for one town we stopped at that wasn't on the map. If it's not on the map then maybe that's a sign you should keep driving :)

Aren't I slack?

2009-07-28T19:42:00.007+02:00

Yep.

The last few weeks we have had several lovely guests come visit us back to back, since their departure we have also been making wonderful new friends, finally completed furnishing our flat* and I have taken a more serious approach to developing my academic/professional life.

So I have been slack with AMSTERDAMNED but it was crucial that this little introvert cut down on some social interaction and "enjoyed solitude" when she could find it.

* Of course we could always use more pretty decorative things :)

ROAD TRIP!

2009-07-13T22:55:00.010+02:00

Back soon!

Cycling Trips: To Bloemendaal aan Zee and back

2009-07-06T12:46:00.014+02:00

Cycling in the Netherlands is fantastic because it is so flat, you can go for long stretches without the exhaustion. This weekend we rode with some friends to Bloemendaal ann Zee and back. I definitely recommend this trip if you're visiting Amsterdam for a week or more, or living here.

Details:

Amsterdam -> Haarlem -> Bloemendal aan Zee

Distance: Roughly 20 km each direction.

Level: Easy but long.

Perks: Taking a rest in Haarlem for a broodje and a beer. The beach is surprisingly lovely (even for someone with Sydney beach standards :)). Going by Schipol and watching the planes fly over you.

Photos courtesy of our guest Tony

Leaving Amsterdam

Stopover in Haarlem for a beer and a broodje

Bloemendaal aan Zee

Zandvoort

The long ride home

Secret Amsterdam

2009-06-21T19:09:00.014+02:00

Hidden behind some of Amsterdam's stately canal houses are the secret gardens of the 17th-century. Every June for a couple of days they open their doors and for €15 everyone is invited.

There is something magical about being allowed into this world, a world you would never know was there, it's almost like stepping back into Amsterdam's Golden Age. And the icing on the cake? You also get a peak into these incredible canal houses as you walk through them to get into their secret gardens.

Pictures below!

One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.' - Henry Miller

2009-06-18T15:08:00.013+02:00

Traveling gives you life experience and perspective that you can not gain through anything else, it takes your reality and warps it. Traveling makes you realise just how little you know but at the same time shows you a side of yourself you probably never knew was there at all.

My adventures are really only just beginning but these are the valuable lessons I have already learnt -

To be self sufficient

Nothing teaches you to rely on yourself and to solve problems on your own more than an a simple language barrier, theft or injury when you're 10,000 miles from everything and everyone you've ever known.

When I moved to Canada for a study abroad semester I decided that I was going to go check out New York city before starting classes. When I checked the bus timetable I realised I had an hour to pack my stuff and get my ticket before the last bus left. I quickly reserved a bed in a hostel online, packed some things and literally dashed out the door. I hadn't had time to check my reservation and 15hrs later when I arrived into New York city the hostel receptionist told me they didn't get my reservation and they had no rooms left anyway. It was my first real trip alone and I was petrafied, I realised I was alone in New York city with no bed and no where to go. After hours of walking and researching I managed to find another hostel and scored myself a bed for the next few nights. Of course it seems like nothing now and put me in the same situation again and I probably wont flinch at all (unless maybe you add a language barrier in there?).

That year on my return home from my semester abroad I strolled through my studies, I felt completely empowered, I relied solely on myself and confidently stood by my judgements, it was the first time I knew I didn't need my fellow students.

To be more tolerant & understanding

When you travel you always see different customs and traditions and what you think is normal back home is not always normal in another place.

My fiance and I once had yum cha in Hong Kong's oldest tea house, our waiter brought us a pot of tea and some tea cups, we eagerly poured our tea into our cups and just when we were about to drink it the old Chinese couple sitting at our tabled said "no no no!" and stopped us before we could take a sip, some people at other tables looked at us in shock, our waiter came rushing back and swished hot tea all over our tea cups. Apparently the custom there was to sterilise your tea cup in boiling tea before using it. We must have looked like filthy Westerners to the people who noticed. The old Chinese couple on our table smiled and then suggested some good yum cha for us to try.

But beneath all these traditions and customs you see that people still crave the same things as you and everyone else; love, friendship, acceptance, safety etc etc. You learn that deep down most people are good and try to do the right thing, most work hard and love their families just like you. When you travel you begin to understand that everyone reacts differently under different circumstances based on their own past experiences, customs and traditions. When you understand this you will lose your fears and assumptions and become more tolerant and easy going.

That traveling changes your point of view

When you're out seeing how things are done somewhere else it's hard to not change your view.

In Australia it's considered normal to smack your child (that is a light smack that does not strike the face i.e a smack on the hand or on the bum) I never believed a light smack and a stern 'no' was wrong and although I swore I would never use this punishment on my children it didn't bother me when I saw other parents use it. After visiting Norway where smacking your child is just not accepted and seeing how children still behaved in the same way or even better, my tolerance for smacking or yelling at children went straight to zero.

To be patient

Patience is something you learn well when you're stuck at the airport for 7hrs because your flight is delayed or your travel agent couldn't get you an earlier connecting flight. Anyone in this situation has probably realised that fighting it is pointless. After these experiences the 5 minute wait for your train ticket back home becomes nothing and when the stressed out person behind you starts huffing and puffing you can smile because you know it's really not a big deal at all.

That you can do more than you think

When you're traveling you not only surprise yourself with how self sufficient, tolerant and patient you can be but also how you can do things you never believed you could do. I remember parasailing at 600ft in New Zealand, not such a big deal except that I am terrified of heights but before I could remember this fact it was too late, I was strapped in and ready to go (it just looked so exciting from the ground!). I remember turning to my boyfriend at the time and saying in a panic "I'm afraid of heights, I'm afraid of heights!" and he replied "Why the hell are you telling me that now?!".

Traveling makes you take chances, when you're in the arctic you realise that this is one of the few places in the world where you will ever see the inside of a glacier, this makes you get up at 5am, dog sledge through the wilderness all the way up to a hole in the ground where you bite your teeth together and ignore the claustrophobia that screams at you as you crawl into a cave entrance on your belly.

Whether the chances are big or small makes no difference, I once met 2 girls in Byron Bay who were terrified of sky diving but did it anyway to see the beauty of the place from the sky another time I witnessed a traveler warily try chicken feet. These people all challenged themselves and did things they did not think they would ever do.

Traveling for me has been a tool for personal growth. How have you changed or what have you learnt from your travels?

Why I want to be Dutch

2009-06-11T20:54:00.005+02:00

I already have 938578745645 reason why I am in LOVE with Amsterdam... I will eventually post these, but I am not sure I can say it better than this.

Dutch Food Meme

2009-06-06T10:01:00.009+02:00

I've decided to do the food meme that seems to be going around the Dutch expat blog sphere at the moment. Tagged from Life Abroad.

List 7 items related to food or drink you love, also list 7 items you don't like.

Dutch Foods I Like:

1. Bitterballen - Beer battered deep fried meatballs.

2. Mozzarella Sticks - Cheese wrapped in pastry and deep fried.

Bitterballen and Mozzarella Sticks

3. Poffertjes: Mini pancakes with lots of powdered sugar and butter.

Poffertjes

4. Patat - Fried potatoes with mayonnaise (only if the mayonnaise is on the side, not poured all over the top of the fries).

5. Heineken - Enough said!

Patat & Heineken

6. Hutsput - Mashed potatoes with carrot and meatballs.

7. Hollandse Nieuwe - Raw herring typically served with raw onions and pickles.

Hollandse Nieuwe

Dutch Foods I Dislike:

1. Patatje Oorlog- Fried potatoes with onion, mayonnaise and satay sauce, it's great for a couple bites then it gets sickly pretty quick.

Patatje Oorlog

2. Extremely salty licorice.
3. Oliebollen - Glazed and deep friend yeast dough balls, similar to donoughts.
4. Paard Vlees - Horse meat.
5. Ardenne Pate' - Pork and chicken liver pate' esp. the one from Albert Heijn.
I can't think of a 6 & 7. Most Dutch food is surprisingly good!

Crime in The Netherlands

2009-05-30T09:51:00.004+02:00

Apparently the crime in the Netherlands is now so low that they either have to start shutting down prisons or bringing in criminals from neighbouring countries. Click here to read the full article.

Thoughts and too much red wine

2009-05-29T10:38:00.009+02:00

Mats and I were sitting on our balcony last night drinking wine, listening to music and talking about how much we love Amsterdam and how much Sydney wore us down. It's occurred to me many times that on the road to Hawaii I ended up in Amsterdam... physically and climate wise further away from Hawaii than Manly, the little beach town in Sydney where we used to live. Regardless of this it actually feels closer to the dream to be here. For one I'm actually on the road, but most importantly the people here have the laid back beach spirit. Manly didn't have this because there was always tension under the surface, plenty of rude and racist people* and zombies...

I call Sydney people zombie's for good reason. And last night when the song 'Mad World' was playing ('dead faces') and I had a few too many glasses of red wine I remembered exactly why I call them zombies...
The ferry which takes you from Sydney City to Manly in half an hour crosses Sydney heads, there is almost always a swell as you cross the heads, because they open up to the pacific ocean. As you cross this the ferry rocks from side to side, on the days with the larger swell the captain makes an announcement and warns everyone to remain seated. One day the swell wasn't particularly big, but big enough for someone drunk sitting on the outside to fall into the water. Ten minutes before docking the captain announced someone fell off the ferry and regulations required the ferry and all other working vessels in the area look for him. Everyone on the the ferry at peak hour, that is roughly 600 people, sat there, reading their books and their newspapers, no one flinched, I watched in amazement... Completely flabbergasted...
The people who moved first were the American tourists who worriedly wanted to see what happened, after they moved around for 30seconds trying to get a good view of the water people started looking around to see what everyone else was doing, one of the Americans yelled "hey look the zombies are waking up!"

Is it just me and the American tourists that find this behaviour completely and utterly bizarre and maybe just a little bit fucking scary?

*Looking the way I do I always encountered racism in Sydney as far as I can remember, this didn't change in Sydney's picturesque Northern Suburbs, if It wasn't directed at me it was directed at someone else, but I always noticed it. The only thing that changed between the Western suburbs and the Northern suburbs was that the Northern suburb racists' teeth hadn't fallen out. In the west it came in the form of a buck tooth redneck screaming at you on the street to "go back to your own country" in the North it came in the form of chasing people from your market stall yelling at them and telling the other browsers how much you hate "Chinese and Indian people because they steal my ideas and sell them cheap". Or maybe in the form of 60 teenage kids going on a racist rampage on Australia Day, smashing Chinese and Lebanese shop windows while screaming out "Australia is full". The media's and government's reaction to this? "Oh it's just young boys being boys" No no, Australia doesn't have a problem with racism at all...

Pogo is settling in!

2009-05-18T12:33:00.005+02:00

On Saturday when Pogo arrived into her new home it was so hard to take a picture of her because she would not stop walking around exploring her surroundings. As it turned out we forgot to turn off the sound blaster that's supposed to scare away the mice. Poor pogo must have been walking up and down trying to figure out where that damn mouse was all day (the sound blaster mimics mice sounds to make it appear as though there is a dominant male mouse already living in the house). So now with that sorted out she is behaving like a normal cat, that is she sleeps and plays all day.

Pogo the Cat AKA Mouse Hunter

2009-05-16T15:26:00.011+02:00

Amsterdam is probably the most cat friendly place I have ever been. Cats are everywhere, in home and shop windows, sleeping under the tables in cafe's and restaurant's, jumping on your lap in bars and pubs. Up until 2 weeks ago I thought it was probably all part of the gezellig (cozy) Dutch charm.

Then it happened... Mats was woken up by something darting across the room on our second night in our new apartment, he bolted up and said "I think there's a rat in flat!" I got up in a panic and in the garbage we could hear what seemed to be a massive animal but only turned out to be a small mouse. For about an hour as we decided what to do, Mats heroically picked up the garbage and put it outside the apartment to deal with it in the morning.

The next morning after sleeping with my head under the blankets to make sure nothing crawled on me during the night. I decided we'd been duped into a mouse infested apartment. Mats mentioned this to his work colleagues who assured him mice are so common in Amsterdam that people basically live amongst them in fact they barely notice them (well some people). Of course why wouldn't they be common? Amsterdam has water, canals and old homes, it is the perfect place for them to take up residence. It was then that it struck me "THIS IS WHY THERE ARE CATS EVERYWHERE, mouse control!" (especially in shops that stock food) Mats agreed.

After a week with a high frequency sound blaster and keeping a meticulously clean apartment, our little friendly household mouse was still causing us sleepless nights. We decided that the Dutch had the most effective mouse control in action and this cat idea that had been in the air for the past few weeks was our best plan of action.

Everyone meet Pogo. She is our Mouse Hunter. We are in love with her already.

More pictures soon! (When she's more comfortable in her new surroundings, It has been almost impossible to get a decent shot of her, she is so quick and curious in her new home that she is a black blur in almost every shot).

Our Apartment!

2009-05-05T13:55:00.010+02:00

When our journey began last December our plan was simple, we did not anticipate we would be living in limbo and out of a backpack for about 5 months. On May 1st we (finally!) moved into a more permanent place. Isn't it fab?!

Mats enjoying the view over the park

Koninginnedag!

2009-04-30T12:14:00.004+02:00

OK, so I ran out of credit and that whole idea didn't go according to plan...

I will be posting live pictures straight from my phone to this blog from National/Queens Day celebrations in Amsterdam today.

Stay tuned for the party!

We've found our new home!

2009-04-20T00:21:00.005+02:00

Last Friday we answered an add in the Marktplaats listings for a gorgeous flat right next to Vondelpark. On Saturday we went and had a look and completely fell in love. The apartment was so spacious, with heigh ceilings, large windows and two balconies! This evening the landlord called with the good news and we move in on May 1st!

Pictures to come soon!

Flowers, flowers, everywhere flowers

2009-04-14T00:07:00.011+02:00

In our Netherlands Lonely Planet Guide it says not to leave home without an appreciation for flowers.

This is great, because I can't get enough of flowers. I love the textures, the patterns and the colors. Flowers inspire me to be artistic, to paint and create new things. It is so easy to see why so many great artists were inspired by the spring colors in Europe, they are truly magnificent here.

It is somewhat ironic that I say this because when I was a little girl I dreaded my mother dragging me into every florist/nursery when we went shopping. She spent what felt like hours looking at plants and flowers, she would put the leaves or flowers in her hands and smile and say "look at this beautiful thing, god has made such beautiful things" I would role my eyes, cross my arms and whine to get going.

Now, I just can't wait for her to be here next spring to see these!

Guilt in a paper wrapper

2009-04-10T22:44:00.008+02:00

While in The Netherlands these past 9 days we have made an effort to try as much Dutch food as possible. Ham and cheese on bread for breakfast has been a big hit. Fries with mayonnaise however, has probably cured me of my addiction to fried potatoes.

So far we have tried:

Hachee: Beef stew with gravy served with red cabbage and potatoes.

Hutsput(?): Mashed potatoes with carrot and meatballs.

bitterballen: Beer battered deep fried meatballs.

Krokets: Deep fried rolls with meat? inside.

Patat: Fried potatoes with mayonnaise and even worse;

Patatje Oorlog: Fried potatoes with onion, mayonnaise and satay sauce (to my defense, it was actually Mats who ate this!).

Patat & patatje oorlog.

"It started out really tasty, like many other disgusting things" - Mats.

Poffertjes: Mini pancakes with lots of icing/powdered sugar and butter.

Poffertjes.

Traditional Dutch food recipes can be found here.
This article was inspired by Mats' article on Dutch Food.

Where are all the fun police that I'm so used to?

2009-04-07T19:23:00.003+02:00

It didn't take long for Amsterdam to feel like home (of course, only after the initial shock of coffeshop after coffeshop wore off). The most obvious thing to me is the laid back carefree and friendly attitude. Coming from Sydney, where everything you do is governed by about 25,000 rules that are plastered everywhere, all over the streets, on public transport and in almost every commercial building, Amsterdam is a free mans mecca.

In Amsterdam on a sunny day people take their tables and chairs and sit outside on the footpath to soak up the yummy sunny weather. As we walk past they smile and say hello. I automatically think of Manly - Sydney, If this was to happen there, there would surely be an outcry of cranky people sending letters of complaint to the local council and the local newspaper, within a week there would be a sign telling you not to loiter on the footpath.

In Amsterdam adults use common sense. In Manly you're told by a big sign that you're not allowed to spike peoples drinks with GHB.

Amsterdam in a Day and a Half

2009-04-01T23:29:00.019+02:00

Packed our lives into 3 boxes, 2 large backpacks, 2 carry on backpacks, 2 suit bags, 1 small suitcase and 1 canvas bag.

Relaxed with a book in Copenhagen's Kastrup Airport for 2 hours.

Checked into our temporary new home.

Strolled around town.

Decided we wanted an apartment overlooking a canal.

And a couple bikes.

And maybe a pet? ;)

Amsterdam Here We Come!

2009-03-28T19:14:00.003+01:00

This blog was created to document my life as an expat and my travels as I search for my ultimate paradise.

Since deciding to leave Sydney last December, our travels have taken us to London, to Norway, back to London, to Lisbon, Faro and Albufeira and finally back to Norway where we have spent the last several weeks.

Now, in just a few days we will be Amsterdam bound! So stay tuned!