This past weekend was the funnest, most random and unexpected weekends I've had in a while.

Kristin, Chelsea and I went to Amsterdam on Saturday with intentions of checking out some tattoo shops and the Richard Avedon exhibit at FOAM, the Fotomuseum Amsterdam.

We had no idea that there was a big football game going on in Amsterdam: the Scotland vs. Netherlands qualifier for the World Cup. We found out from some Scots that 15,000 people flew over from Scotland to watch the game. So, that's 15,000 men walking around in kilts, Scottish flags, and painted faces (like Braveheart). Plus, all the Dutch who were wearing orange, and Dutch flags, and clogs. And some guys were even wearing kilts plus the Dutch colors. One dude was even wearing a kilt, with one clog and one regular shoe.

One man in a kilt tried to eat my ice-cream cone, then offered to trade me the ice cream for his beer.

So basically, our plans to hit up the museum went right out the window.

People were drinking everywhere: on the streets, and outside the pubs. When we wandered over to Dam Sqaure, it was just a sea of people, and stacks of Heineken bottles and cans everywhere. Some guys even had shopping carts full of beer. I think it was about 2pm when we went to Dam Square, and already most of these guys were rip roaring drunk. The police actually barricaded the streets off around Dam Square so cars couldn't drive down the streets.

There was one group of guys we met that were around our age, so we went to this pub with them, and it was really hilarious to just watch them get drunker and drunker. The pub was so packed that most of them had to hang out on the street (there was about 75 people hanging out in the middle of this little side street next to a canal), and they all kept singing these Scottish jigs. Every time a car would try to pass on the street, they would all start singing and slapping the cars. They turned every song into a big thing... like they even all started singing "Doe a deer" at one point (that one I actually knew, so I could join in).

Once everyone started heading to the game, we headed back to Dam Square where the entire area was just littered with bottles and cans.

We decided to stay to wait for our friends who were coming to Amsterdam for drinks, so we went to this pub in Dam Square. It was absolutely packed with Dutch and Scottish football fans, and the pub kept playing traditional Dutch and Scottish songs that everyone sang and danced along to.

Once Adam and Tom and their friends got to Amsterdam we we went to this really chic gay/lounge/cocktail bar. Then we ended up going to play pool til 3am at this pub called "Balls."

So, even though we got back to the Hague pretty late, we still got up early to go on our bike trip. There were 8 of us this time, and our plan was to head to Honselersdijk, Naaldwijk, and Hoek van Holland, then ride along the coast on the way back.

Our first stop was the house my dad was born in. Once we got to Honselersdijk, we found the house pretty easily. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. An older couple a few doors down peaked their head out the door to see what was going on, so I asked them if they knew who lives in #11. Turns out they own the block of townhouses and had just moved out so it could be renovated. As soon as I told the man my dad was born in that house, he grabbed his keys and gave us a tour.

I didn't get many photos because the house still has some of the couple's stuff in it, and I felt like I'd be invading their privacy by taking photos. But the house was actually bigger than I imagined it would be. Two floors, with an attic, a fairly large living area with a small kitchen off to the back, very steep Dutch stairs with worn carpeting leading to the second floor, a couple bedrooms and a bathroom.

I think this old man lived on the same street all his life. He told us that he had 15 brothers and sisters, and they all lived in a townhouse just like that. I can't even imagine where they all slept. Luckily, my dad only has 4 brothers and sisters!

After giving us all a tour, he took me to the townhouse on the end of the street, and introduced me to an old man who had lived on the street since I believe 1913. He didn't speak any English, so the man who gave us the tour acted as translator, and told me that the old man remembers my Oma and Opa, and knows of other Baljeu's living in Honselersdijk. I might go back sometime and see if I can find the other Baljeu's living there.

So, after that was all said and done, we all headed to a pub in the center of town and had some beer and pub grub, and rested up before continuing our journey.

(From left to right, a bit of an introduction: Kristin from New York, Kasey and Emily from North Carolina, Yan from China, Tom, Adam, and Ian from England)

Once in Hoek van Holland, we stopped at a skate park so everyone could play on the ramps with their bikes, and play on the slides. Then we came across a petting farm with goats, sheep, birds, guinea pigs, rabbits, and peacocks. Of course we stopped to pet them, and go "awww" over all the newborn animals. I also had some quality time with a cat that I found. It really made me miss my cats back home.

On the way back to Den Haag we took the North Sea route through the dunes, past rows and rows of greenhouses, and through Kijkduin, a beach suburb of Den Haag.

We were all pretty famished after our trip, so we went to an Italian restaurant near Kijkduin at Emily's suggestion, then to a pub in the center for some more beer. All in all, it was a about a 12 hour day, and I was completely exhausted by the time I got home. But I can't wait to do it all again on our next bike trip.

The weather has been consistently warm lately, and with warm weather comes more biking! Yesterday was the first of [I think] many bike adventures.


It started out with Kristin and I, and a plan to bike to Delft, grab a bite to eat, then bike back. Delft is a cute little town about 15 km from Den Haag, and was a surprisingly short bike ride. I think it only took us about half an hour to get there. We took some back streets, riding through small towns along the way, and along the canal that leads into Delft.

We parked our bikes at the Oude Kerk, wandered around Delft, looked at the Delft Blue Souvenirs, then settled on lunch at this restaurant called Vrij. And also with warm weather comes patios! Unfortunately by this point the sun had completely disappeared.

While we were waiting for our food to arrive, we got a call from a few friends saying they were also on their way to Delft via bike. So the five of us (Kristin, Tom, Adam, Jamie, and myself) ate lunch, then decided to continue our bike journey to Den Hoorn (about 4km from Delft), and then to Wateringen (about 10 km from Den Hoorn).

It was so nice to bike through all these little Dutch towns, looking at all the cute little Dutch houses with red slanted roofs, and the countryside with all the farm animals wandering around in the fields, and to pass windmills and rows and rows of greenhouses. There was one point between Den Hoorn and Wateringen that I thought was really neat, where there were rows of greenhouses on our left, and the highway on our right (many Dutch highways have bike lanes), and then we round the corner to this little side street and there's a farm with chickens and hens wandering around in the road. It's always these little things that make me love Holland.

In Wateringen, Tom's bike chain snapped, and we were nowhere near a tram stop or train station. Since it was a Sunday there was nothing open, so he had to call his dad to pick him up. It sounds like a pretty crappy situation, but we all had a great laugh out of it. We stopped in a frites and ice cream shop for some sundays while we waited, then the four of us continued back to Den Haag on our bikes (which was about another 10km).

Next stop: Leiden!

So, I was on my way to Centraal Station today, and I just had to stop to take a photo:

Spring is definitely in the air!

Today ended my much needed week long vacation. I'm sure by now you're already sick of me saying how fast time is going by, but I really can't believe it's already March. Seems like March 1st hit, and already the days are getting longer (I woke up this morning, and it was actually light out!), and if you can believe it, the flowers are already blooming! Today it was about 9 degrees (Celsius), and sunny. I loved the smell of the fresh air flowing through the house. I really can't wait for springtime in Holland... it's going to be so beautiful!

But, what I really came to blog about is Paris!

Late Thursday night, Chelsea and I board the Eurolines bus from Rotterdam. And I tell you, within minutes of the bus arriving, I knew I'd never be traveling with Eurolines again. First off, it was nearly the worst customer service I have ever experienced in my life. The bus driver basically started yelling at us as soon as he opened the doors. And to make matters worse, he didn't speak a word of English or Dutch, so we had quite a hard time figuring out what he was yelling at us for (turns out it had something to do with our tickets?).

Aside from Chelsea and I, there was also a family waiting at our stop, which the bus driver had a huge beef with. He absolutely refused to allow them on the bus with the package they had. After many minutes of arguing, all the family members except one boarded the bus. The man with the package ripped it open, which ended up being quite a large cake, and tried desperately to give it to random passengers on the street. Finally, a guy on a bike took it, but not before the bus driver tried to pull away without him.

And just to add to that, there was no bathroom on the bus (on a 7 hour trip). Luckily, the driver made a few stops along the way.

We took the overnight bus intending to sleep on the way, so we could arrive early and get more out of the day, but the seats were way too close together to even begin to get comfortable. Surprisingly, the bus ride went surprisingly fast, despite the fact that Chelsea and I didn't get a single wink of sleep.

In the future, I am sticking to train travel. It's faster (compare 7 hours on a bus to Paris, to 3 hours on the train), more comfortable, and not much more expensive if you book in advance. Plus there's always a bathroom.

We arrived in Paris at 6am, and had a couple hours to spare before we were to be at our host's flat, so we took the opportunity to check out the Eiffel Tower. I gotta be honest, it was kind of disappointing! It's much smaller in person, kind of dull and rusty, and since it was first thing in the morning, it wasn't lit up like it is at night.

After that, we made our way to our hosts' flat. We decided to couch surf for the weekend, and were hosted by two French girls, Anne Laure and Marie. After saying our hellos, having coffee, and a bit of a chat, we headed off to meet Emily and her friend Stef at their hotel. Oddly enough, they ended up being on the same metro line, so it worked out perfectly.

While they got ready, Chelsea and I took a walk around the neighborhood to find some breakfast, and settled on a creperie... our first tastes of real Parisian crepes! And let me tell you, I've never tasted a crepe so damn good! They make them with all sorts of toppings and fillings, and fold them into a neat little cone so you can eat on the go. Banana Nutella crepes ended up being my addiction of the weekend.

And then we made our way to the Arc de Triomph. I never knew it was so big! Of course I'd seen photos, but they're always from a distance, and I never took into consideration the size of things near it. I was pretty blown away when we stepped out of the metro station. I was even more amazed when we were actually standing under it, and realized that it's almost entirely carved.

A 35mm lens does almost nothing to capture things of this size.

And then Avenue Champs Elysees, Paris' most famous street, which starts at the Arc de Triomph. The street is most popular for it's high fashion shops, though the only one we stopped in was the Louis Vuitton store.

Emily and Stef went their separate ways, while Chelsea and I headed to Montmarte, which we both ended up falling in love with. It's this really cute, artsy area of town, with lots of cute restaurants, pubs, art galleries and neat clothing and jewelry stores. There were also tons of street artists, selling art or making art.

Montmartre is also home to Sacré-Cœur Basilica, a gorgeous cathedral on Montmartre hill that we took a tour of. And after seeing the amazing view of Paris from the hill, we opted out of the 12 euros it would have cost to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. (It's a shame it was such a foggy day, because it really was much more beautiful in person than in the photo).

If there was anywhere I'd want to live in Paris, Montmartre would be it. It just seemed so relaxed.

Even though we were both feeling pretty sketchy after not sleeping for about 36 hours at this point, we had one more stop to make: the Louvre.

I had always been told how humongous this museum is, but I really wasn't expecting it to be the size of a small city. It is just MASSIVE, and ridiculously gorgeous. There was no way we would have been able to survive. We went in, saw the Mona Lisa, and left. The Louvre will be left for another trip.

After a good 12 hours of sleep, we were ready for another day. Our hostesses, Anne Laure and Marie, took us to an Indian restaurant for lunch, then this cute little vintage shop, with goods from the 1930s-1980s. Even though I didn't find anything I wanted to buy, it was fun to poke our noses in everything.

Then we went our separate ways, and Chelsea and I went to check out St. Sulpice (the church where The Davinci Code was filmed), St. Eustache, and Notre Dame Cathedral.

Since we loved Montmartre so much, we headed back for some food (we went to this cute little fondue restaurant), and another much needed to see:

Sunday was our last day, and since our bus left in the afternoon, we only had time to check out one last thing: The Catacombs of Paris. This was Chelsea's suggestion, and I'm glad she put me on the idea because it was the neatest thing we saw.

We walked many steps underground, then walked through long stretches of hallways before we finally reached the bones.

And then there were just bones upon bones. There must have been millions of bones lying there.

So, after more banana nutella crepes, it was time to catch the bus, which we nearly missed. We were supposed to be at the station by 3pm to catch the 4pm bus. We made it to the station at about 3:57pm, and ran as fast as we could (til it hurt!) to the bus terminal. And since we didn't have to check in at the stop in Rotterdam, we had no idea we had to actually register before we could board the bus. The bus driver was not impressed (but at least he spoke English!). Funny enough, the same people from our stop in Rotterdam (with the cake), were also running for the same bus. And of course, the attendant registering us took his sweet time lecturing us about being late.

But, we made it!

It was a pretty eventful weekend, and even though we saw a lot in those 3 days, I still feel like there's SO much more to see. It was totally the unexpected things that made the weekend, though. I think those are always the things that I love the most about seeing a new city. I mean, there's always a little planning involved, but I love stumbling across things that I never knew about.

And now I have to decide where to go to next! But once I do, I'll be sure to let you know! Bye for now!

Well, it's about that time again. I think mainly because today marks 5 months since I arrived in the Netherlands. I can't believe that in a month I'll have already been here half a year. I'm really amazed at how fast time is flying.

This month also marks 10 years of being a vegetarian. I know this has nothing to do with Europe, but I just wanted to mention it because it's a pretty big milestone for me.

Anyway, what's happened since my last update? I think the most important thing is that I finally met some relatives here! My dad passed on some info to me months ago about a cousin I have who owns a hair salon in Koog aan de Zaan (which is about an hour and a bit from here, past Amsterdam). He knew I was itching to get my hair done, and suggested I go see her. Apparently they were anxiously awaiting my call, because they knew exactly who I was the moment I opened my mouth to ask for Nanette.

So, we made an appointment for the middle of January, and I went up to meet my cousin for the first time. (Just a side note: Nanette is actually a 3rd cousin, our grandmothers are sisters). To be honest, I wasn't expecting much at all. My dad's side of the family is quite conservative, and with her living in a small Dutch town, well, I'm sure you can get the idea of my expectations. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well we hit it off.

Her and her husband, Wilbur, own a really chic hairsalon, where she cut and dyed my hair "out of love" (her words, not mine). She dyed my hair a dark chocolaty brown, and did a really amazing job at trimming up my very uneven (but growing) hair. And she even understands the concept of blunt bangs! (Most hair dressers always want to make them wispy.) AND she's even going to continue doing my hair!

So, after my hair was all done, they took me to their house, with a bit of a scenic detour.

Koog aan de Zaan is pretty much the cutest most Dutch town I've seen yet. I really wish I had had time to take photos so you could see what I mean. Cobblestones, windmills, bright green houses with red slanted roofs. And their house was SO gorgeous! They completely renovated the whole house to their liking. It's a townhouse situated right on the lake, where they have a view of windmills across the way, and the interior is very turn of the century European.

We sat and chatted for a while - talked about our cats, and families and other random tidbits. Then they took me out for dinner in Amsterdam, to this cute little Italian restaurant, and afterwards we parted ways. I can't wait til I can go and visit them again!

Well, to be honest, not a whole lot has been happening since my last update. However, this weekend I'm off to Paris! We leave Thursday night, and return Sunday. Although, I'm thinking about stopping over in Belgium on my way back, since I have all next week off. I've yet to see Brussels, and I'd also like to see more of Antwerp.

So, you should be hearing from me again soon, and with more photos. Sorry for the lacking update, but I think I'll have a lot more to say next time around.

For now, I'll leave you with a photo I took last weekend:

That's the Vredespaleis in the background, or the Peace Palace. This building is about a 3 minute bike ride from my house, and if I walk a block to the end of the road, I can see the back of it. Aside from being an amazingly gorgeous building, it's also a really important building as it's the home of the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Pretty neat that such important things go on just around the corner.

Anyway, til next time... xxx