Delft II aka Jan discovers herring

It took a while before I was able to get back to Delft. There was so much to explore in the Schengen countries that a 20 minute trip to Delft always took a back seat. However, when Jan was finally able to come to the Netherlands after much struggle with getting a visa, we were finally able to go back to Delft.


We did most of the things I did the last time, except get up at Nieuwe Kerk (I wonder why?) and paddle boat. I definitely had to bring Jan to the Oude Kerk where Vermeer was buried. He was, after all, a fine arts graduate.

The leaning tower of the Oude Kerk.

Enlightenment.

In the Nieuwe Kerk, we just pretty much fooled around with the camera, enjoying the beautiful lighting inside.

Turning back against the light?

You can say that pretty much the highlight of this particular trip to Delft was Jan having his first (and most likely last) taste of the infamous raw herring. They say that this was the Dutch version of sashimi. Uh, not quite. I still prefer sashimi but would not shirk from the slimy experience of herring though.

Anyway, I forced Jan into having his try when we passed by the open market. I told him I will share the herring if he feels so iffy about it but he had to eat it just for the full authentic Dutch cuisine experience. Being the sport that he was, Jan agreed. We bought our fresh herring sprinkled with onions and salt. Jan stared at the thing for a while and took a deep breath before plunging the slimy thing into his mouth.

No. He did not like it.

I am, however, quite proud. :)

Inside another Delft church.

The taste of the herring refused to leave his mouth, so Jan and I finally ate our lunch to remove its taste. Being cheapskates, we prepared sandwiches from home to eat during the trip.

Jan seems to be enjoying his sandwich. If memory serves me right, it would be smoked salmon with cheese and lettuce. Fish for the win!

We passed by the part of the town where they sold flowers. Since the day was about to close, the stall owner was selling sun flowers for five euros for a two bunches. I asked Jan to buy some for me, and he did, and it made my day.

The memories of Delft became doubly pleasurable having had the chance to share it with my crazy Pinoy Mafia family and my bestest friend Jan. Remembering Delft would always bring with it the charm of old Europe and the cheer of quiet adventure and the pleasure of friendship.

delft: old netherlands charm

Delft is one of my favorite towns of the Netherlands. I imagine it to be what Netherlands was like 100 to 200 years back. It think it small and quaint and neighborly compared to the Hague. The two times I went there, I always have this light, airy feeling in me. I could not help but love it, even if it is just the town center that I always visit.

It is known for its pottery, inspired by Chinese ceramics. With Holland's intricate canal system, may trade ships would often pass by the country and thus leaving a lot of different world traditions in its doorstep.

My first trip to Delft was with the Pinoy mafia with an almost complete attendance. It was a lazy Thursday afternoon, with every one having some free time on their hands. And oh, we had a free tram ride ticket from the ISS too! We figured, if we were to use our tram tickets, might as well use it for the farthest it can go which was Delft.

So our little sojourn to Delft began!

We we went down near the technical university and right where the open market stalls were. It looked much nicer and merrier than The Hague's own open market. We could not help but be lured by the beautiful colors of fruit and flowers, clothes and chocolates. With our 30 minute market time, there were people with boots, bread and chocolates.

Those strawberries may be small, but they are sweet and succulent. Yum!

Go wild with chocolates! The dark chocolate and the coffee chocolate just bring melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Who cares if they convert to almost Php200.

Just to let people know what Delft is about, an indescribable monument covered with pieced together Delftware ceramics.

Our purpose for this trip was to see Oude Delft or Old Delft. While Ikea was probably a few stops away, we were still new, was in occasional state of giggly disbelief that home was halfway across the globe and wanted to absorb as much of Europe's charm as we can, so our stop had to be old part of town.

The Nieuwe Kerk or New Church was where the House of Oranje-Nassau was buried after the Spaniards captured the original Royal burial grounds in Breda. Prince Wilhelm and Queen Wilhelmina, along with other Dutch royalty, were buried in its hallowed grounds.

More interesting for us was the 356 steps we had to climb up to have a spectacular view of the city. All of us actually paid three euros to suffer loss of breath and tired legs to go up. Despite that, of course we had to pose for photos and pretend it was a breeze!

With our resident athlete, Risa, going up seemed no bother at all. She was as beautiful as ever.

I would say the three euros were very much worth it after experiencing the magnificent view from above.

After we got down, we just had to take a breather and prayed we did not leave anything valuable in the tower because we're not sure if we would go through all the trouble for it. :P

We also went to the Oude Kerk where the reknowned painter of the "Girl with the Pearl Earring," Johannes Vermeer was buried. Delft was his hometown, and like most famous painters, his genius was hardly recognized by his fellows when he was still alive. ("The girl with the pearl earring" can be found in Mauritshuis in the Hague. His other works can be seen in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.)

Farther down town, we found a section where they sold many kinds of flowers. It was just splendid to see all those potted plants in different hues of the rainbow scattered all over the street making the place more vibrant and romantic.

We stopped for coffee at one of the Lonely Planet's guidebook to Netherlands recommendations, Kleywegs' Stads Koffyhuis. It was known for its pannenkoeken or pancakes and its famous Delft Leaning Cup coffee. The drink contained coffee, chocolate, milk foam and cinnamon placed in a leaning cup, much like the Oude Kerk's tower. I got that one and the group shared a couple of pancakes. We wanted the full Kleyweg's experience for less the cost. :P

It was after five when we finished our coffee break. We saw a boat tour and wanted to try paddling through the canal. Rino and Chris successfully talked the person in charge to give us a discount. Since the paddle boat has to be returned by six pm (which was less than an hour's rent), he gave us a few euros discount to use it.

So we paddled nicely along the canals and through the tunnels. It was definitely not easy and getting the paddle boats back before 6 pm was a challenge but we made it!

It was several months before I got back to Delft, but it was as pleasant because I shared the wonderful Delft experience with the hubby that time. :)

All in all, I would find pleasure in going back to Delft again. Maybe to visit Ikea this time and finally get to experience their Swedish meatballs and cheesecake again. But immersing myself in Old Europe through Delft was such a wonderful experience, there is nothing I can say about Delft but magical. :)

john lennon to a music dud

I have never hid the fact that I am a music dud. When it comes to music, I know little nor do I really feel compelled to know more that what comes to me. That's why I am glad to have a husband and friends who have quite a wellspring of music knowledge and appreciation because I learn a lot from them.

But John Lennon were just too big not to be detected by the limited scope of my radar. Like all things related to music, I know little about him. Other than being part of the Beatles, I knew that he was with Yoko Ono and that he was murdered by a fan. But I think the best part about John Lennon was his song Imagine.

Imagine is for any one who wanted war to end, who wanted peace to happen, who wanted people to work together. Sure, it's cliche. But the song just captures the feelings of one hoping for coexistence and a better world. Knowing that song was written by John Lennon was enough for me to have the highest respect for the man.

When the Pinoy Mafia went to Prague, the John Lennon wall was definitely in our itinerary. I did not get to do it with the gang because I spent time with Caryl, my sister-in-law. I thought I will not have the chance to visit the wall any more. Risa, however, was so kind as to join me when I decided to visit the wall on my own (thanks, Risa!).

Can't disagree with the message up there!

And of course, there has to be a line from a Beatle song. This is not the only one, I tell you.

The entire wall was filled with messages from different parts of the globe. There was supposed to be a mural of John Lennon but the numerous tourists and (welcome) vandalism has covered it up throughout the years. But the Imagine superimposed on the peace sign seemed to have survived. I felt chills just leaning on it, like I was connected with the others before me and the others after me who will visit that small space of democracy and expression.

Of course, I had to write on the wall, too. Good thing Risa brought a pen!

Risa and I have left our mark! That little peace sign over my name and "Pinas" below. Risa wrote "love justice." I think we would be both hippies if we were teenagers in the 60's. :P

Happy birthday, John Lennon. Thank you for your beautiful message of love and coexistence. I dare to think the world was a better place because you were in it.

Cheap travel: Tip # 1

The Pinoy Mafia traveled a lot when we were studying in Netherlands. We made sure we could cover as much of Europe as our Schengen visa and allowance would allow. To stretch our budget, we had to get creative with our resources.

So how do we travel cheap?

First tip: BRING FOOD.

Of course, part of traveling experience is to relish the food of the place you are visiting. A country's food carries with it history, culture and society. Thus, to truly visit a place is to eat its food. However restaurant meals are usually expensive. For those of us with limited budget, it was not advisable to buy in restaurants nor even in kiosks every meal time.

So yes, we brought tupperwares of food whenever we travel. And not just any food, but FOOD. Of course, we had the usual cookies, biscuits and chips. But we also brought rice, adobo flakes, pasta! Imagine how funny we looked whenever we go through the airport inspection. We often laugh at our frugality, but we could not care less either. A traveler's got to do what a traveler's got to do!

Our first group trip in Prague, we spent the night before cooking rice and flaking our adobo. The food lasted us around three meals. As we walked around Praha, we stretched our energies with JB's Euroshopper biscuits. Most of us recycled our water bottles and refilled it with potable tap water. That alone saves us two euros plus we pollute the earth less too.

When M, RM and I went to Groeningen using our Kruidvat train tickets (another cheap travel tip!), M packed fusili pasta which we shared. When we three went to Amsterdam to see the "Starry, Starry Night" exhibition, I brought an entire pack of smoked salmon and half loaf of bread which we shared. I just spent on additional coffee to warm myself from the cold spring weather.

The fusili that M brought to Groeningen

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Enjoying our meal in the woods of Groeningen.

Having our lunch at Brugges.

And guess what lunch was? Stinky shrimp paste, dried fish and cherry tomatoes.

I am most amused and most proud with the food that we brought along when MT, M, RM and I had our Good Friday visit of Brugges. MT and M are the culprits of that wonderful meal. They brought with them tupperwares of rice, dried fish and shrimp paste. We were asked to bring the tomatoes. Of course, they also brought the complete utensils for our meal.

So there we were along Brugges' river, seated on the benches by the river eating our rice and viand while other tourists were eating their sandwiches and doner. We were laughing at how silly we looked, to be confirmed by the double take or the lingering looks of passers-by. I could imagine what they were thinking, "those people are eating a big meal in the middle of the street! how is that possible?"

Well, trust the Filipino to find a way to save money, use it for travel and still enjoy his rice meal. :P

A slice of ISS life: Prins aka Aula C

Aula B is quite known for being the first gathering place of most new ISS students especially for their orientation. Aula B + Aula A = dread. Because it means the student has exams, and ISS exams has always been nerve-wracking.

After having been oriented or disoriented, the student's instinct will be to move on to Aula C, or known to the general public and non-ISS person as the Prins Bar.

My first trip to the Prins after the CYS Welcome. Alem from DS joins fellow CYSers Mel and John.

It is not unusual to find ISS students hanging out at the Prins. Just a stone's throw away from the building and the biggest dorm, going home pissed drunk from Jupiler (or orange juice for my case) is not to difficult for most. A student can just crawl the pedestrian lane while leaving a trail of puke and get to Dorus in less than 20 minutes. If sober enough, five.

Prins Bar has witnessed many birthdays, despedidas and spontaneous get-togethers among ISS students. It bid its first good-bye to Katsuya, with the second floor almost packed to the brim bidding our favorite Japanse boy good-bye. And what a celebration, with four goals achieved the day before his flight.

It has seen ISS women talk Vagina dialogues (the monologues were done in Aula B) with Astha getting a free us girls a free drink from a smitten waiter. The band may have had their best night of audience participation then.

I remember pushing my knee to the limits dancing to Michael Jackson hits with my dear Ethiopian boys Eyob and Zola. But the sight to behold that night was the showdown between Cesarito and Zola. Latin America vs. Africa in dancing. You just don't know who to bet on!

With the Rebel Girls, rebelling against the terrible music playing Graduation Night. Give us our hip-hop, MJ hits and 90's R&B and we give you a show. (photos c/o Vina)

It is often that Prins would have to turn the lights on to shoo away ISS students who refuse to admit the reality that school work are waiting on their desks and that Moodle is waiting for a submission. 2AM is still too early in the night (not the morning) that people find another bar to hang out.

Prins has witnessed friendships blossom over bottles of beer and plates of fries. It has witnessed separations of which no one knows when the reunion will happen. We said "hi" to Prins as strangers and students. Prins bid us goodbye as friends and Masters.

Prins is the true place for "Drink and be merry, for tomorrow we Moodle."

freedom on two wheels

i've not really had the patience to write a decent travel entry for the past few weeks. i can blame work, but i must say it's all those crazy games in FB that stop me from being creatively productive. i figured, no one reads this blog anyway, why bother.

ah, but thanks to dusty sneakers for asking me for a travel story or two. i am momentarily inspired to take a few moments away from virtual farms, mafias, cafes, restaurants and resorts. i am encouraged to look back and remember wonderful memories of things that i actually experienced.

i couldn't bring myself to write about a place right now. but i do find myself often times, when stuck in traffic or waiting in line, missing Netherlands. particularly, the freedom and mobility of being on a bike. bikes which are every Dutchman's best friend.

i remember the many miles Barney (that purple bike up there) and i traveled while i was in den haag. the countless times we've gone to the schevinengen to enjoy the salty air of the beach and the feel of sand in between my toes (on summer days).

i remember barney and i finding our way by the lake near the shell station at the world forum tramstop. with that beautiful tree adding charm to the already amazing landscape. and after taking in the view and being amused by families sharing moments, we proceed to the westbroek park. there i watch people do different things. from playing soccer or frisbee to riding little boats to just laying down on the grass, enjoying a rare taste of sunshine.

barney has allowed me to feel liberty and freedom. of not being confined inside a car just to get from one place to another. his purple rusty glory has allowed me to experience den haag better. and i have netherlands to thank for that. because them Dutch people love their bikes and they love their freedom.

ah yes, fresh air, two wheels and a sense of adventure. you can go a long way with that. :)

Netherlands: A quick pass at Noordeinde

I don't remember what I felt the first morning I woke up in Den Haag. I must have been grumbling because I had to wake up 8.30 AM so we can catch the 9.30 tram for church. I do remember eating the almond biscuit from the ISS welcome package. I silently thanked them for being thoughtful because I wouldn't know where to get breakfast on my first morning.

After church and a quick purchase at C1000, Kaira took the group to Centrum where the shops we have to know about are located. To get to the Centrum, we had to pass through Noordeinde, which means North End. Every Dutch city must have Noordeinde street. Anyway, the street is reputed to be the most expensive in Netherlands.

Empty! And does not impress me as expensive but what do I know?

There were still a few people after lunch. Dutch people tend to take their Sunday mornings easy and many shops open after church. Quite different from the busy Manila that I am used to.

We saw this armor by one of the shops and of course, being first timers in a European country, we just had to take a picture! I imagined old Europe with their royalty and knights, though these were imagery I would associate with UK and not Netherlands. Maybe it was not supposed to represent Dutch culture anyways, but it was my first few signs that I was indeed walking the streets of Europe.

We passed by the Queen's palace which surprised me with its simplicity. The White House and 10 Downing Street have always struck me as grand and elaborate. This was our first sign of how practical the Dutch were. I actually was impressed with its simple facade. I thought, was this the reason why Noordeinde was considered the most expensive street in Holland? It could be the Scapa store across or the antique stores along the road. I still don't know.
Across was a statue whom I assumed was one of the Kings or Princes of Orange. I am embarrassed to discover that after 15 months, I fail to verify who he was. But I do like looking at it everytime I walked Noordeinde.

A carriage passed by and I was thrilled to see the drivers in top hats and waist coats! I assume the other one would be the footman/doorman. I was quite amazed by the size of their horses! They looked so healthy and well-fed compared to the puny and thin Philippine horses we have. That carriage seemed to weigh nothing them. I was a bit surprised though that these horses can just drop their "bombs" on the street, which can sometimes be a problem at night. And "it" can be as BIG as they are. Euw.

More horses! This time with the polite (poh-lee-teh) or police. I love it. No carbon emissions (probably methane ones if the horse had a bad meal. :P). They also go on bike sometimes. They do drive cars but smaller alleys, they cover with horses.

These images reminded me that I was in a place entirely different from my own. A place which fascinated and thrilled me to no end. This street became my comfort zone for 15 months, having walked solo or with friends to and from the ISS and the dorm to wherever. :)

Netherlands: First night in Den Haag

24 August 2008

We arrived at the Den Haag Centraal Station with the other Pinoys waiting for us. Even with each of us new arrivals carrying around 30 kilos of our lives in 3-4 bags, Myk made us take the bus so we can save our transportation allowance.

The bus stop was quite organized compared to the "stop wherever, whenever" bus stop system in the Philippines. We were to wait for Bus 24 or 22. The wait wasn't that long but we might have made the bus driver a bit impatient, with seven people trying to lift an entire year's worth of luggage onto the vehicle. Myk bought one stripeenkart (transportation card) for all of us to use.

I don't remember much during the ride but I do vaguely remember the crazy unloading rush of our bags to the bus. We had to walk a bit to get to the ISS. I was getting excited to see what my school for 15 months would look like. Would it be like the UK universities of sprawling fields? Would it be a modern building of glass and steel? These were my thoughts as I lugged around my bags, hands in pain from the weight but heart excited with the prospect of a new adventure.

Then Myk pointed us to the ISS. Uh. It was a building. A small one. No campus grounds but there were benches by the canal. Uh. Yey?

We got our keys from the guard. I was praying for one near the school and I got it! There were three of us in Dorus Rijkersplein, two were in Oude Molenstraat which was the way to the Centrum and the other two were thrown far away to Gondelstraat, but strategically located near the beach.

Before we proceeded to our rooms, the old Pinoy batch greeted us with Filipino home cooked meal at the headquarters in Dorus 110. We introduced ourselves and so did they. We thought Chris was an old batch, only to discover that he just arrived the day before.

After dinner, we were brought to our rooms. I was at Dorus 166 on the fifth floor. I love it! How can I not with my beautiful view of the Peace Palace?

In our rooms, there was a lunch bag and card to welcome us to the school and the dorm.

Spot, my zebra, took a peek at the loot inside the lunch bag. It was to be my breakfast the next day.

Spot did an inspection of the closet. Nice and empty. But it won't stay that way for long.

And my zebra beat me to the bed.

Strangely, despite the 14 hours flight and lack of sleep before departure, I was not that tired. But I did welcome the chance to lie down and stretch. I thought to myself, this was going to be my home for the year.

I knew it was going to be exciting.

Netherlands: First Impressions (August 2008)

I was pretty excited when I discovered that I got the scholarship for Netherlands. The kind of "jumping-up-and-down-shouting-like-crazy" kind of excited. Who wouldn't be doing the dance of joy when your dream of seeing Europe is near-reality!

When the time came to leave, I was sad to leave my just-married life behind but I was also excited to embark on this new adventure of education (hyeah right) and travel (oh yeah!). While on the plane, I barely slept. I'm not sure if it's because it was constantly daylight throughout the fourteen hour trip. I kept looking out the window to check the terrain. I kept looking at the screen map to see how far we have gone. I got really excited when we were over Russia. Vodkaland!

I utilized the in-flight entertainment of KLM quite well. I probably watched five movies and played some games. Rino and I feasted on the snacks and juice at the pantry while we stretched our legs and our stomachs at the plane's rear section.

When the flight attendant announced that we were about to land in Amsterdam, I got REALLY excited. I think anyone would be after being crammed to a seat for half a day!

We got off the plane and proceeded to the baggage claim. I prepared the sticker they usually give you for claim thinking that the guards will be asking for it, being used to the strict Philippine airport procedures. Lo! No guards waiting outside. I keep my sticker. I am free to go with my luggage without suspicion! I like this country already.

Some of the gang with our giant luggages. We tried to cram our new life in 25 kilo baggages.

Myk received us at the Schipol meeting point. The e-mail said the meeting point was red and white box outside the arrival area. I imagined a box the size of a balikbayan box so I actually missed this giant red and white cube staring at our face when we were looking for Myk. Thankfully one of us knew Myk and saw him.

I was at awe when we were buying train tickets. Myk used his debit card to purchase tickets for all of us. This was something new to me and I was amazed at how "high-tech" Netherlands is compared to the Philippines. Though it is no surprise, it's still cool to actually see the difference.

I was excited! It was going to be the first time I will be riding a train. Well, I've ridden the MRT but I really don't consider it a real train. And this train will be traveling cities. It was so cool! Well, being left behind was not too cool though. There were too many people trying to cram themselves in the train and we had too many bags we wanted to bring on board that it was not enough time for all eight of us to board.

When we finally got to board the train to Den Haag, it was then that that I realized the time. It was almost seven in the evening yet the sun looked like it was still three or four in the afternoon. So this was the long summer evenings I've always heard about.

What disconcerted me was when I looked out of the window, saw the highway and hardly saw any car on the road. I wondered whether people actually live in Netherlands. Why where there no cars in the parking lots? Why are there only a few people riding the trains? Why are people not outside in that beautiful sun? It was so surreal! It was something I will discover more about in the duration of my stay in Netherlands.

Look at that. Wide expanse of green. Boats on the canal. No people! Is this what First World is like?

It was then that I looked at my companions and I was glad to know that I have other Filipinos with me because I know studying in Netherlands will be an exciting roller coaster ride that needs to be shared and talked about. :)

LP 95: Kalikasan

Tag-lagas o autumn ang isa sa mga inabangan kong maranasan nuong tumira ako sa Netherlands. Maliit pa ako, pangarap ko na makakita ng punong nagsisimulang mamula ang dahon.

Autumn was one of the things I was excited to experience when I lived in the Netherlands. Even as a child, I have always dreamed to see a tree whose leaves have begun to turn red.

Kaya nung dumating ang taglagas sa Den Haag, sinadya kong maglaan ng isang araw na kumuha lang ng larawan. Nag-adventure ako nung araw na ito. Pagkatpos ng misa, pumasok ako sa isang maliit na daan na hindi nalalaman kung saan ito papunta.

So when autumn came in Den Haag, I made sure to spend one day just to take pictures. I had an adventure that day. After mass, I ented a small road without knowing where it leads.

Natuwa naman ako sa bumati sa akin. Isang park kung saan unti-unti nang naglalagas ng dahon.

I was happy to see what greeted me. A park where the trees were beginning to shed their leaves.

Mayroong kakaibang salamangka ang taglagas. Isang pagkakataon na makita ang kalikasan na dahan-dahang namamatay ng isang magandang kamatayan. Ngunit sa bawat lagas ng dahon, alam mong ilang panahon lang ay muling mamumukadkad ng matingkad na berde. Ang taglagas ay isang patunay na umiikot ang inog ng mundo.

Autumn has a different magic. It is that chance to see nature slowly dying a beautiful death. But for each leaf shed, you are certain that in time, trees will once again give birth to spring green leaves. Autum is proof that the world is turning.