Travels in Holland, Jewish holidays and Birthdays

Over the past few weeks I have visited a few different places locally in Holland. First off went with two friends to the Muiderslot Castle in Muiden, about 15 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam. It's one of the better known castles in the Netherlands and has been featured in many television shows set in the Middle Ages. The insides of the castle, its rooms and kitchens, have been restored to look like they did in the 17th century and several of the rooms now house a good collection of arms and armour. This castle was smaller than I expected, but did give you a good feel for what a castle looked like in the 17th century.

Then I went on a walking tour of Wassenaar with the American Women’s Club. Wassenaar is an area in The Hague, where many expats live. One of the Prince’s and his family even live there. As many expats live there, shops cater to expat needs with products from the states and England. It was a fun afternoon with the girls walking around and learning about a new area in The Hague.

Then the following week went on a walking tour of Delft. I had been there before but this time we got a lesson on the famous blue and white pottery, which Delft is famous for all over the world. Then we also walked to see some famous sites in Delft. Bet you didn’t know Delft has its own leaning tower. The Oude Church was built on foundations that weren't strong enough to support the building, and the church began to lean. As they continued to build the church they tried to compensate its lean on each layer of the tower, but it remains leaning to this day.

The past couple weeks were also filled with all the Jewish holidays. As usual it is difficult to be away from family during this time, but there was lots going on here so we really did enjoy ourselves. We got to spend lots of time with our friends from the synagogue here and even had a big Super Shabbos Sukkah party in honor of both Scott and my birthdays. We had borrowed a Sukkah (Which is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes. It commemorates the time God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness after they were freed from slavery in Egypt.) from friends and had over friends from the synagogue for lunch and cake. It was a great way to celebrate our birthdays. During this time as I mentioned above Scott and I celebrated birthdays. Scott knew that I was missing my annual birthday ice-cream cake, so he took it upon himself to make me one himself. Using Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream, cookies and a cake mix, he perfected a perfect yummy cake. See attached pictures. What a great husband!!!

Prinsjesdag

Prinsjesdag (English: Prince's Day) is the day on which the reigning monarch of the Netherlands (currently Queen Beatrix) addresses a joint session of the Dutch Senate and House of Representatives in the Ridderzaal or Hall of Knights in The Hague. The speech sets out the main features of government policy for the coming parliamentary session. The Queen and the royal family arrive to the Hall of Knights in horse and carriage and the Queen specifically has an all gold carriage. I was at an Indonesian restaurant with the American Women’s Club and we had a great viewing of the royal procession and even got to see the Queen waving from her golden carriage. The streets are filled with many people waiting to see the Queen and royal procession go by. Some local schools are even closed that day. It was so nice to experience an exciting part of Dutch culture. (Background info from Wikipedia)

Cologne, Germany

Last week my friend Penny and I journeyed to Cologne, Germany. It was a few hour train ride from The Hague. We had such a nice few days. We had great weather and saw great sites. As some of you may know, the summer weather in Holland is not very summer like, so it is always a plus to go someplace and be able to enjoy the sun. Cologne is famous for its massive cathedral which has gorgeous stained glass windows. We first went to check out the Cathedral and it was something beautiful to see. There is a museum underneath the cathedral with very old and valuable artifacts. Then we went to check out the local Dunkin Donuts, as it is always fun to see things that remind you of home. For some reason Germans like Dunkin Donuts, but there are none in Holland. We also walked across a bridge to get from one side of the city to the next to go to a building with an observation desk where you can see views of the whole city. It was beautiful. As we walked the bridge we saw many different color and shape locks attached to the walls. We later found out that it is a tradition to write your name and your loved ones names on a lock, attach it to the bridge, throw the key in the water and legend is your love will last forever. We started out second day in Cologne with the hop on hop off bus. We passed the old town and some of the old Roman walls which used to surround the city and passed by the zoo, many museums and saw the cable car that goes from one side of the city to the next. One site I was so excited to see in Cologne was the Chocolate Museum. Anyone who knows me knows how I love my junk food, so this is a heaven for people like me. You were able to learn about the history of chocolate making and see the process in motion. It was lots of fun. Then we sat in a café by the edge of the Rheine River and just enjoyed the nice weather. Afterwards we took a boat up the river to see some sites. It was a great day. Then on our last day, we went to two of the big art museums in Cologne. The first one is called Museum Ludwig. It has some of the largest collection of Pop Art in the world. I have never seen so many Warhol’s and Lichtenstein’s in one place. Afterwards we went to the Wallraf-Richartz Museum and saw some great paintings. One other amazing site we saw in Cologne was the excavation of an area that used to house the medieval Jewish community, which is one of the oldest in Europe. The town was building a parking lot when they came upon the ruins. Now they have been excavating the site and plan to have a museum here in the future. They found the old synagogue, Mikva (ritual bath) and homes belonging to the Jewish shop owners. It was so interesting to see that they even know who lived in these homes because they had records from these old days. I highly recommend this city to anyone who comes to Holland or Germany. Penny, thanks for a great trip!!! (One other interesting note- As we waited in the Cologne train station to go home, we saw a machine where you can check in your luggage for a few hours while you can go explore the city. I have never seen something like this. It is self-service and takes your luggage away and then stores in some place in the station and then you go back with a ticket to retrieve. I have seen places where you can store luggage, but never anything automatic. Was fascinating)

Pictures from the cruise

Rome

Crete

Turkey

Athens

Sicily

European Cruise 2011

So after last summer’s fun cruise we decided to do another one this summer, but instead explore the East Mediterranean. We researched many of the different cruise lines and the perfect one happened to be on the same boat we were on last year. We figured a year later they should have different shows/entertainment and why not go again. One of the places I have always wanted to visit is Pompeii, Italy and with the cruise leaving from Rome we were able to arrange to spend a day in Pompeii, which was amazing. We flew to Naples and made our way to Pompeii. Of course it was rush hour and we found ourselves on a commuter train with no A/C on a hot day, but it was worth it. We picked a hotel across the street from the excavation site as we were going to be there on the Sabbath. On Saturday we spent about 4 hours just walking around the site, which is something interesting to see. We took many mental pictures because couldn’t use our cameras on the Sabbath. We bought a guide book, so we would have pictures of the things we saw. It is really just an excavation site and every day they are excavating more ruins. I was a bit disappointed because as Scott says I was looking for a “Disney” experience. I thought would have been nice to have some introductory videos or museums with artifacts around the ruins, but that is not the case. But in reality that is what makes the site so interesting that what you see is what was around thousands of years ago. You can also see Mount Vesuvius from which the lava and ash flowed which destroyed Pompeii. Saturday night we walked around and were followed by stray dogs as they roamed the streets. I obviously was terrified, so that didn’t make for a fun experience, but what can you do. I am so happy was able to see one of the places on my travel wish list.

On Sunday we took a train from Pompeii to the port in Rome to leave on our cruise. On last year’s cruise we were so exhausted the first day because we had an early flight that morning, but this year as we arrived from Italy we were awake and were able to experience all the boat offered on the first day. We started with some fruity drinks and watched as the ship sailed off into the Mediterranean. On Monday we stopped in Sicily, Italy and made our way with one of the shore excursion to Taormina, Italy. This is right near Mount Etna, which is an active volcano and you can see it steaming from the stop. It actually had a mild eruption a few days before we arrived. It was an interesting site with some old Greek/Roman ruins and we even saw a building with a Jewish star on it, which may have been an old synagogue, and now is the local police precinct. Scott bought me an interesting bracelet made from volcanic rock. It was a lovely site high in the mountains, which I recommend. Then Tuesday was a sailing day, so we got to enjoy all that the boat had to offer. We sat by the pool and heard a lecture on the history of art from ancient to modern. You may not know but Scott is very into art and is trying to make me more of an art lover. Then we played some bingo and just relaxed. Wednesday was the highlight of the trip, Athens, Greece. We got off the boat very early and made our way to the Acropolis. Thankfully we got there before all the tour groups, so got some amazing pictures. The Parthenon was an incredible site. The scope and beauty of it was fascinating. Afterwards we made our way to the New Acropolis Museum, which was set up to hold the artifacts taken from the Acropolis. Many are in the British Museum and Greece hopes they will get the items back now that they have a brand new museum to exhibit them. Then we headed to see some more ruins and then made our way to the Jewish Museum of Athens. It was so sad to see how most of the Jewish community was decimated during WWII. Many communities that were vibrant for thousands of years, no longer exist. Finally we made our way to the local Hard Rock Café, because Scott collects pins from all over the world, so always try and stop in them during our travels. Would you believe that they ran out of guitar pins, so we bought a random one to remember our travels there. Then we just walked around, got some Starbucks and enjoyed the lovely atmosphere of Athens. The only time we could see some remnants of the riots was we went to the main post office to send out postcards and the whole place was boarded up because it is across from the Parliament, where many of the protests take place. We saw this and quickly went in the opposite direction. Was a great day in Athens and I think this was one of our favorite places on the trip. Thursday was our day in Turkey. We took one of the boat excursions to Ephesus, which is one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. It is a site of old ruins. Very fascinating to see what remains. We also learned all about Turkey from our tour guide, how it is one of the most modern Muslim countries. We also had a carpet/rug demonstration because Turkey is famous for its hand woven rugs. We explored the streets by the port, which were filled with shops selling counterfeit products. There are no laws against this, so all luxurious brands are copied. Was a fun day and afterwards we played some miniature golf on the boat. Friday we were back in Greece on the Island of Crete. Here we visited an old Maritime Museum, which was interesting but it had no A/C which is hard when it is over 90 degrees outside. The island also has a Synagogue. We made sure to visit and were sad to see that only last year there were two arson attacks on the Synagogue. This was a lovely island and was lots of fun. Saturday again we just relaxed on the boat. Sat by the pool, read and watched the day’s activities go by. Who would think it would be fun to watch a male belly flop contest!!! We met very interesting people on the boat from all over the world and our luggage came home filled with boxes of Fruit Loops, packets of mayo and hot chocolate packets. Hard to walk away from free kosher food that can’t get in Holland. Sunday we got off the boat and made our way to Rome. We decided to take a shuttle from the airport to the site we wanted to see and it turns out we were the last stop, so actually got a driving tour to see all the famous sites. We decided to go to the Castel St Angelo as we had both been to Rome a few times and seen most of the famous places. This castle was actually very interesting and from the top you got to see sweeping views of Rome from the Vatican side. Afterwards we walked over to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona and then made our way to our favorite kosher restaurant, BaGhetto Kosher. Here you can order a meat platter for two, which for us after a year of living away from the US is heavenly. Beef, Lamb and chicken on one plate with French fries, how can you go wrong!! This was a great way to end our trip. We had an amazing vacation. One of our best, maybe besides Australia. We recommend this cruise to anyone wanting to see these places in Europe. Now we need to figure out our next adventure. I know I am off to Cologne, Germany with a friend in the next few weeks . . .


Pics next posting.

Vienna

Between Paris and our trip to Vienna, we experienced another Jewish holiday in The Hague, Shavout (Shavuot began as a harvest festival, but it also commemorates the revelation at Sinai and the giving of the Torah.) (source- http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Shavuot.shtml0) I find that holidays are some of the hardest times to be away from family, but it was actually a very nice experience celebrating with our new friends in The Hague. The first day the synagogue had a lunch, which we enjoyed and the second day we had 9 people at our house for lunch. We always like to entertain in our home and it was lots of fun.

A few days after the holiday, Scott went off to Dubai for work. What an experience for him. He said it reminded him of Las Vegas with all the lights and new construction. He had the opportunity to go to the top of the tallest building in the world and while he was there he was able to clearly see the solar eclipse. He flew via Vienna, so we had decided to make a mini trip to Vienna on his way home. I met him there on Friday. He was there before me, so set out to buy some food for us for Shabbos and he went to an art museum. Then we met up and took a tram tour around the city. Vienna is so beautiful and most sites are within walking distance. Friday night we want to Sabbath services in one of the oldest synagogues in the city and then had dinner in a kosher restaurant. The interior of the synagogue was lovely and it was so nice to see such a large turnout of people of all ages for services. The rest of the weekend was spent visiting the famous Vienna Hofburg and Schoenbrunn palaces, some art museums, Sigmund Freud's house, one of the city’s Jewish museums (which was the site of a synagogue from 1492 before the Jews were expelled from the city) and we even went to see the famous ballet Giselle at the Vienna Opera House. On Sunday we had lunch at one of the kosher restaurants and actually had kosher Chinese food. It was amazing. We had such a great weekend and immensely enjoyed Vienna. I know Scott would agree that this has been our favorite city we have visited so far. The weather was good, the kosher food was good and the sites were something to see.

European Travels

Over the past few weeks, I have had the chance to go visit some interesting towns in Holland and Scott and I went to Paris. In May, I had the chance to visit Haarlem and Delft. Both are towns very close to The Hague, with a great deal of history and interesting places to see. I went to Haarlem with a friend and we visited the Corrie Ten Boom House, which is the home of a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II. In the home you were able to see the wall where Jews/Dutch Resistance workers where hidden for short periods of time when they were in between going from hiding place to hiding place. It was very fascinating as Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian missionary, so was interesting to see a part of the war from that perspective. Then we went to visit the Teylers Museum, which is the oldest museum in Holland. This museum houses a great collection of old musical instruments, fossils, paintings and geological stones. Another town I visited with a friend was Delft. Delft is famous for its blue pottery. We went specifically to see different pottery exhibits, some more fascinating than others as well as some interesting museums. It is great to live in a country with such history and wonderful museums and sites. Scott and I hope to visit some other of these little towns around this country this summer. Then last weekend Scott had two days off from work for a company holiday and we went off to Paris. It is amazing that it is only a 5 hr. drive from our home. We had a great drive there, but were not happy as when we arrived in the city our car was surrounded by people trying to wash the windows and get money. It was reminiscent of what used to happen all the time in NY, but these people were much more aggressive, which was very scary. Finally we got away from them and drove around the city trying to find our hotel. Driving thru the city when you don’t know where you are going can be very annoying as many of the streets are one way and it is hard to actually see the street names. Finally we arrived, dropped our luggage and went out to explore Paris. First we had some lunch yum, yum and then checked out the shuls for Shabbos and arranged a meal for Shabbos lunch. There is a restaurant that is open on Shabbos that all you have to do is book in advance and then you can eat there. After this we went on a tour of the famous Paris Opera House, which was spectacular. The ceiling was painted by Chagall and it was a place to see. Then we went off to see the Eiffel Tower. Even though it was my third time seeing it in person, it never ceases to amaze. Yet there was no way to get to the top as the lines were so long, so we figured we will save that for the next trip. After this we took a lovely cruise down the Seine River and then went off to dinner and what a dinner it was. We went to this fancy meat place that you would never have even guessed was kosher from looking at it. The food was amazing. It was so nice to be in a place with such great kosher restaurants. Then as was dark outside, we were able to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up in its glory and on the hour it sparkles which is a sight to see. Friday we went to the Dorsey Museum, and enjoyed the Van Gogh paintings, then we went off to the La Marais district for lunch. We went to this famous falafel place and had amazing food. Afterwards we walked over to Notre Dame and sat in a café by the church and just took in the scenery. Then we went over to the Arch De Triumph to take some pictures. On Shabbos day we went to the Spanish Portuguese shul for davening which was quite an experience and then went over to Bistro 26 for lunch. It was so great. We met a lovely young couple from Israel and shared a table with them. The food kept coming and we ate so well. I highly recommend this place to any travelers to Paris for Shabbos. After lunch we walked over to The Louvre and were able to see the museum in its glory. Then on Sunday we went to the Jewish Museum and saw a great Chagall exhibit and really enjoyed the exhibits and layout of the museum. Then we got our car and headed to another section of the city for lunch and to do some food shopping. We had hoped to bring back lots of meat, but the butchers were closed. Oh well. All in all was a great weekend away. It is amazing that we can just jump in our car and a few hours later can be in Paris.

Back to Reality

Hi, there blog readers. I know it has been a while. We were all set to spend Pesach in The Hague and then at the last minute decided to go back to the states, where I was for most of April. It was so nice to be home with my family for the holiday. Both my brother and his wife and my sister, her husband and kids all came to my parents for the second days of the holiday. It was such a treat to have everyone together for a few days. It was nice to spend time with my second nephew who now could interact with you a bit more and was just learning to turn over. It was a great time home and arrived back May 2 and am now settling back in.

We made sure the first Sunday back to head over to the famous Keukenhof to see tulips. As many of you may know Holland is famous for its tulips, yet they only bloom a few months a year. Scott actually planted tulips outside our house and just as we left they were budding and when we came back they were dead already. Thankfully we are told they should come back next year. Keukenhof has all different types of tulip gardens. It is a very beautiful place and thankfully we were able to see some great flowers. I am attaching picture heres, so you can get the idea. The weather has been great here, so it was a lovely Sunday in the gardens.

We just booked our summer vacation, a cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean. We are so excited and the best part for me is that I have been dying to go to Pompeii, Italy and we were able to plan it that we could spend a day there. Look forward to a full report over the summer. We also have plans to go to Paris and Vienna. The European exploration continues . . .

Achmad the Camel from Purim

March

Two weeks back, I had the opportunity to go with the American Women’s club to the Bags and Purses Museum in Amsterdam. You may ask what is this? It is actually exactly what it sounds that. A local couple had been collecting purses and bags and they amassed so many they decided to make a museum. It was actually very neat. They had bags from a few hundred years ago and then some designer bags of today. They had bags made out of all different animals’ skins and even one bag that was a working telephone. (Before there were cellphones) It was a great afternoon and then we had high tea in the dining room. Of course I couldn’t eat anything, but was great to be spending a lovely afternoon with a bunch of great ladies.

Last weekend was exciting for us here in The Hague as it was Purim, a Jewish holiday celebrating one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. Scott baked his famous hamantashen, a common pastry we eat on the holiday. We went to the synagogue on Sunday for the Purim festivities. The theme was a Bedouin Purim and it was in an Israeli style. All the food was Israeli, the kids made pitas and there was even a real live camel which the kids could take camel rides. We didn’t take a ride, but instead took a picture besides him. See above. Was a really fun day and there was a great turnout. Probably over 100 people. This is the first time we have seen many of the Jews who live in The Hague. It was nice to see that yes they do live close by and will turn up maybe just once a year.

Pictures

Friends from Home

Very exciting for us in February was that we had friends from home come to visit. Our friends had a wedding in Paris and decided to extend their trip and spend a few days in Amsterdam and in The Hague. They came with their 6 month old daughter, who is absolutely adorable. It was interesting to have to track down a car seat and pack and play, but we found the essentials so were all set for them. We met them one night in Amsterdam and took them to one of our favorite kosher restaurants in the city, Hacarmel. They said they also quite enjoyed it. Then on Thursday night we picked them up in Amsterdam. That was the first time we ever drove through the side streets in the Amsterdam city center. It was actually quite scary because the roads are so narrow and often on your left and right are canals. We were able to navigate our way thru and then took them to the kosher pizza place. Then Friday we explored The Hague. Scott would have taken off, but he was taking a 3 day First Aid course which he couldn’t miss. He volunteered to be a first aid responder at work and despite his extensive EMT training in the USA, he was required to take the course. We went to the Escher Museum and Mauritius museum, which houses the famous, painting Girl with the Pearl Earring. Then walked around the City Center and afterwards went over to the Peace Palace, which house the International Court of Justice. It is under construction, but you can still see the magnificent exterior which was financed by American Andrew Carnegie. Shabbos was so nice with them here. We had over about 9 people for lunch including us and our friends. They were able to meet some of our friends here and learn about life in The Hague. I know our friends were really impressed by the shul and Jewish community. Sunday we took them to Madurodam, which a replication of Holland in miniature. It is a site to see when you come to Holland. It was such a nice weekend for us to again show friends from home our life here. Before they came they asked us if they could bring anything from home. I said just them coming is a gift onto itself. It warms our hearts to every so often get to spend time with friends from home. It keeps us connected. Thanks Rivka, Marc and Neta!!!

Also in the past few weeks, we experienced dentistry in Holland. We had our checkups and I had a cavity filled. It was a bit of an overwhelming feeling as during the procedure they were speaking in Dutch and hard not to understand a word they were saying. But filling looks good and I survived, so can’t complain.

Last weekend we finally spent Sunday exploring in Amsterdam. We went to the Rijksmuseum to see the Rembrandt paintings and the famous Night Watch and then headed off to The Van Gogh Museum. At night we had the opportunity to go hear a speaker at the Amsterdam Jewish Community Center. It was a great opportunity to meet some new people and we had our first taste of kosher sushi in Holland. We were so excited and asked the rebbetzin where it came from and she said they hired someone to make it. Oh well. I guess another thing we can learn to make.

Some thoughts in February

Things have been very status quo here. We are basically settled in to the way of life and with the days getting longer and the sun starting to shine more, we feel ready for the spring and some more exploring of Europe. The weather has really been so great that I can’t complain. In the high 40’s, yes I still go by Fahrenheit, even though I can do the conversion from Celsius.

Today I happened to shop in a department store in the town center which I have never been to before. As I explored the kitchen goods, I found all the items you would find in Macy’s or Bed Bath and Beyond. They even had some of the brands. Again been so interesting to see that yes you can really buy most things you can buy in the states, you just have to know where to look.

I wanted to share the following story from last Sabbath. Scott and I went to the Rabbi’s house for lunch along with two of the elderly women in the community. We had heard that one of the women has lost all her family in the war, but that was the extent. I started talking to the other lady and she told me that she was hidden during the war and even though she went thru hard times, she can’t at all fathom the experience the other women had of making it thru Auschwitz and losing her entire family. Was so interesting because here was a woman who had experienced the war firsthand saying that her experience was nothing compared to others and how strong the other lady was in life. I hope to be able to hear more of their stories in our time here. Most people here don’t mind talking about it, but often it is the language barrier that is difficult.

Me and my two cuties!!!

January 2011

Welcome back to our Eurotrip adventure. The New Year has started off very well. Just back from a 2 week trip to the US. Sorry if I didn’t get to see you when I was back, but this trip was really to meet and spend time with my new nephew. It was so nice to be with my family and friends who I did get to see. It was great that I happened to be home during Noah’s third birthday and got to go to his school for a birthday party and give him his presents in person. I got to experience some of the crazy East Coast weather in the time I was home as it snowed about 3 times. I was debating whether to bring to the states my snow boots and it was a great thing I did. I made sure to eat in as many kosher restaurants as I could to get my kosher food fix. I even decided to bring back a few bagels with me, so when I think of home I can eat a genuine NY bagel. We also brought back about 8 lbs. of American cheese and a few more Wacky Mac boxes so am all set. It was hard to not go crazy and buy everything in sight to bring back with us, but I think we stocked up well this trip so will be set for a while. I am not sure the next time we will head back to the states, and I am sure in the next few months we will need a US fix, so feel free to come visit.

After being away for a short time, now back settling in to The Hague. It was nice to head back to our Synagogue last weekend and catch up with some of our friends. I even taught one of them about Pam cooking spray. He had never heard of it before, imagine that. It came up in conversation, because I was telling him how I had brought one bottle back from the states because here is very expensive. It is funny because I carried a bunch of food items back from the states that since I have been back I have seen in the shops. I swear they weren’t around before. Just yesterday I discovered a new kosher shop in Amsterdam that sells salsa, Pam, crock pots, warming trays, hot water makers, and many other items I recognize from home. This was a very exciting discovery.

This week was exciting because I drove for the first time in The Netherlands. I took a baby step and drove to a friend’s home a couple miles away. My concern never is the actual driving, but rather the parallel parking. Thankfully as was during the day there were many large spots available and I was able to park. Go me!!! Now the possibilities for exploration are endless.

This week I also had the opportunity to go to Amsterdam and tour the Resistance Museum with the American Women’s Club. This group organized this event and about 19 women showed up. We first walked around the museum, which was very powerful. It showed the history of what happened during WWII with those who tried to resist the German occupation and also portrayed the story of the Jews. After we walked thru the museum we had a walking tour around the old Jewish section seeing buildings that used to be part of Jewish life like a hospital or home of a community rabbi and then also the old Jewish Theater where the Jews were rounded up to prior to deportation. Now living here and knowing people who were alive during that time, you really have a different perspective on this history. It is not like being in Washington DC and going to the Holocaust Museum. To know the history and then see the places around you is very overwhelming and powerful.

New Years Eve

So as we approached New Years Eve in The Hague, we were told that in the days preceding we would start to hear random moments of fireworks/firecrackers. This would culminate on New Years eve where all over the city people would set off their own fireworks. Unlike NY/NJ, this is not illegal in Holland. There are certain kinds of firworks/fircrackers which are illegal, but many can be purchased in stores all over the country. So true to form leading up to New Years, we heard some ramblings of fireworks. Then on Friday all over kids were setting off firecrackers. It was actually very scary to be outside. And when I say kids, I mean kids as young as 7 and 8. Such an odd cultural difference as this is such a dangerous act that is commonplace here. Friday night we walked to our friend’s house to celebrate New Years Eve. We heard some rambling of fireworks, but knew to expect a show at 12:00. At precisely 12:00, we went outside and it is hard to describe in words the scene. People all over were setting off fireworks and firecrackers. The sky was like the Fourth of July in the US. Some stupid people were even setting their Christmas trees and other assorted items on fire. It was a crazy scene. The fireworks lasted for almost an hour in constant succession, but then you heard them throughout the rest of the early morning hours. It was neat to experience, but it was a bit too crazy for my liking. I prefer to see fireworks set off by professionals. But at least I can say 2011 started off with a bang . . .

Happy New Years to all our dear friends and family!!!