Medical Misadventures

After one year, maybe you thought there would no longer be misadventures. But, I am here to prove that, as an expat, there can always be misadventures! We were very lucky in the past year and didn’t have to make any doctor or vet visits, but recently we had to jump headfirst into medical care abroad!

First off, we needed to get a longterm pain in our daughter’s elbow evaluated. The first step in using medical care in The Netherlands begins when you first arrive. You must pick a doctor as a primary doctor. You can not just pick anyone though. The doctor you choose must live near your home. We were informed that the reason for this is that some doctors will still make housecalls if necessary, so their office needs to be near your home. Also, for those used to things in the US, you do not pick a pediatrician for your children. They too use the primary doctor and may be referred to a pediatrician if necessary. And there is no need to check if a doctor is on your insurance. While there are variations in what is covered/amounts based on the plan, insurance covers the medical expenses regardless of where they are received.

Once we knew we needed to see the doctor, we called and were able to get an appointment very quickly, even though it was holiday time here, and we were not sick or with an emergency. The doctor listened to the symptoms and made some preliminary predictions, but suggested we go get an Xray to verify that there was nothing fractured. We immediately went to the hospital where the radiologist is located. Upon arriving, you have to first register at a desk in the main lobby area (you only have to do this once; if you have registered before and are in the system, you can skip this step). After registering, we had to then find radiology and take a number. As a side note, when we were called in, the person receiving an Xray before us was leaving, and it was quite exciting to find it was a man being escorted by four police officers! Receiving your Xray is just like receiving one in the US except that they do not use any kind of protective vest on the patient as they would in many situations in the US (this held true for dental Xrays as well).

As soon as the Xray results were sent to the primary doctor, they decided to refer us to a pediatrician as there was nothing on the Xray that would indicate the reason for the pain. They do work on a referral basis here in The Netherlands, so you do need to receive a referral to see most specialist doctors. As soon as we received the referral, we called the pediatrician, whose office is located in the hospital, to make an appointment. Again, they were able to schedule an appointment for a date within a week of the date we called.

Here is where things began to get a little different. When we arrived for our appointment at the pediatrician, we signed in and were sent down the hall and around the corner to an office where a woman looked us up in the computer and then took height and weight measurements. She imputed the information and then sent us back to the waiting room for the pediatrician (which was also the waiting room for a gynecologist and perhaps some other specialists as well). When they called us, we went into a room that looked like your average room at a pediatrician’s office, but, in addition to the exam table and sink, it also had a desk with a computer and chairs as you would find in an office. This is where we sat while the “doctor” informed us that she is actually a doctor in training and will consult with her supervisor who was not present at this time. She asked a lot of questions and then finally asked my daughter to sit on the exam table while she did some manipulation of her arm and hands to test some things. After this, she exited a rear door in the room to retell everything to the actual doctor and consult with her. About 10 minutes later, she returned with the supervising doctor and they told us what they thought might be going on. They also said, that since they are not certain, they would be consulting the next day with some rheumatologists and Xray technicians that they meet with monthly for further review of our case. We left with a referral to a physiotherapist and a promise that they would call the next day with the results of their conversation. The next day, they called several times, but we missed the calls and they left no information (though they did make an attempt to call after hours which was nice). On the second day, we finally managed to speak to them in person, and they told us that they wanted us to do some bloodwork just to rule out arthritis.

The bloodwork was made very convenient. We were able to go in the next day, they explained. As the doctor informed us, we should just go in and tell them that we had a blood draw order, and, before leaving, we should make an appointment for one week later to receive a phone call from the doctor to receive the results. It all seemed so simple, but as an expat, simple things are not always simple. The lab was, of course, also located in the hospital, so we ventured back, and, since we did not know where the lab was located, we headed to the front desk to ask. Here we had a slight language difficulty, but they sent us to the lab. Hurdle one was out of the way.

Upon arriving at the lab, there were two people at a counter receiving patients. We walked up and were promptly informed we needed to get a number. We found a digital machine issuing numbers, but, of course, all options were in Dutch. Using our very limited language skills and the power of deductive reasoning, we were able to obtain a number which was immediately (I mean within 1 second of spitting out of the machine) called to the counter. I told the clerk that we were sent by the pediatrician to receive a blood draw. He asked for my paper. I did not have one. In a rather curt manner, he informed me that we needed to go to the pediatrician’s office to obtain it. Then he told me to get a “B” number and leave it with him so he could help us when we returned and pointed to the number machine. Now, I had barely figured out how to get a number at all, let alone a special “B” number, and he certainly was not going to assist me as he just kept saying B number and pointing to the machine. So, after staring at the machine for several seconds, an older Dutch woman walked up to get her own number. I asked her how to get a B number, and she showed me what to press. B number in hand, I returned to the counter to leave it with the clerk, and then headed up to the pediatrician’s office. Hurdle two-done!

At the pediatrician’s office, I was met by a receptionist who first began asking for my daughter’s date of birth in Dutch, even though I had explained what we needed in English-hence she probably knew that I didn’t speak Dutch. This is fine because maybe English is not strong for her and she prefers Dutch, so I made an attempt to understand what she was saying but wasn’t quite getting it, at which point she said it in English. I answered, and she promptly went back to Dutch to ask for our last name. That time I did get it, but asked, in English, to verify that I had the correct meaning. She found us in the system, printed our lab order and said something else to me in Dutch before sending us on our way. Now, I have no problem with people not speaking English or even expecting that I speak Dutch, but when she knew I couldn’t and she clearly could speak English, I’m not sure why she was making me struggle (especially in a medical setting where you might be having some anxieties anyway).

But, hurdle three out of the way, we headed back to the lab where we approached the clerk who had taken our B number. He told us that his colleague would instead help us, so we moved to her counter. She took our paperwork, said one thing, and then told us we needed to step aside. She helped someone else and then called us back. The chaos of what was happening was beginning to make my head spin and my daughter was also having some anxiety about having her blood drawn, so I was starting to feel the pressure. After verifying our information, the clerk told us to watch for our number. After a few seconds, our number came up on the screen, but I realized I didn’t really know what to do when the number appeared. She had told us to go to an automatic door in the room when we were called, so we did. The door admitted us into a room with several lab tech stations set up, but I didn’t know which one to go to. Finally, the tech called us over and then began to speak in Dutch. When my daughter said she didn’t speak Dutch, we got a very strange look and then, I believe seeing my daughter’s anxiety, she became a little friendlier and proceeded to do the draw. As soon as it was done, we followed the exit signs. All hurdles were complete!

It was only after we were almost back to the parking garage and my shoulders were starting to relax that I realized I had forgotten to make the appointment for our results call. I had no idea if I was supposed to make this at the lab or with the Dutch-only receptionist in the pediatrician’s office, but I was not about to go back in to find out. Later we had to call to schedule it, and they told us that it was no longer possible to schedule an exact time, but they would just call us some time on the following Friday. Luckily, we were able to answer the phone when they called. They informed us that the results were fine and that they would call back in 5 months to see how the elbow is doing. Quite an ordeal! I’m not sure if I breathed a bigger sigh of relief over the fact that the results were favorable or that I was done with that process. You see, you can often fit in within the confines of your daily life as an expat, but something that is outside the norms of what you “know” in another country can be overwhelming and make you really feel how much you don’t really belong.

But, for those of you who have stuck with me through this long post and are still curious about other forms of medical interventions, we can also report on the dentist and orthodontist. The dentist is much the same as in the US, however, when you schedule, you choose whether you would like a 15 minute, 30 minute or 45 minute cleaning session and whether or not you would like to see the dentist for an exam with your cleaning or just have the hygienist clean. Also, you can determine how often you want to go in for a cleaning, although the insurance (at least the plan that we have) only covers one cleaning a year. We have been informed, though, that the costs of dental care (routine items anyway) is so low, that the insurance really only saves you a few dollars and thus many Dutch people do not carry dental insurance. The orthodontist is also similar to the US, although, one thing that I have found different, is that you don’t actually see the orthodontist each time you go in. In fact, the assistant put the braces on and the orthodontist didn’t even check them. Also, the time between appointments seems to be more like 6-8 weeks instead of 5-6 weeks. The cost for orthodontics is also very inexpensive compared to the US. We will pay about half of what we paid with insurance and a prepay discount in the US. But, children’s orthodontics here are covered through the parent’s health insurance plan rather than a dental plan.

Finally, we can also speak to the medical care of pets here in The Netherlands as our dogs recently decided to injure one another necessitating a visit outside of the annual exam they had received a month prior. The annual exam was similar to the one in the US in which the vet examined the animals and administered vaccinations, the difference being that some of the required/suggested vaccinations are different than US requirements/suggestions. Also, they administered the vaccinations in a nasal spray format rather than by injection (not sure my dogs were big fans of this). The procedure in an emergency was very similar to the US. The most seriously injured dog received antibiotics and pain medications while the less serious received a natural cream to rub on the swollen/bitten leg as well as a pain medication. The main difference, again, was that the costs for these treatments were a fraction of what we would have paid in the US.

Fingers crossed that this is all that I will be able to report from the medical front in The Netherlands. In the meantime, you can rest easy knowing that we have survived a few more misadventures!

August 26, 2019 0

“Chilling” Out in Iceland

Last week, we spent an adventurous seven days exploring Iceland. Iceland was never a place that I had a desire to travel to nor did I know much about it, but after meeting several Icelandic people in the past year and with the constant nudging from my husband, we booked our trip. And despite the initial lackluster response to the trip, let me just say that Iceland was great (even though it was a bit cold and windy)!

Day 1

We got right down to business with my husband fulfilling his desire to dive Silfra-the crack between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. He really loved his dive and was blown away by the clarity of the water. The water was really clear in a lot of places; you could see everything in the water and the reflection of items in the water was unbelievable.

The kids and I hiked around the park that Silfra is located in, Thingviller. We hiked to some waterfalls and through some rocky and forested areas before checking out the Silfra area including a small church and the Prime Minister of Iceland’s summer house.

We also made a quick stop for some kleinur (a popular pastry kind of like a cake donut with no icing) and Happy Marriage Cake.

After the park, we went into Reykjavik, the largest city in Iceland, for dinner. We had a 7-course Icelandic dinner which began with a shot of the local spirit, Brennevin. That was followed with puffin, lamb tartare, cod, whale, sea trout, plaice (a white fish like flounder), and a lamb rump steak. It was topped off with a skyr cake which is made with skyr yogurt, an Icelandic favorite.

Day 2

First, we had to have breakfast, so we decided to try snudor, a giant cinnamon roll with icing, and several other pastries.

After eating, we met up with a former colleague of my husband and his wife who are Icelandic. They are adventurous, so they took us to Elborg Volcano. We took an hour to pick our way through lava rocks and scrubby brush and to hike up to the rim of the volcano.

Then we headed to a nearby fishing village to have lunch of seafood soup which contained mussels, scallops and shrimp and some grilled trout with potatoes. It was delicious!

After lunch, we drove through the lava field, which is just bizarre. All you can see as far as you look are lava rocks covered in white or light green moss.

Along our drive, we also drove by many waterfalls and stopped at a couple.

Our next stop was a black sand beach with unusual rock formations that looked like walls extending into the sea.

Then, it was up to a glacier through some rough roads before heading down to another black sand beach with rock and cave formations. There were a lot of sea birds nesting there and a small cafe where we stopped for hot chocolate and swiss mocha (blend of chocolate and coffee) and Icelandic waffles with whipped cream and rhubarb jam.

After our snack, we headed to our friends’ summer house in the country (think driving on a dirt road for 30 minutes) which had really spectacular views (they invited us back to see it in the winter when it is snow-covered and you can watch the Northern Lights!).

Day 3

We began by taking the back roads (read more scenic and bumpier) to Geyser and Gullfoss, two very popular tourist spots. Geyser, as the name suggests, features several geysers, though only 1 erupts consistently every few minutes. Gullfoss is a huge waterfall. We had a good time walking through the mist to various viewpoints.

After these stops, we drove to Reyninfjord to the black sand beach. The beach was very cold and overcast but the sand was interesting as were the rock formations along the beach.

We continued our drive, which was very interesting. We saw the strangest huge lava rocks covered in whitish moss. It was so hard to get a picture that really conveyed the way it looked.

There were actually a lot of varying landscapes throughout the day-waterfalls in mountains that were very green with black rock, desolate black muddy sand fields, barren and rocky land, pasture like fields and glaciers and volcanoes. The strangest part about the landscape is that you can be in one type of area, and, almost instantly, it changes to another type. Sometimes it can even be green on one side of the road and barren rock fields on the other.

When we arrived at the hotel, we had a dinner of char (another white fish-this time coming from the glacial stream in the area) with potatoes and rack of lamb. We had a really nice dessert of creme brulee with thyme and honey and a polenta cake with skyr yogurt.

Day 4

In the morning, we drove to Skaftafell Park for a hike up the mountains to Black Falls. The hike was enjoyable and the falls were pretty with nice hexagonal rock formations around them. The views from the mountaintop were fantastic.

After a quick lunch of lobster soup, fish and chips and ribs, we moved on to Jokulsarlon (glacier lagoon). As we drove up over a hill, the icebergs floating in this lagoon seemed to pop up from nowhere. The icebergs were large and were all floating away from the glacier behind the lagoon. The light blue colors of the icebergs were really pretty.

On the other side of the road was Diamond Beach. This was an incredible black sand beach studded with tons of icebergs, both large and small. The sea in front of the beach carried the floating icebergs out further from the lagoon. It was very cold and windy, but so cool!

Our drive today once again featured waterfalls, mountains, streams, really blue lakes, pastures, glaciers, desolate black sand plains, and lava rocks.

Near our hotel, we stopped at a small detour recommended by our host. The location featured a replica of a Viking village that was a former movie set and black sand dunes. But, the best part of this stop was that along the sea were many rocks where we could see lots of sea birds, and we saw one swimming and one sunbathing seal! There were many other seals further out on some rocks in the sea, but these two were pretty close to our viewpoint.

After the excitement of the seals, we headed into town for some Icelandic beers and some more fish. This time we tried redfish with potatoes and some surf and turf which featured tiny lobsters. And of course, no meal is complete without some dessert-caramel and whipped cream pancake and cheesecake.

Back at our hotel, we watched a sheep with several babies from our guestrooms. These mountain sheep are everywhere in Iceland. They come very close to the roads, but they can also be seen high up in the mountains. They could definitely make a bid for the national animal of Iceland. They would be closely followed by Icelandic horses which are said to be a pure breed brought over by Vikings.

Day 5

Today we did a lot of driving including a scenic drive through the East Fjords which featured pretty grasses along a coastline surrounded by cliffs and mountains. It was very beautiful, and we got to see many sea birds including some swan/goose type bird that was covering one of the lakes we passed.

We continued up into the mountain where the scenery became more foresty and headed into an area that literally looked like a wasteland of rock-when you hear that parts of Iceland look like the surface of the moon or Mars, I think this is what they are referring to. In the middle of this area, was Dettifoss, a massive waterfall that was very powerful.

Driving out of this area, we entered a geothermal area around Lake Myvaten. We stopped to walk around the smoking stone piles and holes. It was pretty smoky (and smelly-see if you can find us in the picture where we stood in the smoke)! We also checked out a small hot spring cave in the area that was pretty neat.

The destination at the end of our drive was Akureyri (the large city in the North). We found a place for dinner and enjoyed some plokkfiskur, an Icelandic dish made of mashed white fish and potatoes in a bechamel sauce and served with rye bread. We also tried dried fish with butter. Everything was very good!

Day 6

We were scheduled for a whale watch tour though the weather was not cooperating. There was a very strong north wind and cool temperatures which meant the water was much choppier than usual. We were on a small high-speed boat with just 12 passengers. Let me tell you, that was a fun ride! The boat would jump high on the swells and come down with a hard bang. Some of the time, saltwater would splash in our faces as well. It was a lot of fun and a bit extreme, but sadly, we only saw one whale fin in the distance and a porpoise. We left with a make-up tour scheduled for the next day in Reykjavik, but we were pretty disappointed.

When we arrived in Reykjavik 5 hours later, we tried to lift our spirits a bit by viewing Hallgrimskirk church and enjoying a nice traditional dinner. We tried harkal which is a fermented shark. You are supposed to take a bite and then do a shot of Brennevin. The shark has a very strong taste and I would be lying if I didn’t tell you it was not pleasant, but it wasn’t horrifying either and we did it! We also got some cod, Icelandic lamb stew, trout tart, and plokkfiskur, smoked trout and sheep head jelly (you probably don’t want to know!). It all came with a lot of rye bread and a very interesting rye bread ice cream which almost tasted like mousse. We also had a pancake (think crepe) with jam and cream.

After dinner, we were able to meet up with a friend of mine who moved back to Iceland several months ago. She took us around to see several sites in Reykjavik including the Sun Voyager monument, the concert hall (really beautiful glass building) and a small beach area.

Day 7

We headed out on our redo whale tour, although this time it was on the bigger boat that held about 100 or so passengers. We saw several sea birds including some puffin and several minke whales and 2 basking sharks. Some of them were fairly close to the boat so it was pretty cool.

Once we arrived back on land, we headed to a famous hot dog stand to try Baejarins Beztu Pylsur (a hot dog with minced and dried onions and some unique sauces) and got some ice cream.

Then it was off to the Volcano House to look at various lava rocks-some are very interesting and very beautiful.

Next, we drove to the Blue Lagoon-the famous geothermal bathing pool. We opted not to pay to swim, but we did walk around several pools outside of the facility. They were such a pretty blue color and while they were warm, they weren’t steaming.

Finally, we went to the Lava Tunnel, which is a cave formed by lava flow under the ground. It was a very interesting tour and there were some unique features such as the colors which are formed by iron and sulfuric acid, lava drips which have been solidified on the walls and ceiling and a thin layer of obsidian covering walls that actually had lava flow touching them.

We ended our trip by meeting up with my husband’s colleague again and having a final 7-course dinner that featured tasting dishes of several interesting fish, lamb, and some really fun desserts.

Iceland provided us with plenty of scenery, good food and fun. It was a great trip and if you enjoy adventure and amazing landscapes, I would highly recommend it.

August 13, 2019 0

It’s Our 1 Year Anniversary!

As we have reached the first anniversary of our move to The Netherlands, I thought it was appropriate to take a minute to reflect on the past year and look toward the coming one.

This year began with a whirlwind of emotions-sadness to leave the place that we have called home for so long and the people that we care about, anxiety over leaving some of our things (mainly our house) behind and trying to begin the process of getting things arranged and settled here and begin at a new school, frustration over not understanding the language or knowing where or how to find things (or work our appliances!), excitement over being in a new place and getting to explore areas around Europe, utter chaos of trying to pick furnishings and put them all together and get the house set up so that we could function even without our shipment boxes with all of our things, and fear of getting lost or making a mistake in our new surroundings. All in all, it was a stressful time. At that exact moment in time one year ago, I really couldn’t have told you how this would all work out.

A few weeks into the journey, we started school and began to meet some people. It was a bit lonely in the beginning as we tried to fit in among people who were already friends and comfortable in the surroundings. For me, I felt isolated at the house a lot in the beginning. I was a little scared to venture out and didn’t have a lot of people to venture out with. There was still a lot of arranging and paperwork that needed to be done to register here, so we never quite felt settled. In addition, we were dealing with some difficulties with the kids. Our oldest seemed to just be numb and was showing little emotion and our youngest was exploding with anger and frustration and having a meltdown everywhere we went. We were really wondering what we had done to our kids and feeling pretty down about it.

Finally, around month 2, our belongings arrived and we could actually arrange the house to feel more like a permanent home. In addition, I was getting more involved at the school and with other parents. I began my tennis lessons, joined a Bunco group and a book club and was doing some social activities. The kids seemed to be settling in a little and some of the previous issues were beginning to resolve themselves. Still, I would look at some of the people that I met that had already been here a year or more and see how comfortable they seemed navigating around and going places and how happy their kids seemed to be, and I felt like we would never get there.

By about month 4, I finally got my car which made getting to some places and tackling some tasks a lot easier. We had been able to do some nice traveling and we all continued to make friends, so it seemed like things were going pretty well. I was even feeling a bit more comfortable navigating around.

In month 5, we went back to the states for a brief visit. After that, we had a resurgence in the emotional issues with our kids. In addition, we came back to winter and, in The Netherlands, that means short days and very little sun. Things definitely felt a little down, but we kept plugging along.

As we rounded the corner into month 7, we were able to head to sunny Portugal which was a much-needed break. Now the days were longer and things were beginning to bloom. It definitely put us in a better frame of mind.

By month 8 and 9, we were out and about a lot more. We were doing a lot of socializing, and I felt pretty good about things. Our youngest child seemed to be doing well and was enjoying things. Our oldest still seemed to struggle with feeling down, though a big portion of that was the amount of homework being assigned and a lack of free time.

Finally, at month 10, I had to do some longer distance driving and navigating around some other places. Suddenly, I realized that I had made it to where all those friends who had already been here a year were at when I thought I would never get there. I was fairly comfortable going places, I knew my way around our city and where to find things, I had some knowledge of the language and wasn’t as worried about interacting with locals or making a mistake. I felt like I had a strong social group and was going to be fine. Then, we had a slight setback when I found out that almost every single member of the said social group was moving. I really began to worry about how I would handle the upcoming year and some of the old panic and loneliness began to creep back in.

Now, as we hit the one year mark, am I saying things are not good? No-for the most part we really like the area we live in, we enjoy the activities and vacation spots that we have available to us and we look forward to meeting new people this year. So am I saying everything is great? No-there are still times that I feel a little uncomfortable and out of place, there are still emotional struggles with the children, and there are still moments of doubt and uncertainty about the future. I guess it’s just like many things in life; we just have to take it one step at a time, keep positive and enjoy ourselves as much as we can. At one year, I am confident that we can handle things and that there is still much to look forward to.

So, as year 2 begins, what do we hope to accomplish this year?

Learn more Dutch
Visit more places (we’ve got some really great vacations and day trips on the horizon that we are really looking forward to).
Take some biking excursions and/or work up a biking group with some friends.
Take a small ladies trip or do some other exploring locally with friends.

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to us (and to this page) and Here’s to Year 2!!

August 5, 2019 0

“Gouda You Do” in Gouda?

The kids and I took a quick trip over to Gouda (pronounced how-da) a couple of weeks ago for the cheese market. Though this market was much smaller and simpler than the one in Alkmaar, it was fun to watch for a few minutes. The “hand-slapping to make a deal” portion of this market was a little more theatrical and lasted a little longer which the kids enjoyed. There was also a nice open-air market around the cheese area where you could get some snacks and see some craftsman at work. We made a pewter figure in a mold that was more than 100 years old (we also promptly broke said figure, but it is now repaired!).

After checking out the market area, we walked in the old part of the city which was very quaint and lovely.

We checked out the old church, St. Janskerk, which was really large and had many stained glass windows-something that is not very characteristic of the churches in The Netherlands.

And, everyone knows that food is a highlight of many of our excursions so we were pretty excited to get to try the original recipe for the Stroopwafel which was first made in Gouda-delicious! All in all, it was a perfect short outing to check out Gouda.

July 31, 2019 0

Quick Trip to Denmark and Sweden

This past week, the kids and I tagged along on a work trip taking place in Denmark. We drove most of the way to Copenhagen (a nine-hour trip) on Wednesday evening and then finished the trek Thursday morning. At that point, the kids and I ventured onto the train into the heart of Copenhagen.

Our first stop was the city hall square where we saw both the city hall building and a statue honoring what might be the most world-famous former resident of Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen.

After that, we strolled over to the Agnete and the Merman statue which is located under the water of a canal running through the city.

Next, we moved on to Christiansborg Palace and the old stock exchange building in the area.

Finally, we made our way to our final destination for the afternoon, Tivoli, an amusement park and entertainment venue. We rode a lot of rides, went in a funhouse and an aquarium and had a tasty Danish lunch of smorrebrod (an open face sandwich with various toppings; the two we chose being roast beef and meatball) and frikadeller (Danish meatball).

After many hours at Tivoli, we went to dinner where we had a Danish specialty of Stegtflaesk (a crispy fried pork belly) as well as another version of the open face sandwich, this time with fish and tiny shrimp. Of course, the meal wouldn’t be complete without some local beer (this time Royal Beer Classic) and some dessert (Rodgrod med Flode) which is stewed red berries with cream.

The next day, the kids and I headed to Rosenborg Palace. As we arrived, there was a military display occurring on the lawn next to the palace. What appeared to be military and royal guards were lined up on the yard. The band played, people marched around and awhile later the Queen of Denmark came out to inspect the troops.

The palace itself housed the royal family’s most valued treasures from throughout the centuries including some of the crown jewels.

After this, we walked through the area known as Nyhaven which is the harbor area.

Then it was on to Amalienborg Palace to view the changing of the guard.

After all of these palaces, we decided to walk along the river on our way to see the famous Langelinie, Little Mermaid statue, located in a park along the river.

After all this walking, we decided it was time to treat ourselves to lunch. So we found a hot dog stand and had the famous rod polse.

We meandered back toward the train station checking out different buildings and side streets along the way before finding ourselves on the famous shopping street, Stroget. So we checked out a few stores like Royal Danish (pottery) and the Lego Store.

And as if this day wasn’t already filled with a ton of sightseeing and walking, after meeting back up with the rest of our party at the train station, we headed over to Malmo, Sweden.

In Sweden, we wandered around the main historic area, checking out St. Peter’s Church, Lilla Torg (square in the historic area with tons of restaurants) and other historic buildings before finding a spot for dinner.

Dinner consisted of fish stew, Swedish meatballs and a hash made of shredded potatoes and bread crumbs in a sauce served with a thin hard bread and a hard cheese.

After dinner, we walked to Malmo castle and drove by the Turning Torso before heading back to Denmark,

The next morning we all headed to Roskilde to the west of Copenhagen, but not before snagging some breakfast of assorted Wienerbrod (Danish pastry).

In Roskilde, we checked out the Viking Ship Museum where they have five original ships excavated from their fjord as well as many replicas, artifacts and activities for kids.

After the museum, we wandered around the town stopping by a small Protestant church (where a casket was to the right of the door and a woman was playing an organ to the left of the door) and stopping in at the Roskilde Cathedral, which houses the tombs of 29 kings and queens.

Then we stopped for lunch in the town square and here’s where things got interesting. All week, we had been seeing people walking around wearing sailor’s caps. Apparently, these are graduates and this is what they do to celebrate. Beginning on Friday, we began seeing what we dubbed “party busses” all over town. These were essentially open-bed trucks that were decorated, playing music, honking and carrying tons of graduates hanging out of the sides blowing whistles and yelling.

While we were eating lunch, a “party bus” drove up to the square and about 25 graduates spilled out, ran to the fountain in the square and began singing, blowing whistles and, in the case of several young men, getting completely naked and climbing into the fountain. The fountain party went on for about five minutes before they began redressing and heading on. An interesting lunch with your kids to say the least!

After lunch, we drove to Kronborg castle which was the setting that Shakespeare used in Hamlet. It is right on the sea, so we walked around the outside of the castle and had a rhubarb cake before heading back into Copenhagen for our final dinner at Det Lille Apotek, the oldest restaurant in Copenhagen that used to be a pharmacy until the mid 1700s when it became a restaurant. The decor hasn’t been changed since the mid 1800s when Hans Christian Andersen used to dine there.

Dinner consisted of roasted pork and a potato and meat hash. The hash had chunks of pork and potato in a gravy topped with fried eggs and served with a side of pickled cucumbers and beets and some rugbrod (Danish rye bread). The restaurant also brewed their own beer, so of course, we had to try that-very good!

Our trip ended with a stroll through a park in the city and a long drive home the next day. Copenhagen was a great city and we had a lot of fun! Two countries, historic landmarks, museums, an amusement park, royal guards, naked graduates and a queen. Not bad for a quick trip!

July 3, 2019 0

The Day the Exam Results Came In

Yesterday was a big day for kids in their final year of school in The Netherlands. It was the day that the results of their national exams came in. Each student in Dutch schools that is at the end of their secondary school time takes school leaving examinations-some for the school itself and some that are national exams. Everyone that takes the national exams receives a call sometime during the day to let them know whether or not they passed their exam. If they passed, they fly the flag of The Netherlands outside of their house and hang their backpack with the flag. This is a celebration of their achievement and to let everyone know that they passed and have completed secondary school. As we came home from school yesterday, it was apparent that many of our neighbors had received their call because there were several flags and backpacks dotting the street. Just another different tradition that we have been able to learn about and witness.

June 13, 2019 1

Giethoorn- The Venice of The Netherlands

This past week we traveled to the city of Giethoorn in The Netherlands. Giethoorn is only accessible by foot, bike or boat. Giethoorn was created by religious zealots who settled in the area and began peat farming. The methods by which they cut the peat out of the land caused waterways and bodies of water to form. In addition, the farmers needed to cut canals in order to transport the peat more easily. Thus, Giethoorn was formed into a town of water passages.

There are two ways to see Giethoorn. You can park near the highway and walk the tourist boardwalk to the middle of the town which is the church (most of the inhabitants of the town are Mennonites). Once in the town, you can use the pathways to walk or bike. There are many tourist shops and restaurants along the main path and there are bridges to the homes and businesses on the other side of the main canal (most of these are not accessible to the public).

The other way to see Giethoorn is by boat. You can rent a boat and explore on your own or you can book a tour boat. The tour boats are “whisper” boats meaning that they are electric and thus do not make the noise of a fuel run boat. The tour boats stick to the main canal and the lake to the other side of the town. The smaller boats that can be rented allow you to go down smaller side canals along the homes. There are many choices for renting a boat such as a rowboat, small motorboat, canoe or raft.

There are only 2,600 inhabitants of Giethoorn and just like the tourists, their only way to get around town is by boat or foot. In fact, there is farming that occurs in Giethoorn but the cows must be transported by boat to the fields for grazing. All homeowners are required to inhabit in the town permanently. Summer or rental housing is only found around the lake area where there are cottage style homes, camping areas and retreat facilities.

We were lucky enough to arrive in Giethoorn in the early morning and walk the town on foot before many other tourists arrived. The town was very peaceful and idyllic with lush gardens and manicured lawns.

After a couple of hours, we took a tour boat around the canals and out to the lake. And lest you think that the town is just a storybook town all day, keep in mind that as more and more tourists arrive (and there are plenty), the canals get very packed with boats.

But even with the boat traffic, the town is very enjoyable. We ate some lunch along the canal and enjoyed watching all of the boats go by. After our lunch, we decided to visit the museum of Giethoorn. It was a very nice museum with some interesting displays on what life in Giethoorn was like in the past. We especially enjoyed the displays of traditional dress and old style farm housing.

Giethoorn was a lovely town and a fun way to spend the day. If we return, we plan to rent our own boat and do some further exploring, but that will be an adventure for another day.

June 4, 2019 0

Royal Flora Holland Flower Market

Yesterday, we drove up to Alkmaar to tour the Royal Flora Holland Flower Market. The market is actually a flower auction. It is the largest flower auction in the world. Every weekday, millions of flowers are auctioned from 7am to about 10am. The facility itself is impressive. It is 1.3 million square meters which is the equivalent to 220 football fields. Flowers are supplied by 6,000 suppliers from all over the world and there are 2,500 customers to which flowers are transported. The facility uses technology to help them sell the flowers quickly and get them to homes in a shorter turn around time.

They test flowers at the facility as well in order to ensure the quality and shelf life of the flowers. Labs simulating real-life household conditions such as temperature control and day and night variants in light are used to determine how long the flowers should last in our homes.

On the visit, we were also able to see the auction floor where the biding on the flowers occurs. It too is heavily automated and even allows for today’s buyers to bid remotely. The entire process from arrival from sellers to the bidding, packaging and delivery to buyers is very streamlined and quite impressive.

In addition to the flower market, they also have a plant auction which we did not see.

I never knew what an involved and high-pressure business flowers could be. The tour was enlightening and quite enjoyable and man were there some beautiful flowers there!

June 4, 2019 0

Zeeland

Over the weekend we did a little island hopping in the province of Zeeland. Zeeland is a southern province of The Netherlands made up of several islands. We enjoyed a couple of beaches, watched kite sailing, saw a ton of sailboats and strolled the beach town of Domburg. We also got to drive the longest bridge in The Netherlands and over the Osterschelde which is a massive dam. A perfect excursion for a warm, sunny day!

June 4, 2019 0

A Taste of Luxembourg

This past week, we decided to drive to the small country of Luxembourg for a day visit to Vianden and Echternach.

Our first stop was Vianden Castel which towers over the quaint town below it. The castle was constructed between the 11th and 14th centuries on the foundation of a Roman castle. The tour of the castle was quite nice and you were able to see many of the important rooms like the bedrooms, kitchens and chapel as well as many artifacts.

After visiting the castle we decided to wander the city a little. After the world’s slowest meal (even by European standards) in which each person’s dish was brought out separately and with about 20 minutes in between, we walked down past the little shops and homes to the river. We saw Victor Hugo’s former home and a couple of small churches.

Next, we headed to Echternach. It was a very pretty city. There were many old buildings such as the Orangerie and government buildings.

We also went into an interesting small cathedral.

We walked down the shopping area which was quite lovely and had a snack on the street. Then we walked back along the river through a forested area.

Luxembourg was small, but so was our time so it made for an easy opportunity to explore a bit of another country. We plan to visit Luxembourg City, but that will be for another day. Until then!

June 4, 2019 0