Tulip Time!

As I’m searching for a job and we are expats we went to a fair that combined the two things. There were recruiting agencies and companies that help expats with taxes insurances, etc.

This fair was in Den Hague, so we thought we would go there for a couple of hours and then  go search for tulips again!

The problem was that there were too many people for so few recruiting agencies… so there were huge lines. I stayed ion a line for at least one hour just to get to talk to someone. The purpose of the fair was to promote the companies, not recruiting! So at the end they only say: “hey, look at our website…” But seeing the lines I thought there was something else? Me and all the other visitors I guess… 

We stayed more than we would have liked to, but then we went for the Tulips.

We found many tulip fields, BEAUTIFUL!!! 

Then we went for a cup of tea, and enjoy the rest of the sunny day at the terrace of a cafe. We went for a walk and we stopped at a photography shop, to see pictures of the cortege of cars decorated with tulips. We knew that it was in the end of April, but we didn’t know the day and neither realise that it could be this weekend.

For once we were very lucky. We weren’t aware that the owner of the shop was in it until he opened the door to speak with a friend (I think). My boyfriend almost jumped to the guy, to ask when the parade was. 

The flowered cars had left Noordwijk and were on the way to Haarlem. They told us that we could go to Haarlem to see them at night, so we did some extra 40km to see them and it was totally worth it.

Our photos are not that good because it was night but the cars were fantastic. The curious thing is that the car that won the first prize was “the Portuguese haan”.

For more information: www.bloemencorso.info

Kinderkijk

The best time to come to The Netherlands is with no doubt spring! 


We went searching for tulips in the beginning of April, but it was still not their time, so we decided to go to Kinderdijk!


Kinderdijk is a UNESCO Worl Heritage Site, since 1997, with 19 windmills! 


It's in the south of Holland near Dordrecht.


Basically, these windmills were used to drain the water from the canals to protect the fields against flood. 


It’s so peaceful! I really loved it the first time I went and I wanted to return because in the winter the mills are closed to visits.


For more information go to:  www.kinderdijk.com/historie.htm  or google it! :D

When you go to Kinderdijk, go also to Dordrecht. It was the first Dutch city!

For me that never went to Venice, it seems like you’re there when you go to the centre.

I liked the town, but I wouldn't want to live there, no offence, but whereas in other towns you always see the streets crowded; in Dordrecht you don’t see anyone in the streets.

Doing sushi

How could I forget to tell about that time that we did sushi!?

I just have one hint - start preparing the sushi at least one hour before your dinner time - because it has to cool down and it's not so easy to roll stuff on the algae... :)

Electric Bikes

That would be nice! But I prefer my bike! (No indirect emission)

Tire testing!

Sometimes you need to change your car's front tires but the back tires are still functional. It's common (as far as I know) to buy only 2 tires. You put the back tires in the front and the new ones at the rear.

This video shows the test - its better that way than the other way around.

The video is from Brazil, so it's in Portuguese, but basically they make the first test with the new tires at the back and the second test with the new tires in front. It feels that you could control better the car in the second test, but in a turn you would loose control of the rear.



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Be aware of what you were wearing :)

When you are in a cold country, you have the inconvenient of having to wear gloves, scarf and coat. Of course when you arrive somewhere you will take all this of. But when you leave don’t forget what you were wearing… Usually when I leave, I’m not so cold, so it has happened that I forget my gloves in the middle of a shop and I already lost a beanie hat and a cap hat…


I know there is a site where you can find your lost gloves (even if it’s just one), but it doesn’t apply for anything else. It was a very good idea to make that site, but why not include scarves and hats?


By the way the site is  www.handschoenverloren.nl.


The funniest thing is that people will undress their coats even if they stay outside the coffee or bar. And they will put it again when they leave. Of course it’s not so ridiculous if you think that we move around by bike and you will be protected from the wind if you put your coat.

Eyjafjallajökul Vulcanic System

Just to have a small idea!

 

For more information or pictures:
http://en.vedur.is/about-imo/news/2010/nr/1858

Doing something different from time to time!

I think our love story is beautiful, we have both made “sacrifices” for each other, we have been apart for several times and so on... Yesterday I discovered that we are surrounded by great love stories.

But this post is not to tell others people stories.

What I can tell is that we have friends that are getting married so yesterday I had a Bachelorette party!

It was so funny!

The night here always starts early, like 18 hours. We began with a pole dance workshop, that obviously starts with “welcoming champagne”… it helps us to take the courage!

After a little explanation about pole dance and a warming-up we started to try to dance!

Three words: fun, fun, fun!

I must tell that until last minute I was thinking of going only to the dinner, but I thought it was a great opportunity to try something new. We only live once... and I don’t regret it at all!

Next time you go to a strip bar (if you ever go) think again before you judge the stripper.

It’s hard! It’s demanding! And you have to know how to be sexy and smile at the same time!

They have pole dancing lessons in gyms now, it’s so demanding that it puts you in shape and it has lots of health benefits.

Zumba

Today something to cheer you up! LOL


It's the latest crazy dance of the moment!

Easter

We are catholic by heritage, we aren’t practicants. Our family celebrates catholic holidays because it's tradition and it's a way of getting the family together. My family is quite big and I love when we get everyone together.

Besides New Years Eve, this was the first holiday that we spend just the two of us. Somehow it reminded me of my Christmases in France, just me, my sister and my parents. It was still funny. My partner had work to do so I made a bunch of food, I decorated the table with some stuff I had at home so it would be more romantic.