Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Holland

On Sunday afternoon Frank and Steffi drove me over the border, to my first Dutch city, Nijmegen, and spent the afternoon with me. They had me try my first typical dishes. Apparently this country is all about fried stuff. Especially fried unidentified meat.

They tell me what I had was Frietjes met Frikandel Speziaal en Kroket. You can read the wiki on Dutch food, or simply believe me when I say they're quite... odd. The kroket, especially, which is this almost slimy, mashed meat-and-stuff mix, shaped into a ball or a thick finger, and deep fried... And they are often sold in machines built into the walls. Look the wiki up for the explanation on that one.

While Nijmegen is quite small, it had all the indications of the typical Dutch culture which I have come to identify in my 2 days here:
- bikes are a key transportation system. I could not believe the sea of metal frames by the train station. I've never seen so many altogether. And on bike paths, they have precedence over pedestrians. And stairs have special wheel-sized channels to make it easier to drive the bike up and down. Very well planned. So you better keep your eyes open and jump out of the way of all wheeled transportation systems!
- driving, people coming from your right have precedence. I am told it's quite disorienting at first. Even the Germans were cursing.

Oh! And I forgot about the autobahns in Germany! No speed limit felt so right. And crossing over the border to Holland, the difference was incredible. No wonder cops patrol the border areas closely, looking for German license plates... Also, the whole legal marihuana thing keeps the border patrol busy. Many sick people, disabled or terminally ill, cross the border to find medical relief.

ok, back to my list of all things Dutch:

- Most cars seem to have a hook in the back. It seems quite common for a Dutch to own a caravan and travel Europe for vacation like that. I remember something similar in Italy when I was tiny...

Ah, just in case anyone was as ignorant as I was before this trip... some clarifications on names:
- The country is called "The Netherlands" [link to wiki].
- "Holland" is a region of the Netherlands.
- In many languages they don't care about this, and use "Holland" to mean the whole country (in Italian it's done that way. They also translate "Netherlands" to something like "The Low Countries")
- The adjective to mean something from this country is "Dutch". Which really confused me at first, as I thought I was going to Denmark. 'Cause "Dutch" doesn't sound like it's related to either "Netherlands" nor "Holland"... you can look up the etymology of that word on wikipedia, too, under Dutch language.

Here are a few pics of the Netherlands. Sorry for the lack of close-ups. Kinda just trying to get things out there :P

I have yet to see the coffeshops from close up (where they sell pot) but I'm guessing that'll be an experience for either Amsterdam when I get there, or in Utrecht this Thu.

Uff! All caught up yet? I took today off, we just did a quick bus trip to the university campus, and a drive to get food. Tomorrow we're going for the local museums. Wed I'm venturing out further, and Thu I should be hopping all the way to another major city.

I am starting to get a bit further into unknown territory. I started in a country where I knew the language and was familiar with things... Then in France I started loosing language, but still was able to muddle through some of it. Germany, and now especially Holland, are completely foreign to me. I barely understand "hello". I can't decipher any words based on the other languages I know. And the way they do things makes me feel like a child learning basic social customs again. Definitely getting more frustrating. And I am definitely glad for the continuous support of friends! This trip is such a pleasant experience thanks to all of them! I can't imagine doing this on my own and in unknown accommodations...

More Dutch culture and impressions tomorrow. 'Til then!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You will have no trouble in Amsterdam; they all assumed I spoke English. one word of caution though... When you get on the train, make sure you're sitting in the right class. I had a 2nd class ticket and went in a first class car (because there wasn't anyone smoking in it and I wasn't aware that there was first and second class -- I ride the LIRR) and I got yelled at in Dutch. Until I said I had no idea what they were saying. Then I got yelled at in English.

Anonymous said...

Despues de haber sido paciente...al fin pusiste al dia tu blog con tus aventuras de Alemania y la continuacion de Holanda...muy detallada...y sobre todo...chivas fotos!!!
Consejo : Comprate una bici!

Abrazos y diviertete al maxi!

Ana

Anonymous said...

Ciao bella!
Ricevuta cartolina da Paris!!

Qui tutto ok. big party 19/05 Genova!

Continua a divertirti!
Vera

battlegirl said...

check on the trains bit.

definitely should look into a bike... it seems it's the way to belong to the ruling class in holland...

and happy bday vera!!!