Notten Kaas

Attention!

2008-04-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

Notten Kaas documented my Dutch adventures; now that we are across the ditch, a new chapter requires a new blog. Walking Through Leicester Square. My dear sister Kath will love to know that the name reminds me of one of my favourite Red Hot Chili Pepper songs, Emit Remmus*:

I'll take you to the movies there
We could walk through Leicester Square

Hope to see you there.

*(Geddit?)

It's All Good

2008-04-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of updates; everything is great, I just haven't felt like writing lately. Or taking photos. I'll get my blogging mojo back soon.

Loving London. Lots to do. The high street is disappointing. But Primark jeans are only £8. I still don't know how to put the pound sign in. We move to Hammersmith in 1.5 weeks. Pub food is cheap and delicious. The sun is out.

London Is Definitely Calling

2008-04-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

Firstly, the ferry from Holland was almost like being on the Fairstar, great services, decent food, even wifi...who would think of you could access internet (ie watch The Hills) on the high seas? Arrive, dragging our luggage to the hotel, near the British Museum. A small but lovely room with kitchen. Perfect.

We had the most wonderful first day in London. So warm, blue sunny skies, time to dust off those tshirts. First meal: Pret. Because I love Pret so much and it is still a novelty. We attended a 1st Contact meeting which I thought would be cheesy but was surprisingly good and allowed us to easily set up a bank account which is apparently not that easy for newcomers. Did a few more setting up things - new phone number, registering for the NIN (tax file number). We pottered around Goodge St, near where we are staying - Lola, spotted Ping Pong dim sum - hello, dim sum and cocktails? Is that not the most bestest thing ever? Also browsing through a vintage store, found a stunning pair of brand new Celine heels, in a blue velvet that changes from peacock to navy in the light, 4 inches. I slipped into them like a pair of slippers. Months of wearing flats and boots have worn my feet out, my arches are aching for heels. 65 pounds. Isn't that ridiculous. Brand new. Where is the pound symbol? Oh, there is it. £. Am I really going to have to start saying trousers instead of pants? Oh, pants. I think that might be the name of the new blog.

We had our first sushi in 4 months, delicious, and Susan, like you I went a bit weak at the knees at M&S Food, it really was like a wonderland. Just wait till I get to Whole Foods and revisit the markets.

Yesterday, we spent the day house hunting and hopefully have found our own place. More if/when it happens. In the evening, we went down to Greenwich and had fish and chips at the pub. The days are long, the weather is *touch wood* so delightful and we can't stop smiling.

And They're Off

2008-04-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness, I got my visa today! Hassle-free, for a change. Yippee!

We spent our last day walking around Amsterdam in the rain, stopping for lunch at the Esprit Cafe in Spui (which would never work in Sydney but is quite chic and bustling here and serves very nice sandwiches). More packing, and now we are just about ready.

Tomorrow, we take the ferry to London (excess luggage and all), and will spend the first two weeks in an apartment studio near the British Museum. There will be lots of running around, organising everything and job and flat hunting, but I will try and update as much as I can.

Like Gainsbourg et son Gainsborough, je pris le ferry boat, pour rejoindre La Tamise et Chelsea...

I am really looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to jumping right into London life, grabbing this opportunity with both hands.

Long, Last Days

2008-03-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

Daylight savings heralds long, light-filled days. We have a lot to pack in - packing and the subsequent worrying about how to fit in so much into two little bags, organising, researching our new city, a quick haircut at an African Latino hairdresser (fantastic), sending a few small things home, enjoying some last Dutch dishes, buying a book for the ferry (Delizia! The epic history of Italians and their food - I have been looking forward to reading this for a long time), realising we will never have to see our idiot flatmate again.

+++

This wonderful anecdote from today will remind me of Dutchland for time to come.

We go into a shop that is filled with health products and drugs and medicines behind the counter and a woman in a white coat to buy ventilin and contact lens solution.
Dani: Hi, do you sell ventilin?
Lady chemist: What's that?
Dani: The puffer for asthma?
Lady chemist: No.
Dani: Do you know where I can buy one?
Lady chemist: You have to go to a pharmacy.
Dani and I, speechless. Lady chemist stares blankly at us.
Dani: Um, what is this?
Lady chemist: This is a drugstore.
Dani: What's the difference?
Lady chemist: A drugstore sells drugs. A chemist does not.
Dani and I, seeing the boxes of prescription drugs behind the counter and her white coat, decide it is best to leave.

White Asparagus Soup With Coriander Pesto

2008-03-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

White asparagus is hitting the markets now and I knew I had to make something of the fat white stumps before we left. I wanted to make a soup with it, and since it has a milder flavour than it's green counterpart I thought a dollop of pesto would give it a nice contrast.

It couldn't be simpler: for two, saute a small, diced onion until translucent and add one bunch of white asparagus (about 500g) chopped into inch pieces, along with one quartered potato. Add enough hot chicken stock to cover, about 3 cups, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Blend with a stick blender until super smooth, and serve with a dollop of pesto; in this case I made a coriander pesto.

The result is creamy without any cream, a delicious seasonal soup.

Great Food + Great Company = Great Afternoon

2008-03-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

We caught up with Susan one last time (here, that is) and spent a lovely few hours pottering around Haarlem in the sunshine (ie it was cold and windy, but there was sunshine). Lunch at Loca proved to be a big success, each of us swooning over our gorgeous sandwiches. The chef used to have his own cooking show and it is quite the cool restaurant.

On our way to gelato, we saw the Grote Kerk had a Slow Food show so of course we had to check it out. The church itself is absolutely beautiful and the stands had some delicious local foods to try and buy, which we did, including maple butter and plump cranberries. Filled up on samples, we still managed two scoops of the fantastic gelato next door, including the very popular marscapone cinnamon. A walk around the markets, and then a rose beer, aka the most delicious summer drink, before saying our goodbyes. Hope to see you soon my foodie twin!

The girls, with gelato

My sandwich, naan with smoked salmon and rocket, with pickled cucumbers and roast tomatoes

Summer carrots from the Slow Food show

The Grote Kerk with it's stunning organ

Rose beer = delicious

Thai Stuffed Omelette

2008-03-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Another recipe to test from The Asian Grandmother's Cookbook, this time a Thai stuffed omelette. Like the aloo parathas I made a few weeks ago, this dish isn't something I would usually make but turned out to be an instant favourite, something I know I'll make again. It's so quick and easy to whip up, a perfect mid-week dinner, and surprisingly so delicious with so few ingredients.

Thai Stuffed Omelette, serves 2
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
Dash of white pepper
125g pork mince (I used half beef-half pork and it was fine)
1 firm tomato, finely diced
4 long green beans, finely chopped
1 large shallot or small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
Coriander for garnish

In a small bowl, beat eggs with 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce and a dash of white pepper. Set aside.
Preheat a frypan over medium-high heat. Stir in pork and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until no longer pink. Reduce heat to medium and add vegetables, followed by remaining seasonings. Stir-fry until green beans are cooked and the mixture thickens a little, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm while you make the omelettes.To make the omelets, wipe the frypan clean with a paper towel and heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Swirl in half the egg mixture to coat the base of the frypan in a thin, even layer. Cook for about 1 minute until omelette is almost cooked but not quite dry on the surface.
Spoon half the filling into the centre of the omelette. Fold 2 opposite sides toward the middle and then fold in the remaining 2 sides to form a neat square parcel. Press down with a spatula to seal. Flip onto a serving plate, folded-side down. Repeat with remaining egg and filling.
Garnish with coriander and serve.

Note: The recipe calls for one omelette per person, to be served cut in half over rice. I doubled the recipe and served two omelettes each without rice for dinner.

Folded side down...

...and folded side up. Equally delicious

Bloemendaal

2008-03-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Bloemendaal is 'the' beach here with a 'reputation' for fun summertimes but since we won't be around then we paid a visit in the cold. The flat beach stretches for miles and is dog-walking heaven. The good thing is you can eat fish and chips at the beach when it's cold without worrying about a bulge in the bikini.

Not just any fish mind you, but kibbeling, or Dutch fried fish, which we'd seen everywhere at the herring stands but didn't think much of it. Especially as it's pre-fried and I imagined oily and soggy. But at Bloemendaal, we had to try it. Oh. My. Gawd. Big chunks of succulent cod - fried first to cook the fish, then a second frying when ordered to crisp up the thin batter. Served with garlic sauce and paprika salt, it was the perfect fish without chips.

From Frites To Chips

2008-03-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

Dani got her visa yesterday! She almost didn't get it, as her bank statement said 'Danielle' and not her full name and that wasn't enough proof. But a flimsy piece of paper from the bank in the back of her wallet did the job. The happiness combined with the knots of anxiety in my stomach left me feeling nauseous but we celebrated with a beer and it felt great - we are off to London!

My interview is on Tuesday and we booked the ferry for Wednesday. We spent the afternoon booking a short term studio for the first two weeks while we house hunt - ouch - but this is it. We gave it our very best here, and we're going to give it our very best across the ditch. London, here we come.

Antwerp

2008-03-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Antwerp is only two hours away by train so on Wednesday we excitedly set off for a day trip. It took us four hours to get there after a fire at a station en route, but when we arrived we were thrilled with how pretty everything was. Wide boulevards, intricate grand buildings, a stillness in the air (less bikes/trams/buses).

I had four food goals:
1) Moules-frites
2) Belgian chocolate
3) An assortment of beers
4) A waffle

So after passing through the Meir, the main shopping drag, we went seeking what I thought would be a dime a dozen: a quaint dark bistrot where we could wile away the hours over a steaming pot of mussels to dunk our frites into, while sampling a selection of local brew. We walked down to the port, through the fashion district, past the touristy menus, but couldn't find a thing. Disheartened, we settled in to groovy-looking Cafe Berlin and had a really lovely lunch: Dani a superb cheeseburger and I toasted brioche with sauteed wild mushrooms and herb aoili. Around the corner was Gucci and Cartier and a taste of the Marais with Gerard Darel and Comptoir des Cotonniers, and our chocolate shops. Chocolaterie Sweertvaegher had some creamy pralines and ganaches, and at Marcolini, an elegant boutique that could just as easily have sold diamonds, perfect squares of flavoured chocolate, in our case, gingerbread spices, caramel biscuit and Earl Grey tea.

The area was charming for a stroll, and after a waffle I stupidly tried on a few things at American Apparel. Nothing should be tried on there after a waffle. Or before a waffle, since their sizing went all nonsense. The scent of waffles fills the air in Antwerp, and they cleverly station the waffle joints near women's clothes stores. Who wants to waste their time shopping when there are fresh waffles sizzling on the grill? My waffle was glorious, hot and slightly caramelised on the edges, soft and chewy inside. It was freezing, so we huddled in a pub and tried a few yummy beers before a long train ride home.

A beautiful city that's better suited for a summer's day, when the numerous open spaces would be filled with bustling terraces, maybe even with pots of mussels.

+ Click here teo see more photos from my Antwerp flickr set

A White Easter

2008-03-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

Finally, we've seen some proper snow. This weekend has been all about the white stuff - Saturday it showered tiny white hail like the gods were emptying beanbags on us, and today, proper fluffy snowflakes all day, a veritable snow fest. So what if I was catching them and eating them?

Saturday, we went down to Albert Cuyp and had lunch at Bazar, a Turkish restaurant that just blew me away. In an old church amidst the markets, the high dome ceilings house a two-storey all-day restaurant with colourful tiles, eclectic chandeliers, sparkling lights. We ordered the two person lunch and feasted on crunchy falafel, meaty mergeuz, crispy filo cigars filled with feta and spinach, smooth dolmades and a variety of flavourful dips. I couldn't resist dessert, a small plate of incredible Turkish delight, baklava, dates and pashmak, the Turkish fairy floss which tastes like halvah and is very addictive. With coffees and beers, incredible (especially in Amsterdam) for under 30E.

Immune to the rain, we had a walk around the markets then caught the tram over to Waterlooplein so we could peruse the flea markets together. Some interesting vintage clothes but the prices left me irritated. 45E for a simple summer dress, 20E for a peasant skirt that I wanted to turn into a dress - although Dani nabbed a bargain with a lovely pair of knee high boots for 25E.

Today we went back into Amsterdam through the soft snow to see Juno. Underwhelmed, it was ok but I found these teens and their punchy-one-liners-around-the-screenwriter's-wetdream-of-a-soundtrack too two-dimensional. What was lovely was cosying up in the small cinema at The Movies, comfy chairs and a delicious hot chocolate with whipped cream.

On the way back to the train, we stopped by Kaasland (ie 'cheese land' - the best land there is) and picked up a baguette and a calvados camembert and a peppered fromage blanc for dinner. Salads are for weekdays. There are few things better than French bread with good cheese.

Thanks to Dani getting Dexter copied onto my laptop, we had marathon sessions watching the second season (don't worry Kath, I won't say anything - but ohmigod you have to watch it!). Thank goodness The Hills starts this week. Oh yea.

Oh, hello there

These smiles mask how hungry we are

Spectacular

Hot plate - filo cigars, crispy rolls, falafel, merguez, squid

Cold plate - dolmades, dips and olives

Is that a puppy, a beard or the most delicious dessert?

So, How 'Bout This Weather?

2008-03-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

You wake up, it's bright blue sky, five minutes later it's hailing little sharp ice bullets that cut at your face. Another five minutes, the heavens have cleared and there's not a cloud in sight. Then it snows, and it's the fluffier, flakier snow I hoped to see.

The flatmate tells me the French call it les giboulee de mars where the weather changes from one extreme to another, all the time, and it's incredible.

Not a dirty lens - that be snow

If He Can Do It

2008-03-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

...so can I. I love this slideshow of David Lebovitz' Paris kitchen. If he can cook, and produce cookbooks, and take lovely photos in this itsy bitsy thing, anyone can.

Work The Line

2008-03-19T02:33:00.000-07:00

If you:

* have any interest in cooking
* have ever eaten in a restaurant
* have a crush on Tony Bourdain (what's new)
* have a new crush on Eric Ripert (why you looking at me?)

...then you must watch Tony Bourdain's Into The Fire special, where he goes back to Les Halles and cooks the lunch and dinner shifts. Brilliant, compelling viewing.

Part One here, then follow the links. (what are you doing? Go and watch it now).

Spring On A Plate

2008-03-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Cut the stumps off a couple of handfuls of brussel sprouts, and continue to slice them thinly. Warm a sliced garlic clove in olive oil, then add the sprouts. Saute until the leaves are pick up some golden colour. Season. Add toasted pinenuts, a nob of butter and stir through spaghetti. Shave a little parmesan over the top.

Suriname And Then Some

2008-03-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ex-colonies always come up with the most delicious food. Suriname in South America used to belong to the Dutchies, and since it's not a cuisine we're likely to find anywhere else, I thought we should definitely try it out. It also coincided with watching a travel cooking show on Suriname and it's interesting food, a mix of Chinese, Javanese, Indian and much more.

We picked a popular restaurant in Chinatown, Kam Yin, a typical dive with big serves and cheap prices (rare for Holland, even in Chinatown). Missing greasy Chinese, we ordered fried wontons and chicken satay sticks to wash down with cold Tsingtao beer. We had to try Pom, a baked dish of chicken and root vegetable similar to potato, which was yummy mush, and moksi meti, a selection of different meats - roast pork, grilled chicken, Chinese pork sausage and chargrilled pork. It wasn't anything spectacular, but very filling and cheap, worth another visit to try more of the extensive menu.

Afterwards we seeked out Bar Gollem, a favourite brown cafe near the Singel with something like 200 beeers, mostly Belgian. A cosy, typically smokey bar, we tried a citrusy white beer and a slightly spicey honeyed San Bernardus. Each beer is served in it's own special glass. A must on the Amsterdam circuit.

Green and gold

Some entrees to kick-start the cholesterol

Moksi meti, aka meats on a plate. No need to complicate things

Pom Special - the special was that you got more of it. No oil painting, but pretty delicious

And I'd just like to report that Dani and I are officially creeps. Yesterday was a balmy 12C and like the rest of Haarlem, we cooled off with a gelato. A gelateria opened up by the church in Grote Markt and we enjoyed two scoops while walking around the Saturday market: amarena cherry and vanilla bourbon for me, amarena cherry and coffee for Dani. Smooth and delicious.

Yum

Happy Birthday Kath!!!

2008-03-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday my beautiful Kath. This is a big birthday and I really, really wish I had been there, but I'm always with you. You'll hate me saying it, but you are kind, selfless, do so much, and so much good. You are the most wonderful mother and I admire that so much. You work hard, cook delicious things, write beautifully, starting to get into fun girl things (yay!) - basically you are just an all-round super fantastic person.

I am lucky to have you not just as my sister but my friend. We'll have yum cha soon x

When In Amsterdam, Squat

2008-03-15T01:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about squatting, but it's big here, and many of them have their own restaurants. They're run by volunteers so you call up on the day to say you're coming and they know how much food to prepare. The reviews were good, the NY Times included, so it was time to check one out. We chose De Peper, probably the most well-known of the 10 or so out there, easy to get to near Vondelpark.

De Peper is 100% organic and vegan, and for 6E you get soup and a main, and if you want dessert it's an extra 1.50E. Drinks are also 1.50E, and the biological beer I had was fine. There's no menu. You pick up your dinner from the counter and bring the plates back. Easy. The space is pretty cosy, complete with chilled-out dog on the couch. Our soup was bean, onion and something like seaweed, and was a delicious, hearty clean soup. The main was a plate of different things - beetroot and sesame salad, couscous with vegies, grated carrot salad and a wholemeal pie with...crab. Now, I have no problem with vegan, as long as they don't fake food to make it taste like something else. The pastry was nice but let's leave the faux crab.

So overall not a bad meal out, something different and good value - even with the Burger King burger afterwards.

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

2008-03-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

It wasn't, but this is starting to sound like some melodramatic novel with an unbelievable plotline you find in the 75% off bin, so maybe it's a fitting way to continue describing what happened next.

I got out of here as soon as I could yesterday as Petit Tresor had a big oaf friend sleeping on the couch. I took all my papers to the library and translated them. The papers we thought were confirming our residency were actually letters just confirming they'd received our application for residency. So we had nothing that we could show the consulate that we were residents. Dani emailed to say one of the girls she works with who has lived here for two years has never even heard of a residency card.

I emailed the consulate and outlined what we did have, that our work permit could not be granted without residency, that we have a tax file number, and could they confirm exactly what we needed to bring with us to the interview. They replied, ignoring the last bit, and said they can only issue us with a visa if we have proof we are residents. "When you get it, then you can apply".

At this point I realised, who actually are we? We are in some kind of limbo, waiting for a mythical residency card, but until then? Do we actually exist? Are we ghosts? Tax-paying ghosts? So I bit the bullet and called the IND (immigration department) and asked for our status. Coincidently, my letter confirming approval of my residency was sent the day before, while Dani's would be two days later. They would take up to two weeks to arrive, and then we take that letter to the IND and pick up the actual letter saying we are residents (just off the top of my head, you could just send that in the mail while you're at it). But he said I could probably just pick it up directly next week. My interview being in just over two weeks, I thought that should be ok. But since Dani's interview is this Tuesday, and the letter wouldn't arrive in time, I asked if I could come in and get a letter just confirming that she was approved for residency and that the letter is in the mail. He said that sometimes they can do this; I bunged it on, said we urgently had to leave to the UK, and that we couldn't change our interviews with the consulate. The phone was transfered to many colleagues, lots of putting on hold*, and the girl came back and said she would give us a 'return visa' that would allow us to come back within 3 months and that it would show the consulate that we are residents. She missed the point about it being a long-term visa that's up to two years. "That would be an Article 9 letter!" Then when she came back she said "oh don't worry, you are Australian and Australians don't need visas for the UK". When I convinced her we did, she came back and said she needed to discuss it further, and would call me back.

I hopped back on the consulate's interview booking page just to see our options since obviously Dani wasn't going to get anywhere on Tuesday and saw a whole new set of dates, and quickly changed Dani's interview for 28 March. I can't tell you how relieved I was! I never heard back from the IND, but that gives us both two weeks and hopefully both our papers will have arrived by then. Proving that we are residents so we can leave.

And they lived happily every after...not yet, but hopefully soon.

* Why is it when you're making an important phone call you only ever have one bar left on your battery?

Haha Life, Good One, You Are Hilarious

2008-03-13T03:53:00.000-07:00

I went for my visa interview this morning at the British consulate. Waiting waiting, only to be told I couldn't apply since I didn't have my residency card. "I have residency but the immigration department said it could take up to 6 months for the card to be sent". "Well then". Never mind that it didn't say anywhere that you had to bring proof of residency, just the forms and your passport. I can bring the paper they sent saying I have residency but had to make another interview - the earliest is in one month. At least they issue the visa then and there, but I'm fuming. I just want to work and get settled well and truly.

My mind races with practical matters; to calm down I realise I need to have things placed in my mind, create some sort of order quickly even if the finer points need to be tweaked later. I thought, Dani can head to London and get started, and I'll head to Rome, study something for a couple of weeks, language, cooking. The irony being that I have two people coming to visit in the next couple of months yet have all this free time now. Haha Life, you are hilarious.

Update: I had a brainwave and went back to the online appointment page hoping someone may have cancelled or changed their interview time - yes! 1 April popped up so I quickly clicked it - I hope it isn't some April Fool's Day joke because the joke has been on us for quite some time already.

Our New Hood

2008-03-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Guanciale

2008-03-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

When mum and I studied Italian two years ago, our teacher - an absolute Fellini-esque character who was such a pleasure to learn with - gave us study CDs to listen to during the week. One of the very first lessons was describing bucatini all'amatriciana - you know, un pomodoro, il pomodoro, i pomodori, dei pomodori - and I fell gaga over the sound of this dish. The recipe, yes, but moreso just the name of it. Bucatini all'amatriciana. Like Elizabeth Gilbert and attraversiamo, bucatini all'amatriciana to me is beautiful to hear and say. I'd listen to the CDs in the car (admittedly, not nearly as much as I should have) and sing out the recipe with molto piacere.

One of the ingredients is guanciale, another gorgeous Italian word. And when I saw it at the Italian deli Susan took us to in Leiden on Saturday, I pounced on it. I'd never seen it before, and those lessons - pomodori, ~~cipoli~~ cipolla, aglio, guanciale, peperoncino - came back to me. I couldn't wait to make this Roman, and of course, highly contested, pasta.

The store didn't have bucatini, so spaghetti it was. I didn't want the guanciale crisp, but instead preferred to cook it with the onion and garlic briefly and let the tomatoes warm the fragrant fat throughout the sauce. Lots of pepper, a kick of chili. The unique flavour of the guanciale lingers, with it's sweet-spiced crust. Because it's air-cured, it's not smokey like bacon or pancetta, and I'd love to try it in ragus. I've kept some extra fat for scrambled eggs tomorrow. Squisito.

Ode To Something Delicious

2008-03-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

When Andrew and I were in Aix-en-Provence in 2003, we took a walk through the markets and amongst the plump stone fruits and pyramids of spices and all the hues of yellow at the fromagier, was the saucisson seller. He was very happy to hear we were from Australia, as his daughter was studying in Melbourne. He wanted us to try his charcuterie, and amongst a few market buys, we took home a wild boar saucisson for lunch in our tiny sun-filled kitchen in our hotel. It was a typical Provence moment: a spotlight of midday sun, small wooden table, two chairs, baguette pulled apart, crumbs, cheese, saucisson, peaches, knife, beer.

I still maintain that sausage is The Most Delicious Thing I've Ever Eaten. The wild boar had a deeper, gamier taste, probably with a hint of sweetness, thick with fat that left our mouths tacky, and we couldn't stop slicing off just a little more and relishing this new flavour.

I think we both always regretted not buying another. On Saturday in Leiden, at the Italian deli Susan took us to, I spotted a salami di cinghiale - wild boar - so I nabbed it. I knew it wouldn't be that taste, and it wasn't - but it was still delicious, rich and meaty-flavoured. Nothing better than a slice here, a slice there. And maybe one day we'll pass through Provence and get a second chance.

And Now For Something Completely Different

2008-03-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

I read about some cookbook recipe testing and thought it would be an interesting challenge so put my hand up; unfortuantely had to pass on two Cook's Illustrated recipes as I ran out of time (and one involved charcoal grilling a chicken which is beyond my kitchen capabilities at this time). But then a recipe for an upcoming cookbook called The Asian Grandmother's Cookbook came through and I tackled it today.

Aloo paratha is a popular Indian dish of grilled bread stuffed with a potato mixture. I've never had it before but it sounded delicious. You make a dough, and to boiled and mashed potatoes add herbs and spices. Then you fill rolled out discs of dough with the stuffing, seal, and roll out again, so you have a thin bread with a smooth filling. Cook on both sides until golden, and serve with a spiced yoghurt.

What I loved about this is it's a recipe I wouldn't usually make, and it got me out of my usual cooking zone. It was easy to do, although I only got 6 parathas instead of the quoted 12. Hence the need for recipe testing! There's lots of variations for the filling so I look forward to making it again...and hopefully other Asian grandmother recipes.

If you are interested in trying aloo paratha, watch this adorable Indian chef prepare it and other Indian dishes.

Cooking With Sartre

2008-03-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hell...is other people's kitchens.

Leiden

2008-03-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

We had the loveliest afternoon in Leiden yesterday, thanks to Susan who showed us all around her gorgeous city. It was about time we met up, and she was the perfect guide. Leiden is such a pretty place, similar to Haarlem but with cosy narrow streets lined with interesting shops, stunning churches with ceilings as high as the eye can see, and a beautiful castle built in the 11th century. So much history to explore.

Susan is my foodie partner in crime so our first stop was her favourite cafe, Burgerzaken, for lunch in their adorable candlelit basement. Their specialties are interesting sandwiches and we each had a different type - all delicious and very filling. Of course, there was still room for a fresh stroopwafel during our walk through the markets afterwards. Warmed on the griddle, the thin wafel discs are glued together with soft caramel, bliss! We also tried some of Holland's favourite lolly, liquorice dropjes, including the salty kind which were our favourite, but still, can't say we are huge fans of liquorice!

From there, a walk around the city, through streets lined with old-style street lamps and these amazing old trees that look like they've been singed at the branches. Some of the buildings have poems on their outside walls, something I find really enchanting, including a beautiful poem from Russian poet Marina Tsvetajeva. The castle, De Burcht, is in such good condition and afforded stunning views of the city. Of course this is when my camera battery died.

Susan took us to her favourite Italian deli which had so many gems, least being guanciale, impossible to find and which I'll be posting about this week, and wild boar sausage, which I'll post about seperately too. then the Turkish supermarket for some yummy flat bread and those French yoghurts in glass jars I've been after for ages (you know I'm obsessed with glasses). A stop for a refreshing Wieckse witte beer with lemon before saying goodbye and hopping on the train home.

Susan surprised us with a very thoughtful gift, a Dutch cookbook! Thank you so much!

Mmm...lekker!

Am I Missing Something?

2008-03-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

From Madame Tussaud's Amsterdam website:

From today visitors to Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam can make a confession to Pope Benedict XVI.
In a suitably papal setting, visitors can kneel at a prie-dieu to pray and/or to make a confession in the presence of the Pope.

Traditional Dutch Cuisine #...?

2008-03-07T03:46:00.000-08:00

I've written about erwtensoep, that traditional, if somewhat stodgey-if-eaten-too-much-like-we-did-one-week, Dutch pea soup. We've eaten our fair share of krokets, although they will need their own blog post. Now, in an attempt to cram as much traditional Dutch food in our mouths before we cross the ditch, I present to you: hutspot.

Hutspot is made for Dutchland, a purely winter dish of chunky mashed potatoes mixed with carrot and onions, served with some kind of sausage or meat, in our case with rookworst, the smoked sausage you find in erwtensoep. I also picked up a boerenkool which is mashed potatoes with spinach or kale, this one served with meatballs.

Now, I got them from Albert Heijn on the way home from the library because my laptop weighs more than an elephant and the butchers are miles from here. I take full responsibility for the rookworst and meatballs tasting truly horrible but these are dishes you could easily make at home, with homemade meatballs, stewed meat or your favourite smoked sausage.

aka the worst photo ever

Happy Birthday Dani!

2008-03-06T11:30:00.002-08:00

Dani's big 3-0 was on Saturday and after lugging our ~~crap~~ stuff to our new abode, we dolled ourselves up for a night on the town. First stop, a few glasses of Prosecco at Viqh, a new wine bar in Haarlem that is luxuriously decorated, complete with heavy smoke...and dogs (I don't know why you need to bring your dog to a smokey wine bar).

Then into Amsterdam for dinner at Cafe Bern, a popular restaurant famous for fondue, something I thought we definitely needed. A very cosy place with cute pictures on the wall, the fondue was incredible, bubbly cheesey and not too boozey, served with a couple of baguettes. Dani's first fondue - she loved it! We shared a bottle of wine and it was lovely just to sit and chat for hours.

We wandered around Amsterdam for a while, had a drink and headed in. Hope you have a wonderful year to come love!

Random Thoughts On Thursday

2008-03-06T08:32:00.000-08:00

+ A few words on our flatmate. He is nice and very laidback. French, maybe 24, typically anti-capitalist, thin, with piercings in his lip. He's here to study marine biology or ecotoxicology or something smart involving water, but mostly he studies the art of smoking Amsterdam's finest, or Marlboro Reds (where are the Gauloises?). He's a trust fund bebe of sorts, spending every minute behind his laptop with a headset on, playing online games (haven't I had enough French online gamers in my little life?) and randomly saying things in French (we assume to gamers dropping in and out). We've nicknamed him The Petit Tresor because it's so elementary French and really, it's the funniest thing ever. He only eats frozen pizzas, although when we moved in we were thrilled to see a baguette in the kitchen (it's still there though).

+ I have a love/hate relationship with the word lekker. Basically it means nice, tasty, yum, good, depending on the context, and you hear it all.the.time. It's in every ad, you hear people saying it all the time, and it drives me nuts...yet I can't live without it. I make Dani say it if I haven't heard it for a few hours. Say it three times in a row, with a hard k and r, and you might get an idea.

+ It snowed the other day, then was lovely and warm. Really not sure what to expect.

+ I realised that apart from a handful of exceptions, I haven't worn heels in the past three months. If you know me, this is extremely unusual.

+ I go to the library during the day, it's such a lovely spot. I brush up on Microsoft Office, research London, do some online reading. All this time to write, yet it doesn't come, or it's because I push the thought of doing it away to the back of my mind. There's a La Place restaurant on the top floor with nice views of the city, great place for a cheapish bite.

Rotterdam

2008-03-03T03:12:00.000-08:00

We went down to Rotterdam yesterday, something I'd been looking forward to for yonks. At dinner on Saturday night, we got talking to the couple next to us, who when we told we were going to Rotterdam the next day, mock-fainted and rolled their eyes. "Rotterdam and Amsterdam have the same rivalry like Melbourne and Sydney". Uh ha.

I'd read about Rotterdam last year when it was the City of Architecture for 2007, and it looked fascinating. Just under an hour on the train from Haarlem, via The Hague, as soon as we got off the train there was interesting architecture hitting us in the face. Modern office towers sleek with charcoal mirrored surfaces, round lines, colours, it has a very different feel to it than Amsterdam. As we walked down to the port, we realised it felt like Barcelona, and how Barcelona feels more international, while Madrid is pure Spain. It is the same here, Amsterdam is absolutely Holland, with the old, slopping buildings on the canals, the bikes, the autumnal colours. Rotterdam is a mix of old, especially around the port with the ships and the ornate buildings, and new, having been bombed in 1940. We walked across the Erasmus Bridge, with it's pale blue cables melting in with the pale blue sky, an impressive sight.

We felt like tourists, and it was a delight. We went to a frites stand to grab something to eat, and noticing braadworst and knakworst, decided we should definitely have a hotdog. See, we used to think that being next to Germany, The Netherlands would be a haven of grilled sausages on the street, enticing the snack-loving Dutch to warm their hands and tummies with blistering worst of all kinds. Nee. You can munch on krokets and frites and Vietnamese spring rolls and haring but if you want sausage, you better fish it out of the bottom of your bowl of pea soup. So when we saw real hotdogs, and not like the frankfurt hotdogs you can find in Amsterdam, we jumped on it. "Braadworst? Don't you want something Dutch!" asked our man. Yes, of course we do. He started selling us krokets, which we know well. We have eaten all kinds of krokets, from Febo krokets to the ones supplied to the Queen, and to be honest, our stomachs could do without any more. So we kindly declined and pushed for the braadworst, even though he was filled with nationalist pride over the kroket. We went back to get some sauce, tomato please. "No!" Oh, ok. And proceeded to dip a frite into all the sauces and taught us about the different kinds, including 'war sauce', which is pinda sauce, or peanut satay sauce, with mayonnaise, because "it's not pretty". Brilliant!

We walked through the shopping streets, then down to the port, munching on fried dumplings from the Vietnamese stand, warmed up with a coffee (yes I was not dressed appropriately, sometimes I forget where I am), took lots of photos, rode the tram on the way back and saw more beautiful buildings, and caught the train home. Very content.

Have a look at my Rotterdam flickr photoset for more photos.

The Week Away From The Kitchen

2008-02-29T04:28:00.000-08:00

We've decided that London is the way to go for us; it sadly hasn't worked out here. Of course the day I apply for the visa is when I get a callback about not one but two jobs, although not in my line of work and in Almere which is quite far. Dani also wants to do it, and we have interviews for the visa in two weeks.

I am very excited about London; while part of me is hesitatant to going through the same experience, it should be a more work-friendly city for us. And we can only try. I've already seen so many jobs that I want to apply for. I have always loved London (not just for Pret sandwiches...although it's a significant reason) and I'm going to work so hard to make this happen.

+++

We're moving tomorrow since we found a cheaper place a few weeks ago 10 minutes down the road, sharing with a laidback French guy. It is a nice place, we'll have our own bedrooms and with stairs to a secret rooftop, not that it's that balmy that we'll be hanging out there too long.

Tomorrow is Dani's 30th so I have a surprise planned, can't wait! And on Sunday we are going to Rotterdam, which we can't wait x 2. We've decided to go somewhere everywhere weekend while we're still here (including catching up with the girls here), and also actually get on a bike. It would be The Stupidest Thing Ever to come to live in Holland not ride a bike at least once.

The Week In Food

2008-02-28T00:34:00.000-08:00

We are moving tomorrow so I have been trying to use up the pantry. On Monday I celebrated Dani's first day at work with scallops. They had been my number one lust have item since we got here and I decided to snap up four giant shelled scallops for 10E - they were seriously huge. I pan fried them and served them on top celeriac and potato soup.

We've had Kath's peanut and tomato lamb curry and Donna Hay's ricotta pies. Make your favourite bolognaise sauce (I added peas and grated carrot, onion and celeriac) then top with a tub of ricotta mixed with one egg and mozzarella. Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes. It makes a really delicious crust.

I made chocolate baked donuts which weren't as good as the plain cinnamon sugar ones I made for the Masterchef Challenge; they were more like chocolate dinner rolls. Not having proper kitchen utensils and having to smear the melted butter on with my fingers instead of with a brush was more 9 1/2 Weeks than afternoon in the kitchen.

Vietnamese lemongrass chicken, which I make so often now and have the caramel downpat.

Wanted

2008-02-25T04:31:00.000-08:00

A kitchen hand to help a private chef for a home in Sardinia for 5 months.

A lifestyle writer in Dubai for £80,000 tax-free.

On the way, finding this: I said thanks to a ticket machine. I was miles away, and when the ticket popped out, I involuntarily said thanks. Has anyone else had any experience of this? Perhaps with snack dispensers/coffee machines/photocopy card crediters? Do get in touch.

And now, I just applied for a job in...Slough.

Saturday

2008-02-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

In our quest to find the best frites in the country, today we went to what many have said are the best, Vlaamse Friteshuis. We'd already been deceived by a frites shop on the Damrak (giveaway?) that calls itself the Best In Amsterdam, but they were rubbish: thick, unseasoned, gluggy sauce.

A tiny hole in the wall in the middle of Amsterdam, the queues gave it away and it was easy to decide between kleine and middel sizes, although not so easy are all the saus choices - what are hannibal, american, samurai? - but Belgian mayonnaise is closest to S&W mayonnaise so that's our favourite. It's a well-oiled (sorry) operation: man takes order and money, girl to his side scoops out frites and dollops on the sauce, two or three guys behind them continuously fry vats of frites.

They were good, if under-salted, but fortunately for us, our local frites place near the Grotemarkt in Haarlem is the best. Consistently fresh, delicious, no oily taste, seasoned just right.

After a decent coffee I left Dani and decided to go to the library that we walked past the other day. Wow. No no, WOW. I have never seen anything like it, and when they get it right here, they get. it. right.

A beautiful brand-new building, as I walked in I saw a room filled with kids and parents reading, drawing, having fun. Architecturally-gorgeous and light-filled, a piano player greets you, there's a cafe and you can sit in comfy chairs and lounges with a coffee and browse hundreds of magazines, use the internet for free, people chat and kids play, there's no stuffiness yet it's not distracting. The levels with books (one with new CDs and DVDs) have floor-to-ceiling windows facing all parts of Amsterdam, cosy armchairs with built-in desks, shared tables with plug-ins for laptops, private areas for study.

Years ago I became jaded with magazines. I'd get fooled by covers only to be disappointed by poor writing, uninspiring photo shoots, the repetitiveness. So when in Spain and I saw Charlotte Gainsbourg on the cover of Paris Vogue, I hesitated, but walked on by. Today at the bibliothek, I picked it up and ended up pouring over it, not moving, for an hour. Charlotte's pages of sharing words, pictures, felt open, intimate, an absolute treat. I love her notes on a photo of Yvan, something like "I wish he looked at me like he is looking in this photo, except he is looking at the photographer". And the article on her and Jean Nouvel's plans to turn 5, rue de Verneuil into a museum. Just the other day I was thinking if they do open Serge's home as a museum, I wouldn't like to go. I felt it would be a tacky invasion of his private space, a breach of intimacy. But reading their words made me think I would like to go. The photos of the apartment, by Mario Sorrenti, stunned me with how beautiful it is.

And now, just found that Paris is hosting the exposition Gainsbourg 2008 from October this year. I'm meant to be in Europe!

Disappointing

2008-02-22T06:08:00.000-08:00

We went to the Magnum 60 Years exhibition in Amsterdam yesterday and I have to say, it was very disappointing. As a Magnum addict, I was really looking forward to this retrospective. But it was more a timeline of events in the Magnum history, arranged year-by-year along two walls, with limited photos, along with book covers, mostly without captions, placed way too high so we had sore necks by the end of it. A lot of text which didn't always correspond to the visuals. The light was terrible and cast shadows over the photos. Probably worst was the exhibition next door, some modern 'art' installation on noise, blasting said noise (screeching opera, metallic whining) into this room and completely distracting. And a steep 9E.

Perhaps we should've gone next door to the free Scientology-sponsored travelling exhibition, Psychiatry: An Industry Of Death. These people are truly scary.

Today

2008-02-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

Dani's Jamie Oliver Meatballs

2008-02-20T11:10:00.000-08:00

So delicious! Meaty, herby meatballs + melted mozzarella + buttered spaghetti = full and happy belly. This is one of the best meatball recipes I've had. Recipe here.

Nobu's Miso Cod

2008-02-19T13:42:00.001-08:00

Andrew and I went to Nobu while in New York in 2003. Actually, it was Nobu Next Door, since back then the cult restaurant was booked out for months, and this neighbour took no reservations. Just as we were across the road, my heel snapped right off. So we had to cab it back home, get changed, and cab it back. It was full so we had a drink around the corner which involved a very funny case of misunderstanding, then dinner. Back then, the Aussie dollar was a useless 53 cents, and we feared how much the dinner would cost us (especially after one of the worst dining experiences ever at Cafe Boulud). I had the famous miso cod, Andrew a plate of the freshest sashimi. My cod came out on the plate as is, just a fillet of cod, with no vegetables, or decoration - I was cynical. But it was incredible. Tender, sweet, salty cod with nothing to distract you from this delicious new food.

It had always been in the back of my mind to make it, but I felt stocking up on all these Japanese ingredients - sake, mirin, miso - was superfluous. Now I can't imagine a kitchen without them. The fish marinates for 2 days, plus or minus, and 'toughens' up slightly soaking up the flavours for so long. A quick roast under a hot grill, then baking, leaves it flakey and golden. I served it with a little round of brown rice noodles and a dot of reserved marinade. It's a dish to serve someone you love, and that includes a double portion for yourself it's that good. Find the recipe here.

Worst photo ever. The fish was so tender and flakey that it fell apart but it was a rare case of not caring...
I just wanted to eat!

A Request

2008-02-19T12:07:00.000-08:00

I just came back from what I was told was a job interview but was actually a cattle call for the recruitment agency. The job I applied for - which I really, really want - is handled by another office and this one didn't know anything about it, but hopefully will pass on how my interview went to them tomorrow. This is where I ask you to send me all your good vibes, any you can spare.

Second Only To Castro Standing Down

2008-02-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

A lovely little article on the semi colon from the NY Times; it's about time I read Eats, Shoots and Leaves...

6.25pm

2008-02-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

The light has been incredible tonight, pink and green and yellow all in one, and then suddenly, the sky was a velvet grey and the moon was beaming a bright light into our loungeroom. The craters are so detailed, it looks like it's just there.

6.35pm

From the backyard, 6.40pm

I call them witches' hair.

In Pictures

2008-02-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

The Happy Pig

Ballet in the windows of De Bijenkorf
(mannequin to the left, ballerina to the right)

View from Sint Antoniebreestraat with NEMO in the distance

Broodje met kip sate = slow cooked chicken satay goodness

Lots 'o people at Albert Cuyp

Cheap herbs

Three types of knoflook (garlic)

Potatoes and more potatoes

Fish

Singel

Puccini Bomboni

Treats

Delightful

2008-02-16T10:07:00.001-08:00

There is a favourite scene in one of my favourite movies, The Spanish Apartment, when Romain Duris arrives in Barcelona, walking through the train station wide-eyed and talks about how all the names, everything, is foreign to him but he knows in a year's time it will all be familiar, be his. I felt a little like that today, spending the day in Amsterdam, a little more familiar with this city, one of it's people.

To say it was a beautiful day is an understatement. It was gorgeous. It was almost-bitterly freezing cold, 4C and warranted a coffee stop halfway through to defrost my gloved-yet-numb hands, but the blue sky and sunny air was bliss. Everyone was out, and I mean everyone. The streets were hard to navigate, thick with accents - French, Russian, Liverpudlian lads on sex-and-smoke weekends.

I said goodbye to Dani in Chinatown and took my time in my new favourite shop, Toko Dun Yong, an emporium with every Asian grocery you could ever want, with really good prices. Fresh blocks of tofu, white miso, pale stalks of lemongrass. Isn't lemongrass the prettiest thing?

Nearby the Nieuwmarkt stalls had organic fruit, vegies, cheese and breads, and then I discovered what could be my new favourite bite in Amsterdam. Tokos are Indonesian eateries with choices of curries, noodles and snacks, usually to take away, and I tried a broodje met kip sate (bread roll with chicken sate) at Toko Joyce just off Nieuwmarkt square. A crunchy bread roll filled with succulent chicken satay for only 2.80E. Yum.

I walked over to Waterlooplein, stopping to admire the lovely view at Sint Antoniesbreestraat, and decided to save a stroll through the giant flea market for Dani as there were too many crazy nicknacks to admire alone. A coffee break to warm up, then through the Dam over to the Singel which was lined with busy terraces. I found my destination easily. Puccini Bomboni is allegedly one of the top ten chocolate shops in the world and well, I had to decide for myself. Unlike some chocolate shops, there was no snobbiness and the girls that worked there were lovely. The counter was lined with their famously-interesting flavours of bonbons - I chose vanilla and poppyseed, lemongrass and honey for myself and lemongrass, tea and cranberry for Dani, as well as a block of Valrhona and chocolate drops for cooking. I saved them for when I got home, so, are they that good?

Yes. The chocolate was pure, smooth, not richly sweet. Lemongrass had a fresh citrus zing and honey, my favourite, was just that mixed in with bittersweet chocolate with tiny chocolate curls. It is preservative-free so I might just have to stop here the day I leave and pick you all up some.

From here I took the tram down to the Albert Cuyp markets in De Pijp and boy, was it jam-packed! It was almost too hard to walk down with some stalls too crowded to see what was on sale. But amongst the usual crap on sale in markets the world over, the produce stands are worth the pushing and shoving. Bargain vegies, corn fed chicken, and I really wanted some fish - cod especially, but I didn't know the Dutch for cod, so I tried my luck asking and was hacked off a lovely piece of kabeljauw.

Heavy with shopping, I headed home. A really lovely day.

Happiness Is A Sunny Day

2008-02-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Tonight's sunset in Haarlem

Sunset colours in Haarlem's art deco station

I couldn't agree more...

Chocolate shoes in the Jordaan

Keep diversity in society: Save The Redheads.com. Really?

Darling Clementine

2008-02-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

Like samphire in the previous post, clementines were something I'd been hanging to try since they are not available in Sydney but in abundance here. They look so beautiful, piled in crates stamped with sunny destinations like Morocco and Italy, many with their dark green leaves attached. I have been annoying Dani since we got here - what could I make with them? look how pretty they are! wow, 2 kilos for 2.49E! - so I decided to finally buy some and make something with them.

This Clementine and Olive Oil Cake recipe from Cafe Fernando is so easy. I've never made a cake with olive oil before but it makes the cake moist and light so I'll be seeking more recipes like this out. The scent of citrus, from rubbing the zest into the sugar to taking the cake out of the oven, brings such a happy, sunny smell to the house. Serve the cake with a dollop of creme fraiche.

So what are clementines like? Exactly like mandarins, seedless and maybe a touch sweeter. But don't you just love the name?

Cult Steak And Irish Mash

2008-02-14T12:07:00.000-08:00

I have wanted steak and mash for yonks. A simple, good piece of meat, cooked to juicy beefy perfection. Mash, maybe with a twist in the form of Heston Blumenthal's Irish mash. And it was the perfect excuse to try out an ingredient I'd heard about on The Cook and The Chef but couldn't find at home, yet here is in abundance: samphire.

I also thought it was time to try the now-infamous "choice into Gucci prime" salting method started by Steamy Kitchen, whereby you heavily salt steak and let it rest for between 15 minutes and one hour. The steak sucks in the salt, which then draws out the moisture. But then the steak drinks in the salt water - osmosis? - and leaves the meat tender and seasoned throughout.

And it absolutely works. The steak was lightly salted, juicy and a gorgeous aged deep red, with a lovely crust. I will definitely be doing my steaks like this from now.

Heston's Irish mash is made by cooking chopped spring onions in a little milk for 3 minutes so they still have bite, then adding the onions and onion milk to mash. His is of course butter-rich (250g for 4-6 people) but it doesn't need more than a tablespoon.

As for the samphire, these beautiful salty, crunchy beans only need to be poached in unsalted boiling water for a few minutes. They went very well with the dish.

Simple

2008-02-14T09:51:00.001-08:00

Looking for a nice, quiet woman. I am a single man. If you want, call me please on...

Seen in Amsterdam Weekly.

Recipes From Home

2008-02-12T11:00:00.001-08:00

Andrew sent me this recipe the other day, using pork chops, a similar recipe to one Kath makes with lamb chops. Since our Islamic shop is somewhat short of pork, I used lamb chops.

Sick of eating tuna salads and vegie soups and sandwiches, I was craving a real meal, both the cooking and eating, and this was it, good ol' meat and veg.

Seal the chops and remove. In the same pan braise fennel that has been cut into 8, along with spring onions, a head of garlic and my Dutch addition of mini brussel sprouts. They are really good. Cook until the vegies have some nice caramalisation then pop into the oven for 15-20 minutes, then top with the chops and roast for 5 minutes. The chops will be perfectly pink and juicy.

The smell of the caramalising fennel is out of this world, transforming the aniseed bulb into sweet, milder leaves. Try it even if you don't usually like fennel.

Spring-Like

2008-02-10T06:26:00.000-08:00

The weather has been incredible these past few days. Blue skies, that low white sun that forces you to stare at the floor instead of marvelling around you, warm cheeks. The cafe terraces are filled, the canals are dotted with loungers tilted backwards to soak up the rays, the streets are thick with snack-chomping crowds - haring mmm, stroopwafels mmm, loempia mmm.

Come on come on come on come on and...

We swung by the international day of protest against $cientology...
it was small (about a dozen people) but anything counts.
Glad to hear Sydney was so huge!

The sculpture of Rembrandt's The Night Watch painting in the Rembrandtplein

We finally tried a Maoz falafel. Probably our only time. Sweet pickles, enough with the sweetness!
Not that it was bad, in fact the falafels themselves were plump and moist...but we want great

Sint Pieterspoort in Amsterdam

Amsterdam's Chinatown...what do I want more, haring or dumplings?

Chinatown. I love Chinatown

Haarlem's cafe terraces were out in full force on a usually quiet Sunday

There used to be a bakery next door to our place. I love the old tiles

Kawaii! Doesn't this make you smile?

A Week Of Updates

2008-02-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

The past couple of weeks have been a little crazy, so I'll try and recap. I haven't wanted to say too much because I didn't want family especially to worry, not that there's anything to worry about, but, you know.

Our first job didn't turn out quite as we'd hoped, becoming call centre work. All good fodder for the stories backlogging in my head. Half-hour interviews starting with personal financial questions - sure! While most people were polite or just hung up, it's soul-destroying. Calling nanas who can't hear and mums with screaming children and old men about to go to bed. And then they finished the quota for the project and cancelled our shifts until the next one starts, whenever that is.

So we keep applying for jobs. The downer was being told for the first time from a recruiter that companies would be reluctant to hire us because of our short visas; even jobs advertised as short term or contract are seen as trial periods for long term positions.

We read the tax rate is 40% for salaries over 17,000E (or 33% for under). Dutchies, is this true? We can't seem to get a straight answer. So that left us feeling a little disparaged.

We get work at a bar/restaurant; I do a shift and hate it, Dani perseveres ahead. The stories will be good at the very least.

During the week I wonder if what we are actually doing is getting sore heads from hitting them against brick walls. My mind thinks about London for the first time and starts considering the possibility of making a go of it there. Of chips instead of frites. I mention it to Dani, she agrees. We decide to persevere a little longer - let's not forget we love this place and really want it to work. So London is now a plan b, and we can apply for visas while we keep thinking about what to do here.

I worry about if we end up going to London and find the same situation there - not quite the bounty of jobs and ok-it's-not-affordable-but-you're-living-in-Europe housing that you hear about. But we've learnt that you just don't know what to expect until you're amongst it.

We have interviews for a decent-sounding job on decent-sounding pay. It's for Adobe and there are two positions with three candidates, and we are all over-qualified so the decision will be interesting. In her interview Dani is asked, "describe your apartment". It's a creative question of course. There are French jobs going too so I do part of my interview in French, just an opportunity to test myself, assez amusant. Have an interview at a shop on Monday too.

And on top of this I have two wonderful visits from mum and Andrew to look forward to, which I've always wanted and has me juggling the job situation around just that extra bit more, but it was my choice and I'll work it out!

Today was warm. It was almost hot. The sun was blinding bright and I was boiling up. I checked the weather online and it said it was 9C.

So there you have it, a couple of weeks of uncertainty, stress, anxiety, but the resolution to persevere and find open doors and not settle for dead ends.

The Greatest Thing Since Yesterday's Bread

2008-02-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

I have an enormous crush on Mark Bittman (aka NY Times' The Minimalist). I mean, don't ever ask me to choose between him and that other crushable New Yorker, Tony Bourdain, because I heart them both. I love Thursday mornings when I know his latest video will be online; I'm hooked on the breaking-it-down style of his random recipes and his laconic enthusiasm.

Update: And now he has his own blog - yippee!

When deciding to bake bread yesterday I remembered there was a no-knead method out there and Google revealed it was Mark Bittman's co-operation that made it happen, to thousands of raves around the world. It became quite the phenomenon. And today, I can add my rave.

You can view the video here and see just how easy it is. I didn't bother shaping it too carefully (ok, the pot was really hot so I left it 'rustic'). What came out of the oven was a bronzed crusty boule, as if I'd just brought it back from the local artisnal bakery. The crust was super crunchy and inside, a nutty, chewy sourdough. Homemade sourdough, wow! This is a definite keeper, in fact, it's a bit addictive. Lots of combinations to try too.

First, Bake Your Bread

2008-02-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

Dani went to work today, and I baked bread. Dani calls me a good wifey, so it seems natural I would do something like this.

...except for my first ever attempt at baking bread, I decided I would take the opportunity to experiment, and bake two kinds of bread: knead, and no-knead.

The idea of baking bread intimidates the bejesus out of me. Yeast? Kneading? Resting? Rising? Sure, whatever. That's for other people. But, it was an itch I had to scratch. Plus I had some rosemary I wanted to use up, so to me, curiousity + Sunday afternoon + leftover rosemary + googling "rosemary bread" = baking bread.

So, while the no-knead bread was left to chill, I got to work on the more traditional, kneading variety. I decided to flavour it with rosemary and garlic, using this wonderful recipe (just adding chopped garlic after the first rest). It was a bit too easy, the dough smooth and elastic and fun to pull and prod with floured hands (who needs a KitchenAid? Um, ok, I really want one). But how would it taste? Amateur hour, home economics for sure...

No! It was boulangerie-perfect! A thin crunchy crust and a soft, nutty centre thanks to the wholemeal flour. Fragrant with rosemary and garlic. The kind of delicious that has you slicing off a piece, spreading with butter, enjoying like it was chocolate cake, then slicing off another, repeat...

Tomorrow, we'll see how the infamous no-knead bread goes, but at least one super success!

In to the oven they go...

And here they are ready, nice and brown

Just one slice...

And by the way, yes I am as obsessed with the Sarkozy/Bruni marriage as you'd expect me to be :-)

Product Recommendations

2008-02-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

An ongoing list of local products we love:

+ Albert Heijn donuts: bought out of a craving for donuts one day, with zero expectations (have you ever been conned into buying Woolworth's donuts? You know what I mean then). They are absolutely delicious. A fluffy, yeasty white bread topped with delicious icing - and surprisingly, white (vanilla) and yellow (a fresh, zingy pineapple with chocolate flakes) are our favourites.
+ Smiths Bugles - Nacho Cheese flavour: these are the most delicious chips we have ever had. Shaped like witches' hats, the seasoning is just right and they are light and crispy. Have considered stockpiling them in case they are ever discontinued.
+ Pickwick's Tea: so many varieties here, and just discovered Turkish Apple, with vanilla, and Indian Spices, with orange, cinnamon and cloves.
+ Danone Activa Muesli Yoghurt - such a good yoghurt, thick, not too sweet, and with bits of muesli on the bottom.
+ Chocolate muffins at Haarlem's Botermarkt (Saturday) - we were walking past as the markets were packing up and saw 'chocolate muffins 50c/8 for 2E'. I don't get the big deal with muffins, usually floury, dry and boring and still packed with fat. These were breathed down. Moist, chocolately, filled with crunchy choc chips, a good 'muffin top'. If you are in the area, you must seek these out.

At Your Own Risk

2008-02-02T11:07:00.001-08:00

Thanks N, as if we needed more reason to be smitten with Russell Brand!

Jane Birkin 01.02.08

2008-02-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

One of the most wonderful concerts ever. I couldn't of been happier in those suspended hours.

The Paradiso is such an amazing concert venue. An old church, with beautiful stained glasses windows. So intimate, and upstairs filled with admirers hanging off the balcony blowing kisses.

Jane is incredible. She sang from her last two albums of duets and self-composed songs which I need to get, and much Gainsbourg. The three musicians she had with her were phenomenally talented. She sang and danced through the rows and those standing, joked and saddened, beamed with that beautiful wide smile that could start fires. The audience was bursting with love for her and her emotion was in each song, she was in every moment. She gave us unexpected gifts of La Ballade de Johnny Jane, Je M'Appelle Jane, and in a powerful demand for an encore, a heartbreaking Manon ("the saddest song, but it's my favourite"). One of my favourites too.

Merci Jane. De tout mon coeur.

Buon Appetito!

2008-01-30T05:57:00.000-08:00

I love pasta, that's no secret. I go all melty for real pasta, for the most basic sauce, for a traditional recipe. Creamy carbonara makes me cringe but this simple recipe for Spaghetti With Rosemary fills me with joy. Spotted on the fantastic seriouseats.com and taken from The Silver Spoon, that monumental tome to Italian food which I have not cooked out of as much as I'd have liked, but it makes me happier knowing that it's just there.

It concentrates on just a little tomato and rosemary. Sure, you could add a few slivers of prosciutto, toss in a handful of spinach, crumble over pretty white feta, but it's not necessary. There's beauty in simplicity. It's a dish like this that transports me to Italy. And there's a genius step that may go unnoticed - the addition of a flour slurry that not as much thickens the beautifully-reduced sauce, but coats the sauce to the spaghetti threads instead of puddling at the bottom of the plate. It's a dish that compliments Mario Batali's luscious description on how to sauce pasta.

Spaghetti with Rosemary, serves 4 adapted from seriouseats, originally from The Silver Spoon
Ingredients
2 Ts olive oil
2 Ts fresh rosemary leaves, minced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 red chili, chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 Ts flour
1 Ts milk
1 Ts water

Heat the oil in a frypan. Toss in the rosemary, garlic, and chili. Cook until fragrant, about two minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. In a bowl whisk together the flour, water and milk. When done simmering, season the tomato sauce with salt, and then pour in the flour slurry. Stir through and then cook for 5 minutes. Toss cooked spaghetti in with the rosemary sauce and stir to coat. If preferred, serve with parmesan.

Work

2008-01-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

Finally, we have work. *huge sigh of relief*

We had training today and I won't go into too much detail on what the job is (although I'm sure there will be plenty of stories which I won't be able to help but post). Training was conducted by a wonderful Diablo at an (overly) leisurely pace, starting with a long coffee (at which point we saw a large dog saunter through the office). It's working with an international team doing media business research, not far from Amsterdam and fairly convenient to get to. Casual clothes. The pay isn't great although we've discovered is pretty standard (and we won't get paid till the next cycle in three weeks, after our sofinumber comes through), but what's great is we can choose our holidays under our contract.

There's even a hering stand outside. Things are going to be ok.

Most Annoying Ad In History

2008-01-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

If we hear this ad jingle one more time we will seriously lose the post, we hate it so much. However this is a document of our time here so should be included. Even worse a lot of ads have a 'follow up' shorter ad in the same commercial break so you get to hear it twice. And why is it on youtube? PS sandwich spread? Gross.

Tonight's Dinner

2008-01-27T12:08:00.000-08:00

Could not have asked for anything more: tomato, ham and eggs on toast, pommes noisettes with tomato sauce.

Happy Days

2008-01-27T02:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Australia Day!
Even though we are newly-arrived, we thought it would be fun to make some Australian treats for Australia Day. We salivated over the idea of meat pies, sausage rolls, slices and pavlovas (one big one or mini?), but being budget-friendly settled on a sausage sizzle and lamingtons.

We bought some merguez sausages from our Islamic shop, cooked them on the grillpan and popped them between brown bread, caramalised onions and tomato sauce. The sausages were absolutely amazing - pure beef flavoured with paprika, fennel seeds and spices. We sat in our patio and enjoyed them in the sun (before running inside from the cold).

Thank you Dani's mum for the lamington recipe! The sponge turned out completely different to a normal lamington - we only had a large round cake tin to bake in, wholemeal flour instead of plain, and used a vanilla bean as there is no vanilla extract in Haarlem - but they were incredibly delicious. They were slightly chewy and nutty from the wholemeal flour and flecked with vanilla beans. The icing was just perfect, made with Droste Dutch cocoa. They were best the next day and day after - luckily they lasted that long!

In the evening we went out with Justin's friends (Dani's brother) who took us to some parts of Amsterdam we hadn't seen before, and had a great night. Went to a few bars and even found a place near Dam Square that sold olliebollen! Had dinner at a Dutch eethuis - truth be told the others thought it was great but we found it very average, a chicken salad with pesto for Dani and I got to try perhaps the national dish, kip sate (chicken satay), which was drenched in a thick sauce that was like a sweet curry. Expensive, too. But the company was great and they taught us some Dutch swear words, it's about time we knew some. They even kindly obliged with some stupid Dutch questions we had, such as:

+ Is Jensen married? Is he gay?
+ Why are there 15 lines on a strippenkaart, and not an even number?
+ Why are there so many Argentinian steakhouses?

And Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary to Kath and Jay! I hope you are having a wonderful time in Melbourne and I can't wait to hear all about it. You are beautiful people and a beautiful couple and I wish you the happiest of happiness for all your anniversaries to come x

More Holland

2008-01-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

A favourite ad for Holland Casino:

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

2008-01-24T13:59:00.000-08:00

After a few stressful days, it was nice to slow down with some slow cooking in the form of slow-roasted tomatoes.

We bought some truss tomatoes at the weekend markets but they went soft quickly so I threw them in the oven with rosemary, sliced young garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. 100C for 2.5 hours.

They made a delicious dinner bashed up a little in buttered pasta and sprinkled feta.

We Did Not Get Our Sofinumbers

2008-01-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

There, no fluffing around, because there has been enough fluffing around, we did not get our sofinumbers.

Me, at counter 12, being told that no, the tax office did not issue sofinumbers after you have registered with the town hall. But you have to register with the town hall to then get your residency permit from the IND that only then gives you your sofinumber at the tax office. But you told us 2.5 weeks ago to come to you and you would give it to us the same day. No, you have to go to the town hall and they will give you your sofinumber. In around two weeks. If we generate one for you, and the town hall does as well, you will have two. Well could I just cancel the second one? No, you will be in a lot of trouble.

Dani, at counter 10, waiting for her sofinumber to be generated after filling out a form. The clerk then calls her back and says that because the residency permit is valid for six months, that he couldn't give her a sofinumber, only if it was valid for three months. Um...the only visa that is valid three months is a tourist visa (ie you can't work). More explanations. Pleading that someone just give us the right answer and that we can get. it. done. Suddenly all the clerks were involved, all looking extremely unintelligent except for my clerk who started being very rude and defensive, accusing us now that by registering with the town hall we had caused our problems. Huh? Hadn't you all told us that the only way to get a residency permit is to register? Well, the rules changed. Excuse me? We were here 2.5 weeks ago and you told us to come back. Even had a special scribble on the envelope. Dani's clerk: they changed the rules end of November. My clerk: they changed it since you were here 2.5 weeks ago.

What are you all talking about? Where is the list of procedures? Out of all the bureaucrats, why hasn't one of them created a checklist, a list of steps, in order, to follow for the very few of us who come on a Working Holiday Visa? Is this logic in a world of everything illogical?

I'm beginning to see The Netherlands as that boyfriend you don't want to tell your parents too much about. They have good points that you love, which you share, but then they stuff you around so much that you don't want people to know, you're embarassed about. Don't get me wrong, and Dutchies, please don't be offended - because we love this place and this is venting from sheer frustration. But how much of this can you take?

Of course we wanted to go back to the town hall to confirm that everything has been lodged and we will be getting our sofinumbers from them, in 2-3 weeks. But, the town hall department that handles residencies is closed on Thursdays.

Apparently we can start work without the sofinumber, our payments will just be delayed till we get it. We have a training day on Tuessday, and will go to that rain hail or shine.

Update

2008-01-23T02:51:00.000-08:00

Just came back from the town hall. Our lady wasn't there but a new ~~bureaucrat~~ guy to deal with, who obviously had never heard of a Working Holiday Visa before. He started asking robotically for our rental contracts and busying himself at the photocopier and when given the long spiel on our situation stared blankly at us. Quoting the lady we've been dealing with, he smugly replies, "I can't believe that she'd say that". Oh, ok then.

He told us we'd have to wait 2-3 weeks to be registered which would then allow us to come back for a sofinumber. The tax office told us when we had the residency sticker we could come in and they would give us the sofinumber the same day, whereas the IND and the town hall both told us it was the town hall that would give us the sofinumber. So now we are going back to the tax office and trying our luck there.

When I get stressed, I automatically think: cigarettes. But I'm being strong and don't want to take a step backwards. Deep breaths.

---

We went to the tax office, and asked to see someone about getting a sofinumber. They told us it was too late (3pm) and that we'd have to make an appointment, which would take two days for them to call us back with a time. We suggested we come back in the morning, which she said was fine, that they open at 8am but the staff we need to see don't start till 9 or 10am. When we were there the other week, the girl scribbled something on the back of an envelope and gave it to us for next time, so we showed the receptionist. "Ah, this is very important! You don't need an appointment. Just come back anytime". Funny because there was nothing on the envelope that had a code or our names or anything that could identify what we needed.

Tomorrow morning, we go back.

Cue Suspense - How Did It Go?

2008-01-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

This should give it away:

Back to the IND for our appointment, and after one hour, a residency permit!

The appointment was in a small room with four interview desks, of which at most two were ever being used (hence the initial two weeks' wait?). We had to hand in forms, a passport photo, show proof of funds and pay 30E. The 30E was paid to a cashier sitting in a tiny sectionned-off room within this office; that was his only job, to take fees from applicants. It didn't seem like much of a job, and with no TV or internet to distract him between the four of five payments he'd have to receive all day. While our lady was inputing our information, another went around asking staff and whoever they were interviewing if they'd like a drink. "Coffee, tea, maybe a hot chocolate?" I like a department of immigration that offers speciality drinks* (I was too bemused to accept). Without any fuss, our passports were stickered with a residency permit - dated till July. In the meantime, our residency is reviewed - everything we've read says this is stock standard and that it's always extended for the whole year. But why add another step in an already overly-bureaucratic process - for a one year visa?

So tomorrow, back to the town hall for our sofinumber, and then it's all done.

And to top it off, today was a glorious day. Warm and blue skies, and for the first time in a long time we dolled ourselves up, both in new boots, unburdened by layers and puffy jackets. After the IND we went into Amsterdam to see about some jobs, hopefully good things there, and the city was just sparkling. We toasted our success with cofffee and cake (not great but the coffee came with these more-ish caramel sugar sticks that you are all getting for Christmas). Today I was in love with this place, and it makes it all worth it.

* Remember when Kramer visits his lawyer Jackie Chiles and when asked if he'd like something to drink, replies "yea, I'll have a decaf cappucino" - "uh, we don't have decaf cappucinos"..."that's unusual, it's a very popular drink".

180

2008-01-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

Warning: lost post.

What a day. Otherwise known as, Julia and Dani do Race Around ~~The World~~ Haarlem, or, Treasureless Hunt. The day was supposed to be pretty simple, although we know it's never like that. But still, one can hope. The landlord wanted to check with the town hall on what the deal was with us staying with her before giving us a photocopy of her ID, or the last thing we were told we needed to complete registration. From January 1, there is a tax that depends on how many people live in your home, so even though we were saying that she is a friend and we are housesitting while she is on holidays, she was worried that she'd still be taxed. By this stage, we were willing to pay whatever the tax could be, and mind you, this could all have been worked out months ago had the Dutch consulate given us the right information.

So we were told, hand in these forms and the town hall will stamp our passports with a residency permit, then take the passports to the tax office and they will issue us with our sofinumbers then and there. Which was perfect with our training day lined up for Tuesday.

With the registration office at the town hall only open 9am-12pm, she went there first thing and came over afterwards. Good news, no need to pay taxes, just sign some new forms. And even though we'd been asking her for one thing - a photocopy of her ID - she didn't have it so emailed me a copy of it. The internet cafe doesn't open till lunch time, and our lady at the town hall told us she could print it from an email, so off we went. The one lady who we've been dealing with there is vague and has given us wrong information before, but is quite nice. Let me describe the town hall of Haarlem. You get a ticket and wait, and there are floor-to-ceiling silver doors on one wall that look very imposing, very I've-seen-people-go-in-there-but-I-haven't-seen-people-come-out. Her office is behind one of those doors. So we go in, and our lady isn't there. It's someone else, someone decidely unfriendly looking. A bureaucrat who gets off on that little bit of power they have over you. She refused to access our email saying "I don't know anything about computer programs" and slid our papers back at us. "Ok we'll try and print off her ID somewhere and come back before 12pm". "You'll have to come back by 12pm".

Thus started our bolt around town. Shops don't open in Haarlem/Amsterdam on Mondays till 12/1pm. Luckily, luckily, we found an internet cafe near the station that was open, so printed off her ID and raced back by 11.30. And when our number was called, we found our lady back behind the desk. I almost kissed her. She took our papers, and told us we now had to go to the IND, the immigration department, which was the first we'd been told out of half a dozen visits to her. And that it would take four weeks to process. At this point, I felt my insides falling to the floor. My first thought was, I've had it, I'm off to London, and was already imagining curry nights at my local pub. My next thought was to find calm, although it wasn't easily forthcoming. While we stammered she confirmed it would take four odd weeks to get our passport stamped, then, excitedly asked, "you're not on a Working Holiday Scheme are you?" (again, she knew us well by this point) and proceeded to wave away our worries, saying that the process was much more streamlined for us. Except when pressed, she told us exactly the same procedure, with the same wait. She told us to make an appointment with the IND in Hoofddorp, and instead of taking our passports once stamped back to the tax office, to bring them to her and she could issue us with a sofinumber.

Straight away I called the IND to make an appointment, and while confirming my details over the phone, my phone credit which was full cut out. 5 minutes' worth. Dani tried, same thing. We went to a pay phone and shovelling about 10E worth of coins into the phone, Dani got an appointment - in two weeks. I couldn't of been angrier. The phone cut out before she could confirm the time, and out of coins, we decided to just go to the IND and see exactly what was going on.

22E to get there, mind. It was so windy we couldn't walk, literally trying to walk and couldn't. Luckily we got a ticket to see someone, and waited in the queue, with the Ghana woman who is no doubt in a more desperate situation than us, and the young Russian girl hoping to stay with her Dutch boyfriend. We got the loveliest, funniest guy. As suspected our appointment time was never lodged, and he took pity on us and made an appointment for tomorrow. He gave us forms to fill out, told us what to bring for tomorrow and confirmed that our passports would then be stamped which we could take to the town hall for our sofinumbers.

We screamed for joy! From total despair to light at the end of the tunnel in a few short hours.

It means we've missed out on our training day tomorrow but hopefully there'll be another, and we'll hit the Amsterdam pavement in the afternoon with a few leads.

As much as we love this place, the Netherlands should never have agreed to a Working Holiday Scheme. The rules changed at the end of November and no-one, on the Australia end or here, knows what the rules are and the bureaucracy for a one year visa is too convoluted. While we lament that Spain and Australia have not signed a WHS agreement, it's perhaps Spain realise that they can't handle the extra paperwork.

On a sparkly note though, managed to purchase tickets - met Visa - for Jane Birkin next Friday. Yippee!

This Weekend

2008-01-20T13:37:00.001-08:00

We missed out on seeing the Barcelona 1900 exhibition at the Van Gogh museum which ended today as we were waiting for the landlord to come over to discuss the residency permit and renting the apartment for another month. But that is the priority, and we *hope* it will be sorted tomorrow.

The flipside is reading that there's a Magnum photo exhibition starting in February celebrating the agency's 60th anniversary. Woo hoo! Any excuse to see Cartier-Bresson, Doisneau et al.

The weather went from bucketing down to fairly still and we laid low. We bought our fruit and vegies at the Saturday markets, and today needing some groceries found our Albert Heijn closed. However our new favourite supermarket (which is only marginally better), Dekamarkt, opened at 4pm so we had some frites and waited for the doors to open. So did 25-100* other people, forming a giant mass along the otherwise deserted street; it was a sight to behold.

Lastly, our weekend was marked by one of the best things we've ever seen, Fist of Zen. Do anything to watch it, seriously.

* Dani says 25, I say 100.

We're From Holland - Where The F**k You From?

2008-01-20T07:48:00.001-08:00

Sound familiar? This is the catchphrase of an ad for a travel agency running at the moment, and of course we absolutely love it.

And here is the clip of the song by Bobby Burns that's used. More hilarious.

This Week

2008-01-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

There's been a lack of updates this week: still wireless-less, and internet cafes are never much fun, nor can you can think of what to write when the time and euros are ticking away.

We are finally meeting with our landlord-of-sorts this weekend to get a photocopy of her ID, and pre-empting this getting our residency permit and sofinumber on Monday, we have a training day for a marketing job on Tuesday. Thank goodness!

We started a new routine this week which we're loving. Hot lemon water first thing in the morning, a jog in the park up the road every second day, and pilates every afternoon. Dani is hanging to join a gym, and I really want to get back into yoga, but until we know where we'll next be living, this is a good alternative.

Our local park is quite lovely, with beautiful big houses on the perimeter and an oval track for walking or jogging. We're the only ones that jog though, and this attracts quite a bit of attention, for this reason or not. People stand at their windows and blatantly watch for long stretches. It's also a dog park, so I get my fill of pups. Whereas in Ibiza it was silky terriers, here beagles are all the rage. The other day a hond took off with my beanie and I ran around the park after it, Benny Hill-style, trying to get it back. The owner didn't seem too worried by it.

Speaking of not-too worried, here it is, two and four wheels good, two legs bad. In that, bikes and cars are the priority, and you better watch out*. The number of times we've been almost-clipped, and it's not just us the new arrivals; young or old, cars and bikes don't stop for anybody, if you're in the right or not. Look both ways kids!

How are we going with the language? Well, we want to enrol in a language course, but again, when we know where we'll be living, Haarlem or Amsterdam. English is so easily offered up here, although we're starting with a few basics. For example, I said 'broodje' for the first time this week. This is a word that had us both a little freaked out. Broodje is sandwich and with so many delicious sandwiches out there (such as warm rookworst, or haring for me) we needed to get the pronounciation right. Dutchies, correct me if I'm wrong, but I've got it down to 'brod-yeh'? Meanwhile, I sit at home with the dictionary translating recipes, and English shows are subtitled so we're learning by matching up the words. And we're sprinkling some Dutch into our English, such as "let's go to the Islamic winkel (shop) and pick up some kip (chicken) and noten (nuts)".

It's been a pleasant one-jumper-one-jacket 6C this week, and it's rained every day, which isn't bad at all.

Most of our favourite TV channels disappeared when we got back from Spain, although we are obsessed with Project Runway, Dexter and Katie and Peter Andre's show The Next Chapter.

PS are you all obsessed with the Tom Cruise videos like we are? My favourite bit is from the last 58 seconds, and at the 1.09 timestamp on this next installment. It just doesn't get any better than that.

* Thanks Lola!

Weekend Funny

2008-01-12T06:04:00.000-08:00

Don't ask how we found this, but just take a look at this celebrity lookalikes agency - and be sure to go through all the pages.

I don't know who my favourite is, but it could be Jamie Oliver or Zinedine Zidane.

Amsterdam

2008-01-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

Traditional Dutch Food

2008-01-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

Erwten soup - or pea soup - is the ubiquitous Dutch dish. Almost ever cafe has it on the menu, and we've tried half a dozen or so. Made with split peas, ham hock, bacon and vegetables, it's very thick, completely hearty and absolutely delicious. Sometimes it's served with pumpernickel and fatty speck, but the fun part is fishing out the slices of rookworst, a smoked sausage. Many butchers sell it frozen, so we bought some and had it for dinner tonight.

Gloves Off!

2008-01-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

Today was a glove-free day!

After sending off our resumes we went to pick up a package from KB and while waiting for TNT to open, realised what a lovely day it was (8C) so had our first unhurried walk around town. We found some undiscovered areas, including our very own nature winkel with a delicious-looking meat section. We had a look at some of the sales, stopped by our adorable Islamic grocer and for dinner I made polenta and ragu. We keep talking about having salads for dinner but warm bowls of comfort food are made for this place.

But we learnt something tragic today. Oliebollen season is over. Oliebollen are, in basic terms, balls of fried dough, with or without raisins, and rolled in icing sugar. But actually they are much more. All over Haarlem and Amsterdam, oliebollen stands had queues of people ordering these golden delights, as well as bollen filled with chocolate, banana or chunky pear filling, apple beignets and waffles. 1.5E for one or 4 for 5E. The servers scoop them into bags in record speed with little sharp forks. Dani's favourite was the banana and well I had to try everything, but loving the waffles especially. Here they are fresh and slightly chewy, although you're left with an icing sugar beard with each bite. We knew the oliebollen were seasonal, but not so limited-edition. Today we noticed the stands were shuttered up or all gone. Oh no!

Miscellaneous

2008-01-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

We had an appointment at the tax office yesterday to get our sofinumber. My appointment was for 8.30am, Dani's for 8.50am. Except they start working at 9am, which is an interesting way of making appointments. They wouldn't give us a sofinumber unless we had our residency permit - which we thought was the case - even though the lady at the Town Hall said we could. They recently changed the rules regarding working holiday visas but unfortunately for us no one seems to have been briefed on how it now works. So one department says one thing, another says something else. Anyway, our landlord gets back next week, and all we need is a photocopy of her ID for the residency permit, and then we can get our sofinumbers the same day. We have been applying for jobs in the meantime.

We just learnt something: credit cards are not widely used here. We went to Albert Heijn to buy some groceries, and they don't take Visa. You know Visa, the card that's accepted everywhere around the world? Except here. Luckily I had cash. But who uses cash anymore?

Yesterday after the tax office we spent a few hours walking around Amsterdam, enjoying the mild weather and checking out the sales (I didn't buy anything at Zara but I feel happy knowing it's there; Dani got some great bargains). We had some delicious soup then I wanted to buy some bits and pieces for dinner. It sounds silly, and please indulge my love of ingredients for a minute, but liquid stock is very hard to find. I hate stock cubes so it was becoming a bit of a mission. I finally found some but it's expensive, so we may have to make it a 'wet weekend' project and make our own. Popped into a 'nature winkel' (organic shop - why would you not want to live in a place where a shop is a winkel?). Bought a big jar of Green and Black's organic hot chocolate powder, mmm. It's 60% chocolate, so dark and luscious. Essential.

Everyone knows I am obsessed with Kate Moss but equally with Doherty, so when we saw Babyshambles are playing in Amsterdam next week, we knew we had to get tickets. Except they are 165E, and sold out. Knowing that he will be lurking around the city is good enough - imagine that, a Doherty sighting!

In another music news, Jane Birkin will be here next month (squeal!) and I tried to get tickets but hey, Visa isn't accepted so I'll be snapping them up with cash. So exciting!

Remember that bit in Sex and the City when Charlotte is converting to Judaism and is out shopping with the girls, and says a spontaneous 'oy' for the first time? "Oy...hey, you guys, that was my first oy!" Well, it has been a bit like that with me. I get very excited when I spontaneously say things like "hallo" and "oops"! and "sorry!" - except I sing-song the 'allo' to sound Swedish, and while 'oops' and 'sorry' sound like nothing new, here they are used ad infinitum and sound like adorable doorbells. And hearing people say 'oops' and 'sorry' is a lot of fun.

Madrid, bis

2008-01-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

We planned to spend a night and day in Madrid before heading home - a night to eat tapas, tapas and tapas, and a day to shop the already-cheap, post-Christmas sales. We left an Ibizan sunset and arrived in gorgeous Madrid, dropped our bags at our hostal* and headed to a tapas bar that we'd fallen in love with in June. On the way, we popped into a cool vintage store and Dani found a lovely coat just like what she'd been looking for, and I came away with a pimpin' fur coat and brand new forest green boots. We couldn't find the tapas bar two weeks ago so it was essential we track it down this time - luckily we did - munching on the best pintxos we've had in Spain (so good we had to double up on some). We met some multilinguists who showed us some bars in the area and in nearby Chueca (and we returned the favour by dragging them to a, er, drag bar. The chanteuse there asked if we were Spanish, and on learning we were Australian hopped around on the stage like a kangaroo. That's the third time that's happened in two weeks).

It was somewhere between tortilla and last canas that we learnt the day we'd allocated for shopping, Sunday, was actually a public holiday, Three Kings Day, and that all the shops would be closed. Oh. Surely not all? Yep, all. So this morning we pottered around the beautiful Plaza Mayor and savoured one last bocadillo at the Museo de Jamon, and it was good chance that our flight had been brought forward five hours early. Soon enough, we touch down, and it's not snowing. It's a very mild 7C and we're happy to be home.

PS I am in love with French bulldogs. This morning, a guy was walking his French bulldog (in a leather vest) and as it passed, it stopped, and looked right at us for a few heady moments, then came up and grunted avec plaisir while I scratched and cooed to it. Then straight away another French bulldog walked past and grunted while I scratched it's massive ears.

* The difference between hostels and hostals:
Hostel: a youth hostel.
Hostal: A 1-2 star hotel, usually on a floor of an old apartment building. Hostals are everywhere, and cost around 50E a night. They can be horrible, they can be decent. We stayed at one where the 'bathroom' was a shower faucet in the corner of the room with a shower curtain dividing it from the rest of the room. One that was like a dungeon. This last one had a nice simple bathroom and a receptionist who corrected my Spanish grammer.

Goodbye, Ibiza

2008-01-05T05:24:00.000-08:00

We´ve spent almost two weeks on this unique island, and we´ve learnt a few more things about how this place, and it´s people, work. There´s nothing like it, and we´ll be back in the summer.

We won´t miss the creeps, the occassionl average tapas, having no shops to spend money on (actually a good thing...). But we´ll miss the weather, the ocean, the upbeat vibe, the soundtrack of ´eh guapaaas!´, the cana breaks.

For now, a night in Madrid - a buffer between the crazy and the straight - and then our lives resume in Amsterdam. We can´t wait to start work and I´m itching to grab my laptop and keep writing, although bracing for the cold will be a different story...

Happy New Year, Ibiza Style

2008-01-03T02:48:00.000-08:00

Ibiza in winter is quiet. Qui-et. There were days where we wondered around, looking at each other with round eyes, silently asking ourselves what the hell is going on. Most of the shops are closed, there are few buses, and it was just on that side of chilly that made it unpleasant to stay out for long without any real reason. We wandered around Dalt Villa, eerily still (reminded me of Death In Venice), read our books, watched Spanish-dubbed TV. But then the sun came out, and we found a simple cafe where we could sit outside with canas and the papers and catch up on the facts and the frivolous. For dinner, we went to a very average tapas bar on d´Espanya, Tapas 43, and checked in with the DJ. G came round and offered to take us to some bars. We went to a cosy bar in Jesus with fantastic music, then to Grial for more of the same. Then we went to Coccoon at Blu and spent the next few hours dancing to some great DJs. How fantastic to be back into Ibiza style.

New years eve started off with a trip to the markets for that night´s dinner, and the Mango outlet was open so we bought a few little things. The sun was out, sublime. In the evening we dolled ourselves up and can I just say, looked and felt fantastic. We went over to the DJ´s for dinner, the usual chaos, in particular opening the oysters, which involved screwdrivers and hammers and a lot of pounding. G joined us and we ate grapes at midnight - the charming Spanish tradition of having a cup of 12 uvas and eating one each second of the countdown to the stroke of the new year.

Us and G went to Grial for a drink, then over the Pacha. Yes, I wore my cherry necklace :-) Guest list for instant entry, thank you very much, and we danced till the lights went on at 8am. We were invited to the VIP area but it was pretty boring even with the drinks pouring so we escaped back down to the main dancefloor. The music was mostly great and the vibe was high. Such a fun night!

G gave us a lift home - a blessing with the taxi strike on (only 8 taxis in Ibiza that night, is that true?) and we got changed to head out to DC10, which was closed when we were here in June so we were super excited about going there. The club is an old DC10 hanger right next to the airport. In brief, it was the craziest place we´ve ever seen, filled with the most bizarre people we could imagine. The music was god-awful if you could call it music, just dumb beat-beat-beat-repeat. There was nothing to dance to so we sat and observed, and headed off around 5pm.

So it was a fun, crazy, funny, incredible new years. Typically Ibiza. Hope your new years was a happy one.

***

I just finished reading Elizabeth Gilbert´s Eat, Pray, Love thanks to Maitresse Lauren´s recommendation. I absolutely loved it and was sad to let the last page slip, but grateful to be able to carry her words around with me.

Y Tambian...Ibiza, Mi Amor

2007-12-28T04:03:00.000-08:00

Magical things happen in Ibiza. But you don´t expect them to happen in winter, when the skies are blue and the palm trees barely sway in the warm air, but the island is sleepy and hardly anyone has stayed for the season.

But magical things do happen. We had an amazing long Christmas lunch at Romagna Mia, an Italian restaurant down the road from our apartment, sitting on the terrace all afternoon, nibbling on tomato and quivering mozzarella salad, homemade ravioli, and just-sparkling white wine. Overlooking the Med. Bliss.

And then the other day, when a few cafes started to reopen and the terraces were filled with fur coats and parkas and boots (it´s not cold!) and we had a saunter around the port, and enjoyed some more tapas and canas, and on our way home popped into the newsagent for our beloved trashy UK mags. And bumped into the DJ! We caught up with another summer friend that evening, over a delicious dinner and more crazy times.

We doubted if we should come here - what would we do in cold, quiet Ibiza? But we are so happy we are here, surrounded by water and nice weather. In a few days, the island will be loud with NYE party people and that will be muchos fun. In the meantime, we´re enjoying the island´s beauty.

I sleep in the bed in our living room with the wall-length windows, just to fall asleep to the few lights along the d´en Bossa coast and to wake up to the apricot sunrise. It´s truly magical.

Winter In Ibiza

2007-12-26T03:46:00.000-08:00

Madrid, Mi Amor

2007-12-26T03:27:00.000-08:00

When we left home at 4.30am to catch the first plane to Madrid, it was warmer than it was during the day, we didn´t even need gloves. A very strange feeling.

But then, there we were, Madrid! Beloved Madrid. And only a few streets away from where we stayed in June, which we loved and is more central than we realised. It was warm, the sky was royal blue, everyone was out, the shops and music pumping. For all those playing at home, we went to have lunch at the Diablo´s, but, he was not there. We´ll be back. We went to Museo de Jamon and tucked into a fat bocadillo laden with deep red jamon, as well as some cute tuna and salda empanadillos and washed down with a cold beer. All this for 4.80E.

We walked around the shops, picked up a few essential jumpers, then in the evening trudged out to the Spice Girls concert. When they played their hits, it was great great fun. That´s what they do best and the crowd - at least 65% boys? - were really into it. Posh was the best (not as skinny as you´d think). It was very cheesey but to our great disappointment, Becky did not make an appearance. Boo hoo! A fun night in all.

Ikea

2007-12-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

We got a call from the tax office this morning confirming an appointment for the first Monday in January to get our sofinumber so that's great news.

We're going to Spain on Sunday till just after the new year. We got tickets for The Spice Girls concert in Madrid, then flying over to our beloved Ibiza, which we can't wait to see what it's like in winter. It's all so cheap, flights and an apartment on the beach, and right now 16C sounds like balmy heaven!

I'd read that the Netherlands had the biggest Ikeas in the world, and there is one not far from here, so today we went to check it out, hoping maybe to find a mattress and not come away with the ubiquitous knick-knacks. Well, it was the same size with the same stuff and the same Swedish meatballs - which we had to finally try. Spongey, processed but strangley edible, with fries, gravy and cranberry sauce. Curiosity killed.

Pretty homes in Haarlem.

Outside Ikea.

Ta da!

My First Snow

2007-12-20T07:41:00.000-08:00

It snowed today.

We woke up this morning and there was frost on cars and homes, and by the afternoon the whole city was in monotone. There is a cafe on the top floor of the department store in the centre of Haarlem, and from above the city looked like a snapshot out of Dickens.

Today it's tiny white particles...when do the pretty snowflakes come down? For a beach bunny like me, it is amazing and still hard to believe it's real.

Cold

2007-12-18T11:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we really felt the cold. Our fingers and toes were in pain and on the way to the train station, 10 minutes walk away, we had to stop and have a hot drink. Today is -1C and it felt ok. I'm excited to know what minus temperature feels like, especially as I'm finally starting to feel better, and especially if a hot chocolate isn't far away.

There's a real Chrismasy feel to this place, which is very charming and what I'd always dreamt of experiencing. Christmas lights shine all day and beautiful thick real Christmas trees perfume the air. The apartment across the road from us has a gorgeously-decorated tree in it's window and it's just like a Hallmark card.

We went to Amsterdam yesterday and squeeled at how pretty it is. Walking down the canals looking at the beautiful old buildings is better than any museum. Then you stop in an eetcafe, which is a cosy, old cafe where you can warm up on tostis (toasted sambos) and big bowls of soup for very little. And then you're ready to face the cold again.

Albert Heijn is the major supermarket here and at first I was gaga. But then we tasted the tasteless fruits and vegetables, watery cream and butter and yucky pasta and knew we had to find something else. Today we found a halal butcher and store stocking groceries from every corner of the world for the same prices so we're very happy, and Dani made a delicious warming vegetable soup with organic tomatoes, corn and yams that will be a staple for sure.

We went back to the town hall and were told we can get a sofinumber from the tax office without registering, which is contradictory to everything we've read or been told before, so we're going tomorrow to try our luck.

More Photos

2007-12-18T11:01:00.001-08:00

Quiet street in Haarlem

Chrismas markets in Haarlem

Red oranges from Italy

Jordaan area, Amsterdam

Dusk (aka 4.30pm)

Can't get over how beautiful the buildings are

Church in Haarlem

Clementines from Morocco

Past Few Days

2007-12-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

Our local canal from the other side

Home-made cauliflower soup with bacon and 'popcorn' cauliflower

The mushroom stall, every Friday. Chanterelles, trompettes, everything. Heaven.

Tulips everywhere!

Blue sky.

Hallo

2007-12-16T06:25:00.000-08:00

Still sick which isn't fun!

Our free wireless suddenly disappeared a few days ago so it's back to internet cafes.

There is a funny phenomenon here. Curtainless, open homes. That is, from the street, you can see right in. Most of the time we're walking down the street and something catches our eye, and we look in. Then we realise it's someone's living room or kitchen. Dani thought she was checking out a cute shop yesterday, and then caught a woman on a comfy armchair staring right back at her. Our own place is wide open, apart from some frosting on the window, but no one looks in.

I almost got run over by two bikes the other day, but that was due to happen.

Last night we went into Amsterdam for dinner with two lovely girls who have helped out with inane questions about moving over email, local Mathilde and expat Louise. It was a nice restaurant in the Jordaan with modern Dutch food - modern Dutch food being quite similar to mod Oz - and we took the train home in the absolutely freezing cold. We both dolled ourselves up and wore heeled boots but won't be doing that again; Amsterdam's cobbled streets being bike-friendly but not heel-friendly.

Today were the Christmas markets in Haarlem and we've just had a potter around. Unfortunately it was mostly the same markets that they have on Saturdays - 3 pairs of socks for 10E and more frites and more waffles - but with a cup of hot, mulled wine, it made the can't-feel-my-fingers ice cold bearable. We've been lucky, as much as it's been cold, we've had almost nothing but crisp blue skies and no wind, which we've been told is very rare for this time of year.
Our problems with registering in brief: we were told all we needed to register and therefore receive temporary residency (and a sofinumber = tax file number) was our passport with the visa, and that we had to register at the local police within 3 days. We went to our local police station, which didn't have an 'aliens police' section but gave us a number to call for the station that did. We called, and were told the police don't look after regsitering anymore, that it's the town hall. So we went to the town hall, and were given forms to fill out, including a form for the woman who we've rented the apartment from. She came over to sign the form, but when we took it in the next day, they also told us we needed a copy of her ID or they couldn't register us. The next day she was leaving for her holiday, and was becoming suspicious that we needed all this information from her (she might think we want her to sponsor us, plus there are taxes you pay from 1 January which depend on how many people live in your place). When she called the town hall to ask about it, they weren't open. But the lady we are dealing with is telling us not to worry, that there's no time limit on when we can register, so it seems it has to wait until the owner of our apartment comes back in mid-January. It's a little annoying, as we were hoping to have work by that time, but we'll have to wait another week. All our expenses are paid and we're not spending much here. If only the consulate in Sydney had told us we needed proof of where we were living, we could have arranged it months before.

Apart from that, it's beautiful here. I wish you could all come over and share it with us x

French Onion Soup

2007-12-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

Had a craving to make French onion soup tonight, with the proper cheese croutons. Warming and yummy.

And now we're eating Albert Heijn banana caramel icecream!

1C

2007-12-12T11:01:00.000-08:00

This may not look like much, but it's 1C, and that's as cold as we've known so far.

Registering with the town hall isn't going to plan, as the information the consulate/internet gave us is very different, but we're soldiering on.

On Monday afternoon we went into Amsterdam. The train is very easy from Haarlem, every 15 minutes and it takes 20 minutes, 6.20E return. Lots of people, tourists, shops - a step up from our adopted hometown! We had a nice walk around the Jordaan area with it's gorgeous shops and Christmas lights sparkle. Very pretty.

Thank goodness for (free wireless) internet. Google Maps is a lifesaver.

We're obsessed with The Hills. Nuff said.

Miscellaneous

2007-12-11T01:46:00.000-08:00

Waiting on the platform at Amsterdam Centraal for the train to Haarlem, everyone starts running, literally everyone, in one direction or another. We decide to start running too, and get on the train everyone is running to. Luckily it took us to Haarlem.

We have become the creeps we feared we would, talking about what a nice day it is when we see a spot of blue sky or that it's nice and warm when it's 7C.

Don't assume you can get cold and flu tablets in the most freezing place on earth. Because you can't. The most you can get over the counter is Panadol Plus which luckily is slowly helping but for anything stronger it's a visit to the doctor.

Slagroom = cream, just so you know.

Our Place

2007-12-10T23:47:00.000-08:00

Camera phone photos of our place...

Bedroom

Sunroom

Kitchen

Living Room

Patio

Photos

2007-12-09T20:29:00.001-08:00

Our backyard, with sweet blueberries

Our local canal

Rugged up

Favourite outfit

Grote Markt - centre of Haarlem

Cute shop near our place

First Few Days

2007-12-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

Not sure how long we've been here, still very tired and the short days are playing with our minds (light after 8am, dark at 4.30pm). Yesterday we went over to the main drag and there was a real carnival atmosphere, families and friends out on foot and on bikes, it felt like a real European village. We sat in a cosy cafe and had chunky pea soup with ham on rye bread, very warming and filling. Then we did our first shop. Albert Heijn is the biggest supermarket here and we were suprised that the prices were lower than we expected, a bit less than Sydney. It has lots of prepared foods, from sandwich fillings and sushi to amuse-bouche to serve at dinner parties. We bought some basics - eggs, wine, meat, cheese, milk and (half-loaves of) bread. It started to rain so we scurried home, then went out for my birthday dinner. We couldn't locate the restaurant I read about that sounded nice, so went to a tapas place near the main square, Grote Markt. The food was ok but we had a great time, and were meant to meet the owner of our flat for drinks with her friends but that overwhelming wave of fatigue hit suddenly and we both fell flat asleep the minute we got home.

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes x

Today we went for a walk along the Spaarne river to find and register with the local police and realised that nothing is open on Sundays, which is nice. I'm used to hustle and bustle and if there's nothing to do, jumping in the car and going somewhere. The foreign police is only open Monday to Friday so we kept walking, found the train station (and H&M - we have our own H&M!) and had some more frites. Everybody eats frites here. Even today two police came by while we sat on the bench chomping away and placed a big order for HQ. The cornets come in different sizes and a kleine - small - is 1.5E and gives you each plenty of delicious, freshly-fried chips, with your choice of about a dozen sauces. I tried curry today but will stick to mayonnaise, although there are Dutch and Belgian mayonnaises. Will try both and report back.

We met the owner in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day inside. My cold is worse, but I'm getting my voice back. We are dressing very nicely and warmly, so it's the jetlag and germs from the plane latching on to me.

Speaking of dressing, it's much easier than I feared. For example my favourite outfit is my skinny jeans and a turtleneck with Icebreaker thermals underneath, my black flat kneehigh boots and a coat.

We love Haarlem, it's the perfect meeting point of big and small town. It has enough shops and cafes and buzz to keep it from being a small town, but has the charm and peace of a big village. We thought we'd be going into Amsterdam every other day, but this place has everything we need so we probably won't go in that often (work aside).

It's 7.45pm and the dark and rain are sending me to sleep...

We're Here!

2007-12-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

The flight was sooo long and exhausting but we're here! It's 5am now, D is fast asleep but I'm wide awake so thought I'd put it all down before I forget.

Sydney-Bangkok-Zurich-Amsterdam. It was sad to say goodbye at the airport. I miss everyone terribly. It only starts to hit you on the plane what you're actually doing. All the daydreaming and planning in the world doesn't measure up.

After a delay of a couple hours in Zurich, we arrived before lunch on Friday, smelly, red eyes, tired, sick. I've lost my voice. We'd look over at each other throughout the loooong hours of flying and say, can you believe this? We'd be watching the worst movies ever made, like The Invasion and No Reservations, having just eaten some really rubbish food, teenagers running up and down the aisles, and then catch ourselves and ask, can you believe, we've done it! We wanted to, and we did.

We arrived, taxi to our new home in Haarlem. It's even nicer than the photos and description. It's a really beautiful ground-floor apartment, whites and chocolate browns, very big with gorgeous furniture. Actually, we walk in, look around, and start jumping for joy. We can't believe it ours for the next two months. I didn't know a thing about scamming wireless internet but I can get it fast and free here! And there is a wonderful huge kitchen (Kath, five burners, two ovens). I am going to be in cooking heaven!

First showers are the best, even if they are quick so we can get out and take a look. It's cold, but not worse than I expected. 8C. We wrap up and take a walk. Our place is so close to everything, a few minutes' walk to the main drag but on the quiet side. And about 20 metres from a canal :-) I'd read a bit about Haarlem, and many people had told me that it was nice, but we were gobsmacked. Sooo nice! Trying not to get run over by bikes, we walked up to the Grote Markt area which is the centre of things. Lovely interesting shops, and soon it was restaurant restaurant restaurant. I've never seen so many shoe shops, so Haarlem really must be the shopping heart of Holland! Already saw a gorgeous pair of brown boots, and on sale for 80E.

We spotted some markets stalls, and then my heart jumped. There was a mushroom stall! Remember how I'd been banging on about mushrooms? Well this was even better than I could have dreamed (dreamt? I'm tired). Baskets and baskets of different mushrooms, probably a dozen different varieties. And beautiful fruit and vegies. Gorgeous organic breads. And fish. Oysters for 9E, but I didn't have time to have a good look.

Having no idea what time it was and what time we felt it was, we shared a huge cornet of frites with mayonnaise, like everybody else in the city. Then we sat inside at a pretty cafe called Lunch and had a bowl of spicy tomato soup to warm up. I've never lost my voice before, I don't like it! There is so much to talk about! The fatigue hit, so we bought some tea and went home to sleep. We could have slept all night, but had to get up to meet the owner of the apartment. She's a lovely woman our age and we might meet up today as she offered to show us around. Soon enough we were hit with jetlag again so went to sleep, but now I can't, and it'll probably take a few days to adjust.

We have to register with the foreign police so we'll attempt to do that today. It doesn't feel like my birthday at all, all the attention has been on getting sorted and getting here. But apparently it is today, so we might have a nice meal and a drink somewhere. A great way to start a new year!

I am so happy we've done this.

Here We Come, Dutchland!

2007-10-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

We got our visas!

Meet The Dutchies: Part Two

2007-10-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

We came back today for our appointment to lodge our visas, which was a flawless process of signing off our documents. We'll hear back within two weeks. Touch wood it goes through.

Meet The Dutchies: Part One

2007-09-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

With no-one knowing about working holiday visas or replying to our email queries, we decided to apply for our visas sooner rather than later. So off we went this morning to the consulate armed with the required documents, ready for our first official encounter with the Dutchies.

Except we didn't have an appointment, which apparently you need, which we didn't see anywhere on the application. But maybe we could still have the interview today? No, you have to make an appointment. We could come back tomorrow, or Tuesday, or any other day, but not today. We couldn't imagine they were that busy, I mean, what does the consulate actually do? Regulate the import of poffertjes pans?

Oh and our passport photos are wrong. They have different passport photos to everyone else. Of course they do. Much smaller ones, like those Japanese sticker booths, which only a few photo places do, and cost $25. Hair must be tucked behind the ears, and you can smile but no teeth.

And you have to show proof of where you're staying for the first four weeks. To rent a place, you need a letter from your employer and/or a payslip. But to get your sofinumber, like a tax file number, you need an address, so it's a wonderful case of dog-chase-tail. Hopefully we've found a gorgeous place to rent privately, so that could be a big help.

So we're coming back next week for part two of a process that I'm sure will have many, many installments.