Vastelaovend.... Wat an avond!

While Sydney was suiting up (or stripping off?) for Mardi Gras, we were partying in Maastricht at Carnaval, or Vastelaovend as it's known as down there.  We stayed with a couple of friends and we had an absolutely cracking time.

Maarten had bought us cow suit costumes from Maartkplats.nl (Dutch version of Ebay), and we were so chuffed with them.  Last year we went to Carnaval in Eindhoven and I just didn't really get the concept as it was my first time, so our costumes were absolute arse.  Maarten looked like the killer from any random slasher movie, and I just looked rubbish.  So, this year we wanted to at least have a good crack at a costume, and this was the end result:

We went into town on Saturday night for a bit of pre-Carnaval action (as it doesn't officially start until Sunday in Maastricht) and had an amazing time.  The atmosphere was sensational.  Everyone was dressed up in their awesome costumes.  One of my faves was a group of KLM flight attendants and a couple of guy's wearing Snuggies with "Snug Me" on the front - awesome!

I had previously been a bit concerned at the trials of finding a toilet as this is one thing that is really not done well at large events in the Netherlands - female toilets practically don't exist!  At New Year's Eve a 2008/9 we were at the Dam Square in Amsterdam, and I kid you not, there was not one single toilet for women.  Not one.  Only men's urinals.  My friend Jess and I ended up going in a dark corner at the garden of the poshest hotel in town!  Rightly so I was a more than a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to get to a toilet, so Maarten got hold of a couple of TravelJohns just in case (the wonders of having a husband in Procurement!).  Luckily I didn't need to use one, because getting out of that cow costume was not fun:

I could fight my way through the crowds to use the loos inside pubs thank goodness.  I'd stupidly forgotten to bring coins though, because you have to pay to go (that is one of the most bizarre things about this country I think and a whole other rant-y post for the future).  Trying to get to a toilet was also a bit of a mission because it was nothing to end up in the middle of a Polonaise Hollandaise (that's a Congo Line to you and me) on the way!

We tottered home at around 3 am to get a bit of sleep before getting up to do it all again, this time for the REAL Vastelaovend!  In Maastricht the parade isn't so regimented as in other places, meaning anyone can join.  If I wanted I could have walked to the back of the line and danced along with them.  We only saw a few really elaborate floats.  I'm not sure if we missed a lot, or if there just weren't that many to be honest as we weren't late for the parade.

Even Vikings had prams!

We left at the end of the parade to drive home.  We had initially thought to stay until Monday, but after the Saturday night, we knew we wouldn't be able to hack the pace.  Plus, it's a bloody long way to drive even without a hangover!

It was a wonderful weekend, and I'm already planning my costume for next year.  I'm thinking we'll have to try another city so we can try to experience the diversity - it's not the same everywhere.  Cologne, perhaps?  Obviously I only want to go to Germany for the sausage and schnitzel!

For a great overview and a list of do's and don'ts for Carnaval, head over to my new Twitter friend @windmilltales post on Tales from the Windmill Fields for everything you need to know for next year!

Weekendje Weg - Berlin

Ah, Germany.  How I love thee.  Before I packed up and relocated to Europe, I swore black and blue that I would never go to Germany.  Why not? you ask.  Well, in my past life I worked as a tour guide based in Alice Springs (taking trips mostly between Uluru, Kings Canyon, the Flinders Ranges and Adelaide).  It was a job I absolutely loved.  I was fortunate enough to visit some of the most beautiful and ancient places in Australia once or twice a week, for which I am eternally grateful.  I also met hundreds of fantastic people; some of whom I still keep in contact with, and one of which I actually married!

Gorgeous, hey?

Did I mention before that Maarten was a passenger on one of my tours?  Yep, he saw me at my absolute best - in my very feminine uniform of brown shorts, green shirt and hiking boots.  Covered in red dirt and a mouth like a rude version of Steve Irwin.  Cooking damper in a camp oven and rambling about rocks.  And he still managed to crawl into my swag on the last night of the trip expecting a bit of romance.  Obviously I should have realised then that he was the perfect man for me because the person I was in that place was exactly who I am.  With no pretenses, no makeup, it was me pure and simple.  I kind of miss that Nerissa.  Haven't seen her for a while.


But I'm wandering off track a bit here (I never seem to keep the one train of thought for very long).  Not only did I meet some wonderful people, I also met some shockers.  Among those shockers were English gap-year girls (horrible high maintenance daddy's girls looking for power points for their GHDs everywhere) and Germans.  We all know that Germans have a horrible reputation abroad as terribly behaved tourists.  And they didn't disappoint.  My worst passenger ever was a middle-aged German man who ruined an entire tour, made the group hate me and nearly made me quit the job.  One particular comment that has stayed with me was "When are we eating" (as a demand, not a question.  Nevermind that I'd just driven 700+km and taken them on a 6km hike).  But in hindsight, the Germans were never problem passengers aside from their general attitude, and of course it wasn't everybody - I met some wonderful Germans on tour, even got tattooed with one.  The were never late, and never whined (hello gap-year girls, I'm looking at you).

So, I'd sworn off Germany because I wasn't fond of the tourists I'd encountered.  Sweeping judgements abound.  However, I have seen the light, and am now a borderline evangelist for Germany.  Love it.  Love how it's such a beautiful country, love how everyone obeys the rules (we were told off for crossing the street on a red man), but most of all I love love LOVE the food!  I'm glad I don't live there because I would eat everything.  There's always a dilemma when I go to Germany - do I have the bratwurst or do I have the schnitzel.  When really in my head I'm wondering if I can have the schnitzel with a side of bratwurst.  And the bakeries!  Real buns and pastries, which is something that is very disappointing here in Holland.  No good bakeries.

In February we went to Berlin for a long weekend.  Everybody I know who has been absolutely loves Berlin, so I was very excited to go.  We had an amazing deal with EasyJet - we booked return flights for €85 for the two of us, and stayed in the EasyHotel for €75 for three nights.  The accommodation was fantastic - brand new, clean and cheaper than a hostel!

After a delay at Schipol we arrived at Berlin and caught the train into the city.  We took an S-bahn train, but I would recommend taking an RER - two and a half times as fast as the S-bahn and also lovely and quiet and clean.  The NS here in Holland can certainly use a few pointers from their German counterparts, that's for sure.

The Clock @ Alexander Platz

We bought a Berlin Welcome Card valid for three days, and that gave us unlimited public transport access in Berlin and Potsam.  Let me tell you, you really need the public transport in Berlin.  Unlike Amsterdam, it's just too massive to walk around and see all the sights!  Just be prepared to climb a lot of stairs.  And I mean a LOT.  Between the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn is what feels like about 4 stories, so it's a great workout.  Not so much fun with a belly full of schnitzel and sausage though...

We travelled all over the city.  On the first day we went to the Holocaust Memorial near the Brandenburg Tor.  What an eye-opener that was.  I couldn't read all of the stories, it was just too traumatic.  One room is devoted entirely to reading the names and a brief history of each known victim.  It was very confronting and brought home the devastation of 6 million murdered Jews.  Remembering and acknowledging past horrors is something that the Germans do very well.  I appreciate the way that the country does not shy away from its atrocities in the way that other countries do.  The German people are willing to stand up and recognise their past and use that to remind themselves and the world what can happen if we allow it.

Holocaust Memorial

Holocaust Memorial

On the first day when we were walking around (we walked from the Central station to the Brandenburg Tor to Potsdam Platz) I kept wondering about the wall.  Which side was I standing on, what did it look like, what it must have been like knowing that there was a different world right on the other side....  There is a whole restored portion near the Oostbahnhof that is covered in art.  It's awe-inspiring and worth it to walk the entire length.

Checkpoint Charlie

Of course we also went to see Checkpoint Charlie.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was a bit surreal to read the signs and see that just over there was a completely different country!  There is a museum right by the checkpoint filled with tales of daring escapes from the East.  One of my fabulous aunts told me that her sweetheart was posted in Berlin on the wall at Checkpoint Charlie, which I really didn't know.  He's one of these guys who keeps his cards quite close to his chest and you can know him for years and then have a good think about it and realise you hardly know him at all.  He's a highly decorated Vietnam Veteran and was the first Australian to be posted to West Germany since WWII.  Just between you and me, he's my real-life hero.  A few years ago I went to Gallipoli for the Anzac Day memorial service and he was kind enough to let me take some of his badges (not the medals of course), so I took him along with me in spirit.  I was so honoured.

But back to Berlin.  One of the biggest highlights was going to the zoo.  Apparently it is the largest zoo in Europe, and it was just fantastic!  All of the outdoor enclosures are built around the animal's indoor houses, and you can go inside and see the animals up close!  I was thisclose to a lion and a rhino!  And we saw Knut the Polar Bear.  If you haven't heard of Knut, you have obviously been living in a (bear?) cave.  He is a polar bear that was rejected by his mother, so was raised by one of the zoo keepers.  He might actually be more famous than my twitter friend @mistershuffles (a baby elephant who zookeepers thought was dead when he was born at Taronga Zoo)!

Knut!

On our last day we took the train out to Potsdam.  Maarten had heard that there were lots of castles (Castle Alert!), so thought I might enjoy it.  As it turns out the city is FILLED with castles!  There were a couple of homes of Frederick II of Prussia, who was one of the coolest emperors in history in my opinion.  Not only did he win the land version of the Seven Years War, he introduced the potato to Europe (he was sneaky enough to encourage his subjects to 'steal' the potatoes from his private garden) and he was such a strong commander that he is regarded as one of the best in history, up there with Napoleon and Charlemagne.  I absolutely loved seeing Potsdam.  I could go on and on all day about the castles and palaces, but I probably lost you at Castle Alert...

See?!  Damned
Television Tower

I really thought Berlin was an incredible city.  It was so easy to get around, and there were endless places to eat if you're on a shoestring like we always are.  The monuments are huge in scale, but beware:  you can't take a photo of anything without the bloody television tower in the background!

I think the biggest highlight was the zoo.  I loved that you could get so close to the animals and they all look so happy to be there, unlike Artis where you can just see that the elephants are very unhappy.  It's not a visually stunning city like Paris or Brussels, but there is so much going on that you it is impossible to run out of things to do and see.  Just don't forget to take your appetite with you, you're going to need it!

Weekendje Weg - Ghent and Antwerpen

In our house we have adopted a new year's resolution that we plan to stick to.  Well, it's Maarten's resolution, and he's the boss so that means it's mine too...

This year the idea is to go out of the country at least once per month.  So far we've stuck to the plan and have trips away booked up until April.  The rules are that abroad is abroad.  So Belgium counts!

Our first trip was in January, and we went to Ghent/Gent/Gand.  I love Belgium.  I think it's beautiful and diverse.  Once you get over the trauma that is the six or so merging lanes of the Antwerpen ring road and completely bonkers Belgian drivers, it's a wonderful place to be.  I also love how all the cities have different names in Dutch and French.  Brussel becomes Bruxelles, Brugge becomes Bruges.  My favourite though is Bastenaken becoming Bastogne.  Bastenaken is one of those words that I repeat over and over in my head just because I like the way they sound.  There's a very famous cycling race called the Luik-Bastenaken-Luik and I like repeating that in my head over and over even more than just plain old Bastenaken...

Anyway, where was I..?  Right.  Ghent.  We went in January for the weekend.  Now, we're not ones to put our hands very deep into our pockets to pay for accommodation, so we booked a Formule 1 hotel on the outskirts of town.  I wouldn't really recommend it to be honest.  Sometimes the accommodation can be reasonable, but this time I really wasn't feeling it.  I think it was the long term home of a bunch of single men who hung out in the foyer all day, so if you're looking for something quiet and welcoming, this isn't your place.

Ghent itself however; what a visual treat.  Way back in the middle ages Ghent was the largest city in Europe outside Paris and it shows in the skyline.  The city's famous for its three tours in a row:  The Belfry, and the Saint Bavo Cathedral and Saint Nicholas' Church are just stunning, not to mention the Gravensteen castle dating from the late 12th century smack in the middle of town.  It was also the birthplace of John of Gaunt (Ghent), Duke of Lancaster who was the father of Henry IV and from whom the British royal family is descended from through the ages.

Three Tors

When we were in Ghent, it was absolutely freezing (being January), but it was still very pleasant.  The cold had likely made the city much more quiet, which for someone like me, that equals bliss.  Must see locations are the Saint Bavo Cathedral and the Saint Nicholas Church, but wandering around the city is just gorgeous.  The architecture is medieval and being from Australia, anything older than a soldier settler's pre-fab house makes my head swivel like it's on a stick trying to take it all in.  Mouth hanging open is obviously compulsory.

We ate at a lovely restaurant on the Korenmarkt, next to the St Nicholas Church.  There were so many choices that we became sick of wandering around looking for something and we very nearly just went to an Irish pub because it was easiest.  I think everyone else had the same idea, however because we couldn't get a seat!

The following morning we decided that we might check Antwerpen out.  I've been around Antwerpen on my way to other places countless times (oh, the dreaded ring road), but had never been into the city centre.  Actually, there was that one time but it was a car-free Sunday so we decided to keep on driving and ended up in Bruges!

Cathedral

Antwerpen was amazing!  Being a Sunday, nothing much was open which is par for the course across a lot of Europe.  However, that just adds to the appeal for me.  We could wander around the city without all the crazy shoppers and saw some absolutely stunning buildings.  The Cathedral of Our Lady was incredible.  But, there was an entrance fee so we decided not to go in on principle.  I'm always prepared to offer a donation when I visit a church/cathedral, but being slugged a €6 entry fee just gets up my nose (hence why I have never seen the inside of St. Paul's in London either).  However, there are three works from Rubens, so it possibly would have been worth the fee.  But, the bloody Louvre is only €10 by comparison!  I know.  I'm a philistine.  Anyway.  The train station was also amazing.  The stairs inside are reminiscent of that unforgettable shootout pram scene in The Untouchables.  It was another city where everywhere you looked there was something beautiful to see.  Idols of the Virgin Mary on corners of buildings, Gothic and Art Nouveau architecture, endless gabled buildings...  Just loved it.


I really can't wait to go back to Antwerpen.  We've agreed that we'll go back in the summer (to fight the crowds) for another look around.  It looks like it will be a wondrous summer city.  I might even cough up to enter the cathedral...

Grote Markt with the cathedral in the background