patatjes oorlog

Well, we've been here just over a week now, I suppose it's time for another update.  Forgive me for my tardiness for I'm still getting used to relying so heavily on social media.

The last week has been quite wonderful. We've been taking full advantage of our relaxing time and treating this week off like a holiday!

On Monday (Sander's birthday! Happy Birthday to Sander!!), we went to the immigration office to officially submit my residency application.  We had it completely assembled so it was simply a matter of handing over some papers, getting my photos and fingerprints taken and signing a sheet, but it was exciting nonetheless.  I now have a fancy colorful sticker in my passport saying I'm allowed to stay and we just have to wait for my official residency card to be approved.

Today we had the brilliant idea to bike to the coast.  Google maps said it was 25km one way, we figured "hey, why not"! What Google didn't tell us though was that it was going to be WINDY and we'd be going against the wind the entire way.  By the time we arrived at the beach, our legs were jello and we were starving so we enjoyed an amazing portion of fries that we have no equivalent of in Canada.  It's french fries with mayo, peanut sauce and onions.  It sounds disgusting and there is no amount of cycling that can ever justify eating it, but we each had our own and enjoyed every single bite!  Nom!

I was too focused on shoving the fries in my pie hole to think of taking a picture before eating it, so Google has graciously donated this one to my blog. ;)

So WINDY!

Tomorrow we'll be preparing for our move as we get possession on SUNDAY! We are both so so so excited to see the place.  So excited, in fact, that we'v already made a trip over there and checked out the place from the outside:

Ours is the second from the top

I am really looking forward to unpacking our mountain of bags and no longer having to think for 30 seconds about what bag the item I am looking for is in.  Naturally, it's usually in the last bag searched. Or it's just in the first bag and my eyes forgot to see when I looked the first time.

Talk to y'all next week!

Hello from Amsterdam!

We made it!  And this is our view:

I can't believe the sky is actually blue! I honesty expected to arrive to grey skies and rain, so I am pleasantly surprised to to have sunshine.  It is a bit brisk at 13C, but I'll take it.

Today has been spent recovering from jetlag.  Neither of us go much sleep on the flight over (read: Sander didn't sleep at all, and I slept about an hour) so we're both pretty exhausted.  Overall though, the flight was really good.  We flew Iceland Air with a 1 hour stopover in Reykjavik and it was perfect! We weren't rushed at all and it was so nice to get off the plane and stretch our legs for a bit.  It was also really nice having two shorter flights than a short one and a massive one.  We'll definitely be flying with them again.

Even collecting our luggage was a breeze.  Five of our six suitcases were out within the first 10 bags on the belt and shortly after that I heard my name being paged.  Turns out one of our bags was left behind in Reykjavik and we had to fill out some paperwork.  We weren't too concerned.  We knew it'd show up eventually and they were going to deliver it! In the end it made life so much easier since we were able to squish all of our bags in Sander's parents' car!

After we passed along our bags and said hello, the first thing we did was have beer! Jasper, Bas and Michelle surprised us at the airport with a big Welcome Home sign.  We weren't expecting anyone to be there so it was a lovely surprise and such a good visit/celebration.  Funnily enough, we nearly missed them.  After dealing with the suitcase fiasco, we went out the side door-- where they weren't waiting for us.  Bas managed to see us though and they came running after us. 

Not much to update on so far.  Like I mentioned already, today is a relaxing day.  We did a few errands, played a round of Monopoly, and have resisted the urge to nap.  The agenda for tomorrow is looking far more productive. There's a beautiful 6km loop around a lake that is basically out the front door, so I plan on going for a run.  They also have exercise equipment along the path, so Sander is going to check those out and see if it'll do until we get our gym passes set up.  In the evening we're going to see Sander's friend Johnny. He's hosting a party and he happens to live just a short 10 minute bike ride away! And that's about it.  Still kinda feels like we're on vacation! =)

We don't get possession of our new place until next weekend so we'll be doing lot's of relaxing until then. Since we haven't ventured out much, I shall leave you with some selfies with Carter and Cash! Those two are just too dang cute to resist! 

  

One week to departure

Today, the sudden reality that Sander and I are moving across the world in a mere week has hit me like a tonne of bricks.  My heart is torn between sadness and excitement and it feels like there's a Cirque du Soleil performance going on in my tummy.  There are so many new things to be experienced, but so many fond memories we're leaving behind.

Since 2011, when I moved to the Netherlands for the first time, I have moved to Edmonton, to Calgary, back to Edmonton, and now back to the Netherlands.  People often ask if I'm tired of moving or if I'm ready to settle down; the answer is no to both.

I think moving so often has put life into perspective. Compacting our lives into suitcases has been the easiest part of this move.  Signing over our apartment and selling our car didn't phase us. Material items are simply material.  You can live without them. What has been the most difficult part so far has been saying goodbye.  The friendships we have built over the last three years have been key to our happiness here.  Jobs are jobs, stuff is stuff, but what makes you rich in life are the people you surround yourself with.

The intention of this post is simply to express our sincere gratitude for our friendships here in Canada.  Goodbyes are hard, but it's just for now!

To keep this post in true Kaylee style, here is a random picture from one of our more recent hikes in Jasper.  We sure are going to miss the Rockies, but are excited to explore some new terrain!

The last of my 1 year adventure

Alight, so I'm still very behind with the blogging, but I'm going to finish off my year adventure in this one post! And by popular request, I've decided to keep the blog going about my Canadian adventures (though, I'll guarantee they won't be nearly as cool or fun because I'll be in school).

Now, to pick up where I left off.  Sander and I had the chance to experience Egypt luxury style-- on a 10 day cruise on the Nile River.  It was simply amazing.  We met some awesome people, did some really super cool things, saw many many many ancient ruins, and overall just had the experience of a lifetime.  I have around 200 pictures from the trip, but I'll just post a few here. =)

It was HOT.  I never thought heat like that was possible.  We're talking high 40s low 50s for the whole week we were there.  Needless to say, we were in the pool every chance we had! 

Quading in the desert (and no, Sander and I did not plan our color coordination) with two couples from our ship.  They were super cool, and the 6 of us had a lot of fun.  

Karnack Temple in Luxor.

Me goofing off.  Sander's glasses were just too reflective! 

Kom Ombo Temple (I'm actually impressed I remember all the names!) 

On our way to Philae Island.

As an extra excursion, we went sailing. =)

We went to a little island via motorboat and this little kid swam up to our boat, held on and begged the entire way there.  Egypt is like Mexico x 100000 when it comes to begging.  The markets were pure torture because people would not take no for an answer.  Sander and I got tricked and ripped off so many times.  By the end of the week, it was getting really frustrating and we were very happy to be back.

This was a house on the island we visited.  It is one that a very wealthy family would live in.  Most of the houses on the island were built from mud and straw-- a way people built houses in the 20s in Canada.  

We had the chance to visit a school on the island as well.  These were the stairs leading up to the classrooms.  It was clearly a school that was struggling to stay running, and amazingly enough it was built entirely on donations.  I felt so selfish waltzing around on the island poking through people's lives and being surprised by their everyday lives that we would consider poverty in a Western culture.  I wanted to give them everything I had and help them create a better life. 

Abu Simbel Temples.  Fun fact: this is not the original location of these temples (also a bit of a disappointing fact).  The creation of a dam flooded the temples, so they blocked it off, shaved off the front of a mountain, and moved it to higher land, and glued it all back together.  That in itself was quite impressive, but it definitely took away from the awe factor I was expecting. 

This was our ship! 

A typical street in Luxor.  Talk about culture shock.  In all my travels, I have never experienced anything like it before.  I was speechless.

Chickens at the market in Luxor.

And that's where the fun part of my year ended.  Like the saying goes, all good things come to an end, and the fact was that I had some really hard goodbyes to say.  Over the year, I got to know, and fell in love with an amazing Dutch family.  The kids taught me a way to love that I never knew before, and I will always have a special place for them in my heart.  I just have to keep in mind that it's goodbye for now, not forever, and I hope to visit them every time I find myself in the beautiful little country of The Netherlands.

Me and my girlies! Pilou had just clued in that day that I was actually leaving and she would not let go of me! 

Me and Cleo

Pilou, who looks like she's about to cry. =(

Pippa!! 

My little family for the year.   We had so much fun.  I'm already missing them!!

It was a wonderful end to a wonderful year.  I am so lucky to have met such an amazing family.  I will never forget the experience I had, and will treasure it for the rest of my life.  

A One Man Trip to Paris

As promised, here is part two of Kaylee's Last Month in Europe.

Cassie flew out of Holland on a Saturday, and due to the terrifying trains in the teeny country of The Netherlands, I decided to take Cassie to the airport and bid her farewell...and catch a train for an adventure in Paris! One of my favorite musicians, Yann Tiersen, was playing a show Saturday night, and I decided it was the perfect time to go.  It was a fantastic one man adventure.  Saturday was the concert (which was great, by the way) and Sunday I wandered the city enjoying the beautiful sunshine and shying away from the angry French people who like to glare at tourists.  After joining and ditching a free walking tour, and roaming for about three and a half hours on my own, I settled in front of the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed an amazing chocolate banana crepe and read my book for the remainder of the afternoon.  Check out the awesome view I had:

I also did a little bit of people watching.  I once had a Lonely Planet book that was composed of top 10 lists.  One of the lists was "the top 10 places to people watch" and Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower was number one.  Obviously I had to check it out, and it was adorable seeing all the cute couples lounging in the grass and walking hand in hand. 

After a short and relaxing trip, I caught my train back to Holland and was greeted on the platform by Sander as he was finally back from his month of field work in Spain! 

That Wednesday we caught a flight to Luxor for our wonderful holiday to Egypt, which will be the topic of my next post! Until next time, my friends! 

Rewind and Remember

So, it's been awhile, eh? For starters, I'm back in Canada now (hence the use of eh with rather little mocking).  I could write a whole post about it, but I have a lot of filling in to do before I get to life in Canada, and to keep it easy for the both of us, I'll break it into parts.

First up: Cassie and Poland!

My dear friend Cassie arrived in Holland the weekend after I was in London.  I picked her up from the airport and we hit the ground running.  In a nutshell, this is what we did: Anne Frank house, red light district, hardcore Sunday night partying with fellow Canadian travelers, broken bikes, high tea, pedicures, biking around Maarssen area, kayaking in Utrecht, and a night of great Belgian beer at my favorite restaurant Olivier, Apeldoorn free-range monkey zoo, and a trip to Poland (which will have it's very own section in this lovely blogpost).  All in all it was a whirlwind of an adventure complete with broken cellphones and few blank memories.  Here's a photo summary. =)

High Tea at the coolest little place in Utrecht called De Bakkerswinkel.

Kayaking in Utrecht with Laura.  This is where the first cellphone fatality happened.  Laura was leaning over to help me pull my kayak in and that's when her cellphone found it's new home at the bottom of the canal. 

The adorable little monkey's at the monkey zoo...

And the two little monkey's that joined us for the adventure.

Biking in the Maarssen area.  I was so darned excited to share what my life was about for the last year.  It was so nice to finally be able to share it with someone! 

And now for Poland.  

While Cassie was here (haha, I say here as if I am still in Holland!), we made an adventure to Karakow...well, we didn't make the adventure. The worst airline in the entire world, Wizzair, made it an adventure for us.  After arriving at the airport, we were told that our flight was 6 hours delayed! What fun! Not.  After awhile, we gave into the overpriced beer and drowned our sorrows.  We eventually arrived in Poland at 11:30pm and still had an hour drive into Krakow ahead of us.  Would have been a fantastic drive if all public transport and shuttle buses hadn't been closed down for the night. Thankfully we met a really awesome Polish lady who was on the last shuttle bus from the airport to Krakow, and she negotiated (which is a polite way of simply saying she begged) with the driver to let us on.  Eventually he agreed, but only if the people who had reserved the seats didn't show up.  Thankfully they didn't and the looming thought of having to sleep in the airport vanished. =) 

While in Poland, we visited Auschwitz and Birkenau.  It was a very sobering experience, but I'm glad we went.  The material was presented in a very respectful way, and to maintain that respect, I have restrained myself from posting pictures of the actual camps.  I don't think I need to go into any detail as we all know the horrendous story.  

The rest of our time in Krakow was spent seeing absolutely everything we possibly could, and I think it's safe to say, we covered all of it! We saw the Jewish Ghetto (which has had no restoration work done on it.  All the buildings are as they were during the war), Schindler's Factory, we ate a traditional Polish meal of sauerkraut, pickles, perogies, schnitzel, and beer, we saw the castle, and I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but you just have to trust me when I say we saw it all.  

The original gate of Schindler's factory.

This was a train platform where Jewish people of Krakow were collected to be taken to concentration camps.  People were told to pack all their belongings as if they were moving away, so many people brought chairs with them.  However, the Germans had a different plan, and in order to maximize the number of people that could fit into the train car, they were to leave their large items behind.  Now, on this spot, lies a monument of chairs dedicated to the Jewish people who were forced from their homes and sentenced to death.

This is the main square of Krakow.  So gorgeous, even by night. 

Apparently, they did a contest and 16 adults can fit in this car.

I'm a creep, what can I say? I thought they were so cute, kissing and enjoying the sunset together.  Apparently, I'm hopelessly romantic.  

And that concludes this evenings edition of Kaylee's Last Month in Europe.  Stay tuned for part 2: A One Man Trip to Paris. 

London's Calling

This past weekend, I ventured to The Island and spent the weekend with Vince and Joanne in London.  It was an interesting journey there, to say the least.  This side of the world was battered with hurricane like winds on Friday morning, making flying...uhhh fun if you like a little thrill.  Taking off from Amsterdam was a bit rough, but once we were above the clouds it was fine.  It was landing in London that was the issue.  We nearly landed twice, but at the last moment the pilot abandoned the idea and took off again.  The first time it happened I was a bit confused, but not all that worried.  The lady in front of me though, my gosh, it was like the world was going to end.  The way she was bawling you would have thought we were plummeting to our death.  Then, shortly after that, the little boy behind me started throwing up.  That was when I hit my limit and just wanted to get off the plane.  Luckily, third time's the charm and we landed safe and sound with no harm done. I've never been so happy to get off a plane.

Friday evening, I met up with Laura and a few of her friends and we had dinner at a really awesome burger place called Byron, and you wouldn't believe what they had...

Yup, that's exactly what it looks like.  A rootbeer float! With A&W Rootbeer! In London!! Crazy or what?

After dinner, I met up with Vince and Joanne at the theater and we enjoyed some Minchiney goodness in the form of the musical Matilda based off of Roald Dahl's book.  It was absolutely fantastic, and Tim Minchin wrote the music so it was bound to be great.  The talent those children have is absolutely mind blowing though.  Man o' man they can sing.  Unfortunately I cannot find any songs that are directly from the musical, but here's a sample of Tim Minchin singing the song "When I Grow Up" which is the main song from the show.

The rest of the weekend was spent mainly visiting and hanging out with Vince and Joanne.  Saturday, Joanne and I did a bit of shopping.  In the evening we had a fantastic BBQ and Vince consumed enough beef to last him a month. 

Unfortunately there's no scale to show how much larger his steak was compared to the rest, but you need to just take my word for it.  We're all Albertan's and even Joanne and I thought it was ginormous.
Case in Point: he cooked his for about 15 minutes before our steaks went on the grill.

Sunday morning before my flight, Joanne and I ventured out to the auction house near their place to check out a few items.  I think we spent a good hour in there browsing through all the neat antique items.  Some were in excellent shape, some not so much.  Some were super cool, some were just plain weird.  We didn't bid on anything, but it was still really fun to look!

I thought this old leather trunk was really cool.  I figured it would be really fun to shove a small child in there and have a fun photo session.  Aside from the fact that I would never manage to get it home, it smelled like something had died inside of it, and was slightly moldy on the edges.  Forcing a child in there for photos would probably violate some health code.  Too bad though.  Other than that, it would have been a diamond mine of photos!

And that's my weekend in a fairly large nutshell.  I had another adventure with flights getting home.  I got stuck on the Tube in Central London and ended up being really really really late for my flight.  It left at 4:20 and I arrived at the airport at 3:55.  By some stroke of luck though, I managed to catch the flight and was let through even though the gate had closed already.  Thank you EasyJet!