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De Verscholentuin
Antwerp, Belgium
Wednesday, July 1 2009
Some days I just don't know what to do with myself. Today I traveled from Amsterdam to Antwerp and met Luc, one of the two owners of De Verscholentuin. That's the name of Luc and Lous's yoga and meditation studio. I suppose I should have asked more questions (I had set this up before writing my guide for the first time WWOOFer), because I was expecting something totally different. I'm lying here in a caravan (that's a small tow camper for me and you) that I've just finally gotten some fresh air into. It had been closed up for 3 weeks since two girls from Japan had WWOOFed here. Anyway, the place..it's small. The studio holds perhaps 12-14 people, and is mainly rented out to outside groups who come to use it. It is, however, in the midst of renovations, so not many people will be coming. I'm not sure what exactly I will be doing. The garden is fairly small, and there isn't much weeding to be done there. There is some masonry work that will be done next week, but Luc mentioned that he would probably have me off doing
Breakfast!
Veggie Quiche for Breakfast. From the market... something else while he works with the mason. He's going to come up with a list of jobs for me to work on, and I'll be here anywhere from 2-4 weeks. One big difference between the place in Ireland and here is that I'm near a city. Actually, right on the edge of it. It's perhaps a 7 minute walk from the farm to the tram station, where I can take a tram into Antwerp proper. So I should be posting these things a bit more regularly.
OK, I'm kind of worn out from the last five days. Friday saw me going from Galway to Dublin (via bus), where I spent 3 nights in an interesting hostel on the edge of Temple Bar. That's the big bar district in Dublin, but entirely too touristy and full of British and German punters. Tons of stag and hen parties milling about, and everyone looking to booze and score. Not really for me, I get enough of that at home in Austin from 6th Street. Anyway, I did manage to do a few things in Dublin, such as visit St. Stephen's Green, the Guinness factory and the Jameson distillery. The latter two
Trinity College
Trinity College in Dublin. were kind of disappointing, as both were wholly commercial enterprises where they showed you pretty pictures and not much else relating to the actual work of beer and liquor making. Monday I boarded a flight and headed over to the mainland, where I spent 2 nights in Amsterdam waiting for this WWOOF engagement to start.
The kids in Amsterdam are just as crazy as I remember, but the city is about 100 times more beautiful than in November. Between the long days, the late spring bloom and great weather, the experience was even better. I wound up renting a bike and going on long, lazy bike rides. North Amsterdam was OK, Vondelpark was delightful, and I even managed to visit a few restaurants that I had eaten at last time. I got in to De Peper for dinner one night, had a sandwich at Maoz (both of which were very much needed after Irish cuisine) and even socialized with some of the kids at the hostel. They were all in college, on summer break, and very bewildered that a 31 year old guy would be staying in a 20 bed dorm room. Yeah, I learned not to do that
Sphere with Sphere
Sculpture outside Trinity College one again. 6-8 people is great in a room, but when you get to 20, there are just too many chances to have a loud snorer. Plus the beds were very uncomfortable, with a steel bar right in the small of your back. It was like sleeping on a sleeper sofa, only with someone above me.
OK, must admit I'm cheating a bit here, I did type the first two paragraphs about 4 hours ago. And since then, I've had dinner with Luc. He seems a very nice fellow. We talked about the land, the area, what he and Lous (his wife) are trying to do with the place and travel. He's another foodie, and is hoping to get me cooking for them in the evenings so he can continue working with the mason on the veranda (sunroom) and expanded kitchen that they're adding on the house. He is also talking about pretty much letting me run the garden while that project is underway. Hopefully we can get on the same page as far as the garden, I'm not all that familiar with some of the plants he has. Did have fresh gooseberries today, though. Picked them straight off
Entrance to Trinity College
The arch at Trinity College the bush. Delicious. Lous...well, I met her for 10 seconds, and she was in a terrible mood. She had lost her jacket on the train, had nothing to eat, and was yelling at Luc about watering the plants. I think she's just had a rough day, so I gave her some clearance and let her do her thing. Freshly showered, I'm now laying in the caravan. Luc was talking about my days off, and how I should go visit Bruges or Ghent. Sounds good to me, and they're even willing to pay for train tickets for me to go. Outstanding! After a wary start, I think I'm feeling a bit better about this place now. Hopefully we'll have a great time together and I can make it worth their while to put me up.
Lessons Learned:
Don't book anything that sleeps more than 10 people per room. You don't want to stay in a room with that many people. It's just too smelly and loud and obnoxious.
It's good to learn a few words of the local language, but "fuck off" is universal when spoken in a commanding tone when someone tries to mess with your bag.
The Dutch
The Liffey
View down the Liffey from near the O'Connell St. Bridge are very friendly, but very straightforward. Don't be surprised when you're asked a direct question. I like that, though.
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