Blogs from Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands, Europe

Our hosts gave us coupons for the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) to get deals to travel by train. After having downloaded their app, we bought tickets to go to Nijmegen to watch some of the events going on in that city with the Vier-Daagse, which is the largest walking event in the world held here every year. The March of the World has some 48,000 participants walking 30, 40 or 50 kilometres per day for four straight days. While mostly for private entries, each NATO country sends army representatives to walk in full uniform and full pack. People dress up, sing and dance as they complete their daily walk and cross the finish line. The sidelines are packed with family, tourists like us and many other well-wishers, who also dance and applaud as they sip on ice-cold ... read more

Yesterday went by in a blur of jetlag....but the solo flight/train trip to Nijmegen went well. I was really grateful that Sarah warned me that the train leaves the Arnhem station (ie, the station before Nijmegen) the same direction that it comes in - otherwise, I probably would have had heart failure. There's a public market in Nijmegen on Saturdays, so we explored the market and had lunch at a cafe. Sarah's been feeling a bit under the weather and i was exhausted, so we had an early night (ie, I fell asleep on the chair before 6:30 - oops). We did buy a bunch of delicious food at the market to eat for dinner - gouda, brie, focaccia bread, chocolate, macademia nuts/peanuts/cashews, and stroopwaffles (delicious waffle cookies with a syrupy goo in the middle). Today ... read more

Women have a more equalized role as men here, which I believe puts some truth in the "going Dutch" saying we have. Although they don't normally "go Dutch" it's not uncommon for couples that have been together for a while to split costs, but you see that in America too. The girls aren't necessarily more forward, but they seem to enjoy flirting. They do this thing called gifting, which basically means if any girl gives you something then she is showing her interest in you. And it doesn't just have to be a drink, it could be anything. A glow stick neclace, or her scarf or something like that. The people also are very friendly, and when you meet a new friend they like to buy you a drink as sort of a 'hello'. There is ... read more

Since I was still on my "World War II-kick," today I decided to visit the Nationaal Bevrijdingsmuseum (National Liberation Museum) in Groesbeek. I had originally thought it was an easy train ride an hour north of Maastricht; however, I was wayyyyyy off. It took me 2 hours to get to Nijmegen by train, & then I had to take a 20 minute bus to Groesbeek. Since it took me forever to get there, I decided I had better make the most of my experience there. The museum itself is pretty cool. It looks like an old bunker & one part of the building looks like a parachute. While it was a nice museum, it certainly wasn't what I had expected. The informational movies that were playing in some rooms were only in Dutch (without English subtitles) ... read more

With Queensday festivities officially over last Friday morning, Koert and I took a day to rest before heading back onto the party scene again. We also engaged in a little healthful activity with a bike ride through Hoge Veluwe (pronounced ho-huh velu-wa) Park, the largest nature reserve in the country, and some brain-cell-rebuilding with a cultural visit to the Kroller-Muller Museum (which lies 5.5km beyond the park gate) on Saturday. With a few clouds keeping crowds to a minimum, Koert and I felt like intrepid explorers as we rolled, nearly alone, through an ever-changing series of landscapes - from green fields to lush forests, fine-sanded desert and two-toned savanna. We returned from our adventure with bellies full of the world's creamiest, meltiest, simplest vanilla ice cream and gave our bodies one more healthy boost of soup-and-salad ... read more