Blogs from Gelderland, Netherlands, Europe

We boarded the tiny tram again and set off along the tracks which followed the woods. In the distance we could see a windmill or a bakehouse and yet another farmhouse . Sometimes people got off the tram and wandered around before catching the next one . At other times they sat there going round and round . On our way round we were busy reading the literature which told us we were passing the Tower Mill saved from demolition in Delft . We alighted at Lint- Tuinen as did a number of other families . There was in this part of the park quite a number of different dwellings. A tin chapel rescued from Heerenhoek, a prefabricated bungalow donated by Norway . Inside of the prefab along with other houses felt like a trip to ... read more

It's almost been a year since I wrote my last blog. At that time Covid still dominated our lives. Now it has become a background irritant. Something to be aware of, but no longer ever present. I had hoped it would have reached this stage earlier. I think many people hoped the same. I had plans to finally re-start my travelling in January, but a third (or was it a fourth?) wave put a lid on that idea. However it is not as if nothing happened during this time. In fact some pretty big events transpired. Jenni quit her job, and found a new one in Hagen, which is up north, closer to me. So, she not only quit her job, she also moved. From pretty, fairy tale like Schwaebish Hall in the south, to a ... read more

It's almost a cliché to talk about the pandemic in ones blog. But sometimes you can't get around clichés. And so let's get it out of the way, yes my life too has been shaped in one way or another by Covid-19, and yes this blog is partially about it. But only partially. Only in the sense that a lot of my actions in the last year have been influenced by what was, and was not possible. In my case, I think I was rather lucky. A lot was possible. I could still travel to Germany, even during the height of the first wave. Not as a tourist, but as a lover. Many couples were separated by borders during this time, but not me. Germany and my country kept their borders open and so I could ... read more

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

Hello peeps, me again :). Last time i talked about my trip and what i am going to do, now it is time for me to tell you about my costs. As many of you may know Australia is not cheap.... at all. I work 7 days a week trying to get all the money for this journey. I work at a restaurant, a store and sometimes doing little jobs at peoples houses. But even by working a lot i cant get all the money by my self. Let me show you what i have to pay for this trip. Lecturephase: 4900,- AUD ~€3200,- (paid) Outreach phase: 3500-4500 AUD ~€2300,-/€3000 Airline Tickets: ~€1700,- (one way ticket paid €850,-) Visa 560 AUD ~€370,- (paid) Camera: Given! As you can see that is a lot of money. As ... read more