Blogs from The Hague, South Holland, Netherlands, Europe - page 12

What can I say, now that I've had a taste of combining blog entries into one big lazy smogasbord of adventure, I'm hooked. Besides, stop being so selfish...wouldn't you rather me have a good time than spend a bunch of man-hours chronicling it for just for you? The answer to that one was yes, by the way. Anyways, another good weekend hanging out, but with no travels on the agenda. Friday was chill, just some beers at the English pub called The Fiddler and then on to a dance club called Havana. The usual suspects included Eugene, Geoff, Shruti, and her friend Goulistan (did I spell it right?). We found that imitating other really bad dancers was way more fun and less embarassing than creating our own really bad dance moves. I also found out that ... read more

Word of advice: Dutch restaurants use the term 'Mexican Food' very loosely. After being woken up at 9am with a searing hangover to move a washer/dryer combo into my apartment, I decided that the Queen would appreciate the celebration I put forth the night before and went back to bed until about 4 pm. This brings us to Queen's Day-Evening, where a bunch of the usual suspects met up in Scheveningen (the beach town) to have some dinner and watch the fireworks display on the beach. The fireworks were great. The 'Mexican' dinner was not so much. Note to restaurant: Ketchup with Dutch chili sauce is not salsa. Second note to restaurant: cheese is not supposed to form a protective charcoal layer around my enchiladas. The margaritas were orange...for the Queen. What a lady she must ... read more

SA-WEET! I got the keys to my new place today so I'm official! This place is hella cool and probably something like 900-1100 square feet; but aparently there's no way to find out because Europeans don't do real estate like that. Not even in square meters...they just don't count. I asked about how big it was and the realtor was like, well you saw it...what more do you need to know?! Crazy... Anyways, all good....lots of space, hardwood floors, great lighting, but for some reason the toilet and the bathroom (with the shower) are separate....how much sense does THAT make? Crazy Europeans.... read more

The weather was great, so I finally got the chance to head out towards the beach resort/fishing village of Scheveningen (pronounced Skay-ven-ay-gun, I think). At first I thought I would walk the whole way (maybe a little over an hour hike) but then realized it was hot and I was lazy. I caught a tram and stopped off in Madurodam, which is this uber-touristy place where you can see 1/25 scale models of some of the most interesting sites in the Netherlands. If you're the kind of person who likes model trains, this would be your heaven. All the little buildings and sites were incredibly detailed, and most of them were automated or played music, etc. The planes at the mini Schipol airport taxied around, a little guy pulled up and down to ring a town ... read more

Instead of telling the same story to everybody and thereby imperiling myself to the dire consequenses of carpal tunnel syndrome, I've decided to sell out and join the blog world. Plus, this way you guys all get to see pictures and what not, which is totally bodacious. So, let me begin: I'm currently sitting at the office for my first day on the job here in Rijswijk as the EPSS Service Take On Manager. This momentus occasion, consisting of me, a blank desk, and this laptop means several things have already happened: 1) I survived a trip 'across the pond', which of course was not entirely uneventful. My first flight was cancelled, and so I had to take an alternative trip consisting of a layover in Minneapolis and a second international flight which put me next ... read more