Ice Skating Dutch Style

You outdid yourself again, Dutch.  Why have a regular skating rink when you can a rink that meanders in and out of carved out caverns?  Yes, at Sportiom in Den Bosch, I got to ice skate in a rink that was a series of paths and tunnels that cruise through a cave.  There is also a section of the rink that goes up hill a few meters and then back down hill to get a good speed burst in. 

Real rocks.  Real danger.  I was the oldest person on the ice by 15 years at least. 

The Dutch have again taken something so simple and made it so much better than everywhere else.  I'm getting tired of saying that.

Popronde 2014

Popronde is an annual music fest that travels around Holland.  It was in Eindhoven this Friday and is spread out across 20+ venues and 50+ upcoming musical acts.  I had a great time and saw some really good music.  For a full list of the bands and their songs, click here.

Food and Mermaids

Some random notes regarding realizations in Dutch-land.

1) The Dutch can really cook. Don't get me wrong, the traditional Dutch food isn't so great...raw meat spread across rolls with mushroom croquettes.  However, the restaurants in Eindhoven, Den Bosch, Amsterdam, and others have been exquisite.  We've had better French food than in Paris, better fried shrimp than in Paris, and we had a 4 Euro pizza the other night that, dare I say, rivaled any pizza I've ever had.  And for 4 Euros!  Damn.

2) I've come across a hint at my namesake.  In Dutch, the word zeemeerman means "mermaid".  I'm just saying, it would be pretty terrific if I came from a merman ancestry. 

GLOW in Eindhoven

GLOW is a annual festival in Eindhoven that features light shows and night art in all shapes and forms.  Tonight was the last night of the event.

Sinterklaas is coming to town!

1. Sinterklaas is not Santa Claus.  They understand who Santa Claus is, but is way lamer than Sinterklaas so only little kids believe in him.

2. Sinterklaas is a mythical man who came from Spain in a boat to bring children presents.  He and his horse arrive with his helpers and travels through all of the Netherlands from November 11 through December 4.  He travels in parades and his helpers give pepernoten (ginger snap cookies) to all the children.  Behind the scenes, the Piets (helpers) are spying on the children to make sure they are good or not.  If they are good, Sinterklaas gives them presents. 

3. There is global controversy over the Piets.  They are white Dutch people painted in black-face.  To those outside of Holland it does seem super racist, but to Nederlanders, it is a part of the culture.  No, these Piets are not slaves.  Their faces are black from going down chimneys to deliver the presents.  Yes, I was uncomfortable as an American seeing black-face, but it did make sense after seeing the whole festivities that is not at all weird but very normal.  Cool idea Dutch!

Random driving photos

Bon jour amigos!

Here are some photos from our weekend in Paris.  We had a terrific time.  Our hotel was nicely situated in the Gare Montparnasse area so easily walkable to Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee, the museums, etc.  But better yet, we were in a district that solely was made up of excellent restaurants and adult video stores.  Ah, the romance of Paris.

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Meat-ish?

In Holland, there is a meat delicacy found in many authentic Dutch restaurants. It is raw, ground beef with certain spices and sometimes onions.  After asking my Dutch colleagues about it, turns out it is called Filet Américain.  Not only have I never seen this dish in America, but I'm pretty sure it is not allowed to be served.  Occasionally, you might see a steak tartar, but this is not a steak tartar, this is just raw meat on a plate.  Send all comments or concerns to barack.obama@gmail.com.

I AMsterdam!

Here are some photos are our trip to Amsterdam.  We went Halloween weekend.  Halloween is an up-and-coming holiday for Dutch (think Cinco de Mayo a decade ago in the states).  There were some people dressed up, but usually just had their face painted.  We went to a great electronica show (Kate Boy) for Halloween night and stayed right down at the canals.  The next day we walked around, took a nap at the park, and then did a series of art museums at night (Rembrandt House, Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, and Stedelijk).  Overall, Amsterdam was a beautiful city, but it was hard to really see it when we were constantly avoiding getting drilled by bicycles.

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