One-man band at Dordrecht Xmas Market
Christmas markets are very famous specially in Germany but also in The Netherlands. Though the most famous is close to Maastricht, we didn't have enough time to drive there so we decided to go to the second most famous Christmas market which is in the town of Dordrecht.
Dordrecht's Xmas market is open only for one weekend and there you can find the typical Xmas stalls selling all kind of decorations and also the typical food and drinks of these days like Glüwein, Poffertjes and hot chocolate.
The streets were completely crowded which is unusual for any place in The Netherlands and given also the low temperatures of this weekend!. Anyway, it is always nice to see some festive atmosphere!!!
P.S. I am very happy to announce that this is "SomosunoenHolanda" post number 100!!!!
domingo, 13 de diciembre de 2009
Xmas markets in Holland / Mercados navideños en Holanda
Versión en español
Contraer
martes, 1 de diciembre de 2009
To emigrate or not to emigrate
Spain is the country with the highest unemployment rate within the Euro area (19.3%) while The Netherlands has an unemployment rate of only 3.6% (source: Eurostat). Given these facts one can think that it would be easier to find a job in The Netherlands and I agree with that. The only problem is that you need to be fluent in either Dutch or English.
I have read some articles explaining that Spain would get over this crisis if their citizens emigrated. There are too many people and few jobs for them. My generation is one of the most prepared and educated, nevertheless they are offered poor jobs. Besides the language issue, most of the Spanish citizens have mortgages to pay and a family to maintain, so not all of them can just leave everything behind and move to another country. Young people, with no attachments yet, could have a better chance to escape from this economic holocaust if they moved abroad. The question is: are they willing to accept this challenge?
miércoles, 4 de noviembre de 2009
Bicycles! / ¡Bicicletas!
It is time to dedicate a post to this marvelous vehicle that invades Dutch streets. One can see bicycles of any style, size and color and they are driven by a wide spectrum of people. It does not matter whether you are a grandmother, a business man or a mother of three... you can always fit all your things (and also the kids!) in your bike. You can decorate it and customize it as much as you want. The picture above shows an "omafiets" (literally "grandma bike", the most common type of bike here) which has been pimped out with a bright color (probably to find it better and/or to avoid being stolen).
Bikes do not have a recreational use as they do in Spain, they are the most important means of transportation here. Commuting to work can be a pleasant experience compared to being stuck at a traffic jam or waiting for the bus or the train to come. After a few years living here, I really value the benefits of having bike paths everywhere. I usually go by bike to the train station and to the gym. It could take double time (or even more) to get to those places just walking and they are not far enough to go by car... so it's the perfect distance for a ride in my bike!
miércoles, 7 de octubre de 2009
The Dutch light / La luz holandesa
Maximum darkness we can achieve here. Photo by scataudo
Spaniards living in Holland miss something very important when they wake up in the morning: window blinds. The Netherlands might not be a sunny country, but the light here is pretty incredible. There is a myth that the light in Holland is different from anywhere else. This is probably caused by the permanent humidity, even if it is not raining. Painters and writers have been fascinated by the Dutch light for decades.
Houses here do not come with exterior blinds already installed as in Spain. Though we have been trying to adapt and get used to the light in the morning, it is hard... specially on weekends, when you always want to sleep a little bit more :-). If you live in a rented house like us, you cannot install exterior blinds so we tried to block the light with venetian blinds but, as you can see in the picture, they are not very effective. Then, the only solution to prevent the light from waking you up in the morning is to have blackout curtains and they have to be very well installed to block the light completely, so we are still working on that.
Anyhow, this makes me think about what is natural and what is not. It would be more natural to wake up with morning light instead of forcing our body to follow artificial schedules. Unfortunately we are already spoiled... but our children can still be saved!!! :-D
jueves, 27 de agosto de 2009
The language issue / El tema del idioma
If you are thinking about coming to The Netherlands and you wonder what if you don't know Dutch, I can tell you that's not a big problem here. No doubt it would be better if you knew some Dutch because your job options would be less limited, but you can survive and do quite well with just English.
I have to be grateful for all the understanding coming from Dutch people when you say that you can't speak any Dutch. They switch to English without even blinking. Clerks at the supermarket, bus drivers, real state agents, dry cleaners, train ticket inspectors... they all can speak English here, and most of them have a very good level. You can do the experiment yourself. If you come to The Netherlands, pick up one random passerby in the street and ask for an address in English, they will help you for sure. Now, try and do that in Spain... unfortunately our English level is far from that.
Regardless the aforementioned, I would love to learn some Dutch. Being able to speak the official language of the country you live in matters if you really want to be integrated. If only it was less difficult!
martes, 28 de julio de 2009
Delicatessen
When I was a child I used to have "pan con chocolate" (bread & chocolate) for "merienda" (the Spanish name for the afternoon snack after the midday lunch and before the late dinner). It was just a thick slice of french bread with a large piece of chocolate bar inside. It is probably the simplest combination, yet it was delicious.
I have discovered that here in The Netherlands they've taken this "delicatessen" :-) to a more sophisticated level. They take a slice of sandwich bread, spread butter on it and cover it with chocolate sprinkles. I am not sure though, if they have this for "merienda" or for breakfast. Dutch community, feel free to enlighten us!
domingo, 21 de junio de 2009
Life in plastic, is fantastic!
Spanish courgette bought at Albert Heijn. Photo by SomosUno.
One of the (many) things I find a bit weird at the supermarket is that everything is wrapped in plastic. Even vegetables, like a simple courgette, a cucumber or an eggplant are wrapped individually. I guess this is so that the barcode sticker can be placed on the plastic and not directly on the food.
I have noticed also, that Dutch people don't usually make a large shopping for the entire week. Many days, I observe people waiting at the counter queue, buying what it looks like their dinner for that day only. This could be also another reason to have everything wrapped in single portions.
I would say that in Spain we are more big consumers. Either that or we have less time to go shopping every other day.
jueves, 4 de junio de 2009
I am a Master! / ¡Soy una Master!
Giving my Thesis presentation at Utrecht University
Another event that happened recently is that... I finished my master!!!!
Yes, from now on... I am a Master of Science in Information Science!!! How does it sound? Nice, huh?
After two years studying Content and Knowledge Engineering, struggling with deadlines, presentations, while working and relocating at the same time, getting accustomed to study in a different language, dealing with group assignments, individual assignments, exams and so... it is incredible that now it is all over. And the funny thing is that if someone had told me 5 years ago that I was going to achieve all this, I would have not believe it.
Now, I have to face the professional world again. But let me tell you that if you are thinking about making a pause in your professional career and become a student again, it is all worth it. Take the chance if you can!!!
martes, 19 de mayo de 2009
Easter visitors / Visita de Semana Santa
At last I can update this blog. A lot of things have happened since my last post but you will be duly informed about all these things in the following posts.
The first thing that should be commented here is that our friends José, Maria José and Marta came to visit us on Easter. It was the second visit for Marta, so we can say that the "second round" of visits has been officially opened.
We enjoyed a FAN-TAS-TIC weather (last year was the coldest Easter ever!) and we fell in love with Utrecht as we visited this city in a splendid sunny day and all the terraces along the canals were full of people and joy. We also visited Keukenhof and Alkmaar and it is incredible how beautiful this country can be when it is sunny!! We also seized the opportunity to go to the northern provinces of Friesland and Groningen, as we hadn't been there yet.
We are getting impacient now, wondering who the next visitors might be...
jueves, 19 de marzo de 2009
Skiing in Germany / Esquiar en Alemania
SomosUno skiing in Willingen (Germany)
A few weeks ago we decided to put all the things learned in our ski lessons into practice. We tried to find the closest place so that we can save some money and go by car. We found a region in Germany called "Sauerland" which have various ski stations and was only 4 hours by car from Amsterdam.
So, we were skiing and I have to say I have improved my skills thanks to the lessons. Anyway, I am still very cautious and, taking into account the bad news of today (about Liam Neeson's wife), I am seriously considering the use of a helmet. Take care, please.
miércoles, 18 de febrero de 2009
Quick&Easy Cooking / Cocina fácil y rápida
Albert Heijn Supermarket
In this hectic life, working 8 hours a day, taking care of the children (not our case), saving time for learning new things, keeping in touch with family and friends, mantaining a healthy lifestyle, etc... there's no time for cooking!! So, to help us, Albert Heijn have designed one of the weirdest things I've ever seen in a supermarket.
On the left side of the picture you can see the numbers 1,2,3,4 ordered bottom-up. This is the order you should follow to choose the better ingredients for your recipe (they also show some suggestions in this respect).
First, you choose the main ingredient such as rice or pasta. Then, a vegetable mix has to be chosen (carrots & celery, leek & green beans...). Right after, you choose another important ingredient that is usually meat (beef, pork, chicken) or a vegetarian option (falafel). Finally you have to pick up a sauce that fits properly with the rest of ingredients (tomato & pesto, cream sauce...)
If you click on the picture you will see it better but I have to warn the Spaniards... there is a paella sauce!!! (no comments).
domingo, 25 de enero de 2009
Skiing in Hoofddorp / Esquiar en Hoofddorp
Ski Centrum in Hoofddorp. Photo: www.skicentrumhoofddorp.nl
Daniel never gives up easily and he managed to convince me to take some ski lessons. We are far from being expert skiers but we keep on trying.
The amazing thing is that we have a ski station in our own town!! Yes, yes... in The Netherlands! The country with no mountains at all. Of course it is an artificial one but that makes it perfect for learning. It has two big slopes, one of them is green (the easiest for beginners) and the other one is a vast slope with three diferent stretchs: two red ones (average inclination 40%) and one scary black slope (average inclination 50%). I would have never believed that on my second lesson I would go down a red slope. It was not perfect... but I did it!!!
And the question is... do you have a ski piste 10 minutes by bike from your home???? ;-)
miércoles, 14 de enero de 2009
Let it snow! / ¡Que nieve!
The Château de Chambord, one of the most famous castles in the French Loire Valley / Castillo de Chambord, uno de los más famosos del Valle del Loira. Photo by Somosuno.
We like adventure and we like driving, so we drove to Madrid last Christmas passing by wonderful places like Disneyland Paris, Orleans, Chambord Castle (photo), Tours and Bordeaux.
What we didn't know is that Madrid was going to be collapsed due to heavy snow on the date we were supposed to leave. This "heavy snow" is probably something Canadians would laugh at because it was only 7 centimeters of snow, but that's "heavy snow" for us. Anyway this shouldn't be enough to collapse everything: highways, airport, bypasses... and the Government has been widely criticized for this reason.
Palacio de Cristal en el Retiro, Madrid / Cristal Palace in Retiro Park, Madrid.
9th January, 2009. Photo by Marta Marrodán.
Despite this chaos, and having said that we like adventure, we left Madrid anyway skipping the blocked roads by making a "slight" detour through Valladolid. 
Outbond trip: 1,799 km, about 16 hours 57 minutes.
Return trip: 1,889 km, about 17 hours 46 minutes.
