Day 77 of 364 - Thur 10/20: Party of 1

Word of the day:     Repasser    (Ironing)

My life here is sooooo cool that I decided to throw myself a party... party of 1 that is! And guess what the theme was?!?! Ironing!!!
Yes, I ironed I think for 4 hours today, but I was able to iron ever single one of Steve's shirts. Woo hoo! And I caught up on a few of my tv shows while doing so. So it was a productive day over here in the Netherlands.

And I imagine that buys me a month before my next Ironing Party. Anyone want to join me?

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 76 of 364 - Wed 10/19: Blogging

Word of the day:     Tapant    (Typing)

Today I almost caught up on my blog... but then got sidetracked... typical Sarah

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 75 of 364 - Tues 10/18: Package in the Mail

Word of the day:     Verpakking     (Package)

What a GREAT Mom I have!!! ...she sent us a Halloween package! It had a little refrigerator ghost and candy corn in it. Thanks Mom!!! You are the best!!

it says a few different things, but this is my mom's favorite saying and what sold her on sending it to me...

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 74 of 364 - Mon 10/17: Baking Day

Word of the day:     Kaneel Brood   (Cinnamon Bread)

Typical start to the week for us... work, gym...
I also had some leftover buttermilk that I wanted to use before it went bad, and it just so happened that I ran across a recipe in the BHG Sept issue using just that... Cinnamon Bread. Sooo Yummy!!! (I even had to hide it from Steve bc he would have eaten the whole loaf that night!)

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 73 of 364 - Sun 10/16: Day of Rest!

Phrase of the day:     Neem en pauze    (Take a break)

Today is a day of rest.... taking it easy!

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 72 of 364 - Sat 10/15: Gin!

Word of the day:     Koekje     (Cookie)

It is nice to be home after a long week of traveling and site seeing, so of course I slept-in today! Yay!!

Since it was a gorgeous Fall day, Steve and I headed to a gin fest in Hasselt, Netherlands. It celebrates a Dutch gin Jenever. I guess you can only find such gin in a few select places... European Union regulations specify that only liquor made in Netherlands and Belgium countries, two French provinces and two German federal states can use the name jenever.    There were also numerous street performances from many different bands who all dressed alike within the group. We also picked up Speculaas.. freshly baked right there on the street! Maybe some of you remember eating windmill cookies as a kid... I know I do!! These cookies were the same type flavor... gingerbread-ish-- cinnamon, ginger, cloves flavoring with sliced almonds baked in.

                                          

Fountain that they pour jenever from

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 71 of 364 - Fri 10/14: What a Sweet Guy I have!

Word of the day:     Kalendar     (Calendar)

It is the end to a great trip.... Thanks Tracy for the invite and for mapping out the agenda! I had a wonderful time.
(Remember people... if you are heading to europe give us a shout! We would love to meet up with you even for a day or 2, even a few hours :) )

Once home I got the house in order and laundry started. Steve then surprised me with flowers when he came home from work. What a sweet guy!! <3 ya! xoxo  We then did date night and tried a restaurant we've been waiting to re-open. (Guess they were remodeling over the past few months.) It was definitely a great meal and we will most likely return to Eetcafe Ceramique.

                                             

 

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 70 of 364 - Thur 10/13: Trip #4.5 - Ireland

Word of the day:     Gevangenis     (Jail)

It's our last day and night in Ireland :( The week was definitely a good one, with lots and lots of driving and site seeing, but we can say we saw Ireland! (see arrows on map)

We finished today with the city hop-on/off bus tour, stopping at a few sites, including the Guinness tour and then heading to the Temple Bar area for dinner and drinks. And yes, I did drink some beer while on the tour. Can you believe it?!?! It still didn't change my mind on beer... I will stick with wine.

                            

                                    Tracy's own perfectly poured
                                 Guinness w/ shamrock!

Reminded me of "I like tuuurtles"  haha!!

                                  

                                        Temple Bar area

me drinking the Guinness

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 69 of 364 - Wed 10/12: Trip #4.5 - Ireland

Word of the day:     Smalle Wegen     (Narrow Roads)

Back to Dublin! and we get to drop off the car, which means no more narrow, winding roads that are completely treacherous to drive on. Just like I mentioned in a previous post, Trains, Planes and Automobiles I felt at times we were in the scene I shared a link to. Way too many buses and trucks over the center line coming at us head on, with nowhere for us to move over to. It was crazy! Here are some shots of typical road scenery we experienced. Even a one lane road, that was not one way!

         

 

Once in Dublin, we had a few more sites to visit (Malahide Castle and Casino at Marino) and then it was off to the pubs for some "relaxation"! They looked just like all the Irish Pubs do in the states... nothing different!

                                  

 




Till next time...
Sarah

Day 68 of 364 - Tues 10/11: Trip #4.5 - Ireland

Word of the day:     Klippen     (Cliffs)

We tried to go to the Cliffs of Moher, but no luck for us, it was waaaayyyy too foggy. We could barely see more than 20ft in front of us. Total Bummer!

So we moved on to Newgrange. It is a prehistoric site and is 500 years older than the Egyptian Pyramids. Those that built it even built a small hole above the entrance that allows the sun to shine right thru on the winter solstice.

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 67 of 364 - Mon 10/10: Trip #4.5 - Ireland

Word of the day:     Landschap     (Scenery)

Less driving today :) We hopped on a tour bus and did the day long tour of the Ring of Kerry. Both of us were extremely happy we took the bus and did not drive.

Along the ring there are many different scenic viewpoints that we stopped at to take pictures. One of our first stops was at a place that offered Irish Coffees, but we each went with the Coffee and Baileys... YUM!

After a few more stops it was time for lunch, and this pissed me off just a tad. I didn't really get a good look at the menu where the prices were listed, but of the dishes I saw, none really caught my eye. So I went with a bowl of stew. It did taste alright, but nothing to write home about. AND it didn't even come with a piece of bread/roll. I had to buy that and a coke. I figured this would cost me around $10, but no it cost me over $20! What a rip off!!! I would never pay that much for a freaking bowl of soup anywhere!

So note to those who go to Ireland and do the Ring of Kerry tour... pack your own lunch and do not eat at the Scarriff Inn!!


Here are some of the views...

Till next time...

Sarah

Day 66 of 364 - Sun 10/9: Trip #4.5 - Ireland

Word of the day:     Vleierij     (Flattery)

Today is another busy day...
It started off with me taking my turn at the wheel. Note, I have never driven on the "wrong" side of the road before, so after watching Tracy yesterday I was a tiny bit nervous bc of the roads and just mindset of being on the opposite side. So I kept telling myself, "stay to the left, and then to the right." This was key on the NARROW roads! ... drive on the left but stay close to the center median for better depth perception and use the side mirrors to check tires against the yellow dotted lines.

We headed to Cobh which is a main port for Ireland. Many boats had their last port of call here, including the Titanic. I believe at that time Cobh was known as Queenstown, but later returned to its original name of Cobh.
We got to the Titanic museum at 9:30, right when it was to open, but guess what?!?!? ... It never opened! Even after waiting for an hour...Ugh! And we were not the only ppl there waiting for it to open. I was disappointed since I do like the movie Titanic and thought it may be a cool little museum. Poop!

It was then back to Cork where we hoped to go thru The English Market for some good ppl watching and lunch, but guess what?!?! ... It too was closed! Urgh!! Whatever I had looked at never mentioned it wouldn't be open, but on their actual homepage it does. (0 for 2 today... double Poop!)

On to Blarney! Of course we kissed it! Hopefully I am now endowed with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery)  I even saw a leprechaun in a small door!
               
                  

And then we stayed in a real Castle that night... howling winds and blowing rain all night long!

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 65 of 364 - Sat 10/8: Trip #4.5 - Ireland And we are driving... and driving.. and driving

Word of the day:     Huurauto     (Rental Car)

Up and at em, bright and early! We had a few hour car ride ahead of us and then the site seeing would begin! Remember in Ireland you drive on the "wrong" side of the road, and sit on the wrong side, so driving from a new perspective can take a little while to get used to.

First up... Kilkenny (about 1.5hr drive SW of Dublin)
Here we walked around the town and window shopped, toured the Kilkenny Castle.

                             

 


Then it was onto Cashel... We toured Rock of Cashel, and all I kept thinking and couldn't get out of my head was, Rock the Casbah by the Clash... The sharif don't like it   Rockin' the Casbah   Rock the Casbah
Yes, I am a dork, I know!
It was also here that we experienced the nasty, misty rain that makes it hard to see out over the country side.

              

 


And then onto Cork where we stayed the night.

Oh and I should mention, Steve was able to meet up with our friend Chris Ignash in Cologne, Germany which is about 2hrs away from Maastricht. Chris was there for a quick work trip, but what a small world that he was so close and they were able to meet up, huh?!?!?!

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 64 of 364 - Fri 10/7: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Word of the day:     Regenboog     (Rainbow)

Have you ever seen the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles?? ... good movie! Especially the part when they are on the highway at night.  Best scene!! (click on it)   Well I felt a little like them today... first I took a 1hr Train from Maastricht to Eindhoven, then a 30min bus ride from Train Station to the Airport, then a 2hr Flight to Dublin, and then a Taxi to the hotel. All is good and I made it!! Not to mention I saw my first rainbow in Ireland when I left the airport. Luck O the Irish!!

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 63 of 364 - Thur 10/6: Pack it Up

Phrase of the day:     Pak je koffer     (Pack your suitcase)

Packing day!! I head to Ireland tomorrow to meet up with Tracy. After all, I am a part Irish... time to check out my roots!

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 62 of 364 - Wed 10/5: Strawberry Fields

Word of the day:     Aardbeien    (Strawberry)

Went to the market for the cheap fruit I like to get each week and got scolded by the older lady working the stand... I guess it is frowned upon to not catch strawberries rolling down off the cart as you pick up a basket, and then place one that was on top of your basket that rolled into the one next to it back into yours! She honestly said, "You let the one fall to the ground, and then you took another one for your own basket." ... she then proceeded to to take that strawberry out of my basket and give me the rest. Seriously?!?! WTF????

#1... I actually did try to catch the one rolling.
#2... the one she took out of my basket really was originally in mine.

Ugh... whatever... just give me my damn fruit!

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 62 of 364 - Tues 10/4: Cooler than Expected

Word of the day:     Bewolkt     (Cloudy)

Well the sun is taking a break today, so not much went on. I worked out, did some work and then Steve and I went for Thai food. Ho Hum, Ho Hum.

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 61 of 364 - Mon 10/3: Take Some Time to Smell the Roses

Word of the day:     Banaan     (Banana)

So I didn't fall asleep right away last night so this morning got off to a slower start than I was hoping for. Rolled out of bed at 10am, but once I started moving it got productive.

First up... 20min run, then straighten up the place a bit, followed by coffee and homemade banana bread on my balcony (thanks for the recipe Grandma -- absolutely delicious!!). It is soooooooo gorgeous, actually PERFECT, out right now as I type this! ...sun shining right on my face, not a single cloud, an ever so slight breeze and a perfect 61*!

I think logging some hours for work will have to wait just a tad bit longer :) I need to enjoy these days before they slip away for the rest of the yr. (note: last week it finally stopped raining and turned to a nice late summer... sun everyday with temps in the upper 60s/low 70s. What I call perfect!! ...of course if I can't be at a pool or beach, then perfect would be 80*)

Gotta go... Need to do some more relaxin in the sun!

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 60 of 364 - Sun 10/2: Trip #4 - Munich, Germany

Word of the day:     Auto     (Car)

Boo...6hr ride home. Luckily it was an early night last night, so no driving w/ hangovers!
Today's stop was at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

Favorite part... the building's architecture, followed by the random facts posted along the tour that covered the past 100+ years.

**And the most IMPORTANT part of today... My parents' 35th Wedding Anniversary! Soooo incredibly lucky to have them as parents! Love you guys and miss you! Sorry we couldn't be there to celebrate w/ you, but that means more fritters for those at dinner ;) xoxoxo<3 you

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 59 of 364 - Sat 10/1: Trip #4 - Munich, Germany -- Official Oktoberfest

Word of the day:     Zoute Krakeling     (Pretzel)

OKTOBERFEST!!!

First thought... why 2 words for 1 word?!?! hmmm??? ...save that for a rainy day ;)

Another day of getting up bright and early... it was just like we were heading to tailgate before a Bears or Michigan game. Since we did not have reservation at a tent, we had read that they will fill up by 10/11am the latest, so we headed out to get there by 9:30.

We chose the Hippodrom tent bc it served wine for those of us who don't drink beer. (Not mentioning any names... Sarah) We were in luck and got there before it opened and were able to get a seat right away. (Note: you must have a seat in order to be served, not much standing is done at all)

And I think you know how the rest of the day went... liter of beer, liter of beer, liter of beer, pretzel, liter of beer, wurst, liter of beer... and so on until about 5pm! It was a good time and we met a few new German friends that we drank away the afternoon with!

I did go there thinking there would be a lot more entertainment than there was, but I was wrong. Just one band.
And outside the tents was a typical carnival you would see in the states. I guess I didn't read enough beforehand bc I was not expecting to see roller coasters, tilt-a-whirls and carni games.

So just as we said when there... add another check to the good ole Bucket List!

LONG DAY!

Till next time...
Sarah

Day 58 of 364 - Fri 9/30: Trip #4 - Munich, Germany

Word of the day:     Picknick     (Picnic)

Today, we woke bright and early to hit the road for our 6hr car ride to Munich! If you know me I don't mind driving, but the smaller back seats here make it just a tad bit uncomfortable. Oh well, right!?!?.. the pains of traveling Europe. I know... stop complaining Sarah :)


Our one and only break was to fill up with gas, hit the restrooms and eat a picnic lunch. Especially with the nice weather continuing, it was a nice break from the ride. It was here I saw one of the most bizarre things... the toilet seats spin around when you flush with some kind of gel/antibacterial arm sponge that comes out to clean it while it spins. I mean this is a full 360* spin of the oval shaped seat. Soooo wierd!! Honestly when I came out, both Kim and I started laughing and discovered neither of us had ever seen something so strange before! (Wish I had my camera!)

Once at the hotel we checked in, and I went to drop our bags off in the room before we would go park the car. I thought the reception made a mistake and gave me a single twin bed since I walked in alone with Kim and Jamie, while Steve waited for us in the car. But NO... somehow Kim and I managed to both book rooms that were singles. oops! (Maybe we had been drinking wine when booking???) 
(Note to those traveling to Europe: re-read the bedding arrangement bc even though you say you have 2 ppl in a room they don't seem to care and will give you room options for 1 person. kind of dumb if you ask me, but they do... so you have been warned.)


We then headed to the Hofbrauhaus for some food (I wanted a HUGE bavarian pretzel) and the boys wanted BIG beers and Weiners!  Yum!!  This was the start of our Oktoberfest weekend

                        

All over Bavaria one can find delicious pretzels. Especially large at Oktoberfest, they are slightly crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. All around Munich you will see people enjoying a mid-morning breakfast of these wonderful Brez'n accompanied by a tall Weissbier (Wheat Bier) and Weisswurst (white sausages) with sweet mustard. You have to try it!

Till next time...
Sarah