Ghent

 On the next day of our stay in Belgium, we went to another beautiful city, Ghent which is between Brussels, Bruges and Antwerp. Known as Gent in Flemish and Gand in French. It features medieval buildings, canals and a host of tourist attractions. There are several interesting museums and galleries and some pretty parks and gardens. One of the tourist Attractions we visited in Ghent was the Gravensteen which means in Dutch "castle of the count". After that, we walked around the city and had drinks in one of the coffee shops there. We didn't stay there until night coz we decided to visit Dennis' friend who was living in Antwerpen. But it's geat to visit some parts of Belgium for a shor time.

Exploring Brussels!

It is very cool when you travel to different places other than on your own country. Just to explore how's going here in the world. You feel so much lucky  if you have experience that.. I  wish it would happened this for me. But nothing is impossible. If  I do really like it, I need to put effort just to make it. So I was so glad when I knew that this weekend we would visit Belgium, the soutch border country of Netherlands. It's  easy to reach via car so we travelled for two hours from Vlissingen to Brussels. I just allowed Dennis to make plan where we would go and what we would do there. Dennis told me that we would go to Brussels and Ghent and sleep in the house of his friend.  That's our plan! But when we arrived in Brussels and going out in the car, I'm a little bit confused why we should bring our things to the Renaissance Brussels Hotel. I asked Dennis what we would do there. He told me that we would sleep there for a night. I was suprised beacuse this was different from what I´m expecting for. I was so happy and suprised coz that was my first time to sleep in a classy Hotel. It´s very comfortable and modern with friendly staff. I didn´t also expect that I would met Filipino Students who were doing their training on that Hotel. But the most important  to visit Belgium was to see the beauty of its capital, Brussels or Bruxelles in French.

Brussels is hastily acquiring a credit as one of the Europe´s must see destinations, with its small town charm, classic architectural style, trendy bars and restaurants, fabulous food, great nightlife, fantastic shopping and quirky museums. We strolled around the city and visit some tourist attractions such as the Manneken Pis, Brussels Christmas Market, St. Michael & Gudula Cathedral, and Sound and light show at Grand-Place. Of  Course! We didn´t miss to try Belgian chocolates, waffle and beer which Belgium was very popular with it. I also did ice skating here for the first time where I had my muscle sprain on my knee coz I didn't do good in skating but I'm lucky that there  were some French People who helped me to stand well.  I'm very thankful with them even we didnt understand each other coz they dont speak Dutch and English.

Sinterklaas 2010

Last  November 2010, I always heard the name "Sinterklaas" to my nieces because they always sing Sinterklaas song with their shoes in the front of the door before they go to bed. I was so curious about him and why all the children  here in Holland excitedly anticipate a visit from Sinterklaas. The reason of this curiosity is  all the children here in Holland are hoping that on December 5, they will receive gifts from Sinterklaas in their shoes if they been good enough. Every year, starting late November until December 5, Sinterklaas together with his helpers called Zwarte Piet who are always handing out pepernote and other sweets to the children and his faithful white horse, Amerigo, comes to Holland from Spain. He visits all the places  in the Netherlands through a big steamboat. So last November 20, 2010, that was the date when Sinterklaas came to Vlissingen. My nieces and I were so excited to go the Boulevard just to see  and meet Sinterklaas personally. I was so lucky that I had taken a chance to have picture with Sinterklaas. 

 

Here are some links that give information about Sinterklaas:

Sinternet 

How is Sinterklaas celebrated in the Netherlands? 

Video about Sinterklaas 

Sinterklaas Songs-Lyrics

Dinner with the Thais

Thailand Dinner (Nov. 11, 2010) Slideshow: Ellehcar’s trip to Vlissingen, Zeeland, Nederland was created by TripAdvisor. See another Vlissingen slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.

Volendam

Anne & Dennis in Traditional Dutch Costume

 It was nice to visit another popular tourist attraction here in Netherlands! And that is Volendam which is well-known for its old fishing boats and the traditional clothing still worn by some residents. I did really enjoy to walk along Volendam's traditional Dutch wooden houses, dikes, churches, and old centrum. Of course! We never forget to take pictures, wearing the Dutch traditional costume and klompen (wooden shoes/clog).

Poffertjes

Klompen

 Volendam also features a small museum about its history and there is a regular ferry connection to Marken, a peninsula close by where we  didn't try it coz it's little bit cold on that moment. I also first tried to eat there poffertjes, a traditional Dutch batter treat. Resembling small, fluffy pancakes, they are made with yeast and buckwheat flour and also it served with powdered sugar and butter. This small fishing village is also known for some of the most famous Dutch singers and musicians who  were born there  and bred.

 

Castle Muiderslot

When Dennis asked me where I want more  to visit here in Netherlands, I never changed my mind to see a real castle which I just see on pictures and television. So I was so excited on that moment. Finally, I would see tru my naked eye a real castle. I love castle because when I was young, I'm dreaming to live in big beautiful castle with my handsome prince charming. (lol.. I think all girls are dreaming that).

Just check this link to get more information about this castle:

Castle Muiderslot

Amsterdam Escapade 2010

Amsterdam was the best place I had been. Why? Other than of being top global tourism destination, with beautiful architectures, romantic canals and trendy shopping, Amsterdam was the first city I have been visited here in Netherlands and most important, me and my schat, Dennis did our first ever date in this city.  

From Vlissingen to Amsterdam, me and my cousin, Rowena with her three cutie kids travelled via train. Our plan was to visit my another cousin, Cristina,  who was living in Amsterdam and then, Dennis  would pick up me there. After lunch, Dennis started to give me a tour in Amsterdam ( Of course, that was also the start of our date...^__^). We went some popular tourist attractions in Amsterdam such as Anne Frank's House, Dam Square, Madame Tussauds, Cannabis Coffee Shop and Red Light District. My legs was so pain because we walked a lot around the whole centrum. But still, we had so much fun because we love being together.

First Filipinas I met in The Netherlands

Aside from my cousins, Rowena and Cristina, many Filipinos are living in The Netherlands. I was so glad that the first Filipinas I met were Ate Lulu,  Ate Tess and Ate Chyrll. They are both good friends of Ate Rowena. They are so nice to me. Sometimes, they give me some helpful advices about the culture there and the Inburgering exam. They are also living in Vlissingen with their own family.

 

From Left: Ate Lulu, Ate Tess, Karen, Me, Ate Rowena and Jennifer

Ate Chyrll with Niels

Vlissingen

My cousin, Rowena, and her family is living in Vlissingen where I stayed there for three months. It's a nice, simple town. They lived first in an appartment and then transferred into a bigger house.. 

 

Vlissingen is a port town in Zeeland. It is sometimes referred to in English as Flushing. It is the second large town of Zeeland, and has 34.000 inhabitants.

The town is industrial in character and is connected by a large canal to Middelburg and onwards to the Veerse Meer inland lake. Vlissingen is wellknown because of his 2,6 km long Boulevard. 

~Wikitravel

It's a Baby Boy!

05 October 2010- That date was very special day for Rowena and Stefan because their third child and first baby boy was born. They named him "Niels".

Baby Niels!

Ate Rowena had difficulty in delivering Niels. She had Gestational Diabetes where the consequence of having it was the baby would grow bigger than the normal. They thought that Ate Rowena would undergo Cesarean Section. But thank God, Niels was in normal delivery.

First Time I bike in Vlissingen (Eerste keer dat ik fietste in Vlissingen)

Riding a bike(Fiets rijden) in The Netherlands is  not so easy. You need to be familiar to all the roads and traffic rules there.But still, I did enjoyed strolling around the Vlissingen with Stefan and Jennifer. Thanks to Stefan for teaching me how to ride a bike properly.

First Travel Abroad

Visiting my cousin's family in The Netherlands was my first tavel abroad. My cousin, Rowena, who  got married with a dutchman, invited me to go there and stay there for three months. She needed a company for taking her children while her husband was in abroad. So that time, Ate Rowena was already near in the end stage of her third pregnacy. After I passed the Nursing Board Exam here in the Philippines, I arranged all my papers in going there. Ate Rowena sent all my papers I needed. So, She and her husband supported everything while I stayed there. I was flight last September 25, 2010,having with Schengen visa.

 

 Me with my two niece, Jennifer(left) and Karen(right)

            Three of us together with Ate Rowena

 Together with Stefan(Ate Rowena's husband)

 I was so excited. I didn't expect that opportunity to go abroad. Everything that happened to me that time was all first time to me. First time to take an airplane. First time to go abroad. Ate Rowena and her family picked up me in the Schiphol Airport on the next day I flight. When I arrived in their home, I saw a bouquet of flowers on the top of the table. I was so surprise with that and really appreciated it. Thanks to them! So that time, I started to adjust there. I adjusted to the weather, time, language, people, places ect.

 

 Flowers from Ate Rowena's Family

First Ever!

Due to always searching some informations about the Dutch Culture and language, I saw and read a lot of blogs from Filipinas who got married to a dutchman and stayed in the The Netherlands (Holland) for good. So that's why I was encourage to write and share my everyday experience through blogging. Hoping that many can appreciate my stories and have reactions in each of my writings here. I will more appreciate it too if you will do that for me.So this is my FIRST EVER writing job.:)