THE NETHERLANDS AND BELGIUM!

Hello everyone!! We're on top of a roof looking over the tiny city of Selcuk, Turkey. We're about 3 KM away from the ancient city of Ephesus, which houses one of the seven wonders of the world-The Temple of Artemis (only one column remains...)! We have yet to visit as it's been looking like it's about to rain all day, and yesterday, we went to the beach. More on this when we complete our travels here. Unfortunately, this won't be too long of a post. We didn't do too much in the Netherlands or Belgium, but I'll do my best to keep it interesting.

We arrived late on the 26th of August in Amsterdam. We didn't do too much that evening: got ready for bed and tried to prepare for the day ahead of us. The first thing we did the next day is rent some bicycles. We spent most of the day biking around the city and eating cheese and chocolate. There were a variety of great cheese we sampled, our favorite was most definitely a Danish Blue: a white cheese with little specs of blue all over it. Biking in Amsterdam is something of an experience. Everyone in Amsterdam bikes... literally everyone. I would go so far as to say that biking is the dominant means of transportation in Amsterdam; it dominates over car traffic and pedestrians. We saw people biking to work in business suits and dress shoes, heels and skirts. People attach little seats for their small children on the front or the back of their bicycles. It's seriously the way people get around there. As such, for the Amsterdam biking novice, this is a bit nerve-racking. I myself almost caused upwards of five accidents; luckily, everyone else successfully avoided my recklessness. After a friendly "excuse me" in good ol' American English, they understood our situation and pedaled along without conflict. 

The next day, we woke up late and biked over to the Van Gogh Museum. Sadly, they didn't allow pictures, so we having nothing to show for it.  We enjoyed the museum, but it was incredibly crowded. We walked around the museum tried to take in what we could, but kept getting pushed along by the crowds of people. My appreciation for Van Gogh didn't really increase after the experience. It was neat to see how his style evolved over the years; his later work was particularly interesting. However, the Museum also housed works by some of Van Gogh's contemporaries, like Odilon Redon. I think we enjoyed his work more so than Van Gogh's. He specialized in mostly black and white works, all of which were very detailed and surreal. After scouring the web, I couldn't find any pictures of our favorites, but here are a few works we saw:

We took these pictures in a park outside of the Van Gogh museum.

After this, we biked down to Dam Square and the Red Light District. Dam square didn't have much going for it; they were setting up some sort of concert event, and all of the cool architecture was interrupted by cranes, scaffolds, signs, and a make shift stage. We biked around a little bit, decided it was too crowded, and headed north toward the Red Light District. This was something to behold; not for children by any means. It seems like the whole area specializes in the obscene. There was a "coffee shop" every two door steps, a "smart shop" every third, prostitutes in windows on side streets, sex shops... whatever modern society frowns upon, is quite abundant in the Red Light District. We didn't spend too much time here; we walked through and didn't return. Most of the people were tourists, and shady at that. Not to sound too conservative, but this area attracts a certain type of hedonist that I'd rather not associate with. Regardless, I feel like it's somewhat necessary for a city like Amsterdam to have a place for this type of excess. It attracts the pot-tourists like a magnet; nice to get them out of the way, so we can enjoy the rest of the city. There is much to be said about Amsterdam's (and the Netherlands') liberal stance. From what I could see, alcoholism and homelessness are virtually non-existant in Amsterdam. Ashleigh and I spent a great deal of time biking around the city and I can't think of a single bum I saw drinking a beer at nine in the morning. Most everyone had a smile on there face, were happy to speak English to you and help you out, and overall had a pleasant disposition. It seems like everyone had some sort of job, a quiet place to live, and a bicycle. Amsterdam is one of the homiest places I've been to; maybe not the best place to visit, but Ashleigh and I both agree we could live pretty happy lives there. I haven't done any research, at all, into the political situation in the Netherlands, but it seems like there have been a myriad of reforms that have direct benefits on the people and their living situation; you can see it on their faces. If I take any image away from Amsterdam, it's that of a person out in front of their business or their home, up on a ladder, doing some sort of work. I saw multiple people doing this, and it seems that overall they were just happy as clams to have a place to live and a job. It was really amazing.

The next day we took a train to Arnhem, a tiny city outside of the fabulous Hoge Valuwe National Park. Ashleigh booked us a room on a house boat on the Rhine. It was very lovely. it had a little kitchenette, which was nice. Here are some pictures Ashleigh snapped of the view from our window.

The day after, we took a bus to Ede, where we thought we would have easy access to the park. Due to some road work, the buses weren't running to the entrance, so we spent the day walking around the little town. We noticed that even the small towns lacked any pre-WWII architecture. It was still nice to check out Ede and get a feel for the real Dutch life (not so different from American life, might I add). We had a drink and then made our way back to the bus stop. The bartender told us there was an entrance to the park in Arnhem... oops. We decided we would set off for the park in the morning. 

The next morning, we got up bright and early and headed for the park. We got there at a reasonable hour, after breakfast. Hoge Veluwe National Park is an amazing place. The land was originally purchased by a wealthy family to use as a hunting lodge. There are three different types of landscapes: forest, grasslands, and desert. After paying the entry fee, the park provides white bicycles for you to use in the park. There are paved roads to ride on, and you can witness the changing landscapes at a comfortable pace. It was really a great experience. We took a few breaks here and there to take pictures. Ashleigh also had quite a time trying to take pictures while riding her bicycle: some attempts more successful than others. There is also an art museum in the middle of the park which was collected by the wife of the family -  is only accessible by bicycle. Sadly, it was closed on the day we went, but we still had access to some sculptures outside. Here are some pictures from Hoge Veluwe:

(from the sculpture garden)

The next day, we made our way to Brussels. We booked our flight to Turkey from there, but decided to spend a day or so in the city. Upon arriving, we found ourselves utterly confused. The city was very busy; it reminded us a lot of New York or London. It definitely feels like one of the world's economic centers. We didn't do much but grab a drink and some food that evening. The next day, we set out on the town. We took a walk through Brussels' drab Jardin Le Boutanique and took some pictures. It wasn't the most beautiful place we had been, but there was a plethora of oxidized bronze statues, which was cool. We then made our way to the Bascillica. It was very amazing. There was a great park on the way up to the old church. We were taken aback by the magnitude of the building. After this, we made our way back to the area where our hostel was, and took a bus to the city Leuven. There is an old university there which offers graduate degrees in English, and I was interested in taking a look around. The town itself is really amazing. The city hall is one of the most ornate buildings I have ever seen. Here are a few of the pictures we took of our day in Belgium.

(city hall in Leuven)

The day after, we went straight to the airport and headed for Turkey!! We'll save our adventures here for another post. In a couple of days we plan on heading to the Greek island of Samos, and then I'm not sure where we'll be after that. Please comment if you can! take care!

The UK Update! (sorry it's so late)

                                                             Aberystwyth Castle, Wales

                                                                 View from the Castle

                                                           Entrance into the Castle site

                                                     Ashleigh and Tomoe at the beach
                                                             Jonathan at the beach 

                                        Tomoe and Beasel the dog at our first WWOOF farm
                                                The view from the WWOOF farm in Wales
                                            Some of the buildings from the WWOOF farm
                         One of the gardens from the farm and Tomoe's yurt in the background
                                 17th century chapel on the farm grounds along with it's cemetery! 
                                                            Another view of the chapel.
                                          Jonathan outside of the main house at the farm. 
                                           Some of the front garden that Jonathan tended. 
               View from the front porch out towards Jonathan's garden and the poly tunnel 
                                                                       Cardiff Castle 
                                                   Stone circle in the park in Cardiff. 
                                                       Two nerds on a bench in Cardiff. 
                                                   Part of the extensive gardens in Cardiff. 

                                        A cathedral we passed on our walk to the bay in Cardiff. 
                                                       Sculpture near the Cardiff bay. 

                                                              Ashleigh at Cardiff Bay.
                                                   Obviously, this is Karl Marx's grave. 
                                              Old headstone from the cemetery we visited. 

Hey everyone! (Sorry, we are still working on getting the pictures up correctly)

 

Here is what we did in London, Cardiff, and our first WWOOF farm:

We arrived in London late Thursday evening (August 14^th) and were immediately struck by the hustle and bustle of the old city as soon as we walked out of the train station. After a short walk to the “tube station” (subway stations for us Americans) and a bit of confusion as to which stop to get off at, we arrived in a bourough of London known as Brixton, where our hostel was located. As we came to find out, Brixton is somewhat of a rasta hotspot in London. There are plenty of bars, restaurants, markets, and shopping in and around the area. According to wikipedia, it is the unofficial Afro-Carribean capital of London, which was very apparent, and it contributed greatly to the overall vibe. There was a huge open-air market next to the train station, which sold “off-license” vegetables and meats. Whole skinned animals were strung up from some of the market stands. It’s not what you would have in mind if you think LONDON, but in my mind, it was a unique place to call home for a few days. The hostel we were staying at, however, was less than desirable. It was on top of one of the most popular reggae and ska clubs in Brixton, featuring live music three nights a week (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) until the wee hours of the morning. Not to mention there were a whole slew of permanent residents in the hostel; one of which was our roommate who felt no shame in bringing boys home at four in the morning, or sleeping almost completely naked. It ranks as the worst hostel experience I’ve had, but as we began to talk to some of the locals, it seems London is notorious for having awful hostels. The Hootenanny was no exception.

 

So, needless to say, sleeping was kind of difficult. We woke up around two in the afternoon on Friday. We tried to make the most of the remaining daylight and headed down toward the Thames River to see what sites we could see. First, we visited Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. This isn’t the original Globe Theater; it is a reproduction that was finished in 1997 and built near the original site. The original burned down in the 17^th century. We bought “groundling” tickets (only five pounds!) for a Sunday night performance of Troilus and Cressida, a lesser-known Shakespeare play about the Trojan War. After that, we walked over to the Tate Modern. The Tate is one of the most popular art museums in the world. We were able to see more Pollacks and Picassos, as well as more modern pieces from art-world big-shots I’d never heard of. My favorite exhibition was on the top floor. It attempted to show the lineage between Cubism, Futurism, Vorticism, and Pop Art. Here, we saw more works from Matisse, Warhol, and Balla; some really cool pieces by David Bomberg; a room devoted to the Fluxus Movement (which Yoko Ono was a part of); and, a room showcasing Communist propaganda. The latter was particularly interesting, because I had never considered the artistry involved in creating propaganda. A little later on, we went to a swanky restaurant overlooking the Thames. Here we met up with some local Londoners who were taking their Dutch cousin out for a night on the town. After dinner, they invited us to come along. They really showed us a good time. We ended up back in Brixton (somehow), which made for a quick and safe walk back to the hostel.

 

Overall it was a good night, but I think it will be the last that we drink that much for a while. After a night like that, it really takes a day to recover, and when you’re trying to make the most of a vacation, it’s just not worth it. So, yet again, we woke up at two, this time with headaches and uneasy stomachs. On top of this, there was an issue with the tube so we got a severely late start on the day. After a failed attempt of visiting the British Library, we decided to make all the usual stops on the London tourist list. We took our time getting to Big Ben and the Parliament building, taking a stroll through the heart of London all the way to the Waterloo Bridge. We walked along the Thames for a bit, visiting the beautiful gardens lining the waterside. After arriving at the Parliament Building, we snapped some pictures and made our way to Trafalgar Square, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then made our way to Buckingham Palace. 

By Saturday, we had become immune to the loud reggae downstairs. We were able to get to bed early and wake up at a decent hour on Sunday. Our first visit that day was to Highgate Cemetary, where Karl Marx is buried. For those of you who don’t know, I grew quite fond of the man after doing an independent study on him with one of my favorite professors while I was at St. Edwards. I just had to get a picture next to his grave in London. Beyond that, Highgate Cemetary is a wonderful place; I actually found it very peaceful. There are hundreds of grave markers piled into a relatively small place. I had never been to a cemetery quite like it. After that, we took a trip to the British library, where we were hoping to see the desk where Marx wrote Das Kapital, but it was no longer on display there. However, we did find a remarkable exhibit housing dozens of historic documents. We were able to see an early copy of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, complete with Medieval illustrations and calligraphy, a document thought to contain Shakespeare’s handwriting, the Magna Carta, original handwritten Beatles lyric sheets (they have really awful handwriting!), and important religious texts from all of the world’s major religions. There was a pristine Daoist scroll, which contained an absolutely mind-blowing illustration. There were multiple pre-Gutenberg Christian texts, going all the way back to when the books of the Bible were actually books, and not a single canonical text. It was pretty unbelievable exhibit to stumble upon, and even though we didn’t see what we had come for, we were glad we went. After that, we made our way to the Globe Theater to catch the Shakespeare play we had bought tickets for. Troilus and Cressida was a great play; we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was by far the most exciting Shakespeare production I had seen (which doesn’t say much). The actors were dead on. It was even cathartic, something I had never really experienced in the context of a play before. We had bought cheap tickets, so in the usual Shakespearian tradition, we were standing in front of the stage. It was fun, even though it was a little hard on the legs; I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

 

Monday, we took a bus to Cardiff, Wales, which is its tiny capital. It was quite a relief from the busyness of London. The city center is no more than a mile long; it’s located next to a bay; and there was plenty of cool architecture and parks to keep us interested. We didn’t do much in Cardiff besides walk around and take pictures. On Tuesday, we visited a wonderful arboretum that surrounded the main castle. Then we took a walk down to the bay.

Wednesday, we took a train to Caersws (care-SOOs), Wales, where we would then take a bus to Llanidloes (lan-id-lows), Wales, and from there, head to the WWOOF farm. Caersws and Llanidloes are part of a string of small towns in Northern Wales, which were about twenty miles apart. There was a local bus service that connected these towns with the main “urban” area and popular vacation spot Aberwristwyth (aber-wrist-with). We had no problem reaching the WWOOF farm. One of the hosts, Fran, picked us up in the Land Rover at about noon on Wednesday. We had just caught the end of lunch, and were able to sit down for the first of many amazing meals. That night we had a very elaborate Indian dinner. The whole area was very rural, and our hosts were no exception. Kevin and Fran had three children, Freya, Ionna, and Merlin; Freya was away, so we didn’t get to meet her. Kevin and Fran had lived in the area for twenty-two years, and had raised all of there children there. Along with the farm, Kevin runs an archaeological company and takes great interest in the Neolithic people that once populated Wales. Our hosts were some of the most ambitious people I had ever met. Along with managing four fully productive growing areas, having a small herd of sheep, two cows, a horse, bees, and an active interest in making cheese, wine and beer, they also are in the process of restoring a 17^th century chapel, and demolishing, moving, and rebuilding another barn from the 19^th century. They have made plans to build a small Neolithic settlement, which, when completed, will mimic the living situation of people at the time. For this, they have tracked down three Soay sheep, which are said to be the most primitive sheep to survive the sheep husbandry process, i.e. the sheep that would have been around closest to the Neolithic period. From soil samples culled from the archaeological digs, they hope to determine some of the crops the Neolithic people grew and are seeking those out as well. All of this, as well as Neolithic dwellings, will make up the Neolithic settlement. Our role in all of this was simply to lend a helping hand when needed. They assigned each of us a garden to tend. Ashleigh tended the green house and tried to salvage a garden they had started on top of a nearby hill. I had the main garden in the front of the house; mostly I weeded and picked strawberries, blueberries and zuccinnis. Ashleigh seemed to produce a lot of peaches. Along with this, they had us clearing areas for new dwellings, moving stone, chasing sheep; basic grunt work we were happy to do. That Saturday, we took a trip to Aberwristwyth with a fellow WWOOFer named Tomoe. Aberwristwyth is a neat town, with one of the most unique beaches I’ve seen.  From what I understand, the sandy beaches are mixed with bits of slate to produce this strange gray color. There were also these cool rock patterns lining the beaches. 

Right now, we are in the Netherlands, we’ll have a blog up about what we did here in the next couple of days (hopefully). We’re heading to Belgium tomorrow. The WWOOF host we were planning to stay with ended not being able to take us. With the three weeks that opened up for us, we’re taking a cheap flight to Istanbul, Turkey!! We’re very excited; we’re leaving on the 3^rd. From there, we plan on making our way to Budapest, Vienna, and Krakow. We’re not sure about the details in between, but we may also be making a stop at Sofia, Bulgaria, and Belgrade, Serbia. We also might just take a plane to Budapest… not sure. We’ll let everyone know how this turns out, as well as our short trip to the Netherlands, in a couple of days.

 

Take care!