Thursday was a market day for us. The weather was overcast, so we went out with our umbrellas and the boys in their rainboots. We went to Kruidvat - a drugstore - and to the weekly market to get fruit and nuts. We checked out the rain gear at the bike vendor, though decided we could get that at a bike store for about the same price. The boys and I went and picked out flowers for the week at the Hippolytusbuurt Flower Market. Eliot chose the purple flowers and I some orange ones. Miles helped carry them home in the stroller and then fell asleep.
Jim has 2 late conference calls on Thursdays, so he took a break after lunch to go to the phone store to see about the phone line we are trying to get - going on 2 weeks now. It seems a bit like Qwest, and we get a different answer everytime we go into the KPN store. Today, they told Jim that because it has been 5 working days and we've not heard from them that we should have a phone line that works. It seemed unlikely to us, but Jim went and bought a phone before he went to the C1000 grocery store for me.
Like we suspected, no phone. After Miles' nap, the boys and I went back to the phone store to call the 0900 number for customer service. The way phones work here is you pay to call customer service for most things - airport info, phone, cable, etc. The problem is if you call with a cell phone, it can cost you $20 for a 10-min call. We can call from their phone in the store for free. I finally got someone and they are working on it. They were supposed to call us back, but haven't yet. No surprise there. We went to the post office to mail some photos, letters, adn Jim's expense reports.
We didn't do much today - making pictures for friends and family, coloring, making marble runs. In the afternoon, hoping for some clearing weather, we decided to ride over to the grocery store. I haven't felt good all week and have been putting off going out. We bought the basics for that night's dinner. On our way home, we saw a group of college students on both sides of the canal chanting up toward the bridge. There were 6 students dressed in WWII-like soldier uniforms. Kind of weird, but I assume it was some fraternity ritual thing; there were quite a few spectators as well. When I got home, I realized I had forgotten the ground beef for the tacos we planned on having. The boys watched a Blues Clues video, with Jim still working downstairs, and I ran back out to the store.
Since we are now going to be here through most of the school year, we decided that Eliot needed some more regular interaction with children his own age. In Holland, children go to school when they turn 4 - literally the day after their birthday. Because of this, none of the kids in the playgroup are over 3 3/4; in fact, most kids are under 3.
I briefly checked into the British and American schools in the Hague (where classes would be in English), but it is so far away and is private education (comparable in price to Montessori preschool). Eliot has also shown a keen interest in learning Dutch, having learned several words and counting up to ten. Another big difference in Holland is that even group 1 goes to school all day 8:30-2:30 generally with 1 or 2 short days; though school is not compulsory for 4-year olds. Given Eliot's interest in Dutch and that school is 5 days a week, we decided to check into schools in Delft. Today, I had appointments with 2 schools.
Max Havelaar is a protestant, more classical (academic) school. I met with the Director and Miss Danielle - who would be Eliot's teacher. The Director of the school said that Eliot would pick up the language quickly and would be able to assimilate into the class. There was another English-speaking child in the class of 21 (with only 1 teacher). The teachers mainly speak Dutch to him, but can speak English to help him along. The facilities were nice - lots of blocks, legos, puzzles, painting supplies, little desks, and a nice outside area. This school is located just on the other side of Oude Kerk - about a 5-minute ride from home. Miles was a mess - fussy, crying not wanting to move from one thing to the next, dumping an entire bag of peanuts on the director's office floor, etc.
After the first appointment, Gina and I had planned a get together, so we rode to her house to visit. The boys had fun playing puzzles, lacing and trucks with
Merrick. She fed us an early lunch, so I could (hopefully) drop Miles off with Jim for the second appointment at 1 pm. Jim was able to take Miles, so Eliot and I grabbed the Delft map and biked on over to the Freinetschool near the Delft Zuid train station.
The school is further away (a 12-minute bike ride), but this is the only location that has an opening for Eliot's grade. It's a popular school; Gina, Deborah, and Uta all send their kids (the ones that are school age) to it. The principles are the same across their 4 locations, based on the French Freinet school - nurturing the whole child, emphasizing process rather than result, and setting lessons around the children's interest. It seems to really focus on creativity and fantasy. Perfect for a well-rounded Eliot, really. The school is 60% immigrants (from Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Afghanastan), so there is a lot of remedial Dutch and special teachers to help students get caught up in their language skills. The focus seems to be a lot on socialization, especially at the earlier grades. The class has a teacher and an assistant for 17-18 children.
I was hoping I wouldn't like this school as much as I did, because of the distance. But, it's really as close as downtown Boulder (probably closer) is to our house at home. And bus 64 does go nearby (every 15 minutes) for those days when the rain is really coming down. I did really like it. It is exactly what I'd be looking for in a school for Eliot. With schools, you have to go with your gut. So, that's what we chose. Eliot will have a male teacher Mr. Lucien, which is nice I think. We'll start next week most likely. Delft schools started back on 8/21.
When we visited the Freinetschool, the Director took us around to all the classrooms. It was fun seeing the vocabulary words and circle of chairs in each classroom, yet the different subjects and levels. One of the grade 1 classes was learning around a swimming-pool theme - towel, bikini, drying off were some of the vocabulary words with pictures and the Dutch word written. They were actually at a real swimming pool that day. The Director said the next day they may turn the home/kitchen area into a "swimming pool."
A grade 3 or 4 class was studying Iraq because one of their classmates was returning to his home country that week. They were looking at the culture, climate, geography, etc. The class Eliot and I enjoyed most was the grade 8 class studying English. They were reading in a book initially and then repeating English words from an audio tape - the words were things you'd hear in an airport: ticket, airplane, luggage, passport control, arrival. It was funny having a 4-year old who speaks great English watch the 11/12-year olds learn English.
This morning we had our first gym class in Ypenburg (Delft side of Den Haag) that a friend recommended for 2-4 year olds. Because the weather called for rain (are you seeing the trend yet?!), we decided to take the bus. Not knowing exactly where the building was, we got off at the stop that seemed right. Miles and Eliot had each brought their umbrella, as I had. It was raining when we jumped off the bus. The further we walked, the harder it rained. It was so bad - coming in sideways in a complete downpour - that we stopped 2 times under the awnings of townhomes along our way. We weren't wearing raincoats (just fleece and umbrellas); Eliot walked and I carried Miles on my arm for our 20-minute walk, so we were completely drenched when we got there. It's time to get some real raingear.
The class was pretty low key but lots of fun for the boys. We ran, played stop and go to music, did an obstacle course, and turned somersaults (the kids; I would have hurt myself). Since most (all) 4 -year-olds are in school, Eliot is the oldest in the class; Miles is the youngest being just shy of 2. The boys were quite outgoing. Carol commented that she couldn't believe Miles was not yet 2, being as coordinated as he was and showing no fear. I told her that chasing his big brother helped. The cutest moment was when the teacher called Eliot out to do the obstacle course by himself; as soon as Eliot started, Miles followed jumping, doing figure 8s, and climbing right behind his big brother. Anything brother does, so must Miles. Pretty fun!
We realized the tram was closer and easier to take home. So we took No. 15 and transferred to No. 1 back toward Delft station. We got
stopped at the lifting bridge to let two barges through. The first barge had a cage on top by the captains deck. Inside the cage was a plastic slide and play things. Such is the life for a toddler on a barge, I suppose. We passed the
second one as we crossed the canal and turned toward Delft.
For dinner, we went out to eat at the Wijnhaven restaurant for their Sun&Mon daily special - only 5 euro. On our walk home, we realized it was getting quite cool. It felt like a November evening in Boulder. Fall is coming. It is still August, right?
Sunday was more recovery from the week of being sick. It rained throughout the morning. The boys took naps pretty early - they were tired. Miles fell asleep in the middle of a diaper change. He woke up and moved to the couch where he fell asleep sitting up. Jim and I used the free time to clean and make lists of things to do to extend our stay into 2007.
Saturday morning is for Pannekoeken by daddy. The boys had theirs with powdered sugar, while Jim and I chose the savory version with kaas and spec (bacon). Eliot and Jim work on making a book after breakfast.
We get ready to ride out on some errands. When we got over to
Molslaan, we saw the swan family again. They were hanging out in the
same spot we saw them a month ago. Eliot had seen them earlier on our way to the BCC electronics store. The six babies have grown so much this summer. I wonder when they are to head off on their own. Right next to the swans was a
new fountain in the canal. The sculpture tower sprays water out of the top through a copper tube as it spins.
The markt was host to an
end-of-summer festival with all kinds of kid activites - a surfing board (like a bull ride), big bouncy ring, climbing wall, and balloons. It was totally free and the school kids seemed to enjoy it. Eliot was not sure about it. Since it looked like the rain might hold off a bit, we decided to go check out the paddleboats!
The family went paddleboating along the canals of Center Delft. It was pretty easy - we just had to move over for the tour boats as they came through. Most of the side canals are closed. We did get to go through the tunnel under the Boterbrug - which is the longest bridge in old Delft (100 m). That was cool and dark!
Boterhuis eating barge & bridges at Wijnhaven (wine harbor)
Under the Boterbrug heading toward Oude Delft
Canal along Voorstraat; beautiful fall (looking) day
Ducks on the wash stoop
Bric-a-brac market on Hippolytusbuurt
Miles enjoys another boat ride
Jim went to the grocery store to get a few things. After dinner, I gave Miles a bath while Jim and Eliot worked on a marble run. This one was quite large, making use of green tape, paper towel and TP rolls, and a pile of books! Cool. Miles enjoyed it too, though it didn't last long once he came upstairs. Then we made Jim's chocolate chip cookies - Yummy!
Miles started feeling bad yesterday, as his cold moved into his repiratory track. Since I didn't know how bad he was going to get, I called Gina to find out about doctors and the healthcare system in Holland. The family practitioners staff the urgent care clinic at the hospital outside of office hours, but they really discourage you from going in if it can at all be handled during regular office hours. Given that, I decided we should go ahead and get in today if possible. Gina referred me to her doctor, who referred me to a practice that wasn't full, who gave me an appointment for 4 pm. We biked down the street to de Hoed (hat?) doctor's office. Doctor Mulder was nice and spoke English quite well. Miles was uncomfortable and cried the entire visit. The doctor office setup was interesting. Her room had a kids play area, a desk, and then behind a curved wall is the examining room. After the exam, we walked to her desk where she filled our the electronic file, wrote out the prescriptions and answered questions.
Miles had an upper respiratory infection, not in the lungs, which is good. She prescribed a breathing treatment with a mask and chamber (rather than the US method of nebulizer), plus recommended the Europe version of acetamenophen. They (European Drs) don't feel that ibuprofen is safe for children. Interesting differences, but no doubt they are doing what they think is best.
On our way home, we returned our movie rentals and stopped by the flower market to pick up some flowers. Eliot was a great Dutch kid and carried the flowers home for me! My basket was full with medicine and our bag.
About a week ago, we started hearing the sound of metal pounding. Riding around town, we discovered a few locations where these huge, 3-story scaffolding stages were being put together. Last Thursday, we could hear a band blaring well past 11 pm from 4 blocks down the street. Laurents had told us to expect this at the end of August - the big productions, parties and loud music - when the fraternities have their events to attract new members during the first week of school for tu (technical university). This
party barge was brought in by one group.
Viva Virgiel, a organization housed behind our apartment building, was they were getting ready for some festivities later this evening.
As for our activities - a little more mundane than college students - today was a shopping day. We went to our usual haunts: the cheese store, the veggie store, and to the bakery.
I felt sick today. Well, only when
I stood up, so I spent the day on the couch or bed reading my book and books to the boys. We colored and watched TV - that was pretty much it. Luckily it was shortlived.
This was our main destination on Monday - the
American Consulate in Amsterdam near the Museumplein. Though my passport didn't expire until April, we needed to get it renewed for the residency permit. The consulate was a crazy place. Kind of like a vault, or maybe a prison, to get into. We had to get through the first gate, get wanded, go through a second set of gates and surrender our bags. I was glad to be a US citizen because I got to forgo the first cramped room of people waiting for their visa applications and go to the next cramped room without a line. The whole process really didn't take that long. We would have been in and out in less than 30 minutes but a gentleman asked if I could witness his signature on some papers. I said sure. Well, I had to wait 25 minutes for the officiant to get to us, mainly because there was a rude American (after me in the American services line) complaining about not being able to pay for his passport renewel by check, though no one in Holland uses a check. I was thanked for "doing my service" by the consulate official and we were on our way! Mr Van Eckl something or another will be forever linked by his property transaction.
Since the boys and I had to make this unexpected trip, we decided to see some things while we were there (it's a long way and costs $28 by train).
Vondelpark was walking distance from Museumplein, so that's where we headed. We found a small playground where the Eliot swang on a bar and Miles played in the sand. We had to leave when Miles - the brute - poured sand on an unsuspecting 11-month old. I was so embarassed. We went further into the park and saw lots of
box bikes (this one was perfect for dad and his two twin toddlers). and found a cafe with a large playground in back. The boys played and we ate a tosti (grilled cheese) and a ham sandwich. We watched
a flock of pigeons steal a sandwich from an unsuspecting toddler who burst into tears (of course). It was reminiscent of
The Birds. We saw 2
great blue herons while walking through the park.
We took tram 5 to the Bloemenmarkt -
flower market - with its floating greenhouses. This is the place for tulips - fresh (in season), bulb, or
wooden. They had every color imaginable and plenty other bulb varieties. After walking the block of market, we looked at the Munttoren and begain Walk #5 from
Amsterdam Explored. All along the canal, we saw
many versions of steep stairs down 2-3 feet to a door leading to a storage area or maybe an apartment. The stairs in Holland are beyond steep! "
Mommy, we're your two silly boys!" That pretty much sums it up.
The Singel - this short walk was one of gables and balustrades, baroque and rococo carvings, and even a little comedy. The agenda is mainly old merchant buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries along the Singel Canal.
Haarlemmerstraat No. 2 - 1843 corner building for life assurance company
No. 24 Vriesland with a baroque balustrade of a ship
No. 36 Zeevrugt (harvest of the sea) and its rococo balustrade of Mercury
Hoisting beams for the merchants to lift goods into their attics
No. 116 Huis met de Neuzen (house of the noses) - when house was being built in 1750s, friends of the owner offered to pay for the decoration, but only if they were allowed to include portraits of the owner and his two sons - quite cruel if you look closely!
No. 390 18th-century baroque house with two reclining figures of Apollo and Minerva
No. 423 Bushuis - Mannerist building from 1606 where the guild of crossbowmen once stored their equipment
The
canal tour boats travel through this lock after making an impressive y-turn. We watched a couple boats make the turn and head off toward the docking area. Not sure where
this billboard is from but it looks like Colorado to me. It's a strange contrast of mountains and the below-sea-level canal.
The walk took us to the train station in time to catch a 4:10 train back to Delft. The
bike parking ramps at Centraal Station is impressive. After getting settled,
Eliot takes a much needed nap on the hour-ride home. Miles had napped earlier and spent the time walking back and forth between his seat and Eliot's (over sleeping Eliot, of course).
Gerry, the owner of our apartment, had invited us for coffee at his house on Oude Delft. We walked down to his house armed with umbrellas - it was going to rain for sure. The boys had each gotten new umbrellas; Eliot was quite excited to carry his. He got to use it! We had a nice visit. Gerry's niece and nephew were visiting from British Virgin Islands (with their parents), and they played with the boys. Corey commented that Miles does funny things. Unsure if I wanted to know, I asked him what Miles did. He said Miles would take one bite of the snack and put it back in the bowl. Yes, that sounded like Miles.
When we started to leave, the rain was pouring down, so we stayed a bit hoping it would slow down. When it cleared we left, but the respite was short-lived and we got drenched on our 10-minute walk home. I suppose we are going to have to get used to this for the winter season!
Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage sight that contains 19 working windmills from 1738-1740.
http://www.kinderdijk.nl/ On Saturday afternoons in July and August, all mills are supposedly in operation. Most of the time, only the visitors mill is spinning. Since we were running out of August, we decided to head on over. After much investigation, the area is only accessible by car from where we live. The
ferry took us across the Lek to the parking area.
The Kinderdijk area has been inhabited since the 10th or 11th century. People reclaimed the peat and developed the area by digging ditches and watercourses. Originally the water drained off naturally. As the ground set and the water level rose in the rivers, it was necessary to keep the area dry via dikes and sliuces. By 1366, a system of reservoirs was created at the lowest part. This would hold the superfluous water with the use of sluices. From around 1400 the water level could be kept lower with watermills. Following serious water problems in 1726, 8 round stone were built on the Nederwaard in 1738. Two years later the same number of octagonal thatched mills was built on the opposite side at Overwaard. The reservoirs could be drained when water levelin the Lek was low. In 1868 steam pumping stations were built. Now, you see the
modern pumping stations that control the water at Kinderdijk when you reach the site. We saw this
haystack with goat on top as we walked into the area.
We arrived just in time to watch many of the mills start-up. During our visit we saw up to 15 mills turning at once. Pretty magnificent, considering these were built in around 1740. We walked to the visitor's mill to check out the inside of a watermill.
Jim and Miles examine the impressive 28-m wingspan of the mill. The mill is up on a dike. We sat on an
old blade post and ate our lunch, next to the whooshing sound of the blades turning. You could hear the creaking with the wind too; at times the windmill was really going fast. We got some great video [
yet to figure out where to post that] standing below the blades as they cut right by your head. Frightening really. There was only a flimsey fence to get you from getting your head knocked off.
The visitor's mill was up on a dike with a grassy area down the side. This was the
view at ground level. After our trip inside, Miles entertained and provided photo ops to several tourists as he and Eliot crawled up the hill and then ran down. Miles though got to the top and backed down partway; then awkwardly turned and tumbled down the rest of the dike. It was a hoot to watch.
