Relaxing in Groningen
This weekend i had planned to go and visit my Aunty Margriet and Uncle Jaap in Groningen, in the north of Holland.
I was due for a well deserved break once again. The week that had passed was not the best. A critique with four male dutch lecturers had left me upset, pretty depressed and so stressed that the knots in my shoulders actually felt like bone. Ask Rosy - for she was trying to beat them out with a wooden stick. So i decided a weekend just chilling out, not doing any schoolwork might help me calm down again and put things back into perspective, and rearrange my priorities once again.
FRIDAY
I didnt leave until 7.30 friday night, this way i could get a cheap 'weekend retour' ticket, otherwise its very expensive to buy two single tickets. The train went direct to Groningen which was great, no stop overs. The two hour trip passed suprisingly fast. I just listened to music the whole way, and stared out the window looking at the landscape as i usually do. I really like travelling in trains, its much more interesting than travelling in a car. I seemed to be really fascinated with powerlines this time...
Uncle Jaap met me at the station and we walked through the city back to their house. Their house is in a really neat location. Right next to a little harbour, with lots of boats. I think Uncle Jaap really likes the harbour, for everytime we walked outside..he always walked right down the harbour side. And far out, their house is flippin amazing. Its like this three story house on a corner, really old styles. And the interior is amazing too, really modern and just nice to be in. I think that the thing that impressed me the most about their house was their kitchen. Really clean and looks like a kitchen showroom!It had this thing that looked like a time capsule in the wall...but is actually a steam pressure cooker. And they actually have a deep fryer integrated into the bench top as well! thats a first! I later found out that they are actually in the kitchen design business...I had no idea.no wonder it was so gadgety! On the friday night i watched this TV programme called Hack which was pretty interesting, and tried to keep my eyes open until Margriet came home. She had been out at some sportsclub dinner. Its so fun being around my mothers sisters. I love it how they all look the same and share the same habits. (photo of their house)
SATURDAY
Saturday morning i had a nice sleep in. So needed! I havent slept in for quite a while. I seem to have got myself into the routine lately of getting up at 8am. Breakfast was better than usual. I seem to have developed a new addiction to All bran cereal. Odd. But its just so good. The weather wasnt so good in the morning. When the rain cleared a little, we took our giant umbrellas and took a walk into the city. I really like the city centre of Groningen, there looked like there was some cooler shops than the ones in Utrecht. Pity i didnt have more time. We went to the markets. First to the fish man, then the cheese man, then into town to the nut store (i cant believe they have a store just for nuts...) and then to the coffee and tea shop. I think this is routine for them.
After lunch, and after having digested my food while lounging on a very comfortable chair, we went for a bike ride. It was so hard getting used to riding a bike that had handbrakes and gears. Dangerous too. When i wanted to stop at intersections i kept going for the pedal brake...forgetting there was none! We biked to Martini Platz, this big convention centre where they were having a 'Kunst Event'. It turned out to be a huge expo where like 80 or so artists could display their work to sell. I found it really interesting to see some 'contemporary dutch art', a big change from all the museums ive been to. There were mostly paintings and sculptures. I think that i saw like one printmaker amongst them. I took my time scanning each artwork, and picking up free postcards and info on artists that inspired me. And there were alot, which was unusual. It seems that alot of painters seem to be into this whole colour expressionism thing which im interested in. Cant say id pay half the prices though.
After this Margiet and i went to the Grafisch museum which is a printmaking museum. We got in free because it is museum weekend..when all museums in Holland are open to the public for free. We were in a rush for time which im really guttered about because i think this is one of the most interesting museums ive been to so far. A nice man took us on a little tour, explaining about the history of printmaking and presses, and the movable type. There were so many different machines... a machine for making letter moulds out of lead, a machine for cutting and scoring paper, and many different printing presses which i got to see in action. It was so interesting i was actually quite upset i had to leave. Maybe if i get the chance i will go back.
Before dinner i went for a walk around the area because the sun came out and there was blue sky as well! Definetly walking weather. I took a walk around the harbour, and took some photos here and there. On the other side of the harbour (ps..when i say harbour its more like a canal with boats) i found some pine trees amongst some really green grass! Reminded me so much of home. Oh i cant wait to come home! (Photos - me, the sun and a pine tree, view from across the harbour)
Dinner was just superb. Fish, fried potatoes and salad. And for dessert strawberries and cream. Such a summer meal..you know summer is on the way when you eat stuff like this. It was such a huge change to the amount of pasta and roast vegetables ive been eating lately.
After dinner we went out to the movies to see Brokeback Mountain. A very interesting film, but personally its not the best ive ever seen. The cinematography was pretty wicked, but as for the storyline im not sure. I guess i just cant really relate to it.
TODAY
This morning i slept in again. Then when Jaap and Margriet came home from church we took a drive to Heerenveen to visit their daughter Lizette and her husband and children. This was cool, although alot of the conversation was in dutch. But i was amused enough just watching the children. Funny times. Id love to be little again, you get up to such mischief!
Also had a look around their business which was like the hugest kitchen and bathroom showroom i have ever laid my eyes on. Honestly if i had to buy a kitchen im not sure i would want to go there because there is an overwhelming amount of choice..and im pretty indecisive. But oh i cant wait until i have a house of my own! Its going to be so much fun!
When we came back we had dinner which was at about 3.30. Unusual, but they insisted i eat before i catch my train back at 4.20. But it was no prob, with their kitchen they had a meal whipped up within minutes! At 4.20 i said my goodbyes and caught my train back to Utrecht.
I had such a good weekend. I feel so much more relaxed now and am ready to face this next week with a more positive attitude than that of last week! Here goes..
I was due for a well deserved break once again. The week that had passed was not the best. A critique with four male dutch lecturers had left me upset, pretty depressed and so stressed that the knots in my shoulders actually felt like bone. Ask Rosy - for she was trying to beat them out with a wooden stick. So i decided a weekend just chilling out, not doing any schoolwork might help me calm down again and put things back into perspective, and rearrange my priorities once again.
FRIDAY
I didnt leave until 7.30 friday night, this way i could get a cheap 'weekend retour' ticket, otherwise its very expensive to buy two single tickets. The train went direct to Groningen which was great, no stop overs. The two hour trip passed suprisingly fast. I just listened to music the whole way, and stared out the window looking at the landscape as i usually do. I really like travelling in trains, its much more interesting than travelling in a car. I seemed to be really fascinated with powerlines this time...
Uncle Jaap met me at the station and we walked through the city back to their house. Their house is in a really neat location. Right next to a little harbour, with lots of boats. I think Uncle Jaap really likes the harbour, for everytime we walked outside..he always walked right down the harbour side. And far out, their house is flippin amazing. Its like this three story house on a corner, really old styles. And the interior is amazing too, really modern and just nice to be in. I think that the thing that impressed me the most about their house was their kitchen. Really clean and looks like a kitchen showroom!It had this thing that looked like a time capsule in the wall...but is actually a steam pressure cooker. And they actually have a deep fryer integrated into the bench top as well! thats a first! I later found out that they are actually in the kitchen design business...I had no idea.no wonder it was so gadgety! On the friday night i watched this TV programme called Hack which was pretty interesting, and tried to keep my eyes open until Margriet came home. She had been out at some sportsclub dinner. Its so fun being around my mothers sisters. I love it how they all look the same and share the same habits. (photo of their house)
SATURDAY
Saturday morning i had a nice sleep in. So needed! I havent slept in for quite a while. I seem to have got myself into the routine lately of getting up at 8am. Breakfast was better than usual. I seem to have developed a new addiction to All bran cereal. Odd. But its just so good. The weather wasnt so good in the morning. When the rain cleared a little, we took our giant umbrellas and took a walk into the city. I really like the city centre of Groningen, there looked like there was some cooler shops than the ones in Utrecht. Pity i didnt have more time. We went to the markets. First to the fish man, then the cheese man, then into town to the nut store (i cant believe they have a store just for nuts...) and then to the coffee and tea shop. I think this is routine for them.
After lunch, and after having digested my food while lounging on a very comfortable chair, we went for a bike ride. It was so hard getting used to riding a bike that had handbrakes and gears. Dangerous too. When i wanted to stop at intersections i kept going for the pedal brake...forgetting there was none! We biked to Martini Platz, this big convention centre where they were having a 'Kunst Event'. It turned out to be a huge expo where like 80 or so artists could display their work to sell. I found it really interesting to see some 'contemporary dutch art', a big change from all the museums ive been to. There were mostly paintings and sculptures. I think that i saw like one printmaker amongst them. I took my time scanning each artwork, and picking up free postcards and info on artists that inspired me. And there were alot, which was unusual. It seems that alot of painters seem to be into this whole colour expressionism thing which im interested in. Cant say id pay half the prices though.
After this Margiet and i went to the Grafisch museum which is a printmaking museum. We got in free because it is museum weekend..when all museums in Holland are open to the public for free. We were in a rush for time which im really guttered about because i think this is one of the most interesting museums ive been to so far. A nice man took us on a little tour, explaining about the history of printmaking and presses, and the movable type. There were so many different machines... a machine for making letter moulds out of lead, a machine for cutting and scoring paper, and many different printing presses which i got to see in action. It was so interesting i was actually quite upset i had to leave. Maybe if i get the chance i will go back.
Before dinner i went for a walk around the area because the sun came out and there was blue sky as well! Definetly walking weather. I took a walk around the harbour, and took some photos here and there. On the other side of the harbour (ps..when i say harbour its more like a canal with boats) i found some pine trees amongst some really green grass! Reminded me so much of home. Oh i cant wait to come home! (Photos - me, the sun and a pine tree, view from across the harbour)
Dinner was just superb. Fish, fried potatoes and salad. And for dessert strawberries and cream. Such a summer meal..you know summer is on the way when you eat stuff like this. It was such a huge change to the amount of pasta and roast vegetables ive been eating lately.
After dinner we went out to the movies to see Brokeback Mountain. A very interesting film, but personally its not the best ive ever seen. The cinematography was pretty wicked, but as for the storyline im not sure. I guess i just cant really relate to it.
TODAY
This morning i slept in again. Then when Jaap and Margriet came home from church we took a drive to Heerenveen to visit their daughter Lizette and her husband and children. This was cool, although alot of the conversation was in dutch. But i was amused enough just watching the children. Funny times. Id love to be little again, you get up to such mischief!
Also had a look around their business which was like the hugest kitchen and bathroom showroom i have ever laid my eyes on. Honestly if i had to buy a kitchen im not sure i would want to go there because there is an overwhelming amount of choice..and im pretty indecisive. But oh i cant wait until i have a house of my own! Its going to be so much fun!
When we came back we had dinner which was at about 3.30. Unusual, but they insisted i eat before i catch my train back at 4.20. But it was no prob, with their kitchen they had a meal whipped up within minutes! At 4.20 i said my goodbyes and caught my train back to Utrecht.
I had such a good weekend. I feel so much more relaxed now and am ready to face this next week with a more positive attitude than that of last week! Here goes..
posted by simone marie at 12:39 PM
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