Mini road trip - Luxembourg and bastogne

So hockey first then we will get to the more interesting part of my week this week.
We lost 4-3 - Penalty after the game. I thought I played one of my better games, the tempo was very similar to Pennant A, but like Pennant A - they were half a second off the pace. Unlucky for them :-)
The most disappointing thing was that half the team stayed out till 4-5am the morning before... ridiculous. But I managed not too add to my personal card tally, so I get to play this week yay...

Monday was a nothing day - Andrew went to Amsterdam to meet his parents, I looked up stuff to do in Luxembourg and Bastogne, we were supposed to work, but there wasn't much to do on our house. We  had an early night as we wanted to leave the next day to go on our first road trip. It is only really 300kms to Luxembourg.... but, it was still a trip. So we set off early in the morning, made good time, with our "prearranged" music by Tarks... which I later found out was just an 80's folder copied onto his Ipod, we sang along to tunes such as "electric blue" and "sail away" if you have to ask what those are, too bad! We were quickly in Belgium and the lights lining all the freeways were once again our friends - even though it was daylight.. I suppose money like that gets spent when you don't have a government. See the link for my time lapse (only 10 secs worth of belgium driving!) Our first of 2 destinations was Bastogne - pronounced BASS STONE and we arrived on scene of not knowing where the tourist office was - this was a minor hiccup, but we found it after a bit. We got to the office - there was a famous Sherman Tank out the front, with me doing my 'Tank Face' - don't ask...

 

We then found the museum in bastogne - unluckily for us the massive one was closed, but the temporary one was good enough. It was pretty good, we were there at the same time as a school group - our students are usually much better at behaving in a public place - they were running around crazy everywhere. Maybe they have seen too much war history. For me, I only told them off a few times.. ahhaha.

 I will post a collection of photos from the war museum, will be easier then describing it.  

Note the two photos with the gun above, the gun is placed on wooden pylons.. Immediately after this photo was taken, the gun slipped off the wooden support, and somehow - I managed to catch it. yeah... it's pretty heavy. We left quite quickly....

After the museum (about 2 hours) we had lunch at the amercian memorial - which is a huge star with all the states around it. On top you can look and see which army came from which direction etc. But it was a little vague and a little annoying. Belgium is a funny country, some speak dutch, some speak french, the road signs change in the south to French. But Luxembourg is a whole new ball game. Will get to that later.

 

After we left the American memorial, (oh and for those who don't know, bastogne was the point at which the war turned towards the allies in the Battle of the Bulge (or the battle of the Ardennes as it is known as) Hitler decided it would be a good idea to make a huge counter attack through the forest, and a huge amount of people died there (not as much as the eastern front, but still alot)) we went to the forest where the 101st airborne were situated. It just looks like a pine plantation, but on further inspection we discovered the foxholes where the troops were hiding when they were holding the woods near the town of Foy.

This a foxhole -
  As you can see from the left, the woods are quite dense, and the foxholes that you can see are originals that the soldiers were hiding in. Like all war places that I have been to in the last few months, this was almost the eeriest. it was a warm 24 degrees when we were there, not the negative 15-20 when the troops went through.


This is a tree that had been hit by a shell, the tv series band of brothers made this experience more valuable, as it showed what it was "like" without just trying to imagine it.

We left the woods - briefly taking a chance to see the german war cemetery (only about 6000 graves....) and then headed to Luxembourg to meet Jo - the person we were 'couchsurfing' with. We drove quite easily through belgium and into Luxembourg, and with the help of 'Jimmy' our GPS took us there with only 1 wrong turn. We met Jo - had quite a nice chat with him - he works as an IT tech in a high school in Luxembourg. He lived/s in a nice 2 bedroom flat with quite a nice view of the hills behind his flat. We went to the supermarket when Jo went on a Mbike ride. We soon quickly found out that the language was crazy!!... we heard german - saw some french written down, and I swear that I heard some dutch words being spoken also. We got by using our charade skills :-) When we got back we found out that they speak "luxembourgish" I don't know if that is the correct term for it - it was what Jo told us it was though. So some speak french, some speak german, and some luxembourg. Which is a thrice of german, dutch and french from what I could tell. Interesting... Suffice to say - we struggled. We struggle enough in holland! But we got by. That night we went to a bar int he middle of luxembourg, - check out the toilet picture!!  The next day we caught the bus to see the city of luxembourg.

To the left - The female toilet - to the right - male toilet, they both meet in the middle to wash their hands! Not bad, but different..

We walked around the city of luxembourg, the whole city was a fort. There is a huge valley in the middle of the city with some really cool bridges that are spanning the valley. Castle designs everywhere, and huge walls and tunnels.The highlight was mainly to see a city that it so much different then what we are used to.

BBQ - this is off his balcony. Enough said - enjoy the shot.

This is a castle that was on the other side of the valley that took us a long time to walk to. Well, it looks much better in this picture then it does up close. It was two stories! I can jump over 2 stories, no wonder they got smashed! (note: Smashing may or may not be factual)

Another cannon! :)

Train bridge spanning the valley. - With train going over.

This is one of the walls - the cannon is in one of those holes in the wall.

This is from the road as we drove into Viaden, fairy castle :)

That night we had a BBQ - see photo, and showed Jo some hamish and andy and a little bit of netball and AFL. I don't know how much he understood of the H+A or how much he understood of the sports (considering he was an IT guy) but we showed him that and went to bed early - stuffed after walking from 11-6 with 2 breaks of 10 mins. Lots of walking... The next day we went country luxembourg. Seeing two towns, Viaden ( think it is spelt wrong) to see some castles.







This is where we had lunch - we were looking for a place to eat lunch - but off the beaten track and quite a nice place to eat. I will upload the video. We really had no idea where we were, but it was good. After this - a tired time going home. We only traveled for 3 days, and we were spent after it, I don't know how we are going to go with our plans to travel for 6 months total... hmmm....

Smashing, Bashing and Crashing.

The last three/four days have been fun and hard at the same time. There is not a lot to write about really. We got to the work site, and we got told what we were doing. Demolition. - well more like disassemble. We were in a floor of an office block, and they wanted it gutted. Walls - gone, ceiling - gone, air ducts - gone. It all had to go. So we started off by carrying the plasterboard sheets and dropping it into a huge skip (bin) that was about 8 foot high, so getting heavy boards into it was difficult. But we eventually got to use the hammer, and despite tarks' protests, smashed things to break it - if in doubt, hit it harder. "You can break screws you know tarks".. haha
It was pretty physical work, and after coming home, we were spent. But we earned over 300 euro in 3 days, so that will help a lot. Was pretty sore on friday, had my kids do alot of pushups, they are not very good at doing them, and I felt so mean making them do about 20% of what we do in Aus. So friday night we went to training, saturday was lazy - I went to hockey again, we had a birthday party of one of the guys last night, and it is off to hockey today. An important game - we have a chance to get to 3rd place - which means we play a final to go upto the next league. But we lose - and we are out. We will see what happens.

Only a short update. - We are heading to Luxembourg on tuesday as andrew is going to meet his parents in Amsterdam. So me and mark will head south to find out what the smallest country in Europe has to offer. Bye for now.

Decisions and a case of history repeating itself.

It is funny about when you are not in a routine of work, sleep, eat and play sport that things can come and go out of left field to hit you and throw things all out of whack. (Or have the potential to do that). But lets start at the start.
Back to the game. We made the paper!

http://www.gelderlander.nl/sport/hockey/8659553/Australiers-bewijzen-waarde-bij-Boxmeer.ece

Good good.

I think that we played ok, I scored the best goal I think I have scored in a game for awhile, but it was just clean I think, not great. For those hockey players among the readers. It was a fast break turnover and I back-stick deflected a goal into the left corner net from a hit in from the right hand side of the field. It was nice - quick, but it was no beat two and hammer in the corner.Tarks hit two goals, what we call - right spot at the right time goals, a tap in, and a rebound over the keeper which had slid. But it was HOT... hockey was not a sport designed to be played in 28 degree temperatures. We had drinks breaks to make it into a quarter game. We were up 3-0 and my and funky came off, - not saying that the turnaround had anything to do with it... but they hit two goals very quickly. I now know what 'hockey nouse' is. When you are up 3-0, sooner or later the other team will have a hard stab to try and get one goal. Our guys just relaxed, big gaps in midfield, and with our midfielders always not playing cover (like we do in australia) there is no one to cover defend. Many times I have been in our defensive circle playing the come in and save the ball last man. - Just like I do in aus. the dutch do not do this. Consequently when the fullback gets beaten in a man on man game plan, then they get a goal. Or two in this case. I got moved to a defensive CH, and we held on for dear life, as they can at us with everything. We got a goal to make it 4-2 against the run of play, and that was it.

After hockey I went to Bono's house - a nice young boy with the best english of the team to watch football with about 4-5 other ppl.  We then left and had some nice fried food at "de flip" which must be referring to what you do when you eat there for 20 years... Nothing but fried food, it was amazing...

back to de bok to meet the rest of the guys, which was interesting cause they were there, and we were clearly the minority, but it was good to be away for a little time. So the evening was finishing, and we were chatting abotu travel and meeting up in far away norway etc, and funky was leaving - with the only key to our house. Which i asked, hey - you have the only key, he said - no worries I'm going home. I arrived 30 minutes later to find out that he certainly was not home.. GRRRR. So I waited 15 minutes, and then broke in. He arrived about 40 minutes later asking how I got in...... Twice in 3 days...

Anyway monday was a lazy working day. Tuesday was the day of my interview with the school. Not an interview as such, as they did not know what I did, or what I was available for but I needed to start making a bit more money. So the school was very nice, and the kids were so well behaved. I asked about student management (they stream all the students) and he looked at me like I was crazy. interesting... And then with the school tour, showed me all the teachers and the classrooms - note all have projectors and screens... and lockers are so nice. They don't have metal 1980 lockers, or graffiti on the walls, or loud yelling... I wonder if they even have an exit system to kick kids out of class. Lets take some of these dutch teachers to traf and see how they go.

So the outcome was as follows. As I am not staying here for an extended amount of time. Say 1-2 years. they can't offer me alot of work. Which leads me to the decision of - could I stay here and teach for 2- maybe 3 years..... What would I have to give up? would too many things change. I decided that I don't have enough information to make any sort of decision yet, - but I can stay on as a volunteer and get paid about 5 euro a hour. I guess that will do, a) it will allow me to teach in a school and see if sometime I did want to return and do the whole teaching thing. and b) it will give me some food money at least. 5 euro a hour is better then 0 euro per hour.

So we are leaving boxmeer in June. I will tell our landlord this week that we can't keep working on our hosue cause we are upto our 20 days, which leaves us with 4 months of paid house rent. So we are doing some demolition work tomorrow till friday, which means that we get 12.50 a hour for smashing stuff. Sounds like a good job to me - can smash things. - the guys will testify to that. just look at our hockey changerooms. 

Now I am going to go back and help the guys with some painting, and I will update later on how our bashing has gone.

Nanti.

PPnJ's....

The last couple of days have been ah.. lets just not give a definition of feelings - You can decide.. I will explain and then try and mellow a little while writing this. Mark and I have thought it is a good idea to start eating a little healthier - Funky doesn't care as he is incapable of making any sort of decision. So me and mark are cooking. (RBTL). On thursday Mark went gardening in venray with our landlord and we stayed home and did a little bit of work on our house. Friday we didn't do alot, but it was the arrival of Neva - the girl from Philadelphia.(Who is staying in France atm) It was our first couchsurfing experience. I organised most of it, mark helped with getting sheets, we cleaned some blankets, and went and cooked tea. Funky sat in bed. But he said that he was going to take her to the airport on saturday morning so that was ok cause it was a 5:00am wake up. So friday came, we picked her up from the airport, and at the risk of Andrew reading this - when she arrived, me and mark chatted - andrew went back to bed. Great social skills there... Anyway, she came along and watched us play hockey, we had training and we stayed at the hockey club chatting (by we I mean everyone) until about 12.30-1.00. To which comes the 2nd best part of my story. We got chatting about food, and I was introduced to the american Peanut butter and jelly. Now, before some of you scoff and say "yeah I have had it" or "ewww" I was as skeptical as a conspiracy theorist on 9/11. But I sucked it up, and had a crack. I was amazed, it was good, and I still can't believe that I am typing this, but the flavors mixed very well... they might know a thing or two the ol Americans..  So we were going to continue out after this little food lesson, but mark got too impatient waiting for me and left, so I went to bed. Here is where my night/morning go turned completely upside-down.
1.Coming home at 3:30 was almost the entire hockey team. Fine - that happens sometimes. But not when you have a guest that needs to sleep.
2. Andrew was drunk. - Remember earlier that he said he was going to drive Neva to the airport.. well, not anymore.
3. He wouldn't come and help with navigation
4. I couldn't get back to sleep to get the little rest I could have to be not really tired to drive... but I can drive tired anyway usually, so that wasn't a big issue - I just wanted 4 points.

Anyway, so I quickly google mapped the route, and we took off a little late.. I made 2 major wrong turns that cost us about 20 minutes. Considering that the time to the airport was only 20 mins drive, it is a fair detour! And add to that the stress of that someone(that you don't really know) is relying on you to get them to the airport as this is the only flight this weekend and has to work... hmmm...  Lets just say that I was not very happy. So we got there at about 6.15 I think, flight was leaving at 6.50. So it was in enough time, but it was cutting it fine. (we should of got there at 5:50) I sent an apology message to Neva about it.. Annoying that funky never thinks about consequences for his actions, and we have to cover it up. Traveling is ok, but living - well it's a good thing that we are moving out soon and going to see things. (I am nervous about couchsurfing with him through Europe after yesterdays display)

I should have known that he was never going to get up, but my trust in my friends is just that. I got lost again on the way home, ended up driving halfway to Koln (or cologne) before a phone call to wouter lightened my spirits a little.

"Hey wouter - if I was driving to K-O-L-N would I be going the wrong way"
"Yes - but it is a nice city" I smiled through my tiredness and annoyance, and turned around, almost U turning it onto the wrong side of the freeway (damn right side of the road countries!)
So the car got a top speed workout at 5.30am on the way home - mum don't stress, there was no traffic,  the autobarn is fine, but for those interested, our car goes 201kmph. (Ford mondeo wagon)The originality wore off after a few minutes, so I settled for 140. On the way back though, the scenery was very good through western germany. Nice woods, green everywhere and the sun was rising.

So I got home - a little bit less angry, but fuming still. Funky still thought that it was funny, but I gave him a spray. he listened - dunno how much though.

Anyway, so it's early, I fell asleep reading about ellie and homer, and there plot to blow up another few petrol stations, and spent the rest of the day reading once I woke up. It was also a sad day as I finished the books.. Now what am I going to read. If anyone can find the ebook of the Ellie Chronicles - let me know.
The best part of the day was hearing about (although cuth was incommunicado) the win 3-2 against dandenong ( a team that came from SL2 last year). Jo sent me some photos of the game ( I will share them on dropbox for you) which made me so proud of what the guys are doing back home against the odds. Cuth - I know you read this. Keep going mate. - I also got a few of my deadish garden - they haven't been weeding it, but I hope that Clarke makes them do it before they leave, cause that would not be a good thing to come home to.  So I watched the new adam sandler film called "Just go with it" hmmm... I don't know how many cliche's that you can have with a film nowdays.. Don't bother - unless you are doing something else at the same time. It's not a deep film. I did watch the king's speach this morning though, and... well it was ok, a bit slow for me. Leaps and bounds above that stupid sandler film though. We have to get a team photo taken today, and our last home game is also today. I am on 2 yellow cards and you get suspended if you get 3, so I must be on my best behavior. (although I haven't really done much to earn the first 2!) I have my teachers "interview" on Tuesday - don't know what I am going to tell them, but I hope that I can at least teach a few days in another country before going on our European tour. So writing this has put me in a better mood, mum don't stress I am fine. Just give max and buddy a pat. :-) Will talk to you all later :-)

Doi.

 

Amsterdam and a week of planning

So the resistance museum... From seeing it a week ago, my post reaction is a mixed one. Firstly the Museum of dutch resistance was cool. It showed how a few guys funded (through fraud and creative accountancy) the living of underground people. They gave money to people that were hiding during the war (Millions and millions) and forged it to look like real business. Without them, they would of not survived. They went on to describe the train strikes, spys and what not. The other mixed part about the museum was that it described what the japanese did to the dutch east indies - or indonesia. There was also detail and personal stories about how they had been persecuted. But there was no mention of how that they were there in the first place, and the dutch went back in and had a bloody war trying to get indonesia back - the very thing that they had done to them - they were doing 2 YEARS AFTER it. What hypocrites.... Made me feel quite weird thinking that people were so stupid...

anyway... we left the museum feeling really really tired. Maybe it was that sleep had caught up on us, but we went back to Roberts house and andrew fell asleep watching the wedding hahaha. What wedding?? That's about as far as I cared.  We then went to meet koen (guy who plays for us) at his house and talked for a while, had a BBQ on his roof (well what you could call a BBQ)

The "BBQ" and note Tark's new Dreadlocks....

This was the view on sunset - with a strange man on a ladder...

So we then went into town... We were not prepared for the amount of people that we met... My goodness. We didn't meet them, but they were everywhere.... Just crazy.
 The picture above doesn't do justice, but wow,... there was people everywhere...

 We got a little lost getting home, Mark got sent into get Hungry Jacks (or burger king) with the mission to buy 2 meals... spent over 20 euro and had 2 massive bags of food. we thought is was very very funny. He didn't know what happened, but he still paid her. Haha. So we ate food on our walk home, and got to bed very late. I woke up the next morning about 8.00 and it was queens day - we could already hear the music outside. There was stalls everywhere, people selling things, and massive music platforms - see below.

I manged to make it onto Mark's shoulders for this and other photo shots.

See - I told you.

So we stayed in Amsterdam till about 6-7.00 - before that I had a conversation with some random guy from Czechoslovakia, and ordered some indo food - attempted in indo, the girl had no idea... very very amusing. Anyway, we found the station to get home via the metro - much  much easier to get around then in Paris - albeit because it is so small. And back home we were heading - me reading my series "Tomorrow when the war began on my computer" Instead of watching tv, I have been reading this series of book, I am up to book 5 in about a week. So home we went, I got us off at the wrong station... so a 10 minute mistake and we waited at Arnhem for a bit. Then back on the train and off at Nijmegen. It was heavily crowded, Japan Style. but it was ok. We got to bed, and sleep came quite quickly... well after a little bit more reading. I thought that it would be a good idea to read before I went to sleep, as watching movies was keeping me up till past midnight, reading isn't helping, because I am so engaged in the book, I am fighting sleep to keep readining. amusing...

So this week we have been working most days, we had a little bit of work taking soil samples yesterday for 10 euro an hour for 3 hours - better then nothing. The biggest issue of this week has been trying to figure out if we are going to play hockey next half season. I wanted to - but I think that if we are leaving in novemberish, then I won't have enough time to see things, germany, england,.... hmmm. The other guys don't seem to make decisions, and we don't want to spend our whole holiday in boxmeer - I know that the right decision is to say goodbye - but we have just got comfortable here... a job might hold me here for a bit longer.. But I doubt it.

We beat the 2nd top team with our hockey they day after we got home from Amsterdam, so the guys were happy, and we played well (came from 2-0 down). and I ticked off another yellow card to my name. I can't seem to catch a break, this one was for two of us getting our sticks twisted. The club was going to appeal, but we missed the time period. We are hosting a girl from Philadelphia tomorrow, taking her to airport on Saturday morning. Will be interesting. - First Couch surfing experience.. . Well until next time.. When we do something interesting, I will update this.. But for now, we will be painting, and other odd jobs. Nanti.