Extraordinary sight at the Trocadero - the view point from the Right Bank over to the Eiffel Tower and Champs de Mars - a takedown by cops on horseback, in plainclothes and in uniform of the vendors around that site.
First off, usually in Paris, you go to tourist destinations and the vendors just flock around you and flash their wares in your face. Here they jangle small to medium size replicas of the Eiffel Towers in front of where you're walking, effectively causing you to play dodge with them. Well, we're just taking in the view after running the gauntlet of vendors and suddenly we see them all in one move sweep up their wares or stuff them in garbage bags and run together across the street around the Trocadero and out of sight! It was like watching human pigeons take flight!
Then we see another flock of them run east and down from the Trocadero and then back up and over a small pseudo garden before getting stuck. Then the plain clothes cop takes one of them down and the cops on horseback scare them back into the garden.
Finally they disappear and a few have stuffed their faux Eiffel tower souvenirs in the bushes.
Curious to see how they all moved together - literally like a wave / flock of birds...
Tigs caught some of it on camera and here's her video of a live take down!
- Jet
April 27, 2011
Food in other places
I love going to supermarkets in foreign countries - as much to find out how they work and they're laid out as the goods and foods in them. You never know what household thing or new food you might find that is just an "aha" moment for you. In Singapore two years ago, I discovered a bike seat that easily straps onto the bike rack and it made transporting the kids in bad weather, so much easier.
Now this is one of my favourite things from the Netherlands... you don't seem to find it in other places:
Can you guess what it is in the tube?
It's dark and white chocolate spread!
It's the content as much as the form with the content that makes this a delight. In the Netherlands they have ketchup and mayonnaise in tubes too. I wonder if it makes it more environmentally friendly or less. ..
Here's another new discovery at the supermarket:
Yes it's crunchy Ovaltine spread... it's malt flavoured, crispy (from rice and nuts) and chocolatey too! Yum!
- Jet
Now this is one of my favourite things from the Netherlands... you don't seem to find it in other places:
Can you guess what it is in the tube?
It's dark and white chocolate spread!
It's the content as much as the form with the content that makes this a delight. In the Netherlands they have ketchup and mayonnaise in tubes too. I wonder if it makes it more environmentally friendly or less. ..
Here's another new discovery at the supermarket:
Yes it's crunchy Ovaltine spread... it's malt flavoured, crispy (from rice and nuts) and chocolatey too! Yum!
- Jet
TOBY`S TRIP PART ONE 1/2
DAY 6
Today we were going to Paris by train from Amsterdam.When we arrived in Paris we went for a walk i saw a toy store and was allowed to by something from the shop(it was kinda a mall actuarially)and there was a shop for Lego only.Then for supper we had lam with oysters the oysters were disgusting( i detest oysters)than i was really tired so i went to bed.
Tiggy's Travels part 4
Yesterday we arrived in Paris, France from Holland by train it was boring but when we got there we dropped off our stuff in the place we're staying and we went window shopping for a longtime and then we went "home". at the house we watched TV and then my mom's friend came home and we got to babysit their baby Dash, he cried most of the time because he missed his parents. then later we had oysters (which are disgusting), some lamb and some potatoes and then we went to bed.
April 25, 2011
Tiggy's Travels part 3
Today we went to Amsterdam and i bought some shoes for the wedding (picture below as well as a picture of my dress). we also went to Vondel park and to a film museum where we watched felix the cat cartoons (picture down below). to day was super fun but not as fun 4 toby cuz he got stung by stinging nettles but not too bad.
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| Felix the Cat |
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| My Shoes |
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| My Dress |
April 24, 2011
Bicycles and Bikram
Yet another cloudless day - just unbelievable. I don't know which goat it was that I slaughtered but I wish I had a few more of them.
So today we went to Haarlem central station and got bikes. They were the usual sit-up-and-beg type with just three gears but it felt very authentic although I copped out of the back brake sort - that would just have me gliding into traffic and panicking. The kids got bikes too and it was really cheap.
We packed a lunch and off we went towards Zandvoort. We quickly exited the city and ended up in a park area - lots of trees and greenery and then rolling sand dunes. We didn't got that far, the kids running out of puff, but it was a great ride and quite a lot of other people were doing the same thing. It felt really great!
After a late lunch, Annamaria and I scooted back to Hanna's apt and we got ready to go for some Bikram Yoga! I am not generally a Yoga bunny, I find it quite slow and boring, but Annamaria's a real fan of Bikram Yoga and her enthusiasm made me curious about the class.
It was incredibly hot in the class and I thought "Uh-oh" I'm going to faint from the heat... but it wasn't long before I got used to the heat. The class was good and I think I stretched parts of my body that haven't really seen much action for a long time. When it got round to the balancing poses, I had another "Uh-Oh" moment and just tried to focus on the lady in front of me. Of course, when she lost her balance, I ended up falling over... Funny thing is that I have better balance on my left foot than my right. Why is that? I am after all right handed - so shouldn't I be right-footed too?
I managed to do the whole class without stopping or giving up and was quite proud of myself. It felt I just had a facial afterwards too. I'm still feeling lithe and relaxed and let's hope I can get a proper night's sleep tonight. So far, I've been kicked out of the bed twice.... damn kids!
So today we went to Haarlem central station and got bikes. They were the usual sit-up-and-beg type with just three gears but it felt very authentic although I copped out of the back brake sort - that would just have me gliding into traffic and panicking. The kids got bikes too and it was really cheap.
We packed a lunch and off we went towards Zandvoort. We quickly exited the city and ended up in a park area - lots of trees and greenery and then rolling sand dunes. We didn't got that far, the kids running out of puff, but it was a great ride and quite a lot of other people were doing the same thing. It felt really great!
After a late lunch, Annamaria and I scooted back to Hanna's apt and we got ready to go for some Bikram Yoga! I am not generally a Yoga bunny, I find it quite slow and boring, but Annamaria's a real fan of Bikram Yoga and her enthusiasm made me curious about the class.
It was incredibly hot in the class and I thought "Uh-oh" I'm going to faint from the heat... but it wasn't long before I got used to the heat. The class was good and I think I stretched parts of my body that haven't really seen much action for a long time. When it got round to the balancing poses, I had another "Uh-Oh" moment and just tried to focus on the lady in front of me. Of course, when she lost her balance, I ended up falling over... Funny thing is that I have better balance on my left foot than my right. Why is that? I am after all right handed - so shouldn't I be right-footed too?
I managed to do the whole class without stopping or giving up and was quite proud of myself. It felt I just had a facial afterwards too. I'm still feeling lithe and relaxed and let's hope I can get a proper night's sleep tonight. So far, I've been kicked out of the bed twice.... damn kids!
Tiggy's Travels part 2
Today we went cycling in Holland with bikes that we rented, we had a picnic lunch, then returned the bikes and went to the house. At the house my aunt gave me a Mani-pedi i got silver toenails and red with white flowers on my fingernails. it was really fun also today i went on cleverbot which Toby told u about in his post, i asked cleverbot what 785 x 495 equals he didn't know what it was it equals 388575 i figured it out by myself!!!!!
TOBY'S TRIP PART ONE
DAY TWO
April 23, 2011
From A Good Friday to a Beautiful Saturday
Incredible Rijstafel dinner last night in Den Haag. Lots of satay, veg, nasi and bami goreng - yum!
Den Haag is apparently very much divided into well-off and not-well-off. We were in the posh part of town and the shops are expensive and the houses are pristine. But from what I can tell most of Holland is pretty pristine and tidy.
Schreveningen is the beach town/area in Den Haag. You don't think of Holland or The Netherlands as a beach destination but it is of course right by the North Sea and has a huge coastline. The beaches are very wide and sandy with lots of dunes and natural areas... which you can't build or farm on.
We also found out the difference between "Holland" and "The Netherlands" - Holland is a province of The Netherlands - the latter includes other provinces such as Friesland, Barbant, and Utrecht. We're not sure why the Dutch who speak Dutch aren't called "Netherlanders" speaking "Netherlandish" or why the country isn't "Dutchland" yet...
- Jet
Den Haag is apparently very much divided into well-off and not-well-off. We were in the posh part of town and the shops are expensive and the houses are pristine. But from what I can tell most of Holland is pretty pristine and tidy.
Schreveningen is the beach town/area in Den Haag. You don't think of Holland or The Netherlands as a beach destination but it is of course right by the North Sea and has a huge coastline. The beaches are very wide and sandy with lots of dunes and natural areas... which you can't build or farm on.
We also found out the difference between "Holland" and "The Netherlands" - Holland is a province of The Netherlands - the latter includes other provinces such as Friesland, Barbant, and Utrecht. We're not sure why the Dutch who speak Dutch aren't called "Netherlanders" speaking "Netherlandish" or why the country isn't "Dutchland" yet...
- Jet
April 22, 2011
Tiggy's Travels part 1
Today we went to the beach, it was lots of fun, but the water was freezing cold!!!!!!! Toby was brave enough to go up to the hip in the water i only went up to my knee but mom only went up to her ankle. i also got a bit of a tan and no burn.
Toby's Trip part one
BY TOBY:
DAY ONE
It started on a long 6 hour plane trip but it felt like a 2 hour plane trip because i fell asleep and you know when you fall asleep! It is like 12 hours but it feels like 1 minute. Anyway when i woke up we were in Amsterdam.
When we got off the plane and got our suitcases my aunts were waiting for us. When we were shopping for shoes for my aunt's wedding i saw a toy store and i asked my mom if i could get something from there, she said yes, and when we had lunch i found my favorite dutch word - it was (well this is how i spell it): "mental A-C-iss met stroop". The real words are spelled differently X-cept for the "met stroop" part and it means french toast with syrup.
DAY ONE
It started on a long 6 hour plane trip but it felt like a 2 hour plane trip because i fell asleep and you know when you fall asleep! It is like 12 hours but it feels like 1 minute. Anyway when i woke up we were in Amsterdam.
When we got off the plane and got our suitcases my aunts were waiting for us. When we were shopping for shoes for my aunt's wedding i saw a toy store and i asked my mom if i could get something from there, she said yes, and when we had lunch i found my favorite dutch word - it was (well this is how i spell it): "mental A-C-iss met stroop". The real words are spelled differently X-cept for the "met stroop" part and it means french toast with syrup.
Taking the overnight flight to anywhere
BY JET:
Most of the time that I travel I do it overnight. It comes from some sense of efficiency - the idea that I can save a hotel room fee and eliminate a wasted night by travelling and thus getting more out of a journey / holiday. Now that I'm flying more than taking overnight trains with couchettes (that do allow you to lay out and sleep), the overnight plane ride can be more debilitating than useful.
Most transatlantic flights are overnight so this time flying with the kids it wasn't an option to go during the day. We flew over to Amsterdam on KLM and I was worried about how the kids would handle it. They handled it just fine! Toby slept from the moment he has his seat belt on and Tiggy dropped off somewhere during take-off. It helps that they're smaller than the seats. For me, the challenge was how to get as much sleep as possible during this flight.
I have finally learnt to wear as many layers as possible. No matter how warm the country you're going to or from, the plane ride is always cold. If I'm flying solo I try to get a window seat to get a tiny bit more space to spread myself around - if nothing else putting my feet up on the space between the seat in front of me and the space between it and the plane body can be a godsend. This time however, I had kids on both sides of me.
The seat wasn't bad and technically I had enough space, but I don't sleep like a board nor in a compressed fetal position and just keep thinking there's got to be a better way to sleep on a plane. When I get an empty space next to me, I've discovered using the tray table as a ledge to put my feet up, but you end up twisting yourself around and all the weight of your body goes to your lower back and hip bones - ouch!
Until airlines come up with a better design to accommodate the overnight traveler, here are a few things I found on the internet :
Homeless by Choice
Sleeping-positions-on-planes
Fantasy Airplanes
futuristic-airline-seat-unveiled
Most of the time that I travel I do it overnight. It comes from some sense of efficiency - the idea that I can save a hotel room fee and eliminate a wasted night by travelling and thus getting more out of a journey / holiday. Now that I'm flying more than taking overnight trains with couchettes (that do allow you to lay out and sleep), the overnight plane ride can be more debilitating than useful.
Most transatlantic flights are overnight so this time flying with the kids it wasn't an option to go during the day. We flew over to Amsterdam on KLM and I was worried about how the kids would handle it. They handled it just fine! Toby slept from the moment he has his seat belt on and Tiggy dropped off somewhere during take-off. It helps that they're smaller than the seats. For me, the challenge was how to get as much sleep as possible during this flight.
I have finally learnt to wear as many layers as possible. No matter how warm the country you're going to or from, the plane ride is always cold. If I'm flying solo I try to get a window seat to get a tiny bit more space to spread myself around - if nothing else putting my feet up on the space between the seat in front of me and the space between it and the plane body can be a godsend. This time however, I had kids on both sides of me.
The seat wasn't bad and technically I had enough space, but I don't sleep like a board nor in a compressed fetal position and just keep thinking there's got to be a better way to sleep on a plane. When I get an empty space next to me, I've discovered using the tray table as a ledge to put my feet up, but you end up twisting yourself around and all the weight of your body goes to your lower back and hip bones - ouch!
Until airlines come up with a better design to accommodate the overnight traveler, here are a few things I found on the internet :
Homeless by Choice
Sleeping-positions-on-planes
Fantasy Airplanes
futuristic-airline-seat-unveiled
April 21, 2011
Journey to the Wedding of the Year!
We're off to the wedding of the year and it's not Wills and Kate but sister/auntie MarieLeng and her fiance Joachim.
They're getting married April 29th at the Chateau des Bagnols: http://www.chateaudebagnols.co.uk/
We're starting the journey in the Netherlands - home to my sisters, followed by a trip to Brussels (where I used to live) and then a few days in Paris to see my business partner Sally, before going to the Chateau and the wedding!
Posts from me, Tigs and Toby to follow.
This is going to be their journal homework while they're away from school. We found out today that in the Netherlands it's illegal to take your kids out of school during term time! You can get fined up to 300 Euro a day per child! The Dutch are looking at eliminating home schooling too!
They're getting married April 29th at the Chateau des Bagnols: http://www.chateaudebagnols.co.uk/
We're starting the journey in the Netherlands - home to my sisters, followed by a trip to Brussels (where I used to live) and then a few days in Paris to see my business partner Sally, before going to the Chateau and the wedding!
Posts from me, Tigs and Toby to follow.
This is going to be their journal homework while they're away from school. We found out today that in the Netherlands it's illegal to take your kids out of school during term time! You can get fined up to 300 Euro a day per child! The Dutch are looking at eliminating home schooling too!
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