Elias investigates: September 2008

Trip To Holland

5,6,7

8.9 Monday - Vaknade kl 6:45 to sing for my mother. Me, Pekka and Titus sang and I gave a card and the gift that we hadn't bought yet. A rain cape. After singing I went back to sleep. Woke up 9:30 and ate breakfast with Titus. Titus left and I finished the packing. I found a new wallet on the attic. I took the 11.14 train to Kyrkslätt and back towards Esbo and there I got on the bus that took me to the airport. The driver was unusually friendly but shy as well. He promised to drive a passenger to a stop that wasn't on the route. I got of the bus and checked in at one of the machines. A Russian couple tried to pass me in the queue. I handed in the bag and walked through security. The guard looked scared when I spoke Swedish. On the other side I listened to music and found a cheep Sony tele to my camera. I bought some Malax limpa as a gift and got on the plane. I survived the flight and and felt for a moment comfortable after lunch with a cup of tea in my hand.

I Holland I got of, naturally. From the plane window I saw a patch work of green and brown rounded by wind plants and houses. I took my suitcase and walked out through the security.

There I met Maria. The airport was busy, Schipol. We bought tickets from a vending machine. We took the train from Schipol to Arnhem. The trains were yellow and we had a snack on the way, from Albert Hein to go. In Arnhem we took the bus to south south.

Their house were Dutch. We put my stuff in place and then we biked to coop(super), to get food. We bought vegetables and prawns, strawberries and Dutch stuff.

We biked home and the biking roots are wonderful in Holland. All kind of different people bike in Holland, not like in Finland where all are thin sport freeks. We made food watched Iranian TV and BBC. Then we watched Manhattan and went to sleep.

9.9 Tuesday - Woke up 9:30. We had breakfast of a Dutch kind. We had bread(expensive) with old butter and cheese. Also musli, like the Finnish start musli. After breakfast a shower. The weather was splendid. Then we took Maria's bike after I pumped air in the back wheel. We biked along the wonderful bike routes to Arnhem Zuid. There we saw a newly dens area called America. We took the train to Niemegen. There we took the bus to Maria's uni. The uni was good and beats maybe Glasgow and Helsinki in facilities. I met there a guy who was in Glasgow in the same time as we. I met two of Marias friends, Alexis and Ellen. They talked about Harvard. It was hot in the sun. The long street was the Thomas of Aquino street and the tall building was called Erasmus. From uni we took the bus back to the train station. We walked towards the city centre. It was what I would describe as a traditional Dutch town. There were coffee shops. We sat down at the blond monk and had a traditional Belgian beer with a snack. That was bread with olive paste. There we relaxed and continued to walk around in the town and towards the train station. We were going to meet Maria's sister in Utrecht. We took the train back and biked to the house. From there bus to Arnhem trainstation and to Utrecht by train. On the train station in Arnhem we saw people wearing red. They were going to a Leonel Richie or someone. I dont know him. In Utrecht it was dark. I saw the first canals when walked to Nazilas place. She had food ready when we arrived and that was good because I was starving, like Maria did constantly when she were in Finland. Pasta with a good Italian sausage. We ate in her room. She has a wonderful garden outside her window. It's walled and four square meters, with one plant. After dinner we got gradually more and more tired and fell asleep.

10.9 Wednesday - We woke up around 10 and had a lazy morning. I had pasta and bread with Hagel Slag. Then we washed up and walked out. We walked along the small canal and saw a boat filled with seniors. The boat was flat. Like some piece of equipment from a kitchen. Then we walked around in the best part of Utrecht. We saw the Oude Gracht and followed it to a nice post office. There nearby we had a coffee. A cat was sleeping in the window. After that we visited a random church. We were hungry so we bought sandwiches from Surinam and ate them by a canal. It made me burp and it was tasty. Then we bought a new pair of trousers to me because all the trousers I had with me had holes. We dropped the keys at Nazilas place and walked to the train station and took the train to Arnhem.

The bus took us home. There Maria's mother opened the door and I met her. I met Maria's father as well. We ate good food together. I didn't speak neither Dutch or Farsi so we had to be extra creative. Iranian rice with chicken was super. Then we watched United 93, maybe. Then I went to sleep.

11.9 Thursday - I woke up 8:30. I had rolled around in half sleep for an hour or so. We ate breakfast. Spanish grapes and Mortadella. We also tried Malaxlimpa. Mortadella with Malaxlimpa, nice. Also cheese, tomatoes and mini cucumber. It was all good. Also tea and the half instant coffee. I packed my bag and realised later that I only forgot the water. We took the bus to Arnhem and the train to Amsterdam. From there we walked towards the city centre but changed soon direction to find a map for free. We didn't find one but a guide who explained the way to the new library. We found it and spent an hour or so to find out weather it was nice or not. Although it was packed with nice details and crafted with style. I'm not sure if it really was that mind bending and unconventional in library architecture. Åbo library was as good at least. Architects seem to be stuck in the idea of what a library should be like. A librarian should plan a library.

Then we walked along the narrow streets and crossed bridges over canals experiencing Amsterdam. We saw different cultures and it was beautiful, neat and cosy. I started raining and we had first shelter under a three and then in a cheese shop. In front of the cheese shop the police men were waiting. We tried something Dutch in the shop and then continued, crossing more canals . We saw small and big boats. We went to gallery and tried perfumes for 100 a bottle. A lot to me. The guy pushing them said he used three at the same time. He gave something to me that smelt like a toilet. We continued to second hand shops. The soul of them was wicked. They had been commercialised and expensive. The Finnish are better. A lot of crap with a few pearls you can find if you are very lucky. After having a look in a couple of them we sat down for lunch in a place where a cat was sitting on the same table where my bowl of soup was. It was a nice big bowl of noodle soup. The cats eat the rats of canals. After eating we paid and continued. More canals and streets. We saw some tourist places. Maria said we should avoid them. We went to a park and saw some expensive houses. We had a picnic. Lemon sorbet and egg bread, water, raspberries and blueberries. Then we walked to the Van Gogh museum and Riejks musem. From there we walked to the debate.

Maria had bought ticket for a debate about food security. There were three speakers. The first one was good and the two other were ok. But not really visionaries. We got a UN food package each. There was a break and we left. We walked a while in the night of Amsterdam. We got on a tram. We saw the first bike accident. We took a train to Utrecht. We walked to Nazila. On the way I had my first Smuller's fries with mayo and a crocette. We went to sleep at Nazila's.

12.9 Friday - In the morning after eating we took the train to Rotterdam. At the station, inside a Burger King Frida was waiting. It was raining, grey and foggy and the houses were high and made of steel and glass unlike in the other cities where I had been. We took the tram to her house. It was an redesign church. It was nice and big inside, compared to Glasgow. From there we took the tram towards the city. There we entered a museum. The museum was big and it was contemporary art. We ate inside salad and a piece of a cake. It was called Boijmans Van Beuningen. After the museum we walked towards the city centre and there we took the train back. We said good bye on the station to Frida. The next time I'm going to see her is maybe summer 2009. We took the train to Utrecht. From Nazilas in Utrecht Farzed drove all of us to Marias parents place in Arnhem. On the way we listened to both Arabic and Iranian house. We had dinner at their place. Kuku, filled peppers, potato salad, rice in an Iranian way. After dinner Nazila brought down her sitar and gave it to me. It wasn't tuned so I had to tune it. I tried to use the tuner to get some clear tones, but I couldn't. With the help of Maria one string was broken. This ended the awkward situation I was in. A while before that Maria's father called his friend who was a professional musician back in Iran. He plays the Santour. I couldn't understand how I was supposed to tune. Luckily, the broken offered me a way out.

13.9 Saturday - I woke up and we had breakfast We went biking. We biked over the Rehn river. In Arnhem we parked our bikes in a bike parking house. That was something new for me. There we dumped the bikes and had a look in many different shops, to find shoes for me. We didn't. Then we had a coffee and an apple pie. After the apple pie we walked around some more. We had some Vietnamese Spring Rolls. Then we took our bikes and biked to the more immigrated part of the city. There we shopped some Chinese food. It was very interesting. Then we biked to the big park. There we fed animals. Getting bored with that we continued and I saw the local white house, some cows with the world trade centre in the back ground. We biked home.

At home I met the man who had the day before instructed me in how to tune a sitar. I said hello to everyone and then the preparations for the barbecue started. It was some delicious grilled lamb and beed with rice in a Iranian way. After and during we listened to the Santour. I had the opportunity to try as well. Around 1 we went to sleep.

14.9 Sunday - On Sunday I woke up later. Around 12 we took Farzad's car and drove first to their father's uncle. His was moving into a new place and we had a tea there. From there we continued towards to the Hague. On the way I saw some windmills. They are beautiful. In the centre we got of. I had raw herring at a stall and Maria had deep fried fresh Kibbelingen. Back in the car we drove to some other place where I saw the Greek embassy. From there we drove to Farzad and Nushins place. There I had the opportunity to play for the first time GTA IV. And it was fun. They had understood a bit more of the game and what's essential to it, the planners. Still, they would need me, to design it still better. I've some wonderful ideas. But they are secret. After I've played a while dinner was served. It was pasta. After dinner Farzad drove us to a seaside complex. There was a hotel and the cafes and restaurants. We walked down to the water. It was so dark I couldn't estimate the size of the world on that beach. Only darkness and lights from the shore, a nearby town and a rolling light of a light house. It was nice. We walked back up to the cafes and had a cup of tea in one of them. Then Farzad picked us up. I brushed my teeth and fell asleep.

15.9 Monday - I woke up and we had breakfast in front of a big TV. We walked down the steep stairs from the house and walked to the tram station. We took the tram but it was late because there had been an accident in the centre. We had to wait for 20 minutes. We arrived to Den Haag Central. We had look at all the new buildings. Town Hall and ministries. From there we walked to the tourist office. There we found a book called something like the international lawyers walk in the Hague. We copied on our free map the targets. We started our walk with a big plate of deepfried Kibbelingen in the same place. Then we walked and saw the international prosecutor association and other places. The walk ended at my future place of work, The peace palace. It was a nice place. A church like building with the UN flag. The place was completely closed which was a bit boring. We walked around the walls and walked back towards the city. On the way back we found Turkish bread, a food store called Rutten (rotten in Swedish) and a second hand shop where i bought some LP's. In the city we found other interesting shops. We ended up by a mistake on a red light street. It was interesting and like nothing I've ever seen. There were women in the windows, mostly having some less pleasant feature. Men where gathered in the streets, looking. Also at me and Maria. Still the feeling at the street was the most strange thing with it all. There was this quietness that wasn't earthly. You could feel something, unusual, was going on. I am not a fierce defender nor attacker in the issue of prostitution. Still this feeling is something a person arguing against prostitution could refer to.

I found a toilet but did not know how to use it since it was a Muslim one.

We looked for a place to eat. Finally we found a Chinese. The food was so so. There was karaoke as well. We had to wait for service, we couldn't pay with card, so I had to get cash from an ATM and when I returned a waiter gave me a menu and asked me to sit down. When paying the waiter dropped the change on the floor. The sweet and sour chicken was deep fried.

We decided to go back to Farzed's place. There I feel asleep.

16.9 Tuesday - I woke up, had breakfast and a shower. We took the tram to the train station. There Maria bought a paper. We got on the train. We stopped in Arnhem. We had a coffee and looked for shoes to me. Couldn't find any so we continued to Arnhem. There we walked to the big park. We walked inside and got lost in Making art of LP's in the jungle. We walked around for a long time. Then back to the train and bus station. When we were back at Maria's parents place I feel asleep. I woke up and met Maria's cousin, and her child. After dinner and some talking I went to sleep.

17.9 Wednesday - We woke up in Arnhem. Maria's parents drove us to the train station. And the train station is supposed to be the most beautiful station in Europe but that's a lie. After dumping my suitcase at Utrecht station we continued to Amsterdam. We took the tram directly to the Van Gogh museum. 12.50 to get inside. There were nice paintings. I am not going to comment on them here. I was a bit ill so I would say I couldn't enjoy them as much as it is possible to do. Still, it was a very good visit, like when I were in Oslo and saw Munch. Nazila came to the museum. We walked outside two hours after arriving and then we took the tram towards a good Chinese restaurant. On the way we passed red light apartment and a man said to us:

- Education.

In front of a live porno show place. We ate good Chinese food in contrast to the food we had in The Hague. The restaurant was very loud because I Chinese boy was screaming. Maria and Nazila shared their views on bringing up children at that time so I had a good opportunity to learns the basics of Iranian childcare. After dinner we walked to Bijenkorf where we met Malini. I met her in Glasgow. We walked over canals and reached Wolvenstraat. There was a famous criminal lawyer inside the bar. We had tea and then I had a glass of rum to cure my cold. I wrote some cards to people back in Finland. Then we walked to the station and Maria and Nazila bought Swirls. We took the train back to Utrecht and I fell asleep on the floor.

18.9 Thursday - We woke up 8:30. We went to buy cheese to a very nice cheese shop. I had too big pieces of cheese. One from a farm nearby. Then we continued to Albert Hein. I bought a lot of food with the guidance of Maria. Sweets, sausage, hagel slag and more. We walked to the train station and I took the suitcase. We took the train to Schipol. There we bought a tulip onions and we had a last lunch baguettes. Then I walked to the security control and walked through and waved back for the last time for that time.

I walked straight to the gate and arrived just on time and got on the plain. I flew to Finland. In Finland I took my suitcase and took the bus to the train station in Esbo. I remember I was struck by the cold and unfriendly weather. On the train station I charged my train card and talked to Isak. Then the train came and I got off in Jorvas. Home was Pekka and Titus and I showed them the stuff I had from Holland.