tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57658289116064448352023-12-09T06:39:59.287+01:00DUTCHISTANtunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-32845840029299475072010-06-17T07:50:00.011+02:002010-06-17T08:20:06.128+02:00Yet another baby, Yet another birthcard<div style="text-align: left;">Yeah, little Fiona has a brother now: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">Egon</span> ! Time is so fast!..</div><div><br /></div><div>I had already posted a photo of <a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2008/07/yet-another-dutch-habit-birth-cards.html">Fiona's birthcard</a> two years ago. And, Suzanne, very kindly, has sent me the birthcard of Fiona's two-week-old brother by mail.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRm1X1SGIm70SBnoew7BWjYhBWuTaH5MTbblBs7JCEPzkgitG376nBAqMOQ-hdIt_0B8d5ekDa6RqhP2u_CFWh54ikDyQ6Pz04G2OsVodXaGuz7mypAHhIVna6enW04SYu4oEz8MSSfc/s400/DSC05557.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483618767125183362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 359px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">I found the card veery lovely with that cute baby-carriage and spring motifs on it :) I really love this birthcard tradition !!!!!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>Inside the card, there is a footnote saying <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#660000;">"Wij rusten tussen twaalf en half vier"</span>. My duth is enough to understand all words except "rusten". With Daniel's help; I see what they say:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#993300;">"We are resting between 12:00 and 15:30"</span></div><div>I only got what they mean by this by Daniel's help: "If you would like to visit us to see baby etc, do not come betwen these hours" they mean :)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">Popularity of Dutch Names</span></div><div>Tjeerd has shared an interesting <a href="http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/">link</a> in Facebook a while ago, which tells you how popular a name is in Holland. I have tried it for Suzanne's new baby: </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UnGYCEaJtueF7r4ECO-nb7m83IhZl_3ffjygVwB7ZFBCGFDGnw9GK-ixEI5JIVXwHyPossAXG8MXtVzQvV6-vJ1RvsDEtZ0W2KpExLNyiDpuPoXicR1H9rLH3CgR1HCFIMKE2Lf-Czk/s400/egon_popularity.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483621530638286674" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 162px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">So, the name "Egon" was relatively very popular till the end of 80's; then suddenly became a not-preferred name somehow.</span></div>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-24022633240131479522009-10-06T21:50:00.000+02:002009-10-06T21:50:00.156+02:00Bath Houses in Amsterdam??Yeah, there were!<br /><br />The one in <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Javaplein</span>, I first saw when I visited Kaustubh in his old house at Ceramplein. Noticing its tower and its extraordinary architecture, I thought it was an arab-style mosque, with that tower being its minaret.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjnJIcraOGC0n_RnIy44uBuT8YXEkoeLfKfaNj959D7D6sRy8UIpqSVxUe4K6Kf6NHQZq8WLQyYkDyPI7XFTC9Wn0yCR1DdrWWYfFPU4z-LNBLYBJolwkppmiXcAda97a5Vq9kBa-Ppo/s1600-h/badhuis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjnJIcraOGC0n_RnIy44uBuT8YXEkoeLfKfaNj959D7D6sRy8UIpqSVxUe4K6Kf6NHQZq8WLQyYkDyPI7XFTC9Wn0yCR1DdrWWYfFPU4z-LNBLYBJolwkppmiXcAda97a5Vq9kBa-Ppo/s320/badhuis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383647578576349522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The photo is from a blog by Kees; from his entry entitled </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://blog.huyser.net/2008_05_01_archive.html">"a € 29.95 brain"</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span>Later, I noticed the label "<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Bad Huis</span>" on it, which I knew to mean "bath house". More interesting was to realize that there were people inside having drinks etc. This made me think that I probably was wrong to translate "Bad Huis" since it does not make sense to name a restaurant as "Bath House".<br /><br />Then, Maikel the saviour helped me :). I summarized him all this one day and asked him what "Bad Huis" meant. To my surprise that place was really an old public bath house of Amsterdam, which has later been converted to a restaurant. It was really weird to me. I thought there was no bath houses at all in europe; with it being a tradition in Turkey (hamams), or in other asian countries..<br /><br />I have made a search on internet but I could not bump into any detailed information. I only learned that it was a <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">municipal bath-house</span>, where the poor would come for their weekly shower <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">(look interesting!)</span></span>. This info made me think that it was really in old times (eg. a century ago). But somewhere else, it says that it has been built in 1942, which is notably recent to me.<br /><br />I still wonder the reasoning behind to build such houses in the city. Was it like having water in their houses was a luxury for the poor at the time?tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-67340448617164550532009-09-29T11:52:00.000+02:002009-09-29T16:13:32.122+02:00House Hunting Adventures of Tjeerd and NinaYeah, I know how tiring struggle it is to search for a house in Holland. I listened <span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">hunting stories</span> from Olja; later I have witnessed many such attempts of my bosses Margriet&Age.. And now; for the last 5-6 months I have been reading the adventures of Tjeerd and Nina via their blogs.<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">common things</span> in all those house-hunting adventures were:<br /><ol><li>tens of houses are checked from inside or outside before you can find <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">"the one"</span>.<br /></li><li>after a certain point, the hunters get into<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"> a desparate mood</span>: "we will never be able to buy a house" they say to colleagues, friends.</li><li>If there are more than one hunters for the same house, bidding is used to choose one of them. The one with highest bid gets the house. There is always a case where the hunters get depressed to lose a loved-house because of their lower bidding offer.</li><li>The checked houses always have something to be fixed & repaired. So, while making a bidding you have to also take into account the additional expenses you will make for such repairings etc.</li><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">it must be in a central place; but rather must have a yard with some green stuff</span>" is one of the very popular initial requirements for the <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">dream-house</span>.</li><li>You must be in contact with one or several<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"> realtor</span>s during the hunting, asking for appointments to see the house.<br /></li><li><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">Construction inspector</span> is another guy with a must-contact. (S)he will inspect the house of interest and inform you on how much to spend in order to fix the things.<br /></li></ol>What I did was to scan <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.bellanina.nl">Nina's</a> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.tjeerd.net">Tjeerd's</a> blogs to exemplify those common things. This would be a nice tutorial for the expats of Holland who wants to buy a house, I thought.<br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" ><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(The complete house-hunting adventure of Nina-Tjeerd is available through Nina's own blog: </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.blogger.com/www.bellanina.nl">MyLife</a><span style="font-style: italic;">... Start from </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.bellanina.nl/category/house/page/7/">this page</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> from the post at the bottom of the page; and proceed upwards and then by clicking to "next posts".)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">1. "Yet another house to be seen" mood</span><br /><ul><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">This was the <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">seventh</span> house we viewed on the inside, out of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">25</span> houses we viewed from the outside. I think three more to go, so the tenth house will be it! </span><img style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);" src="http://www.bellanina.nl/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" class="wp-smiley" />" says Nina in her post titled "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/06/17/house-7/#content">House 7</a>".</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">2. "We will never make it" desparate mood</span><br /><ul><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">Tjeerd thinks <span style="font-weight: bold;">we will never find</span> a house we both like and that is still available when we find out about the house.</span> </span>" says Nina in her post titled "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/04/21/and-sold-again/#content">And SOLD again..</a>.".</li><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">Since <span style="font-weight: bold;">several months</span> we are looking around for houses just outside the city. Some houses are sold within a week, other houses are for sale for over six months. But every time when we call a realtor to make an appointment to view a house, we got the answer: “We just sold that house yesterday".</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">I am not kidding, it’s every time!</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"> </span>" complaints Nina in her post titled <a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/07/03/wheres-the-crisis/#content">"Where's the crisis?"</a> Read the whole post to learn about their funny idea on <span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);">making money out of this experience</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">:D</span></li><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">We hope that the woman can’t get the mortgage for this house of course. This may sound evil, but it’s our <span style="font-weight: bold;">only </span>hope.</span>" says Tjeerd in her post titled "<a href="http://www.tjeerd.net/2009/03/21/househunting-too-late-part-two/">Househunting: too late part two</a>", a post he made after they learned that the house they were interested in was sold to one other <span style="font-style: italic;">hunter</span>.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">3. "Oo dear house, don't leave us..Our bidding was not that bad" mood</span><br /><ul><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">Unfortunately, the seller of the house<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">didn’t like</span> our condition about the construction technique, so he chose the other couple and they will get the house. Of course, it’s a pity that we didn’t get this house, because <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">we really liked it</span></span>" says Nina on her post titled "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/05/27/the-house-we-didnt-get/#content">the house we didn't get</a>"</li><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">Now a colleague of Nina has won the bid on the house. <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">A big pity</span> that we didn’t get the house, because there were actually no negative things about the house (location, inside et cetera).</span>" says Tjeerd on his post titled "<a href="http://www.tjeerd.net/2009/05/27/next/">Next</a>"</li></ul> <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">4. "The cost for the things to be fixed is amazing :-( " mood</span><br /><ul><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">But the house belonged to an old lady and there are <span style="font-weight: bold;">many things</span> that has to be fixed or renewed.</span> " says Nina on her post "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/02/11/house-hunting-2-maarn/#content">House hunting 2: Maarn</a>".</li><li>"<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); font-style: italic;">all the windows and window frames <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">need to be renewed! </span>And the draining in the kitchen isn’t connected to the sewage system yet. So the costs we did calculate for this house will be <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">doubled!</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">And that’s really way too much</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span>" is from Nina's another post: "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/06/13/house-hunting-goes-on/#content">House hunting goes on</a>". </li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">5. "We want a dream house" mood</span><br />Hmm, there is no post I found to be quoted for this mood :). But I remember our chats with Tjeerd last year. I know he wants a green place, and Nina wants a central place. So, the source is: <span style="font-style: italic;">personal communication</span> :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">6. "Oo those realtor guys!!" mood</span><br /><ul><li>Nina talks about the "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/03/18/the-realtor-world/#content">Realtor World</a>" with a surprised-angry mood: "<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">It’s a world we can’t see from the inside, so we just have to believe what the people in this world tell us. And that’s hard, because the news they tell us isn’t very believable.</span>" she writes.</li><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">Tomorrow it’s “<span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Open Houses Day</span>”: many houses that are for sale open their doors, and you can visit these houses without making an appointment</span>". says Nina on "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/03/27/house-sold/#content">House sold</a>" post, feeling happy that they do not have to deal with any realtors..</li><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">I sent an e-mail to the realtor to confirm the appointment, just to be sure. I got an automatic reply from him. It said: "I don’t work as a realtor anymore". What!?</span>" says Nina, very surprised on her post "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/08/03/realtor-mystery/#content">Realtor Mystery</a>".<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">7. "Construction inspectors" mood</span><br /><ul><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">Well, we know which contractor we will definitely </span><u style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">not</u><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);"> hire for the modernisation if we buy a house. Why not? They promised us to give a costs calculation last Friday in the afternoon, or else definitely last Monday. We didn’t hear anything</span> " says Nina on a post titled "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/08/12/waiting-waiting-waiting/#content">Waiting, waiting, waiting!</a>"</li><li>"<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 0);">This contractor advertises with being the cheapest,<span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> but that can’t be true</span>. We found out that it’s cheaper to hire a carpenter, an electrician and a plumber, instead of a contractor who arranges everything for you.</span>" says she on her othe post: "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/08/19/contractor-and-realtor/#content">Contractor and Realtor</a>"</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">The Happy End</span><br />Yup, they have finally managed to get a house few weeks ago, afterd facing with bankrupt realtors, dying owners and some other adventures. You can read how they are happy about this via Nina's post "<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/2009/09/09/our-new-house/#content">Our new house</a>" and Tjeerd's post "<a href="http://www.tjeerd.net/2009/09/08/our-new-house/">Our new house</a>"<br /><br />They even have a new blog for the new house<a href="http://www.dorpsstraat52.nl/"> www.dorpsstraat52.nl</a>.tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-54688507285685848882009-09-24T12:05:00.000+02:002009-09-24T11:50:21.397+02:00Pide: Turkish Bread or Ramadan Bread<span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 0, 153);">Well,</span> </span>the shape of a typical turkish bread sold in Turkey is as follows: (Photo from <a href="http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekmek">wikipedia</a>)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd5NqnkLtgPytERl7tY9TLwmyVpSPJ_oHnQ10RXthnQV98u7Zyd6F_i0Mj6JIW4Avfzc4OosbA6J4kykG8bXzyRDPGKbWBzXST9OyQ6HAm0Z60m754WkqhqJEFmObW2E41iNPcA1BALg/s1600-h/800px-Turkish_bread.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitd5NqnkLtgPytERl7tY9TLwmyVpSPJ_oHnQ10RXthnQV98u7Zyd6F_i0Mj6JIW4Avfzc4OosbA6J4kykG8bXzyRDPGKbWBzXST9OyQ6HAm0Z60m754WkqhqJEFmObW2E41iNPcA1BALg/s320/800px-Turkish_bread.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383650229499521426" border="0" /></a>One of the biggest problem I faced in Holland in my first weeks was to find a tasty bread. I have tried some among a flock of varieties sold at AlbertHeijn in vain: they were really bad in taste to me.. Actually, I didn't think that I would have a bread-problem in Holland since I had managed to "detect" a very tasty bread in Netto when I was living in Denmark, a country with a very similar supermarket profile.<br /><br />After few weeks of my arrival to Holland, the fasting month (<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">Ramadan</span>) had started; and I discovered <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Javastraat</span> in the meantime: the street with turkish shops where I could find many turkish things which were not available at AH <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 51);">(eg. red/green lentil, paprika paste, ayran (yoghurt drink), bulgur (broken wheat) among many other things)</span>. That's also when I discovered the turkish-morokkon bakery there: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kardaş Bakkerij</span>. (I have just found out now over googling that they now even have a <a href="http://www.kardas.nl/">website</a>)<br /><br />In my first wisit to the bakery, I was SO happy to spot our <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">pide</span> there. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pide</span> is a special turkish bread with a very different shape compared to the traditional one. It is special since it is only sold in the bakeries in Turkey during the month of Ramadan, the fasting month. I really LOVE its taste, I always questioned why it would not be made available throughout the whole year.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF48Y8Vx0dGhWUQv1jndEfwy8xq2eRyobVzmJcoDcZ1vBW7un5soilcG2irCwNRLrioDR1uMmf6A5CHFAv9kppgkkD8ZZXGqvHJhgueYBkFoVcX24dc8833QvT9d86xqlB7bzaaZQ58s/s1600-h/DSC04236.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF48Y8Vx0dGhWUQv1jndEfwy8xq2eRyobVzmJcoDcZ1vBW7un5soilcG2irCwNRLrioDR1uMmf6A5CHFAv9kppgkkD8ZZXGqvHJhgueYBkFoVcX24dc8833QvT9d86xqlB7bzaaZQ58s/s320/DSC04236.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383649239857138354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Turkish pide, the ramadan bread (pronounced as <span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">pedah</span>)</span><br /></span></div><br />One of my worries during my fasting time in Holland was to be away from my lovely bread, pide. That's why I felt like<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);"> the happiest person in the world </span>when I saw pides being sold at Kardaş Bakkerij. "the bread torture is over" I cheered up.<br /><br />The biggest surprise came later, after Ramadan was over. I was again at Kardaş Bakkerij, and to my surprise I saw they were still selling pides. "How come?" I asked "Ramadan is over". And one of the employees there told me "pide is sold throughout the year here in Holland under the name of "turkish bread". How hapy I was! I enjoyed eating pides happily during my stay in Holland whenever I wanted ..<br /><br />Then I left the country, and my military service started; and soon it was the next Ramadan. And unfortunately we were not served with any pides at the military unit. Having fed myself with pide for 1 year in Holland, it was really sad to miss the 1-month-pide opportunity in my own country..<br /><br />That's why I even changed my facebook profile picture with a pide photo when Ramadan started last month and I had again access to pides :)<br /><br />Ramadan was over last week, and I have to wait yet for another year to "reunite" with <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">pide</span>s :) One alternative would be to fly to Holland in every couple of weeks to get the taste, if only I was rich enough to do so :)tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-12717436542909761102009-09-24T00:37:00.005+02:002009-09-24T01:04:27.601+02:00Overigens ook geen spiegel :DI have wanted to finish a post I intended to write on <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">turkish bread sold in Holland</span>; that's why I have logged on to Blogger about an hour ago. However, I could not do this since I have noticed that there was a new "somebody" who has started to follow my blog :)<br /><br />So, I have preferred to switch to this <a href="http://yeaah-life.blogspot.com/">somebody's blog</a> instead; and it turned out to be an indian lady living in Holland; <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">~Lopa</span>. <a href="http://yeaah-life.blogspot.com/2009/09/aaaah-new-notice-in-office.html">A pos</a>t in her weblog about a notice at her office has caught my eyes.<br /><br />I read the post, and I have immediately remembered the funny notice on the window of an office located at the entrance of my university building at Nieuwe Achtergracht. Well, there were (and I guess there still are) two notices, the first of which being the following:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrjl6sUj-0erXnOxLBXhtZacSMlsSf3AIf4_a3XFSoJbJdNrKAheUmqLGf0UWeTHHK9RjvodrrXKIsJVbFFFFRPcCNDPRC38jeQbRk9paOdPyeBAj8CTd6JhjadoxmJn0hh6k99osoms/s1600-h/DSC00588.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrjl6sUj-0erXnOxLBXhtZacSMlsSf3AIf4_a3XFSoJbJdNrKAheUmqLGf0UWeTHHK9RjvodrrXKIsJVbFFFFRPcCNDPRC38jeQbRk9paOdPyeBAj8CTd6JhjadoxmJn0hh6k99osoms/s320/DSC00588.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384800125897532818" border="0" /></a><br />Although it is Dutch, it is not that difficult to get it:<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"> "this is not the reception"</span> it means to say. By the way, I have just noticed myself appearing on this photo on the window, trying to take this very photograph :) .<br /><br />Ok, nothing funny so far.. But the other notice which was next to this one always made me laugh:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ncG4YwELCQRqkdOmopvIc2UJ4blANGeXpoSNWfD4Jsen7zYPBGqkizqNLEpl-8GbG5sueUmJ4jsVa7kAQBFZ8cQigPo0bobnCS4aQ22fWIGQZBzavC6XLTpXasHH-pBz7UjmTDudz-0/s1600-h/DSC00589.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ncG4YwELCQRqkdOmopvIc2UJ4blANGeXpoSNWfD4Jsen7zYPBGqkizqNLEpl-8GbG5sueUmJ4jsVa7kAQBFZ8cQigPo0bobnCS4aQ22fWIGQZBzavC6XLTpXasHH-pBz7UjmTDudz-0/s320/DSC00589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384800134597828562" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">"It is not also a mirror"</span> it says :D. I can imagine how the employees working in this glass-walled office felt when people outside were trying to use their windows as mirrors.tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-45582375750042656872009-09-20T20:47:00.004+02:002009-09-20T21:03:19.377+02:00Three, no four huge tables on top of each other...Isabella talked about Roadside Art in Holland in <a href="http://atouchofdutch.blogspot.com/2009/08/whats-this-roadside-art.html">one of her recent posts</a> in her <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">A Touch of Dutch </span>blog. Reading her post; what rushed into my mind immediately was how I described the way to my place in Funenpark to the first-time visitors.<br /><br />"You will take tram 26 from Amsterdam Central Station; then you will leave the tram at the stop called <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Rietlandpark</span>. What you will see there is <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">three huge tables on top each other</span>. Go to upstairs, and walk in such a direction where the tables would fall into your right. And,..... " I would tell.<br /><br />And, usually, it would turn out that they did not notice the tables. Later when I showed them the tables, "Ugh, yes you had told, but we did not expect them in such a shape and size" they reacted :)<br /><br />So, here is a photo of those strange tables.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlRdFR2NN-bOlUHR1uOQj4yScNihpHj2tqXFsP3ldagfSm45LMfH-O3y-HTSQiWtgcrLBjcYg11KmZDIRzfn2x7F9IoMNdxBcKlCDRMg62Qxgn30nIdRisyTzC1DEd1qLVCTdbXFqC1k/s1600-h/DSC00009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 376px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlRdFR2NN-bOlUHR1uOQj4yScNihpHj2tqXFsP3ldagfSm45LMfH-O3y-HTSQiWtgcrLBjcYg11KmZDIRzfn2x7F9IoMNdxBcKlCDRMg62Qxgn30nIdRisyTzC1DEd1qLVCTdbXFqC1k/s400/DSC00009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383624792829198482" border="0" /></a><br />As far as I remember, the one below the top one is wooden, with others being concrete. Actually, it took some time to me to realize that there were actually four of them. The bottom one is not noticeable from upstair level since it is on the same level with the ground.tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-7078112318037451162009-07-27T21:10:00.009+02:002009-07-27T23:20:30.046+02:00Dutch-style cyclists spotted in Turkey!I was in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Konya</span> this weekend, a city in the mid-west of Turkey. The city especially attracts tourists from abroad for its<span style="font-weight: bold;"> sufi</span>stic (mystical Islam) roots. They come to the city to visit the grave of the world-famous muslim poet & philosopher <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rumi</span> (the founder of the order for whirling-dervishes). Rumi lived about 800 years ago. In year 2007, he has been described as the "<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">most popular poet in America</span>". <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi">Here</a> is the wikipedia link.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeNmKGDs_av9JwSEzkf-Hgs_CzqJk5QhnbJGwkGOSWxc16YLv9el00cLBwwJbElFPl7kHuQzoCpaHWEp94ENrcVQy5u7UhlmHlrOk5PkbKjnu2oI8TAzgl71qRyDF5QNm4wWQX_aqXqU/s1600-h/whirling2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeNmKGDs_av9JwSEzkf-Hgs_CzqJk5QhnbJGwkGOSWxc16YLv9el00cLBwwJbElFPl7kHuQzoCpaHWEp94ENrcVQy5u7UhlmHlrOk5PkbKjnu2oI8TAzgl71qRyDF5QNm4wWQX_aqXqU/s320/whirling2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363250701581932610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(a photo I took during a whirling (sema) ceremony in Bursa about 10 months ago)</span></span><br /></div><br />One other characteristics of the city Konya is something totally different: it is arguably the city with most common bicycle usage in Turkey. It even has, although noticably limited, bike pads in some streets. This, I have never seen in any other turkish city so far.<br /><br />The thing which made me excited was to spot a <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">dutch-style cyclist</span> in a street in Konya yesterday. I have seen cyclists, albeits sometimes rarely, in all turkish cities I visited so far; and I had never seen this before.<br /><br />So, what is it? :) Well, <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">having somebody else sitting at the back-seat of your bike while you are cycling</span>.. And this "somebody else" has to sit in such a way that s/he will make 90 degrees to the back of the cyclist. Very dutch-style! And, the man on the photo below exactly does this! Even more interesting is to see a women in the role of "somebody else" in the photo since I have never seen a female cyclist in the city. In this case, she is not riding herself, but at least she is "on it".<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbCjQb_DTKCVT0bkMaHuv_-02eBYDMytuo2e46VIZ3NVLcwPjom7fJjNbEHiwNi1xdVS0YCF2ZvSpirjVOGf3TcnvHsuZgP2hbld_Ov2lfA7AB54l8VsiitryDqVL4N0lM9sOFWUjGY8/s1600-h/forblog.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbCjQb_DTKCVT0bkMaHuv_-02eBYDMytuo2e46VIZ3NVLcwPjom7fJjNbEHiwNi1xdVS0YCF2ZvSpirjVOGf3TcnvHsuZgP2hbld_Ov2lfA7AB54l8VsiitryDqVL4N0lM9sOFWUjGY8/s400/forblog.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363250929321457010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">At the back, the Aziziye mosque is seen. It is attractive with its late-ottoman style minarets.</span><br /></span></div>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-42519177471207878332009-07-18T23:28:00.006+02:002009-07-18T23:58:04.208+02:00A Mall-free City: AmsterdamYeah; that, I first noticed a month ago in a mall in Izmit where I "handled" my military duty (a neighbouring city to Istanbul).<div><br /></div><div>"<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Oh, my God; how many malls are there in this city; hmmm there are </span></i><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">4</span></i></b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"> I know. But, but, in Amsterdam....I do not remember any... Well, isn't that strange to not to have any malls at all in Amsterdam, arguably the biggest city of Holland??</span></i>" I have started to question..</div><div><br /></div><div>I only remembered the complex at Amsterdam Bijlmer-Arena station; which even cannot be considered as "mall" compared to the ones we have here in Turkey.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">Maikel, the savior</span></b></div><div>Yup, I had wonderful moments last week! Maikel was here, in Istanbul, for 5 days (and also Kaustubh for 1 day). We strolled around the city from european side to asian side; from black sea villages to genoese side to the islands.. And, of course, we also had time to drink a cup of coffe in the biggest mall of Istanbul, <b>Cevahir</b>.</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k48Fjf2Y0YBiRjbzis8yOC5_opgnbe6hPxW5p5ayhgBB19ZwbKTcoNa6mJpjtTrSUODIifVmh9Xv4Ow8aqYdtGuVp02alIgsgRJqTM2y15b4fkhOkaFtXsGGf8m4ybnpv6xr3gY6nQg/s1600-h/cevahir_mall.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k48Fjf2Y0YBiRjbzis8yOC5_opgnbe6hPxW5p5ayhgBB19ZwbKTcoNa6mJpjtTrSUODIifVmh9Xv4Ow8aqYdtGuVp02alIgsgRJqTM2y15b4fkhOkaFtXsGGf8m4ybnpv6xr3gY6nQg/s320/cevahir_mall.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359919500975840786" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">photo from </span></span></i><a href="http://sociologycompass.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/cevahir_mall.jpg"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF6600;">here</span></span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">, "Sociology Compass" blog</span></span>.</i></span></div></i><div><br /></div><div>It is not only the biggest in Istanbul (among about 20 others), but also <b>biggest in Europe</b>; and <b>4th biggest</b> in the world.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, I had the chance to ask Maikel if my deduction that Amsterdam did not have any mall was true. "<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">Actually we have </span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><b>Kalvertoren</b></span></i>" he said. Then, I suddenly remembered the shopping center at the one end of the famous Kalverstraat, close to the <i>Bloemenmarkt</i>. "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><i>But, I would not consider it as mall, maybe semi-mall</i></span>" said Maikel; and I agreed. It was "nothing" compared to our Cevahir Mall.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maikel also told me that the "mall" culture would probably not visiting Holland in the near future.</div>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-58393242185537121592009-07-16T15:10:00.007+02:002009-07-16T16:46:39.324+02:00A letter from Alfonso (or How global is the life now)<span class="Apple-style-span"><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">Global World</span></b></div> It was about two weeks ago<i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(yes I was very busy to not to have time to mention about this before)</span></i>.<div><br /></div><div>I got a letter from Alfonso in reply to my letter I sent (i guess) in February. It is amazing actually to get a letter in Turkey from an Italian friend who lives in France, with whom we met in Holland :) How global is our lives nowadays! Another funny thing is; we know each other since we have a common friend, Kaustubh, who is Indian :) </div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXlJF_ba0c-9pNReFQdXpWwvhDWfIvnkKnU5hURcrQa7PPY6BEpIL2pzEH52au2IDQTYIZGuF6Vp1iX-eSpPAXkScxKd10RxOF7EBR4XWL11qB512aWrLSUA2WfMAYSKAigYZ9lylhyphenhyphen8/s1600-h/DSC03061.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXlJF_ba0c-9pNReFQdXpWwvhDWfIvnkKnU5hURcrQa7PPY6BEpIL2pzEH52au2IDQTYIZGuF6Vp1iX-eSpPAXkScxKd10RxOF7EBR4XWL11qB512aWrLSUA2WfMAYSKAigYZ9lylhyphenhyphen8/s400/DSC03061.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359058046854422450" /></a>We met many times in either in his place in Ceramplein</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(where he always performed cooking experiments for dinners, which, always turned out to be deliciious)</span> </span></span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span"> or in my place at Funenpark <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(where he usually came with a bag of clothes to wash)</span></span></i>.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><div><br /></div><div>Alfonso, you mention in the letter that "<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">experimental cooking is a little difficult</span></i>" there "<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">people are much more traditionalists</span></i>". Then, I will say that they are not aware of what they miss by being traditionalist :)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">Degree of Happiness in Amsterdam</span></b></div><div>It is nice to read in the letter that he was much more satisfied now with life in France than in Amsterdam: </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;"><i>"Don't get me wrong, Amsterdam was also a nice city. Now I understand that having a bad house and a not very-friendly work environment invluenced my staying in NL a lot</i></span>" he says. Actually, the place they lived was a very old apartment with many missing things. And, both Alfonso and Kaustubh, never got a proper response to their complaints from the university or the housing company.</div><div><br /></div><div>He also talks about how loose the work life is in France. "<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">'to work' intended in french way"</span></i> he says, "<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">which means, arrive late; have nice time with colleagues; don't go home too late</span></i>". </div><div>Alfonso; this, I would call <b>Mediterranea</b>n style. We also have a very similar working style in state-based working places.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;"><b>French</b></span></div><div>Alfonso, you say that your french gets better. I am sure! I am sure it is much better than the time you were trying to communicate with your Senegalese roommate during a dinner in my place :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, if you "<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#990000;">will have to turn the roulette again and will find a new position somewher</span></i>e", I guess this will be a country with a different language (after Germany, Holland, and France) :). What about Turkey?:)</div><div><br /></div><div>Hey, Maikel was here in Istanbul last week for few days; Kaustubh also joined us for 1 day. We have strolled through the city together, nice moments. You are also welcome!</div></span></div>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-45555936590121690082009-06-28T17:06:00.012+02:002009-06-28T17:59:14.326+02:00"Most Undutch" Turkish Dish"<span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Among the things you served us tonight, this is the thing most undutch</span>" Inge had told me while she, Hans, Johan and I were tasting my bulgur salad (called natively Kısır) in my place in Funenpark as part of a Ramadan Dinner in September 2007. <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">(Bulgur is broken wheat, commonly used in Turkish cousine) </span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRI928qjbkbsk5B5Ssjji6l5wkA4xx_c1slvO46H-lrZhHF9OGqfbSHZtyyJ8sPkHcH7SCyK-taekdRlJLv01b68BApgAZYIXqYT4g9TGUGi1gm5rLhsRGiq0hujqc4ZlT8gLNDcJqAQ/s1600-h/DSC02726.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjRI928qjbkbsk5B5Ssjji6l5wkA4xx_c1slvO46H-lrZhHF9OGqfbSHZtyyJ8sPkHcH7SCyK-taekdRlJLv01b68BApgAZYIXqYT4g9TGUGi1gm5rLhsRGiq0hujqc4ZlT8gLNDcJqAQ/s320/DSC02726.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352407384135504402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-size:85%;" >(The photo is from last week where I made <span style="font-weight: bold;">kısır</span> for the site commander of my military unit as well as for other officers in the unit.)<br /></span></div><br />Then I have made it a couple of times for other dinners in my place and for parties we had at Funanpark roof. I remember how people liked it during my German neighbours' BBQ party. It was then when Sara asked me the recipe. "<span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Your bulgur salad has been one of our favorite dishes</span>" she told me later "<span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">I make it almost every week</span>". She also published the recipe in <a href="http://bmehmani.blogspot.com/2008/08/kisir.html">an iranian blog</a>. It is in persian, but the photos worth checking.<br /><br />The original recipe is from a turkish cooking blog "<a href="http://www.portakalagaci.com/oburcuk/2004/03/ksr.html"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Portakal Ağacı</span></a>", meaning "Orange Tree".<br /><br />So here is the recipe for those who want to taste this "<span style="font-weight: bold;">most undutch</span>" turkish dish:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Ingredients</span><br /><ul><li>5-6 spring onion</li><li>half bunch of parsley</li><li>2-3 layers of iceberg salad<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"> (optional)</span></span></li><li>4 gloves of garlic</li><li>1 onion <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"> (optional)</span></span></li><li>1 tablespoon of tomato paste</li><li>1 tablespoon of red paprika paste <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">(or 2 tablespoons of tomato paste if not available)</span></span></li><li>2 glasses of hot water</li><li>1 dessert-spoon of salt</li><li>2 glasses of fine-bulgur <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">(Beware: it must be the fine version, can be found in turkish supermarkets)</span></span></li><li>1 tablespoon of dried mint</li><li>half tablespoon of chilly pepper <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">(can be 1, if you want it hotter)</span></span></li><li>half tablespoon of black pepper</li><li>half glass of lemon juice</li><li>half glass of olive oil</li><li>2 tomatos<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"> (optional, for decoration purposes)</span></span></li><li>a handful of fresh mint leaves or parsley leaves <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">(optional, for decoration)</span></span></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Preparation</span><br /><ol><li>Fınely chop onions, spring onions, parsley and iceberg salad. Put them together into a container and cover the top.</li><li>Fry the chopped garlics with the olive oil and tomato and paprika pastes</li><li>Put bulgur into a container and add the hot water on top of it. Add the salt and the mix with the mix in (2). Mix occasionally till bulgur sucks all the water and the mix looks homogenous. (10-15 mins)</li><li>Add the chopped vegetables of (1), lemon juice, and spices to (3). Mix till it gets to a homogenous mixture.</li><li>Decorate with tomotos sliced in half-circles and with the parsley and/or mint leaves.</li><li>Put into refrigerator for a while. It is better to eat it cold.<br /></li></ol><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">My first trial of Kısır in Amsterdam</span><br />It was again a Ramadan dinner where we fast during the day, and have dinner when it is getting dark. I had invited my turkish friends from Delft and the one from The Hague. When they tasted my kısır, one of them said "the taste is OK; but it would be better if you did not use <span style="font-weight: bold;">coriander</span>". I was shocked "what? What is that thing? I never used that thingy" was my reaction. "It is a vegetable similar to parsley" they told, and suddenly I got enlightened :D<br /><br />I remembered how I felt while I was preparing the bulgur salad. The "parsleys" I got from turkish supermarket at Javastraat was somehow pale. And they had really a different strange smell while I was chopping them off. I thought: "probably those parsleys got deteriorated. But I have no time to buy new ones, and since I will mix many things, my guests will not get its bad taste anyway". That is, I never realized that it could be some other vegetable :D<br /><br />So, since we do not have corianders in Turkey, I never knew that they were being sold in Holland, and they were so similar to parsley :)tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-58983023978029669122009-06-09T20:02:00.009+02:002009-06-09T22:49:48.551+02:00Food MemeOf four dutch-originated blogs I kind-of regularly follow, one is <a href="http://kellyinnl.wordpress.com/">Kelly's</a>. (The others are <a href="http://www.atouchofdutch.blogspot.com/">Isabella's</a>, <a href="http://www.tjeerd.net/">Tjeerd's</a> and <a href="http://www.bellanina.nl/">Nina's</a> blogs). Kelly is a gibraltarian expat living in Almere, Holland. She has tagged my blog in her <a href="http://kellyinnl.wordpress.com/2009/05/31/the-food-meme/">food-meme post</a>. Here is the rule for the food meme:<br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">List 7 items related to food or drink you love, also list 7 items you hate the most. Then tag 7 buddies and find out if your stomachs have something in common. Bon appetite!</span><br /><br />I will make a small change and will list the liked/dislilked foods which are somehow linked to Holland.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">DISLIKES</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">1. Drops: </span>I already have written about <a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2008/06/drops-torture-poor-dutch-people.html">how torturous was it</a> for me to try even one. No way! I can't like them!<br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">2. Sweet popcorn: </span>Another terrible experience. It was my first weeks in Amsterdam; and I was very happy to see pre-popped corns sold in Albert Heijn one day (I love them); and I bought one bag. And guess what: I was home, and I opened the bag with a big enthusiasm, and threw few of them into my mouth. And, I was shocked! I never heard/tasted before pop-corns with sugar!. It was unbearable! I do not like throwing foods away, and It took more than a week to finish all of them :D<br />Later I realized they sell two versions in supermarkets: with salt and with sugar..<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">3. Peanut butter:</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);"> </span>Well, it is not my cup of tea. Daniel once told me that this was one of the three things he would take with him if he were to live alone in an island. This shows how Dutchmen love it. But i simply can't. Peanut butter on bread does not taste good at all for me.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">4. Breads sold in Albert Heijn: </span>There are so many different varieties of breads sold in AH. I tried a couple of them, and did not like any. Thanks God, the turkish neighbourhood was very close, and I could go there to buy turkish bread from <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Kardas Bakkerij</span> in<span style="font-style: italic;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Javastraat</span></span> in Indische buurt.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">5. Soups I tried at the university canteen:</span> </span>They were all terrible. The soups may be OK in itself. But they add some kind of flavor to all soups which change the taste into an unbearable nature.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">6. Mix-fruit juices sold in AH: </span>This is getting common only recently in Turkey. When I was in Holland, it was the first time I saw mixed fruit juices. I tried some (peach-orange mix or apple-raspberry mix or things like this), and did not like any of them. I prefer pure juices.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">7. Round three-color bell peppers sold in AH:</span> They are unbelievably nice in appearance: red/green/yellow bell peppers sold together. The way we use bell peppers in turkish cuisine is by stuffing them with rice and then cooking. I tried this dish with those huge bell peppers sold in AH: they are so thick, which makes your mouth not comfortable :) . Then, I preferred to buy the turkish-style ones sold in the turkish neighbourhood at Javastraat.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">LIKES</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">1. Vla:</span> A traditional dutch yoghurt-vanillin mix. This, I discovered thanks to Ewoud. He brought a box of vla when he first visited my place for a dinner. I liked the taste a lot. The only thing is: one variety sold in AH includes a red colored flavor. I later preferred not to buy that variety since I found out that <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">carmine</span> is among its ingredients (carmine is an insect-derived coloring agent)<br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">2. Stroopwafel (Syrup waffles): </span>Also sold in AH, also traditional. Again, a goodbye present by Ewoud; that's why I came to know them. I liked the taste a lot.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">3. Ice-tea:</span> When I first tried ice-tea about 10 years ago, I found it not interesting at all,and did not try again. Till it was served to me while I was in Vahid-Sara's place for a dinner. Then suddenly I liked it a lot! It has turned out to be one of my most favourite drinks in the Netherlands. The peach- and lemon- flavoured ones are my favorites.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">4. Cashew nuts: </span>This, I discovered in Holland in AH since we did not have this type of nut in Turkey (only recently it has been gaining popularity). The taste is just amazing.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">5. Appelstroop (apple syrup):</span> I was told that this is what the pregnant dutch ladies prefer to eat to have a healthy baby. It was my favourite thingy during my lunches at UvA canteen.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">6. Celebrations:</span> Again an AH product, I discovered this thanks to Olja. She brought a box of Celebrations as a present when I invited her, Hans and Suzanne for a Ramadan dinner. It is a box of miniature-size versions of popular chocolate bars<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">.<br />7. Falafel at Maoz:</span> Falafel is a vegetarian meat-ball like middle-east food. The ones sold in Maoz are offered with unlimited salad. Since I preferred vegetarian food while eating outside, this was one of my favourites. <a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2008/07/hare-krishna-event-at-amsterdam.html">At the end of an old post</a> is a photo of the one of the branches in Amsterdam, a branch we had visited with Sara and Vahid (and also with Maikel and Alfonso during Queen's day in 2008).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">TAGGING</span><br /><br />I am supposed to tag 7 others as part of this food meme. However, there are only few blogs I kind-of regularly follow. So I can only tag 2 others:<br />1-<a href="http://www.tjeerd.net">Tjeerd</a>: www.tjeerd.net<br />2-<a href="http://www.bellanina.nl">Nina</a>: www.bellanina.nltunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-48426662106034519052009-05-29T21:33:00.007+02:002009-05-29T22:02:22.123+02:00GREAT EXPAT BLOG AWARD BY "A TOUCH OF DUTCH"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDwn4VBRH-Mhx4nRTBpEZEn5XKUFf62XAtgnOUeJmhBhnW2VT2Iim76MlFF1lShtbpR1LYW-lZqYIuJgmBLRNnJ0UNjQO4mEj5eInIQZrE3zZd_fBNysVUh69fVqUYApUIon_mSBKncw/s1600-h/a+great+expat+blog.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDwn4VBRH-Mhx4nRTBpEZEn5XKUFf62XAtgnOUeJmhBhnW2VT2Iim76MlFF1lShtbpR1LYW-lZqYIuJgmBLRNnJ0UNjQO4mEj5eInIQZrE3zZd_fBNysVUh69fVqUYApUIon_mSBKncw/s320/a+great+expat+blog.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341338380069030162" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Isabella, the owner/author/mother of the weblog </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.atouchofdutch.blogspot.com/">"a touch of dutch</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">" has awarded my blog, and a couple of others, with "</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-family:georgia;" >Great Expat Blog</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">" award.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://atouchofdutch.blogspot.com/2009/05/awe-sum-and-more.html">Here</a> is her related blog entry.<span style="font-family:georgia;"> "</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);font-family:georgia;" >I want to thank you all with your expat blog and love reading what you have to share! You are making a positive contribution, and your contribution to expats is helpful!</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">" she says in her blog entry. Isabella, just thanks for the award! </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">(Actually, I am no longer an expat "physically" as I am in Turkey busy with my military service. But I keep this blog active as a virtual link between Holland and I.)</span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />I already had written about her blog<a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2008/07/touch-of-dutch.html"> a while ago</a>; it is really a great blog. I take it as an unofficial guide for living in Holland. And it is so comprehensive! Isabella, just thanks a lot for sparing your time for your blog, for your enthusiasm, and for making such a great help for people googling about Holland. This is really something to be greatly appreciated!</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-family:georgia;" ><br /><br />Seven awe-sum things</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />As part of the award, she says "<span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">List seven things about yourself that are awe-sum</span>".</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />I will make a small change, and I will list seven things that are not only awesome but also related to Holland.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />1-</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">A with-minimized-prejudice guy:</span> </span>Compared to the people in my environment, I am noticeably free-minded and also free-of-prejudices. This, I owe to my living experience in Holland (and also in Denmark). The people I met from different countries as well as the general lifestyle in Holland are the main factors behind. The people in my military unit are aware of this, and they sometimes call me "the free-mind Willy"<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">2- </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">A can-still-understand-some-dutch guy:</span> I thought I already forgot all Dutch I know. But, checking some websites in dutch, I surprisingly noticed I can still understand quite dutch! <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >(Isabella, your blog is of great help; you put some dutch sentences/phrases, which helps me to refresh my dutch :) )</span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />3-</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">A can-bike guy:</span> I can bike, I can bike, I can bike!! This I learned at the age of 28, in Amsterdam :). I even managed to travel <a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2008/07/i-did-iit-i-diiid-it-i-did-it.html">between two cities</a> :) </span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">4-</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">A having-dutch-friends guy:</span> Many expats say that dutch people, although they are very kind, are difficult to make friendship with. But I have managed to develop very nice friendships with dutch people in my work environment: I am still in contact with Maikel, Daniel, Suzanne, Tjeerd, and I am glad that this is the case..</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5-</span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">A good-cook guy: </span>I am very good at cooking some dishes from turkish kitchen. Lentil balls, bulgur salad (kısır), pepper with stuffed rice (dolma), lentil soup, yoghurt soup.. All of these, I learned in Holland while living alone in Funenpark. <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">(I should also thank to all friends who joined me for dinners, BBQ parties)</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">6-</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">A bird-fan guy:</span></span> I am a bird-fan. This, I owe to different birds I came across in the canals and parks of Amsterdam & Utrecht (Moorhens, coots, geese, swans, jackdaws, magpies....). I use the word "different" since you do not see any of those birds in Istanbul, which is a quite urbanized city.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">7-</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">An awesome guy:</span> </span>My university building was just next to the zoo Artis, but I have never been there :(</span> That's quite awesome considering that I am a nature-loving, animal-loving, zoo-loving guy :)tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-69106088278247800362009-05-07T21:52:00.002+02:002009-05-07T22:10:53.383+02:00A Smile in Photo: A Must for Dutch Driving LicenseYeah, quite surprising...<br /><br />I take driving lessons nowadays due to my attempt here to get a driving license. I take the lessons usually on the road which is just in front of the military complex. So, the SFH (<a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2009/05/somebody-from-hoorn-in-my-military-unit.html">our Soldier From Holland</a>, abbreviated) watches my driving attempts when he has guarding duty at the gate of the complex.<br /><br />Yesterday I had a short chat with him after my driving lesson was over. "Commander, I got a license here in Turkey,and also one in Holland" he said. "I got 100 from the exam in Turkey, and only 80 from the one in Holland, after my second attempt to pass" he said. I had already heard once from my German class teacher that many "experienced" turkish drivers had to take extra lessons when they wanted to make the license valid in Germany. So, it looks it is noticeably more difficult to get a driving license in Germany, or in Holland as the SFH told me.<br /><br />The funny part is just coming: the SFH says that in Holland they turned down the photo he submitted for the driving license: "it must be a smiling one" the authorities had told him. How surprising!.. "Are you serious???!!" was my reaction. "Yes Commander, that was also the case for the passport photo" he replied.<br /><br />One of the things I admired in Holland was to see everybody smiling in streets, in hospitals, at information desks, in restaurants etc.. But, I did not know that this was "kind-of" a policy they wanted somehow every citizen "to obey"; which is really to be appreciated I guess..<br /><br />I must ask my dutch friends if they are familiar with this "smiling photo" policy :)tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-8095503518167711252009-05-03T10:56:00.004+02:002009-05-03T11:33:57.424+02:00Somebody from Hoorn in my Military Unit ..Yeahh, it was totally surprising for me.. To meet a soldier from Holland..<br /><br />It happened few weeks ago. I heard that there was a new soldier from Holland. Ugh.. Somehow I feel Holland as my second home. That was why I really felt excited to hear about somebody from 'my second country'.<br /><br />Then, I met him. Well, of course he is of turkish origin. He told me that he was born in Holland and he is from Hoorn. It was such a nice feeling to talk about Albert Heijn, <a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2008/06/drops-torture-poor-dutch-people.html">drops</a> (he loves them !, he is not a typical turkish guy anymore :) ), trains, Alkmaar, football teams (he is a professional football player), Blokker ...<br /><br />Then, I went to<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoorn"> uncle Wiki</a> since it was the first time i heard "Hoorn". I have learned that it is somewhere close to Alkmaar, on the coast of Markermeer, and it is really a nice historical city! Weird that I did not hear about it when I was in Holland..<br /><br /><span style="color:#006600;"><strong>Blokker</strong></span><br />"Do you know Blokker", he asked me, "the store chain". "Of course" I said. I was there almost every week. I usually went to the one in Javastraat, next to the turkish supermarket I went for shopping. There was also one on the other side of Rietlandpark station of tram 26. <em><span style="font-size:85%;color:#333333;">(And I remember how I was surprised when Vahid and Sara told me that they do not know about Blokker :D)</span></em><br /><br />But, the weird point is, I never questioned the meaning of the name! Of many such things I discussed with Maikel, Daniel or Suzanne, this never became an issue. I guess the main reason was that I thought it came from the word "blocks". :), which makes some sense when you think of what is sold in these stores..<br /><br />Who would guess that I would learn the origin of this name in Turkey, in the military complex, from someone in turkish military clothes ... This is life :) It is so unpredictable :D<br /><br />Yeah, this "soldier from Hoorn" told me that Blokker was indeed the name of a village in Hoorn area. " "They even have a football team, and I played there some time ago" he said.tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-62334298481880387692008-11-03T21:25:00.004+01:002008-11-03T21:36:42.821+01:00Height standards of World's tallest people: A case studyI had e-mailed a photo of mine to Daniel in which I show up in my official military clothes (as I mentioned <a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2008/09/terrific-happy-sugarfest-gift.html">in the previous entry</a>).<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTt1hQZd3n8gBcDM_-oovN2zwrLfjZczWcCfkp63rutxMbfzZT03yMHC8uzBnpWVK1RcUHAthcI_kP9Zp7TtzK0pdMvV1Ma3ZmoS_s4fGi_wuBZJNkLaQyfffDBowXzg59oBce3u9mmg/s1600-h/yemin+toreni.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTt1hQZd3n8gBcDM_-oovN2zwrLfjZczWcCfkp63rutxMbfzZT03yMHC8uzBnpWVK1RcUHAthcI_kP9Zp7TtzK0pdMvV1Ma3ZmoS_s4fGi_wuBZJNkLaQyfffDBowXzg59oBce3u9mmg/s320/yemin+toreni.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264532029940510274" /></a><br /></div><div>I called Maikel few weeks ago from the military complex, and we chatted for a while. He told me that he could not recognize me when Daniel showed him the photo.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Well, first, you look completely different in those clothes. I looked at the photo, I knew I had to see something, but I could not get you" he said. And the funny part was his second reasoning on why he could not get me:</div><div><br /></div><div>"When Daniel told me that you were in the photo, I was very much surprised since I expected to see somebody who is about 15-20 cm shorter than the other people around" he said, laughing; "But all the people in the photo were of the same height!".</div><div><br /></div><div>"Then" he continued, "I realized that you were shorter than dutch people!, and I immediately thought that probably your height was just an average height in Turkey".. We laughed a lot on the phone :-)</div>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-67175415440134250242008-09-30T22:26:00.013+02:002008-09-30T23:17:35.050+02:00Terrific Happy-Sugarfest Gift !!!Today is the first day of our Ramadan fest, also known as Sugar/Candy fest. It comes after one month of fasting.<div><br /></div><div>And, today, I got an extraordinary gift via e-mail from my former research group (<a href="http://www.bdagroup.nl/">BDA</a>) in Amsterdam.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Heyyy! Daniel, Maikel, Suzanne, Age!!!!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">I like each of you very much!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0);">Thanks a lot for the big surprise! IT was something I will never forget!</span></div><div><br />The gift-message is:<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwajmIYP2b08SIPvgMVyG0AXef1IPSGFmMX4QO8qSUQ3Gep2HvSoNL5X5H92SF7SZD5iKib3cv77lui0WGKmjEIWjDWJyE60li5qlwuKea11yaXyr9NaJy9RadDy2RkSzWiJz-0k8nNE/s1600-h/daniel+email.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwajmIYP2b08SIPvgMVyG0AXef1IPSGFmMX4QO8qSUQ3Gep2HvSoNL5X5H92SF7SZD5iKib3cv77lui0WGKmjEIWjDWJyE60li5qlwuKea11yaXyr9NaJy9RadDy2RkSzWiJz-0k8nNE/s320/daniel+email.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251919922671220626" border="0" /></a>uggh. DJ Vis even cannot spell my name, but I will ignore it once :D<br /><br /><div>Just below is the gift:</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfYxe3iTr3-H-SSfcwH3YvAw6ttZ0n32OZ82KK4YtiGAVW_XvvzvbOdsVN9TAB-uKouPbJJYTBMmRkG8CMmp8qX3GT-yEA8hV_-TZCru1psyThb1yoOa4qLa6b6NETIrgrdG3y-_Vqu8/s1600-h/30092008230.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-decoration: underline; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfYxe3iTr3-H-SSfcwH3YvAw6ttZ0n32OZ82KK4YtiGAVW_XvvzvbOdsVN9TAB-uKouPbJJYTBMmRkG8CMmp8qX3GT-yEA8hV_-TZCru1psyThb1yoOa4qLa6b6NETIrgrdG3y-_Vqu8/s400/30092008230.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251915753626953282" border="0" /></a>Yeahh, it is a photo. The portable board in the big office of 7th floor of building C of University of Amsterdam at Nieuwe Achtergracht 166; and a plant..<br /><br />Then, you zoom into the photo to get what is interesting about it:<br /><div><br /></div><div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Plant</div><div>It is a Zamioculcas (also known as <span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">ZeeZee plant</span>): Gift of Suzanne when she visited my place last year during a Ramadan dinner (iftar). I left it into her office when I left Holland.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today, in the morning, I asked Daniel if the plants I left there were doing OK. He referred to this plant and wrote to me:</div><div style="font-style: italic;">"That larger plant is doing well. I felt she (Suzanne) should care for it better, so I labeled that plant "<span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Fiona II</span>". Apparently, that works, now it is getting sufficient water"</div><div><br /></div><div>And I got the gift photo in the afternoon: Yeah the ZeeZee plant has that label as Daniel told me; and it looks very OK. Apparently, Daniel's trick seems to work :D, Suzanne takes it as a second daughter..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuX-dpnxRPQqHG8u4vzebXrBloOY2mfz_IqqqEYXxtBQk6NXMmXSE0dqRLBRIKssWaw369JnlphLi0UhDuKjXxrumLC8cixC9HOeOTQZ-jT6qaYZBnDKgmpkFg8zez0cs9cTCwHUrwHmw/s1600-h/fionaII.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuX-dpnxRPQqHG8u4vzebXrBloOY2mfz_IqqqEYXxtBQk6NXMmXSE0dqRLBRIKssWaw369JnlphLi0UhDuKjXxrumLC8cixC9HOeOTQZ-jT6qaYZBnDKgmpkFg8zez0cs9cTCwHUrwHmw/s320/fionaII.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251919054540181970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">The Board</span><br />Thanks again! I had just e-mailed Daniel today a photo of mine from our <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">swearing-in ceremony</span> where I appear in the military officer clothes. It looks he printed it and posted in the middle of the board. "Mr. T says Hi" wrote on the top..<br /><br />And then, Maikel, Daniel, Suzanne and Age signed the board ;-)<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9FNVZ0APsFbmi7BFUJwHxM9kfCYA4ArgVhsDCRumtB6t2uAaXIFCUu1vC4ZXaRO9rtvBqQ8IbEV9zFV_NVCN3nnEibpQlBDwvG-aI3pqssoSsiE9StfKfPLOcy1p5n9CZi1cJ49lLT0/s1600-h/boardfocus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9FNVZ0APsFbmi7BFUJwHxM9kfCYA4ArgVhsDCRumtB6t2uAaXIFCUu1vC4ZXaRO9rtvBqQ8IbEV9zFV_NVCN3nnEibpQlBDwvG-aI3pqssoSsiE9StfKfPLOcy1p5n9CZi1cJ49lLT0/s400/boardfocus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251921730508798546" border="0" /></a>Well, lots of signatures are missing. They even have a report on this on the right side of the board:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIHqL0oR5uhtgcPor7csLV7gEDqQtyRRU40UhGJS72AUyWiU0CVKj_TwzbZMRGClKqZhamFufJ74yf6Ewqm6c7fCXHKldTIAj50gJgGqmqo52qCSj_jTryHpJ1clg4Oa93kkYjXnmMh0/s1600-h/absents.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 253px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIHqL0oR5uhtgcPor7csLV7gEDqQtyRRU40UhGJS72AUyWiU0CVKj_TwzbZMRGClKqZhamFufJ74yf6Ewqm6c7fCXHKldTIAj50gJgGqmqo52qCSj_jTryHpJ1clg4Oa93kkYjXnmMh0/s320/absents.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251923989972068930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0); font-weight: bold;">THANKS AGAIN GROUP!</span><br />and Thanks God! Thanks for the opportunity to have my post-doc there, with such nice people around!tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-90286947738884112802008-09-30T10:12:00.004+02:002008-09-30T10:26:56.273+02:00Facebook vs. HyvesI was stubborn to not to open an account in Facebook.. I was in <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">"I do not have time for such stuff" mood</span>.<br /><br />Things changed few weeks ago in military service.. The <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">military-friends</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">(as we refer them traditionally)</span> there were talking about a group they initiated in Facebook special for us. They said they even put some photos. That's why I put an end to my stubbornness <span style="font-style: italic;">(what a word with so many double letters!)</span>, and opened an account during a weekend break in the city (Balikesir)..<br /><br />Now that I am home thanks to the official 1-week holiday in Turkey for <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Ramadan (sugar) fest</span>, I have time to "play with" my Facebook account.. I have added tens of people from our lieutenant-candidates as my friends, and also some other friends from netherlands, or from my university..<br /><br />One surprising thing was: none of my dutch friends have facebook account - my search could not find a match to any of their names <span style="font-style: italic;">(the only exception is Tjeerd, who happened to get an account only few weeks ago)</span>..<br /><br />I discussed this shortly with Tjeerd yesterday: we agree that the real reason behind should be <a href="http://www.hyves.nl"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">HYVES.NL</span></a>.<br /><br />Yes, there is a dutch social network tool: "we use Hyves ( <a href="http://www.hyves.nl/" target="_blank">www.hyves.nl</a> ) in the Netherlands as a social-networking tool" as Tjeerd says. I checked the website: it already has about <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">7.5 million </span>members!tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-56891640106747007282008-09-27T12:18:00.003+02:002008-09-27T19:07:59.433+02:00Yet another (temporary) farewell & Where is my home?<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Third-Lieutenant Candidates at Packing</span><br />Next week is our Sugar (Ramadan) Fest- the fest we have after the fasting month (Ramadan) is over. That is why I have a <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">9-day-break</span> to my military life!!. It is weird to stay somewhere else after staying in the same place for 45 days with the same people around.<br /><br />One of my funs in the military service is to have short visits to the other bedrooms on our floor for short chats (There are 12 on our floor, each with 4 people). I was having one of such visits on thursday night when I saw some of us (ı.e. the third-lieutenant candidates) being busy with packing things to get ready for 9-day-leave: : luggages around in the room, some clothes on beds to be put inside; half-ambiguous looks with some happiness signs on faces.<br /><br />Well, farewells always make me emotional. Packing is an obvious sign of a farewell (albeit a temporary one in this case). I went outside then, and had a sit in the dark in front of the building. "Why do you look so thoughtful?" asked Egemen, sitting accross with Ihsan. "Well" I said "you may find it weird, but witnessing people packing made me a bit sad"; and I got a big laugh from him in return, implying a "the weirdest-feeling-I-ever-heard" comment.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Where is my home?</span><br />Of course, all of us are happy to leave the military complex: we will be with our families/ beloved ones, away from the discipline-rich environment of military service. Everybody looked forward to be home: but it was a bit weird and confusing for me.<br /><br />For sure, I missed to be away from the military life, I missed my family: but I was confused: living in the Netherlands just before my military adventure; I guess I have more missed to be in Amsterdam, at Funenpark 41 in my place, rather than to be at my home in Istanbul. I missed to have dinners with multi-national friends there, to be at BDA group at the university in Amsterdam or at UMC Utrecht and to chat with colleagues/friends there, to walk in train stations, in the city, to get on Bus 11 at Utrecht, or to take tram 26 to/from Rietlandpark in Amsterdam, to have visits to friends in Delft, in the Hauge; to spend some time in Amsterdam parks with water birds around, and all-in-all to cycle..<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Poor me: I could not see Fiona :( :(</span><br />I guess those feelings explain why I had that dream in the very morning of that night: a dutch-associated dream.<br /><br />I heard Suzanne saying something, and she was entering into a room on the other side of a corridor. I guess she was changing Fiona's diapers there. I shouted her "How is Fiona?". And made an attempt to see the little baby.<br /><br />Poor me :(. I then heard the alarm of my watch: It is 06:15 : time to get up, shave and make your bed/ cupboard tidy, and rush for military gathering.<br /><br />I was really sad for few minutes to miss the opportunity to see little Fiona in my dream :)tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-74108844891200086802008-09-13T12:26:00.002+02:002008-09-27T19:09:32.513+02:00Cyclists: Another Source of HappinessPeople always asked me in Holland if there was any cyclists in Turkey during the everyday life. "No, never ever" I said. "Only children in summer time, for fun, in front of their houses".<br /><br />Well, this was valid for Istanbul, and I thought it was the same all over Turkey.<br /><br />Luckily, It wasn't. But, this, I have realized only when I came to this small city few weeks ago.<br /><br />I always appreciated the role of bikes in dutch people. I always envied them. That was why I was very happy- as in the case of <a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2008/09/magpie-source-of-happiness.html">seeing a magpie</a>- when I saw cyclists in this small western city of Turkey.<br /><br />It is not like you see only few. You can see a cyclist passing through in every 10 minutes or so (which may sound very rare compared to Holland :) ). They are not children; they are all adults who even sometimes carry some bags with their bikes: exactly dutch (and danish) style! Moreover, It is not unusual to see bikes parked here and there.<br /><br />Spotting bikes and cyclists in the city centre makes me smiling since:<br /><ul><li>it reminds me of Netherlands; my (Johan's) bike there, my cyclings etc....</li><li>it makes me proud to see that people here are aware of the advantages of using bikes. I guess it only need some municipality-based official encouragement to make it more common here.</li></ul><p> </p>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-91595301048562132992008-09-13T11:36:00.009+02:002008-09-13T12:26:24.749+02:00A Magpie: A Source of HappinessI have hardly been in any other turkish city other than Istanbul. And, Istanbul is quite poor in terms of bird 'content'. We only have <span style="color:#006600;">sparrows, pigeons, crows, and pinkish pigeons</span>, whose english name being <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streptopelia_senegalensis">laughing dove </a>(Streptopelia senegalensis) -as I have just learned via googling-.<br /><br />It was the beginning of this week. Morning. I guess I was busy with making my bed/my cupboard/ my desk tidy as you can get strange punishments in the military service otherwise (eg. Your 9 AM- 6 PM weekend breaks are cancelled if they have any trace of untidyness)<br /><br />I, without any reason, looked at outside at one time. <span style="color:#009900;">It was there. It was real</span>. It was exactly the same as the ones in Denmark and Netherlands. It was walking there.<br /><br />Alas, I was alone in our 4-person bedroom, and I did not hear any humanly voice at our floor (probably everybody was already at the breakfast). So, very unfortunate that I could not share my happiness with anybody else :(<br /><br />It was a <strong>magpie</strong>. Yes, exactly the same as the ones I tried to photograph in Amsterdam; the exact replica of the ones I saw everyday multiple times in my dutch life. The black-and-white bird from the crow family.<br /><br />I never imagined to come across a magpie here in the small turkish city, Balikesir. I had seen them during my Denmark stage for the first time. I had realized their similarity to crows, and thought "they must be danish version of crows" , and stopped thinking about them.<br /><br />In the Netherlands, however, I had an increasing interest to all those birds in nature. It was Maikel who taught me the name of this bird and the other birds from the crow family (jackdaw etc). Seeing a magpie here was like building a path to our chats with Maikel on birds, a path to my very nice moments in the Netherlands, a path to dutch life, dutch weather (especially if the weather is always 30-35-40 degrees here without any rain all month), a path to all dutchy stuff. It was like all the holland was squeezed in the form of a magpie in the front side of our building here..<br /><br />I found the following magpie (<span style="color:#000099;">pica pica</span> as Maikel calls it) photograph on the <a href="http://www.fws.gov/northdakotafieldoffice/images/black-billed%20magpie.jpg">internet</a>. I wish I could photograph the one I saw. But, this is more than impossible as it is not allowed to have a camera within the military complex.<br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUvLGIS38ouX05CAwSJQUeA7t-CCK2OyfQBoJDxsEQ3AzvmL1rJcF4iHe-rQbVOuVeW7GbsVyg9Q9igLjfhE6aYxaIrZNAdsXDi9zxlsXSNlZtYhpIPUStd_Ih0cDPuTPS7QMzdI8JUA/s1600-h/black-billed%20magpie.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245445306916750322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUvLGIS38ouX05CAwSJQUeA7t-CCK2OyfQBoJDxsEQ3AzvmL1rJcF4iHe-rQbVOuVeW7GbsVyg9Q9igLjfhE6aYxaIrZNAdsXDi9zxlsXSNlZtYhpIPUStd_Ih0cDPuTPS7QMzdI8JUA/s320/black-billed%2520magpie.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><strong><span style="color:#006600;">the other stuff</span></strong></p><p>So, my military service is going well; the difficult part is over (training on the field). It is really very nice to meet many more people. Actually, the most attractive part for my for my dutch stage was to have the opportunity to meet new people there. I like meeting new people, new worlds.</p><p>I had a quick look to the A Touch of Dutch, Kelly's blog, Tjeerd and Nina's blogs to feel the dutch atmosphere here. I just very much wonder if the people who follow this blog are doing OK, how their life is going etc.</p>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-48559526176422988562008-08-06T23:47:00.006+02:002008-08-09T09:53:23.851+02:00Courgette soupMaikel was talking about this soup occassionally, and stating how tasty it was. I guess he knew this soup from his mum, albeit a different version.<br /><br />Then he cooked it for us <a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/2008/06/coots-revisited.html">when we visited him</a> with Alfonso in June.<br /><br />It was at least as tasty as he described it. I got the recipe from him.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkbTsyBBZ_B24sSh2PKX4ErAmcsvWy1M-VK3R_Qy0iLyRpDsK8Kp5DIVtJXoTi3iE8j-r8l2DsQS2vc2ZIAeHFzetfL5LQPJGuWgd3Lsxl0SdlmDnxaokLUSN2A9ysDCEpxo-qBjzPTc/s1600-h/courgette+soup+recipe.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231779729955741970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkbTsyBBZ_B24sSh2PKX4ErAmcsvWy1M-VK3R_Qy0iLyRpDsK8Kp5DIVtJXoTi3iE8j-r8l2DsQS2vc2ZIAeHFzetfL5LQPJGuWgd3Lsxl0SdlmDnxaokLUSN2A9ysDCEpxo-qBjzPTc/s400/courgette+soup+recipe.jpg" border="0" /></a>And I had the chance to try it yesterday. </p><p>This recipe is for 2-3 people. I used a little bit more water than stated (0.7 liter rather than 0.5). I boiled a tablet of boullion in water. Then, I added two medium-size courgettes in chopped form (or <span style="color:#3333ff;">zucchinis</span>; the name in american english) and 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic. I let them boil for 15-20 mins till the courgette pieces get very soft.</p><p>Then I have blended the mix using our blender, leading to a very homogenous mixture. Then I added 75 g. plain cream cheese. Normally, Maikel had used a cream cheese with herbs and garlic (Boursin is the brand I guess). But I could not find this type here in Istanbul in the supermarket nearby; and I added garlics externally therefore in the first phase.</p><p>After mixing the whole thing and letting them boil for a short while, I added two teaspoons of curry powder (Maikel's recipe was for 1 teaspooon, and I later thought 1 would be more than enough).</p><p>Then, I ended up with the following soup.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZek-40P1fJ_IvuZRKlnDwHho0lhInQdHETkRZ-o8uknMqNDaL7sbZxE3r_e-vaeWMTOa5W_Ub4I7cBE_ubhFsTGh3_6S96_Ij1ANZ-MEJgAQTfp4hLCuM41NR6Et8yAQ0CQXgBzv9bY/s1600-h/soupt+itself.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231782713911557986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZek-40P1fJ_IvuZRKlnDwHho0lhInQdHETkRZ-o8uknMqNDaL7sbZxE3r_e-vaeWMTOa5W_Ub4I7cBE_ubhFsTGh3_6S96_Ij1ANZ-MEJgAQTfp4hLCuM41NR6Et8yAQ0CQXgBzv9bY/s200/soupt+itself.jpg" border="0" /></a> My mum really liked it.<br /></p>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-90777239053602170582008-08-04T22:30:00.008+02:002008-08-07T17:34:18.407+02:00Only a physical farewell...Everything has an end.. And my stage in Netherlands had an end too.. And that end was on last Saturday..<br /><br />I had some other things on my mind:<br /><ul><li>We had already started our <a href="http://dutchistan.blogspot.com/search/label/Inter-faith%20activities">inter-faith activities</a>; and I would very much wanted to go on with it.. </li><li>I like inviting people over dinner or lunch . I was going to invite Andreas Karoly Gombert from Delft with his family for a dinner (or BBQ at our roof); and Yvonne and Eric from Eindhoven, Saadet and Daniel, Tjeerd and his girlfriend, Isabella and her husband, Kelly and S, Johan from WKZ ... I was going to have Olja and Hans meet Defne and Hans, and talk about raising kids with parents from different lands... We were going to have another BBQ at Funenpark roof with all my Amsterdam research group.</li><li>I really wanted to go to some museums, to Artis zoo .... We were going to have a bike tour with Maikel, have a stroll in Pijp area of Amsterdam.. this and that.. </li></ul>I had started my dutchistan dairies not because of the urge to be read by others, but solely for myself. I did not want my good memories in Netherlands to fade away over years. I preferred to write them online and in english, however, so that other people may learn from my experiences; I would be helpful to them somehow; and also to force my english writing skills. And also, I thought it would also be a nice site for people I have spent times together to remember our nicely spent moments together..<br /><br />And leaving the country does not mean that I won't write anymore. it is only a physical end I would say. Thanks to internet, i will stay in touch with those nice people I had the chance to meet in Amsterdam. I will still read <a href="http://atouchofdutch.blogspot.com/">Isabella's,</a> <a href="http://kellyinnl.wordpress.com/">Kelly's</a> and <a href="http://www.tjeerd.net/">Tjeerd's</a> blogs, which will help me to keep up with the dutch life there. And I still receive <a href="http://www.dutchnews.nl/">DutchNews</a> newsletters, this will make me updated with dutch daily agenda.. And, there are many moments here that make me remember my dutch life. There are recipes I want to get from dutch friends and try.. So, all such things will certainly help me go on writing my dairies here: the ones related to my dutch experiences, my dutch life.....<br /><br />Thanks God; I had this chance to meet such wonderful people, to experience such wonderful moments in this country.tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-38385250024333340542008-07-30T23:45:00.012+02:002008-08-07T19:22:12.146+02:00Goodbye to WKZ<span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Preparing good-bye cake on Monday night</strong></span><br />It was Alfonso's birthday on Monday, and offered me to join them on a boat in Amsterdam canals. One of his friend had a boat..<br /><br />It would be really nice to take this opportunity in my last weekend in Amsterdam; however I was somewhat late from Utrecht; and I wanted to make a good-bye cake for Utrecht colleagues since yesterday was my last day there. Therefore, I could not join Alfonso..<br /><br />I took the following photos of Wilhelmina Kinderziekenhuis during a short stroll at the woods across the hospital:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipv-EJG4KPN1b_rzwET0IWt6EEQk3BSChhh2Cpu-vSyR7QhKB6V6SJHfDQFQPcDaWfT9ZaJhj8mcjJZyq0heLjKZtKz3z-thoUlkZ2DqqvrmplhLyXXQf4JY0K3jAVahTnsIhsVUMvoW4/s1600-h/inekliWKZ.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231807519369652130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipv-EJG4KPN1b_rzwET0IWt6EEQk3BSChhh2Cpu-vSyR7QhKB6V6SJHfDQFQPcDaWfT9ZaJhj8mcjJZyq0heLjKZtKz3z-thoUlkZ2DqqvrmplhLyXXQf4JY0K3jAVahTnsIhsVUMvoW4/s400/inekliWKZ.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Then, on the way back to my place from Amstel station by cycling, I finally managed to take the photos of those two little lovely houses located at Ringdijk street, close to the end meeting Linnaeusstraat.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolzdwy22VRa2jk6Dqadqpp7e4C5pleOGe1Vy03FOYtRLFpyKYaSo8JpJJFDK5CL82HFgY2e_Hz6O_501JfVzLY2ZGlh2XNUEypnZE_1n9M69MFL50lqyNkR-S_BK_ePwVlsUQrzwWPn4/s1600-h/rijkdijk+minikevler.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231807686708584674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolzdwy22VRa2jk6Dqadqpp7e4C5pleOGe1Vy03FOYtRLFpyKYaSo8JpJJFDK5CL82HFgY2e_Hz6O_501JfVzLY2ZGlh2XNUEypnZE_1n9M69MFL50lqyNkR-S_BK_ePwVlsUQrzwWPn4/s320/rijkdijk+minikevler.jpg" border="0" /></a>Vahid and Sara joined me in my place on Monday evening since Sara also wanted to see how to make this easy cake. The recipe, I had taken from Duygu years ago when I wanted to make a good-bye cake in 2004 before leaving Denmark. Duygu calls this "<span style="color:#3333ff;">mosaic cake</span>", but my portuguese colleagues in Denmark had told me that they had something very similar, which they call "<span style="color:#3333ff;">chocolate salami</span>."<br /><br />First we had a simple lunch with my şehriye (semolina) soup, and their iranian rice, and later the turkish dessert: Noah's pudding (aşure). Then, Vahid took biscuits into pieces, Sara chopped walnuts and dried apricots; and we mixed everything and rolled with an aluminum folio to put into fridge.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">Deregistration at Amstel 1, at Stadsdeel Centrum</span></strong><br />Normally, you go to Stadhoudskade 85 to register city hall. I was there monday morning, and they told me that they only register; for de-registration you have to go to your stadsdeel hall.<br /><br />So, I was at Amstel 1, just behind Waterlooplein to deregister myself yesterday morning. Then, I cycled to Amstel station for the last time to catch Utrecht train. I managed to get on the one at 9:15.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">Good-bye sushi</span></strong><br />When I entered into my office at WKZ, I told Margriet that I had brought good-bye cakes. "But they ended up having in small amount although I tried to double the recipe" I said. She said that I should not be worried since she also brought <span style="color:#3333ff;">sushi</span>s for my farewell. It is so kind of her! Well, on one hand, I found it weird to eat sushis to say goodbye; but I did not think about it that much.<br /><br />Then she sent an e-mail to the whole department using Monique's computer.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5n8OXkGpwLOZYT3QxsM4lqn64RLn6kTywCxDRCtp79U6QzQAblGoN_z9z0FDwLyyxy88WHLDvE529kpjEBxSTQJO5KPjPjOPq8OtdXZ4NyNXdl1SjsbXrsJNzbSI-1Zj7wAM400OOt0/s1600-h/kek+epostasi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231801129828849906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5n8OXkGpwLOZYT3QxsM4lqn64RLn6kTywCxDRCtp79U6QzQAblGoN_z9z0FDwLyyxy88WHLDvE529kpjEBxSTQJO5KPjPjOPq8OtdXZ4NyNXdl1SjsbXrsJNzbSI-1Zj7wAM400OOt0/s400/kek+epostasi.jpg" border="0" /></a> Then, at 11; we went to the coffe room with Tjeerd, Hannelie, Peter and Lieke. I started to slice my cake; and put onto the tables. Then I saw the thing Margriet brought. They did not look like the japanese sushi at all; but were like sweet things. I asked the name again, and realized that they were <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>'soesje'</strong></span>s. I liked the beginning of the <a href="http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soesje">wikipedia definition</a> very much: "<span style="color:#660000;">Een soesje is een klein gebakje .</span>."</p><p>I found the following photo <a href="http://www.indenvoorhoutschepot.nl/recept.php?menu=11">on the internet</a>, and actually, wikipedia refers to them as profiterols in the english website. So, they were not that familiar at all..<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9FdMcRlN3VicRyVei8vjxibi6Nb5O3ZE2y3YVQtH4uVi-GsRLzDGLBkv8-q8TsX5xm4UahgYNDtBifg6kbeRqWW5qwuwoCYjRAf_xkTenxGOt_zvjHC7WoeLLiPkS1qS8-p6WxgTZxE/s1600-h/soesje.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231803207684774514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9FdMcRlN3VicRyVei8vjxibi6Nb5O3ZE2y3YVQtH4uVi-GsRLzDGLBkv8-q8TsX5xm4UahgYNDtBifg6kbeRqWW5qwuwoCYjRAf_xkTenxGOt_zvjHC7WoeLLiPkS1qS8-p6WxgTZxE/s320/soesje.gif" border="0" /></a> We chatted about military service with people in the coffee room, with Tjeerd, Margriet, Johan, Arno, Ans and later Inge, and the girls. I learned that Arno had the military service!! The first dutch I met having this service done!!!. Johan referred to my cake saying that they had similar thing in their family, called something like <span style="color:#3333ff;">aartje</span>. But it turned out that no other dutch people in the room heard this.<br /><br /><p><strong><span style="color:#009900;">Last moments at WKZ</span></strong></p><p>At around 5 P.M, people started to leave; and Tjeerd and Ans said good-bye to me. After a while, Inge left saying good-bye and referring to the nice moments/chat we had shared, mostly full of laughter. She said "maybe we won't see each other again". Then, she was back after 15-20 mins. "Look, we saw each other again" I said, we laughed. She had forgotten her key and her coat.</p><p>I took photos of my desk in the office before leaving;<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVrs2pJwgHezsnYWAqCI6H65nsSeTR6ZYspuPnRjMeqWLKHlMmVvzug5cVlDvJqldk7DHJj9gGkgIS4dwMFV2uCehB3RPKM-lJ-DKXo0dF9M0GmND6RXWBithE9Eu4MP6Ci9P-AGnCmk/s1600-h/mywkzdesk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231809893672176498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVrs2pJwgHezsnYWAqCI6H65nsSeTR6ZYspuPnRjMeqWLKHlMmVvzug5cVlDvJqldk7DHJj9gGkgIS4dwMFV2uCehB3RPKM-lJ-DKXo0dF9M0GmND6RXWBithE9Eu4MP6Ci9P-AGnCmk/s400/mywkzdesk.jpg" border="0" /></a> and a photo of the coffee room,<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrfEMk_4nj9GMAsTOVgAgQqYZhvI-UuHfZhN3Dvm9eOEi3rLhUtBqfsFn14VBARUDeb7LpWQEUsT97hIiAhr-o6nwOq5Y6MUqYDzuADHyEYbgLxck5E7u9IFKaU30jOPOBLkWpAVVwcE/s1600-h/wkzkitchen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231809570015046434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrfEMk_4nj9GMAsTOVgAgQqYZhvI-UuHfZhN3Dvm9eOEi3rLhUtBqfsFn14VBARUDeb7LpWQEUsT97hIiAhr-o6nwOq5Y6MUqYDzuADHyEYbgLxck5E7u9IFKaU30jOPOBLkWpAVVwcE/s320/wkzkitchen.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>and also the monster located in the middle of the building:<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvDsMiwp7N5D2TdzH8CKd8DUp395xtxwLsXFTeRjj8NEgkLbugnaFTqBf2be_wr05eBg4P1UTsmhKb5C2TCPSUanfpsCCHc6ZzWo2E7NR3hNf8hyC9IucpmO9cwiXa0MdT3wbSpTxDm8/s1600-h/wkz_monster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231809724406865410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvDsMiwp7N5D2TdzH8CKd8DUp395xtxwLsXFTeRjj8NEgkLbugnaFTqBf2be_wr05eBg4P1UTsmhKb5C2TCPSUanfpsCCHc6ZzWo2E7NR3hNf8hyC9IucpmO9cwiXa0MdT3wbSpTxDm8/s320/wkz_monster.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong><span style="color:#009900;"> Rookvrij Hoog Catharijne</span></strong><br />When I left bus 11, and took stairs to Hoog Catharijne (i guess this is the name of that station complex) to go to train tracks for Amsterdam, I saw the following notice on one window:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcCdJ2dc2d4kKUzKWQC6qZwwaniExyfdgiIh9qV1bpQJbYs49ZJZcsmpsvUsR4CjhgJpwBoWcsO-6QdT46Wq3fXkSSrQbde1Azw6iF9A4Uh4Y6i9_4F5jnr3q9tQEQQt-M4ohIpcZtCY/s1600-h/roken-+hoog+catharijne.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231826571605993314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcCdJ2dc2d4kKUzKWQC6qZwwaniExyfdgiIh9qV1bpQJbYs49ZJZcsmpsvUsR4CjhgJpwBoWcsO-6QdT46Wq3fXkSSrQbde1Azw6iF9A4Uh4Y6i9_4F5jnr3q9tQEQQt-M4ohIpcZtCY/s320/roken-+hoog+catharijne.jpg" border="0" /></a> It is about the latest smoking ban introduced in the country in 1st of July. "As of 1 July, smoking is not permitted in Hoog Catharijne" it says. I am glad I can fully understand it :)tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-50725591420407719992008-07-29T19:35:00.011+02:002008-08-07T14:04:54.513+02:00Hare Krishna event at AmsterdamOn last Sunday, we went to the <a href="http://www.harekrishna.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=96">Hare Krishna "temple"</a> at Amsterdam ...<br /><br />The idea was to go there together with Bea and Maikel; but because of my earlier-than-expected leave situation and of their holidays, we went there as the muslim group: Vahid, Sara and I.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">How to get there</span></strong><br />We met in front of SeleXYZ at Sarphatistraat. We then cycled through Sarphatistraat straight ahead; and made a turn to Ferdinand Bald straat from the corner Heineken Brewery factory is located. The "temple" is located in one of the side streets: <a href="http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&hl=tr&geocode=&q=Van+Hilligaertstraat+amsterdam&sll=52.469397,5.509644&sspn=2.864686,6.130371&ie=UTF8&ll=52.355264,4.900117&spn=0.011769,0.027466&z=15">Van Hilligaertstraat</a>. This is the same street where <span style="color:#009900;">Vredekerk</span> is located.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">Ceremony</span></strong><br />The ceremony starts at 16:00. After parking our bikes, we were hesitant to enter inside the "temple". I guess this was basically because of unusual clothings of the people we saw inside. "Maybe we should go to the church, Vredekerk; It will also be an interfaith activity" one of us said. Finally, we had the courage to enter inside and ask about the ceremony.<br /><br />One of the orange-cloth people told us to enter inside after taking off the shoes and sit. We set on the ground on cushions. The hairstyle of those orange-clot people (should I say monks? ) was very interesting: almost no hairs, but a small bunch of them somewhere at the back in long format. I searched on the internet, but could only find <a href="http://www.thewalkingmonk.org/Gallery_files/F1000020.jpg">this photo</a>: and this monk does not have that long hair bunch at back:<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKWSZ63r48AiHcFAi_NFyZL0mlYRhSbrTySqKDmmbDIPEk643ES4val4_WPxfsuf-2m_5X5uoQPmBqHnoSZKimIliChpBn9Lt-13wUcrhsp3Q9GNZpKspbIX4e_wopejTPlZ7yUuIfWA/s1600-h/krishnamonk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231731405092162338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKWSZ63r48AiHcFAi_NFyZL0mlYRhSbrTySqKDmmbDIPEk643ES4val4_WPxfsuf-2m_5X5uoQPmBqHnoSZKimIliChpBn9Lt-13wUcrhsp3Q9GNZpKspbIX4e_wopejTPlZ7yUuIfWA/s200/krishnamonk.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Then the ceremony started: after repeating a four-line prayer few times, it was all repeating the same thing for about one hour:<br /><br />Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna<br />Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare<br />Hare Rama, Hare Rama<br />Rama Rama, Hare Hare </p>All of us liked the melody they sang this. It was relaxing to hear it. I later checked from wikipedia: the explanation I liked most says that "hare" means "eneryg of God", and "Krishna" and "Rama" are different names of God. Actually, this was very similar to what-we-call "zikr" in Islamic tradition in a sense, where the names of God are recited in a musical way. I found an example at youtube.<br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QZAAOE9OYrM&hl=" fs="1" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed><br /><br /><p>One interesting thing was the way they made "secde" (I guess the english word is <em>prostrating</em>). The "devotees" (this is how they refer to themselves; followers) made this prostration when they entered the temple room; but in random directions. Some of them even completely laid down.</p><p>After singing period, a preacher came and talked about what kind of activities are made within organization in terms of helping people. It was in dutch, but a devotee made english translation for those who do not understand dutch. Even the very tall lady there, who looked very devoted, was with us to hear english translation to our surprise (we all thought she was dutch considering her height).<br /></p><p></p><strong><span style="color:#009900;">prayer beads</span></strong><br />This During the preach (or was it towards the end of singing session?) a devotee came in, with a cloth wrapped on his right hand in a strange way. "What kind of hand injury is it" I thought.<br /><br />Then, the drummer during the singing left and came in after a while with a similar cloth wrapping around his right hand. "This must be part of the rituel" I thought.<br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gHj-BptCAgouh1xnCyF1maSfvPSQaWI1qojeKxoa03iBNbyJr5MfqhfdCyp9q6HZLng29DrI5SfZMZgdIUN6xNd1BgQHtf7_iwkhlSVL_Tn7DUPOJEQLpbm2uW3dMI-oBz_nhiqrZw8/s1600-h/prayercloth.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231737728394797602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gHj-BptCAgouh1xnCyF1maSfvPSQaWI1qojeKxoa03iBNbyJr5MfqhfdCyp9q6HZLng29DrI5SfZMZgdIUN6xNd1BgQHtf7_iwkhlSVL_Tn7DUPOJEQLpbm2uW3dMI-oBz_nhiqrZw8/s320/prayercloth.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Then, Sara managed to ask them about that while we were leaving. They told us that they actually recite the 16 words in Hare Krishna song (i am not sure of this part) using prayer beads; and since the prayer beads are too big, they wrap it around and tie to the hand. That is, that cloth has the prayer beads inside. And they do this recitation 108 times (does this mean that it is made up of exactly 108 beads? probably)<br /><strong></strong></p><p><span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Linner at Leidsestraat</strong><br /></span>Then we cycled to leidsestraat to eat something as lunch-dinner. We went to Maoz; the popular vegetarian shop. We ate falafel with unlimited salad; and I guess it was 4 euros.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSq-TP27yWRHsPi_wrLPg1yGH1HfDb-GdAByAqlkGByyO1IjSWOZSPq4Gq3jec9-a-luwGP38rMp0hYQTSO-06qM7y_Fziuk72Ja0ykZOPa3PqYG_RXzNG1BzgpGOtHWehf212rLWoh2s/s1600-h/maoz.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231739537002526482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSq-TP27yWRHsPi_wrLPg1yGH1HfDb-GdAByAqlkGByyO1IjSWOZSPq4Gq3jec9-a-luwGP38rMp0hYQTSO-06qM7y_Fziuk72Ja0ykZOPa3PqYG_RXzNG1BzgpGOtHWehf212rLWoh2s/s400/maoz.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765828911606444835.post-48910672498254964832008-07-27T19:41:00.010+02:002008-07-27T20:05:08.920+02:00Library excursionYesterday at around 8 PM, the rain has stopped at last; and I left UvA to join Alfonso at the city library.<br /><br />I am glad I did.<br /><br />The entrance is free, and it is open seven days a week between 10:00-22:00. I regretted I did not discover it before. In fact, I remember Filipe telling me in his last week here that he had just been in the library the day before and it was unbelievably nice. I guess it was also the day he gave me the nice cute present.<br /><br />Anyway, coming back to the library; I guess it is worth to go there just to see interior, the very interesting sitting places. There are <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">beds with integrated computer screens</span>; and you can lie and watch /listen music there, or read books.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQo-rM8cUQlSB829KpEKmVyXPACASJA8jwQAgdawB4-AndNBAF7ytbX9-HOOaWzQNgwcNcLZb-kW29IEn74hDPmXqo33GRIBN1YrdAKT8bASeDH71PQ2PwiiE7AggbIc_BVQzUNWBJhg/s1600-h/library_bed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 357px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQo-rM8cUQlSB829KpEKmVyXPACASJA8jwQAgdawB4-AndNBAF7ytbX9-HOOaWzQNgwcNcLZb-kW29IEn74hDPmXqo33GRIBN1YrdAKT8bASeDH71PQ2PwiiE7AggbIc_BVQzUNWBJhg/s320/library_bed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227753082352506546" border="0" /></a><br />There were so many different seat types! Each very interesting. I managed to take photos of a couple of them.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8dJBPdz63V4c38mpW7Dtqsy_WgkgniPJxCZavfjv8MMlkJ7ejn-tgefLqJESZFAQgxkKTuw1PkuvsMTzA0I5wqlWtnFVR0wH90p99RebMegqz4JFko5VBOdjn0vmI67-1dbtkvQZCRc/s1600-h/library2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8dJBPdz63V4c38mpW7Dtqsy_WgkgniPJxCZavfjv8MMlkJ7ejn-tgefLqJESZFAQgxkKTuw1PkuvsMTzA0I5wqlWtnFVR0wH90p99RebMegqz4JFko5VBOdjn0vmI67-1dbtkvQZCRc/s320/library2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227752939245517634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EXzyhXo9FR1qYCnKMJaPFX3cfS_9CyKBubUasFxup6ZfERCjnLcqr3dk6Viz5F-hpj7gt86uB9IAqZJ-sSm3Y98QJSlzBie5l32HL84Klj3mXCnvO6VzjRRVX8hrsGNF3gCvdetiftI/s1600-h/library1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EXzyhXo9FR1qYCnKMJaPFX3cfS_9CyKBubUasFxup6ZfERCjnLcqr3dk6Viz5F-hpj7gt86uB9IAqZJ-sSm3Y98QJSlzBie5l32HL84Klj3mXCnvO6VzjRRVX8hrsGNF3gCvdetiftI/s320/library1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227752874521655282" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA76OGIk-l2dRoPkOmb_ej1FljRr-PCMLRp7hoe6bFi9wI0xJbJRw3b9Im4aKkBPWP-nCvVTPgeUJQWLaz0qH-oV-QzJkDSuU02LHuzEwXvTsmK53JPNzaOhVlchZHvGTzXZINGdTcfSY/s1600-h/library3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA76OGIk-l2dRoPkOmb_ej1FljRr-PCMLRp7hoe6bFi9wI0xJbJRw3b9Im4aKkBPWP-nCvVTPgeUJQWLaz0qH-oV-QzJkDSuU02LHuzEwXvTsmK53JPNzaOhVlchZHvGTzXZINGdTcfSY/s320/library3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227753025233652978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N-B_7RRR39u5uxxYk1W9Aj9IBFovI_8Eg3XwmzPxVxsp4NDttxLJOfEoEGYClQsIIjMWyQI_437Xhgp-7Tp5hVhcMLVG4W0-V4TE8q_rB-TpIr6pjPdoLV5dAj5iufXytyfaBfUjIJ8/s1600-h/library_sleep.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N-B_7RRR39u5uxxYk1W9Aj9IBFovI_8Eg3XwmzPxVxsp4NDttxLJOfEoEGYClQsIIjMWyQI_437Xhgp-7Tp5hVhcMLVG4W0-V4TE8q_rB-TpIr6pjPdoLV5dAj5iufXytyfaBfUjIJ8/s400/library_sleep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227753178571417442" border="0" /></a><br />The whole building is 7 floors! And there is a restaurant at the top floor with a nice view. It was interesting that you did not feel any food smell till you arrive at the stairs to the top floor; and the smell exactly starts when you start climbing stairs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiipOjUL4I3yAY0df_X-85pF4zuIsQSbSaeULw6R-jrhcsDwuE-QAIycz0JJlxl5RlVfqSJa6ekc7ZBAUqXogZZ-KveLfa09SQ4G8I7g5Qbjn_LoZU0X0P0rYRNKrq5WSO7W8Zl-hFqts/s1600-h/library_view.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiipOjUL4I3yAY0df_X-85pF4zuIsQSbSaeULw6R-jrhcsDwuE-QAIycz0JJlxl5RlVfqSJa6ekc7ZBAUqXogZZ-KveLfa09SQ4G8I7g5Qbjn_LoZU0X0P0rYRNKrq5WSO7W8Zl-hFqts/s400/library_view.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227754111014678562" border="0" /></a><br />And this bird was in the basement floor dedicated to education (onderweijs).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7mseP7qfzizH8giUKdshl8EHqSNnCfW-dEkzR2gmI35sqFciOFQLnFAsSgPCDHYKhx0BFKIx2gOHwUPzC50wvBoFemJ_YbAIkilNaU5loSc8CesT-0zaxf-wmdtf_qyq2ysm_4A83j0/s1600-h/library_bird.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC7mseP7qfzizH8giUKdshl8EHqSNnCfW-dEkzR2gmI35sqFciOFQLnFAsSgPCDHYKhx0BFKIx2gOHwUPzC50wvBoFemJ_YbAIkilNaU5loSc8CesT-0zaxf-wmdtf_qyq2ysm_4A83j0/s400/library_bird.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227753742519322850" border="0" /></a><br />I guess, as Alfonso pointed out, this is also an ideal place to go to relax, read something. or even for free internet surfing since they have lots of computers with internet access.<br /><br />If I knew the place before, I would go to there once e while to read books in the comfortoble seats they provide.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Summary<br /><br /></span><ul><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The library is very close to center, on the opposite side of NEMO; and it is nice to have an excursion there! to see its design etc!</span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">It is also very close to the building where Stadelijk Museum is temporarily located (two buildings away I guess); and after the library excursion it can be very nice to go to 12th floor of this building to have a<span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> free and very nice</span> view of all Amsterdam. We were once there with Maikel after having mint tea in the 11th floor at <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Club Eleven</span>. We even managed to see towers from Schiphol airport!<br /></span></li></ul>tunahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01788783775838183748noreply@blogger.com2