The first time I ate a kapsalon I thought I was eating a dish that originated in Turkey or Greece. I was wrong about that. Every time I walked past a hairdresser’s shop and saw the word “Kapsalon” above the door I wondered if the two words were spelt...
A Weekend of Festivals
When I lived in Spain I liked to go to flamenco shows. Now I’m living in the Netherlands I go to festivals instead and there always seems to be so many to choose from. At the weekend there was a festival called Duizel in het Park in Rotterdam. It...
How I Avoided the Brexit Blues
I am not interested in politics and never watch the news, so I was unfamiliar with the word “Brexit” until a couple of days before the referendum in June. I was talking to a friend from Spain and asked me if I thought it was a good idea for...
The Rotterdam Summer Carnival Street Parade
It was Summer Carnival time in Rotterdam at the weekend. I’d never been to a carnival before, so the temptation was too great to resist. You may have heard that carnival is popular in the Netherlands, and this is true, but I should probably point out traditional Dutch carnival...
A Sunny Sunday Afternoon at the Valkhof Festival in Nijmegen
Three weeks ago I visited Nijmegen. I returned yesterday because I wanted to go to The Valkhof Festival. The town was much busier than it was on my previous visit and it wasn’t just because of the music festival. Every year in July Nijmegen hosts the International Four Day...
A Saturday Afternoon in Breda
A lot of people had told me Breda is a nice city, but I never got around to visiting it until yesterday, and everything I’d heard was true. I arrived by train. The centre of town is only a short walk and to get there I had to walk...
Uitsmijter: A Traditional Dutch Dish
A few weeks ago a friend cooked me a meal. She told me it was a traditional Dutch dish called uitsmijter. I’d never heard of it, but it was really tasty, I enjoyed it a lot, and it’s also a meal that is quick and easy to prepare. Today...
Kamp Vught: A National Monument with a Sad History
I’m feeling pretty low at the moment, but visiting a former concentration camp can do that to you and today I spent some time at Kamp Vught. Visiting somewhere like Kamp Vught has never been high on my to-do list and, up until a few hours ago, I never...
A Rainy Day in Nijmegen
I went to Nijmegen today. It’s the oldest city in the Netherlands, I’d never been there before and today was as good a time as any, even if the weather was pretty miserable most of the time. It started to rain, it stopped, and then it started again. I...
Working Hard in Rent-Free Accommodation in Enschede
When I lived in Seville I had rent-free accommodation because I manned the reception desk at a hostel six nights a week. I had a similar arrangement in Enschede. I went to live with an actress who needed a handyman to help with various projects in her house. When...