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Tapas!

Wednesday, December 28th, 2005

6 Dec – 8 Dec, 2005

A small layover in Madrid. Two nights. Iosu, whom we met in Peru, was our host. When he said there would be space, we didn’t expect him to give us his room, while he went and slept elsewhere! We were a little astonished, expecting a bit of floor space, or something.

Tapas for dinner on the day we arrived. And the 7th – a day of tapas. Early lunch tapas. Early dinner tapas. Evening tapas with drinks with Iosu and his friends. Squid. Cheeses. Croquettes. Steak pieces. Mushrooms. And Jo’s favourite, Jamon Serrano (a cured ham). Platefulls, and soooo cheap! Eateries, just full of hanging hams. A ham lovers paradise. (And Jo is one, I can assure you!)

Tapas with Iosu

Did some sightseeing, but really, the weather was far too nice to spend time in museums, or the like. Just a full day wandering the streets and squares.

Relatively straightforward

Wednesday, December 28th, 2005

28 Nov – 6 Dec, 2005

In to Holland, and around to the relatives. You know what they say, about able to choose your friends, but not your relatives. Well, I wouldn’t choose any differently. The really amazing thing about my uncles and aunts and cousins, they always treat us like we have been in close contact. They make us feel at home, and fit in with us and our running around. They treat us like we see them every other weekend, even though it has been six years since we saw most of them (and longer for some).

Summary (this is more “for the record”, and to acknowledge them all, too, and for those who are related to us to know who we saw – We don’t really expect our friends to read this and start making a mental family tree, or anything):

    Best (no not a rating, a town in Holland) – Stayed with Wim and Riet (Wim is Mum’s brother), and caught up with my cousin, Marc.
    Mierlo – Went with Joke (Mum’s sister) to visit her husband, Johan, who is unwell at the moment. Dinner with cousin, Marianne, and her partner, Rene, and then spent the night with Joke.
    Best again – Mini family gathering, at Wim and Riet’s. Joke came. Marc was there. Rianne (another cousin) came with her daughter, Lotte, the latest addition to the extensive family. And dear uncle Oeds.

    Family gathering, Best

    Utrecht – Stayed with Rianne (and Lotte). Forest walk.

    Rianne and Lotte

    Borssele – A day trip (courtesy of Rianne’s car) to visit an aunt, Corrie. Dad’s sister, this time. This visit was conducted primarily in Dutch.
    Amsterdam – Stayed with Jan (Mum’s brother) and Nora. Met Jody, their newest dog. Visit one evening by cousin, Vera.

    Nora, Amsterdam

    Rotterdam – A day with Oeds. Drizzly and dreary, but still just good enough to enjoy drinks at the top of the Euro Mast tower. A catch up, and a dinner at one of his regular haunts.

    With Oeds, Eurotower, Rotterdam

Hannover – the morning after

Monday, November 28th, 2005
24 Nov - 28 Nov, 2005 Spent our first and last days in Hannover with Markus and Kat, and Arko the dog. Markus had to work at the Christmas market, Kat had an exam, so we spent a day with ... [Continue reading this entry]

Berlin

Thursday, November 24th, 2005
20 Nov - 24 Nov, 2005 What an amazing city Berlin is. Third time here, and we could still entertain ourselves so easily, with dozens of things left for another time. Some were new sites, some were things we ... [Continue reading this entry]

Wurtzburg and Bamberg

Sunday, November 20th, 2005
18 Nov - 20 Nov, 2005 Alex and Maren. No, not a couple, just a pair. We met them in Myanmar (Burma). If you think we got a lot of contacts from that trip, you're right. In ... [Continue reading this entry]

Bad Laasphe (quite good, really)

Friday, November 18th, 2005
16 Nov - 18 Nov, 2005 Bad Laasphe, guests of Tina's mum and dad. Went with Tina to Kassel, looking out on the plains from the Herkules monument. We got our first snow for 2005, here. Only a ... [Continue reading this entry]

Frankfurt, (well, Friedrichsdorf, actually)

Wednesday, November 16th, 2005
12 Nov - 16 Nov, 2005 At the home of Dirk and Marlene. We caught an English church service, and caught some sun in the hills. Some apple wine, and a brewery or two. Even a great little ... [Continue reading this entry]

Mitfahring to Landau

Saturday, November 12th, 2005
11 Nov - 12 Nov, 2005 Back with Sebb, the guy from the surprise party back near the start of the month. This time, in his home in a prison in Landau, near Karlsruhe. Well, not a current prison, ... [Continue reading this entry]

So, Piggy went to Zurich…

Friday, November 11th, 2005
10 Nov - 11 Nov, 2005 Like Ziggy, the Piggies went to Zurich. Second fondue. Rene style. Although, he promised us fondue 6 years ago and then fled the country (actually fled the continent) when we threatened to turn up ... [Continue reading this entry]

Fondue has rules?!

Thursday, November 10th, 2005
5 Nov - 10 Nov, 2005 Do you know that fondue has rules? They are very secret, and are only revealed to new fonduers as they break the rules. Penalties can be quite steep - dropping your bread in ... [Continue reading this entry]