Dutch to the ultimate max!

Dutch are known for their practicality, simplicity and a bit for their thrift. I run into all three together in the train this morning…

...a guy travelling to work was having breakfast during this 45 minutes rail journey: sandwiches with cheese and a piece of fruit in a box - two sandwiches for breakfast and two for lunch. 

Where Americans buy big cups of whatever kind of ‘skinny’ coffees and Italians settle for a strong expresso and a small ‘cornetto’ in an expressobar, the Dutch bring along their own sandwiches, well prepared, in a box. With a piece of fruit on the side for the necessary vitamins and if mum was in a good mood in the morning, you can expect a small chocolate bar as well.

Oh and of course he had a bottle of milk in his bag.

You won't get it more Dutch!

de, l', el, the, der agenda

Dutch agenda

The word 'agenda' is known in all different kinds of languages, but the only ones who do know how to work with the item - actively - are the Dutch. And Actively we use it! At least some of us, like me....I seriously still use the paper version.

Every now and then I have the great idea of getting rid of my agenda. On the one hand it is very practical to know what is coming up on your program in the next days/weeks. The clear overview makes it easy to put as much activities in one day as possible, whithout wasting time by doing nothing. The downside of the strict program is the lack of flexibility, where is the spontaneity, the adventure?

The rules for a Dutch agenda are as follows:

- It is booked and completely filled 

- Appointments should be made well in advance to find a time slot

- you should turn up on time, as punctuality is seen as very important.

During my Spanish course we touched this topic. As an exercise there was an agenda with all kinds of time slots. My teacher (who is Spanish) started to laugh because she didn't know how to explain this object. "I know you use it, but we don't. Never!" and that truth was shown in the picture below: the example of a (non-existing) Spanish agenda

Spanish agenda

Just two activities per day? No drinks or lunches scheduled? Oh and you PLAN time to relax? Strange.

I still think that I should be able to stay alive without my agenda. I will try it again, soon: no agenda, no over booked weekend with morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and drinks. Just wait what the day will bring. I'll start as of March! Untill then, my agenda is too booked to plan the 'agenda-free-life'

Let me present to you: the miracles of the underwater world!

Imagine complete silence. The only thing you hear is your own breathing. You are surrounded by water. You breath in and you breath out. Slowly. You are floating around, guided by the current. Schools of hundreds of the same fish are passing by. They look at you (at least it seems that like they look at you). All kinds of different fish are swimming around: big ones, small ones, brightly coloured ones and hardly visible ones covered by their protective coloration.  sun is shining from above. The silence is  so peaceful. 

 

See how busy it is under water

The pre-christmas present I've given myself was a diving trip to Egypt. It was really stunning. Friends told me that i'd be ruïned now I've seen one of the best diving sites in the world: the Red Sea. The pictures in this post are all made there in the Red Sea. Most of them at the famous site Blue Hole.

All the colours are so beautiful down there. It is a completely different world, the underwater world. With different creatures, different organisms, different way of communication, different rules. During this diving trip I learned a lot about naturalism (no, not naturism) and the differences between above and under water world. Did you know that the gender of some fish change when they get older. And that the appearance of some completely change over the years; including shape and colours.