Herfst!

The cold, windy rain started this week and we soon roll back the clock an hour which will only further punctuate the shortening fall days. With the changes in light and weather it’s time to start refocusing our attention toward indoor pursuits – hang the dart board, dust off the board games, crack open a new deck of cards, fire up the gourmet set and start calling some friends to c’mon over.

Thanks to everyone who wished us well for the marathon last week! As I mentioned, this has been on our life-list for a few years now and it’s good to be able to check it off and make room for the next item….

Dan and Beth for hire - We’re road-tripping to Spain next week to help some friends put in a new kitchen in their vacation home near Valencia. We’re really looking forward to a last pre-winter fling and seeing their beautiful house in the mountains above the Mediterranean (we’ve only seen pictures so far). We’ll also be stopping to visit friends in Montpellier, France and spending a bit of time in Luxembourg to check out the X-country ski situation and scout for a holiday home project for ourselves.

I also want to wish Barry the best of luck. He is filming/directing his first documentary at a major event in Amsterdam next week! We’re anxious to get a sneak preview.

No post next week…we’ll be “computer free” and basking in the sun. Hope all is well in your world!

Amsterdam Marathon

It seems that everyone and their dog has done a marathon nowadays. No big deal, right? I've gotta tell you that in all honesty the first 35 kilometers were not that bad. And once you're that far, what's another 7K?

Damn! Those last 7K were the hardest that I've ever run in my life! Even the caffiene laced protien goo's that oozed grossly out of the foil tubes couldn't give me the boost that I needed to make the last distance bearable. It was purely a brutal test of endurance.

But we all made the full 26 miles and we all survived. Another item to check off of our "life list".

The official race photos aren't available yet so I've only got a few that our freinds took of us at the finish. It was a beautiful, sunny day but it is amazing how quickly you loose body heat after such physical exertion. The blaze orange rain slicks that they handed out with our medals were very helpful.

Here are the official results:

Dan - Bib 2040 3:52:39
Beth - Bib 8016 4:06:11

www.ingamsterdammarathon.nl

For those of you tracking the marital competition, because 20 minutes is the generally accepted difference between men and women in such a race, Beth won.

Congratulations Beth!!!!!!!

Chatman

I continue to find masochistic pleasure in the Dutch sense of humor.

Last year it was Hamster Weeks with the psychotic little rodent that took delight in giving everyone the finger as they stocked up with winter groceries. The hamster is back on TV this year, but even though he is still giving us the bird he’s kind of old news to us now. Here is the link to the September 7, 2004 archive in case you missed that little gem: Hamster Weken


This year, we bring you Chatman. He’s a big burly guy with a long handlebar mustache, Elvis style sideburns and a matching pot belly that hangs over shiny black plastic short-shorts which are themselves worn overtop of a bright yellow, full body leotard. And lets not forget the matching shiny black boots, yellow phone ear hood, and hi-tech belt buckle scrolling “Bla Bla” in 1970's dot matrix pixels. He struts down the street in this getup, complete with a choreographed dancing entourage, rapping out a catchy little tune like some twisted MTV video star. This guy is so strange that it’s absolutely brilliant to put him in an advertisement. He’s completely unforgettable, at least for me. Hmmmm. Maybe that says more about me than him....

Anyhow, to see this creepy guy in action, go to: http://www.chatman.nl/ and select the Nieuwste Video.

Malmedy

We were back in Belgium this past weekend to check out some of the changing leaves in the Ardennes mountains. Unfortunately it was a bit too early for brilliant colors, but we discovered some great new areas for hiking, biking, and skiing.

We stayed in the town of Malmedy, which is in the far eastern part of the mountains very near to the German border. Interestingly enough, that region of the country speaks only French so my Dutch was of little value. But we managed pretty well because all those trips to Montpellier for Genesys have left me with enough French to get by in a hotel, store, or restaurant. The French influence was also very apparent in the food. Every meal that we had, from the breakfast at the hotel to the dinners out on the town were fantastic. I had a wild boar stew that would knock your socks off! It ranked in the top 10 meals that I’ve ever had in my life.

This photo is of Malmedy, taken from an overlook that we hiked to on Saturday evening after dinner.

Impromptu Band

Beth and I were sitting on the town square having a beer one afternoon when a raucous group of people came in and filled up the outdoor seating area. They were kind of loud, but not overtly obnoxious while they ordered and drank many pitchers of beer. Suddenly a van pulled up and they all got up from their seats and excitedly crowded around it. They all returned to the square with an instrument and started playing some really good Dixieland music.

Town Square

Another view of the square while the band played.

Cobbled Street

A narrow cobbled street that was the start of one of our hikes out of the village and into the mountains. There were more flowers in the windows here than even back home in Haarlem. The siding looks like cheesy tar paper shingles, but they are actually intricately cut slate tiles.

Alley

Sometimes the back alleys give the most interesting perspective.

Chicken Coop

Mom – we thought of you when we saw this small house that has been converted to a chicken coop. If you look closely you can see the wire mess over the windows. And you thought that your chickens had it good!

Hautes Fagnes

By far the best hiking was in the Hautes Fagnes National park. This area is a large plateau that is made up of thick peat bogs. It is very similar to the Dolly Sods in West Virginia or the small bog on top of Laurel Mountain. There were hundreds of gurgling streams that drained the water so that the peat itself was actually pretty dry to walk on. This park also gets good snow and is supposed to be great X-country skiing. We’re already planning a return trip this winter….maybe with Sage in the hotel over Christmas.

Le Grand Fagne

Another view of the largest bog field in the park.

Main Street Improvement

I hate to throw one of these in every time that we go to Belgium, but it really is an odd culture. On one hand, they seem to be ultra-religious. Every house has a covered statue of Mary and every town has a giant crucifix prominently displayed, leaving no doubt that the state and culture support (Christian) religion.

But then you see things like this outdoor condom dispenser, also prominently displayed on the main street right beside the post office, that would bring condemnation from every pulpit in any town in almost every country in the world. In most places these contraptions are hidden in a dark and filthy mens bathroom in the seediest bars in town so that you can slink in and out without the shame of others knowing that

a) you might actually want to have sex (oh my god!)
b) you might want to be responsible about it

And what about the children? My god the children! The only way to prevent them from having sex is to hide all the condoms and don't talk about "it". If they got their hands on a machine like this then there would be nothing stopping them from going at it like rabbits in the streets!

Don’t get me wrong, I personally think it’s great to have condoms available to anyone who happens to wander down main street on their way to drop off a letter to grandma. For me, it’s more interesting to try and figure out how Belgians rationalize this type of thing with their seemingly fanatical devotion to religion. Maybe the rest of the world could learn a thing or two about a balanced perspective.