Travelog for: *~Mr. Bubbles~*

Random acts part 3: The Dutch MacDonalds

Hello!

Today we went to the dutch MacDonalds.


Mjammie!!!


Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Random acts part 3: A typical dutch celebratrion

Hello!

Today it is an exiting day in the Netherlands. The children celebrate 'Sint Maarten'.

Let me tell you something about it.
St. Martin's Day (or Martinstag) is November 11, the feast day of Martin of Tours, who started out as a Roman soldier. He was baptized as an adult and became a monk. It is understood that he was a kind man who led a quiet and simple life. The most famous legend of his life is that he once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the beggar from dying of the cold. That night he dreamed that Jesus was wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. Martin heard Jesus say to the angels: "Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised; he has clothed me."

The day is celebrated in the evening of November 11 in parts of Flanders and some parts of the Netherlands and most areas of Germany and Austria. Children go to houses with paper lanterns and candles, and sing songs about St. Martin in return for treats. Often, a man dressed as St. Martin rides on a horse in front of the procession.

In recent years, the lantern processions have become widespread even in Protestant areas of Germany and the Netherlands, despite the fact that most Protestant churches do not recognize saints as distinct from the laity.

Also, in the east part of the Belgian province of West-Flanders, especially around Ypres, children receive presents from St. Martin on November 11. In other areas it is customary that children receive gifts later in the year from either Saint Nicholas on December 5 (called Sinterklaas in the Netherlands) or Santa Claus on December 25.

In some areas, there is a traditional goose meal, although in West Flanders there is no specific meal; it is more a day for children, with toys brought on the night of 10 to 11 November. According to legend, Martin was reluctant to become bishop, which is why he hid in a stable filled with geese. The noise made by the geese betrayed his location to the people who were looking for him.

I hope i can make pictures tonight with the paper lantern and candies.
Eva also told me that we are gonna see Sinterklaas this saturday, because he's coming to the Netherlands on that day. But more about Sinterklaas soon.

Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Random acts part 3: The Sint Maarten pictures

Hello!

As promised: here are the pictures of Sint Maarten.


Me on a paper lantern



The candies!

It was great to hear all those children sing the songs.
Here is one of them in Dutch:

Sint Maarten, Sint Maarten
De koeien hebben staarten
De meisjes hebben rokjes aan
Daar komt Sint Maarten aan

The translation:
Sint Martin, Sint Martin
The cows have tails
The girls wearing skirts
There is Sint Martin.

Big hugs Mr. Bubbels

Random acts part 3: The weather this week

Hello!

Yesterdag and today it was heavy weather.
There was a lot of rain and a very hard wind.

So the only thing i can say is: it's raining again, oh no, it's raining again



Big hugs Mr. Bubbels

Random acts part 3: Den Helder


Hello!

Today we went to Den Helder to visit Eva her grandma.
Den Helder has ever started with the arising of Huisduinen, a whaler village. Gradually it developed into Den Helder which we know now. A city which was built within the linies of the forten. Later formed a number of districts there around. The space between the different town parts is characteristic. Den Helder is a city with a strongly maritime screen. Sea-going, the rescue being, the offshore and the royal Navy natural.

The Navy has stipulated many years' the image of Den Helder. But the Navy shrank in, Den Helder threatened to become a city with no face. By nourishing the culturehistory , the tales of the seaman and with that the coherent heroiek Den Helder has rediscovered its own core values.

Eva told me this while i was watching the ship-building yard.












Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Random acts part 3: Sinterklaas

Hello!

Today Sinterklaas went to the Netherlands.
Sinterklaas (also called Sint-Nicolaas in Dutch and Saint Nicolas in French) is a traditional holiday figure in the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles and Belgium, celebrated every year on Saint Nicholas' eve (December 5) or, in Belgium, on the morning of December 6. The feast celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of, among other things, children.

It is also celebrated to a lesser extent in parts of France (North, Alsace, Lorraine), as well as in Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and in the town of Trieste and in Eastern Friuli in Italy. Additionally, many Roman Catholics of Alsatian and Lotharingian descent in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A. celebrate "St. Nicholas Day" the morning of December 6th. The traditions differ from country to country, even between Belgium and the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas' Eve, (December 5th) is the chief occasion for gift-giving. The evening is called sinterklaasavond or "pakjesavond" ("presents' evening"). Traditionally, presents are ingeniously wrapped, and are therefore called surprises. Also, presents are traditionally accompanied by a poem from Saint Nicholas.

Sinterklaas is the basis for the North American figure of Santa Claus. It is often alleged that, during the American War of Independence, the inhabitants of New York City, a former Dutch colonial town (New Amsterdam) which had been swapped by the Dutch for other territories, reinvented their Sinterklaas tradition, as Saint Nicholas to be a symbol of the city's non-English past. The name Santa Claus is derived from older Dutch Sinte Klaas. However the Saint Nicholas Society was not founded until 1835, almost half a century after the end of the American War of Independence. Moreover, a study of the "children's books, periodicals and journals" of New Amsterdam by Charles Jones revealed no references to Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas ("Knickerbocker Santa Claus," New York Historical Society Quarterly, October 1954).


The horse of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet:




Sinterklaas himself:



Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Random acts part 3: Dutch food

Hello!

When Sinterklaas is in the country, his Pieten give candy to all the children. It is called: Pepernoten.

Here it is!


They taste delicious.

Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Random acts part 3: Dutch food

Hello!

Today i eat 'kroketten'. This is a typicall dutch snack and most people eat it with frites.


But as you can see you can also eat it with cheese on a bread. The outside is hard, but on the inside it's creamy.

Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Random acts part 3: The weather this week

Hello!

It is very strange weather in the Netherlands.
There is storm, rain, hailstone, thunderstorm and.....



SNOW!!!!

How great is that? I saw it all this week. The storm is terrible. Trees are lying on the road and made more dammage.
Sometimes it's a little bit scary.
But the snow makes everything better now!

For the last time:



SNOW!!!

I can't get enough of it!

Here you can see how bad the weather is right now:


Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Random acts part 3: helping my host decorate...

A christmas tree!!
Okay, it's a little bit early for a tree, but why not.
My host couldn't whait anymore, so we bought a tree and stars, lights etc.



Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Hello!

Long time, no see.
I have a new friend!
Today the mailman came with a big envelope. Eva and i were very curious who can be in it.



It's Papelbon.
He's so cute and it's great to spend the holidays with him.

Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Hello!

Today we went to Bergen in Nord-Holland.
There's a beautifull forest.
Unfortunally it's fall, so the trees have no leaves anymore. But still it was wonderfull to be there!






Big hugs Mr. Bubbles

Happy New year!!!!

We celebrate it at my host her home.

First we drink a lot of wine:


We also watched tv and we were hoping to win 12,5 milion euro. But unfortunally we didn't win.

At 12 o'clock there was a lot of firework! It was so beautifull to see. Only one picture succeed:


It was great to celebrate this evening in another country.

Big Hugs Mr. Bubbles

Hello!

Today is my last day here in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. I had a great time, but it's time for me to go home. So just a few days mommy and we will see each other! I can't whait

Big hugs Mr. Bubbles