Over the last 18 months we've been watching Chuck. Tonight we watched the last episode in it's 5 season lifespan. I know it's only a tv show but it's kind of sad that it's over, and it looks like I'm not the only one who feels sad that it's over according to the hundreds of comments on some of these pages. Now, what to watch next...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
No more Chuck :(
Over the last 18 months we've been watching Chuck. Tonight we watched the last episode in it's 5 season lifespan. I know it's only a tv show but it's kind of sad that it's over, and it looks like I'm not the only one who feels sad that it's over according to the hundreds of comments on some of these pages. Now, what to watch next...
Monday, February 27, 2012
Apartment search completed?
Well, hopefully...
We had our meeting with the owner of our potential apartment and he seemed happy for us to rent his place. He was a bit apprehensive at first because this apartment has been in his family for quite a few years and this is the first time he has rented it out, but after he met us and talked to us (and we assured him that we were low maintenance tenants) he was more than happy.
All that is left to do is sign the contract, and transfer the deposit. And it is this small addendum that is the source of my slight apprehension. As I mentioned in a previous post the initial outlay for renting is 2 months rent as a deposit, 1 month rent up front and 1 month + 19% as the agent fee. We have the money, except it's in our Australian bank account, in Australian dollars. However, my bank requires that we have a security token on order to transfer money overseas- one of those keyring devices that spits out a number every 30 seconds that is unique to your account. We've ordered one, but it's not due to arrive for a few weeks, and this moeny needs to be transferred within 48 hours...
So after a late night spent skyping our families back in Australia, we've managed to sort it out (I think). International transfers have quite a few different fields to fill in compared to domestic transfers. But the money has disappeared from our account, so fingers crossed that it appears in agent's account soon enough.
We had our meeting with the owner of our potential apartment and he seemed happy for us to rent his place. He was a bit apprehensive at first because this apartment has been in his family for quite a few years and this is the first time he has rented it out, but after he met us and talked to us (and we assured him that we were low maintenance tenants) he was more than happy.
All that is left to do is sign the contract, and transfer the deposit. And it is this small addendum that is the source of my slight apprehension. As I mentioned in a previous post the initial outlay for renting is 2 months rent as a deposit, 1 month rent up front and 1 month + 19% as the agent fee. We have the money, except it's in our Australian bank account, in Australian dollars. However, my bank requires that we have a security token on order to transfer money overseas- one of those keyring devices that spits out a number every 30 seconds that is unique to your account. We've ordered one, but it's not due to arrive for a few weeks, and this moeny needs to be transferred within 48 hours...
So after a late night spent skyping our families back in Australia, we've managed to sort it out (I think). International transfers have quite a few different fields to fill in compared to domestic transfers. But the money has disappeared from our account, so fingers crossed that it appears in agent's account soon enough.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
First weekend as a local
This weekend is my first since going back to work- does that mean I'm not a tourist any more? We still did sight seeing though, and did some more exploring around the city. We started off with a short walk to the Hermitage museum which had a display featuring paintings from some famous Flemish artists from the 1600's. I'm not much of an art lover but I can still appreciate the history and value of these paintings.
After this we wandered through the southern canal belt through to he bloemenmarkt (flower markets) which are apparently floating on the water, but I didn't notice at the time. It had heaps of tulips and other types of flowers, living, dried, seeds and bulbs were all there. My personal favourite was the cactus shop, whil Sam loved the wooden tulips, so we'll be back again at some point to buy some decorations for our apartment whenever we get one.
After lunching on an Albert Heijn pastry while sitting on the edge of a canal, we walked home via Leidsplein, a very touristy area full of restaurants and pubs. It was absolutely packed, although I'm sure very few of them were locals.
On Sunday we spent the afternoon at the local Oosterpark with a Coffee Company coffee (not the greatest ever, and they made a big deal about the fact that they serve a 'flat white'). It was a lovely park with a lake and hundreds of ducks. I think this would be a good park to come back to after we get bikes so we can practice riding them- there was some nice wide tracks around the park and there wasn't too many people around.
As we sat on the park bench I realised that that was pretty much the reason that we moved to Amsterdam rather than just doing the 6 week holiday around Europe- the chance to spend time just sitting and relaxing, soaking up the atmosphere of this foreign country, without feeling rushed to get to the next attraction or city.
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| Fields of flowers in the courtyard of The Hermitage |
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| Even the lamp posts are meticulously decorated |
After this we wandered through the southern canal belt through to he bloemenmarkt (flower markets) which are apparently floating on the water, but I didn't notice at the time. It had heaps of tulips and other types of flowers, living, dried, seeds and bulbs were all there. My personal favourite was the cactus shop, whil Sam loved the wooden tulips, so we'll be back again at some point to buy some decorations for our apartment whenever we get one.
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| One of the many flower shops in the Bloemenmarkt |
After lunching on an Albert Heijn pastry while sitting on the edge of a canal, we walked home via Leidsplein, a very touristy area full of restaurants and pubs. It was absolutely packed, although I'm sure very few of them were locals.
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| Lunch on the Keizersgracht |
On Sunday we spent the afternoon at the local Oosterpark with a Coffee Company coffee (not the greatest ever, and they made a big deal about the fact that they serve a 'flat white'). It was a lovely park with a lake and hundreds of ducks. I think this would be a good park to come back to after we get bikes so we can practice riding them- there was some nice wide tracks around the park and there wasn't too many people around.
As we sat on the park bench I realised that that was pretty much the reason that we moved to Amsterdam rather than just doing the 6 week holiday around Europe- the chance to spend time just sitting and relaxing, soaking up the atmosphere of this foreign country, without feeling rushed to get to the next attraction or city.
Friday, February 24, 2012
One week down
So I made it through my first week of work in Amsterdam. The people are great, and the office is very multicultural- from my team only 1 is from the Netherlands, with others from South America, Australia, New Zealand, UK and other European countries. It makes for a great atmosphere and there is always great lunch time conversation to be found in the questions 'so where are you originally from', and 'how long have you been in the Netherlands'.
I've been catching the metro to work, with my building being close by the Amsterdam Zuid station, which is the main business centre for the city, and lots of international companies have offices here. There is a parking lot dedicated just to bikes- and it is always packed full. The train is quite inconsistent, sometimes empty enough that I get a seat, sometimes so full that you don't even need to hold on to anything when you stand up, because the crowd is squeezed so tightly into the carriage that you can't possibly fall over.
The weather is pretty awful though, it is constantly grey and it feels like I'm always walking into the wind, no matter which way I'm facing. It hasn't actually been raining as such, but it has been wet, as though you are constantly walking through a fine, cold mist. The walk to and from the train is not too long though, so it's not really a problem.
I've been catching the metro to work, with my building being close by the Amsterdam Zuid station, which is the main business centre for the city, and lots of international companies have offices here. There is a parking lot dedicated just to bikes- and it is always packed full. The train is quite inconsistent, sometimes empty enough that I get a seat, sometimes so full that you don't even need to hold on to anything when you stand up, because the crowd is squeezed so tightly into the carriage that you can't possibly fall over.
The weather is pretty awful though, it is constantly grey and it feels like I'm always walking into the wind, no matter which way I'm facing. It hasn't actually been raining as such, but it has been wet, as though you are constantly walking through a fine, cold mist. The walk to and from the train is not too long though, so it's not really a problem.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Apartment search continues
We might have found our new house! Sam has been in contact with an agency that deals specifically with helping expats find a place to live and getting set up. The business is called Expat Help, and Edward is keen to help, having even spent time on Skype with Sam talking about things like utilities and tax. We saw the place tonight and have officially registered our interest, and we have a meeting with the house owner on Monday.
The apartment is right on the limit of our budget (actually, on the wrong side at the moment...), but as long as Sam can find some work and my 30% tax ruling application is successful then we will be fine. It's in a perfect location, is newly renovated, and has plenty of room. The bathroom is a bit of a squeeze but there has to be compromise somewhere.
More details to come if our application is successful...
The apartment is right on the limit of our budget (actually, on the wrong side at the moment...), but as long as Sam can find some work and my 30% tax ruling application is successful then we will be fine. It's in a perfect location, is newly renovated, and has plenty of room. The bathroom is a bit of a squeeze but there has to be compromise somewhere.
More details to come if our application is successful...
Sunday, February 19, 2012
New gloves
Got some new gloves.
+2 Warmth
-1 Dexterity
But they match my jacket, so there's a +2 style bonus for matching set.
Yes I am a nerd. But it pays the bills.
+2 Warmth
-1 Dexterity
But they match my jacket, so there's a +2 style bonus for matching set.
Yes I am a nerd. But it pays the bills.
Search for an apartment
We started seriously looking for an apartment to live today. We have 6 weeks left in the place provided by my work, and the sooner we can find our own place the better. The process is proving to be a bit more complicated than looking for a place in Australia, and significantly more expensive. In Australia the apartment search can basically all be done via the internet- log onto realestate.com.au or domain.com.au, look for places you like, schedule inspections via email and wait until you find something suitable.
In the Netherlands, real estate searching is done via an agent (makelaar, literally 'broker'). It seems the most reliable way is to sign up with one or two of these agents, give them your requirements, and they look after the search for you. This sounds great but like in any field there is a chance of getting a dodgy agent, or one that pushes their own agenda rather than looking for the place that suits the client best. Finding an agent that has good reviews from friends or on the internet is important.
Also the initial cost is high- the agents charge 1 month rent + 19% tax (only if they fund you a place of course), and the bond is normally 2 months rent. Even though this bond is refunded at the completion of the tenancy, this still adds up to a fairly sizable outlay.
There are a few websites (e.g. www.funda.nl) but these seem to be listings mostly as fronts to the agents, and also some private listing sites which might agent fees to be avoided (e.g. www.marktplaats.nl) but there often seems to be a reason that the landlord has cut out the middleman. We are finding that the concept of Registration (''inschrijving") is quite important. Whenever you move to a different address, you must register with the local council e.g. for tax and electoral purposes. A number of these private listings have said that that they do not allow the tenant to register at the address, which is illegal and often for some sort of tax dodge. While the rent price might look good, it is not worth the problems that may arise.
A website with lots of good information for this is expatica nl, and in particular this renter's guide was useful.
We haven't made much progress yet, but have contacted a few agents. I'll be continuing to post updates on the progress of our house search, and will give a review of the makelaars that we use (in case someone else is looking for a good agent).
In the Netherlands, real estate searching is done via an agent (makelaar, literally 'broker'). It seems the most reliable way is to sign up with one or two of these agents, give them your requirements, and they look after the search for you. This sounds great but like in any field there is a chance of getting a dodgy agent, or one that pushes their own agenda rather than looking for the place that suits the client best. Finding an agent that has good reviews from friends or on the internet is important.
Also the initial cost is high- the agents charge 1 month rent + 19% tax (only if they fund you a place of course), and the bond is normally 2 months rent. Even though this bond is refunded at the completion of the tenancy, this still adds up to a fairly sizable outlay.
There are a few websites (e.g. www.funda.nl) but these seem to be listings mostly as fronts to the agents, and also some private listing sites which might agent fees to be avoided (e.g. www.marktplaats.nl) but there often seems to be a reason that the landlord has cut out the middleman. We are finding that the concept of Registration (''inschrijving") is quite important. Whenever you move to a different address, you must register with the local council e.g. for tax and electoral purposes. A number of these private listings have said that that they do not allow the tenant to register at the address, which is illegal and often for some sort of tax dodge. While the rent price might look good, it is not worth the problems that may arise.
A website with lots of good information for this is expatica nl, and in particular this renter's guide was useful.
We haven't made much progress yet, but have contacted a few agents. I'll be continuing to post updates on the progress of our house search, and will give a review of the makelaars that we use (in case someone else is looking for a good agent).
Friday, February 17, 2012
Officially residents of the Netherlands
This morning we had an appointment at the expat centre, organised by my work. In this appointment we were able to organise our public security number (burgerservicenummer or BSN), which is our unique identifier and is required for all matters of residency e.g. registering at an address, opening a bank account, phone contract). This can be a complicated process but given that we have British passports and that I have a full time employment contract, it was fairly painless for us.
So...now we officially live in the Netherlands!
So...now we officially live in the Netherlands!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Kids Day Out
Today we went to Nemo, a large science museum like Brisbane's Science Centre or Sydney's Powerhouse Museum. It was designed for kids but still has plenty of things to keep adults entertained- although we're basically just big kids anyway. It had some fun things to play with and some really informative displays on areas such as water, electricity and astronomy. There was a great display on genetics and DNA which is an area I spent quite a few years studying but have not pursued since uni, so I actually found it quite depressing as it revealed to me just how much I have forgotten.
The building itself was pretty cool, it was a large green boat-shaped building which dominated the horizon from anywhere in the surrounding area. From the top level there was a great view out over the city and the boats docked in the harbor.
The building itself was pretty cool, it was a large green boat-shaped building which dominated the horizon from anywhere in the surrounding area. From the top level there was a great view out over the city and the boats docked in the harbor.
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| Nemo building |
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| Freezing in the wind on the dock |
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| Playing with bubbles |
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| Kaleidoscope |
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| Old Me: a computer generated prediction of what I will look like in 50 years time |
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Real Mall
Last week I posted about the lack of large indoor shopping centres. Well, today we found one! We heard about a large shopping complex in the city/outer suburb of Amstelveen and a quick google revealed that the Stadshart Amstelveen is only about 2 minutes walk from the Amstelveen Centrum metro station, which is about a 20 minute metro ride from our place at Weesperplein. Although I've done enough shopping in the last week to (literally) last me for 2 years, it was nice to be inside and out of the cold.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Greatest comeback ever
I was watching some sports show on BBC and they were asking some sports people who they thought was the greatest player of all time of their sport. The golf commentator gave the soccer player some serious trashtalk:
Golf guy: I think the greatest golfer of all time was blablabla (can't remember who he said)
Soccer guy (jokingly): But you've never seen me hit a golf ball!
Golf guy: Actually I have, and it reminded me of a cow giving birth to a roll of barbed wire
Boom! Take that, soccer guy!
Golf guy: I think the greatest golfer of all time was blablabla (can't remember who he said)
Soccer guy (jokingly): But you've never seen me hit a golf ball!
Golf guy: Actually I have, and it reminded me of a cow giving birth to a roll of barbed wire
Boom! Take that, soccer guy!
A day at the museum
It was overcast again today, but in place of yesterday's snow was a constant drizzle. This was our first taste of the infamous depressing Amsterdam weather that we were constantly warned about. But we weren't going to let that stop us, and we decided that today we would walk to the Rijksmuseum, via the Albert Cuypmarkt.
On the way we found a new supermarket chain called Lidl (http://www.lidl.nl). We had a quick walk through, it is a bit simpler with less variety than the Albert Heijn, but had most of the basics and looked significantly cheaper. We'll definitely visit this place again.
After stopping again for a number of photos of the now thawing polygons of ice floating on the canals, we made it to Albert Cuypstraat, the location of the markets claimed to be among the best in Europe. Having just come from Malaysia, which is filled with huge streetside markets such as the Petaling St Chinatown markets in Kuala Lumpur, and the epic Batu Ferringhi night markets on Penang, this market street seems quite small, but it is quite different and worth the visit.
The street is lined with stalls selling gloves, beanies, scarves, jackets, bicycle locks, cheese, waffles, vegetables and antiques. Many of these stalls front walk-in shops which contain more stock from the same seller. Everything is quite cheap here compared to the tourist strip of Kalverstraat in the city centre, but there are also very few recognisable brand names to be seen.
One of the highlights was a musical duo entertaining the passers-by with accordion and clarinet. Their Eastern-European style was a great accompaniment to us perusing the market stalls.
At the end of the street we stopped for lunch at a lovely little cafe called Bagels & Beans. It had a really nice friendly atmosphere that made you wish you were a local who spent every Saturday morning there, as well as some delicious bagels and respectable coffee. Then we were off to the rijksmuseum, about a 10-15 min walk away through the De Pijp and Museumkwartier districts.
The museum building itself was quite a spectacle, and would have been even more impressive without the construction site which obstructs the view of the front. The museum is unfortunately undergoing renovations which are to be completed in 2013, so we will have to visit again to see the bulk of the collection.
However, the pieces that are on display are still very impressive, with relics and artwork dating back to the 1400's. It was capped off with the Rembrandt display, including his depictions of the prophetess Anna, the Apostle Paul, and the famous De Nachtwacht. This painting is quite large, 3.5m x 4.5m, and it's rectangular shape seems out of proportion- later we found that in the 1700's the paining was moved into the town hall, where it did not fit on the wall, so they cut it down to size by slicing half a metre of one side...
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| Stopping for more photos at the canal near our house |
On the way we found a new supermarket chain called Lidl (http://www.lidl.nl). We had a quick walk through, it is a bit simpler with less variety than the Albert Heijn, but had most of the basics and looked significantly cheaper. We'll definitely visit this place again.
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| Stockings for sale at Albert Cuypmarkt |
After stopping again for a number of photos of the now thawing polygons of ice floating on the canals, we made it to Albert Cuypstraat, the location of the markets claimed to be among the best in Europe. Having just come from Malaysia, which is filled with huge streetside markets such as the Petaling St Chinatown markets in Kuala Lumpur, and the epic Batu Ferringhi night markets on Penang, this market street seems quite small, but it is quite different and worth the visit.
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| Orchids, Netherlands icon |
The street is lined with stalls selling gloves, beanies, scarves, jackets, bicycle locks, cheese, waffles, vegetables and antiques. Many of these stalls front walk-in shops which contain more stock from the same seller. Everything is quite cheap here compared to the tourist strip of Kalverstraat in the city centre, but there are also very few recognisable brand names to be seen.
One of the highlights was a musical duo entertaining the passers-by with accordion and clarinet. Their Eastern-European style was a great accompaniment to us perusing the market stalls.
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| Mad street performers |
At the end of the street we stopped for lunch at a lovely little cafe called Bagels & Beans. It had a really nice friendly atmosphere that made you wish you were a local who spent every Saturday morning there, as well as some delicious bagels and respectable coffee. Then we were off to the rijksmuseum, about a 10-15 min walk away through the De Pijp and Museumkwartier districts.
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| Delicious Stroopwaffel for lunch |
The museum building itself was quite a spectacle, and would have been even more impressive without the construction site which obstructs the view of the front. The museum is unfortunately undergoing renovations which are to be completed in 2013, so we will have to visit again to see the bulk of the collection.
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| Under construction |
However, the pieces that are on display are still very impressive, with relics and artwork dating back to the 1400's. It was capped off with the Rembrandt display, including his depictions of the prophetess Anna, the Apostle Paul, and the famous De Nachtwacht. This painting is quite large, 3.5m x 4.5m, and it's rectangular shape seems out of proportion- later we found that in the 1700's the paining was moved into the town hall, where it did not fit on the wall, so they cut it down to size by slicing half a metre of one side...
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| Painting of a battle scene between a Dutch and a Spanish warship, incredibly detailed, to the point where you can actually see this guys legs separated from his body as he flies through the air |
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| There was a phase where rich European built and collected dollhouses, this was is so painstakingly detailed that it would have cost more than the owner's real house |
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| Rembrandt |
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| De Nachtwacht |
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| Walking home at dusk through the peak hour traffic |
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| Street art which a quick google search reveals is the work of an iconic Amsterdam street artist named Laser 3.14 |
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Stroll Through the Snow
This afternoon we went for a walk to explore our local area, and after we had been walking for a few minutes it started bucketing down with snow- not your average Sunday afternoon stroll for a pair of Australians during February. We ended up walking about 5km and it took us quite a while as we stopped so many times to take photos- everything looks romantic when it is covered in snow.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Walking on Water
Our tram did not turn up this morning so we had to catch the metro to the Nieuwmarkt station, and there was a bit of a walk into the shopping area we were aiming for. Fortunately this took us past one of the most stunning sights so far this week- a completely frozen over canal that was covered in ice skaters. We hopped down onto the ice and walked along the canal for a few hundred metres, even going under one of the bridges. It seems that this is a pretty rare event and we're very lucky to be here at this time to experience it.
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| Sunset we saw on the way home |
Friday, February 10, 2012
Amsterdam Historische Museum
Today we thought we would break up the days of shopping with a visit to the Amsterdam Historische Museum (Historical Museum). On the way though, we had a quick browse through the Waterlooplein flea market, which is full of stalls selling clothes, antiques and souvenirs. It looks pretty fun and we'll have a closer look some other time. For now, we were happy to try the Dutch staple 'Patat Frites' which we have seen being sold all over the place. Basically they are just a cup of fried potato chips, but they are incredibly crunchy and come with a mayonnaise sauce, which is not something I have ever had on chips before but it is delicious nonetheless.
The entrance to the museum, located on Kalverstraat, is a spectacle in itself, and we wait our turn behind a bunch of other tourists to take the obligatory photo standing under the incredibly detailed arch.
The museum is quite good and kept us entertained for a few hours. It currently has an exhibit set up called "Amsterdam DNA", which walks us through the millennium long history of the city using original artworks, videos and cool infographic style displays. It was pretty incredible seeing paintings of landmarks such as Dam square, the royal palace and the Nieuwe Kerk that were done three or four hundred years ago, knowing that we were just at that specific building in real life. It is definitely worth the visit if you are ever in Amsterdam.
One thing we discovered is the Netherlands Museumkaart (Museum Card), it costs about 40 Euro but lasts for 12 months and allows free access to hundreds of museums across the country. At 10-15 euro normally per museum, I'm sure the card will pay for itself in no time.
The entrance to the museum, located on Kalverstraat, is a spectacle in itself, and we wait our turn behind a bunch of other tourists to take the obligatory photo standing under the incredibly detailed arch.
The museum is quite good and kept us entertained for a few hours. It currently has an exhibit set up called "Amsterdam DNA", which walks us through the millennium long history of the city using original artworks, videos and cool infographic style displays. It was pretty incredible seeing paintings of landmarks such as Dam square, the royal palace and the Nieuwe Kerk that were done three or four hundred years ago, knowing that we were just at that specific building in real life. It is definitely worth the visit if you are ever in Amsterdam.
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| Incredibly detailed painting of the city centre, done in the 1500's |
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| Close up of the above painting |
One thing we discovered is the Netherlands Museumkaart (Museum Card), it costs about 40 Euro but lasts for 12 months and allows free access to hundreds of museums across the country. At 10-15 euro normally per museum, I'm sure the card will pay for itself in no time.
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