EuroTrip 2023: Summary

(The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland)

Here it is, one entry to sum up places I visited, $$ I spent, travel tips, FAQs, etc. If you’ve been like “I want to follow Carolyn’s trip but I don’t want to read so much” or you like statistics, this is for you. Enjoy!

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Daily Destinations

Day 1: Dublin, Ireland: 8-hr layover, visited the Guinness Storehouse

Days 1-4: Krommenie, Netherlands: Hosted by my friend Renée (we met in NYC through Couchsurfing)

Days 4-9: Amsterdam, Netherlands: Cat-sitting opportunity (through a friend of a friend)

Days 9-10: Tilburg, Netherlands: Hosted by Niels on Wheels! (first time trying a new hosting platform called BeWelcome)

Days 10-13: Mortsel, Belgium (near Antwerp): Hosted by Greet and Walter (my friend Lente’s parents)

Days 13-15: Gent, Belgium: Hosted by Bruno (Couchsurfing host/ambassador!)

Days 15-19: Brugge, Belgium: Hosted by Nele (we connected through the FB group Host A Sister)

Days 19-24: Alveringem, Belgium: Hosted by Hendrik (Workaway experience at Brouwerij Feys)

Days 24-28: Tilburg, Netherlands: Hosted by Niels again 😉

Days 28-31: Alveringem, Belgium: Returned to Brouwerij Feys to finish volunteering

Days 31-33: Brugge, Belgium: Visited Nele again to attend De Ronde van Vlanderaan

Days 33-35: Brussels, Belgium: Hosted by Etienne and Maud (cyclists I met in California last year)

Days 35-41: Leuven, Belgium: Hosted by Carl and the Steinerschool (Workaway experience for the ComSiBal dance festival)

Days 41-44: Brussels, Belgium: Returned to Etienne and Maud’s place

Days 44-47: Heidelberg, Germany: Hosted by my friend Jana (met through Couchsurfing in NYC)

Days 47-53: Innsbruck, Austria: Hosted by my friend Marlene (met through my friend/her partner Andrew)

Days 53-54: Zurich, Switzerland: Stayed in a hostel (visited my friend Chris, though he couldn’t host)

— OBBNightJet (overnight train from Zurich to Amsterdam) —

Days 55-56: Rotterdam, Netherlands: Hosted by Lara (met at ComSiBal)

Days 55-57: Tilburg, Netherlands: One more visit with Niels 🙂

Days 57-60: Krommenie, Netherlands: Reunited with Renée and Jeff again

Days 60-70: County Cork, Ireland: 10-day stopover in Ireland (will blog about this separately)

In total I paid for FOUR nights of housing; one hostel in Zurich, one “coachette” sleeper compartment on the night train to Amsterdam, then one inn and one hostel at a Buddhist monastery during the Ireland bike tour. Four nights out of 70!

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Total Spending

Pre-Trip:

• $466.35 for roundtrip airfare on AerLingus to/from Amsterdam
• $167.57 to add a 10-day stopover in Ireland (I could have avoided paying for the stopover…more on that below).
• $58 Allianz health insurance
• $10 Airalo eSIM for phone
• Note: I don’t buy travel insurance since my credit card (Chase Sapphire Preferred) covers that automatically
• Total: $701.92

During Trip:

Counting EVERYTHING – food, housing, transportation, museums, buying a bike, topping up the eSIM, etc. – I spent a grand total of $1,967.41 over 70 days, with an average of 28.10/day. I also earned 165€ ($179) cash from the flamenco workshop. If I factor spending that money into the equation, my spending jumps to $2,146.41, or $30.66/day.

Grand Total Spent: $2,848.33

Reflection on Spending:

I didn’t quite *save* money on this trip, but I basically broke even. I had to move out of my apartment before the trip, so my only ongoing cost in NY was a monthly storage unit payment. The grand total for the trip was a little more than what I typically paid for rent, food, transportation, and occasional social outings living in my Brooklyn apartment (I had a cheap apartment, by Brooklyn standards). Considering how far that money stretched in Europe including flights, I’m satisfied. I was hoping to spend around or less than the amount I would have spent living in Brooklyn, and I more or less achieved that goal.

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Travel Tips

The Netherlands

• Public Transit:
  • Trains: If you have a smart phone, download the NS and NS International apps, or check the websites: https://www.ns.nl/en/travel-information/ns-app and https://www.nsinternational.com/en . Sometimes if you book ahead, you’ll find discounted ticket rates, especially if you book more than 24 hours in advance. There are also deals for weekend trips, student discounts, etc.
    • Technically you have to buy a bike ticket if you are going to take your bike on the train. I took my bike twice and nobody checked so…make your own decisions about this.
  • General transit: Check https://9292.nl.en for trip planning. There is an app and a website.
  • When you take public transit, check in at the yellow card readers. This is even important when you leave Schiphol airport, so you don’t get overcharged for a train voyage.
  • The Netherlands is trying to update their system so you can tap your credit card at the card readers instead of buying a transit card. This didn’t work for me.
• Cycling:
  • There is an amazing cycling system in the Netherlands and Belgium consisting of numbered routes. You can easily get by without a phone for directions; write down the numbers to follow ahead of time and then follow the signs. For the Netherlands, you can find the numbers on Fietsknoop.nl, which is a website and an app.
  • If you’ll be in the Netherlands awhile, it might be worth getting an OV-Chipkaart and OV-Fiets account to rent the blue and yellow OV-Fiets bikes. In retrospect I may have benefited from this, but I didn’t know it at the start of the trip.
• Luggage:
  • If you need to leave your luggage while exploring, there is a place at Amsterdam Central Station. I think this is also true of other cities, but I only looked into the one in Amsterdam (ultimately decided to carry my backpack with me, but it’s affordable): https://www.amsterdamtips.com/left-luggage-amsterdam-central .

Belgium

• Public Transit:
  • For smart phones: Download the De Lijn app. There were times I was waiting at bus stops that didn’t have ticket machines, so buying on my phone was helpful.
    • Note: You can board a bus without a ticket; the driver can’t penalize you for not paying, but if an officer comes on board to check tickets you’ll be screwed. Check with locals about where it’s usually safe to chance it if you want to take that risk.
• Cycling:
  • The numbered routes on the road for cyclists are even clearer in Belgium than in the Netherlands. You can plan ahead using https://www.fietsnet.be/routeplanner/defaul.aspx
  • You’ll sometimes come across streets painted red. These are called fietsstraat (bike streets). These streets are open to bikes and cars, but cyclists get priority and may take up the whole road. Cars must drive at the cyclists’ pace.

General Europe

• Transportation:
  • BlaBlaCar is a great ride-sharing system. It’s an app and a website. Just search for where you’re traveling and when and you might find a ride. Ride at your own risk.
  • FlixBus is a bus system that runs throughout many European countries. It’s often cheaper than taking the train from one country or city to another, so check if this is an option for your route.
  • OBBNightJet: Sometimes it’s cheaper to take a night train to your next destination than to rent a hostel for a night (*cough cough Zurichisexpensive cough*). I booked one from Zurich to Amsterdam in a “couchette” compartment. I slept well and got a small breakfast with tea or coffee in the morning. The couchette might be uncomfortable if you’re very tall or unable to climb up to a higher bunk; there were six of us in my car and I imagine the climb to my middle bunk or the one above may have been uncomfortable if I was a bigger person. There is a slightly more expensive sleeper compartment that I think is roomier.
  • Rome2Rio is a great way to compare travel options across the world. Definitely worth using.
• eSIM:
  • I decided to get an Airalo eSIM for my phone. With a referral code, I paid $10 (normally costs $13) for 3 GB of data valid for 30 days. I only use data occasionally, so this worked well. For the second 30 days I paid $20 for 5 GB, since I was going to have limited wifi access at some locations. There are plans with more data and/or longer time periods, and you can buy based on countries or regions. I chose “Eurolink” since it worked in every country I was visiting.
  • If you’re interested in Airalo, use my referral code CAROLY5790 for $3 off. 🙂
• Discounts:
  • Many places in Europe have student and/or under-26 discounts. My approach is to ask if student discounts apply to graduate students. If yes, great! If no, they usually say “But I can give you the under-26 discount” and don’t ask for ID. I will use this as long as I continue to look young 😀
• $$$ Things
  • I had a problem with Dutch and Belgian grocery stores not accepting my credit and debit cards, especially Albert Heijn in the Netherlands and Colruyt in Belgium. Sometimes the card readers don’t accept American cards, even Visa. Carry enough cash just in case!
  • Make sure your debit card works at ATMs before beginning your trip. I didn’t check before leaving and wound up not being able to take money out throughout my entire trip. Luckily I earned cash from the flamenco gig, otherwise I’m not sure what I would have done!
• Flights
  • For this trip I flew AerLingus. They offer the option to add a stopover in Ireland for as many days as you want. IMPORTANT: As of right now (May 2023), you need to book flights over the phone if you want a stopover included; you’ll pay extra if you call to add a stopover after booking online. I could have avoided paying for my stopover if I’d known this; I called after making my reservation online.
  • When you call AerLingus, I recommend knowing when and for how long you want to stop in Ireland. I plugged in various date combinations online first so my total flight price would be as low as possible. Roundtrip from New York to Amsterdam, I had to option to add a stopover in Dublin or Cork, with the understanding I’d have to fly in/out of Dublin from the US, and could fly from Dublin OR Cork to/from Amsterdam. I chose to stop in Cork after Amsterdam, then took a bus to Dublin for the flight to NY.
  • Other airlines also offer stopovers. Icelandair and TAP (Air Portugal) are two, but there are others I’m not as familiar with. Could be worth exploring!

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Hosting Platforms

I wrote a blog entry here about finding cheap or free housing. Here are the platforms I used on this trip:

• BeWelcome: All the hosts I interacted with were great. Two couldn’t host me but provided good suggestions about things to do in their regions, and the one I stayed with was Niels on Wheels, who is genuinely a great host and Tilburg connoseur 🙂
• Couchsurfing: It was so cool to stay with Bruno, a Couchsurfing ambassador who has been on the site since almost the very beginning. Couchsurfing is still alive and well, even if it’s frustrating with the paywall.
• Host A Sister: On this trip I only used it once and met Nele, who quickly became a friend. If you’re a female-identifying person who is hesitant to stay with guys, this is a good resource to check out.
• Warmshowers: This will probably always be my favorite hosting platform. I used it throughout my time in Ireland to meet cycling hosts, including Niamh and Arthur, who made my trip so great. I’ll write about Ireland in another entry.
• Workaway: This was my first time using Workaway, and both experiences were positive. I volunteered at Brouwerij Feys and the ComSiBal dance festival, both in Belgium. I’ve heard both good and bad stories about volunteering on Workaway, but I think if you carefully read profiles and reviews you can avoid the sour experiences. So far I’d recommend it.

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FAQs

Q: Aren’t you afraid of staying with guys?

A: Are you afraid of meeting guys from dating apps and going to their houses? Or getting in a car with Lyft or Uber drivers? I always read profiles and reviews on hosting platforms and look at photos shared by each potential host, regardless of gender. A host can’t delete reviews from guests, so if I see any red flags, I don’t stay. I’ve been using hosting platforms since 2012 and have had many male hosts, and zero bad experiences. There are plenty of respectful people using hosting platforms for cultural exchange and travel connections. I’ve even made a few friends from the experience.

Q: Did you have a favorite country?

A: Ireland. To be clear, I enjoyed every country I visited. I love how quickly Dutch accents and dialects morph in the Netherlands and Belgium, often over as small a distance as 5 km. I love all the bike culture. I love the scenery and hikes in Switzerland and Austria, the castle ruins in Germany, the people, the pets, how easy it was to travel from place to place by public transit, etc. But Ireland is a different world. There is so much nature, the people are so kind and welcoming, music is built into life, and I saw photos of older generations that reminded me so much of my grandmother and her siblings. I hope to return to all these countries, but especially Ireland. I felt most at home there, and I could envision myself moving there to live for an extended time.

Q: Any scary moments?

A:

1. While cycling through Ireland I saw signs saying “Danger: Bull.” When I encountered one loose on the road – with no one around and nothing to protect myself except a bicycle – it was scary. I stood in the rain and sloooowly inched forward as the bull slowly moved. I think it took 30 minutes to pass the bull!
2. In Brugge I was pretty distracted while making tea and casually checked if the stove was hot by putting three fingers directly on the burner. I hope you never hear the sound of your own sizzling flesh, and I hope I never hear it again. Luckily I was able to treat them right away and all is well. I never did drink tea that night 😆
3. At De Efteling I lost the fanny pack containing my passport, some cash, and a credit and debit card (I had additional cash and an emergency card stored elsewhere, but still…). I remained calm and luckily found it safely guarded by workers at the food court. Phew!

Q: Didn’t you get sick of staying with people? What about having your own quiet space?

A: I had tons of quiet space! On this trip I was staying at homes of many people I knew, and many offered ample time and space to be by myself. Nele in Brugge kindly let me stay in her home alone over an entire weekend while she was away, Etienne and Maud did the same in Brussels, and every host let me stay in their home while they were at work, school, etc. There were plenty of moments when hosts gave me a choice of joining for excursions/dinner/etc. or doing my own thing, so I did a mix. I get worn down from too much socializing; I know I need solo “me time” to recharge, and I had many opportunities for that on this trip. I think it helps that I work remotely, so I also use that to justify staying home instead of going out exploring.

Q: Favorite parts of the trip? Most memorable moments/experiences?

A: This is too difficult, but here are some off the top of my head, in no particular order:

• 5 y/o Felix answering the door with his hand-picked bouquet of flowers in Cork, Ireland
• Joining Nele for adventures in and around Brugge. I loved rock climbing, visiting hives with a Belgian beekeeper, visiting Pierre’s farm, etc. Hearing the beekeeper and Pierre speak in thick Flemish accents and catching as many words as I could before Nele’s translation was amazing.
• Seeing the start of De Ronde van Vlanderaan (the Tour of Flanders) and watching my favorite cycling superstar, Wout van Aert, ride past where Nele and I were standing!
• Joining Jana in Germany for family brunch at her grandparents’ yoga retreat center. What a delicious meal and music in great company.
• Seeing the slideshow and hearing stories of Greet and Walter’s round-the-world bike tour from thirty years ago. It was also great to participate in their family dinner while my friends Lente and Marnik joined on Zoom 🙂
• Giving Marlene a hug and celebrating her partner/my friend Andrew’s memory with laughter, tears, and stories. Making memories in his honor, like having a catch, and turning a page in our friendship with new memories, like skinny dipping in icy cold water and warming up around a fire in a gorge.
• Meeting Couchsurfing ambassador Bruno and experiencing his incredibly detailed, enthusiastic tour of Gent, plus the delicious tajine with his Moroccan house guests, Yonas and Soufiane.
• Getting a crash course in flamenco percussion from Jeff and spinning it into a 30-min. workshop in Amsterdam.
• Visiting the shelter church in Krommenie with Renée – it was way more interesting than I expected
• Niels’ surprises. I was so happy attending the Aldous Harding concert in Utrecht, jamming on percussion instruments at the Kessels Museum in Tilburg, receiving thoughtful gifts…everything about this aspect of the trip was a pleasant surprise.
• Dutch/Belgian enthusiasm for De Efteling. Niels’ nostalgia and stories made the park visit wonderful, but so did the reactions of every Dutch and Belgian person I mentioned it to; everyone was so excited I went there.
• All the language nuances. I loved picking up on little differences between Dutch sounds in the Holland area vs. the Noord-Brabant region (not to mention regional dialects, like Tilburgs), and how it morphs into Flemish in Belgium and changes so quickly from Antwerp, to Gent, to Brugge (goodbye “g” sound), etc.
• All the fun facts. Every host had so much enthusiasm about their area and knew a surprising amount of local information. Architecture, war history, industrial roles each city played, folklore…I was impressed by how much people knew.
• Ireland…I mentioned Felix already but everything about Ireland was a highlight; I’ll write about that in another post.
• I could go on and on…there were a lot of memorable moments on the trip.

Q: What’s next? Do you have another trip planned?

A: This summer I’ll mostly stay in NYC for softball. I’ll do a couple little trips, mostly cycling adventures. Then in mid-late September, I will return to Europe! I’ll spend a few weeks exploring somewhere (TBD…anyone want to meet up?), then start a new adventure through the Teaching Assistant In France program starting October 1st. I’ll be living in the Normandie region on a long-stay visa, then returning to NY again for summer softball 2024.

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Final Thoughts

This trip was not my usual vibe; I typically prefer places with warmer weather and more outdoor adventures. However, this was the first time in a long time that I wasn’t traveling to run away from something. I had specific goals, and I was running to something (or someone: Marlene in Austria). I needed this trip in a lot of ways. It was therapeutic, it was empowering, it was full of unexpected twists and encounters, opportunities and realizations. When I was planning I wasn’t sure how or where I would go; I knew I’d go to Austria, but would I start from Greece or Italy and travel up? Would I explore new regions of France? Would I check out Dutch cycling culture, practice the language I’d been casually learning, and head down? I considered all these options and decided to go wherever I found a cheap flight, which turned out to be Amsterdam. I’m happy with my choice. The weather was cold and at first I wished I’d chosen the Greek route, as some friends had recommended, but I met such awesome people and made new connections both platonic AND romantic (surprise!)! that I have no regrets about my choice. And now, getting placed in the Normandie region for TAPIF means I won’t be far from places I visited on this trip. Future reunions await!

I’m grateful I have a job and living situation that allow me the freedom and flexibility for experiences like this. Sometimes people ask if I ever want to advance in my job to have more of a career. Honestly no; I’m happy as I am. I will use the upcoming TAPIF experience as an opportunity to live in a new place on a long-stay visa, but I’ll keep my online job and probably continue this “digital nomad” lifestyle after the teaching position ends. I’m a wandering soul, and wander I will.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you get to travel somewhere fun! To wrap up, here are my secondary hosts from the trip 🙂

EuroTrip 2023! Days 24-28: Tilburg Part 2 (Netherlands)

Bon matin from Brussels! I’m currently enjoying a slow morning at my friends’ place in the Schaerbeek neighborhood, where singer Jacques Brel was born. On good advice, I started the day with a Jacques Brel soundtrack to get the mood right. Later I’ll go exploring, then join my friends Maud and Etienne to see a play in French at the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles. But more on that another time, today we’re going back in time to Tilburg!

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Connection

Sometimes when traveling, you meet people and think “They’re cool, it was nice hanging out. We won’t keep in touch but I hope they have a good life.” Other times “They were a good host, now I’m moving on” or “Meh, we didn’t connect but I appreciate that they hosted me.” Sometimes you think “We could be friends if we lived closer, but oh well,” or you keep in touch online, plan to visit again, and/or consider them a good friend even if your relationship is mostly virtual. And sometimes it’s the combination of place and person collectively that you connect with, that draws you back.

There’s an understanding that connections among travelers are fluid; there isn’t an expectation to keep in touch every day or visit each other, but if you vibe in the right ways you can pick up where you left off any time with no hard feelings if it has been months or years; you’re welcome at their place, they at yours. Here I am right now as I write this, staying with cyclists I spoke to for maybe 20 min. at a campground one year ago. When the vibe is right, you know you can reconnect.

Sometimes you click in other ways. It’s not “I’ll visit this person again sometime in the future” but more like “Oh, we vibe, I need to do something about this.” Sometimes you extend your stay, cancel your flight home, or alter your trip to hang out more. You keep in touch long after you’ve left, and maybe even make a music video when two of those special people get married to each other during COVID. These deeper connections are rare, but they’re genuine, wonderful, and part of the reason I love being a traveler rather than a tourist. Often the connections are platonic, sometimes romantic, always the stuff of story books. What new connections will I make today?

Return to Tilburg

Suffice to say, I had one of those “Oh, we vibe, I need to do something about this” interactions when I went to Tilburg, paired with the charm of the location itself. You might recall that I was there less than 24 hours on my visit, and I had a super time touring the city with Niels on Wheels. When I was leaving, it seemed natural to say “I’ll be passing here on my way back to Amsterdam in April,” while he said “Do you want to leave anything here, so you don’t have to carry it on your trip?” Yeah, I was definitely coming back (I didn’t leave any stuff, btw, to stay fully in control of my travels).

We kept in touch after I left. I can’t say I’d ever burnt my fingers keeping in touch with someone before (read that story in my Brugge entry), but there’s a first time for everything. You can’t burn your fingers swapping travel stories with someone and NOT see them again! So two weeks later, when I wasn’t having an amazing time at the Workaway and he had Friday off, it seemed only right to wrap up my work early on Thursday and hop on a bus to begin a five-hour trek to Tilburg for a weekend of adventures!

Sidenote: There was a volunteer at the Workaway named Bas, who is from Tilburg’s “rival” city, Breda. Niels has a cat whose name translates as dog, Bas has a dog named cat, both of them independently said “It’s Brabant humor” when I remarked about the name choices. When I told Bas I was going to visit someone in Tilburg he remarked: “How is it possible you know someone in Tilburg? Nobody goes to Tilburg!” I had a lot of fun dropping Tilburg facts at the Workaway, serving as self-appointed Tilburg ambassador while Bas shook his head in disbelief. 🤣 (PS: Tilburg is legitimately a cool place; as ambassador I recommend that you visit).

Aldous Harding

March 23, 2023

“Is there any chance you could be arriving at tilburg central station around 6pm ???”

Hmmmmm what was this? If I could get to Tilburg by 6, there was surprise waiting. What could it be? If you do some detective work reading this blog you’ll solve the mystery, like I did. At 1 PM I left the brewery with a smile on my face; I was going to an Aldous Harding concert in Utrecht!!!

Or was I…? Hours later, the engine stalled on the train I was riding, and I was stuck meters from where I had to transfer. The first time I went to Tilburg my train was canceled because of a snowstorm, now my train was stuck with a stalled engine. Dutch trains don’t make it easy to get to Tilburg! Eventually the train restarted, reached the Breda station, and – after a few minutes of the conductors trying to get the doors open – I sprinted as fast as I could to the transfer. Phew – made it!

I happily reunited with Niels at the Tilburg station. We grabbed food, ran into two of his friends who happened to be going to the concert, and then we were off!

Aldous Harding is an indie folk singer-songwriter from Lyttelton, New Zealand.

Lyttelton…when Niels revealed this surprise I got goosebumps. I’m doing this EuroTrip partially in memory of Andrew, a friend I met while couchsurfing in Lyttelton, NZ, and I’m going to Austria later this month to visit my friend/his widow Marlene to give her a long-overdue hug in real life. Needless to say, it felt extremely special when Niels invited me to a concert by a folk artist from the town where I met the person I’m doing this trip in memory of. Dank je wel times a million, Niels, and rest in peace Andrew.

The concert was amazing. I loved being there live, and everything about the entire experience. “Old Peel” is my new favorite Aldous Harding song.

The train ride back featured an amazing conversation about Tilburg history and Dutch language dialects. For those interested, check out this amazing website Niels’ friend shared with regional dialects and recorded conversations. What a treasure trove!

Cycling, Trappists, Movie Night

March 24, 2023

Gooooood morning! In advance of my arrival, Niels recommended some bike adventures we could do (sidenote: I am always SO HAPPY to find people with adventurous, outdoor-loving spirits similar to mine; it’s sort of rare and awesome when I don’t have to wonder if my itch to explore is too much). The area around Tilburg is rich with natural beauty, and on two wheels you can reach beautiful places. Sadly we ran out of time/good weather to see everything on the list, but I hope to return and explore more.

We began the adventure by walking around the city and finding more symbols of Tilburg’s kruikezeiker (“jar pisser”) pride. A statue of the iconic jar pisser image in someone’s front window, a big “kruikezeiker” statue near the station, a plaque, and stores displaying Tilburg’s orange and green colors from recent Carnaval celebrations (when Noord-Brabant cities embrace their historical nicknames full-force). We rented a bike for me, stopped at a grocery store for picnic supplies, visited a lovely community garden, and rode a nice cycle path to a lake. After cycling through the woods we enjoyed a tasty lunch and hiked around the lake. We found wild mushrooms, a cool beetle, a tiny frog, birds, bees, and lovely trees. Happiness 😊

After the lake we continued on bikes to La Trappe Brewery/Brouwerij De Koningshoeven, one of only two Trappist monasteries in the Netherlands – and 11 worldwide – where monks brew beer on site. Also the only Trappist monastery that allows you to tour the grounds? I found conflicting sources about those numbers, so take them with a grain of salt. La Trappe was founded in the late 19th century by an order of monks who left Northern France to escape anti-religious sentiments and settled on a space consisting of three farms and a sheep pen in Tilburg in 1881. They constructed a brewery in 1884 to earn income to build an abbey on site, which they completed in 1894. The monks don’t keep any extra money they make from their beer; they use what is needed to sustain the monastery and donate the rest to charity.

Niels and I strolled the grounds learning the Trappist history. It’s a lovely place to stroll (seriously, this is a place to enjoy your surroundings and take your time). Then we visited the tasting room. We ordered bread and cheese the monks make on site using their own beer, plus traditional Dutch bitterballen, essentially fried cheese balls (typically these include meat, but meatless for me). If there is one thing I’ve learned about Dutch cuisine, it’s that it’s not very healthy; tons of bread, cheese, fried things, beer, and sugar 😝 I got the “Puur” organic beer to go with the meal, and Niels helped me translate a poem on the menu about living in the moment and appreciating silence. Wise advice. It was an enjoyable afternoon in good company 🙂

Before wrapping up the adventure we cycled to a graffiti tunnel. Niels sometimes gives graffiti workshops and knows many local street artists, so he shared stories about some of the tags on the wall, then we tried to climb an artsy stairway that seemed to appear out of nowhere. I think we could have gotten up, but the drop down would have been a bit much for me. Drat! Then Niels taught me how to jump on and off my bike Dutch-style, which was awesome. I have to practice, but I’ll get it!

This was a fun day. I’m always happy riding a bike and hiking outside, and it was cool to learn more Tilburg history too. Niels is a big movie collector (over 2000 DVDs!), so to wrap up the day – after getting over his shock at how few movies I’d seen from his collection -, he made a delicious dinner and we watched The Shawshank Redemption on his projector with his cute cat Kutya (“Dog” in Hungarian). I understand why this film is a classic; if you haven’t seen it, check it out!

After the movie Niels gave me a sneak peek of what I’d see at a place called De Efteling, because…

De Efteling

March 25, 2023

Once upon a time when I was first planning this trip, I stumbled across De Efteling online and thought “Oh, I’d like to check that out.” Visiting a theme park alone isn’t my idea of fun, so I posted on a Facebook group called “Solo Female Travelers” to see if anyone wanted to join. A few people said “De Efteling is awesome, definitely go!” but no one could make it, so I gave up the plan. But then…

When I knew I wanted to go back to Tilburg, I’d looked on the map to see what cool things were nearby, and to my surprise De Efteling was practically next door! I texted Niels about it and he basically exploded with excitement, as did every other Dutchie and Belgian I mentioned it to; everyone seems to have fond memories of this iconic theme park. It was only right that we plan a day to visit De Efteling, and Saturday was the winner! As we were walking out the door I mentioned that it reminded me a little of Epcot. Try explaining Epcot to a non-American who only knows DisneyWorld as an overall concept; it’s hilarious. “You know, the place with the giant golf ball…No, there isn’t anything about Mickey Mouse, but you can learn about technology in the golf ball and visit different countries…” 🤣

If you go to De Efteling, I highly recommend bringing a Dutch or Belgian person; watching Niels get excited and nostalgic about different parts of the park was so entertaining! We had fun riding roller coasters, attempting poses for cameras on the coasters, and even going on classic kiddie rides. There is an iconic theme song which will be forever stuck in your head after riding Carnaval Festival; it’s essentially the Dutch equivalent of the “It’s A Small World” ride at Disney and it’s a very sticky earworm. In addition to the rides, De Efteling has a fairy tale forest. It was interesting to see classic fairy tales portrayed and getting another reminder of how casual Europeans are about nudity; Ariel doesn’t have a shell bra in this version of the Little Mermaid! There were stories I was unfamiliar with too, like the tale of the dancing red shoes.

De Efteling is smaller than the average American theme park (what isn’t?), and with the size difference comes smaller, less epic roller coasters, but also shorter lines! I laughed when Niels said we might have to wait on some long lines; turns out a long line at De Efteling is a short line at most American theme parks. 30 min. was the longest we waited, and he said on busy days the wait can be up to one hour – still short compared to a long wait at a US park. The one exception was waiting to ride the wooden roller coaster. We waited in line until we were up to the coaster itself but never got a chance to ride; the wind kept shutting it down.

The small size of De Efteling has another perk: If you lose the pouch containing your passport, credit card, and cash, no need to panic, just go to the food court where you think you left it and the staff will have it for you. Holy moly, I am very grateful it was there, with nothing missing! (I keep another ID, spare cash, and card in a separate place in case of this exact situation…never put all your important stuff in one bag!)

We wrapped up the day at De Efteling by sharing a plate of ‘t poffertjes – small Dutch pancakes with powered sugar. Niels was insistent that these were not true poffertjes; not all poffertjes are created equal. I guess I’ll have to try them again, but first I need to eat more fruits and veggies. It’s difficult to eat healthy here!

De Efteling is a fun place. I see why it’s popular, but I think its theme and art style would fail in the US; the average American wants more flashiness and cartoon-iness. In fact, when I posted photos of the park on my Instagram, it was only Americans who commented on the “old” style of the statues.

My main criticism of De Efteling is the portrayal of Arabs in one of the older rides, in which you ride a boat while an evil sorcerer laughs and points a wand at you. As you ride, you pass scenes depicting some generic Arab country, with all the men looking evil, and a few women acting as eye candy to dance for them. At one point you go by a scene of a man forcefully pulling out another man’s tooth while he moans and pleads from his position locked in a chair. Then a man points a rifle at you and starts shooting while laughing. It was interesting discussing this cultural portrayal with Niels, since he has been to the park many times since childhood and never thought twice about it; he’d seen it so often that it never crossed his mind to question it. For me it was a bit shocking to see this, especially on a kiddie ride. There is a newer “Arabian Nights”-inspired ride that is not evil-looking, but this one caught me off guard. Maybe it’s time for an update, De Efteling?

Regardless, I had fun at De Efteling and it was worth the visit. I wish we’d gotten to ride the wooden roller coaster and that we could have ridden other coasters more than once before the wind shut them down; we still have to master our sleeping-on-the-ride pose! It was a fun day and I’m glad I got to experience this Dutch classic.

We had one last ride from the station to Niels’ place: Dutch style cycling on one bike! Niels taught me a trick so I could jump on and off the bike rack at stoplights. Again, something to master with practice. Now I just need to learn to sit sideways on the rack like the Dutch girls!

2eHands

March 26, 2023

On a sleepy Sunday, we made our way into town for Tweedehands het Festival 2023, a second-hand thrifting festival. First stop: LocHal, the Tilburg library!

I have to pause here to emphasize this: I love libraries. My parents chose the town where I grew up because of the local library (voted the best on Long Island), and I have “library friends” who I met at the library. I frequent libraries and their amazing resources and programs everywhere I live, and they will always have a fond place in my heart. Libraries are wonderful.

Niels did not know this detail of my life, yet he thought it was important that we visit the library. Absolutely 100% yes, let’s go! With great pride he explained that LocHal was voted the best and most beautiful library in the entire country, and as he showed me around I understood why; it’s easily in my top five libraries, maybe even higher on the list. I wish I’d saved time Monday morning before leaving to hang out in the library; I’m confident I could spend many happy hours there.

We didn’t spend hours, but we did take time exploring, as Niels pointed out old railway steel beams, pulleys used to lift old train cars, train beds that the tables are built on, etc. The library stands at the spot in the Spoorzone that was once a glass and steel locomotive shed, and rather than tear it down, a studio called Civic Architects built the library using what was already there in 2019. It’s truly impressive, and every corner has something to see. We explored an exhibit in the Tilburg heritage section in which local residents recorded videos sharing memories about working at the old train depot. We also found an old magazine featuring information about the assassination attempt on “The Jew Hunter,” who I wrote about in my previous Tilburg entry, and there were interactive portions where we could suggest ways to improve Tilburg’s community programming and historical presentations. I wrote a response in Dutch with Niels’ assistance wishing for more linguistic accessibility for anglophone visitors (or they can hire Niels to translate for everyone, hehe). What a special place that library is! Click here to see photos and learn more.

Next stop: Hall of Fame, where the skate park I wrote about last time lives. Today the building was transformed for the festival, so we stopped in to have a look before heading to the palace, which was open to the public for the first time in I don’t know how long (a long time, because Niels thought it was a big deal). It was cool to walk inside and see the second-hand wedding dresses being sold (the palace is a popular place for weddings, so it makes sense that it would be the wedding thrifting spot for the festival). Upstairs we saw a film about how church spaces are being reimagined throughout the Netherlands, as less people attend mass. The film showed different churches from the same camera angle and weaved together a narrative that connected and highlighted each one: A trampoline center, a gym, a yoga class, storage for Buddhist statues, etc. It’s cool that the Netherlands is reimagining these spaces instead of tearing them down, and the film was an effective way to showcase what’s happening. On the way out we peeked at the rooms where Vincent van Gogh had his first drawing lessons. Super cool!

We wrapped up the thrifting tour with one last stop, where I bought a new Nijntje book for 0.50€, since I’ve mastered my first one (I had one last reading test over the weekend, which I passed 😄). Back at Niels’ place we had a Lionel Hampton listening party (another rare thing – not only does Niels know what a vibraphone is, but he is a Lionel Hampton fan!!), then ventured out past a “New York Pizza” place (lol) to visit a classic Tilburg bar [I’ll fill in this name when Niels confirms it…] that has been there 100 years! This was a very local bar with a few patrons who had clearly been there awhile. I made sure to say “Haleekes!” in Tilburgs when we left. 😄

To put a cherry on top of the day we ordered delicious Indian food (hooray to be able to order spicy food to share…no need for mild!) and watched a ’90s film about a Dutch family moving to New York City called Flodders in Amerika. I recommend only watching this with a Dutchie who can explain jokes that might go over your head. 😂

Haleekes…

March 27, 2023

Sadly, I had to leave early Monday morning to catch my bus back to the Workaway. I said “Haleekes” to Niels and Kutya, but I hope it’s not goodbye. For me, travel is not so much about visiting touristy spots, but making connections, experiencing cultural immersion, being outdoors, and saying yes to adventures with cool people when we click. I really enjoyed exploring in and around Tilburg with Niels and I hope there are more adventures ahead. Dank je wel Niels, en Kutya ook!

Some final photos from my journey back to Roesbrugge. I passed through beautiful Antwerp Centraal again and spent a few hours working at the local library (the same one I posed at with Lente’s parents a few weeks ago). This time I photographed the dove/hand statue I mentioned in the Antwerp entry 😊

EuroTrip 2023! Day 9-10: Tilburg (Netherlands)

Greetings from Brugge (Bruges in English). I’m currently sitting in a tiny bar where the server doesn’t speak any English, but never fear! I successfully asked if she had tea, she showed me the choices, and I asked where the bathroom was, all in Dutch. She asked if I also speak French, so I paid in French, even though I’m confident I would have recognized the numbers in Dutch too. It’s soooo interesting to sit here listening to local Belgians speaking with their regional accent. It’s very different than what I’ve heard elsewhere in Belgium, but I already knew this would be the case in West Vlaams, since I’ve heard this regional accent from Dries (of past adventures on this blog). It’s so cool to now hear it in Belgium. But…back to the Netherlands for this blog…

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Tilburg Tour: Nighttime Edition

March 10, 2023

When we left off, I was shivering in not-enough-clothes-for-unexpected-freezing-weather, disappointed to leave my new bike behind and trying to warm up on the train headed toward Tilburg, in the North Brabant region of southern Netherlands. I got stuck for awhile in Utrecht after a train was canceled, but finally made it to Tilburg. I love leaving a train station in a new place, glancing briefly at Google Maps, and walking confidently in the right direction without looking at my phone much. I was able to do that in Tilburg, and before I knew it I’d arrived at the home of Niels on Wheels! 

Niels connected with me through a platform I was trying for the first time, BeWelcome. Niels, who had been on Couchsurfing before BW, saw my post about my trip and messaged me with a strong case for visiting southern Netherlands. It almost didn’t happen; if I hadn’t bought a bike in Utrecht I would have chosen to stay at the cat-sitting position a few days more – especially considering the snowstorm – and then gone directly to Belgium. The bike motivated me to leave Amsterdam early, since I’d travel slower on two wheels. So in a way, even though I had to leave it behind, I wouldn’t have gotten to see Tilburg and meet Niels if not for that bike.

Niels is a Tilburg local, born and raised. He has a fluffy cat named Kutya (pronounced koo-chya), which means “dog” in Hungarian. She greeted me in her own time, and she is friendly and cute! Niels served hot tea made fresh from his garden, and we got to chat a bit. Niels is a major film buff and skilled artist with an extensive wall of DVDs, homemade plant pots created from old VHS tapes, artwork he made out of VHS tapes, etc. My favorite was a motorcycle painted on a VHS tape, with the wheels matching where the holes in a VHS are.

After getting to know each other a bit, it was time for a Tilburg tour! After all those hours shivering in the cold, I don’t know how I would have survived more hours outside with just the layers I brought, so I was happy to temporarily represent Niels’ inline skating program with an official “Niels on Wheels” sweatshirt to borrow. Awesome! 

Niels describes Tilburg as a hidden gem, and I have to agree. It was so cool (literally and figuratively) to get Part 1 of this Tilburg tour at night; it gave the experience a really hip vibe, and I’m happy to say I was warm enough to handle the weather thanks to the extra layer. Niels is very knowledgeable about his hometown and presents information in a way that makes it interesting and memorable (in a good way). Here are some fun facts I learned: 

• Vincent van Gogh history:
  • Van Gogh took his first drawing lessons in Tilburg. He lived there from age 11-13 to attend school, and there is a plaque outside the house he stayed at.
  • Also outside the house he stayed at is a statue of…his brother. It was supposed to be a silhouette of him, but it was modeled after a photo of his brother by accident.
  • Also also outside that house is a “social sofa.” This is a public place designed for people to sit and talk to one another. Niels told me that he used to sit on it often, and random people would also sit and strike up a conversation. Now this concept and particular style of bench art is common worldwide, but it started in Tilburg.
• Bike history!
  • Tilburg is home to the Netherlands’ first “Demonstration Cycle Route,” a car-free bicycle path through the middle of the city (where five streets intersect in Tilburg today). It was opened in 1977, followed shortly by another in The Hague.
• WWII history:
  • Tilburg was home to “The Jew Hunter.” Piet Gerrits, their chief of police was notorious for riding his bike on the same streets every day, hoping to catch more Jews. Tilburg had a decently-sized resistance movement, and some of the leaders of the movement decided to organize an assassination. Niels took me to the very spot where the men waited for Gerrits to pass, but unfortunately he must have been tipped off about their plan because he rode his bike from the other direction and caught them. It’s illegal to be out after curfew, so the tale has a sad ending…
  • Tilburg has its own Anne Frank, though she doesn’t have the same fame. Her name was Helga Deen and we know her story through letters she wrote to her boyfriend while in hiding.
• City quirks:
  • If you know where to look, you can find a crosswalk light in Tilburg with interesting figures on it. When the light is green, there is an image of a person holding a jar. When the light is red, an image of someone pissing in a jar!
  • During the four days of Carnival each year, Tilburg residents proudly bear the badge of “Jar Pissers.” I say proudly because it’s an homage to the city’s history. Tilburg was known for its wool production, but wool factories needed a way to clean and prepare the wool. They realized that urine worked well due to the ammonia in it, so they started a system. Woolmakers asked residents to piss in alcohol jugs after they were done drinking from them, and they’d buy the jars. It was a win for everyone!
  • Visit the public water fountain in Tilburg and you’ll notice something odd: It might be green or another color from food dye, or it might be completely sudsy from laundry detergent. This is an ongoing prank in Tilburg; that fountain will probably never run clear again!
  • Tilburg has its own Banksy! If you know where to look, you can find public artwork high up on a wall, or half hidden in a corner. Not everyone knows who leaves these mysterious paintings, but I do 😉
• Language:
  • People in the Noord-Brabant region speak differently than those in Holland (northern Netherlands). Their style of speech is almost more Flemish, with softer g’s and r’s, and less intense speech overall. I quite like those softer sounds of the Flemish dialect, so this was a nice change after hearing Dutch in northern Netherlands.
  • Even more specifically, Tilburg has its own local dialect. If you speak it, Dutch people from even just 5 km down the road might not understand! Unfortunately this dialect is dying out as more people adapt a more standard Dutch. Even Niels – who speaks the Tilburg dialect – said there are words his grandmother used to say that he never learned.
• Nuns:
  • Tilburg is home to a unique building; a monastery (not a convent) for nuns. Nuns in general have a pretty badass history in the Netherlands, and the same is true in Tilburg.
• The King:
  • The school that Vincent van Gogh attended is named after King Willem II, who ruled from 1840-1849. King Willem II did a lot of things that were considered good for the Netherlands, but there was one problem…he was gay. Northern Dutch people tended to be very unaccepting of this, while southern Dutch people (especially in Tilburg) felt like “He’s doing good things for the country, who cares about what he does personally.” For this reason he spent a lot of time in Tilburg, and wrote that he felt more free and comfortable there. The white palace in the photos below was built on his order as a hunting palace, but he died before it was finished. He donated it to the people of Tilburg with the request that it become a school bearing his name.

I’m sure there were more fun facts, but those are the ones most fresh in my head. There is also tons of interesting architecture in Tilburg, many of which is pre-art deco of the late 1800s, which I’ll share in photos. Niels was great about pointing out different styles and time periods in the architecture. The most interesting to me is when buildings have clever designs holding the bricks together, instead of the more standard metal bars you see on some buildings.

During the tour I also learned more about Niels’ life as an inline skater and instructor, and when he asked if I wanted to see the indoor skatepark/community center where he volunteers, of course the answer was yes! Super cool to visit it and hang out for some Belgian beers and conversation before we began the walk back. We even crashed a concert for a few minutes! I felt like I got a really good introduction to Tilburg in just those first few hours.

The Story Continues

March 11, 2023

I wound up talking to Niels late into the night after we got back, so Saturday was a day to sleep in. When I finally awoke, the sun was shining bright – the first time on my entire trip! With the warm sun guiding the way, we went to the Saturday market to eat “kibbeling,” a Dutch specialty of fried cod with special seasoning and sauce. While I’m not a big fan of fried foods, it was cool to try something local; it was by far the most popular item at the fish stand.

I witnessed a little show when two women sat at a table near us with raw herring. “Watch this, they’re going to eat it the traditional way,” Niels predicted, and I gaped as one woman proceeded to tilt back her head and put the entire fish in her mouth. Apparently this is the true Dutch way to eat herring. It’s served raw on a bed of chilled onions, and you stick your head back and hope a seagull doesn’t swoop in as you lower the fish into your mouth. I’ll stick to kippeling, alsjeblieft 😝 The market also has a cheese vendor with a 1€ cheese table, so though I’m not a huge fan of cheese, I bought some to sample and share.

Next, a walk to the harbor, the park, and even a local thrift store. I bought a 2€ warm sweater to combat all this freezing weather, and I had a great time deciding on a children’s book in Dutch to buy, for practice. I chose Nijntje Vliegt by the famous Dutch writer Dick Bruna. Niels found a Nijntje book written in the Brabantic dialect, which he was thrilled about. He read me some of the Nijntje books in the shop and I knew I had to bring one home. Later when we got back to his place we had a full-on reading fest; I read my book aloud slowly and asked what words meant, then he read the whole thing at regular speed and explained the story as he went. Same with the Brabantic book, except with extra moments of laughter and amusement at some of the word choices. He suspects it was written by someone from Amsterdam trying to write Brabantic style, not a true North Brabant native.

My visit to Tilburg was only one night, since Lente’s parents were awaiting my arrival in Morstel. I had such a good time from start to finish and am definitely glad I made the trip to Tilburg. When other Dutch or Belgian people hear that I went to Tiburg they are always surprised, since it’s not exactly on the radar of tourists. I’m really glad I did; it was a side of the Netherlands I would have missed completely if not for this stop.

Dank je wel Niels (en Kutya) voor alles. You rock. Houdoe!