Vollendam

The next must stop for any visitor to Holland is Vollendam. Located about 30 minutes drive from Amsterdam, this fishing village is famous for offering your photo taken in traditional Dutch costumes. There are now quiet a number of these photo shops offering similar services. The cost is quite reasonable starting from 17 Euros. The photos are ready within 30 minutes. There are also a number of souveniers shops that you can go to while waiting for the photos to be developed.

First Albert Heijn Store

The first Albert Heijn store is apparently located in the De Zaanse Schans. The building is still preserved (for tourism and historical purposes of course).

From this small beginning, the brand has grown and is currently the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands. There are now about 700 regular Albert Heijn stores, ranging in categories 1 (small) to 5 (very large).

Windmill Country

If one want to see traditional wind mills which are still working, the best place to go is a place called De Zaanse Schans in Zaandam. Its just North of Amsterdam about 45 minutes drive from the Hague.

Apparently there used to be a thousand windmills in this place but now has reduced to about 50. A walk around the river bank with row of windmills lining it is recommended. One could also go up to one of the windmill for a small fee and see the mechanical aspect of this big machine.

Gokarting in Uithof

We went to a place called Uithof about 20 minutes drive from our home for Go-karting. This place offers a number of sporting activities such as skiing, ice skating, rock climbing, go karting and so on. For go karting it costs 12.50 Euro per race which is about 12 minutes long.

The children had a go as well and were quite excited that they also ended up racing twice. Initially they looked tense when they stepped in to the kart in their full uniform and helmet but soon they were at ease and driving like Lewis Hamilton! Here's Ish ready for his first drive.

http://www.deuithof.nl/

Chocolate City of Brussel

We headed back from Paris to Holland on the 27th December. We stopped along the way in Brussel which is about 3 hours drive from Paris. We had a walk around the historical part of the City where one could see many beautiful buildings especially in the City Square that have been standing for at least 400 years. One of the building is curently undergoing restoration (see photo).

Brussel offers a number of famous chocolate brands such as Galler, Godiva and Leonidas. There are also a number of shops selling the famous Belgium waffles which are irrestible to eat especially when walking in this cold weather.

Eiffel Tower Glittering

In Paris, we went to a few places for the usual photo snaps. This must be our fifth time to Paris. First we went to Place de Clichy for food, a place where one can find many halal restaurants.

Later we went to the Arc de Triomphe which forms an impressive backdrop for any photo. Napoleon conceived of the idea to dedicate to the glory of his imperial armies. The structure was completed in 1836 and still standing proud. Next we went to Le Defence before sight seeing around the Eiffel Tour.

In the evening we were treated to a great dinner by our uncle and aunty who are currently on posting there.

Christmas in Disney

We drove for two hours heading South and stayed overnight at Aachen, a German city close to the border with Holland and Belgium. The roads were quiet as most people have already headed home for the Christmas break. So driving was easy and smooth. From Aachen we set off early in the morning and took us another 4 hours a distance of 424 km to reach our hotel (Hotel Mercure) in Marne La Vallee, located on the outskirt of Paris near to Disney Park.

The next day was Christmas. We went to Disney Park and joined by our relatives in Paris. It was really crowded as many Parisians decided to spend their Christmas in the park as well!

Sledge down the Slope

Because of the time, we didn't go for skiing. Instead we went for the much simpler snow sledge so the kids can have fun as well. Like skiing, one can go up the slope using a ski lift. From there it was quite fun going down slope on the sledge with the kids. The speed was quite exhilarating. We did it quite a number of times until it was getting late and time to move on.

One can rent all the equipment on site for a reasonable price. Its advisable to buy proper water-proof snow jacket and trouser as well as proper snow shoes. They only rent out ski shoes which are quite stiff for walking if you are not using it for skiing. Here's the website of the ski park that we went to.
http://www.sahnehang.de/Galerie.29.0.html

Fun in Sauerland

Second day, we went early and drove into the hilly ground of Sauerland, a rural and heavily forested area spreading across most of the eastern part of German's North Rhine-Westphalia province. This is also where the F1 BMW Sauber name come from and the F1 Nurburgring is quite closeby. This area is famous for winter sports and skiing, a much nearer option for Germans and Dutch alike. However the high grounds are not as high as the Alps. There are up to a hundred ski parks scattered all over the area, in most cases heavily relying on snow making machines to ensure the slopes are covered with snow. We finally settled on in a park in Altastenberg which is 5 km away from Winterberg town itself.
http://www.skiinfo.com/Big-Skimap/Altastenberg-EDEALTASTEN-930-en.jhtml

To reach Altastenberg, we had to drive slowly as the roads were slippery and quite foggy. One should also check this website before going.
http://www.checkcams.com/sauercams/

Christmas Market in Dussedorf

We set off on our short European tour on Saturday 22nd. First stop was the German City of Dusseldorf, a 2 hours drive from the Hague. We checked in at a hotel on the city outskirt and drove to the city for a tour of the famous Christmas market.

The city walk was pretty cold (-5 Deg C) but we managed to cover quite a bit of ground, weaving pass through the over-crowded market. The market atmosphere was definitely quite unique. Many stalls were set up and lined up the many shopping lanes in the City selling toys, seasonal items, food and so on.

Cold Winter in Holland

What a great sight! This is the Parliment House with the frozen lake at the front. The temperature has plunged to minus 5 Deg C. Walking in town in this cold weather is not really comfortable unless you wear layers upon layers of clothing to keep you warm.

During this end year holiday, we have been traveling quite a bit. We went off in two cars and headed to Dusseldorf and Winterberg in Germany and later to Paris, before heading back via Brussel. Driving on the motorway is a lot less busy compare to the Summer period but road conditions are a bit more challenging as there are more slippery and daylight hours shorter.

White Hari Raya

Its now a beautiful sight outside with every trees looking gloriously white. The temperature has been sub-zero for nearly a week now. And lakes are slowly beginning to freeze. Hope it will stay on so that the lakes and the canals are completely frozen. One can already see people skating on them.

Last night we celebrated Hari Raya Haji at our house with takbir. Our house in the meantime is pretty full with our family from Brunei spending their holiday here. Last day of school is today so the holiday season is just around the corner. We already got plan for the next ten days!

Watching Movies

Last Saturday whole family was watching movie at Pathe in the City Centre. Me and Ish watched 'The Golden Compass' based on the book entitled the Northern Light by Phillip Pullman. This is the sort of mythical child adventure similar to Harry Potter. But after watching Lord of the Ring and Harry Potter, another dose of similar epic is I am afraid one too many.

The girls watched 'Enchanted' and came out more entertained.

Wind Power

UK is planning to build around 7,000 wind turbines offshore by 2020. The offshore wind farms would generate enough electricity for every home in the UK. Currently offshore wind farms already produce two gigawatts - enough for 1.5 million homes. European Union is targetting of generating 20 per cent of energy by renewable sources by 2020.

Back home, there were studies done by ITB and some UBD students in the past on feasibility of wind as source of energy. Some said its not suitable for Brunei. What a load of rubbish. In Holland it is seldom windy and yet the place is littered with wind turbines everyway.

De-icing the Plane

Off again to Syria but not on a jolly this time. During transit in Vienna, my connecting Austrian Air plane was stopped for a good spraying before take off. The weather was very cold so there must be some ice build-up on the aircraft's wings and that warrant some de-icing work to be done. First time ever I saw this.

Back to the trip itself, had a 4-hour meeting with some officials. The meeting was tense, the air was choky with a few smokers in the room but at the end ended in a successful outcome. Good end to the year!