This year's Eurovision Song Contest has come to an end again. For the first time in 9 years, 'we' (= the Netherlands) actually took part in the final, and we became 9th, which is pretty respectable for 'the worst performing Eurovision country ever'. Maybe now the Dutch organisers have realised that sending music that 'most' Dutch people like is also sending music that 'most' other people do not like, and that sending a good artist with a good song will lead to better results. Probably not, but for the first time in 10 years I didn't cringe with shame when our singer went on stage.
I love to watch these kinds of things, can't really say why, but must be the same reason I watched the Royal Wedding or the queen's abdication: feeling like you're part of something. And I am a member of the television generation, after all.
One of the things I like about Eurovision is the self-promoting videos of the countries in between. Sweden had a long stage section with dance and music, with the presenter telling us stuff about Sweden. This year it was extra fun, because ironically, the stuff that makes Swedes feel like real Swedes is apparently the same as what makes Germans feel like Germans, or British like British, or Dutch like Dutch. Not showing your emotions in public, being polite, and standing in line were the things that were emphasised. I always thought the British were the ones who liked to stand in line most, and as for the other things, almost any Scandinavian or western-European country can relate to them.
So the things that a people feel really 'define who they are', are the same things that define at least 10 other peoples. We're more alike than we think. Which is of course wholly in line with the 'We are one' slogan.
About queueing (I love that word), there is a poem hanging around the office I did my internship in, used to promote our British-oriented school books. Since I like the poem, and we could all do with more poetry in our lives, I'll end this post with the British fascination for queueing:
Q by Roger McGough
I join the queue
We move up nicely.
I ask the lady in front
What are we queueing for.
'To join another queue,'
She explains.
'How pointless,' I say,
'I'm leaving.' She points
To another long queue.
'Then you must get in line.'
I join the queue.
We move up nicely.
Monday 20 May 2013
Friday 17 May 2013
Heide-Park
As some of you may know by now, I am a bit of a roller coaster enthusiast. And I don't just mean building them in RollerCoaster Tycoon (although I still enjoy doing that too - crazy how a game can still be fun after at least 10 years of playing it!). No, I like the real thing too. Which is why we went to SixFlags Great Adventure while we were in the US, and went on Kingda Ka, even though it is crazy and your mind cannot get around the sheer speed you're going at and you're wondering why-on-earth-you-are-on-the-thing-in-the-first-place until it ends and then you're so full of adrenaline you just want to go again (or well, I did. My boyfriend not so much, so we only did the one trip).
US coasters are completely different from European coasters, we discovered while we were there. Another coaster, El Toro, is a wooden coaster, which is nice, but usually means 'bumpy ride'. Not so in the US, all coasters are smooth and sleek and last more than a minute, which is not something you can say for any European coaster I've ever been in (the new George and the Dragon wooden racing roller coaster in the Efteling tries, but it's still pretty uncomfortable compared to any American coaster I've been in). Anyway, wooden coasters are still my favourite, and I like to try as many different types of coasters I can find, which means we have to leave the Netherlands to find them, as there are only 2 good theme parks here and they're done building coasters.
So when I discovered that the highest wooden roller coaster in the world lives only 2 hours across the border in Germany, I had to go there. Luckily, my boyfriend also likes coasters, and we have a friend who loves them since we dragged her to the Efteling about a year ago, so we were all set.
The theme park is called Heide-Park, and it has 8 roller coasters. 3 of those we wrote of immediately, 2 because they were kiddie rides, and 1 because it has the exact same lay-out as the Python in the Efteling, and I've been going on that since I was 10 (and technically speaking a bit too short for it). No, we came for Colossus, the big wooden one. Which was really nice, really high, really fast, but still, a little bit uncomfortable, with the cars jumping around on the track in that well-known European way. A lot better than most wooden coasters, but still.
Then there was Desert Race, a launched roller coaster that was pretty nice, but after the initial 'launch' part is over very quickly, again, typical of European coasters. Then we went on Schweizer Bobbahn, which is really a family roller coaster, pretty old, but pretty cute. I know the Bob roller coaster in the Efteling, which is older end extremely uncomfortable, so this one had to improve our views of bobsled roller coasters, and it did. Then there was Limit, an inverted roller coaster which was pretty nice, lots of loops, but without banging your head against the headrest too much.
Four perfectly decent roller coasters would make anyone's day, but there was one left. The newest of them all, Krake, a dive coaster (the only one in Germany and also, incidentally, the first dive coaster I've ever been on). We had to wait the longest to get on it, with a rain shower threatening to burst overhead, but finally, we made it. It's one of those coasters where the support is underneath, but still your legs swing freely, which are the best kind in my opinion. The 'dive' part is about 41 m high and the sheer drop is amazing. We weren't sitting in the front row, as that line was even longer, but still, hanging up there while you can't see the actual track is quite terrifying. This was actually the first time (after Kingda Ka) that a roller coaster had me genuinely afraid again, with your stomach dropping down to your toe nails and then back up to your throat in about 3 seconds. After the drop the coaster breaks through water and goes through a loop, leaving a nice curtain of water in your wake. Then it's just 2 more banked corners and you're done. Great coaster, but so sad that it's over so quickly. The dive thing is the main part, I know, but any coaster that has to break that hard at the end has too much energy left over!
Next on my list is Alton Towers, with Nemesis, Oblivion and The Smiler, which I hope will be more US-like, but I'll take any coaster I can get in the meantime!
US coasters are completely different from European coasters, we discovered while we were there. Another coaster, El Toro, is a wooden coaster, which is nice, but usually means 'bumpy ride'. Not so in the US, all coasters are smooth and sleek and last more than a minute, which is not something you can say for any European coaster I've ever been in (the new George and the Dragon wooden racing roller coaster in the Efteling tries, but it's still pretty uncomfortable compared to any American coaster I've been in). Anyway, wooden coasters are still my favourite, and I like to try as many different types of coasters I can find, which means we have to leave the Netherlands to find them, as there are only 2 good theme parks here and they're done building coasters.
So when I discovered that the highest wooden roller coaster in the world lives only 2 hours across the border in Germany, I had to go there. Luckily, my boyfriend also likes coasters, and we have a friend who loves them since we dragged her to the Efteling about a year ago, so we were all set.
The theme park is called Heide-Park, and it has 8 roller coasters. 3 of those we wrote of immediately, 2 because they were kiddie rides, and 1 because it has the exact same lay-out as the Python in the Efteling, and I've been going on that since I was 10 (and technically speaking a bit too short for it). No, we came for Colossus, the big wooden one. Which was really nice, really high, really fast, but still, a little bit uncomfortable, with the cars jumping around on the track in that well-known European way. A lot better than most wooden coasters, but still.
Then there was Desert Race, a launched roller coaster that was pretty nice, but after the initial 'launch' part is over very quickly, again, typical of European coasters. Then we went on Schweizer Bobbahn, which is really a family roller coaster, pretty old, but pretty cute. I know the Bob roller coaster in the Efteling, which is older end extremely uncomfortable, so this one had to improve our views of bobsled roller coasters, and it did. Then there was Limit, an inverted roller coaster which was pretty nice, lots of loops, but without banging your head against the headrest too much.
Four perfectly decent roller coasters would make anyone's day, but there was one left. The newest of them all, Krake, a dive coaster (the only one in Germany and also, incidentally, the first dive coaster I've ever been on). We had to wait the longest to get on it, with a rain shower threatening to burst overhead, but finally, we made it. It's one of those coasters where the support is underneath, but still your legs swing freely, which are the best kind in my opinion. The 'dive' part is about 41 m high and the sheer drop is amazing. We weren't sitting in the front row, as that line was even longer, but still, hanging up there while you can't see the actual track is quite terrifying. This was actually the first time (after Kingda Ka) that a roller coaster had me genuinely afraid again, with your stomach dropping down to your toe nails and then back up to your throat in about 3 seconds. After the drop the coaster breaks through water and goes through a loop, leaving a nice curtain of water in your wake. Then it's just 2 more banked corners and you're done. Great coaster, but so sad that it's over so quickly. The dive thing is the main part, I know, but any coaster that has to break that hard at the end has too much energy left over!
Next on my list is Alton Towers, with Nemesis, Oblivion and The Smiler, which I hope will be more US-like, but I'll take any coaster I can get in the meantime!
Saturday 4 May 2013
The Birds
As you may know by now, the garden that came with our new house isn't really a garden in the true sense, it's more a patch of yellow sand and clay with some tiles dropped in. We've tried very hard to change that, and some nice plants are starting to grow, but it will be at least a couple of months before it can really truly be called a garden (I will add pictures!). And even then, it will be one of very very few in the neighbourhood, as most people just pave the whole thing over and throw in some expensive 'lounge' furniture and an oversized barbecue.
Which is why I am so very happy that one little sparrow has found its way into our garden and is hopping around the (small, just coming in to leaf) birch tree. We left the bird feeder up because it was still quite cold, and the sparrow has been spreading seed husks all over the surrounding area, in a great show of appetite. Our first bird! Apart from the colony of jackdaws living next door, of course, but they don't really visit the garden, they just hop around on the shed and in the raingutters.
But there has been some activity in our birdhouse as well: small twigs are now sticking out of the creaks in the bottom. We're not sure whether it is the same sparrow (they tend to nest in groups) or whether a lonely blue tit or great tit has found it, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that we may even get a bird-in-residence.
And then yesterday we were sitting outside in front of our house, because that's where the sun is in the late afternoon, and we heard this frantic chirping by little chicks, and discovered that there are several nestboxes under the raingutters of the houses on the opposite side of the street. They're of the type more commonly known as 'sparrow flats', with several openings for sparrows to nest together. One family had clearly already hatched, and both parents were flying in and out bringing food.
All of this made me very happy.
One of the first things I learnt when I started my biology studies was that most biologists study birds because they're a) not nocturnal and b) one of the last patches of nature that can actually withstand the pressure of the city. This area is not extremely bad, naturewise, there are lots of trees and bushes next to the railroad tracks, and if you cross the ring road you're in the middle of the fields (with complementary manure wafts if the wind turns that way), but it's no bird heaven, especially with all the cats and dogs and small children running around. But, as ever, nature finds its way, even if it is with the help of some man-made nest boxes.
And then to top it all off: yesterday evening we had a bat in the garden, gracefully swooping around to clear out the mosquitoes.
Which is why I am so very happy that one little sparrow has found its way into our garden and is hopping around the (small, just coming in to leaf) birch tree. We left the bird feeder up because it was still quite cold, and the sparrow has been spreading seed husks all over the surrounding area, in a great show of appetite. Our first bird! Apart from the colony of jackdaws living next door, of course, but they don't really visit the garden, they just hop around on the shed and in the raingutters.
But there has been some activity in our birdhouse as well: small twigs are now sticking out of the creaks in the bottom. We're not sure whether it is the same sparrow (they tend to nest in groups) or whether a lonely blue tit or great tit has found it, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that we may even get a bird-in-residence.
And then yesterday we were sitting outside in front of our house, because that's where the sun is in the late afternoon, and we heard this frantic chirping by little chicks, and discovered that there are several nestboxes under the raingutters of the houses on the opposite side of the street. They're of the type more commonly known as 'sparrow flats', with several openings for sparrows to nest together. One family had clearly already hatched, and both parents were flying in and out bringing food.
All of this made me very happy.
One of the first things I learnt when I started my biology studies was that most biologists study birds because they're a) not nocturnal and b) one of the last patches of nature that can actually withstand the pressure of the city. This area is not extremely bad, naturewise, there are lots of trees and bushes next to the railroad tracks, and if you cross the ring road you're in the middle of the fields (with complementary manure wafts if the wind turns that way), but it's no bird heaven, especially with all the cats and dogs and small children running around. But, as ever, nature finds its way, even if it is with the help of some man-made nest boxes.
And then to top it all off: yesterday evening we had a bat in the garden, gracefully swooping around to clear out the mosquitoes.
Thursday 2 May 2013
Chocolate Almond Cake
Last Saturday we had our housewarming party, and this was the ideal opportunity to start baking again after quite a long pause. I decide to bake a carrot cake and a key lime pie, as these are two strong favourites.
Sadly, and also quite upsettingly, the key lime pie failed. I have never really had an entire cake or pie fail on me, but this was just completely inedible: the inside was still liquid after a full night in the fridge, soaking through the entire biscuit base (which was actually one of the best I'd made in years! ah well...).
After the sad disposal of said pie in the dustbin, I quickly had to come up with another cake to make, or we would have had lots of hungry guests. I flipped through my Mary Berry's Baking Bible, desperate for a recipe that didn't include things I didn't have, and I found the Almond and Chocolate Chip Cake.
Now the ingredients that Mary Berry lists are as follows:
175 g self-raising flour
175 g softened butter
175 g caster sugar
3 large eggs
50 g ground almond
175 g plain chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
flaked almonds, for sprinkling
Of this list, I used exactly 2 things in the same amount as she ordered: the eggs and the flaked almonds. As I didn't have any ground almonds, I used some almond paste I still had left over from Sinterklaas. As this consists of equal amounts almonds and sugar, I dispensed with the caster sugar, upped some of the amounts, added some other stuff, and came to the following:
200 g self-raising flour
200 g softened butter
250 g almond paste
25 g cocoa powder
3 large eggs
100 g chocolate chips
1 packet backing powder
flaked almonds
Just throw everything in a bowl, mix thoroughly, put into a prepared baking tin (buttered and with backing parchment on the bottom), sprinkle almond flakes over the top and bank for 1 hour at 180 degrees C.
I added the baking powder because the almond paste was pretty heavy and dense, and I was afraid the cake wouldn't rise properly. In fact, it did rise, and it was nice and moist on the inside, sweet, chocolaty, with a hint of almonds. Pretty good, for a I-need-a-plan-now! cake.
Sadly, no pictures, as this was kind of a rush job, but I'll probably make it again some other time, and show you then!
Sadly, and also quite upsettingly, the key lime pie failed. I have never really had an entire cake or pie fail on me, but this was just completely inedible: the inside was still liquid after a full night in the fridge, soaking through the entire biscuit base (which was actually one of the best I'd made in years! ah well...).
After the sad disposal of said pie in the dustbin, I quickly had to come up with another cake to make, or we would have had lots of hungry guests. I flipped through my Mary Berry's Baking Bible, desperate for a recipe that didn't include things I didn't have, and I found the Almond and Chocolate Chip Cake.
Now the ingredients that Mary Berry lists are as follows:
175 g self-raising flour
175 g softened butter
175 g caster sugar
3 large eggs
50 g ground almond
175 g plain chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
flaked almonds, for sprinkling
Of this list, I used exactly 2 things in the same amount as she ordered: the eggs and the flaked almonds. As I didn't have any ground almonds, I used some almond paste I still had left over from Sinterklaas. As this consists of equal amounts almonds and sugar, I dispensed with the caster sugar, upped some of the amounts, added some other stuff, and came to the following:
200 g self-raising flour
200 g softened butter
250 g almond paste
25 g cocoa powder
3 large eggs
100 g chocolate chips
1 packet backing powder
flaked almonds
Just throw everything in a bowl, mix thoroughly, put into a prepared baking tin (buttered and with backing parchment on the bottom), sprinkle almond flakes over the top and bank for 1 hour at 180 degrees C.
I added the baking powder because the almond paste was pretty heavy and dense, and I was afraid the cake wouldn't rise properly. In fact, it did rise, and it was nice and moist on the inside, sweet, chocolaty, with a hint of almonds. Pretty good, for a I-need-a-plan-now! cake.
Sadly, no pictures, as this was kind of a rush job, but I'll probably make it again some other time, and show you then!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)