12.16.2011 Berlin > Amsterdam

Flying out to The Netherlands!

Bet you didn't see this one coming!

I have a friend who invited me to go to this Fairy Tale theme park for a weekend with his family. Initially when I heard it I thought of the Disney princesses and really cheesy boring children rides like the ones that can be found at Center Island --petting zoo included. But I was assured this was not the same. These are real fairy tales with witches and goblins, evil step mothers and wicked witches, and talking trees, trolls and fairies. Think classic Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm and other stories you read and grew up with. Still, being told this, I could not get the image of sparkles and Americanized cartoon princesses in glittery ball gowns out of my head. So, I booked my flight and went for it. I mean, how cheesy could it be?

to the roof! You can watch the runway and your friends fly off.

Anyway, before I even got to the park, the airport was already really cool. The contrast between Berlin's Tegel airport (which is closing up) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is so great it is not even comparable because it would just be unfair. Then again, Tegel IS closing up, so they aren't even trying.

Arrivals gate. You get to split the two lovers when you arrive.

From the rooftop of the airport

a banner-maker for when you pick up your friend at arrivals. Just in case you forgot!

The train we needed to take was not leaving in a while so we had some time to roam around the airport. There's plenty of interactive things all over the place and things to see, and little thoughtful things like this silly banner maker (above) so even if you don't get to leave the airport and actually step into the country, you would still be entertained. There's also this public message board where people can send an SMS to and it shows up on the board so when you are wandering around and waiting for your flight by yourself, you could see a message a family member or friend left for you there. Simple gestures like these are all over the place (but not in the same way as in Japan) ! I would not dare to blink in case I missed out on something cool (nor could I walk straight because I was staring at everything).

"Hey, sweet spot you got there," greeted the passer-by.

And in my excitement (which was probably written all over my face), a stranger approached my friend and I and asked us if she could take a picture because looking at smiling faces help lift her depression. It was a strange request but we obliged anyway. Whether or not it's true I guess we'll never find out, unless I find myself in a stock image somewhere. Although, it probably is honest and true because I've found that only the American thinking is one that is always on guard, suspicious, and careful about trust. 

You can live inside a Christmas tree!

Miffy and I send you Christmas greetings. Firstly, above this box is a tree that changes colour when you send it an SMS. The money goes to some charity. Secondly, DID YOU KNOW that Miffy is from The Netherlands? Dick Bruna is Dutch? This country just gained five more points for awesomeness.

I couldn't tell you what train we took, or what part of the city we were in, other than the fact that we were heading South. It was nice, not having to worry about where I'm going and/or getting lost because I could rely entirely on my friend to take me there --as long as I didn't lose him. He showed me the map, but I just stared blankly on. And on the double plus side, I could walk and see everything instead of having my head in a map.

look! they match!

Front entrance to the park

We're at Efteling (the fairy tale theme park)! This is the main entrance, but we weren't going inside just yet. The plan for the evening was to settle in, get groceries, make dinner, and play board games. The park was going to wait until Saturday. 

This trip was a family party of nine: a medley of cousins, twins, and girlfriends, plus me. A themed house cottage and an apartment was booked for the weekend so we could all hang out. I was afraid it would be slightly weird sitting in on someone's family get together and having a language barrier (this time Dutch and not German) but everyone was really cool. Not only that, but this was the most people I have hung out with since coming to Europe!

The apartments

The little cottages. He stands in both pictures as if to say, "Can we move along now?" 

photo: ww

The first order of business for the evening was dinner. I have never made dinner for ten so I spent most of my time stirring the risotto pot and clearing the kitchen for space. Grocery shopping took almost two hours (and comes with free coffee!) and I regret not taking my camera with me. The grocery store there had a better selection of things than what I have been finding in Berlin so far. Does that even make sense? (answer: no.) In the end, we had two heaping carts and two baskets overflowing with food. I've always gawked at people who have an insane amount of groceries at the grocery store, thinking to myself "Holey moley, what are they feeding with all that?" and today, I got to be one of those people. And you know what else was crazy? Everything [that needed to go into the fridge] fit in the fridge. There was some major efficient tetris action in there that I did not participate in...or maybe this place IS magical!

 

        The kitchen

Dinner for ten: pastry with poached eggs, risotto, taro rolls, and coconut jelly

Are you searching for gold, or are you a Saboteur!

After dinner, we retired to the family room for some good old board games. Both games were about tricking your opponent about your secret identity. I'm a pretty bad liar, so people found me out easily, but it was really funny to watch people lie and other people gobble it up, or be paranoid about winning or losing. We were having so much fun, we didn't realize the time and played until 3am. 

 

Nightcaps, bedtime, and a good night board game about the adventures of the Sandman.

The bedroom was outfitted with Sandman themed bedsheets and a little board game for kids to play before they go to bed at night. There were also a set of nightcaps for everyone to wear to sleep and a bedtime storybook for parents to read to their children in bed. By the time we were able to leave the cottage and get into our apartment, I was totally tired. I had been up and about for almost 24 hours with a bit of shut eye here and there. But everything had been so "chee gik" all day, how could I rest? And to think, we haven't even entered the park yet!