The Best of Hiking with Dana

·         Slowest eater: Tony

·         Creepiest village: Over Haddon

·         Best dressed man: the guy on the train to Birmingham

·         Most demanding porridge: the guy on the train to Birmingham

·         Strongest resemblance to a Christmas tree: Dana on Sunday

·         Best newly learnt word: stile

·         Most painful injury: dana

·         Best stew: Friday eve

·         Most relaxing movie: snow-white and the huntsman

·         Biggest deception: dana’s Vietnamese soup

·         Biggest deception (2): the traffic on Sunday

·         Ugliest city centre: Sheffield

·         Prettiest city centre: Bakewell

·         Word of the weekend: unit

·         Quickest appearance: the ghost runner

·         Quickest disappearance: the ghost runner

·         Best parking: dana on Saturday

·         Worst parking: car-owning Sheffield on their public roads

·         Best part of the hike: magpie mine

·         Making the biggest mess: Dana and Tony in the bakewell tea house

·         Greatest hospitality: Dana’s parents

·         Most frequently spotted mammal: sheep

·         Most frequently spotted mammal (2): horse

·         Least allergy enhancing mammal: the dog in Dana’s garden

·         Worst navigator: Dana

·         Second-worst navigator: Tony

·         Weirdest meadow colour: blue

·         Least reliable: the British weather forecast

·         Plural of die: dice

·         Best story: the desert one

·         Best at solving (most) riddles: Dana

·         Toughest hindrance: the first barbed wire fence

·         Still somewhere in the countryside: Dana’s debit card

·         Most relaxing train journey: Birmingham – London

·         Least desirable company: the bum on Birmingham central station

·         Most desirable company: Dana

·         Best wine: from Tuscany (the first bottle)

·         Friendliest waitress: the smiling one at Little Hanoi

·         Most redundant information: spot the ash tree

·         Best shower: after the hiking

·         Longest perception of 5 hours: during the hike

·         Shortest perception of 5 hours: after the hike

·         Most futile attempt: finding the debit card

·         Best from afar: the manor house

·         Best weekend: This one! Thanks so much for the lovely time Dana it has been fantastic!!

Edinburgh

Booking a ticket departing at midnight, arriving seven am the next day, saying “sleeper” on the ticket and on the train, I figured I would get a berth. Or a chair that would flatten. Or something that one can sleep on. In India the British legacy leaves a smoothly functioning train system, with three or four types of sleeper trains, the cheapest one features berths only, and the most expensive one providing pillows and blankets and wake-up tea and what not. So after drinks and dinner last Friday in The City, with David, Roswitha plus bf, and some friends of theirs, I headed well ahead of departure for Euston station, with the nice prospect of a good night’s sleep while thundering through nightly meadows and agricultural land to final destination Edinburgh. Well, the only thing that made this train a sleeper was that its passengers are provided with a unit to cover one’s eyes with when sleeping with the light still on. And that was it. Regular chairs, which couldn’t be moved, and the heating so strongly on fire that whenever I dozed off I wake up from the warmth shortly afterwards. So you may understand my physique Saturday morning when walking through the awakening Scottish capital wasn’t best prepared for an awesome weekend with my ex-co-trainees (Minke Julia Iris Quin Bob Roelant) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, almost two years back already. But apparently the torrential student’s rhythm that my body was once used to left a legacy of its own, as I felt great during the morning and afternoon and evening and night until I fell asleep at four pm, after a wonderful day out and about, cooking at home (@ Minke’s) and pubbing and clubbing until late. Climbing the mountain, pub lunch, catching up with our differently evolving lives since the time that we were all interns at BZ… Great times, great reunions, and the vibe was at it always had been, even though we hadn’t been together in this composition for well over a year. I loved it!!

The preceding week was a great one too. Sunday brunch and fireworks with Vasiliki and Michael, Monday watching Skyfall with David, Tuesday watching football with Martijn and Marjolein (Dutch colleagues from work), Wednesday running ten miles through nightly London, and Thursday muscle ache and drinks at the Australian High Commission (they don’t have an embassy). Each droplet of leisure time available is filled with great undertakings, sometimes alone, mostly in lovely company. Coming home from Edinburgh today already felt a bit like truly coming home, a most peculiar feeling I developed in New Delhi, Katowice, and Sanmenxia as well, and which is already materialising here too. Two months have passed, only two more weeks to go. Which I will enjoy to the fullest!

week seven

Massive train delays were responsible for the cancellation of my date with Dana on Monday, but Tuesday that was all made up for! The French restaurant that Dana had in mind was great, with a large variety of different small dishes to share, and exquisite wines. I notice that London still hasn’t grown used to me not tipping the 12.5 percent that is quasi blasé added to each bill, charged unless mentioned by the customer. The fun continued in a familiar looking bar that I yet had never been to, with beers and tequila (“surprise me”). This time I did feel a little drowsy the morning after, but naturally that was well worth it! And though I was very sure I wasn’t going to have drinks that evening, I was, with Martijn and Jochem and Marry and Thijs and some other people from work. Chilling out on Thursday eve and on Friday even some dance moves, the first ones in London! The real clubbing is saved for the very last night though. Today was sleeping in for way too long and watching Tottenham play Wigan in White Hart Lane! Superb! Even though the home-side lost 0-1 (the worst result for a spectator) I enjoyed being in a new stadium tremendously. And of course yet another scarf is added to the ever growing collection; the white and blue of The Spurs shall proudly be in my walk-in-closet among its functional souvenirs brethren from all over the world. Tonight either Tony-time at home or some drinks with David and his visitors, and tomorrow loads of Vasiliki! And it’s still sunny! See picture (that’s my apartment). 

night

The night feels a bit cold; a dark blue night sky dotted with fast moving clouds. I zoom on my Barclays bicycle past cars and busses, and well past peak hour I can cross most junctions without bothering about the traffic lights. Plenty of drinks enhance the joyful feeling further and make it seem I’m floating, through the night air, inhaling deeply and tasting the scent of autumn. Through the City with its remarkable configuration of skyscrapers, pubs and old churches. Two turns and crossing a street, leaving the river behind me the scenery changes swiftly, with train rails high on my left and ramshackle sixties’ building blocks on my right. Whizzing past a second hand car dealer, barbed wire and small towers of tires. The route feels familiar, the bike feels familiar, London feels familiar. The night isn’t cold anymore as I speed on, left turn, old warehouses turned expensive apartments on my right. Dodging the road bumps, crossing the last main road, stalling the bicycle and entering the apartment. I could almost call it home. 

week six

Monday the 22^nd

A beer and a bite after work with Marry, not making it too late, cause awesome stuff is one the rise and an easy start of an-awesome-to-be week is a very smart thing to do.

Tuesday the 23^rd

One of the last things I had expected to do here was to visit lectures of my political party. And yet I found myself, flanked by Marry, at the second floor of a pub watching Boris vd Ham deliver an entertaining speech about politics and people and history and what not. Some drinks during and after this lecture and an early ride home, as the week had only just started with plenty to look forward to.

Wednesday the 24^th

With the five Dutchies (Martijn Jochem Marry David and I) watching Ajax beat Man City in a bar where every CL match is broadcasted on a separate floor was a splendid way to spend an evening. David and Marry couldn’t care less about the match but chatted away happily while the three of us discussed and watched the game, drinking our beer, and feeling satisfied as men do when they watch sports. One more drink after the game to make sure we’d all sleep fine, and tjop tjop onto the rental bike into the night that gets colder and colder now that autumn has really arrived.

Thursday the 25th

Waking up after a shorter night than what I am used to, with the world outside my warm and cosy apartment being cold and still dark, I had the greatest difficulty getting up let alone pack my running gear with the prospects of leaving a comfortable office for the sake of another exhaustive run. I thought of at least three good excuses not to go, didn’t pack my stuff, and left for the office, only to regret it a few hours into the morning as I was naturally yearning for some fresh air by noon. By half past five I called it a day and made my way to the Australian embassy with David for a drink organised by Vasiliki and her colleagues, a once-every-two-weeks event whereby the employees of the embassy gather in the basement and drink subsidised beer. Splendid! Met some nice people, took Gabri along who finally got to meet Vasiliki, two great friends being united, and around 9-ish we continued the splendour in a shacky but cosy Brazilian pub that served tasty but expensive carpehrinas, picking up Bo on the way as she had just arrived at the train station. Awesomeness continued until well after midnight yet the next day I couldn’t feel better and…

Friday the 26^th

… had a very productive morning at work! Should do that more often I reckon. Lunch at borough market with Bo, drinks with Marry, Jochem and his gf, Bo and me after work, and Vietnamese food for dinner later on that night. It may be a coincidental happenstance or rather I am getting aware of it but I find myself more and more often these days in places that the Harry Potter movies were shot at. Which means I find myself in places that look awesome. For instance, Hogwarts’ great hall is the main hall in the Australian Embassy, and the street where all the shopping is done in the film (I forget the name) was the location of our joint beer drinking Friday eve. London keeps surprising me!

Saturday the 27^th

This may very well have been one of the best days of London time so far. Sleeping in, relaxed wake-up, a long stroll along the river, teaming up with David and Merel (the gf) for wines and cheeses in the wine bar I have already mentioned numerous times, where we were very fortunate to find a table after a mere five minutes lingering around. You see, as the place is tremendously popular, due to among others its affordability and its uniqueness and its history and its general awesomeness, even on weekdays the tables are all occupied from four pm on. You will find the entire interior flocked with people, anxiously scanning the crowds dining and shining with delight at the tables inside, waiting for a chair to get available. The density of the queue in front of the wine bar beats the crowds at a random coronation ceremony of one of England’s past royalties, and the poor girl chopping up cheeses sees her queue disappearing through the door into the open. So yeah, pretty fortunate to secure a table upon entrance, and we fully enjoyed the variety of cheeses and two bottles of fine red wine. After two hours in ‘the cave’ we could do with some fresh air though and the stroll in the direction of the theatre at which we were planning to watch a play was a welcome one. So welcome indeed as until David told me that there wasn’t that much time left and that the theatre was well away and that we weren’t walking even in the right direction I figured it the opportune moment not to risk a third theatre visit in a few weeks time and we decided to grab a cab. After some detours an Indian rickshaw driver would be proud of the guy in the cab dropped us off nearby the destined theatre and off we went, tjop tjop, four ciders, here’s your ticket to the show, and into a tiny theatre in the basement of a snug pub where we watched a most enjoyable show in which the number of actors outnumbered the number of spectators. One of the best things I have seen thus far, honestly really. Butter chicken as a midnight snack, watching a movie in bed, and oh such a shame the bliss and splendour of a best Saturday slumbers into a deep sleep that trades awareness of its grandeur for the unconscious satisfaction of a night of dreams.

Sunday the 28^th

Waking up and realising our last day for another four weeks to come had commenced Bo and I decided to make the most of the time granted by an extra hour overnight and set foot to the tower of London. Trapped in flocks of tourists we cattle-like shuffled along the crown jewels, took a stroll around the main buildings, aaand that was enough of our one hour visit to take-at-least-four-hours-to-fully-appreciate-all-it-has-to-offer tourist magnet. Decent coffee in Soho made up for a poor lunch and that was the end of our time, Bo on the train, Teun back home, and off for some decent running to combat the vast amounts of food and alcohol that vanish daily into my mouth. Chilling at home and looking forward to a long night’s sleep in order to commence another week of bliss coming up, already number seven in my stay here that passes by much too fast.

Thanks for reading and until the next story! 

papa and mama in London

What a relaxing Sunday.. chilling out to the max; a nap in the afternoon, some lazy news watching, reading some, writing some, eating snacks throughout the day, looking back satisfied on a great visit from the parents and with a good week at work ahead. Superb! The extensive run this morning (the only time I left the house so far) compensated the excessive eating and drinking of the past 48 hours (even more than the usual) and implied a decent pace along the banks of the Thames and the neighbourhoods bordering it, all the way to parliament and back along the other river bank. Apart from visiting some supposedly renowned tourist attractions (among which the dread of PortoBello market – which doesn’t deserve such a pretty name – and the enjoyable Kensington palace) I took papa and mama mainly out for food experiences. And though my dad and I seemed to be on opposite sides regarding the tourist stuff (I don’t like markets with crowds squirming around me versus I don’t like gazing at the splendour of the royal house) we obviously share a passion for food & drinks. We did the entire spectrum; expensive French food in Soho (Thursday eve), low-budget Pakistani food north of Brick Lane (Friday eve), and the classic pub food (fish & chips) in a bar bordering the Thames (Saturday). Wines and French cheese for lunch on Saturday near Embankment, beef with pickles and mustard for lunch on Friday at Borough market; these days have been a sequence of my favourite food places that the miles of strolling around could not compensate for. Awesome.

The rest of the past week implied butter chicken on Monday with David, wines & cheeses with Gabri on Tuesday, Vietnamese food with David on Wednesday (we couldn’t find the sign that said beer&pizza for five pounds that I remembered seeing hence we end up eating Vietnamese – awesome), and the already discussed grande bouffe the three days thereafter. The upcoming week features plenty of awesomeness as well; going to a lecture with Marry on Tuesday, drinks with Gabri and his colleagues on Wednesday, drinks at the Australian Embassy with Vasiliki on Thursday, and Bo arriving later on that evening. Plenty to look forward to, and even more to enjoy consciously while it’s happening right now.

All the best from a chilly but dry London!

mediterranean food & drinks

And I thought London was only about pubs and pubfood after work… Cozy crowded pubs with mirrors and 60’s and 70’s commercials on the wall, carpet on the floor, and plenty of draft beers to choose from on demand. So when Gabriel suggested meeting at a pub he knew after I asked him to have a beer or two after work I expected the ‘usual’ insofar I am already allowed to say that. The usual, which is awesome, but still the usual.

And it was not! London keeps on surprising me. If it wasn’t for the cold I would have imagined myself in the mediterranean, as the bar served wine, port, champagne and what not (no beer) and tapas cheese and bread for nibblings. Or well, nibblings… after three chunks of bread, four large pieces of cheese, and a plate full of side salad Gabriel and I were more than well fed and my stomach is still about to pop now more than an hour later. Indoors all tables are in use from four pm on, as the barmaid said, and outdoors the large number of plastic tables and chairs cosily put underneath cloth covers were all occupied. Luckily I found two chairs all in the back of the lane and after wiping them dry we found ourselves a splendid spot, in the middle of towering old buildings, lit-up trees, in an oasis of chatter and cosiness amidst one of London’s most thriving and busiest places. French white wine, goat cheese, followed by blue cheese and hard yellow cheese, with memories of our summer university adventures and Icelandic travels shared, this all made for another lovely evening.

A swift cycle ride home, a phone call to Holland, some scribbling on the blog, and off to bed, with another day of bliss awaiting tomorrow. And it’s still not raining!