Friday, August 20, 2010

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Portugal Week Two


Well, the Collins family arrived safely and the whole clan (in-laws, Kim, Granville, Dylan, Nick, Alex and I) enjoyed the pool and Ale and I took Kim, Granville and the kids for a proper piri piri chicken at a local restaurant in Ohlos D'Agua - yum! It was great fun for our friends to meet some of our UK family and vice versa as they'd heard so much about one another.

On the Monday, Ray and Di headed back to Wales and we continued with our pattern of bacon and egg sandwiches, daily trips to the supermarket for water and other supplies, wandering into town to peruse all the tat that is sold, and more. The Collins family took a day-trip to the western part of the Algarve and also spent an afternoon at Falesia beach with just the kiddies. And as Granville celebrated his birthday while they were in Portgual, Alex and I offered to watch the kids for the evening while they went out for a grown up dinner. This was our gift to Granville (and Kim) for his birthday. We fared well and the kids were well-behaved and in bed hours before their parents arrived back at the villa.

During the week, the four of us played endless hours of Taboo and Left, Right, Center (LRC). LRC is a dice game involving no skill or strategy, and only a couple of simple rules. Since we play with money, one important rule is that you never touch anyone's money. If they have to turn it over to you, you must wait for them to do so, rather than helping yourself (which is a normal temptation). Anyway, at one point Kim was frustrated with me and when it came time to pay her, she grabbed my coins...we all stopped breathing for a minute, and Kim said "go ahead - throw me in the pool." And although I should have more carefully considered the consequences of throwing my fully dressed friend (with newly coiffed hair) in the pool, I heard the challenge as if she'd said "I dare you to do it but don't think you can" - and she then proceeded to step down to the pool area. Well, after quite a struggle, she went in (and how I didn't end up in there with her I don't know!) Soaking wet and suddenly sober, Kim was not happy with me :o( But I'd been challenged...and I was stronger than she'd thought (thank you, Wii Fit!) so succeeded in tossing her in the water.

Anyway, Nicholas wanted to know why I'd thrown his mother in the pool with her clothes on - and although we explained the situation, he clearly felt the need to avenge his mother, and defend her honor, and throw Miss Leslie in the pool (and *not* in her swimsuit). I had to set it up for him because I could see that he really needed to feel better about the situation - and he managed to throw me in the pool - but not without coming with me. All was right with the world. Nicholas still loves me - as does Kim - but I'll never get her hair wet again!!

We had some very memorable moments and loads of fun - and you can see also from the pics that Dylan and Nicholas are very cute - which is good for them because they are normal, mischievious little gremlins. Kim and Granville are amazing parents and it shows in these very, very well-behaved and adorable kids.

It was a wonderful week. On our last evening we had dinner at a restaurant in Ohlos D'Agua which overlooked the beautiful beach and we filled ourselves with a fabulous dinner, beginning with Sangria and ending with chocolate cake and Bailey's on ice!
All in all, a fabulous time with very good friends. And we were sad to head back to Amsterdam, knowing that the following morning the Collins' would be heading back to Houston.

A bit worried about the culture shock of returning to Holland - which has, frankly lived up to its reputation for not-so-good customer service (which is putting it mildly!) - we had an unexpected but simply delightful experience.

Having arrived in Wassenaar at just before 10 p.m. on Saturday evening, and knowing there'd be no stock of food for us and the Collins crew, we wanted to order some pizza. Well, we knew it'd be touch and go! But when Alex called a local pizza joint, he was told (expectedly) that they were closed....BUT, the owner said that he'd make us some pizzas and deliver them on his way home! HOORAH! He got a sizeable tip and a huge "thank you" from all of his when he arrived.
We thoroughly enjoyed pizza and watching Dylan and Nicholas "duke it out" at Star Wars Lego on the Wii.

Very early on Sunday morning we bid tot ziens to our friends and retreated back to bed!

Here is Part 2 of "Holiday in Ohlos D'Agua" ... enjoy!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Our Portugal Holiday




In July, Alex and I, along with my in-laws, Ray and Di, and the Collins family (Kim, Granville, Dylan and Nicholas) rented a villa in the Algarve region of Portugal, returning to the same area that we'd visited two years before and absolutely wanted to return. We rented Vila Mila in Ohlos D'Agua, a short walk from the town's center and beach.

We arrived at our new temporary home a few hours before my in-laws, welcomed by Victor and Maria, the couple who took care of the house, pool and garden. Victor gave us the "lay of the land" and we settled into the spacious villa and shopped for some basic supplies - eggs, bacon, bread, drinking water and the all important beer. Once Ray and Di arrived we had a relaxing afternoon walking to the local beach for a beer and a lovely evening with Alex cooking on the outdoor grill.

The week consisted of too many bacon and egg sarnis (sandwiches), some delicous meals in town, including lots of piri piri chicken, my first phal dish at a local indian restaurant (offered only in a handful of curry houses). Phal is hotter than the dish usually considered as the hottest, a vindaloo. I loved it, and had another later in the week. And I look forward to finding and having it again. I do recommend having a King Fisher beer nearby if you decide to try it yourself!


We rented a car early in the week, quite handy for toting gallons of bottled drinking water from the market to the villa (you can't drink or use the tap water for cooking, so on foot carrying one bottle makes it quite a workout in the heat, and uphill.) We also took advantage of our wheels and drove to the western part of the Algarve, returning to "the end of the world" - Capo de St. Vincete - the western most tip of Europe. On our first visit to this spot two years ago, an eerie fog had rolled in (everywhere else we'd been was clear and hot) and we couldn't even see the lighthouse which was literally right in front of us. This visit allowed us to see clearly the amazing views - and the reason that this high-cliffed area has been fatal to many fishermen. It was still quite cool and windy - and if you aren't prepared, some of the market stalls sell shalls, ponchos and fleece jackets!


Here is a film that covers this first week at Vila Mila. Next up, the Collins family arrives for week two!







Monday, August 2, 2010

Another drug bust!

Well, you might remember that soon after we moved to Wassenaar, a cannabis (marijuana) farm was found in a neighboring flat - right across the street from us. A few days ago my doorbell rang - it was the police - explaining that they'd found "soft drugs" in the house and asking if we'd seen anyone or anything that would help them locate those reponsible. It was THE SAME HOUSE! Pictures would be the same - lots of officers, both uniformed and plain clothed, and the trucks from the removal company that takes all the equipment and plants from the house.

Who knows when the perpetrators returned - they likely have been operating for a while....

"Soft drugs" include marijuana, hashish and other "organic" drugs. It used to include hallucinogenic mushrooms - which were declared prohibited in 2007. Soft drugs are not technically legal in the Netherlands, but they are 'tolerated' and small amounts for personal use are allowed. The policy came about as a result of a serious heroine probolem in the 1970's.

Cannabis remains a controlled substance in the Netherlands and both possession and production for personal use are still misdemeanos, punishable by fine. Coffee shops are also technically illegal according to the statutes but, are flourishing nonetheless. According to current gedoogbeleid (the Dutch "tolerance law") the possession of a maximum amount of five grams cannabis for personal use is not prosecuted. A maximum of five Cannabis sativa plants may be grown without prosecution, although they have to be handed over upon discovery. So, the house contained mor than five plants...

Wassenaar may be considered "the Beverly Hills of Holland" (not accurate!). Granted, in South Wassenaar there are some HUGE and very expensive homes and much of Wassenaar is quite posh, and there are quite a few residents with bags of money - but it certainly doesn't mean there isn't organized crime here (which is who I suspect runs the ring here).

I'm working on the photos from Portugal where we spent time with the in-laws and the Collins family (now living in Houston). Stay tuned!