Três anos

Faz hoje precisamente três anos que chegámos à Holanda. Faz três anos que virámos uma página no livro da nossa vida e começámos a escrever noutra. Faz três anos que passámos por obstáculos que nunca pensávamos ter de ultrapassar, sem ninguém que nos suporte. Faz três anos que nos aventurámos num projecto que pensávamos nunca iniciar, depois achávamos não conseguir, mas que cá estamos para relatar. Faz três anos que a nossa vida mudou, os nossos objectivos, o nosso dia-a-dia, tudo mudou, assim de repente.

Valeu a pena? Valeu... sem dúvida! Crescemos muito como indivíduos. A nível profissional ganhámos uma experiência muito relevante e importante. Abriu-nos horizontes. Conhecemos pessoas muito interessantes, fizemos amigos. Conhecemos países, povos, maneiras de ser. E conhecemos Portugal, visto de fora. E assim damos mais valor ao nosso país.

Serão mais três? Não... A vida não pára e Portugal é a nossa pátria.

Lille, dia II

Domingo é um dia tipicamente menos interessante para visitar cidades, mas uma boa altura para museus. Fomos ao conhecido Museu das Belas Artes de Lille, um dos principais museus de França a seguir ao Louvre e que fica num majestoso edifício do Século XIX e onde estão expostas obras de mestres europeus dos Séculos XV a XX. Contrastando com a véspera, o dia não acordou radioso e a chuva ameaçou. Nada que incomodasse. Um cafezito e siga para casa.

Live from Lille

Ou quase (note-se a luz do dia)...

Lille, dia I

Capital da região Nord-Pas-de-Calais e a quarta maior metrópole de França, Lille é uma cidade profundamente industrial, que caiu em declínio nos anos 60, mas que nos últimos anos tem sentido um crescimento bastante forte, principalmente por se situar no centro do triângulo da alta velocidade ferroviária que liga Paris, Bruxelas e Londres. O centro da cidade está exemplarmente recuperado, sendo evidente a influência Flamenga na sua arquitectura.

Em redor da Place du Général de Gaulle, também conhecida como Grand'Place, encontram-se belíssimos edifícios como a Vieille Bourse ou a Òpera.

Um pouco a norte situa-se a cidade velha, com as suas ruelas cheias de cafés e restaurantes.

O nosso hotel fica numa zona de desenvolvimento recente da cidade - Euralille - que combina a gare internacional, comércio, serviços e habitação numa arquitectura arrojada.

Mechelen e Lier

Mechelen é uma cidade de média dimensão na Bélgica, entre Antuérpia e Bruxelas. O centro histórico é muito interessante, dominado pela catedral cuja torre está classificada como património da humanidade pela UNESCO ("Campanários da França e Bélgica").

Pena a chuva, que deu ares da sua graça após um início de dia prometedor e que apressou a visita...

Entre Mechelen e Antuérpia fica a pequena cidade de Lier, romântica e boémia, ao que se diz chama muitos holandeses atraídos pela a sua famosa "noite".

You know you have been in Holland too much when...

1. You have a bike.
2. You even know how to brake using retropedaling.
3. Walking from your faculty to the cafeteria has become unimaginable. You take your bike, even if it's for 50 meters.
4. Eating 7 slices of bread for lunch doesn't scare you anymore.
5. By the way, you stopped eating warm lunch. You just eat bread.
6. You know what a kroket is, and you learned to avoid the orange ones.
7. It doesn't surprise you anymore to eat at 18:30.
8. You drink beer.
9. You got used to trance and electro music.
10. You don't cheat on the train, because controllers are EVERYWHERE.
11. When the cafeteria is crowded, you line up neatly with the others.
12. You used to use cash all the time, but now you have a pin card.
13. You think ducks are cute.
14. As soon as the sun pops out, you make a barbecue, even if it's 10°C outside.
15. You think 15°C is warm.
16. You know winter stops in May, and not March as everywhere else.
17. You don't remember what a mountain looks like.
18. You still don't know how to speak Dutch. But your English has improved.
19. You know what Surinam is. And where it is.
20. You never go out without your bike lights.
21. You think butter in a bottle is normal.
22. You know that all the guys are in Delft. And the girls, everywhere else, especially Leiden.
23. You go to Leiden on Saturday.
24. You've been to a flower park, and thought it was cool.
25. You're ok with having only one flavour of ice cream (the white ones).
26. You don't even bother to ask "do you speak English?", you just speak English right away.
27. When you go to the cinema, you are ok with being told where to sit.
28. And you wouldn't dare sit anywhere else.
29. You have finally accepted the fact that Gouda is cheese.
30. Paying 6€ for a meal in the cafeteria seems normal.
31. You know how to repair a bike.
32. You eat potatoes at least once a day.
33. You always check the weather before leaving home.
34. You know what it is being late and having to wait for a boat to cross the bridge.
35. You can drink milk at any time of the day.
36. Sometimes, you only drink milk as lunch.
37. You have tried karnemelk at least once.
38. You start liking dropjes.
39. For you something sweet means stroopwafels.
40. Spring means flowers blooming and construction sites opening up all over the place.
41. Being tall gets a new meaning.
42. Blonde is back to being a hair-color, not a concept.
43. You have 4 seasons in one day.
44. You can start a mail to your teacher who happens to be a doctor by "yo, wassup doc" (exaggeration can get the message through).
45. You think that paying to use the toilets is normal.
46. You know that kapsalon is not a typical Turkish dish, but a hairdresser.
47. You start to think that the strange position of the hole in the WC is not that disgusting.
48. You find it easier to find a good joint than a good coffee.
49. You have the AH bonus card.
50. Your windows have no curtains, and you don't care.
51. If your windows have curtains, you don't use them, and just don't care who might be looking at you.
52. For you, light rain is not rain.
53. Professors write a "well done" comment in your assignment and still grade you with a 6.
54. You can drink beer in the cinema.
55. 10°C is warm enough to wear a short or mini skirt.
56. You can ride your bike in the rain, wind and even snow.
57. Guys are very cute.
58. You can ride your bike wearing skirt (if you're a girl), a suit or even high heels (if you're a girl).
59. You start having strong opinion even if you vaguely know the topic.
60. You "wash" the dishes with soap without rinsing them.
61. "alstublieft" and "dank u wel" are the only Dutch words you know.
62. You aren't surprised anymore that the disco closes at 4 (but it still pisses you off).
63. You learn to bike without using your hands on the handle.
64. You go to the market and you only buy the stuffs that fit in you bike.
65. Riding a bike and drinking coffee-smoking-eating lunch at the same time is not a problem any more.
66. You reformulate the saying "if you drink, don't drive" by "if you drink, don't ride".
67. You've been asked where the coffeeshop is.
68. You start wearing orange during soccer events, even when you're not Dutch.
69. You get used not to use napkins when eating. You just eat dirtily.
70. You know what GVD stands for.
71. You can never predict the weather and can not believe the weather forecast anymore.
72. You wait for the light to go green before crossing the street, even if there is no car.
73. You sometimes eat only with a spoon.
74. You tried fried fish from the caravans at least once.
75. You clap the lecturer (just because he's been speaking for 2 hours).
76. You run to Albert Heijn at 21.55 to get some beer for the party that night.
77. Trees planted in straight rows - aka the forest - seems normal.
78. You think you understand why they don't serve coffee at coffeeshops (but you're not sure yet),
79. You steal a bike at the station because the night before someone stole yours.
80. You think it is okay to eat multicoloured sprinkles on bread for breakfast.
81. You use 9292ov.nl to go to the supermarket.
82. You know that the wind blows in your face regardless of the direction in which you are biking.
83. You don't even try to park in an unauthorised area just to 'pick something up in 5min', because you know you will get a ticket in 30 seconds.
84. When you move out of your apartment, you know you might have to take the floors with you.
85. Stepping in doggiepoo on the sidewalk becomes almost a daily thing.
86. You end up eating super greasy food at 5 am at FEBO.
87. And after that, you manage to bike home still completely wasted and go to class at 8:45.
88. You need an appointment to talk with your friends. Or your mother.
89. You enjoy making tourists jump off the bike path.
90. You paid more for the lock of your bike than for the bike itself.
91. Real bread? You've made your peace with it. It doesn't exist.
92. You know that the Netherlands doesn't have a special dish. They just fry everything.
93. You know getting a couch will be difficult because it doesn't fit through the door. Windows maybe?
94. You're ok spending Queen's Day in the train because people are walking on the rails.