Friends here, friends there, friends everywhere…
Door: Yaisa
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Yaisa
19 Februari 2008 | Nederland, Amsterdam
Click here for pictures of my Tour des Pays-Bas
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30325&l=7463c&id=523210814
And isn’t friends what life is all about? I could ramble on about how valuable friendship is, how blessed I feel that so many people take interest in me and my simple life (although recently some have compared it to a soap serie and others have asked me when the book is coming out), how much I’ve enjoyed the fun and warmth from all those around me, etc, etc, etc… But hey, if you want soppy stories, better buy a cheap pocket book.
But I must emphasise, it was great being back in Holland. Amazing how easy it was to feel at home in Amsterdam again. The weather was fantastic, bright blue skies, a fresh winter sunshine and the crisp cold air brushing against my cheeks while cycling through the city. Yes, 365 days of 30 degrees Celsius is not always fun… And boy, was it great to drive a car again! Ok, ok, it was a horrible green Toyota Corolla decorated with terrifying white promotional stickers (great job mama) but it was a while ago since I drove 150 km per hour along the A4 and I loved it (yes, I’ll pay for the speeding tickets mama). And it allowed me to do a Tour des Pays-Bas and visit people all over the place.
Highlights?
A reunion with the Australia gang, reminiscing the great times we had Down Under, dreaming of wild new places to discover… (Nina, we missed you terribly!)
Taco & Marije’s wedding, what a blast! Shed a tear as the bride strutted down the stairs, laughed my ass off at the speeches, drank myself into a delirium, danced till my feet could take no more and ended up in bed with Siobhan… :-)
Babies, babies and more babies, they’re so cute, but they’re so NOT for me (yet…) :-)
Running into old boyfriends, expectedly and unexpectedly… (Maarten & Maarten, hmmm, is that a coincidence?)
Meeting up with old colleagues, comparing identity crises (Fortis? RBS? Who am I, where am I going?), merger allergies, takeover itches, severance package opportunities and global gossip!
Lunches, dinners, drinks, on terraces in the winter sunshine, on a boat house in Leiden, in smokey cafes in down town Amsterdam, with champagne to keep the tradition alive, with Dutch bread like you can only get in Holland…
Leaving the pub at 3 am, after uncountable G&T’s, Vodka Limes and great conversations… Gosh, I do wish they could move the Pijp in its entirety to Singapore!
And finally a consult with an astrologist who basically told me that I’ll find the love of my life when I’m 36… well… haha, does that mean that I should feel depressed for the next 3 years or that I should take advantage of this knowlegde… Nooo, I think I’d better not disclose my intentions on the web…. :)
Anyway, it was an excellent trip and I have everyone I spent time with to thank for that, including Anjo and JJ who so generously let me stay in their HUGE appartment for the entire duration (I don’t mind chipping in for the energy bill, I did have to get used to the lower temperatures a bit…).
See you all here, there or everywhere soon again!
Lots of love,
Yaisa
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30325&l=7463c&id=523210814
And isn’t friends what life is all about? I could ramble on about how valuable friendship is, how blessed I feel that so many people take interest in me and my simple life (although recently some have compared it to a soap serie and others have asked me when the book is coming out), how much I’ve enjoyed the fun and warmth from all those around me, etc, etc, etc… But hey, if you want soppy stories, better buy a cheap pocket book.
But I must emphasise, it was great being back in Holland. Amazing how easy it was to feel at home in Amsterdam again. The weather was fantastic, bright blue skies, a fresh winter sunshine and the crisp cold air brushing against my cheeks while cycling through the city. Yes, 365 days of 30 degrees Celsius is not always fun… And boy, was it great to drive a car again! Ok, ok, it was a horrible green Toyota Corolla decorated with terrifying white promotional stickers (great job mama) but it was a while ago since I drove 150 km per hour along the A4 and I loved it (yes, I’ll pay for the speeding tickets mama). And it allowed me to do a Tour des Pays-Bas and visit people all over the place.
Highlights?
A reunion with the Australia gang, reminiscing the great times we had Down Under, dreaming of wild new places to discover… (Nina, we missed you terribly!)
Taco & Marije’s wedding, what a blast! Shed a tear as the bride strutted down the stairs, laughed my ass off at the speeches, drank myself into a delirium, danced till my feet could take no more and ended up in bed with Siobhan… :-)
Babies, babies and more babies, they’re so cute, but they’re so NOT for me (yet…) :-)
Running into old boyfriends, expectedly and unexpectedly… (Maarten & Maarten, hmmm, is that a coincidence?)
Meeting up with old colleagues, comparing identity crises (Fortis? RBS? Who am I, where am I going?), merger allergies, takeover itches, severance package opportunities and global gossip!
Lunches, dinners, drinks, on terraces in the winter sunshine, on a boat house in Leiden, in smokey cafes in down town Amsterdam, with champagne to keep the tradition alive, with Dutch bread like you can only get in Holland…
Leaving the pub at 3 am, after uncountable G&T’s, Vodka Limes and great conversations… Gosh, I do wish they could move the Pijp in its entirety to Singapore!
And finally a consult with an astrologist who basically told me that I’ll find the love of my life when I’m 36… well… haha, does that mean that I should feel depressed for the next 3 years or that I should take advantage of this knowlegde… Nooo, I think I’d better not disclose my intentions on the web…. :)
Anyway, it was an excellent trip and I have everyone I spent time with to thank for that, including Anjo and JJ who so generously let me stay in their HUGE appartment for the entire duration (I don’t mind chipping in for the energy bill, I did have to get used to the lower temperatures a bit…).
See you all here, there or everywhere soon again!
Lots of love,
Yaisa
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19 Februari 2008 - 18:13
Ilse :
Ha die Yaisa,
Zo te horen ben je weer goed aan het reizen en je aan het vermaken! Ben wel jaloers op jouw vakantiedagen in vergelijking met mijn miserable 15 dagen in de US. Mocht je nog een paar dagen over hebben en de 'City that never sleeps' of zoals een lokale radiozender zegt 'The city that loves to dance' wilt zien, dan ben je altijd meer dan welkom!
Liefs,
Ilse -
19 Februari 2008 - 20:37
Mir:
Ik mis de food photos ;-) -
22 Februari 2008 - 04:08
Anjo En JJ:
Wij genieten (nu!) ook heel erg van jouw appartement, hoor! -
27 Februari 2008 - 11:53
Mama:
...en je hebt gezworen dat je NOOIT te hard had gereden, dat alleen je moeder snelheidsbekeuringen kreeg, we zullen wel zien wat er tzt binnenkomt! (hoeveel bekeuringen mag je oplopen alvorens je auto wordt geconfisceerd?) haha, gelukkig heb je in Singapore geen auto!
Geniet van je nieuwe super meubels!Dat vertel je nog wel in je volgende verhaal. doei, mama
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