Last week, the “Beast from the East” visited Europe and temperature plummeted to below freezing. Of course this was un-seasonally cold. In Eindhoven, the temperature dropped to around -10 ºC most morning, and of course we had to bite the bullet and cycle to work. Enjoying the Nature Outside Phil and Hayley are known to…
Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018
It has been a long time since I have written a blog post. It has indeed been a busy last few months. As a new year resolution, I would like write more regularly and few more post than in 2017. Last year was a year of change and uncertainties. As it turned out, despite many…
An Autumnal Walk in Mariënborn, Netherlands
As autumn was due to set in, Hayley and I headed to the countryside Mariënborn, a village near Arnhem with a local hiking group. What better way to enjoy the autumn than going out for a weekend stroll in the countryside. Indeed, we had a lot fun. Strolling In the Woodlands Hiking in the…
Cinderella & Her Pumpkin Kayak
Disney has it that Cinderella dressed up nicely and rode a horse driven pumpkin carriage to meet her Prince Charming at the ball. These days with rising water level as the result of global warming, she can no longer travel in a pumpkin carriage. Instead, fairy godmother has to make her a pumpkin kayak which…
Eindhoven Liberation Day: Part 2
On 18 September 1944, Eindhoven celebrated the liberation day. Every year on the same day, Eindhoven commemorates the end of Nazi occupation during World War 2. Soon after the end of the Nazi occupation, the residents were able to switch on the lights once again. Over the years, this has turned into a light celebration where fancy…
Eindhoven Liberation Day: Part 1
On 18 September, Eindhoven celebrated the liberation day. It was a day in 1944 when the Allies troops – primarily the British Army and the US Airborne Divison – captured the bridges around Eindhoven and secured the city in Operation Market Garden. It was one of the largest air and land operations seen in during World…
Mid-Autumn Festival & Moon Gazing
It’s a time of the year when the Mid-Autumn Festival comes along. It is a time when family come together to have an evening feast and gaze at the moon. Admittedly, this year I had almost forgotten about it until a reminder from Hayley a day before! This year we didn’t have any great feast or mooncakes….
Getting Lost In the Desert of the Netherlands
Yes, we are being serious! There is a desert in the middle of the Netherlands. It is a vast area full of fine white sand with small shrubs growing around the sandy area. On a lazy September Sunday afternoon, Hayley and I got our bike out and enjoyed the nice Indian summer. Welcome to the…
Prinsjesdag, Royal Cavalry & Den Haag
19th September 2017 was the Prinsjesdag of the Netherlands, which was translated as the Prince’s Day. It was an annual event full of pomp, fanfare and a day when the Dutch king opened the parliament in Den Haag (The Hague). Our day in Den Haag The weekend before the actual event took place the Dutch Royal Cavalry,…
A Day In Delft On the Open Monumentendag
Last weekend was the European Open Monument Day, where many of the historical sites and museums across many European countries are open to the public for free or at the reduced cost. In fact, some of these places only opened to the public on this special occasion. That weekend, Hayley and I headed out to Delft,…
Roaming Around the Luxembourgish Ardennes
Last weekend, Hayley and I went to Luxembourg for a weekend mountain retreat. Apart from visiting Vianden castle and finding mythical creatures, we also spent one full day hiking to explore what the Ardennes has to offer. Chair Lift? Aren’t you cheaters? After playing with the ducklings in the morning, we hiked to the…
Camping Weekend In the Land of Castle and Mythical Creatures
This weekend, Hayley and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary. Both of us have lived in the Netherlands for a few months and we are already missing the mountainous terrains, hiking and scrambling over rocks, so to treat ourselves we headed south to the Vianden in the Luxembourgish Ardennes to cure our Mountain Withdrawal…
Globe Trotting Adventurer 