Surviving Winter Wonderland

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…

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,…

Day Out in the Hoge Kempen National Park, Belgium

After living in the Netherlands for a few months, Phil and Hayley are getting some mountain withdrawal symptoms. We are beginning to miss the hills and mountains that we grew to love when we live in Hong Kong. So last weekend, we decided to head to Belgium to get a dose of hills on the bike….

Hol(e)y Bike Ride to Belgium

Bikes – check Map – check Puncture repair kits – check Passports??? – Errr… maybe… just throw them into the bike bags just in case  In many of our previous adventures, we have crossed an by planes, by buses, by ferries and rickety boats, and on foot. So the thought of crossing an international border on bikes…

Exploring Brabant, Netherlands On Bikes With Friends

Last weekend, a few of our friends came and visit us. It was really nice to see them again, and we decided to go out for a long bike ride and explore the Netherlands in a very Dutch way. Since there are so many places in Brabant that we haven’t yet explored, we decided to…