Flaming Pianos and Bad Oysters

Last night was my third Eurovision - one of my favorite new "holidays" now that I live in Europe.

This year's Eurovision lacked the blatant shock value in many of the songs as previous years (such as post-apocalyptic operatic vampires or the facial hair frenzy), and also lacked some of the more rock-and-roll or fast paced dancing songs which I loved in previous years.  Rather, it focused more on the art of the ballad, appropriate, given the fact the Eurovision opened with a symphony orchestra (only in Vienna...)  But, for me, perhaps the most memorable part of the evening was the incredible stage that the host country Austria created - a stage that had the ability to incorporate amazing light effects into each of the performances, behind, on top of, and below the artists, making it a truly memorable night.

For the first time, my favorite performance took first place - a stunning performance by Sweden, which brought together simple projected two dimensional light effects with amazingly timed choreography.  It was really cool - and Europe loved it.  See for yourself.

But of course, no Eurovision is complete without some shock and awe, such as "the first straight kiss of the night" - flanked by two not so straight kisses during Lithuania's performance, and the singers from Austria, who calmly kept playing after his piano burst into flames (literally), eventually abandoning it as it becomes obvious that piano is beyond saving.

Watching the Eurovision on the BBC was also way more entertaining, given the dry sarcasm of the BBC announcer, who added his unique wit throughout the night.

For example, he commented on Azerbaijan's entry, saying "You would think they just had some bad oysters, but actually, it's choreographed".

Or, how during Georgia's performance, "No Georgian crows were harmed in the making of this costume".

He showed no reluctance to make it clear his personal favorite was Russia.   But shortly afterwards, it was abundantly clear he disliked Albania's entry, saying that's three minutes of his life he was never getting back.

Ouch.

Other performances of note were Israel, which one of my friends described as "Backstreet Boys meet Bollywood", Belgium, who used the lighting effects to create a neat black and white effect, Germany, which reminded us all of a James Bond intro, and Italy, whose operatic pop was different, refreshing, and really really good.

So, what was your favorite?

The Day Giant Butterflies and Orca Whales Attacked our City

One of the totally amazing things about growing up in New Mexico is that for one week every fall, the skies lit up with a rainbow of colors as literally thousands of hot air balloons take flight.  I haven't been to a Balloon Fiesta in about a decade, until this year, when I was able to check out the balloons one misty morning.

A hot air balloon, dissolving into mist

Sometimes a low flying balloon can surprise drivers, making a beautiful road hazard.

Some special shapes begin to take flight.  This one is an accurate representation on how I feel on a Monday morning.

The airspace begins to get crowded.

Helicopters get a pretty good view.  They just have to watch where they are going.

More balloons into the clouds.

Watching the balloons with my mom and dad!

A giant orca whale attacks the city.

Followed by this sperm whale, moments before he crashes into the Earth.  In this picture, he's contemplating if the ground will be his friend (the answer is no).  A point if you can name the other object that is falling with the whale.

Gigantic frightening butterfly.

You know something sinister lies behind those big doe eyes...

A truly angry bird.

What is that weird shape?  It's a basket ball in a hoop!

Watching the balloons.

This balloon would have been so much better if the cat was alive on the other side....

Hallo Sint! Hallo Piet!

It's that time of year again!

The time when everyone, especially the little ones, go out to the local canal and wait patiently for someone to come sailing past.  Yes, it's the time for Sinterklaas to come to town!

Of course, Sinterklaas is always accompanied by his cadre of friends - the Zwart Piets.

The Zwart Piets arrived in all sorts of boats, including repurposed cars.  They all hailed the Spanish flag because that is where Zwart Piet lives.

Apparently,  if you are bad, Zwart Piet will hunt you down, put you in a sack of potatoes, and bring you to Spain!

Honestly, it's not that bad of a punishment, really.

Finally, Sinterklaas himself arrives on the last boat in the flotilla!

Once docked, Sinterklaas and his friends go on a parade through the streets of the city.

The Piets hand out goodies to the kids, small circular cookies called pepernoten.  It's something that would never happen in the US - letting your kids accept unwrapped cookies from a stranger.

Waiting patiently for the Pepernoten

Most Dutch buy pepernoten in the stores, but you can also make them at home.

More Piets arrive by unicycle.

A common form of transportation in Spain.

Then the paddywagon arrives, toting gifts for children with typical Dutch names.

Sorry, I didn't see any for Bram or Sjaak.

This Piet arrived with his sheep.

Also black, oddly enough.

 Finally, I can see Sinterklaas above the heads in the crowd!

Go Sint!  Go Sint!

Sinterklaas heads to the university.  Nearby, sniper Piets keep a lookout for danger.

Just kidding!  Not snipers, they actually repel down the university building.

Piets hand out pepernoten and other treats to the wall of children that has formed.  Sadly, they won't give any to adults.  *sniff*

But we did catch one long enough for a photo-op!  Thanks Piet!

Gooooooaaaaaalllllll!

If you don't know what time of year it is, you either live under a rock or in the United States.  It's World Cup time, a time when the rest of the world* gathers in pubs around the world to cheer on their country as they make a goal against their favorite rival.   It can get quite passionate in a way that's difficult to comprehend unless you are experiencing it.  Luckily, we were able to experience it, in a local pub when the Netherlands played their old rival Spain.

Of course, it's only appropriate to wear the orange...

Along with most of the rest of the people in the pub...

The Netherlands and Spain were fairly even in the first half of the game... Spain scored once, the Netherlands scored once.... then the Netherlands scored again, and again.  When it was 4-1, the pub started chanting "Five!  Five!  Five!"  To everyone's amazement,  they actually did score again!  Then the pub started chanting "Zes!  Zes!"  The Netherlands didn't score six, but the final score, 5-1, was impressive!  The game included the incredible goal by van Persie, where he flew through the air, hit the ball with his forehead into the goal, and continued to face plant into the grass.  It's now being called one of the greatest goals ever. 

The pub breaks into celebration after one of the goals.  This video does not truly show how deafening the cheers were.

On the way home, I biked with my orange hair.  I almost crashed into a conga line of drunk college students celebrating, and then I high-fived two random drunk girls on the street as I biked past. 

Everyone was happy.

Now, it's your turn to participate in World Cup madness.  Make a guess on who will walk away with this year's world cup!   Here are the rules:
1. Your guess must be in before the second round of the world cup commences (June 27th).
2.  You can not guess a team that someone else has previously guessed.
3.  One guess per person.

Then, following the same rules above, you can also make a guess on the cumulative score of the final game (ie, if the game is 3-1, the cumulative score is 4).  

The winner will be determined at the end of the World cup (obviously).  A correct guess for the team will be worth 4 points, and a correct guess for the number of points will be worth 3!  This round of Beth's blog trivia will then come to an end, so make your guesses!  It could be anyone's game!   


* not the US

Peak Beard

It's that time of year again!  The Eurovision - the European wide song contest, always produces memorable songs, whether it be because they are simply good, quality songs, or because they will give you disturbing dreams for weeks to come.  Last year, I thoroughly enjoyed my first Eurovision, so I was sure to watch it again this year.

This time, there did seem to be several reoccurring themes.  There were several videos, such as those from from Switzerland (complete with flying spaghetti and a lot of whistling), that combined a catchy song with a fun music video.  Then there were entries like Poland or Italy which tried to cram as much sex into three minutes as possible.  Then there were entries like Belarus, which was a little bit of both.

There were also a surprising amount of videos that entailed dancing, singing, or kissing in the rain or a partially flooded building, such as Armenia, Spain, and Romania.

Then you had the videos with positive messages such as Iceland or Russia, or super-depressing songs like the entry from Hungary.  Then there was the entry from Malta, which was a bit of both.

But perhaps the most prevalent theme of this year's Eurovision was that of facial hair.  France's whole entry was devoted to it - a throwback to the 70s, a tribute to one of the most transitory facial hair configurations of all time.  This catchy song soon had me singing along, but alas, the viewers did not like France's entry.  It came in last with only two votes.

Which brings us to the most prevalent facial hair type of this year's Eurovision -  an overwhelming number of singers this year had beards, including those from Greece, Norway, Belarus, Iceland, Romania, Switzerland, Malta, and Austria.  In fact, coming in first was Austria's entry - conclusive proof that we have in fact reached peak beard.

Dutch Food - Let's End on a Positive Note

But let's not end our tour of Dutch food there.  Honestly, there's a lot of food I've come to love here, so instead of ending with "the weird", let's go back and discover some more good things.*

Fresh, hot stroopwaffle

Stroopwafel - nothing says gooey goodness more than the Dutch specialty of two super thin waffles with a layer of melted caramel in between them.  The best way to eat these is to get them fresh and hot in the Grote Markt!

Indonesian food - Indonesia used to be a Dutch colony - therefore, there is a lot of great Indonesian food here in the Netherlands.

Hagelslag - food doesn't get much more fun than this!  Hagelslag are chocolate sprinkles normally put on toast and eaten for breakfast, but you can also sprinkle them on ice cream, make a sandwich out of them, or put them in a crepe**!

Pea soup - it may not sound good, but pea soup with some smoked sausage can be an amazing winter meal.

Speculoos - a crispy cookie with a lot of spices.  Often they are shaped like a windmill or something equally Dutch looking.  Great with cocoa or tea, and there is also a spread version you can use on toast. You can find a recipe to make your own speculoos spread here.*** 

Poffertjes - little poofy mini pancakes.  They are so good.  Imagine a pancake, but smaller, much thicker, and grilled in a ton of oil.  Then you can sprinkle you favorite toppings on top, including powdered sugar.  You can learn how to make them here.

As the Dutch say... eet smakelijk!

* Mostly because I forgot these items when I wrote my blog post Dutch Food - the Good and felt guilty about it.
** This last one is not a traditional Dutch way of eating these...
*** I don't actually expect anyone to do this, but I will give a point to anyone who makes this for me.  :-)

The Yule Lads and a Flesh Eatting Cat

Since our visit to Iceland was shortly after Christmas, we were able to enjoy some of the Christmas traditions of this isolated island.
 

Perhaps the most terrifying part of the Christmas season is the omnipresence of the Yule Cat.  This frightening feline watches children with the most sinister of intentions.

The Yule Cat is watching you...

Eye to eye with the Yule Cat

The Yule Cat has a strange taste in food - he eats those children who do not receive clothes for Christmas.  Therefore children in Iceland don't moan on Christmas morning, "Grandma gave me socks again?  But clothes aren't fun!"  Instead they exclaim in relief, "Grandma gave me socks!  I get to survive another winter without becoming cat food!"

Christmas also brings the Yule Lads, thirteen brothers who come throughout the Christmas season to leave gifts for good children, and rotting potatoes for bad children.  They have interesting names and bizarre personal stories, and most have an affinity for stealing things.  For example, Spoon Licker steals wooden spoons to lick them, and is very thin because he doesn't eat well.  Sausage Swiper hides in the rafters and steals sausages, and Door Slammer slams doors.  Children can expect to hear doors slamming, or have sausages missing from the house, or see spoons covered with saliva, depending on who visited the night before.  We happened to run into one of the Yule Lads on the street one night - a point if you can name him. 

The Christmas season in Reykjavík.  

Icelandic Christmas food is very special.  The traditional drink is Malt og Appelsín, made by mixing together equal parts of a non-alchoholic malt beverage and the orange soda Appelsín.  It's amazingly delicious - it almost tastes a bit like a chocolate orange.   

The traditional Christmas meal is smoked lamb (delicious), potatoes with a white sauce, red cabbage, and yummy giant peas.  

This is paired with a thin bread, sort of like a crispy tortilla, called Laufabrauð, or leaf bread.  It has a wonderful buttery taste!