36 hours from door to door. 3 flights of 14, 7.5 and 1 hour and many timezones it took me to get home. I'm home! It was so good to see my parents, my sister and Hera (our beautiful Drentsche Patrijshond - dog) again.
The trip to London was not too bad actually. A cheeky business class ticket for the trip to Dubai and I managed to sleep most of the time on the flight from Dubai to London. The short flight from London was not very enjoyable as it was very windy and a plane swinging from left to right while trying to land is never relaxing. But we got here safe and sound.
My parents have a beautiful garden surrounded by some areas with trees which they like to call 'the forest'. Well, technically it is a forest, there are quite a few trees. But when I told MrBehomeforT a few years ago and he saw 'the forest' he had to laugh. Obviously for Australian understandings the 'forest' my dad was talking about were just a few trees on a small strip of land. Compare this to Australia where a forest can be half the size of Europe.
Now and then my parents receive a visit from deer. Not the reindeer type but a lot smaller. My mum found these in the "forest", cleaned them and put them back.
It's spring in Holland which means flowers everywhere and sitting outside on the terrace with a nice cold Heineken. I have been away for more than 5 years now, and a lot has changed. The food hasn't though. I have been craving Dutch 'junkfood' for months now. There used to be a Dutch 'snackbar' in Darling Harbour, but unfortunately it's not there anymore. When I get home one of the first things I do is go to a snackbar and order some Dutch deep fried food, loaded with mayonnaise and other toppings such as raw onions and "curry" (sweet red German curry).
One other Dutch tradition is 'gourmetten'. The Ozzies have the outdoor barbecue and we have a large hot plate with personal mini pans. There are small pieces of chicken, meat, vegetables and a lot of sauces. There is also heaps of baguette with herb butter. Unlike the Australian version of the garlic bread, the Dutch eat their garlic/herb butter (kruidenboter) at room temperature. We don't put the bread in the oven either but rather eat it 'fresh' (not toasted). Gourmetten is so much fun and everyone is completely stuffed at the end of the evening. No space for dessert. But always for a stroopwafel.
I'm on the way to Italy now. Cannot wait to taste every single Italian traditional dish I can get my hands on. Our first stop is Rome, and if I can find a proper internet connection, you will be able to read my next post soon.
Possibly the best macarons in Sydney?