How St. Nicholas Day is Celebrated in Different Countries

Only a couple more days to go and it is St. Nicholas Day. Kids are starting to get over-excited and parents are probably running to the store to stock up on some more candy. I used to think celebrating St. Nicholas Day (Sinterklaas) was something typically Dutch, but it turns out it is celebrated in several other countries as well. So I decided to find out more.

 

 

 

 

The Netherlands

Let me start with the traditions I know. In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas (Sint) travels from Spain with his helpers (zwarte pieten) in a big boat. This boat arrives to the Netherlands in November. There will be a big parade in which Sint and de Pieten pass by hundreds of kids while handing out candy. Usually there is music and dancing.

 

 

 

 

 

Next we enter a period of endless TV programs about the adventures of Sint & de Pieten. Also, kids leave their shoe at the fire place, usually with a gift for Sint and his horse Americo (a drawing or letter for Sint and a carrot for the horse). Next morning, there will be a small gift or some candy in the shoe. Rumor has it that Sint rides Americo over the rooftops and de Pieten climb in through the chimney to deliver the gifts.

 

 

 

 

Then when the 5th of December comes around, it is time for the big finale (so not on the 6th like in other countries). The whole family gets together and usually some song will be sung. Then, unexpectedly, someone will throw candy all over the hallway. It's Piet! The kids get up and excitedly grab all the goodies together to bring them to the living room. Then the doorbell rings and everyone runs to the door as fast as they can. But not fast enough, because Piet already ran away quickly. He left a bag full of presents though! All presents have a name on them and will be unpacked and admired one by one. Oh what a lovely night. It took me a long time to figure out how our "Piet" managed all that.

 

 

 

Oh, and one thing. Don't be naughty, because then Piet will kidnap you and take you back to Spain.

 

 

 

 

 

France

 

In France, St. Nicolas is accompanies by a little donkey carrying baskets with candy and gifts. The family gets together on the 6th of December and stories are being told. In many stories St. Nicolas has an evil protagonist; Père Fouettard. This is a butcher that wants to eat the children. Luckily St. Nicolas I there to protect them and hand out gifts and candy.

 

 

 

Italy

 

 

In Italy, San Nicolo (or San Nicola in some parts) is a patron who protects children and unmarried women. On the morning of the 6th of December there is a special mass that unmarried women can attend if then wish to find a husband. Also, gifts are given to young women and children.

 

 

 

Germany

 

 

On the 5th of December), children in Germany put a shoe outside the from door. Sankt Nikolaus will pass by to check if the children have been good and in that case they will receive gifts and snacks. If not, they will receive a tree branch in their shoe. Nikolaus and his helper Knecht Ruprecht sometimes visit children at their home or at school and if the children have been bad, Knecht Reprecht will punish them.

 

 

 

Croatia and Slovenia

 

 

Sveti Nikola brings gifts to the children and complements them on their good behaviour. If the children have not been good however, they will get a visit from Krampus, who will leave a rod for the parents to discipline the children with.  

 

 

 

Other countries that celebrate some form of St. Nicholas Day are:

Malta, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Czech-Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Palestine, United Stated, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

 

 

 

 So this holiday is a lot more international than I expected! And there are many similarities between the counties too. Happy St. Nicholas Day everyone! 

 

 

TravelGuides: Lonely Planet about the Netherlands

I recently ordered the travel guide "Europe on a shoestring" Lonely Planet because I wanted to get some ideas for weekend trips. I thought of it as a shame that I visited a lot of the places described in it already, but actually it is great. I get super excited every time they mention a landmark or restaurant I actually visited. It's very interesting to read about the places you have been. But it is especially funny when you are reading about the countries you lived in. So let's see what Lonely Planet has to say about the Netherlands.

 

 

 

Why go?

LP says you should visit the Netherlands because of the art of famous painters such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh, tulips and windmills, 17th century towns such as Leiden and Delft, the nightlife in Amsterdam, the bikes, the friendly and funny people and the exquisite cities. The also call it a "big small country".

 

I wouldn't say Leiden and Delft are towns (both have around 100.000 citizens so it's not thát small) and that this whole windmill thing is so over-hyped (really, there are a million things to see that are so much better). But it does sum up some good points.

 

 

 

When go?

According to LP:

March-May: If you want to see a gazillion flowers.

July: For long summer days to cycle and have drinks outside on the terrace.

Dec-Feb: For ice skating on the canals.

 

 

I want to add that you are also welcome in June, August, September, October and November. And that with all this global warming ice skating on the canals is usually not safe (unless you wish t visit a Dutch hospital as well) since the ice doesn't get thick enough.

 

 

Set your budget

Especially mentioned are:

Heineken: 3 euro

Bicycle hire: 10 euro per day

 

Please don't combine the two unless you are an experiences user of both.

 

 

 

 

Essential food and drinks

 

Vlaamse frites

 

 

Beer

 

 

Gouda

 

 

 

Indonesian food

 

 

Erwtensoep

 

 

Kroketten

 

 

 

Country highlights

Amsterdam: Red light district, Anne Frank huis, Begijnhof, Vondelpark, Van Gogh museum, Heineken experience, Zaanse schans, de Jordaan and the Albert Cuypmarkt.

 

 

 

 

 

Keukenhof gardens.

 

 

The windmills of Kinderdijk.

 

 

Rotterdam

 

 

Utrecht

 

 

Texel

 

 

Maastricht

 

 

Understand the Netherlands

 Dutch people consume almost 17kg of cheese per person per year (Yes, we (heart) cheese.)

 

 

Seafood (especially herring and kibbeling) is very popular.

 

 

 

Coffee shops. The place where you are allowed to smoke weed, but smoking a regular cigarette is forbidden. You can choose from a whole menu of different kinds of weed and you can also eat space brownies etc. LP even has a 'coffee shop do and don't' list.

 

 

 

Deep friend snacks are available around the clock. You an even buy fast food out of the wall. It like big vending machine with hot foods, but then it has many separate small glass doors that you can open my inserting a coin in the machine. When I read about this I started realizing this might really be a Dutch thing but I never thought of that before.

 

 

 

According to LP, our beer is "topped by a big head of froth". Yes, compared to beers in the UK it is. But not just a big head. This head has to be exactly to fingers wide. And yes people really mind if it is not and beers will be returned for this reason.

 

 

There is the Dutch concept of 'gezelligheid' (ok, they misspelled it as 'gezelligheld', but his word doesn't mean anything in Dutch), translated by LP as: 'combines cosy, fun and quaint with an overlay of familiarity and good cheer.'

 

 

Buying a train ticket in the Netherlands is a real challenge. And I have to agree here. Every time I visit he country something has changed again. I can understand the new electronic public transport system can be confusing for tourists.

 

 

There is more than 20.000km of cycling paths in the country which makes it the most bike-friendly place on earth. (FYI, we have more bikes than people).

 

 

Of course this as just a small extract since it came from a guide about an entire continent. I am curious about the complete guide about the Netherlands! 



WishList: CityTrip - Copenhagen (Denmark)

I have never been to Scandinavia. Yet. Such a pity and something that I really need to change. When building myself a travel map last week I noticed that I visited most of west, south and middle Europe, but not much else. I still need to see the Nordics and all of Eastern Europe. So there is work to do. I need to start planning trips. A brand new batch of days off from work is waiting for me in 2015. And some of them, I would like to use to go to Copenhagen. I love the sound of the Danish language and on all pictures everything just looks wonderful.

 

Here are some of the things like would like to see and do when I am there.

 

 

The Little Mermaid

 

A famous landmark so I definitely need a duck picture there. Also, the statue has a lovely backdrop next to the water.

 

 

 

 

Nyhavn

 

I love colored houses and I love the water side. This will be the perfect day for me to sit and have a drink after a long day of sight seeing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Library of Copenhagen

 

I wrote about it before (http://ohtheplacesyouwillgoandsee.blogspot.com/2014/10/musthaveseen-libraries-around-europe.html ) and I still really want to see this library. On the pictures it looks amazing so I hope I'm able to book a library tour and see al of it with my own eyes.  

 

 

 

 

Den Blå  Planet (aquarium)

This is Northern Europe's largest aquarium. It has been a long time since I visited one so it would be great to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christiania

 

More colored houses, much to my delight. This is also a car-free area that is very oriented on a green way of living. Sadly, it is suggested not to take any pictures in this area and the area it mentioned to be quite unsafe by Copenhagen's tourist website. Still worth a visit though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frederiksborg Palace

 

This palace and its environment simply look amazing. It is also house to the Museum of National History.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

 

I don't always get modern art but some of it I really like a lot. I also quite enjoy the strangeness of some of it. And this museum as has a nice garden for an after visit coffee. Perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the list goes on. Copenhagen seems to be a city with many different types of tourist attractions. I always enjoy cities that are next to the water. Bring on the tours by boat and the harbour walks by night.  I am looking forward to my visit already!

 

 

 

MustDo - Free Walking Tour

I am Dutch so I tend to love free stuff. And I know you people of other nationalities do too! And although Free Walking Tours are not as free as they sound, I love them. They are a great way to explore a city. You not only learn much about its history and culture, but you also get to know where all the interesting places are so you can go and visit them later.

 

So what is a Free Walking Tour exactly and how come it is not actually free? A FWT is a guided walking tour that usually lasts around 2 or 3 hours. The tour guide is either a local or someone who has lived in the city for a long time. Often they have much travel experience or study things like history or cultural studies. They are always people that now a lot about the city. Not only the cold hard facts, but also a lot of fun facts, traditions and things that only locals know. The guides I have had till now were all social and super friendly people who are pleasant to have a talk with while walking through the city. Often they can answer all you travel questions and are able to give you tips for your further stay. So it's a good idea to take the tour on your first day!

 

Instead of buying a ticket at the beginning of the tour, you give your guide a tip at the end of the tour. So the deal is hat you can pay according to your appreciation of the tour and according to what you can afford. This is great since it also gives people who travel on a tight budget a chance to join tours. And with a big group, the guide ends up getting a good amount as well. So it works well for both parties.

 

Next to the regular walking tours, there are themed tours available as well sometimes. In Edinburg, I went on a ghost tour for example. So instead of getting facts about the city, we were being told legends and ghost stories. It was very great! I have also seen art tours, graffiti tours and literature tours in several cities. So there is something for everyone! 

 

Here are some websites of organisations that provide Free Walking Tours:

 

http://www.neweuropetours.eu/

http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/

http://www.freetoursbyfoot.com/

 

 

But really, any touristic city has there kind of tours nowadays. Usually your hostel or guest house will have some flyers. Else, a bit of research on the internet will do the trick.

 

Enjoy the tour!

 

 

ToDo: Strongman Runs all over Europe

People come from all over Europe to attend Strongman Runs. They are a big hype. Last weekend I had the chance to participate in one. But what exactly is a Strongman Run? It's a semi marathon with around 30 obstacles on the way. But not just your regular obstacles; crazy obstacles for crazy people. Think ice water, electric shocks and lots of mud. And in between that all you still have to run those 21 kilometres. No piece of cake with wet clothes full of mud and foam. You have to be kind of nuts to do it. No scrap that, you have to be absolutely nuts.

Let me give you a little impression of the different Strongman Runs that exist:

 

 

 

Germany




Germany was the first country to host a Strongman Run (in 2007). Thanks for taking the initiative neighbours!

 

 

 

 

 

 

FYI. These white ribbons might look innocent, but they actually give off electric shocks. I learned that by experience...

 

 

 

Switzerland



Switzerland started doing Strongman Runs since 2010. In 2012 they had a super tough race with 44 (!) obstacles.

 

 

 

 

 

This was probably a normal sandy hill before they started. But imagine 4000 people with wet clothes and shoes passing is (twice). At a later point in the race it was probably one big mud slide.


 

The Netherlands



The Dutch run won the price for Best Public Event this year. Maybe  should try that one next year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belgium



The Belgian Strongman Run exists since 2013. The run is a bit shorter than some of the others (17.2 km this year) but the obstacles seem pretty tough. According to the website, one of the obstacles was real snow this year. I don't know how they did this in May, but it sounds pretty cool (literally).

 

 

 

 

 

 

This will was so steep (and slippery) some ropes were needed to get up. Respect!

 

 

 

Italy



The Italians have been organizing Strongman Runs since 2012. This race makes use of some natural obstacles and the participants have to pass through a river and the mountains.

 

 

 

I am extra impressed by people who manage to do the run in costume. It is difficult enough without all the extra capes, wigs and accessories.

 

 

 

 

France

 France has been organizing Strongman Runs for a while now. And it looks like they are pretty good at it.

 

 

 

 

This foam tunnel looks so cool!

 

 

Apparently the race in itself is not enough for this runner. Why not bring an entire boat with you?

 

 

Austria

 

Hosted Strongman Runs since 2013. Theirs have some beautiful mountains in the backdrop. So if you have to wait for a while in front of an obstacle you can at least enjoy the view.

 

This looks like snow. Just wow.

 

 

 

Luxembourg

Luxembourg had its Strongman Run in 2013. The run take place in and around a small village in the South of the country.
 

 
 

And back to my experience! Including a photo report thanks to my friend Monique.

I was super excited to start the race (although kind of scared too). But I wasn't running alone. My friend Luca also participated and we ran the whole race together. This really makes it a lot more fun. And it is very nice to be able to help each other at some of the obstacles.

 

And we were off! First some normal jogging before we arrived at a big muddy hill (for us Dutch people this basically counts as a mountain). After climbing the hill some muddy joyfulness took place. We got to crawl under barriers, though the mud, while being sprinkled with water. I must say I found my hidden talent; I am a super fast mud crawler! The first round of electricity robes I was so concentrated on going fast I did not realized what was going on. But then  got it. Water + electricity = feeling like someone kicks you hard. Ouch. I could have done without that one. But the rest was cool. there was some more crawling and climbing and a true mud bath we had to walk though. After we had some climbing and jumping and then we went on our way back to the city, where the DJ was playing and the real fun was at.

 

First climbing to the top via these nets (flashback to childhood).

 

 

Then off the slide into a pool of mud! The slide was really very fun.

 

We continued with a foam party.

  

And ended up like muddy foam monsters!

 

  

After some come climbing we took a little hike through a hilly forest, which took a while. It was a really nice path actually!

But then this next slide came along...

I looked all fun a great like the other one. So I was going like YAY.

That was cold.

 But, no time to worry about that, it was time to dive into the swimming pool and get some mud washed off. Of course we were not gonna take "pussy lane", the walking option built for people that did not want to swim. I like swimming, so I jumped right in.

COOOOOLLLLLD! BRRR.

 

And deep! Wow, really. After a week I still have flashbacks of swallowing all that dirty ice water. That was a fairly unpleasant swim. Remind me to not go swimming in Iceland.
 

 

Getting out of the water was great. It felt so warm suddenly. And we were forced to keep jogging if we did not want to turn into ice cubes.

 

 We got through some more obstacles and then... 

 

Oh no wait a minute, follow the line that says 2e Runde. So we repeated the whole track again. But this time I avoided the electricity robes and the water of the swimming pool got heated up to a more acceptable temperature. We were a lot slower on this round than on the first round, but then finally...

Tadaaa!

Yes, yes y'all. I made it through a Strongman Run. So I am a strong (wo)man now!

And I have a new rubber duck for my collection. Sporty duck!