Paris is the city for wandering. I think that you should be checked that you have both sensible walking shoes and blister blockers for when you come through customs.
We had a wonderful time seeing the sights. Together and separately, Simon and I wandered our feet off... in my case literally. Walking along the Seine, finding unusual parks that inspire us to create our own château. Across from our hotel was a market - mostly closed because it was summer and most Parisians go on holiday during summer - we bought fresh baguettes, French wine, cheese, and blueberry compote, pastries and took it to Belleview park. We enjoyed a very French luncheon in the shade near fountains over looking the city - would you want to live any other way?
Warm sun, good food, a truly romantic way to spend a few hours.
Whilst wanderings around the streets, we stumbled into Lafayette - a department store so stunning it would be a museum in Australia. A domed, stain-glass ceiling over-hangs floors and floors of exquisite designer clothes. From the roof-top, you can see all of sprawling Paris. The only hill - Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, a breathtaking panorama.
The Louvre was like every museum, full of priceless works of art - it was however very crowded - I was a little sad was that I wasn't blown away by the artworks there. The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc. I have seen so many times in books and films that seeing them in the flesh - so to speak - wasn't as moving as I hoped it to be. Maybe there was too much build-up in my head.
Across the street from the Louvre is The Salon de Angelina - aka Angelina's. Join the queue out the front and wait for a table, then be prepared to enter a diabetic coma because they have the most fabulous hot chocolates and pastries and cakes... they are simply to die for. Given the opportunity I would move to Paris, just to eat there over and over again. Of course, by the time I had finished out the week, the staff wouldn't be able to get me through the door, but no-one would blame me...
My mother was a chef in a French restaurant for a time when I was about 5. We would often have croissants for breakfast, and always we would have butter and jam or honey with them. I made it one of my missions to find out how the French eat their breakfast bread. So I sat in a cafes eating French breakfasts - coffee, orange juice, bread (usually half a small baguette) and a croissant with a little pot of jam and butter. It turns out that the French only usually eat croissants on the weekend - like a little treat, and they don't usually put anything on them, apparently the jam and butter is for the warm baguette and the croissant is to dip into your coffee... or at least that's how it appears. I won't get over the taste of the fresh warm pastry, crisply crumbling smothered with butter and jam... just unforgettable.
I wandered the back streets of Montmartre, I climbed the steps and checked out the view from La Basilique du Sacré-coeur - well worth the walk and spent time in the Dali museum - which I think my dad would love it, if only I could get him to leave Australia.
One evening Simon and I had a hankering for Thai food. We checked out our guide book and found one that seemed to be exactly what we were after. So after trekking much further than we had anticipated, our brilliant plan of eating Thai goodness, we found ourselves at yet another closed restaurant. Not to be disheartened, we figured that mostly restaurants keep to their own kind so wandered a little further and found another place to sample. Although the waiter only spoke broken English, we managed to order a dinner for 2. I was feeling adventurous and a little rushed and basically chose at random from the menu when it was my turn to order. We received our main and mine had white meat and fine bones. It turns out that I had ordered fusion food. It was Thai spices with a French flair. Frog legs. (one wonders what they do with the rest of the thing) Frog tastes kind of watery.
We actually got out of Paris - sort of - for one day. It was just unfortunate that I had accidentally miss-booked the hotel - oops. We had found our way to Versailles when we received the call from our hotel, "Why haven't you checked out?" So regrettably after much embarrassment on my part and us only getting to see the outside of the estate, that we turned around and headed back to the city. Versailles is on top of my list of things to do when I get back to France. That and Angelina's of course. It was at Versailles that we encountered our first example of French passion. We were speaking with a woman trying to ensure that we could get back into the museum as our tickets had already been stamped. A misunderstanding ensued - as it often does with me - and the woman thought that we were hoping to see Versailles in an hour. She started yelling - not angrily but with great passion - "HOW could you think you could see any of Versailles in an hour!?! It would take 3 DAYS to see it properly!" Obviously very proud and passionate about her work. Sadly, we didn't go back to see it, but it will be the first thing I do when I get back to the most beautiful city in the world.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Ah Gay Parie
Ah Paris, the city of love, the city of lights, the reason that romantics - the world over - save their pennies. It is the most visited city in the world and from the moment that you step into it's streets, you can see exactly why.
The day before we found out about the news of Simon's visa, we had pretty much given up hope that we would be able to stay in Europe, so we decided that we had to make the most of our remaining time. We had about enough cash left to tour one city properly and we decided that Paris was our choice. I had been in Paris before - for one crazy day when in Europe two years ago - and fell hopelessly in love from the first moment. I wanted to share that with Simon.
More trains. We took the Thalys from Rotterdam to Paris with a brief stop in Brussels. We found the website a little broken, but there are some pretty good deals to be had - and when you take into account the hassle of getting in and out of airports, it's faster to travel by train than it is to fly. When the nice person comes around with the cart, don't buy the coffee. No cup of coffee should taste that bad.
We have been in Paris for only a few hours, and from the moment we stepped off out into the Gaue du Nord, we could tell we were in a whole different world. Everything about Paris is presented beautifully, it's just the way they choose to do things here.
We ate at a restaurant serving typical French cuisine, and as you would expect, it is very rich. Duck thigh with sauteed chats was more than enough for me. The skin was thick with fat and a small amount of this with the flesh that fell from the bone simply melted in my mouth.
I think I am going to leave this city spherical. But it's going to be worth it.
The day before we found out about the news of Simon's visa, we had pretty much given up hope that we would be able to stay in Europe, so we decided that we had to make the most of our remaining time. We had about enough cash left to tour one city properly and we decided that Paris was our choice. I had been in Paris before - for one crazy day when in Europe two years ago - and fell hopelessly in love from the first moment. I wanted to share that with Simon.
More trains. We took the Thalys from Rotterdam to Paris with a brief stop in Brussels. We found the website a little broken, but there are some pretty good deals to be had - and when you take into account the hassle of getting in and out of airports, it's faster to travel by train than it is to fly. When the nice person comes around with the cart, don't buy the coffee. No cup of coffee should taste that bad.
We have been in Paris for only a few hours, and from the moment we stepped off out into the Gaue du Nord, we could tell we were in a whole different world. Everything about Paris is presented beautifully, it's just the way they choose to do things here.
We ate at a restaurant serving typical French cuisine, and as you would expect, it is very rich. Duck thigh with sauteed chats was more than enough for me. The skin was thick with fat and a small amount of this with the flesh that fell from the bone simply melted in my mouth.
I think I am going to leave this city spherical. But it's going to be worth it.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Filling in the gaps...
Mandy's caught you up on our current predicament, so it falls to me to fill in the remaining gap - our experiences between Canada and The Netherlands.
Leaving BC
Our time at UBC was running out fast, so we tried to cram in as much fun as possible before leaving. A trip to a funky sushi restaurant (with a 'Miso Horny' neon sign, no less) and a last-minute tour of UBC's TRIUMF particle accelerator rounded out our delightful stay. (The TRIUMF tour was engrossing, and took more than two hours - we almost made us miss our next flight. Light speed packing and a very friendly taxi driver got us to Vancouver International on time, though, and on to our marathon trans-Canada, trans-Atlantic flight.)
Great Britain
Maybe it's the dyed hair, or the way we volunteer too much information - whatever it is, the staid, buttoned-down variety of airline staff just don't seem to like us. Case in point - our arrival at Heathrow. After trying to explain our plan to work in The Netherlands, the immigration officer explained that he had no idea if he could let us through (fearing that we'd be deported back to the UK if our crazy scheme failed) and dumped us on a bench for half an hour or so, while he talked to most of the Dutch migration department (or so it seemed.) When he finally staggered back (to find us slumped on the bench, nearly passed out from lack of sleep) he admitted that he really had no idea what he was doing, and that apparently people did go to other countries to work, and he was supposed to let them. We bit back a few choice words about clueless bureaucrats and headed for the train station.
It's seems a little weird thing to say, but I really like London's public transport system. The claustrophobic little trains, the complete absence of wheel-chair accessibility - nothing could dampen my ardour for the beautifully designed tube maps (the only present I asked for from my sister's visit to London) and the delightful station names (locals must be able to spot Aussies instantly by the giggling every time the female (and very proper) English announcer says 'Cockfosters'.) We picked up some Oyster cards and took our first trip into the grand old city of London. (The Oyster cards were our first experience with these (insecure) RFID public transport cards - Rotterdam has a similar system called OV-Chipkaart, and Australia is also supposed to be getting one - the much delayed Myki system.)
London turned out to a lot of fun. Our hosts were in the process of moving, so apart from the occasional pub quiz, we were mostly left to our own devices. We explored museums, parks, climbed St Paul's and shopped the Camden Markets 'til we nearly dropped. A week is nowhere near enough to do justice to this huge warren of a city, and we were sad to say our goodbyes, and climb on to the bus bound for Harwich.
...For that is where our ferry waited. We decided very early in our trip-planning that neither of us wanted to miss the scenery, so we'd like to avoid flying as much as possible - 'how you get there is the worthier part', as Shepherd Book says. So our trip from the US to Canada was a very pleasant scenic train ride, and a Stena Line ferry had been booked to get us from Great Britain to The Netherlands. And though the train trip to Harwich had been replaced by an uncomfortable bus, the ferry ride itself more than made up for it. Good rooms, nice food, and smooth seas made the crossing very pleasant - and although the the fog was near-impeneterable when we arrived at the 'Hoek Van Holland' ('Hook of Holland' - a small port on the west coast of The Netherlands) we were still standing excitedly on the deck, waiting for our first sight of land.
The Netherlands
It's strange to look back on that day now - leaving the boat early in the morning, negotiating slowly with the sleepy immigration officials, and finally climbing on to the Rotterdam train - because it took place only a short distance from where we're now living. All the train stations that seemed so alien then are now familiar, running along the line we use every day to get around; the language, the architecture, the faces - all changed from bizarre then, to common now.
Through trial and error we found our way to Rotterdam Central Station, and then a tram out to our hotel. Wrestling with heavy suitcases, our first properly foreign language signage (American doesn't count) and the frequent obstruction of canals, we finally reach our destination and signed in. And then we slept for about three days, interrupted only by meals and a few rambling explorations of the suburbs around the hotel.
Having recovered from our travels, I contacted my prospective employers and visited them, where I was disappointed the discover that my work permit still hadn't been awarded (little did I know that I'd still be waiting for it two months later.) Having little else to do in Rotterdam, I contacted some the Dutch side of my family and arranged to spend spend some time with them.
My 'aunt' Els (my mother's cousin, technically) has been a regular visitor to Australia, so we thoguh we'd start by returning the favour. She was tremendously welcoming - both she and her partner Cees (pronounced 'Case') had taken time off work so that they could show us around the area of Alkmaar, where they live (and where, apparently, my mother was born.)
The cheese market, the crazy canal boat ride (some of the bridges it goes under are 40 centimetres above the water! You basically have to lie in the bottom of the boat!) real working windmills, bike rides, crossing the dam of the IJsselmeer, sailing El's brother's yacht - we saw more of The Netherlands in that week than we have in the months since.
Then it was a week with Aris and Jeanet Kijper, and their sons Pieter and Martijn, where we enjoyed the luxury of having their whole campervan to ourselves. We toured Edam, visted Amsterdam, and managed to catch the Kijper family party, which celebrated birthdays for most of the family.
For most of those two weeks, though, we were in contact with real estate agents in Rotterdam - and in the second week we made several trips down to check out places to live. At first we were a little dismayed at the cost of apartments, but once we got a sense of the market we quickly found a place that suited out needs (Thanks to Heidi at RotsVast Group. :) ) With Martijn's help (specifically, his van) we were soon moved into our new home.
...which brings us roughly up to date: after almost two months of waiting in our nice apartment my work visa has finally been awarded, and as long as we can run the bureaucratic gauntlet involved to get residence visas for us both, we'll be here for at least the next six months. We're settling into Rotterdam, making friends and getting familiar with attitudes and the language, and generally trying to make the most of our time here. I guess the next adventure will be starting work, unless we find time for just a little more travel before then...
Leaving BC
Our time at UBC was running out fast, so we tried to cram in as much fun as possible before leaving. A trip to a funky sushi restaurant (with a 'Miso Horny' neon sign, no less) and a last-minute tour of UBC's TRIUMF particle accelerator rounded out our delightful stay. (The TRIUMF tour was engrossing, and took more than two hours - we almost made us miss our next flight. Light speed packing and a very friendly taxi driver got us to Vancouver International on time, though, and on to our marathon trans-Canada, trans-Atlantic flight.)
Great Britain
Maybe it's the dyed hair, or the way we volunteer too much information - whatever it is, the staid, buttoned-down variety of airline staff just don't seem to like us. Case in point - our arrival at Heathrow. After trying to explain our plan to work in The Netherlands, the immigration officer explained that he had no idea if he could let us through (fearing that we'd be deported back to the UK if our crazy scheme failed) and dumped us on a bench for half an hour or so, while he talked to most of the Dutch migration department (or so it seemed.) When he finally staggered back (to find us slumped on the bench, nearly passed out from lack of sleep) he admitted that he really had no idea what he was doing, and that apparently people did go to other countries to work, and he was supposed to let them. We bit back a few choice words about clueless bureaucrats and headed for the train station.
It's seems a little weird thing to say, but I really like London's public transport system. The claustrophobic little trains, the complete absence of wheel-chair accessibility - nothing could dampen my ardour for the beautifully designed tube maps (the only present I asked for from my sister's visit to London) and the delightful station names (locals must be able to spot Aussies instantly by the giggling every time the female (and very proper) English announcer says 'Cockfosters'.) We picked up some Oyster cards and took our first trip into the grand old city of London. (The Oyster cards were our first experience with these (insecure) RFID public transport cards - Rotterdam has a similar system called OV-Chipkaart, and Australia is also supposed to be getting one - the much delayed Myki system.)
London turned out to a lot of fun. Our hosts were in the process of moving, so apart from the occasional pub quiz, we were mostly left to our own devices. We explored museums, parks, climbed St Paul's and shopped the Camden Markets 'til we nearly dropped. A week is nowhere near enough to do justice to this huge warren of a city, and we were sad to say our goodbyes, and climb on to the bus bound for Harwich.
...For that is where our ferry waited. We decided very early in our trip-planning that neither of us wanted to miss the scenery, so we'd like to avoid flying as much as possible - 'how you get there is the worthier part', as Shepherd Book says. So our trip from the US to Canada was a very pleasant scenic train ride, and a Stena Line ferry had been booked to get us from Great Britain to The Netherlands. And though the train trip to Harwich had been replaced by an uncomfortable bus, the ferry ride itself more than made up for it. Good rooms, nice food, and smooth seas made the crossing very pleasant - and although the the fog was near-impeneterable when we arrived at the 'Hoek Van Holland' ('Hook of Holland' - a small port on the west coast of The Netherlands) we were still standing excitedly on the deck, waiting for our first sight of land.
The Netherlands
It's strange to look back on that day now - leaving the boat early in the morning, negotiating slowly with the sleepy immigration officials, and finally climbing on to the Rotterdam train - because it took place only a short distance from where we're now living. All the train stations that seemed so alien then are now familiar, running along the line we use every day to get around; the language, the architecture, the faces - all changed from bizarre then, to common now.
Through trial and error we found our way to Rotterdam Central Station, and then a tram out to our hotel. Wrestling with heavy suitcases, our first properly foreign language signage (American doesn't count) and the frequent obstruction of canals, we finally reach our destination and signed in. And then we slept for about three days, interrupted only by meals and a few rambling explorations of the suburbs around the hotel.
Having recovered from our travels, I contacted my prospective employers and visited them, where I was disappointed the discover that my work permit still hadn't been awarded (little did I know that I'd still be waiting for it two months later.) Having little else to do in Rotterdam, I contacted some the Dutch side of my family and arranged to spend spend some time with them.
My 'aunt' Els (my mother's cousin, technically) has been a regular visitor to Australia, so we thoguh we'd start by returning the favour. She was tremendously welcoming - both she and her partner Cees (pronounced 'Case') had taken time off work so that they could show us around the area of Alkmaar, where they live (and where, apparently, my mother was born.)
The cheese market, the crazy canal boat ride (some of the bridges it goes under are 40 centimetres above the water! You basically have to lie in the bottom of the boat!) real working windmills, bike rides, crossing the dam of the IJsselmeer, sailing El's brother's yacht - we saw more of The Netherlands in that week than we have in the months since.
Then it was a week with Aris and Jeanet Kijper, and their sons Pieter and Martijn, where we enjoyed the luxury of having their whole campervan to ourselves. We toured Edam, visted Amsterdam, and managed to catch the Kijper family party, which celebrated birthdays for most of the family.
For most of those two weeks, though, we were in contact with real estate agents in Rotterdam - and in the second week we made several trips down to check out places to live. At first we were a little dismayed at the cost of apartments, but once we got a sense of the market we quickly found a place that suited out needs (Thanks to Heidi at RotsVast Group. :) ) With Martijn's help (specifically, his van) we were soon moved into our new home.
...which brings us roughly up to date: after almost two months of waiting in our nice apartment my work visa has finally been awarded, and as long as we can run the bureaucratic gauntlet involved to get residence visas for us both, we'll be here for at least the next six months. We're settling into Rotterdam, making friends and getting familiar with attitudes and the language, and generally trying to make the most of our time here. I guess the next adventure will be starting work, unless we find time for just a little more travel before then...
Thursday, August 7, 2008
So it's been a while... let's skip ahead to what's going on now.
So it's been a while since our last post. Alas it has been both eventful and uneventful on this leg of our trip.
We arrived in Holland on the 2nd of June and it's been fun visiting family and meeting new friends (hey guys) but alas our adventures may be cut short. Since arriving in The Netherlands Simon and I have been working through the bureaucracythat is Immigration and alas we are not winning.
It was always the plan to work in Holland. Simon's mother is Dutch we decided to settle in Holland as he wanted to get in touch with his family's roots and I wanted to learn another language. So settling here seemed to be a great idea and opportunity.
Simon found his employers before we left Australia. When they decided to offer Simon a position, we requested they aquire a 'Knowledge Migrant Visa" for him, instead of the usual Work/Residence permit combination. There were several reasons for this; The application process would be over quickly (about 2 weeks compared to up to 6 months for a regular work permit), we would be able to live in Holland without the need for additional residence visas (mine alone was going to be E800 and Simon's would be an additional E450 on top of the cost of the work permit) and finally I - as Simon's partner - would automatically get a work visa. (I think this is because the Dutch government wouldn't want me to be bored or want to leave the country before I enticed my partner to spend all the money he had earned in Holland.)
Unfortunately they decided that Simon wouldn't qualify for a knowledge migrant visa because he was under 30 and they couldn't afford to pay him the minimum amount required by the visa. It was only when we arrived in Holland that we were told they were only applying for a regular work permit. (Actually the legislation allowes under 30s to use this particular visa type at a lower wage.)
That meant a couple of things:
Bummer.
His potential employers have now decided to apply for the Knowledge Migrant Visa as they found the updated information that means Simon qualifies for that process. Now the company themselves has to qualify for the higly skilled migrant scheme. They need to submit financial documentation to the government that they are a financially able to support and employ a highly skilled migrant.
So now it is a race against time. Our next flights are booked for the 27th of August, our tourist visas run out on the 2nd of September - will they be able to qualify for the knowledge migrant scheme and book us an appointment to become knowledge migrants? Or will the decisioon be reversed for the regular work visa? Or will we just go home...
Today I checked out hostels in Bangkok... just in case.
Simon and I have been wrestling with this problem for the past 2 months and it's been keeping us up at night.
We're both ambivalent about what we would like to do. Do we want to fight to stay? We have met some great people and we have a great opportunity to learn another language and experience a different type of life here in Holland. But it's difficult, we're missing friends and family and if we go home, we can save more money and try again. We can come back here or to another country and have some idea of what we can expect and what we will need to do before we go.
To miss-quote The Clash - should we stay or should we go?
We arrived in Holland on the 2nd of June and it's been fun visiting family and meeting new friends (hey guys) but alas our adventures may be cut short. Since arriving in The Netherlands Simon and I have been working through the bureaucracythat is Immigration and alas we are not winning.
It was always the plan to work in Holland. Simon's mother is Dutch we decided to settle in Holland as he wanted to get in touch with his family's roots and I wanted to learn another language. So settling here seemed to be a great idea and opportunity.
Simon found his employers before we left Australia. When they decided to offer Simon a position, we requested they aquire a 'Knowledge Migrant Visa" for him, instead of the usual Work/Residence permit combination. There were several reasons for this; The application process would be over quickly (about 2 weeks compared to up to 6 months for a regular work permit), we would be able to live in Holland without the need for additional residence visas (mine alone was going to be E800 and Simon's would be an additional E450 on top of the cost of the work permit) and finally I - as Simon's partner - would automatically get a work visa. (I think this is because the Dutch government wouldn't want me to be bored or want to leave the country before I enticed my partner to spend all the money he had earned in Holland.)
Unfortunately they decided that Simon wouldn't qualify for a knowledge migrant visa because he was under 30 and they couldn't afford to pay him the minimum amount required by the visa. It was only when we arrived in Holland that we were told they were only applying for a regular work permit. (Actually the legislation allowes under 30s to use this particular visa type at a lower wage.)
That meant a couple of things:
- When we arrived, we discovered that 6 months after the application process started, Simon's visa still wasn't ready. We weren't prepared for this and so didn't have the proper documentation for a alternative like a working-holiday visa, which would also have allowed us to stay in the county for up to 12 months. That means that we can only stay in Holland for 3 months, on a regular tourist visa. (Holland and Australia have a work exchange program running. Australians are allowed to arrive without prior processing in Holland and as long as they report to the IND within the first 3 days, they don't need special visas but can stay for 12 months and work for 6 of those if they choose to. We were prepared for this and visited the IND however we didn't see we needed to apply for documentation from Australia before we left. It turns out we needed a letter from the Australian Government stating that we were elligible for the work exchange program.)
- We needed to figure out getting residence visas and work our way through the bizarre application process. We had to apply to several different departments simultaneously, however, the process is difficult. Each department needs proof that the applicant is undergoing due process. Alas, the departments don't talk to each other but each department requires proof that you are applying for all the other relevant departments at the same time. We needed letters from the involved departments to prove to other involved departments that we had applied correctly before we could make an appointment to see any officials.
- I was stuck without a way to get a job. It turns out that you need a work visa before you can apply for a job through a recruitment agency and you need a job before you can apply for a work visa.
Bummer.
His potential employers have now decided to apply for the Knowledge Migrant Visa as they found the updated information that means Simon qualifies for that process. Now the company themselves has to qualify for the higly skilled migrant scheme. They need to submit financial documentation to the government that they are a financially able to support and employ a highly skilled migrant.
So now it is a race against time. Our next flights are booked for the 27th of August, our tourist visas run out on the 2nd of September - will they be able to qualify for the knowledge migrant scheme and book us an appointment to become knowledge migrants? Or will the decisioon be reversed for the regular work visa? Or will we just go home...
Today I checked out hostels in Bangkok... just in case.
Simon and I have been wrestling with this problem for the past 2 months and it's been keeping us up at night.
We're both ambivalent about what we would like to do. Do we want to fight to stay? We have met some great people and we have a great opportunity to learn another language and experience a different type of life here in Holland. But it's difficult, we're missing friends and family and if we go home, we can save more money and try again. We can come back here or to another country and have some idea of what we can expect and what we will need to do before we go.
To miss-quote The Clash - should we stay or should we go?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)