Arrived.......

After almost 22 hours on the road I have arrived in Nagasaki 長崎. With Lufthansa from Amsterdam to Frankfurt, onto Kansai International airport (Osaka airport) in business class, very nice indeed, and on with a domestic flight to Fukuoka. Then another 2 1/2 hours by highway bus to Nagasaki and....yes there are lots of palmtrees, very green environment and it's hot...!!! IJey (aka Ilya) picked me up from the busstation and took me to the hotel.
Since it's a 'business hotel' you cannot check-in before 4 pm. So to while away this half hour before crashing, I'm checking my email and updating my Blog. Will have beer and dinner tonight...need it!!
Tomorrow Bart, Colin, Rob and I will meet up in front of Nagasaki Station at 10.30 to go the University.
Plenty of things still to do...register with the police, get a bank account, get a multiple entry visa and most important a mobile phone, 携帯電話.

Last entry in Amsterdam....

Today is my last day in Amsterdam....it feels weird and sad at the same time to leave this house (our home) for a year. I've gone on many a trip for a while and to far away places too but somehow this feels different....
Had lunch with Aty , very enjoyable indeed, and apart from putting the laptop in a bag, I'm as ready as can be. I still have to water the plants, give the keys to our neighbour Pernilla..
It's going to be quiet evening at home..hope to Skype with Paul later on.
Just got a phone call from Andre & Jan to wish me ' Bon Voyage' , something I really do appreciate since I almost thought that our contact had come to an end...

Bob and Walter will pick me up at 08.00 o'clock in the morning to take me to the airport to make sure I'm really gone...... :-)
Any way my next entry will be from Japan.........

P.S. Just realized that if you don't have Japanese IME on your PC you can't see any of the japanese charachters I put in my 物語, monogatari or diary that is.

Packing......

Paul has left for Pakistan yesterday and I started arranging all the stuff that I think I will need for year in Japan neatly on the couch...an overabundance of cables for laptops and all the other 'need to bring' gadgets. Miss Paul already..it's going to be real tough..won't see one another till december 3rd (his birthday) in Bangkok.
Had dinner with Majella & Bernard (their treat again) in a nice italian place called Frenzi, where Pim was also dining with Peter. Small town indeed!!. A couple of beers with Peter (another one...sometimes I think everybody in this town is called Peter) in cafe Zuid.
Tonight another farewell dinner at Martin & Walter's house together with Pim.
Tomorrow to Bilthoven to see Aty, just back from the Algarve, for lunch....
Need to do last minute things..and probably will forget a lot of things.

Gobsmacked......

Not being any different from all the other complaining dutch folk..I was more than pleasantly surprised about the 'surprise party' that my friends organized for me last friday. Absolutely clueless Paul and I went to Hans' house for dinner to find my friends Pim & Nick, Stefan & Leon, Zoran, Cees, Mark & Frederik, Martin & Walter, Ton & Diederik, Bob, Pieter & Peter, Roy shouting out : SURPRISE.....when I came in through the door. Not one for being lost for words I was quite taken aback (real tears..sweetie darling) about this...we had typical dutch dinner (Boerenkoolstamppot met worst and Vlaflip for dessert). They composed and sang a farewell song and a gay time was had by all...also due to the many prezzies I got.
Next day another farewell dinner on Saturday in the 'Star Ferry', a new restaurant in the 'Muziekgebouw aan het IJ' with Joke & Nicole, Pieter & Peter, Zoran and Paul. Great food, stunning views and extremely lousy service....ah well...we managed.
Joel & Niels couldn't be there so saw them on Sunday for drinks and canapes, with Theodore & Pierre and Rick & Petros. Niels, I know for sure is coming to visit me in Japan......
Off to the April for a last 'Happy Hour' with the whole gang again before heading off to Zoran for dinner with 'Lamb a la Serbe'. Thanks...

All kinds of everything.........

Paul and Stefan did really well in the 'Dam tot Dam loop', a 16 Km run last sunday with 1:10 hr and 1:11 hr repectively. Leon, Sylvia and myself cheered halfway and at the finish. Monday night dinner at Dick & Robert..a summer barbecue on their terrace....great food and good company. Went to Den Bosch on tuesday evening to see Swantje, who is doing a practical period down there for three months before moving to Amsterdam to do another 3 months. Dinner at an Asian Fusion place...looked great but bland food.
Captain Bert and I took the boat back to Warmond on wednesday...great weather and it took us about 5 1/2 hours inclusive of lunch. In the evening had to play bridge with Pim, Marcel and Bill while Hans cooked a fab meal beforehand.
After lunch with Jeanine in Panama (her treat), Paul and I went to the 'Concertgebouw-orchestra' conducted by Haitink with Webern's 'Im Sommerwind', Mahler's 'Rueckert Lieder' with newcomer Christianne Stotijn singing the mezzo part (great voice...did masterclasses with Jard van Nes and Janet Baker) and boring old 3rd symphony by Beethoven (Eroica).
Paul is organizing a farewell dinner this saturday for some friends in 'the Star Ferry', the new café-restaurant in the 'muziekgebouw aan het IJ', the latest venue for the über-hip inAmsterdam. Some friends are unfortunately unable to come...shame on them. Will see them next year again.

Busy, busy, busy........

The last couple of days have been very busy indeed. Going to see friends and family (Sjakkelien & Twan in Nijmegen on tuesday the 13th, dinner with our neighbours Bart & William, dinner here with Carla and Frans, dinner with Majella & Bernard, coffee and lunch with Bert & Will in Baarn).
Went to the opening yesterday, saturday the 17th, of 'Art in Red Light' in the 'Oude Kerk' op de Wallen where known and lesser known artists exhibited their latest and best work in a serene and monumental background. very impressed by the work of Bilal Chahal (large abstract paintings), Nelson Carilho (bronzes) and Bert Frijns (Glass bowls). Invitation was provided by our friend Peter Nagtzaam...fab!!
Took Zoran out for Dinner to brasserie Bark for his 30st (again) birthday where we enjoyed oysters, lobster and lotsa Pouilly Fumé.

Today is the 'Dam tot Dam loop' in which Paul and Stefan will run 16 kilometers..easy..!!
Tonight off to another family visit in Alkmaar (Paul's sister Marlies, husband Eric and the kids,
Marloes, Lisette and Thomas).

News from Nagasaki

Just heard from Sylvia (was in Nagasaki last time) that we, the students, may have to share rooms (for a year ???) and that we need to buy all kinds of things (sheets, towels, chopsticks etc.) in those 100-yen shops in order to survive. Maybe an appartment in town is not a bad idea after all. Maybe Alexandra wants to share...should be fun.
First the University told us that they would pick us up at the airport 長崎空港 or at the trainstation　長崎駅 but now we have to make our own way. There are two Nagasaki Daigaku stations 1) Nagasaki Daigaku Byōin Mae 長崎大学病院前 (the hospital) and 2) Nagasaki Daigaku Mae 長崎大学前 so we have to make sure to get out at number 2....Guess what...a taxi will do the trick, I believe. Then ask the porter to direct me to the International Student Exchange Division 留学生科. For more info see http://www.cc.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/english/index.html
The last couple of weeks are going very rapidly indeed and I still don't know where to park the boat for the winter, Warmond or Loosdrecht. have to make up my mind quickly though other wise the weather becomes too bad and will be gone to good old Japan.

Aria from Manon Lescaut: in quelle trine morbide

Vienna

Left for Vienna on friday the 9th with my good friend Wim to do the town and go to the opera. Puccini's Manon Lescaut at the 'StaatsOper' with Barbara Haveman as Manon. We dressed up for the occasion and had champagne and canapés with smoked salmon and caviar reserved for the interval....very chic indeed, so us......!!. The performance was outstanding with fab sets and beautiful voices. The 3rd and 4th act were superb indeed and yes, Manon, who couldn't decide between rags + true love and riches dies 'sola, perduta e abandonata', while singing 'Tutto è finito'....... There is a lesson to be learned here, somewhere......
Did Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs summer residence, and MAK, Museum für angwandte Kunst, full of applied art by the 'Wiener Werkstätte' (e.g. Loos, Wagner, Hoffmann and Moser) and the 'Albertina', the former city residence of the imperial family. Mingled with the local gays (Café Savoy, next to the 'Naschmarkt'), who are a bit shy to say the least.
Lotsa 'Gulashsuppe' and 'Sachertorte'...our staple diet in Vienna.

After a quiet flight back home, Wim was picked up at the airport by his man, Jos, and myself by my man, Paul, who had spent a weekend in his mothers summer-house in Belgium with Stefan & Leon and Ton & Diederik.

Family Business

A whole day in Breda, in the south of Holland, on wednesday 7th to be with Heleen, my sister in law, and her husband Pieter and their kids, Thijs and Mijke. A lot of fun and noise as always but pleasantly so. The day afterwards to Bergen in Noord-Holland where my mother in law, Len, lives. Always a pleasure to be there and a very warm embraceable atmosphere permeates the air. Had smoked eel (くんせい ウヌアギ, 燻製鰻, kunsei unagi) a typical dutch delicacy,for lunch and just loved it.

Propedeuse

On Tuesday 6th September we received our 'propedeuse certificates' in 'het Arsenaal' in Leiden. After two years of hard work...YEAH !!
Oswald, Colin, Gijs, Bart, Paul, Pina and Alexandra. Sebastiaan got his one too but was'nt there in time for this picture (taken by Paul Janssen).
Dinner in the evening with Aty, Jolanda & Theo and Paul in het 'Wijn en Spijslokaal' in Bilthoven to celebrate this and to say farewell. Got a great watch and a cool ballpoint plus a good bottle of champagne to get in the mood. Thanks guys...

Evening Cruise

As decided last Friday evening I picked up the folks (Nick & Pim, Peter, Roy, Stefan, Diederik and Paul) up at the Kloveniersburgwal and went through the canals of Amsterdam on a hot and humid evening....great. Lotsa food and drinks again and just great fun.
I will definiteley miss that in Nagasaki......

Wedding

Left for Frankfurt on Saturday morning to attend Olaf & Katja's wedding. Church ceremony in Ober-Ramstadt with 'Sekt-empfang' afterwards and dinner. drinks and dancing (the three D's) in a bar called Stella, the only hip and happening place in a otherwise rather boring Darmstadt ... Sorry. People (Mark, Margarethe & Heinrich, Florian & Silke and Iris especially) were great to be with. Even two people from Amsterdam, Alice & Christiaan.
Brunch on Sunday with people from far away (like Bernard & Judy from NYC) and back in Amsterdam in the evening. Knackered...!!!!!

Concert

Enjoyed a wonderful performance of Pergolesi's 'Stabat Mater' and Bach's 'Magnificat' in the 'Waalse Kerk' with our friend Frederik Furnée playing the cello on friday the 2nd september. Afterwards we went drinking (what else is new?) in the Barderij with Pim & Nick, Cees, Diederik & Ton, Roy and Paul and myself.......stayed up till 02.00 a.m. and off to Frankfurt the next day for Olaf & Katja's wedding in Darmstadt.

Money, money, money.....

Received news yesterday from Rachelle that we will get the money from the University, as promised. Still need to fill out a form with all the details of the gang, like name, studentnumber and bankaccount so that the International Office can remit the amount to us. Pffffui...another hurdle taken. Mind you I will see it when it's actually on my account.
Today is a windy and cloudy, yet warm day so we will go out cruising the canals once again with Alma & Ilco, Willemijn and Miranda and Marjan will join us on the way. Wine, nibblies etc will as usual be provided. It's going to be fun. Paul will return tonight from Geneva. I miss him.