A visit & a little football

On Friday I received a visit from a friend I hadn't seen in two years. Having picked her up at the train station Drienerlo, after a two hour plane ride and two hour train ride, she was tired, but looking forward to a couple of relaxing days before finishing off university :)

Saturday was the day to show her around campus and the city of Enschede, where I found, in one of the stores, that they were selling Portuguese flags. It is worth mentioning, however, that they were also selling Brazilian, American and Japanese flags, for example...

It is true that when someone visits you, you end up seeing places you haven't had a chance of seeing before - especially the ones closer to you. This means that I visited Volkspark for the first time and other such green areas surrounding the campus. It was nice to enjoy nature at its best, and keeping company with the rabbits. 

Sunday we ventured a little further, although not too much (so that the train ride would not be too long). Having previously visited Deventer and Zuthpen, this time around, I ended up seeing other things I did not get a chance to see the first time. 

The reason for having chosen Deventer, rests on the fact that it was the closest place I could think of that had a windmill :) If you have seen a windmill in the Netherlands, then you have really seen the country... Zutphen ended up being a convenience visit, due a detour caused by the works that were being done on the railways.

Ah, but the day could not finish without the Portuguese folks getting together to watch Portugal vs The Netherlands :) We all 'dressed up' in the national colors and made our way to the Oude Markt in the center of Enschede. A lot was at stake, considering that the Netherlands needed to beat us to go through to the quarter-finals and vice-versa. 

The game started off negatively for us, but luckily Ronaldo came through and helped Portugal make it. In the beginning, the Dutch were full of confidence, but alas, their team failed them and some decorations fell before the final whistle was blown. After taking pictures with us before the match and congratulating us on the win, I have to say I appreciate the fair-play shown by everyone :D Today, we will face-off the Czechs in the quarter-finals. 

Groningen

This post is about a week overdue... My apologies but last week was a little hectic withe the attempt to get results and finish an abstract to submit by Friday, watching Portugal pass to the quarter finals of the Euro 2012, and receiving a visit from a friend I hadn't seen in two years.

But on to the purpose of this post. On Sunday, June 10th me and a couple of friends made our way to Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands. It is now the northernmost point I have ever traveled too :)

@ Groninger Museum

@ Sint Martinuskerk

@ Vera international pop underground club

There is one thing that has been able to amaze me in most of the cities I have visited here in the Netherlands. Near churches or parks, I always find a sun clock. Now, in a country where the sun is rarity, why would there be such a need for sun clocks? 

@ Prinsentuin 

@ University of Groningen

@ A-Kerk

@ Dutch cartoon museum

Later in the afternoon, we were joined by other friends. With them we saw what was still left to be seen in the city before making our way back to Enschede. The day wasn't particularly warm but it was still an enjoyable trip to culminate my journey throughout the major cities of this country. I think I can now, honestly, say that I know more places in the Netherlands than the average Dutch! :)