i shouldn’t let the week pass without mentioning the new postcrossing stamps. they’re the reason we detoured our vacation to the netherlands, so that p. could receive the first sheet of stamps from the hands of postnl’s marketing manager.

it’s a true honour to have your work immortalised in a stamp, and somewhat of a surreal feeling too. we’ve bought the stamp and used it on postcards, but it still feels strange to think that people out there are sending postcards with it.

stamps are reserved for remarkable things, the kind that we want to collect and remember – and having postcrossing up there in that category is pretty neat. after all, how many websites have their own stamp? :)

there’s something so simple and right about this… the netherlands might be the land of snacks & small pleasures :)

how can one come to the netherlands and resist the omnipresent stroopwafle? it would be like going to belgium and not eating chocolate…
the sweet smell coming from a tent on the alkmaar fair was enough to stop us on our tracks and grab a couple of them. these thin slices of warm waffle, stuck together with syrup are a divine dutch treat. yum!

hagelslag (blowing hail?) are dutch chocolate sprinkles – invented in 1936 by mr. de vries, in reply to a child who wrote him asking for a chocolate topping to put on his bread.
to use them, spread some butter a piece of bread and sprinkle some on top. allow me to illustrate:



the butter is optional, but it helps them stick better. more than the different flavours, i think what makes hagelslag special is the texture – it’s just nice to bite the tiny crunchy pieces of chocolate, and let them slowly melt in your mouth…

they have a special kind of sprinkles called muisjes (little mice) that are spread on round rusks when a baby is born, and offered to friends or family. they’re either pink or blue, according to the sex of the newborn. isn’t that a nice tradition? :)

after four years away, our memories of vla had raised to the likes of magical elixir. i’m happy to say it did not disappoint: it’s still as good as we remember it, perhaps even better. my favourite flavours were always the seasonal ones, and this summer vla of raspberry & peach is just amazing. someone should seriously think of exporting this.

i’m having a hard time keeping my focus today, because paulo discovered something completely and totally awesome: GOOGLE MAPS HAS STREET VIEW IN THE NETHERLANDS*!! :D

sounds random, but if you, like me, have spent some time abroad, the temptation of checking out all the familiar places is irresistible and very likely to send you on a nostalgic roller-coaster all day long. for my groningen peeps, here are some familiar sights. i’m sure some of these will make you go awwwwww as well :)

our student house, in van houtenlaan, the first place i checked for :) it looks the same and i can almost see my room here…

the albert heijn we used to go to!

mamma mini, my favourite thrift store!! how i’ve missed you!

the zernikeborg!

the gasunie building where i used to work!

grote markt, vismarkt, sally o’brien… *happy sigh*

oh, the nostalgia of happy times with friends in all of these places… and now if you excuse me, i’m going to peruse the other million spots in this beautiful city…

(*well not in the whole of the netherlands – just amsterdam, rotterdam.. and groningen!)

this post is an unusual one: i wouldn’t usually post job-ads, but i’ve heard of a couple of interesting opportunities, that can maybe be of use to someone out there. i hope so. :)

* i received an email from greenpeace international, noting two positions that they have available for portuguese speakers. bad timing for me, but if you’re portuguese or speak the language, and looking for a part-time in amsterdam, maybe you should give them a look. the jobs available are web-editor and media relations specialist. you can apply on their website.

* also, the company where p. works is looking for php developers familiar with symfony, to develop web communities.
you have to either be in shanghai (or willing to move here), be passionate about what you do and be able to demonstrate your know-how. the team is very multicultural, they pay well, have a new loft/warehouse/office (complete with 2 very neat gigantic aquariums!), in-house cook and english/chinese teacher, and a bunch of cool bonus. oh! and the overwhelming experience of living in one of the biggest cities of the world is included. :) interested? leave a comment or send me an email.