We’re back home! It’s weird and wonderful at the same time. But let’s see, what happened these last days..

On Monday I had coffee with Gwynn Mac Donald who I met at the Fringe Festival. She has her own theater company and she had hooked me up with some interesting people in the theater business. I don’t know of I wrote this but it’s so easy to have ‘coffee’ with (business) people in NY. Maybe it’s the same here but I was surprised by their enthusiasm to have me over and talk about their work. It’s something I’d like to continue (back) home since I always felt so motivated after these ‘coffee’ talks. Anyway, I had a nice chat with Gwynn and she is very interested to work with Dutch (female) theater writers in NY so who knows we might be able to do something together in the future. Later in the day I met Paul for the last time. He is working on a big play for NY and Amsterdam in the summer of 2009 and he might need some marketing assistance in the spring. No idea how to do this with my job but these are interesting prospects.

Tuesday Jacco and I had to work for the last time. It felt weird, saying good bye, especially for Jacco who worked there full time for 6 months.  Last week I had already said good bye to the Arabic women at the language center. Aisda, one older very motivated lady gave me a big hug and couldn’t stop kissing me on the cheek…phoeh. That night, we had a good bye dinner with Jacco’s colleagues at Mole, the Mexican restaurant we have grown very fond of. It was a fun evening but we missed Angela who had to work during the evening. That night we walked back home thinking we both have met really nice people. Hopefully we’ll see some of them again.

The following day we pretended it was weekend, slept in, had breakfast at Orchard, walked through the city, did some packing and had dinner at Centro Vinoteca in the West Village. We had been there before with Wayne, Dana and his brother and wife. The food was again wonderful. The next morning we did some last minute (gift) shopping and in the afternoon we started packing. We soon discovered we needed to buy an extra suitcase which would set the total on 6 suitcases, one already taken to Amsterdam by Mark and Chiara, and we came with 4…oh well. We would buy the suitcase the next day since we had to hurry to meet Janneke and Matthias for dinner. We met at 5 points, a nice restaurant with really good food. Janneke & Matthias gave us a fare well card with a fridge magnet of NY, so we couldn’t forget. After dinner we wanted to show them the cocktail bar ‘Little Branch’ but they had a private party so we ended up at Cowgirl where we ordered a pitcher of Frozen Strawberry Margarita’s and hours later got kicked out of the bar. All in all a very fun last New York night!

The next day we went to say good bye to our second breakfast place, the diner run by the Greek family. A filled stomach and a big hug later we went home to finish packing our bags. At 4pm we looked around our  New York home for the last time and closed the door. Jacco had ordered a taxi at the hotel next door so that was very easy. When we rode across the Williamsburg Bridge we felt sad, also excited to go home but sad to leave another home.

We arrived at JFK on time to have a small dinner and to unwind a bit. We were supposed to leave at 8.30pm but during the security check (we already left the gate)  all power in the airplane went down. It got pitch dark and then the pilot told us that there was a problem with one of the generators so we had to go back to the gate to fix this. I’m always very grateful when they discover errors like this on the ground instead of in the air but Jacco and I got a little worried about our transfer time at Heathrow. After a delay of about 1,5 hours we actually left JFK. The flight was ok, we didn’t get any sleep at all but the time past rather quickly. When we got close to Heathrow the pilot told us that we had to circle in the air for a few minutes due to heavy traffic. Our hope of catching that transfer got very small and when we finally landed we knew we couldn’t make it.  So we went to the transfer desk at terminal 5 (the spotless new terminal!) expecting a flight one or two hours later. It turned out that all these flights were booked and that the first two seats were on the 14:30 flight,…5 hours later! We quickly informed Jacco’s parents and my mother that they shouldn’t come to Schiphol yet.  I don’t even know how we passed the time but we must have looked like zombies. At last we could board the plane and I fell asleep immediately. Turns out you can sleep uncomfortably in a chair, as long as you’re dead tired. Jacco wasn’t so lucky but this time it was a short flight. We arrived 20 minutes early and were happy to see all of our suitcases traveled with us. We even got happier to see our welcome party in the arrival hall, my mother, Jacco’s parents, Wendy, Roland & Timo, Isabella, Wilmar, Rosa & Ewout, Ap, Yvonne and Shirley.  And a big banner of ‘Welcome Home’. The other surprise was to see Timo walk and even run. Six  months is a long time! This welcome woke us up instantly and we tried to catch up a little bit with coffee at the Delifrance cafe. And then finally home, (my mother bought us a taxi ride) we were greeted with flowers,  cards, groceries and a big pile of empty Starbucks cups in all sizes. And all that space…it did feel immediately as home again which we thought was weird after 6 months…but good, very good.

So, after 6 months back in Amsterdam. I guess this will be (on of) the last blog from this address. Thanks to everyone who welcomed us back and we can’t wait to see you all again and catch up!

As we mentioned in the previous post, this past weekend we were going to see Ian Parker play one more time. RiverFest in Knowlton, NJ, was the main reason he came to the US. Knowlton is situated on the Delaware, in upstate New Jersey. Hard to reach by public transport, but luckily Wayne and Dana had decided to drive up to New Jersey to come and see Ian play as well.

Dana had never seen Ian play, but does like his music enough to have one of his songs as their wedding dance. And the title is actually engraved in her wedding band! So they could not let this opportunity pass meet the guy and to see him play live.

Wayne and Dana actually drove up to New Jersey on Friday night, and spent the night with Wei-li (Wayne’s brother) and Karen. We took a train in the morning (with a delay, so we missed our connection) to New Jersey, and an hour late, we arrived at Westfield train station. We said our quick hellos and gt in the car to drive up to Knowlton. It was a beautiful drive through New Jersey. It’s very hilly (accidented, as some people might call it) and green. It’s so much fun to see some of the countryside when you’ve been in the city for this long! And it’s great to see that all the things you see in movies are in fact real.

People still drive old American cars, huge billboards along the roads are hand-painted, the mailboxes really do have those little red flags on them, and there is a realty company called Buttzville Real Estate. Actually, that is because that whole village is called Buttzville. Not that I’ve seen that in a movie, but I could easily imagine it being in a movie.

Anyway, we arrived at the festival grounds around 2pm, parked the cars across the street and crossed the street to the festival, helped by some very nice crossing guards. The festival grounds had a very relaxed and family feel to it. Lots of different food, no big chain restaurants in sight and a little festival market. One of the things that immediately grabbed my attention, apart from the bouncy castle, was the little food stall that advertised Alligator Sausage. Intriguing!

We found a place to call our homebase for the day, and draped some picnick blankets to stake our claim. Wei-Li and Karen had brought their daughters, Abby and Jillian, and they had to first go to the bouncy castle of course. We tried to find a pair of shorts for me (I was wearing jeans because we wrongly believed the weather forecast yet again), but were unsuccessful.

In the mean time, we were sort of listening to the music in the big tent and the acoustic sets in the little tent. It was fun, but nothing really grabbed our attention. We just really were enjoying the general picnic-type day we were having, buying different types of food (Jamaican Jerk Chicken with collard greens, plantains and rice, corn-on-the-cob, the aforementioned Alligator Sausage (yummy!), funnel cake and crepes with chocolate and banana) and drinks (mainly water, but some lemonade, beer and wine as well). And we played with frisbees, yoyos and beachballs.

It was a lot of fun, and all very relaxing. At around 6.30pm it was Ian’s turn to play. We went up to the front of the stage, as most of the tent was filled with chairs(!?). Some girls were already shouting his name and trying to get his attention while they were still just soundchecking. Ian had been there last year, together with Morg Morgan. And they wanted him back. Unfortunaltely, Morg wasn’t here this time, so he would be playing with ‘hired hands’. To me, this is quite impressive. A band (drums, bass, keys) needs to learn all the songs from a cd, and then play together with Ian in front of a pretty big crowd.

Part of the crowd was really into Ian and the band, and they were greeted with huge cheers. After the chilled and relaxed gigs earlier that week in New York, it was fun seeing him rock out on his earlier songs with the full band.It was clear that this crowd was here for the blues, and that’s what Ian gave them. Long guitar solos, heavy rocking with the band and some impromptu interactions between the organ player and Ian. And very enthusiastic fans! Like a proper rockstar, people wanted to touch him, and one fan actually got on stage and kissed him on the cheek.

Dana and Wayne were both really enjoying themselves, and I think Wei-Li and Karen did as well. It might have been a little too loud for the little ones though, but they were getting tired as well. They left just before the end of the concert, but not before Wei-Li bought one of Ian’s CDs. That’s always a good sign.

We sat around after the concert for a bit, and saw an amazing full moon rise over the hills. Then we spoke to Ian for a bit, and made our way back to the car to drive home. We still needed some food, and found some in Westfield. We got to Wei-Li’s and Karen’s house around midnight, and were shown our room. We actually slept in the girls playroom (yes, that room is bigger than our apartment in NYC).

After a good night’s sleep, we got up relatively early, and had breakfast in their ginormous kitchen. We played some more with Abby and Jillian (maybe I should not have tought them to play volleyball indoors over the little fence they have…), and then went on our way to the station. Wei-Li had suggested to take the bus back, instead of the train, as there is no need for changing then. We had a nice drive through the outskirts of New Jersey and Newark and got back to the 42nd street bus terminal around 1pm.

That meant we still had some time for ourselves on this Sunday! We quickly went home, and met with Nick (our landlord), who came to pick up his mail. Saskia talked to Isabella for a bit via Skype, and then we got on our bikes for a little ride. We decided to go to Williamsburg (Brooklyn), and decided to cycle over the Williamsburg Bridge. That’s a lot of hard work! You get up really high, wich gives you a great view over the East River and the other bridges.

We had some late lunch (coffee and a belgian waffle) at a very trendy place in Williamsburg, and just walked around the place for a bit. It’s got an interestign feel to it. It’s kinda hip and trendy, but maybe a little too much so. People are really watchig eachother, sort of sizing them up or rating them or something. a little weird. We then got back on our bikes, and cycled down to the Manhattan & Brooklyn bridges. That was quite a ride, and took along some huge industrial areas. But once we got the the bridges, things quickly became very picturesque, and I started taking way too many pictures. They’ll be up soon, hopefully.

We then made our way to the little park that’s right between those two bridges, put our little blanket down and did soem reading. Or, I did some reading, and Saskia just fell asleep :-). Around 7pm we packed our things up and cycled back, across the Manhattan Bridge. Another bit of hard work, and enormously crowded with tourists. But luckily most of them kept to the pedestrian side of the path, so without much problems we arrived back in Manhattan. It’s funny to notice the completely different feel that side of the bridge has!

We parked our bikes at home, dropped our stuff and walked to the a restaurant, that turned out to be closed on Sundays. We looked around a little more and then found Tre, where we had a nice dinner.

And that was our weekend.

Sunday was going to be Museum day but first we had breakfast at the Pink Pony, a lovely French cafe with dreamy French waitresses which gave the place an over relaxed atmosphere. Yvon and I had yoghurt with granola and fruit (we had eggs and toast yesterday) and Jacco had strawberry pancakes which were very good! Then Jacco wanted to see if the guitar shop next door had a dobro guitar which he could check out. They had one but he was immediately warned by a blond long haired sales guy that it wasn’t a good one (very honest). Jacco tried it and the guy was right, it wasn’t good, for 400 dollars you expect a honky tonk sound you want to yodel too…or at least Jacco wants to.

We left and as we walked back to Rivington Street where a band was playing we came past a hairdresser where Jacco went in to ask if they, by any chance, had time to give him a haircut. They did and and while Jacco tried to explain about his desired rock and roll ‘kuif’ (Roland, what is that in English?) Yvon and I suddenly heard the owner say ‘warm weer vandaag he!’…turned out to be a man from Crooswijk, Rotterdam who left Holland 37 years ago and now lived with his wife in NY and owned this salon. He still had a Rotterdam accent and it was nice chatting with him. After a about 20 minutes Jacco was finished and very happy with having less hair (this weather makes you want to go bald!). We then decided we would finally go uptown to go to the Metropolitan Museum. I don’t know how we did it but when we arrived we had about an hour so we decided we would only see the Turner exposition and the roof top with the Jeff Koons sculptures and of course the amazing view. When the museum closed we left for a shady space in Cental Parkand Jacco offered to run to a deli and get us some drinks and chips. You know how you sometimes end up somewhere close to perfect for that moment? Well, this was the spot, just on the outside of the park, thick grass, beautiful trees, quiet with still a lot to see and a cool breeze to lighten the hot and sticky day. We lay and sat there for about two hours…mmmm. But we had another goal for that day…before you think that’s all we did that day, we wanted to show Yvon some more live music! So Yvon hailed her first cab home, we changed and left for the Living Room, one of the live music venues in Lower East Side. Unfortunately the band hadn’t started yet so we just drank a Margarita (Yvon’s first one!). We then decided we would first get some dinner before going to another live venue and ended up at a fusion/mexican place Jacco and I had been before. Despite the fact the place was almost empty (last time it was completely packed) we had a nice dinner and a another (bad) Margarita. Finally we were ready for live music and we went to Rockwood, a cosy venue where about 8 bands per night perform. We saw two completely different acts. The first was a girl on electric guitar with a bass player, drummer and another guy on electric guitar. Her music and voice were nice but it was hard to understand her lyrics and we wondered why she didn’t use an acoustic guitar. That would have given it the warm sound we missed (as if we know anything about it…). The last act was a guy solo on guitar who sang Bob Dylan like songs. He looked quite shy but at that time he was playing before an almost empty bar and thanked us several times for staying and listen to him. Tired but satisfied with our ‘cultural’ day we walked home where Yvon now had the whole apartment to hearself.

Monday we started the day with a skype call with my mother and Teun. They found it very special to see both of us on the NY web cam now. Because I had to prepare for an interview I had that afternoon we went to the Orchard cafe for breakfast and wifi. At two I went to my interview in Chelsea and Yvon went to buy new sunglasses (hers kept dropping a glas) but after half an hour we met up again because due to some misunderstanding the two managers I had a meeting with weren’t in the office. At the Apple store I send an email to arrange for another meeting (so easy being able to do that at the Mac’s there) and Yvon and I went to the Bus Stop Cafe for lunch and to 11th Street Cafe for coffee. We then wanted to go to the river and took a subway near to Pier 17. There we boarded a free ferry to IKEA. I know, it sounds weird but it’s a nice ride to the south of Brooklyn and upon arrival you can immediately take a ferry back,..and again it breaks the heat because we were still in the middle of our heatwave. We then strolled along Pier 17 a bit and went for a drink at a cafe next to Fulton Market where Jacco joined us. We wandered what to do that evening and decided we would like to check out the Hard Rock Karaoke near our place. After a wine at the Marshall stack and noodles at ?? we went to the karaoke bar. They had just started and it was already completely packed. It seemed quite similar to the one in Amsterdam, relaxed atmosphere, extremely good band, mixed crowd, with one apparent difference,…every act was good! No way one of us thought we could go up there, they were all professional singers or very, very good amateurs. So we enjoyed another night of fun live music.

Tuesday we took the the subway downtown and went on a one hour boat trip along the south side of Manhattan. A very good start of the day. It was a bit foggy but we still had the nice views. After that we strolled along Wall Street and visited the Trinity Church. Out on Wall Street again we got a bit nervous of the huge amount of fire trucks and policemen in bomb suites. Yvon asked what was wrong and apparantly there had been a fire in one of the sky skraper’s elevetors, but it was under control. Relieved, we walked to the west waterfront where we had lunch at cafe alongside a small harbour. The spot was lovely with beautifull view on Jersey and in the shade,…so we thought because when we got up Yvon was heavily sunburned. We bought soem Aloevera and tried to take a cab home but this time it wasn’t that easy. We finally got on and this was one of those suicidal trips again. When he dropped us of about half a mile from our place and said that we could walk from here I didn’t know what i was hearing. I told him that I wanted him to drop us off where we had aske him too but he looked at me with a ‘couldn’t care less’face and said he already turned the meter off. Yvon gave him the tipp less money and left his cab when we saw a girl approaching with a large suitcase. We had been dumped for a airport ride! Up till Yvon’s apartment I was fuming and coming up with thing we should have said. To late of course but at least I know what to do next time. At the apartment Yvon covered herself up so she wouldn’t be exposed to the sun anymore and decided she wanted to go to the movie (Tell no one, a mystery drama) while I had to go to my writing course in the West Village. We met up again at her place and luckily her skin felt not too bad. After a quick shat we called it an early night.

Wednesday, after breakfast at Orchard Cafe (of course) we took the subway to Bryant Park to search for a theater book shop we found on the internet. It was just 10 minutes walk from the park and what a perfect shop! I think we spend around an hour there and Yvon looked like a little girl in a candy store! With a full bag we bought a juice at Jamba Juice and sat in the park still gleeming over our purchases. Well, mine was just a ‘boring’ book about ‘the new rules of marketing’ but Yvon bought plays of Becket, a book with monoloques for women and a guide how to study for an American accent! We then briefly visited the old Library where Yvon took some arty pictures of me before we had to run to the subway to be in time for one of the Summer Play Festival plays. It turned out we had the last two tickets to see ‘Future me’, a very impressive play about a guy convicted for pedophilia. Because we didn’t know what the play was going to be about it took us a bit off guard and it got me thinking about it for quite a while. The strenght of the play was that the play was written from the man’s perspective, which it very honest and trouble some. Although Yvon and I could have used a drink after seeing this I didn’t have time because I had to go to a training at the Fringe Festival, where I will be working as a Box Office Manager from August 8th until the 24th.
The training was more an introduction to the box office system during the festival but it made me very enthousiastic! After the training I met Jacco and Yvon at a bar near the restaurant ‘One if by land, two if by sea’ where we had dinner reservations. For a description of that evening; read Jacco’s blog entry.

Thursday, Yvon’s last day! Because I had a n early morning appointment at the doctor to check my B12 level I met with a very fresh and non hang over Yvon at 11:30 at the New Museum of Modern Art. The week before we didn’t see everything so we wanted to see the remaining exhibition. We then walked met up with Jacco on Grand Street for lunch and goodbye and afterwards I showed Yvon the Pearl River, a huge Chinese shop with many affordable gifts. Because Yvon had already packed her bags we had time left to have our last drink at the Orchard Cafe where we briefly wrote down what we did during the past week took (a lot!) and where Yvon showed me some Photoshop tricks. At 18:30 it was time to get goning and Yvon hailed her last cab. Turned out to be rush hour so it took a little bit longer than expected but she still had enough time to check in her bags and prepare for the flight home. We said goodbye at customs, looking back on a wonderful time together in NY!

I’m sorry it takes so long for us to write updates… It does take more effort than you expect, and somehow our days are filled to the brim, so it becomes difficult taking time to sit down and write about how full these days are. Anyway, here’s a quick round-up of our weekend in Washington.

We got to Penn Station around 16:00, and our train was scheduled to leave at 16:34 (I know, I’m still using European time notation, it just makes so much more sense). This meant we could do a little shopping for a late lunch in the train. Before going to the station, the day had been kinda hectic, with laundry, camera cleaning, Saskia buying a bike somewhere deep in Queens, etc. So we had not had time for lunch yet. Got some nice sandwich,  Saskia had a stack of cheese with two bits of bagel on either side and we bought our first Krispy Kreme, supposedly the best donut (doughnut?) in the States. Krispy Kreme has only one shop in New York, and that happens to be in Penn Station. There are many more in other parts of the States.

The train departure times are all displayed on a huge board in the station, and only when the departure track is displayed there, are people allowed to make their way to the correct track to get on the train. This makes for a very interesting train boarding experience. You wait in the departure are with all other people, and when the track is announced, everybody starts running for the (very narrow) escalator that takes you down to the tracks. This means that there is a huge pile-up of people at the top of that escalator, as everybody really wants to get on the train as early as possible. I’m just really glad I don’t have to do that every day! And for 200+ dollars worth of train tickets (per person), you’d expect a reserved seat, but no.

After about 3,5 hours, and with a delay of about 20 minutes we got to Washington, DC. The station there is amazing. Really huge and impressive. As a  lot of the buildings are in Washington. We walked out and in the distance you can see the Capitol. But also, lots of green. Wayne picked us up in his car and drove us to his place. It was cool to see that I still recognized quite a bit of the area, having been there before, about a year and a half ago. But is was especially cool to see Wayne and Dana again, of course! Dana had prepared a late supper, with a great mushroom lasagna. Yummie! We talked a lot, and got to bed around 1:30, quite tired.

The next day was Friday, the 4th of July. A big holiday for the Americans, as they celebrate their independence from British rule. We got off to a great start with French Toast and strawberries (try to translate ‘wentelteefjes’ in English - Turning Bitches? Frolicking Bitches?). We walked out (dressed in as much red, white and blue as we could find) and got on a bus to go down to the Mall. This is where the main parade was taking place. We were afraid we would be a little late, but got to see a lot of the parade. This parade consists of many different groups of people that live in the States, and are proud to be part of America. There are highschools, military, bands, ethnic groups, firefighters, etc. A huge mix of people, all dressed up, doing stuff or just walking along. It was fun to see, and lots of pictures were taken.

After that, we went for lunch. We had lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill, just steps from the White House. It is a favourite among politicians and journalists, but on this holiday, I guess there were only tourists. The food was great, and it seems that in general, reastaurants are cheaper in DC than they are in New York. As we walked out of the restaurant, the weather started turning a little. We had had sun all morning, but noew clouds were packing together. We went to the Old Post Office, to see the city from an observation deck in the clock tower. It’s a beautiful view from up there, and you can see all these famous landmarks, like the Capitol, The Washington monument, the White House, etc.

Back down from there, it actually started raining, and we were forced to buy some umbrellas. Of course, on this very special day, we could not pass the opportunity to buy ourselves some patriotic stars ‘n stripes umbrellas! The rain wsn’t too bad, and we just walked around a bit more, seeing if there was a museum open at this time (18:00). The only thing that appeared to be open was the National Archives, where the original copies of Declaration of indepence and the Constitution are on display. A lot of people thought it would be intresting to go and see these documents today, so there was a huge line outside. We decided not to get in that line, and just wlked on and found a spot on the Mall, from where we could watch the fireworks.

We were joined by Dana’s brother Bryant and Erin, and just sat there waiting for the fireworks to start. It was an impressive fireworks show, with the Washington monument as a backdrop for it. I don’t think I’ve seen such a huge fireworks show ever before. We’ve tried to take a few pictures, but without a tripod is is really hard to get some good photos.

It stayed dry during and after the fireworks, so we walked back into town and found a place to have a late dinner (Les Halles, a place made famous by Anthony Bourdain). French Bistro, so I had to go for the boudin with apples and mashed potatoes. Blood sausage! It was great!

We went back with the Metro, as they called it here. The escalator at Dupont Circle, where we got off, is impressive! Very long, and you basically go up through a hole in the ground. (a little video and some pictures). When we got home, we still had to do some preperations for the next day, as Wayne was celebrating his birthday with a barbeque party. So I helped him dry-rub his ribs. Already looking forward to eating those!

We got up quite early on Saturday, and while I mainly busied myself with the music (’It’s your birthday, we’re gonna party’), Dana was busy baking cookies and Wayne started on making hamburgers. Saskia was slicing the watermelon. The weather did not look too promising, so they decided to go to Joe & Janet’s house in Virginia, rather than the park they had plannedn to go initially. We got there around 12:30, with enough food for the whole street, I think. Wayne immediatelty strted cooking, and the other guests arrived. In the end, we were there with Joe & Janet, Kerry & Atul (with their kids Ava and Sean), Bryant & Erin, Wayne & Dana and us two. 10 people, of which two were vegetarians. And three racks of ribs, 16 hamburgers, 8 sausages, bacon, grilled veggies, salads, bread. It was a little too much. But it all was great!

We tried to burn off some calories playing computer games (Wii - so really did burn some calories). While saying goodbye to Janet & Joe, we ended up playing with a little football on their street for a bit, in amazing light (sun was setting, skies looked like it could be a thunderstorm any minute). We decided that we could actually skip dinner altogether!

Back home with Dana and Wayne, we decided we needed some live music to finish off the night, and Wayne’s birthday. So we got into a taxi and drove to a club where live Jazz would be played. We had a couple of drinks and enjoyed the music. After that we were getting a little peckish, and Wayne suggested we really needed to go to Ben’s Chili Bowl, a Washington institution. We had some really greasy food (chili fries and a Bill Cosby’s Original Chili Half-Smoke!). What a place. It’s dirty, unhealthy, busy, and a perfect 2am meal!

With only one day left in the city, Sunday was going to be our tourist day. After breakfast we got all of our stuff, and we drove to the station. From there we started our sightseeing walk around the Mall. We first went to see the Capitol up close (not open for visitors). Then we walked down the Mall to the Museum of the Native American Indian (a beatiful building, check out Saskia’s pictures of it on Flickr). It was a pretty hot day, quite the opposite of what the forecast wanted us to believe. From there we walked down the Mall, past the Washington monument, and all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Very impressive! We then walked back towards the station past the Vietnam War Memorial and got in a taxi to take us back to the station. Here we had some late lunch/early dinner and then said our goodbyes.

I really hope we get a chance to see Wayne and Dana again while we are here. Either in their hometown, or in New York. And I’m sure that will be arranged! It was a fantastic weekend, and we both fell asleep in the train.

Waiting for our train now at Penn Station to go to Washington DC to visit Wayne and Dana to celebrate 4th of July. And to celebrate Wayne’s birthday on Saturday. We may be able to post something in the train but we don’t know yet so for now: have a good (early) weekend!

Hello! Finally an update on the last day on Emerald Isle..the wedding! We got up quiet early since the wedding was at 10:00 and Jacco had to be there at 09:15 to give out wedding programs. The sun was already beaming and the wind died down after a huge thunderstorm that night (with hail!) so that was a great relief for all our summerdressed women. The setting was as in a film,.. rows of white benches, family, Wayne and Dana walking down an aisle of sand and rose petals (thrown there by 6 and 3 year old ‘flower’nieces of Wayne) and being married before the minister and the ocean. It was quite something to hear their vows with the sound of the waves on the background. Afterwards we were (again) spoiled with good food. This time their favourites so there were blueberry pancakes (Wayne) and grits (Dana). So all pretty impressive…but is was topped by their first dance. They had a guitarist who played and sang ‘Everything and more’ of Ian Parker! From a performance in a tent at rainy Bospop in 2001 to a wedding in North Carolina…nice how some things go (probably too literally translated).

At 13:30 Wayne and Dana left the party to go on their honeymoon to Mexico. We each were given a piece of the groom’s cake (there normally is a wedding cake with tradional ingredients and next to that a groom’s cake which can be made of anything). In this case a chocolate muffin in the shape of a golf green complete with a golf ball. For if we got hungry in the next two days, haha. We said goodbye to the family and friends and went bikini hunting to have that swim in the ocean we were longing for. Jacco didn’t find anything suitable but I found an awful purple tiger bikini for 10 dollars which did fine for a dive or two. The water was lovely with big waves Jacco tried to body surf on.

At about 17:00 we said goodbye to the Joe, Janet, Atul, Kerry, Nick and Dana and left for the airport. Well, airport, it was the weirdest handling and flying experience ever! At first we were the only passengers there so they had to call somebody to check in our bags. Then we had to go through customs with all the hassle like taking shoes and belt off and being looked straight in the eyes to compare with the photo in our passports. There were five people involved in this process with the last man eating an icecream (and enjoying it!). Somehow this diminishes one’s authority slighty..

In the waitingroom, which almost got crowded with two more passengers, we were treated with a television program of the early 60’s. A show hosted by a big band conductor with all kind of performances, one more decent and boring than the other. But the staff seemingly loved it. Just as we were wondering what kind of airplaine we would get a propellor plane landed and taxied our way.
The guy who had earlier checked us in went to the microphone (he was standing in front of us!) and after he excused himself for having to follow the rules, he started to welcome all guests and that they were ready for boarding now. ‘We would like to invite women with small children and people with walking dissabilities to first board the airplane.’ He really said that! He than invited their frequent flyers and other passengers. By the time he told us to check in our second carry on bag since there might be no space in the overhead lockers we laughed ourselves under the table (Roland, please mail me a more appropriate English expression!).

In the aircraft that seated about 30 passengers, we were welcomed by a lady who wasn’t to far from retirement. She instructed us to sit from row six up as this would balance the airplane better?! This was probably her last flight that day and she obviously had no energy left for the safety instructions as she waved her hands towards the emergency exit ( no ’s’ here) with a dull expression or her face. And than…of course, she also started to welcome all guests including their frequent flyers and business class passengers. Now all 4 passengers tried to hide their giggle. But anyway, she turned out to be quite sweet and an hour later we arrived safe and sound at Charlotte airport where we boarded the plane to Newark. ‘Home’ again.

The next day started nice and relaxed. We got up because Joe & Janet had started making breakfast, and lovely smells of bacon and sausages was coming into our bedroom. After breakfast, we did a little exploration of the island in our rental car. The weather wasn’t optimal, a lot of wind and lots of clouds. Wayne and Dana were having their rehearsal this afternoon, and we were hoping it would stay dry.

We met Janet for lunch at Flippers, which came highly recommended because of their fish sandwiches. The food was definitely good, and after this Janet took us out shopping at an American pharmacy for some cold medicine. We inHolland don’t do cold medicine, but the Americans have a seperate aisle in their pharmacies, just for this. We got some of the strongest medicine we could find, and then hurried home. Nick and Dan, another couple from Washington DC, had just arrived. They were also staying in the “Robin’s Nest” with us.

We still had to get ready for the rehearsal, for which we’d also been invited. I’d brough my own wedding suit, which really is my only ’smart’ suit. But a velvet suit is not the best option in spring in North Carolina, with temperatures around 80 F (27 C). We got in the car and I have to say, the medicine were kicking in! I was feeling a lot better than this morning, and luckily the air conditioning in the house was working very well, so the suit was not bothering me that much at all.

The wedding rehearsal went fine, from where we were standing anyway. They were going to get married on the beach, and we did hear quite a few people complain about the sand blowing in their hair, and actually hurting their legs, because of the wind. After the rehearsal, it was time for dinner. This time, the dinner was all Chinese and Malaysian-themed. It was really nice, how the groom-and-bride-to-be had managed to combine their background in all the celebrations!

Again, the food was delicious. Wayne’s parents had actually instructed the caterers how to make certain dishes, and everything worked out really well. After dinner we helped set up the main room in the house for next day’s wedding, and we went of to our own house.

Here we met Kerry and Atul, whom I had also met before in Amsterdam. It was fun catching up with them, and again it wasn’t an early night, but a lot of fun.

We have had very little time over the weekend to keep you updated, so here is the story, in three parts.

As Saskia has written before, we got up very early to catch our flight at Newark. Everything went smoothly and we changed planes in Charlotte, North Carolina. Itwas immediately clear we were in the South. Although North Carolina isn’t that far south, the terminal building of this airport was littered with rocking chairs! We did a quick update of the blog, and got on the next plane that would take us to New Bern, a small city close to Emerald Isle.

We got there perfectly on schedule, and got our rental car (a Chevrolet Malibu, which is an ‘intermediate’ in American terms). In about an hour we drove down to Emerald Isle, where we first did some shopping and got ourselves some lunch, before we continued to the house that Janet and Joe had arranged. The rented a large house with four bedrooms, where we could use one of. I knew Joe and Janet from Wayne’s bachelor weekend in Amsterdam, and it was great to see them again.

After installing ourselves somewhat, we walked to the beach. It is really amazing to see these houses along the beach. They’re huge, and look very impressive, and somehow somewhat familiar. I guess we get way too much American series and movies in Holland. The beack isn’t very wide here, but looks nice, and because of the wind, the waves were quite impressive.

We then had to get back to our house, to get ready for our first introduction to Wayne and Dana. They were having a family dinner, Southern style, and we were invited. Of course, seeing them again was great. They had rented a house on the beach with 8 bedrooms, where a number of the wedding guests and family were staying. This was also the location for a the dinner. Southern food was on the menu - Fried Chicken, Barbecue Chicken, Hush Puppies, Grits with cheese, bacon, shrimp & mushrooms, coleslaw, baked beans and of course Sweet Tea.

Dana’s mother had taken care of desert, with an amazing chocolate cake and a very sweet red velvet cake. Everything was really delicious! We ended the night with a game of poker dice and whisky, which we drank form huge plastic cups. A great night, even though my allergies were quickly turning into a rather vicious cold. We got home about midnight, and quickly fell asleep!

We’re back home. It still feels a little weird to call this place home, but is definitely more home than Emerald Isle, where we spent the last three days. We’ll give you a full update tomorrow, as it’s 1:30 AM right now, and we need some sleep. But there will be stories about amazing houses on the coast, great parties, an amazing wedding on the beach and the funniest flight in history. Watch this space…

Oh, and a very happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there, but especially our own mothers!

That’s right…we are at Charlotte airport, waiting to board the second one to New Bern. There we’ll hire a car for the last miles. We’ve been traveling from 5:00 this (rainy) morning! They say NY never sleeps, well…at 05:00 she does! Even the cabs seem to be absent.

But we got one which took us to Penn Station where we got a train to Newark Airport. Although very tired we were puzzeled by the conductor who cut holes in a piece of paper with 20 numbers on it and put in under the head seat cover. Seemingly random he cut numbers faster than you can imagine (see photo later). I guess this is one of those stories where you should have been present.

By the way, everywhere you can buy a cup of yoghurt with granola and fruit, a really good breakfast. Yep, it’s those little things in life…

We have to board now.