STAN'S BLOGS

A couple of things I think are really cool here are the “vrije uitloop eieren” (free-range eggs) sold at Albert Heijn -- it's kind of like a Dutch Raley's -- and “Echinacea toothpaste.” All large supermarkets in the Netherlands now carry eggs from poultry farms raising birds in open barns or in free-range systems. The toothpaste is just something I have been using ever since I arrived. I like the stuff a lot, although it's not cheap, and I haven't seen it marketed in The States. Another thing I have found fascinating are the views from my apartment and flat windows over the last two years. My apartment and flats have always been up high enough to see out over the roof tops. This occasional contemplation has spurred me to write this poem... Clocks and water déjà vu I can see the hands of a large clock in a tower from my living room in Alkmaar. I could see the hands of a large clock in a tower from my living room in Minden. I could see the hands of a large clock in a tow

In Alkmaar it's a tradition that on Christmas Eve crowds of people gather at Grote Sint Laurenskerk, a huge, 15th century French Gothic style church just a few blocks away. There was a stage setup inside and groups of people moving in and out all evening as each performance changed. The floor is composed of large, black stone slabs with beautiful art carvings in most of them, and two world-famous organs, the Van Covelens (also known as Koororgel, 1511) and the Van Hagerbeer or Big Schnitger (1636), were played during the service. Hundreds joined in on 12 songs during the service, with readings and a long sermon by a priest/pastor spaced in between the singing. The entire service was in the native language, so we were singing classics like "Silent Night" in Dutch, ha! A friendly guy with his son sat next to me. He couldn't speak English and I'm still not speaking a whole lot of Dutch, yet we actually enjoyed a great conversation and each others company. The whole t