‘Where have you been?’ I hear all my loyal fans calling…!
Well, since my last post, I have been busy learning! My whole reason for this trip was to attend a conference called the IFC – International Fundraising Congress. It’s one of the premier fundraising conferences in the world. It’s held at the same place, every year, in Holland, and has some of the best fundraising professionals around. My brain if full, but I loved it! If you are interested in reading more about it, check out my fundraising blog – http://www.fundraisingchangestheworld.blogspot.com/.
Conference finished this afternoon, so after all that sitting, learning and eating, I needed to WALK. I set off from Noordwijk Beach and think I ended up in Noordwijk town. (By the way, it has taken me 5 days, but it’s pronounced ‘Nord Vague’. I asked every taxi driver, hotel staff member and Dutch person I ran into!). I say think because I couldn’t read any signs, and it wasn’t far from the beach….logical?
In town I found some gorgeous cobbled streets, filled with beautiful old stone terrace houses. The streets were lined with trees that arched over the road & were losing their multi-coloured leaves – it’s Autumn here. As in Amsterdam, the houses were used for a mix of housing and offices, but mainly housing. I could see into some of the houses, and was surprised at how big they were inside, and that some actually had a decent backyard. One thing they all had in common, was that they all had bikes parked out the front. The national mode of transport. People ride everywhere. And they all talk on their mobiles while riding. Multi-taskers!
I walked into the local shopping centre in town and was hit with the most wonderful smell… the smell of a bakery. Baked sweet yumminess. Not that sickly sweet smell, but the smell of pastries, and croissants, and Dutch pancakes. Everywhere I go in Holland people are eating pastries, or bread and cheese, yet no-one is overweight! There are cheese wheels on breakfast buffets. Bakeries or patiseries are so common, and anytime of the day you will find people there.
I headed back towards the beach & wandered through the shops along the way. I stopped to look at the shoe stores (surprising I know!) and was so jealous. It was all about the boots. I can hear you all now…’but it’s cold over there Hayley’ and yes, it is (my ears were hurting from the cold) but they still had a range you would never see in Australia. And gumboots! I have been looking for gumboots for months back home, and the only ones I had found that fit me should only be worn by a 60+ year old man driving a tractor. Pity that they wouldn’t fit into my luggage…
Something that does surprise me about Holland, is that dogs are allowed everywere. Hotels, shops, it doesn’t matter. I sat and had lunch in a cafe (bearing in mind most cafes here are indoors due to the weather), and a dog & owner walked past me after they had finished their lunch. Lunch. In the same cafe as me. I sat in the lounge of my hotel, blogging about conference and people are walking past me (presumably to their rooms) with their dogs!!! Bizarre, and not sure it is something I will ever understand. I guess it is cold here and that they need to come inside to be warm…but still…
Dinner on the beach (The Blu Beach restaurant) before my early start tomorrow. Off to Barcelona! Cab pickup (all cabs here seem to be Merceedes, Audi or something similar) at 5.30am. Bed for me 🙂
PS. A few shots to show you just how small my hotel room is. Would barely fit in 2 single beds!
