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2010-03-05 14:47:28

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Bob's visit to the Netherlands!

Finally he has arrived. My surprise was great when I saw he managed to smuggle another visiter through Customs. When he finally got out of the package he complained loudly about being stuffed into such small space and when he saw the envelop he got extremely mad!

There, in a scribble, stood the words: "Package includes: Stuffed animal"

Bob, who already had a hard travel all over the world, was simply outraged.
"An animal?" He asked with a little whine in his voice, "I'm not an animal! Neither is my friend!"

I could calm him down, eventually, by giving him his first little present. Two little 'Nijntjes', by Dick Bruna. It's a character that's originated from the Netherlands, by Dick Bruna, and it's especially for little children. As he managed to have a tantrum as large as a small child, I thought it was suitable for him. Then again, I heard that Nijntje is very popular in Japan, where the little bunny is called 'Miffy'. So there.

Anyway. Then I introduced Bob to my family, but when I asked him how his little friend was called, Bob said he didn't know. The fellow had suddenly appeared and until now hadn't uttered more then: 'argh' and something about 'rum' and 'yohoho'.

So, to name this nameless fellow, I personally have called 'Jack', our lovely Moira would like to ask you guys what we should name him. So here is the first picture!

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First thing Bob, Jack and I did was visiting my best friend and her cat Helmut. Helmut was quite soft for Bob and Jack to lay against, though at a point we needed to rescue Bob and Jack from some fierce claws.

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The next day, I made Bob some wooden shoes, a souvenir every tourist desires. He was quite content with the shoes. But after a while he started complaining it was cold, so I made him a hat also. Orange, the nation's favorite color. So, warm and cozy, Bob was content. Meanwhile Jack had disappeared. After a while he came back and he had made something. A kind of hat and a beard. He was totally in the festive tone of the year, wearing a kind of Sinterklaas costume.

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Sinterklaas is a festival here in the Netherlands (and Belgium) which is a version of the whole Santa Claus thing. Children believe that his birthday is at the 5th of December and that he and his white horse rides the roof at that night and his servants go down the chimney and fill the shoes with candy and presents. There is a whole tradition behind it. You can read it if you click the link below.

Some information about Sinterklaas for you

Sinterklaas comes every year with a boat from Spain to the Netherlands to prepare in November. The whole arrival is covered on national television. This year we watched it together with Bob. Sinterklaas went missing and returned just in time and everything was translated for the deaf by a special 'Zwarte Piet'.

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Later we went to have a walk. We didn't have to go far, as we intended to go to the windmills in the street. We were just in time to see the man who works at the windmill (it still works occasionally) close down the windmill for the night.

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Bob was allowed to see the inside of the mill.

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This windmill is called 'The Hope'. It has been build in 1817, bought in Germany. It's the only 16-sided mill in Europe. This mill is one of the very few mills where a female ruled the work (for a couple of years). In 1975 the mill had to be restored, and again this year. The windmill has become a national monument and has been in the hands of the district since 1968.

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Bob and Jack posing with the "Mill-man"

After visiting this mill, we also went to see the other mill in the street. As this mill isn't a monument of the state, it's in much worse state.

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This mill, called 'Fortune', is a different mill. It has been built in 1825 in the same street as the other mill. It has also been restored in 1975, but since then it's been pretty much left alone. The house of the man who has worked there is now a normal home. In 1975 they probably thought the mill was going to be visited by many tourists, as the sign next to the mill is in three languages.

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The sign says: "Set foot on the mill at one's own risk" in Dutch, German and English. Looking at the path going towards the mill, Bob and I decided we didn't want to risk it.

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So we went home again.

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Bob, Jack, my best friend and I went to the other side of the Netherlands to visit my other best friend to celebrate Sinterklaas. It was quite a road trip. Close to the city is a tunnel, which had to deal with quite some difficulties in it's short life. It has been - to the big frustration of everyone - been closed of more then it was open.

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But luckily for us, it was open now. In three hours we had crossed our country and it had become dark.

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_{It's just the picture in the tunnel... Sorry... :blush:}

Finally we could open our presents! First one was a big box full of sweetness! Many Sinterklaas related candy, like chocolate letters. And something that is called 'taai taai'.

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It had been quite fun! After a couple of weeks it was Christmas, one of the last festivals of the year. And it was our last party, Bob, Jack and I. He had to go!

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Back to Bob Zombiee's World Travels

2009-11-13 [Artsy]: My boyfriend had that little guy once, when he was little. We were looking through their shed (where all the old things are.... You guys would love it, really. We can't go far in, but that makes it more amazing. It's a childhood treasure room) and we found one of those little guys. He was dirty and worn, but not torn or anything. We cleaned him up a bit, and gave him to my sister (who stead-fastly believes she is a pirate (she's in her mid-twenties)). She was very excited, and more so when she found out he glows in the dark....

... I've gotta go take pictures of that shed.

2009-11-13 [dayah]: Giggles my Son Jesse seemed to think bob needed a friend and so had inisted that the little pirate dude go with him. So He was smuggled away with bob for a little trip of his own with his new buddy.

2009-11-13 [moira hawthorne]: Bob's SideKick! awesomespanks!

2009-11-29 [moira hawthorne]: those are awesome hats!!! looks like the boys are having tonnes of fun

2009-11-29 [arthemis_]: Lol, I changed the spelling errors :P Didn't make new 'heads', but 'hats'!
More to come. I'll take Bob to the castle. I have a new hamster Bob can play with and I'll take him with me at the 5th of December when my friends and I will celebrate Sinterklaas :)

2009-11-29 [moira hawthorne]: tell hammy no bitin... cool photos of the windmills!

2009-12-20 [Artsy]: what happened to bob's face?

2009-12-20 [arthemis_]: No idea, it was that way when I got him.
I update soon with the last photo's. I've send Bob and his mate Jack to South Africa :D My family and I already miss him. My dad actually wanted me to make myself a kind of Bob to take along everywhere. I declined, as there is only one Bob! He's one of a kind.

2009-12-20 [dayah]: Living, think I mentioned it on my own page for bob, that he caught a cold called the jesse Marker plauge. Think the spots decided to stay as he got better, cus they would not be scrubed away.

2009-12-20 [arthemis_]: Lol, you cannot travel the world without getting a few spots!

2009-12-20 [moira hawthorne]: yes all part of his travelin experiences...

2009-12-20 [Artsy]: hmmmm I would have pulled out a tide-to-go pen.... Hope it has no permanent damage beyond cosmetic o.o'

2009-12-20 [dayah]: I would have had I had one..giggles...but maybe he will lose them eventually..hehehe.

2009-12-20 [moira hawthorne]: no no leave them be... scars marks tats.. all are rites of passage... proclaimin 'I survived!'

2009-12-20 [moira hawthorne]: also to quote the horse in velveteen rabbit

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
Velveteen Rabbit Quotes

2010-01-24 [arthemis_]: I'm going to update this soon with the last photo's! Patience though, because I've no internet at my new apartment yet.

2010-03-05 [moira hawthorne]: sorite Im the worse at 'suppose to do's and 'need to get to this's I understand everything life can throw you

2010-03-06 [arthemis_]: Well, I finally finished :P

2010-03-06 [moira hawthorne]: your little tree is cute

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