Camping in Europe - Trailer House Paradise

Over a week ago now, I wrote my first post about camping in Europe, a far different experience than the camping that I'm accustomed to in America. One stark difference is all of the facilities you can find at a European "campground", which is more of a trailer park, an RV park and a summer camp all rolled into one. To see more of the grounds and facilities, check out my earlier posts.

Now, in the U.S. we definitely don't have other folks living on the campground, unless you count the park ranger, but that's just one. Here, they have entire neighborhoods on the grounds, and some of the trailer houses look ripe for Goldilock's pickin'... I want to sneak in and pretend they're mine for a while.

I promised you a trailer park Homes and Gardens tour, and I'm delivering, baby. As you're looking through the photos below, decide which one you'd like to spend a stolen evening in. (There will be a test at the end.)

To start, let's take a stroll down this road.

I love this photo of the trailer called Eekhoorn, pronounced a lot like Acorn in English, but with an added "H" sound... ache-horn. It means squirrel.

I don't know about you but I could definitely sit here for a while... on the outdoor furniture behind this wall, cold drink in my hand, nose in a book, listening to the beads in the doorway move in the breeze.

I know Goldilocks would be tempted by this charming gate and vine arch. What wonders lay beyond?

Ahh, now this one is fit for a Queen.

This spot looks simple and cozy. If I were Goldilocks, I'd sit here with my Goldilover,
hand in hand and happy.

Well, that concludes our virtual tour!

I lied about the test.

But I do want to know... Where would you hide away?

Until next time,

Xx Alison

Camping in Europe - Cool Camps

One thing I was amazed at when I got to this campground was the huge and lovely caravans people set up to camp in! I wanted to share some photos that I took just walking around on the grounds. 

I saw so many of these tents with two or three sections! 

Or like this one, a pop up extension fixed to a camp trailer. SIGN ME UP!

Side view.

How about this adorable camp? Umbrella, lights, lounger, and clothesline. What else do you need?

Side view.

This one comes with a deck, and it's for rent by the night, week, or month!

I liked this tent! and the space they set up next to it.

Okay now THIS is where I wanna be.

Slingers! Someone must have had a birthday.

So there you have it. What do you think? Is it very different? Will you be on the internet shopping for European camping gear? Are you right now as we speak?

Interested to hear your thoughts. 

Till then!

Xx Alison

Camping in Europe for a Week

Hey everyone!
How are you all holding up?
I’m doing okay - some days are better than others. This week is already off to a fabulous start!

I’m on a little vacation! I’m camping in South Holland for a week, and it’s my first time camping in Europe. I had never occurred to me that it would be much different from the camping I knew, but in the week or two leading up to our trip, I started to get the impression that it wasn’t the type of camping I was used to. From some of the pictures I’d seen of the camping area and whatever I heard from my host parents and other Dutchies, I knew it was gunna be an experience unlike one I’d had before.

Yesterday, as I hung the laundry on the line, my neighbor and I had a chat about it. He’s a Dutchie, born and raised, not yet having visited the states. “I’m excited to see what it’s like as opposed to camping in the U.S.” I said to him. “Probably about the same,” he remarked.

“Nooooo, I don’t think so. For one thing, I know they’re going to have showers and bathrooms there, and most of the camping I’ve done has been in the mountains and... there are no facilities.”

We continued to chat as he explained that camping in Europe can be very social, because everyone in the campground is on vacation mode and just walking around. He didn't realize our idea of camping is much, much, different. From what he described, I was reminded of the huge family reunion we have every other year on my dad's side. And indeed, it feels a bit like that. A few hundred people gather on a ranch in Idaho and camp for the weekend, put on various activities, either catch up with old family members or meet new ones, or maybe run down to the creek with a cousin, aunt, or straggler neighborhood kid that tagged along with so-and-so.... But we don’t have a bar or tennis courts at our family reunion.

I’m here now, it’s our first night in the campground, which is more like an RV park on steroids. You’ll see what I mean if you stay tuned - I’m going to blog throughout the week, posting pictures of the place.

It’s AMAZING. I don’t even feel guilty about glamping here. At all. It’s like a budget resort, guys. I could live here. 

As soon as we pulled up, we came upon the welcome building, and I immediately saw a few playsets, a giant trampoline and three different sized pools in the flat expanse behind it. I was amazed already, a pool? Camping? And it was getting crazier by the second. I saw other buildings, and mini golf to the left. What else could this campground hold? 

After my host dad checked us in, we followed a golf cart to our reserved campsite, passing trailer neighborhoods and speeltuins, playgrounds, on the way. Maciah sat in the front seat looking at the map they provided and checking out the two decks of cards they gave us for free.

We pulled in to our designated spot and cut the engine. The kids snacked, the dogs got a little walk, and we began setting up tents and various camp equipment. It’s now dark out, 11pm, and I’m sat outside the tent I share with Maciah, connected to WiFi and writing this on my blog. After dinner at the snack bar, Maciah and I swam in the pool, jumped on a giant bubble trampoline, and took a tour through some trailer neighborhoods with porchscapes that are seriously home design magazine worthy. Pics. To. Come.

I’m excited to do some more glamping and blogging. Can’t wait to share more of this place with you guys.


Xx Alison

Have you ever been camping in Europe? Where at? What was it like? Share your experience in the comments below!

Lekker luien in de tent / tasty lazing in the tent

Zneck bar dinner - a croket in a hamburger bun with mustard on the side..

That’s how the Dutch do it. 

And frites! Lots of frites!

Alternative Education in Europe

In this month's special interview episode, Alison sits down with Dutchie Jacob Tas to talk about alternative education, its merits, how different classroom settings can positively effect a child's experience with education and other interesting things you didn't know about the education system in the Netherlands.

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Check out this episode!

A Spontaneous Trip to Belgium

Since starting my exchange year in Holland 5 months ago, I've been wanting to take a train ride to another country and spend a weekend there exploring. From Amsterdam Centraal you can catch a train to lots of places I'd never been - Germany, Paris, and Belgium, to name a few. To me, an American, who didn't experience what it's like to be a passenger on a train until I was 23, being able to buy a ticket, board a train, and be in another country in 3 hour's time sounded like an amazing adventure, and it was!

I figured since I'd been dreaming of doing this for a while, I had a paycheck in my pocket, and my birthday was around the corner, January was a great time to take a trip. I had picked Germany out of a hat, partially because I had an acquaintance called Peter who was also visiting Germany that weekend, and he said we could share sleeping arrangements to make it cheaper. I was supposed to meet him there on Sunday, but I wanted to head up Saturday with my sister to make the most of my time.

So Maciah and I packed a duffel bag, grabbed our skateboards and headed over to Amsterdam Centraal to start our journey on Saturday morning. Now, the travel plans are about to take a slightly unexpected turn, so keep in mind that Peter and I had only just scrambled together some arrangements a few days prior. Besides that, I had only just reserved a hostel the night before, and Maciah and I hadn't purchased our train tickets yet.

We got to Centraal and went to the International Tickets desk, beaming and giggling as we walked up after waiting patiently for our number to be called.
"Two tickets to Cologne, please." I said, confidently. She went over departure times and copied our names from our passports into the computer system. We looked over at each other with excitement and anticipation. We could almost taste it!
"Alright, one hundred and thirty Euros, please." She said plainly.
Woah. This was NOT what we were expecting. Somehow, I thought it was going to be much cheaper. We had to ask her to clarify. What did it cost per ticket? 70 Euros? Was that for the whole journey, there and back? No? Ok so it's gunna cost us 70 Euros per person, one way.... Yeah, the budget was more structured around.... 30 Euros or so. The lady explained that if you buy the tickets in advance, you can get them much cheaper, but to head over the day-of, you risk paying more... Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.... Maciah and I thanked her, then stepped outside for a minute to recalculate. That's when Peter texted me... "Wait, you're on your way to Cologne now? Have you already left? I'm not going to be there until next weekend!" Ok, so... that wasn't going to work out anyway.

Actually, it turned out better, Maciah and I reasoned, since the tickets were expensive on our small au pair budget. But what now? We still had our bags packed and wanted to go somewhere. We went back to the desk and pulled another number, waited our turn, and then asked where we could go for 30 Euros. There was a train leaving for Brussels, Belgium 20 minutes from then and the tickets were affordable. Before we knew it we were sitting in our seats on the EuroStar train that would take us there.

Once we sat down we were again giddy and excited. By the time we'd purchased our tickets and left the counter, we only had a few minutes to catch it, so we had hurried through the huge train station and found platform 15 with hardly any time to spare. Now that we had made it and the train had started moving, we got out our journals and spent a couple hours reading and writing. We had also linked up to the on-board wifi, cancelled our hostel booking in Germany, and made a new reservation at a hostel in Brussels. There were many to choose from, which hasn't been our experience in the states (there are usually only a few in a city; hostels are far more popular in Europe than back home), and we managed to find one very near the train station for only 26 Euros... hell yeah!

About a half hour before we got to Brussels we got to do something I've only ever seen in movies... we got up from our seats, walked to the back of the train car, where the automatic doors opened for us, and continued on through two more cars until we reached the cafe. Yes. There was a cafe in the train!! I have imagined this many times before, as I read books as a child in which families crossed America on passenger trains that took days to reach their destination. The reality wasn't as glamorous as I'd pictured. Then again, this train probably takes trips as long as 5 hours and no more. Still, it was amazing to order a coffee and a croissant while the countryside flew by in the window behind me. It wasn't about the plastic-packaged croissant as much as it was about the novelty of being able to buy it while traveling 250 km/hour.

When we arrived in Brussels and got checked into our hostel, we skated out into the city for a drink or a bite to eat, not searching for something to do, but hoping that something would just... turn up. Sometimes it happens this way, but not this time. We ended up returning to the hostel and just resting. An uneventful evening, but one we weren't upset about.

The next day, after eating a small breakfast that was included with our reservation, we grabbed our skateboards again and set off. There was a market in the square right outside our hostel. Literally, if it had been any closer it would have been on the front stoop. Markets are something I've really started to enjoy; I've been to a few now in Amsterdam and Haarlem. A bunch of vendors set up in the street and sell everything from fresh fish, fresh flowers, street food, clothes, souvenirs, curtains, shoes, and more. They're fun and usually you can find great deals there. This market wasn't exactly like the ones I'd been to in Holland, though. It was an antiques market, but it really felt more like a huge outdoor thrift store, if thrift stores kept all their merchandise on the ground, spread out on tarps. Yes, on the ground.

Some vendors had their items on tables, but mostly, you wandered through the small crowd of people and vendors with your head down, looking at the wares. I walked around one vendor's items, interested. He had two large canvas drop cloths with hundreds of silver utensils laid out neatly into groups. I kept walking. I saw vintage shoes, postcards, books, trinkets, art, and pins. The next thing I knew I was looking around for Maciah, but there was no sign of her.

"Alison!!" I heard her yell a few minutes later. I spotted her and went over.
"You have to look at these! You have to buy one! I already bought two! THEY'RE ONLY FIVE EUROS, DUDE!" She said, holding up two very large, brown, fur coats. Maciah was on the hunt today for a coat to weather the cold, Dutch, winter wind. We had already seen a few, but they were too expensive, mostly because none of the items in the market were marked. This allows the vendors to make up a price, one we assumed was different for locals who spoke French or visitors who spoke anything else. I tried a few on and she helped me pick one out, we purchased, and then went back to the hostel to stash them in the cubby we'd rented for the day. And then we were on our way.

We spent the day skating around the city, gaping at the ancient and intricate architecture we saw around every corner. We were going down a narrow, cobblestone street when it opened up into a sight that made our jaws drop. To our right was a row of buildings that reminded me so much of Amsterdam, built straight up and right next to each other, with funny tops, all shaped differently. Except these were all quite ornamented, and each keystone or statue or piece of molding was inlaid with gold... or at least gold paint. As my eyes wandered to the left I saw more of these buildings, most of them cafe's or bars on the bottom floor, and then a beautifully gothic building which we discovered was a museum. We had walked into a square surrounded by ornate, gold-inlaid buildings on all sides, including one that was either a palace, government building, or Hogwarts itself, because it had spires, hundreds of statues laid into the exterior brickwork, two towers and yes, accents of gold. It was breathtaking.

We spent the day doing a lot more open-mouthed staring at really old buildings. Brussels took my breath away left and right, including when we ended up at a palace on a hill, with a monument placed outside that evoked feeling and reverence in my me and a incredible view of the city to boot. We ventured to a huge landmark called Atomium, which is a curious structure that looks like an enormous atom, with huge metal tubes connecting giant orbs where restaurants and a place called "Kids'Sphere" lie. For only 15 Euros you could gain entry to these giant spherical wonderlands at colossal heights, but we settled for seeing the outside of it and buying a Belgian waffle from a truck parked just outside it.

After we'd explored and skated and we were thoroughly worn out, we went back for our coats, made our way to the train station wearing the coats we couldn't carry, with way too much shit in our hands, tied to us, and hanging off of us, and started our journey home. Another 3 hours on the international train, but this time we were thoroughly worn out. We were too exhausted to leave our seats even once, but we had had so much fun in Belgium. And the best part? We were back home by midnight.


Here are some photos from my trip. You can find more here


 

 

Job in the Netherlands... Check!

So today marks the day that almost six month's worth of work pays off.
I've been applying for jobs in Holland since December, as soon as I returned from the short vacation I took there (which I didn't even write about, but you can find pictures of here).
Holland was amazing. Part of the reason I didn't write or take too many photos, besides the fact that I only spent a few days there, was because I was too busy enjoying myself. I made friends with almost everyone I met. Besides this, there was so much to explore outdoors and all of it was fascinating and beautiful. Everything was so new and different from what I'd ever seen, naturally. The buildings are old and amazing. There are canals everywhere, every few blocks you ride over a bridge as you bike to your next destination, and little boats with windows and tiny curtains are docked on the side, or are cruising by leisurely.
Dutch people bike everywhere. When you ride down to the train station, you can't even find a spot to park your bike, even thought there are a lot of bike racks. A lot. (I can't believe I don't have a photo of the Rotterdam train station. A lot of bikes). I was surprised by how quiet it was. Even in large cities like Amsterdam, it was nowhere near as loud as New York, or even Philly for that matter. There's more bike traffic than car traffic. Anyway, I think you get the picture. And remember, I was there in December. It was cold. It doesn't matter, though; they would be out in their winter gear with their kid in the bike trailer, on their way to run errands or do some other, ordinary thing.
Everywhere you look the street signs and restaurant names say things like Zonnebloemstraat or Hondenlosloopgebied or something insane like that. People speak completely in Dutch until you shyly admit that you don't, in which case they switch to English and carry on with the conversation genteelly. It was a completely pleasant experience. I think it may be Utopia.
So naturally, I wanted to live here. With every blink, I was increasingly in awe of this place. Once I was back stateside and the excitement of the holidays calmed down, I resettled in Jersey and began to apply for jobs.
I'd heard about Au Pair jobs before, when I was working in a restaurant in a rich neighborhood in Philly. One of my coworkers had spent a year in Italy by applying for an Au Pair position, which is just a live-in nanny from another country. We have them in the United States (although I'd never met a single Au Pair until I moved from rural Oregon to the East Coast). They come from all over; Brazil, South Africa, Italy, Mexico, Spain, you name it. Similar to a foreign exchange student, the traveler goes through an application process for a specific visa that allows you to live in the country for x amount of time. The result is a cultural exchange. The host family gets to experience what life is like in another culture and so does the traveler. This was an easy fit for me, because not only have I been nannying for a while now, but I love my job.
So I set up a profile and checked it every week; emailing, videochatting, and sending messages via WhatsApp to different families, but even though I had options to look in dozens of other countries, I kept my sights on Holland. Finally, my work came to fruition. I started talking to Kripa a month ago and after much contact and getting to know one another, she finally asked for my references. A week later, her and her husband called to offer me to the position.
In the Netherlands I'll be working for Kripa and Bas, caring for their two boys aged 7 and 10 and cooking meals on weeknights. I will live with them and eat meals there, making myself a home in theirs, and they'll provide a bike, pay for Dutch classes and give me a small allowance. I'm so happy today that I feel like calling 100 of my closest friends to tell them: after interviewing with different families for over 5 months, I finally clicked with a couple who invited me into their home.

I am going to spend the summer working and saving, I'll dedicate August to visiting family, and then I'll fly out the first of September for my European Year of Who-Knows-What.

Cheers to the adventure!
Alison Maglaughlin

Upcoming Travel Plans and Endless Possibilities

So I've been back west for a couple months now, I came home to spend time with family and I've kept it pretty quiet because I am choosing to spend all my time with my youngest two siblings, Hope and Chance, and I didn't want to lose sight of that and get caught up visiting all the friends and extended family that I'd like to.

Hope, Me, and Chance before a horse ride.

We've had a lot of fun since August, and I've been working at a casino in Jackpot, NV and developing myself with leadership courses whenever I can find the time to.
I've created a vision for my life that I can create a way to earn sustainable income while traveling that will allow me to continue to travel. Although I haven't landed at an exact solution just yet, there are a lot of possibilities out there for me that I want to explore. One being doing administrative work for a good friend of mine with his business consulting and motocross coaching ventures. This same friend has invited me to travel to Europe with him in December. Two weeks and I'll be in England and then Amsterdam! I hope that it grows into something sustainable for me.

Meanwhile, I've been making other travel plans the only way I know how: to jump in and figure out the details later. My birthday is coming up in January and I'm looking at renting a house in New Orleans and having friends fly out to celebrate, party and explore with me for a few days. I'll be turning 25 on the 25th, so as my friend Danny says, "We're gunna do it up!"

Inside of all of this, the family that I nannied for in Jersey has been in contact with me. I watched their three kids, Anna, Tommy, and Johnny for 6 months earlier this year, and it was both a fulfilling experience for me and A LOT OF FUN. I've always had a heart for children, and being a part of their development and seeing them change and grow daily was amazing. I really connected with the kids and with their parents, Adrianne and Patrick. We became family. They asked if I was available to come stay with them through January, and it turns out that I can fly out right after Christmas. So it looks like I'll be back in Jersey after all, spending another winter in the armpit of the United States, visiting dear friends and cursing Mother Nature.

Me and the monsters at the Phillies Game - Thanks Patrick and Adrianne!

Me and the monsters at Storybook Land. Tommy rode so many rides he vomited on everything on the car ride home... tons of fun!

With all of this excitement in my future I can only say that I am blessed. I'm thankful for those that have opened an opportunity for me and invited me to join them in their life adventure. I'm also amazed by my friends that read this and keep up with me through my blog posts, who care about what's going on in my life and want to share with me in that. Thank you.

I can't wait to set foot on other soils. To many adventures! More to come...