Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
statistiche alla mano
Figata!
Dalle statistiche (Eurobarometer) vien fuori che l'Italia e` il paese in Europa col maggior numero di astemi!!!
Com'e` possibile??? Che scarsi... Bisogna correre ai ripari e convincere piu` italiani possibile a bere.
Tuttavia, come si vede dalla seconda cartina, tra i non astemi gli italiani son quelli che bevono piu` spesso (quasi: siamo secondi dopo i lussemburghesi; ma chi caga i lussemburghesi?).
Ne vien fuori quindi che in Italia ci sono meno bevitori che nel resto d'Europa, ma quelli che ci sono sono incalliti...
Piccola consolazione (che cmq merita un brindisi).
A meno che gli italiani siano tutti scemi (o ubriachi) e, non capendo la domanda, abbiano risposto:
Q: Hai bevuto alcool negli ultimi 12 mesi?
A: No.
Q: Hai bevuto alcool nell'ultimo mese?
A: Si.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Nunta in Romania
Ebbene si: questo week end siamo stati al matrimonio di Bram e Miruna a Bucarest.
Che dire: io mi aspettavo che la citta` fosse un po' messa meglio ma evidentemente qui l'Europa ha ancora un po' da investire...
La gente invece e` molto simpatica anche se si nota un forte squilibrio tra i (nuovi) ricchi e i poveri, sia nei comportamenti che nei prezzi dei beni. Mi e` stato detto che cmq a Bucarest questo squilibrio si vede molto di piu` rispetto a tutto il resto della Romania.
Il matrimonio cmq e` stato molto carino e molto tipico.
Ed e` stato molto divertente vedere questo gruppo di olandesi (lo sposo e` di Amsterdam) confrontarsi con una realta` e una societa` molto diversa dalla loro.
E soprattutto sudavano piu` di me!
Infine: Eleonora non e` riuscita a prendere il bouquet al volo perche` le facevano male le scarpe (o forse per qualche slivovitz di troppo) ma la sorella di Bram stavolta era veramente agguerrita e ha esultato come se avesse vinto i mondiali (di hokey su prato) di fronte al suo ragazzo che era un po' perplesso e sorrideva preoccupato...
PS: le foto sono qua
Monday, August 13, 2007
Me gusta el cremadillo!
Eccoci qui al ritorno delle vacanze....
Che dire, vacanze stupende!!!
Certo, all'inizio abbiamo fatto l'errore di prendere l'albergo nella costa colonizzata dai crucchi (e anche dagli olandesi: mai visti tanti ristoranti olandesi!! Nemmeno in tutta l'olanda ce ne sono tanti!), ma per fortuna abbiamo noleggiato una moto, il che ci ha permesso di girare a nostro piacimento per l'isola, trovando posti non turistici e scoprendo destinazioni eno-gastronomiche (che non fa mai male...).
La spiaggia, così come la cittadina, sulla costa a sud di Palma era veramente intoccabile. C'erano solo ragazzini tedeschi, che in genere avevano la tendenza a passare la giornata a bere birra tedesca e a far notare il più possibile che erano tedeschi. In particolare molti prediligevano stendere la bandiera crucca fuori da terrazzo, così da rendere chiara la loro origine (e chi ne avrebbe dubitato?). Ciò che mi lascia abbastanza sorpresa è che l'isola offre molte risorse, al contrario di quello che sembra guardando su internet, sia gastronomiche che culturali, e ci sono molte spiaggette e calette decisamente più attraenti di quella distesa di corpi che c'è nella parte più nota ai paesi cruccofili.
Tra l'altro, non so in germania, ma qui in olanda nessuno va mai nei ristoranti olandesi (quand'anche ce ne fossero..), per cui non mi capacito che ci vadano lì, dove puoi trovare mille altre cose migliori e più economiche....
In ogni caso la moto come si diceva ci ha salvato e ci ha permesso di conoscere un po' piu` a fondo la vita mallorchina, anche perche` ci siam sforzati, per quanto possibile, di parlare spagnolo (e gli spagnoli: "simpatici sti crucchi che cercano di ingraziarci cercando di parlar triestino").
Io ho fatto amicizia con la signora della panetteria, che mi prendeva in giro dicendo che me gusta mucho el cremadillo, una sfogliatina alla crema che prendevo ogni mattina (Ermes intanto se gustava la coca.... ?!?!). Poi abbiamo provato il vino locale (e partecipato ad una gara allo scrocco classificandoci secondi!), lo hierbas, un distillato alle erbe, il palo (?), la sangria, la san miguel, l'orchada, i churros, el frito mallorquin, le ensaimadas, la sobrassada, i tapas eccetera eccetera... abbiamo visitato una fincas (dove si teneva la gara di scrocco), e girato in moto per i passi panoramici.... Insomma, niente di meglio!!! Siamo perfino riusciti ad acquistare un colore leggermente più vivo, così da non essere super bianchicci come quando siamo arrivati...
Purtroppo, ora si torna al "duro" lavoro.... forse non durissimo, ma di certo al freddo e umido... sigh....
Per vedere le foto, oltre che come al solito clikkare sul titolo, potete cliccare QUI .
inoltre, per apprezzare le mie capacità artistiche, potere vedere un panorama a 360° di Palma QUI.
In questo post appaiono le seguenti parole:
- crucco/tedesco/olandese e derivate: 13 volte
- enogastronomia e correlate: 22 volte
- cultura:
Monday, July 30, 2007
dopo tanta fatica...
...finalmente si va in vacanza!
Questo implica che per le prossime due settimane il blog non verra` aggiornato anche se mi aspetto fior fior di commenti al nostro ritorno, specie da chi e` gia` stato in vacanza quest'estate.
Per quanto riguarda invece il BBQ di venerdi` scorso: alla fine si e` risolto che non serviva portar la propria carne, mettersela sulla griglia e mangiarsela in solitudine; era invece una normalissima grigliata dove "chi voleva portava qc" e il tutto veniva condiviso...
Cmq noi con i nostri cevapcici (amichevolmente chiamati civas) abbiamo fatto una sazia figura.
A questo punto la mia nuova teoria e` che i popoli piccolo-crucchi (tipo crucchi del sud e svizzeri) usino far cosi`... conferme? smentite?
tipo da qc che casualmente vive in Germania?
ok, buona vacanza (a noi)!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
German BBQ
Per una volta mi metto a difendere la abitudini patrie contro le asocialita` dei popoli cruccofoni.
Da quando siamo qui ad Amsterdam siamo stati invitati a due barbeques (o, se preferite, l'italianissimo "grigliata"), il primo in Cermania, organizzato da un ragazzo tedesco (non Ratzinger), il secondo qui in Olanda, organizzato da un ragazzo olandese (non van Ratzinger).
Il figo e` che per la seconda volta ci e` stato chiesto di "portarsi la propria carne da mettere sulla griglia da casa".
Eh??? Cioe` mi chiedi di venire alla tua festa e devo portarmi il cibo da casa?
Si, ma non solo: non e` che poi la` si condivide tutto (del tipo "ciascuno porta qc") ma ognuno si mangia in un angolino la propria roba e si beve la birra che si e` portato da casa... ma quanto triste e`???
Cmq mi son fatto un po' di statistica e devo dir che, spezzando una lancia in testa ad un olandese, tutti i dutch a cui ho chiesto (Martijn e Minko) rinnegano questa attitudine e la bollano come tedesca o amerikana, mentre tutti i tedeschi a cui l'ho chiesto mi hanno confermato l'usanza.
Purtuttavia il dubbio rimane (almeno fino a venerdi` che ci sara` sto BBQ)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
mestamente...
(aka: chi se ne frega di un albero che cade nel silenzio del bosco?)
ok, dopo il fallimentare tentativo del blog in inglese che io avevo fortemente caldeggiato, decido per un colpo di mano (autoerotismo mentale?) di approfittare dell'assenza di eleonora (attualmente e` a 40km al largo della costa sud francese) - che cmq credo sia favorevole - per ritornare alla lingua dei padri (non miei cmq, visto che parlano in dialetto).
Lo faccio a malincuore ma spero questo renda il blog un po' piu` pop, e quindi appetibile (la prossima mossa sara` un banner porno).
Comunque sia, come si vede chiaramente dall'immagine, siamo andati a vedere Transformers, the Movie. Beh, figo no? A parte il fatto che potevano benissimo fare 3 ore senza dialoghi ne` uomini e mostrare solo roboti (plurale di robot in ceco) che si trasformano e soddisfare cmq tutti, il film era guardabile, no?
Ok, loro erano diversi dai cartoni, megatron non si trasformava in pistola, e non c'era soundblaster... pero` per il resto mi sono piaciuti.
Poi il fatto che il mio personaggio preferito, Starscream, sia sopravvissuto (anche se speravo vincessero per una volta i cattivi... maledetti autobot-americani) e` motivo di gioia comune.
Tuttavia potevano sforzarsi un pelin di piu`, tipo:
perche` non hanno usato una colonna sonora ricalcante la sigla del cartone????
bestemmie...
ok, cmq alla fine son stato soddisfatto.
specie alla fine quando il robot Parisi dichiara al mondo che alle primarie degli autobot votera` per Rosy Bindi (o era Susy Blady?)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Garlic Queen (or garlic queer??)
Last Sunday we wanted to go to the cinema to see Transformers, but when we were there 4 hours before the show there was a queue of tens of meters OUTSIDE the cinema... so, also considering the fact that it was probably the only day of summer (that was more what I call Spring, but still far better then the normal Autumn!), we decided to have a walk around the city, trying to do some nice pictures and enjoying Amsterdam under the sunlight (it's easier to see a rich guy passing in the eye of a needle...). So, at dinner time (that it's an average between the normal dinner time and the dutch dinner time) we started to think about a restaurant... and why not try this amazing garlic Queer? I mean, Queen? It's in the most fashion (fascion) street of Amsterdam, where all the cocktail bars and fancy restaurant are, and it sounded nice. Indeed it was very nice. Probably too expensive for what we got, but we even receive a nice pin with written "Sorry, I've just eaten at Garlic Queen"... Only one pin because I think the waiter consider that Ermes has improved after the dinner (... :o)) ) It was very nice, all the dishes had a big amount of garic in, although it was much lighter then I expected, so we were not so smelly afterward... The grill with Francesco is definitively a more touching experience...
Anyway, if you want to have a look at the menu go to http://www.garlicqueen.nl/index.php?lang=en
It's worthy a look! :)
Sunday, July 01, 2007
TT Assen
Hi Everybody!!
So, here our last adventure... We have been to the TT circuit in Assen to support Valentino Rossi!!!!! And, as you may know, our support has been essential, because he finally won!
Well, the day started well, we wake up, took the car and start our trip to Assen. At few kilometers from the circuit there was the police that made all the cars exit from the highway, because there were far tooo many motorcycles, so there was no space for cars. Unfortunatly, outside the highway there were no signs or anything to help us reaching out destination, so it took us a while. What's more, the parking for the cars was right on the opposite side of our tribune, so we had to walk all around the circuit to get to our places. The 125cc motorcycles were anyway faster the we were walking, so, the race finished before we reached the places and we were just in time to hear the Italian Hymn. Then we have followed the 250cc race, but when the first motorbike of the motogp passed across we could really hear the difference. Each of these motorbikes makes the same noise of a jet plane. You can imagine 30 of them. Amazing!
We were quite lucky with our position, becaus ewe where just before the last turn, where all the overtaking took place. So, every lap, all the public stood up to see if Rossi was overtaking somebody, and for 11 times it was a great show!! Very exciting! Incredibly, it was the first day after almost 3 weeks in which it was not constantly raining, but there was almost the sun... so, good weather for Vale!
After the race we had another walk all around the circuit, so I bought a ot of cool merchandise of Valentino Rossi, but I didn't manage to get the autograph, he probably flew away witha n helicopter (no jokes).
But the show continued in the queue of the highway... It seems that the Dutch people has never seen a motorcycle in their life... in some way I can believe it, because are not so common as in Italy, but still... It's true that there were more then 5 thousand bikes that from the circuit were driving back home through the highway, and the cars in queue (including us) were leaving a plenty of space to all the motos to pass. Butyou cannot imagine, there were hundreds, thousand of Dutch having picnic in the border of the highway or standing on the bridges over the way to watch the motorbikes...Amazing... At a certain point it even started to rain, but still people was standing there like fools... I can't understand them.... Anyway, it was a great day, I really enjouy! And I sow Valentino Rossi, so I'm super happy!! And he won, so ... WOW!!!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Politically scorrect....
We don't want to let people think we claim the pope doesn't respect other countries. Here another picture that shows how good he is in integrating in other societies....
Sunday, May 13, 2007
TRIVIA of the week
Ehy people!! TWO free beers for who guess who is the guy in the picture!! Vote in the poll and write your name and choice in the post!! Beers are waiting you....!!!P.S. The most voted superheros are spare Superman and Spiderman.... how ordinary....
Thursday, May 10, 2007
smoke on the water
I've already had this bad impression, but yesterday I had the proof: the water is not my natural element.
When I was in the US I already used to be the slowest of the pool (and the poll), after puckered old men, pregnant women, drowning kids; but yesterday it was terrible!
Even the old women in the jacuzzi were faster than me (and they were lying still!).
The lowest complaint I received has been: "it looks like you're swimming on a treadmill".
I'm sick of the water.
Let's cheers with beer!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Erasmus Meeting
Here we are after a weekend of paties!!!
It has been great! Four of my friends from the Erasmus in Paris came to visit me here in Amsterdam. For few days it has been like doing the Erasmus again, this time in Amsterdam! (It would have been also nice!). We have done a barbeque in a park, drank a lot of beer, eat a lot of food, walked around the city and of course chatted a lot about the old old days!!
I am very very glad to have seen them again and I'm really looking forward for the next Erasmus meeting! This time in London, then!! Super cool!
Guys, thank you very much to have come and I love youuuu!!!!!
So, what I would like to say about this weekend apart for the meeting, is that here in Amsterdam on friday and saturday there were two celebrations of something "serious". The 4th of May it is the Dodenherdenking, the day of the deads, so in this day at 8 p.m. there is one minute of silence to commemorate all the people who died during the second world war. The 5th of May it is Bevrijdingsdag, in which the liberation from the german occupation at the end of the second world war is commemorated. It is interesting because this last commemoration nowadays it's not only the commemoration of the end of the world war, but it is an important moment to think about all the wars in general, so in the mueum plain there are few concerts and a lot of markets to collect money for war children around the world, or for creating hospitals and all these movements for peace in general. I find it particulary interesting because for the end of the second world war in Italy there are only a bunch of politicians that thanks the americans for having freed us (while we where not really invaded...) and take the occasion to underline how good are the americans and as they have helped us they can also help the middle east countries... Instead, I think it's much better to commemorate this date trying to avoid the same error, and feeling the pain for what has happened in the 40ies, avoid to inflict or to let other people inflict the same pain to other populations....
So, it's not true that all the celebration here are fancy and pointless....
Friday, May 04, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Koninginnedag
Hey Everybody!!So, here there's our last adventure, the Queen's Day!! If you want to have a look at the pictures, as always, you can go in the site http://picasaweb.google.it/ellyon17/Koninginnedag2007
So, what is it... the Queen's Day is THE national holiday in the Netherlands, and it is the birthday of the Queen. The 30 of April is actually the birthday of the former queen, Queen Giuliana, but this one, Beatrix, decided to keep this date because her birthday is in January and it's not the best period for an outdoor party in the Netherlands....
Originally the Queen's day is famous because is the only day in the year when people are allowed to sell everything on the street, to have the 'vrijmarkt', the free market. Now it is still like this, so you can buy literaly any shit you like, but it also a good occasion to have music and concerts and different events all around the city.
Well, I think that it is definitively the best day to visit Amsterdam! It's incredibly full of people, there was almost one million people around the city, and markets everywhere, and music, big stages, small stages, everything you ever wanted but you've never dared to ask it's there for you. Rivers of beer and food, baked ham, orange sweeties and cakes, really, everything!
We have walked around the city for something like 10 hours, we've seen some of the biggest events in the city but it was really impossible to attend to all of them, as there where tens of big concerts in the same moment in different parts of the city.
Of course the Queen didn't show up, she probably prefer to stay in small towns shaking hands to small children, but dutch people where really fond in taking fun of her all around the city.
It was a great great party, probably the best I've never seen in my life! But now... here I am back to work, because these Dutch don't celebrate the 1st of May (probably the only country in the world), and waiting for the next year Queen's day.....
Monday, April 23, 2007
U Pylos
Hello everybody!
Here I am back from my trip to Greece... and as I can see there is a PLENTY of people who have written some text, that wanted to share their ideas, it is SO cool to have all these friends around the world but feeling them so close coming in this blog....
.....
.....
Ok, I needed it.
Anyway, here I am back from Greece. As always, Greece it is always a great country to me, and greeks people are very nice. I mainly spend the whole week with the greeks, working on my program, and they have surprised me (I have to admit) for how well organised and well prepared they are. They offered me to go in Greece after the phd, and I will seriously think about that. Unfortunately the weather was not so good, it was probably the only week in which the weather was nicer in the Netherlands then in Greece, but still I manage to have a swim, although I really freeze.
What I will surely remember from this week was:
1) The roasted pig night
2) the octopus, ouzo and friutra mista night!
Something nobody wants to miss....
Please, visit here to check out the pictures!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
"That African island that Italians keep calling Sicily"
Good Morning, Italy!As promised, here we are again...
It seems that lately we are visiting more and more continents... before America, now Sicily...!!
Well, fist of all, check out the pictures in the usual website http://picasaweb.google.com/ellyon17
Then, some description....
It's a bit hard, I don't know where to start. What I think it is important to say before starting is that Sicily is surely seen differently from people who come from abroad and people from Italy. For people coming from abroad (I got some impression from Guus & others) it is exaclty the stereotype of Italy. For people from Italy it is exaclty the stereotype we think others have of Italy and we want to fight with.
What I want to say is that everything is very nice and very folkloristic to visit and to live, but if you come from the same country, you are under the same laws and you live in the same society, you are a bit disappointed and you start to think about all the fines and the taxes you have paid, and that there are not existing... But, after you overpass this first feeling of injustice, you can start to enjoy the sun and the life there. All the good & the bad things you can find everywhere in Italy, there are to the hundreds.... the weather is extremely good, the food is extremely good, the cars traffic is extremely caotic and dangerous, the tendence of ignoring the rules has become a sort rule to ignore the rules, the disorganization has reach the highest levels, but the people is very friendly, after they have understood you are friendly too. From this point of view, it is maybe the opposite then in the Netherlands. Here people are always friendly and kind with everyone, without knowing, but then, to increase the level of the relationship is maybe harder. In Italy, and moreover in Sicliy, people are always diffident at the first sight, but then they are very friendly. I think that the reason is because the society makes you untrustful in respect of other people, because there is no a real society, there is only the rule that you have to think about your own good by yourself, and other may eventually risk your good, so be ready to fight! But then, when you realise that they don't want to damage you, then everybody is your friend. It may seem a good option, but I can tell you that living all your life like this is pretty stressful. And this kind of behaving is quite clear when they are driving: they don't know who's driving the other cars, so they are very much aggressive. But then, of course, there are also quite funny sides of this! One evening (but it was late afternoon more then evening) we were walking arount the very center of Siracusa and we have seen four (four!! 4!! FOUR!) smiling and joyful girls on one scooter.... FOUR ON ONE SMALL TINY SCOOTER!!! Of course none of them had the helmet, but come on, who notice the helmet in such cases?!?!?!?!
In the end, I can say it was a great holiday, I enjoyed it very much, I was maybe too much conditioned by the tendency of comparing it with Trieste (that most of them will keep calling Austria...), but without thinking of it, it was really great!! And, by the way... after 5 days we were there most of the people still didn't believe that me and Ermes were Italians!! They were always trying to speak in English, although their English was most of the time just Italian, but spoken slower... and the fact we were understanding what they were talking about didn't help them in believing we are Italians..... Maybe it's because of our Dutch accent!!
Friday, April 06, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
ShareThis
Posts
