Finally! I'm in Delft!

Technically speaking, I arrived in Delft 5 days ago, but the last few days have been so busy that I haven't had time to post anything. So, as I sit here sipping wine and waiting for my dinner to cook, I finally have a chance to summarize my trip, arrival and first few days of settling in.

The week before I left was BUSY. From the time I came back from a trip to visit extended family to the time I left, I ended up meeting up with friends for every single lunch and dinner. There was last minute preparations, packing and shopping for necessary gear. All in all, I didn't get much sleep.

My flight was in the afternoon on a Friday. The check-in counter was less than pleasant. The lady at the counter first weighed my carry-on, then informed me I'd have to reduce the weight by 2kg. Fair enough... Once I repacked my bags, she then asked me to measure its dimensions in the device they had. It was very very close, only one of my wheels got caught on the top rail. Because of this she made me pack as much as I could into my backpack and check the bag. I was not pleased, to say the least.

Once I got though security, however, things got significantly better. I was called to the flight desk, where I was informed that I was randomly chosen to be upgraded to first class for free! Needless to say, this was the most pleasant flight I've ever been on. To top it off, I had some great conversations with the Dutch guy in the seat next to me.

After I arrived, collected my luggage and went through customs, I was greeted by TUD volunteers who brought me to the Welcome desk where I was given important documents. Shortly after I was taken by shuttle to my residence in Delft, where another volunteer was waiting to guide me to my apartment.

My first weekend involved some pre-organized evening activities and unpacking my bags. The was a daytime city rally organized, but my cell battery died, and so I ended up sleeping through it. It was just as well, since the extra sleep likely helped me to be more energetic at the welcome party that evening.

This week is introduction week. I've attended some lectures, met up with and worked with a project group, met a tonne of people and bought many things for my apartment. Today I (finally) found a bike. Now, I need to get a local cell phone, buy a few more items for my apartment and take care of a few more things.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is my last day for this week. Next week my faculty has organized a four day camp in a "secret location". All in all, I'll say that my trip to Delft has been great so far. I've met some wonderful people, seen some of the beauty of the city and I am becoming more organized. I am almost ready to begin my studies. I am so happy to be here, and I'm sure the next year will be great!

Great Wine and Tan Lines

Before my departure for Europe, I really needed some quality RnR time with one of my closest girl friends. The solution? A road trip to the beautiful Okanagan of British Columbia, Canada. The hot sun, crystal clear lakes, orchards, wineries, food and many other attractions was a perfect way to fill five days of quality girl time. Of course, this region is great for guys, couples and families as well. We spent most of our time in and around Kelowna.

Our most frequent activity was cruising around the side roads looking for wineries and fresh fruit. Most wineries have free tastings. The ones with a fee (three to five dollars)  allow you to apply the cost of the tasting towards the purchase of a bottle of wine. One mistake I made was buying too many bottles from the first winery we visited. With my flight to the Netherlands approaching, I had to limit the amount of wine I bought to what I will be able to polish off before the flight. Another worthwhile liquor tasting is the Raven Ridge Cidery, which features iced ciders. These are similar to ice wine, but for a fraction of the price. 

Rainier cherries and peaches were the main fruits in season. Both were very flavorful. Also an awesome find were strawberry-rhubarb and blueberry-rhubarb-apple pies. We were sad to discover that the grapes were nowhere near ripe... I love wine grapes. 

Most of the restaurants we visited were good, other than a couple of breakfast locations. Of note is the last place we went for dinner, RauDZ. It is somewhat pricey, but worth it. The stuffed calamari appetizer (in the picture) was fantastic. The filling was perfectly moist. It was a nice change from the typical battered and fried varieties that are found at most restaurants. We loved the fresh fruit sangria. I had the blue cheese new york steak and my friend had the arctic char. For desert, we shared the featured cherry mousse, which was just a taster size.... perfect considering we were already stuffed! Overall, RauDZ was a very good food find. 

Also of note:

Moo-Lix Icecream Shop: many fantastic flavors of ice cream on freshly made waffle cones.

Blenz Coffee: We had many shaken iced-teas from here. Their baked items were also good.

Siam Orchid Thai Restaurant: I loved my greed curry and the atmosphere.

Momo Sushi Cafe: Very fresh and tasty sushi for a decent price and friendly staff.

Marmalade Cat Cafe: Awesome Sunday brunch. I got the Eggs Benedict with sweet potato and regular potato hashbrowns. Yum.

If you like goat cheese, check out Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan. They offer a free tasting of all of their cheeses. There was a nice variety of flavors. Some are quite strong in taste, but worth trying at least once. We ended up buying a softer cheese and ate most of it for dinner along with some French bread, fruit and, of course, wine. If you make it out to the farm, definitely try the gelato. I found it to be slightly creamier than the cow's milk variety. The flavor of the goat's milk was noticeable, but overall pleasant for most flavors.

This post wouldn't be complete without mentioning the lake. The water was clear, the sun was hot, the atmosphere was wonderful. I would have loved to cruise the water on a motorboat, but that will have to wait for a future trip. While we were there, unfortunately there were some nearby forest fires that added a haze to the lake, so in some places it was difficult to see across the lake. On the upside the smoke wasn't too thick and we couldn't smell it.

  

While the food and lounging in the sun took up most of our time in the Kelowna, I should also mention some of the other things we enjoyed. Downtown Kelowna is beautiful. We loved the flowers, street performers and Japanese gardens. Our visit to Croc Talk, a Crocodilian conservation facility, was surprisingly fun. We did not expect to get so close to crocodiles, aligators, wild cats and tortoises. 

As far as accommodations go, our first couple of nights were in the Samesun hostel, and our last three were at the UBC Kelowna campus. They were of comparable price. Samesun had the advantage of being close to downtown. We got a private room, but the washrooms were shared. UBC had the advantage of separate rooms with our own private washroom. It was very new and clean. However, we did notice that noise travels through the vents when our young neighbors above us attempted to have a conversation though the washroom vent. The out-of-town location made it harder to go out at night, but didn't really make a difference otherwise since we had to drive around to get to the wineries and farms. 

This trip to the Okanagan was just what I needed before I fly away to Europe. We didn't have a strict schedule, which made it easy to relax. If you need to unwind, take a trip to the Okanagan.

Stuff: Pack, Store or Discard?

Even though I am not leaving for the Netherlands for another 23 days, I have only five days left in my home town (maybe one or two more). So, for the past two days I've been going through my stuff and deciding what to pack, what to store and what I don't care to keep anymore. My airline includes 23kg of checked baggage (eg- one suitcase) and 10kg of carry-on, plus a purse and a laptop bag. Extra baggage is $10/kg, but only when purchased at least 10 days ahead of time, otherwise its $15. So, space is tight, and expensive. I've opted to spend extra for another bag (15-20kg). So, the mission is to reduce my life's collection of stuff into 43-48kg worth of luggage, including the weight of the bags.

Before I came anywhere close to packing, I had to decide what I'll use for luggage. Well, I do already have some Atlantic Suitcases that I originally purchased to take to Switzerland. They have served me well on many trips. BUT, the downside to suitcases are that they are bulky and relatively heavy. Buying an excursion backpack was another option. While this was not a bad idea, the pack would be bulkier, heavier and more expensive than a simple duffle bag, and I can get a backpack in Europe if/when I need one. I settled on using an Atlantic suitcase and carry-on along with a large MEC duffel bag.

I have the bags, now what should I pack? The question is: what is this worth $10/kg? The duffel bag is already almost full of clothes that had no evidence of being worn out. There is still some room left. My suitcase is currently half-full, including some shoes, jewelry, some good hair products and a few other things. My carry on will be packed later on. I have more clothes and a few other things set aside to pack when the time comes. For anything I don't already own, but will likely need, I've decided that I will buy them when I get there. The only thing left to determine is how much extra baggage to pre-purchase.

Now, what about items to store? About an month ago, I started filling a metal chest full of little treasures I cannot bear to part with. These are mostly keep-sakes: childhood creations, pictures, doodads from special days (like high school graduation), yearbooks and things I've made in recent classes (ceramics, blown glass...). In the past two days, my stored items doubled when I filled a wooden chest, which includes a few more keep-sakes, smaller sport items and other things I won't use now, but don't want to part with just yet. Other than that, my parents garage and house will store some bulkier sports equipment, a few items of clothes and some old vinyl records (thanks Mom and Dad!! You are THE BEST!).

And as for the rest: DISCARDED. The process of discarding technically started a few months ago when I moved back into my parents house. Anything that was glaringly obvious that I wouldn't need (kitchen appliances, for example) I gave away right away. In the past two days I've discarded much more than I thought I would... you know, it actually feels pretty good to realize how much junk you don't really need!

Whew! After some hard work, I'm nearly done converting my life-full-of-stuff into a life-out-of-a-suitcase (well technically, a suitcase, duffel bag and carry on). As always, there are mixed feelings, but the good far outweigh the bad. Feels great!

The Biltmore Estate

Tucked away in the hills of Asheville, North Carolina lies the opulent Biltmore Estate. On Christmas Eve 1895, George W. Vanderbilt opened the house to his friends and family. While it was originally a country escape, once George married Edith Dresser in 1898, they made the estate their family home. With a 175,000 square foot and 250 room house on 125,000 acres of land, it is safe to say that the Vanderbilts most definitely lived a comfortable life. Today, the estate sits on 8000 acres and is one of Asheville's primary tourist attractions. 

The cost to visit the estate is relatively high ($60 the day I went), but it is worth it. You may also pay to use the audio guide when touring the house. Since I had a limited timeline, I opted to simply read the free paper guide. I will spare you the details now. It is best seen in person. I found the indoor garden, billiard room, banquet hall, library, bowling alley, swimming pool, a gym and servants quarters most interesting.

For gardening enthusiasts, the Biltmore Estate has plenty of flowers, bamboo, trees and shrubbery to see. You could spend a day simply wondering the walking paths.

I found the gardens wonderful, but I liked the pond even better. There are turtles, fish and even a small man-made waterfall. And to imagine, this mountain paradise was made for just one family and their guests!

My next stop was Antler Hill. The cool walk through the wine cellars was very welcome on the sweltering summer day. Guests that are over-21 can partake in a free wine tasting and the Biltmore's award winning winery. Those concerned about the $60 entry fee may be able to recoup some of the cost, since it seemed as though there was no limit to the amount of samples you could try. Normally I prefer red wines, but I decided to buy a sweet white desert wine as well as a nice rose.

The child in me really enjoyed visiting the farm. The barnyard is filled with sheep, horses, funny looking chickens, as well as other critters. For families and animal lovers, the farm is worth the short walk from Antler Hill.

Other than what I have included here, there is much more to see and do on the Biltmore Estate. As far as food goes, I loved the chocolate filled croissant, iced latte, black cherry ice cream and my flat-bread lunch. If you are into biking, there are many paths throughout the estate. The Biltmore Estate is also a popular venue for weddings and graduation parties. If you need a place to stay, the estate has an onsite hotel. If you ever find yourself in or near Asheville, North Carolina, be sure to visit the Biltmore Estate. You will not be disappointed.

Last week at work

After a heck of a lot of waiting, my last week of work is here. Thursday is my last day! Knowing that I am THAT much closer to my awesome adventure, I am ecstatic. Though, as this 3 year part of my life comes to an end, I do have some mixed feelings. I have met so many great people, made friends and learned a lot in my first "real" job. So, in some ways, its kind of sad to say goodbye to this life I've known.

On the other hand, I CAN'T WAIT to start my new life as a foreign student in Europe!! As time passes, I only become more excited. What makes this time even better, is that the day after my last day, I leave for a trip to visit my sister and her family in North Carolina. The rest of the month and a bit before I leave for Holland is filled with other trips with family and friends. I predict the time will fly by. :)

To everyone that I met in the past 3 years, it was great getting to know you! We must keep in touch. To everyone I will be visiting before I leave, I can't wait to see you all! To everyone else that I know, I hope we have the chance to get together before I leave.