#lunch groningen

[geneseoabroad]

Netherlands, University of Groningen - Nya Caballero

1. What was your favorite part about the Netherlands?

How peaceful it was for me; I grew up in The Bronx, the opposite of the Netherlands. I enjoyed the peace in the Netherlands and being able to do certain things I could not do at home. Groningen is a small city, and I did not bike, but it is very walkable, and I would often take walks or even walk to the city center. The city center had many clothing stores and restaurants, so there were always options if you ever wanted to try something options. I also enjoyed learning and meeting new people within the University. 

2. Describe a day in the life of a student in the Netherlands.

My day typically started around 10 am; I would eat breakfast and take the bus to class. Bus I lived around 10 minutes away from my campus; most people ride bikes in the Netherlands, but I was very anxious riding my bike. As soon as I got off the bus, the campus was right there, so it was a little bit of a walk. Classes in the Netherlands are typically around 2 hours, with a 15-minute break after an hour. In the classes, students clap at the end of each lecture. After finishing my lectures, I would grab lunch at the cafe with many options. I mainly got Indian food, which was always around 10 euros- 15 euros, depending on what you got. After classes, I would return to my room, read for my classes, and update my study guides. I would read until 10 pm-11 pm and each dinner. My dinner was typically sandwiches, or I would order food since I would need more time to cook.

3. What were your accommodations like?

In the Netherlands, there are no dorms like in Geneseo. They have a housing company called SSH, which offers different accommodations. My accommodation is like an apartment, but you share a kitchen. I liked my accommodation since it was pretty modern and the room was huge. Most of the other students on my floor were studying aboard as well. I lived and shared a floor with other Geneseo students, making me more comfortable. I was close to campus, and the local grocery store was a 2-minute bike ride and a 10-minute walk. 

4. Did you travel while aboard in the Netherlands?

I made two trips during my travels here: Paris, France, and Hamburg, Germany. I enjoyed both trips but loved Germany the most. It was pretty scary traveling, but it was super easy. The Netherlands has a bus called Flixbus that takes you to different countries. My bus trip to Germany was a 40-euro round trip, a 4-hour bus ride. On my trip to Paris, I took a slightly more expensive flight; it was 220 euros round trip. I saw many museums and tried different food places, and it was really fun even though I went solo.

5. Why did you decide to study abroad, specifically the Netherlands?

I decided to study abroad because it was my last semester of college, and I wanted to travel before I graduated. The Netherlands program was the only program that allowed me to return in time for my graduation. However, I did not choose this program because of its convenience. I heard positive things about the program, and it looked like a beautiful country to be in. I also wanted to learn something new as well since I am originally a Sociomedical Science major in Geneseo; during my time aboard, I studied Psychology.

[regioonlineofficial]

In de week van maandag 15 april worden de hele week gezellige DoortrappenDagen georganiseerd. Op verschillende locaties in de gemeente Westerwolde zijn leuke, interactieve fietsactiviteiten. Doortrappen helpt 65-plussers om gezellig, fit en veilig te blijven fietsen. Fietsen draagt bij aan een goede conditie en zorgt voor sociaal contact. Dat is belangrijk om gezond en zelfstandig te blijven. Waar en wanneer kunnen inwoners meedoen aan de Doortrappendagen? Maandag 15 april          09.30-15.00 uur            Vlagtwedde (’t Kruispunt) Dinsdag 16 april            09.30-15.00 uur            Wedde (De Voortgang) Woensdag 17 april        09.30-15.00 uur            Bellingwolde (De Meet) Donderdag 18 april       09.30-15.00 uur            Ter Apel (Sporthal) Vrijdag 19 april             09.30-15.00 uur            Sellingen (MFA Sellingen) Het programma 9.30 uur Ontvangst 9.45 uur Welkomstwoord en bespreking van het dagprogramma 10:10 uur Fietscheck, fietsquiz en fietsgesprek 11:45 uur Lunch (€ 5,- p.p.) 12:30 uur Uitleg groepsfietstocht 12:45 uur Start fietstocht van ongeveer 25 km Inwoners die alleen met de groepsfietstocht mee willen doen om 12.45 uur kunnen om 12.30 uur aansluiten. Aanmelden? Dat kan via Stichting Welzijn Westerwolde. Bel naar (0599) 58 24 60. En kijk voor meer informatie op westerwoldebeweegt.nl/doortrappen. Wie organiseert dit? Doortrappen is een landelijk initiatief. Het programma wordt in Westerwolde uitgevoerd door Westerwolde Beweegt samen met Stichting Welzijn Westerwolde, Stichting Wedde dat ’t lukt, Huis voor de Sport Groningen, de Fietsersbond, VeiligheidNL en Senza Communicatie.

[actuelekamers]

Prijs: 580 per maand Kamer omschrijving Gemeub. kamer. Alle maaltijden (incl.mee-nem lunch), ook veget. incl. in huurprijs. Wifi. Boxspring bed, grote kast, boekenkast, tafel, ventilator. Zuidhorn: 10 min. van Groningen per trein. 15 km per fiets. Gebruik van wasmachine.Interesse in deze woning? Ga naar Kamernet.nl en stuur een bericht naar de verhuurder of huisgenoten. Kamer details Woonkamer gedeeld: shared Kamers: 1 Internet: yes Keuken gedeeld: Douches: shared Kamergenoten in woning: 2 Toilet: shared Huisdieren: false Makelaar: nee Bekijk de volledige kamer / woning ---> Bekijk en plan bezichtiging

[katieandskip]

Been here in Groningen now for three days; enjoying the big city. A university town; it’s very vibrant with a market, many cafes and shops, even a few coffee houses.

The weather is basically what’s holding us up. Cool and rainy. Wearing two shirts and a jacket, long pants and socks. It did give us the opportunity to do things we might have missed: a couple of museums, an English garden with a sundial dating back to 1730, a lovely lunch in a converted palace, and a drag show.

The rain has finally stopped and we expect to leave here tomorrow for points east and north, then south along the German border.

[ainews]

A new study has found that people are more likely to be cruel to others during the hour before lunch.

The research, which was conducted by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, looked at how people's emotions and behaviors changed during the course of a day.

The study found that people were more likely to be rude, impatient, and aggressive during the hour before lunch. The researchers believe that this is because people are more likely to be hungry and tired during this time.

The study's lead author, Dr. Dirk van der Pligt, said that the findings could help to explain why so many conflicts occur during the lunch hour. He said that the findings could also help businesses to better understand how to manage their employees during this time.

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

[sylvanacs]

[janbloemendaal]

#koffie #coffee #weekend #kaffee #espresso #goodmorning #coffeelover #ontbijt #cappuccino #barista #breakfast #lunch #cafe #instacoffee #zaterdag #saturday #coffeegram #latte #thee #coffeetime #coffeeshop #café #goedemorgen #coffeeaddict #kawa #saterday #kopi #groningen #koffietijd #zaterdag

[sanchit-hari]

summary: Sanchit came to Paris four months ago, they answer solely to they/them, born in India but grew up in the Netherlands (Groningen). Their mother remarried a Dutch man, and they were always raised with his values, always told what not to. Paris is their chance to be free. They’re hard of hearing and wear a hearing aid. They’ve only had High school French so they’re anything but fluent. They use English and Dutch words when they can’t come up with the French words. 

ABOUT

Full Name/Nickname: Sanchit Hari, they don’t have a nickname, but they would totally love to get some ;-; Age/DOB: 27 years old, 27th of September 1994 Zodiac Sign: Libra Gender: non-binary Place of Birth: Cochin, Kerala, India Arrondissement: Belleville Sexual/Romantic Orientations: Gay Religion: Hinduism/Protestant Occupation: Kitchen staff at Le Meurice

PERSONALITY

Goals/Desires: Sanchit wants to live unapologetically. They want to have a boyfriend, they want to become a chef, they want to go dancing, and to look at boys, and they really want to feel at home with other people, they want a found family. They want to cook for the found family and do catering for their weddings and make lunches for their kids, and they want to fall deeply in love and kiss on top the Eiffel Tower.  Fears: Sanchit is always afraid that people won’t like them. They don’t talk a whole lot, they’re not shy, but they’re silent because listening is already hard, and it takes a whole lot to listen. They also don’t always feel like they have things to talk about, they want to talk about nice things, but they fear people think they’re too sad.  Hobbies: cooking, walking around aimlessly, swimming, soccer Likes & Dislikes: Sanchit loves to try out new recipes, they love the smell of fresh herbs and rice when it cooking. They enjoy putting on shirts with patterns, they love decorating their small apartment with new useless stuff, they love Punjabi, and going to church. They like weed, a lot, but sadly there’s a very different look on it in France compared to the liberal Netherlands. They dislike people who talk too fast, and who overlook them or look down on them. They dislike the smell of burnt food, the sound of crying children, the promises of bible class, and styrofoam, they really really hate styrofoam, just the sight of it gives them chills.  Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff

FAMILY

Parents: Ajay & Laji Hari (biological parents), Mauritius van Velden (adopted father) Sibling(s): Laurens van Velden (much older brother, Mauritius’ son) Pet(s): none

POTENTIAL CONNECTIONS

FRIENDS: Sanchit is a little shy, they never know how to do conversations well, and being hard of hearing also doesn’t work. But if given the chance, they can be very excited and enthusiastic about people, wanting to spend time with people, hoping to make a connection,  hoping most of all that people like them. 

WE FLIRTED ONCE: Sanchit took freedom to the next level when they arrived in Paris, they try a hand at flirting a lot, but aren’t very good at it. 

FOOD FRIENDS: Sanchit is obsessed with cooking, and they also enjoy eating what others make and sharing recipes. 

CLUELESS: people who are relatively new to Paris as well, and are still discovering the city and the sights. 

POTENTIAL LOVE INTERESTS: Sanchit has not thought about boys - or at least tried to - for the past decade, always afraid that their family would hear about it - which in a city like Groningen is very possible - but now they’re in Paris, they don’t need to be frightened any more. 

[regioonlineofficial]

Afgelopen zaterdag was de gemeenteraad van Midden-Groningen op bezoek in het dorp Noordbroek. Dit als onderdeel van de dorps- en wijkbezoeken die de raad regelmatig aflegt om de gemeente nog beter te leren kennen. In Noordbroek hebben de raadsleden meer gehoord over de wensen, zorgen en initiatieven van inwoners in het dorp. Het bezoek is mede voorbereid door de Dorpsadviesraad Noordbroek. Rondwandeling door Noordbroek De raadsleden hebben een rondwandeling gemaakt door het dorp langs verschillende locaties en initiatieven. Zo is er gesproken over de verkeerssituatie in het dorp, over de staat van de speeltuinen en over de beoogde woningbouw op de NAM-locatie. In woonzorgcentrum Gockingaheem werd een presentatie gegeven over de toekomst van de ouderenzorg en gesproken met bewoners. Afsluitend was er een lunch in MFC de Noordsuythoeve met ruimte voor informeel gesprek. De raadsleden vonden het een inspirerend bezoek waarbij zij veel nieuwe dingen hebben geleerd en gehoord over het dorp. Dit kunnen zij meenemen bij hun werkzaamheden in de raad. Vijfde dorps- en wijkbezoek Het bezoek aan Noordbroek was het vijfde dorps- en wijkbezoek van deze raad. De raadsleden hebben eerder al Woldwijck, Kolham, de Schilddorpen (Hellum, Overschild, Schildwolde, Siddeburen, Steendam en Tjuchem) en Meeden en Muntendam bezocht. In de komende periode zal de raad ook langsgaan in andere dorpen en wijken in de gemeente.

[somerandomdutchfangirl]

Hetalia Family Week - Day 1: Hobbies

This is my entry for @hetafamilyweek day 1 - hobbies (and hugs)

Summary:  They didn't have time for family hangouts often, with them being nations and all that, but whenever they did, it was safe to say it was the most fun any of them would have that week.

Sometimes, they would just go for a coffee or lunch or have a picnic. Other times, they would binge-watch a series while cuddling on the couch. And then, there were times like this.

This has also been posted to my a03!

Disclaimer: the opinions of the characters aren’t necessarily the authors opinion. Also, some of the sentences have been translated with Google Translate. If there is any mistake, please let me know and I'll fix as soon as possible! The translations are at the end.

Names used:

Willem = Netherlands

Femke = Belgium

Laurent = Luxembourg

Antonio = Spain

Matthew = Canada

Abel = Holland, @starflight-blog oc

Sjoerd = Friesland, @starflight-blog oc

Lieke = Groningen, @starflight-blog oc

Relevant headcanons time!  

- Femke owns a cat named Mika

- Matthew and Willem are married (see end notes for more info)

- Matthew uses he/they pronouns

:readmore:

They didn't have time for family hangouts often, with them being nations and all that, but whenever they did, it was safe to say it was the most fun any of them would have that week.

Sometimes, they would just go for a coffee or lunch or have a picnic. Other times, they would binge-watch a series while cuddling on the couch. And then, there were times like this.

"Can't you two sit still for like five minutes? If you want this painting to actually look good, you're gonna have to let me actually have time to paint you!"

"What if we want it to look like Picasso?"

"Laurent, hoepel een eind op, Picasso sucks and so do his paintings."

"Don't let Antonio hear you say that."

"Antonio can go fuck himself."

"Guys, let's keep this fun, alright? I want to enjoy this day," Femke chimed in. Willem huffed but didn't complain further. Laurent grinned and continued composing a piece for the harp standing next to him.  

(When Laurent had led them towards his "inspiration room" as he liked to call it, which was just a room filled with instruments, art supplies and more, both siblings had been filled with dread at the thought of Laurent playing the tuba, or god forbid, the trombone. Willem had said: "Laurent, I swear to god, if you're going to play the tuba or the trombone, I'm going to throw both you and the instrument out of the nearest window." To which Laurent had been a smartass and replied, "Can you even lift all that weight though?" That had ended up in a chase through the house that ended when Femke tackle-hugged both.)

The comfortable silence continued for a while, broken only by the occasional sigh from one of the siblings or Laurent trying the piece on the harp.

"Hey, Fem," Laurent walked up to her while he was taking a quick break, "What're you making?"

"Well, I'm trying to embroider our pets, but this stitch just won't work, godverdomme-"

"Maybe you should take a break and come back to it later? It's getting late anyway, we should eat dinner soon," Laurent suggested. Femke nodded. When no conformation came from Willem, they turned to him.

"Hey, earth to Willem! Did you hear what we just said?" Laurent asked, walking up to him and quickly stopping next to him. "Nondikass!" He exclaimed. "Willem, that looks amazing! How'd you do that in such a short time?!"

Femke, now curious, walked up to her brothers and peeked over their shoulders. "What the fuck, Willem," she gaped at the painting in front of her. It was clearly her and Laurent doing their respective hobbies, with beautiful lighting and background. The vibrant colours of the front of the painting was a stark contrast to the background, which had much softer tones. "You told us you were rusty! What part of this is rusty?!"

Willem, who was now looking more like a tomato, opened his mouth, no doubt to point out all the things that were wrong with it, but Laurent cut him off. "Nope, Mr. Perfectionist, you're not pointing out all the imperfections of this, and that's final. This is a masterpiece, seriously. Don't give me that look!"

"You know," Femke mused, "I might actually hang this in my house once it's dry."

"Guys," Willem said, flustered, "It's not that good. Really. Thanks for the compliments, but-"

"No buts!" Femke exclaimed at the same time Laurent yelled: "Not that good?!"

"Yeah, it's... the colour's off, the perspective is weird, and-"

"I am this close to actually strangling you with your scarf, Willem," Femke cut him off, her hands on her hips. "So what if it isn't perfect? That doesn't make it look any less amazing! I'll tell you what, we're gonna take a break, then we're going to come back here, and you'll see how amazing this actually looks."  

Willem looked at her for a few seconds before sighing. "Fine..."

"Now don't go around brooding like that, it's no fun," Laurent said while shooting Femke a quick thumbs-up. Femke grinned.

"Now, come on! I'll make waffles!"

---

"Hey, Matthew replied!" Laurent exclaimed, effectively cutting off Willems' story on the antics of Abel and Sjoerd.

(Apparently, they had gotten into a fight over who had the most creative curse words. This had ended in Abel singing along to the curse word song in Dutch, until Lieke walked in. Sjoerd had promptly slapped a hand over Abel's mouth to stop him from ‘tainting Lieke's innocence’. It was weird.)

"What do you mean?" Willem asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, dearest brother of mine," Laurent replied with a shit-eating grin, which did absolutely nothing to ease Willem's worries. "Because you didn't seem too convinced by us literally shouting how amazing your painting was, we decided to send a picture to Matthew-"

"You what?!"

"-to see what he thinks of it," Laurent continued, unfazed. "Since, you know, you seem to care a lot about what they think, about as much as you care about what we think? I mean I would hope so, considering we're your siblings, but-"

"You're getting off track, Laurent," Femke cut him off. "Anyway, we figured that if anyone other than us would manage to convince you that your painting is amazing, it's gonna be Matthew."

"I-"

"Don't even try to deny it. We went to your wedding, remember? We know how much you care about him. Which is a good thing, by the way. So, Laurent, what did they say?"

"Well, there's an all-caps keysmash, followed by an all-caps 'what?!'. Scratch that, basically everything is in caps. So, the general train of thought is 'what the fuck, this is beautiful, how the fuck did he do this, he calls this rusty?!' And finally, 'I love it 10/10 would hang in my living room and/or show off to my family and friends. It's beautiful and I'll physically fight him on that.'"

"Awww, that's so sweet! See, Willy, your painting truly is amazing!" Femke, sporting a somehow genuine but shit-eating grin, patted her brother on the back. Said brother had his head in his hands and may or may not be crying.

"I hate you two," came the muffled reply with no real heat behind it. Femke and Laurens laughed.

"We love you too, you softie! Now come on, who's ready to spend more time together!" Femke cheered, already halfway across the room.

---

"Jezus Christus, Femke, that looks amazing!" Willem said, looking at the embroidery his sister had made. It pictured their pets, Pelutze, Mika, and Nijntje. 

"Aww, thanks Willem!"

"Wait, let me see- wow, sis, this is really good! I love it!"  

"Thank you, Lau! By the way, is your composition nearly finished? I want to hear it!"

"Me too, actually."

"Well, it's not done yet, but I can play what I have so far?"

"Yes please!" Femke smiled.

Laurent sat down and started playing the piece of music he had written on the harp. Moving his fingers delicately along the strings, the beautiful melody carried along the room. Once he was done, he looked up.

"So... what did you think- Femke are you okay?!"

"Yeah, sorry, it's just... it's so beautiful!" Femke cried, flinging herself at Laurent and crushing him in a hug.  

"I agree with Femke, it was wonderful," Willem chimed in, walking over to his siblings. Femke quickly included him in the hug.

"You two are so talented, what the hell!"

"Fem, you're crushing me," Laurent gasped. "And don't you dare exclude yourself, have you seen what you just made?!"

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts, remember," Willem said, parroting her words back to her with a smirk.

"Why are you like this?"

Willem laughed at this. "You still love me despite it, though!"

"That's not an answer!"

"Is it not?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Guys, please stop. This is a stupid argument," Laurent rolled his eyes.

"Rolling your eyes at us? How rude, Lau," Willem said, locking him in a headlock and ruffling his hair.

"Hey, let me go!"

"Hmmm, let's see... Nope."

"Oh, come on! Fem, help me out here!"

Femke just laughed in response.

"Betrayal!" Laurent screeched, struggling to get out of his brother's headlock. Femke just laughed harder in response, almost falling over.

"You know, you could always just say the magic word to get out."

"The magic- What am I, five?"

"You certainly act like it sometimes."

"Fëck dech."

"Real mature, Laurent."

"Oh, like asking for the magic word is so mature."

"Absolutely. I haven't heard it yet, by the way. Femke, are you doing alright?" Willem asked, as his sister was now lying on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Gasping for air, she shook no.

"Seems like you'd better let me go before we make Femke choke," Laurent commented. Willem tsk-ed.

"Fine, fine. Fem, get up," he said, letting Laurent out of the headlock and extending a hand towards Femke.

"Give- give me a... minute," she said, still gasping for air. After she managed to get enough air in her lungs and not burst out laughing after she saw her brothers standing in front of her with worried (albeit semi-irritated) looks, she finally took Willem's offered hand.

"You two are utter morons."  

Willem gasped. "Are you hearing this, Laurent? Slander, complete and utter slander!"

"Well, she's right about one of us, and it isn't me."

"Laurent, ik tyf je de Noordzee in als je niet ophoudt-"

"Try me, old man-"

"Who're you calling old you little-"

''Oh for- hou uw bakkes! If this becomes another argument, I will smother both of you!''

''You wouldn't dare,'' Willem said. After a beat of silence and a fierce glare from Femke, he added: ''Would you?''

''I don't know, why don't you find out?''

''Fem, you're scaring me a bit here,'' Laurent said nervously. Femke hummed. Laurent looked at Willem, wide-eyed. Willem just looked back and shrugged.

''Could you even reach me though?'' Willem, who apparently had a death wish, asked.

Femke whipped around, glaring at her brother. Willem just glared back.

''Guys, no, no one's getting killed today,'' Laurent interjected. ''This is supposed to be a fun family meeting, remember? If there's any way anyone's going down,'' he added on, a devilish grin on his face as he slowly inched closer to his still glaring siblings, ''It's going to be this way!'' he yelled as he quickly poked Willem in his side, who immediately yelped and tried to get away. To no avail, because Femke quickly latched onto his arm and started poking him in his side too.  

''No, Fem, wait- What did I do to deserve this?!''

''Well, uh... you took the last waffle?''

''Are you asking me, or-'' Willem started to ask, then yelped again as his siblings started to tickle him.

''No! Please, mercy!''

''Hmmm, Lau, what do you think? Should we stop?'' Femke asked, looking at her younger brother.

''I don’t know, Fem,'' Laurent answered back, devilish grin still on his face. ''He hasn’t said the magic word yet.''

''Godverdomme, natuurlijk is dat het antwoord. Kut! Laurens, stop!''

''Hmm, let me think. Nee.''

Femke snickered. ''He looks like a worm, wiggling like that.''

''How the fuck-''

''Oh my god you're so right,'' Laurent said. ''Willem the worm,'' he started to say, but burst out laughing halfway through. Femke laid on top of Willem, wheezing. Willem, meanwhile, looked absolutely mortified.

''You two are so immature,'' he said.

''Says the guy currently laying on the floor because he's ticklish.''

''I will strangle you,'' Willem threatened.

''Try me, bit- Hey!'' Laurent started to say, before Willem had reached forward and pulled him besides him.

''You know, this is actually surprisingly comfortable,'' Femke commented after a beat of silence.

''No, you're heavy. Get off me- Lau don't you dare lay on top of Femke or I swear- oof!''

''Hmm? What was that?''

''I'll kill you.''

''Aw, we love you too!''

''... Ugh, fine, if I say it, will you get off?''

''Maybe!''

''You two are gremlins, oh my god. Fine, I love you too.''

''He said it! Lau, he said it!''

''Yeah yeah, we all heard it. Now get off me.''

''I mean... technically I never promised I'd get off-''

''Off. Now. Or I'll never bring you stroopwafels again.''

This earned him a scandalized gasp from both of his siblings.

''You’re so mean! How dare you deprive us of stroopwafels?!''

''You can't do that!''

''You two are impossible. I said off,'' Willem complained, trying to sit up. Which was hard, considering Femke was literally laying on top of him.  

''Say the magic word first.''

''Are you serious right now? Femke, we are not five.''

''So?''

''... Fine. Femke, can you please get the fuck off me?''

''Fine, close enough,'' she said as she got off Willem, who immediately took a deep breath.

''Finally, oh sweet air how much I've missed you.''

''You’re so weird. Anyway,'' Femke said, turning towards Laurent. ''You recorded the whole thing, right?''

Laurent laughed and rolled his eyes. ''Like you had to ask.''

Willem gaped at them, before jumping up. ''Godver- Laurent give that camera here, right now!''

''No, I don’t want to. I must say this is great blackmail material.''

''Laurent, als je nu niet die camera hier geeft, dan-''

''Du muss mech als éischt fänken!''

Needless to say, Willem ended up chasing Laurent through the house, Femke following closely behind. In the end, all three of them ended up in a dogpile on the couch, laughing. Yeah, family meetings were fun indeed.

-------------------------

Translations:

Hoepel een eind op (Dutch) = a nice(ish) way of saying ‘fuck off’ or ‘go away’

Godverdomme (Dutch, Flemish) = goddammit

Nondikass (Luxembourgish) = used as an exclaimation, meaning something like ‘damn’.

Jezus Christus (Dutch) = Jesus Christ

Fëck dech (Luxembourgish) = Screw you

Ik tyf je de Noordzee in als je niet ophoudt (Dutch) = I will throw you into the North Sea if you don't stop. (The word ‘tyf’ is pretty rude though, albeit used by a lot of teens in my experience, so I would not recommend going around actually saying this.)

Hou uw bakkes (Flemish) = shut up

Godverdomme, natuurlijk is dat het antwoord. Kut! (Dutch) = ‘Goddammit, of course that's the answer. Fuck!’ (even though the word 'kut’ doesn’t mean ‘fuck’, it's used as a replacement pretty often. The more accurate translation would be ‘vagina’, as that is literally what it means, but it's used as a curse word more often than not.)

Nee (Dutch, Flemish, Luxembourgish) = No

Laurent, als je nu niet die camera hier geeft, dan- = Laurent, if you don't give me the camera right now, then-

Du muss mech als éischt fänken! (Luxembourgish) = youre gonna have to catch me first!

Stroopwafels are a Dutch delicacy, I love them so much. Basically, they’re waffles with syrup in between. Google them for examples and probably a better explanation.

I am physically incapable of not adding in a sprinkle of NedCan. I'm sorry (but actually not really,, as stated, Willem and Matthew are married so technically Matthew is family- *gets smacked*)

The ending is more crack and longer than I intended because I have no self-control. Sue me.

Moral of the story: don't anger short ppl. They’re angrier cuz they’re closer to hell-

Yes Willem is ticklish, I said what I said.

Bonus scene: ''Wait, so if Willem is a worm, would Matthew be like... a moose?''

''I am begging you two to stop. Laurent, stop laughing!''

[uitjesenaaeten]

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Bedrijfsuitjes in heel

Nederland en Vlaanderen!

Uitjes en Eten is de plek voor jullie bedrijfsuitje of groepsuitje. Perfect georganiseerd, professioneel begeleid en plezier verzekerd. Een grote keuze diverse uitjes in combinatie met eten en drinken voor betaalbare prijzen. Wij organiseren, jullie genieten! Bedrijfsuitjes? De uitgelezen kans om als bedrijf op een positieve manier te groeien! Maak plezier en leer elkaar beter kennen. De verrassende bedrijfsuitjes van ons evenementenbureau kunnen zowel binnen als buiten plaatsvinden.

Maken jullie de keuze voor een teambuilding activiteit in de stad, een uitdagende speurtocht met camera langs de mooiste plekjes van Amsterdam, een walking dinner of het beste Escape Room spel in de stad; het spectaculaire Escape in the City Ga voor een outdoor programma en doe Steps in the Woods of het uitbundige Teambuilding Outdoor of kies voor dinerspel zoals het uitbundige Ik Hou van Holland een meesterlijke PubQuiz of het onovertroffen Escape Diner met een weergaloze finale. Uitjes en Eten combineert jullie bedrijfsuitje met een heerlijke lunch of diner in een heerlijk restaurant.

Kies uit één van onze bedrijfsuitjes in een stad, strand of op een outdoor locatie. Onze begeleiders zijn opgeleid, gedreven en enthousiast. Uitjes en Eten maakt van jullie uitje een Top uitje!

Wij organiseren,

jullie genieten!

Jarenlange ervaring in organisatie en uitvoering zorgt ervoor dat u een onvergetelijk uitje kunt beleven. Onze vakkundige organisatie en deskundige begeleiders doen er alles aan om een hoge kwaliteit tegen een betaalbare prijs te waarborgen. Uw bedrijfs- of groepsuitje is bij ons in goede handen. Sinds onze start in 2009 hebben we inmiddels duizenden bedrijfs- en groepsuitjes uitgevoerd. Niet alleen voor grote bedrijven zoals ING, Rabobank, Philips en Shell, maar ook voor lokaal of regionaal opererende bedrijven en menig sportteam of vriendengroep.

Wij zijn beoordeeld met een 9.2!

Een bedrijfsuitje kent geen leeftijdsgrens. Jullie beslissen zelf wie er mee gaan! Het is een spetterende dag vol plezier in teamverband. Er is ontzettend veel keuze en daarom mogen jullie de beslissing nemen. Alle bedrijfsuitjes worden georganiseerd in heel Nederland en Vlaanderen.

Zijn jullie wel in voor een uitdaging? Dit alles is mogelijk met een top uitje van Uitjes en Eten. Als het niet in ons standaard pakket zit dan kunnen we kijken of het via een uitje op maat kan.

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Ons grote aanbod aan uitjes

Ons grote aanbod aan bedrijfsuitjes is in heel Nederland en Vlaanderen te vinden. Er zijn verschillende opties waar het uitje plaats kan vinden: één van de vele steden, een prachtig strand voor een sportief bedrijfsuitje of een gave outdoor locatie voor een actief groepsuitje. Nederland heeft het immers allemaal te bieden, dus waarom wij niet! De goed geregelde bedrijfsuitjes kunnen altijd gecombineerd worden met heerlijk eten en drinken op een gezellige locatie. Onze ervaren begeleiders zullen jullie groep tijdens het gehele uitje professioneel, enthousiast begeleiden. Van een Ik Hou van Holland Quiz in Groningen tot een Escape in the City in Rotterdam en een Bikken en Klikken in Amsterdam. Uitjes en Eten regelt heel veel uitjes door heel Nederland.

Zeer geschikt voor grote groepen

Een uitje organiseren voor een grote groep van 50 of zelfs 1000 personen? Uitjes en Eten heeft ervaring sinds 2003 in de organisatie van grote bedrijfsuitjes en events op maat. Uitjes en Eten is hét organisatiebureau die snapt wat jullie bedoelen. Compleet, professioneel en persoonlijk van Amsterdam tot Groningen en van Utrecht tot Rotterdam. Jullie bedrijfsfeest, bedrijfsuitje, event of activiteit wordt een onvergetelijke beleving voor een passend budget. Stuur een mail of bel even met 088-8008400 en informeer naar de mogelijkheden voor grote groepen.

Ga de strijd met elkaar aan

Zijn jullie graag buiten met een stranduitje of liever met een sportief bedrijfsuitje of een dinerspel in Amsterdam? Zijn jullie nieuwsgierig en meer in voor een avontuurlijk groepssuitje? Of zitten jullie liever binnen aan een driegangendiner met een Wij Houden van Holland quiz of een ander dinerspel? Houden jullie van uitdagend Escape in The City in Amsterdam of Alkmaar langs de Hollandse grachten.? Maak plezier en ga de strijd met elkaar aan in combinatie met heerlijk eten en drinken in een sfeervol restaurant? Het is allemaal mogelijk met een top bedrijfsuitje of groepsuitje van Uitjes en Eten.

[yasmijn]

On hoarding memories

I keep my memories by attaching them to everyday things. When I saw a cup of tea, I remember the days and nights I spent at Prinka’s place, finishing up on assignments and thesis and our late night conversations. When I listen to Ghibli songs, I remember the weekend I spent with Ammar and Enreina in Prague, watching Joe Hisaishi and trying the real goulash and strolling along the Vltava river. When I see Lotus on the shelves of supermarket, I remember my early days in the Netherlands, exploring the aisles Jumbo and Albert Heijn while trying to find the groceries I was looking for. 

Not all memories are pretty. Whenever I listen to John Mayer’s You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me, I remember the days I spent working on my 2017 AAS application that didn’t even make it through the first stage. My brain records peanut noodles as a heartbreak that tastes so bad, both literally and figuratively. A box of homemade sushi and store-bought cherries as a lunch that didn’t get any follow-up. Colourful doughnuts and a bar of chocolate that remind me of the days when I opened the rejection announcement on a scholarship page.

I can’t recall everything perfectly, but there is a particular pang in my heart when I remember the moments that have passed. Both happy and sad. During my last few weeks in NL, I put extra effort to mind record the food that was on my table. The day when Wida, Widya, and I went over to legalise our diploma in Den Haag is saved as a tray of halal brisket over fries and creme brûlée bubble tea. Our trip over to Groningen is saved as a broken umbrella, the first frozen yoghurt I had in NL, and the day I discovered that the milk bread sold in AH contains alcohol. The days I spent helping Bang Songko and Kak Bella with everybody to move to their new place is saved as a wide range of food: Acha’s mi jawa, hotpot, donburi, and Charcoal’s grilled chicken that tasted so very Indonesian. Gangnam Chicken and the awful bubble tea are saved as the weekends I spent in Amsterdam, museum-hopping and visiting Yaumi.

My brain works better in recording moments where fewer people are involved. I think four is my maximum capacity. Moments I share with only one other person are the most vivid. I think I can remember them entirely. 

I don’t want to forget anything.

[miss-biophys]

2020-06-22 The university campus is still empty in Groningen, Netherlands. Students are not allowed to enter the university buildings and the scientific staff should come only for time necessary for their experiments. All the office work, teaching, or seminars is done from home.

On top of that, the weather was just awesome today for a calm lunch on a grass outside. Nobody was interrupting and I enjoyed my lunch break just with two crows sitting nearby.

[inaheartbeat-phff]

Chapter 25

Wednesday, March 11th 2015, 12:00pm

Huis ten Bosch Palace, The Hague, The Kingdom of Netherlands

Arabella walked in a fast pace towards the dining room where her parents and sisters are waiting. Today, Arabella is leaving for London to kick start her UK and Ireland state visit. Even though the state visit is officially only 3 days long in each country respectively, Arabella will stay on in London for the week until Easter as right after that Harry will be leaving for his month long military attachment in Australia.

That Monday, as Harry leaves for Australia, Arabella is set to head back to the Netherlands and start her very busy month ahead of her. Jane had already briefed her on Arabella's agenda for April.

On the 6th of April, right after Easter Sunday, Arabella has to officiate a Greenhouse Opening. She will be bringing along her sisters for this particular engagement as it was a good exposure to the press and a good way for her three sisters to learn and experience something new.

The next day, which is the 7th of April, Arabella will be attending the Rotterdam Marathon as it is the biggest running event in Holland. She will also hand out the medals to the runners at the finish line. Especially the first hundred.

On the 8th of April, Arabella will be opening the National Museum week at Groningen Museum. She will travel by helicopter which is a 45 minute ride. Arabella always loved art and she also loved history so it is no wonder for her to open up museum week, as she had done so the past twelve years since she turned 18. She always alternate between which museums to start it off and there's always new artworks or paintings being put in the museum every year.

On the 10th of April, Arabella will view the Tulip festival around Amsterdam. She will look at the different creations of Tulips that people have done. It brings great creativity and makes Arabella proud of how her country looks like in the spring.

Arabella will have three days off, that means without engagements, Arabella still have meetings and paperwork to do and on the 13th of April, Arabella will be attending the Flower Parade at Haarlem. She will judge the floats and afterwards give the winner of the Parade and competition their rewards.

On the 13th of April, Arabella will be judging the Flower Parade and give the first, second and third place trophies to the winners. The rest of the week, she doesn’t have any public engagements but that doesn’t mean that Arabella's not working. In fact, during that seven days, Arabella will be visiting 5 different charities that she's a patron of as well as having a lot of meetings with her wedding dress designer and wedding planner.

On the 21st of April, Arabella will be handing out the medals for those who participate in the Amstel Gold Race and on the 23rd, Arabella will fly to London since she will attend the Anzac Day service with her godmother and fiancé's family on the 25th. The next day, she will meet Harry for the London Marathon and the following day, both Harry and Arabella will be heading back to the Netherlands to celebrate Koningsdag or also known as Kings day.

Kings day is a national holiday for the Kingdom of Netherlands as it is their monarch's day of birth. That day for Arabella will be filled with lunch and many activities to honour her father.

On the 29th of April, Arabella will be taking Harry to Keukenhof for the very first time, which she is excited for.

Arabella straightened up her knitted dress and her hair before nodding to the footman at the door. At that nod, the footman opened the doors to the dining room and announced her presence to her parents and sisters.

"Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Orange, Your Majesties." With that, Arabella entered the room and the footman closed the doors leaving the family of six alone.

Alexander and Maxima stood up upon their eldest daughter's entrance to the room while Amalia, Alexia and Ariane stayed in their seats. Arabella went up to her parents and gave a deep curtsy before kissing their cheeks and greet them.

"Afternoon, I hope I'm not too late." Arabella said as she took a seat on the right of her father. Alexander sits at the head of the table with Maxima on his left and Arabella on his right. Next to Arabella is Amalia and next to Maxima is Ariane with Alexia next to her. Everyone have their own designated seats with meanings behind them. Under protocol, Alexander sits at the head of the table since he is King. Arabella on his right signifies that she's his right hand, the heir to the throne. After Arabella is Amalia, the second in line to the throne. On Alexander's left is Maxima, his wife and Queen. Ariane being the youngest daughter, sits next to her mother with Alexia next to her.

Once Arabella marries Harry, during these dinners or luncheons, Harry will sit in the middle of Arabella and Amalia. However, once Arabella has a child of her own, Arabella will sit opposite of her father with her first child on her right and Harry on her left. But that wont be happening for a few years at least.

"Are you ready for the state visit?" Alexander asked his daughter as he cut up some salmon and put it in his mouth.

"I'm as ready as I always am for any state visit. It's even more nerve-wrecking since it's my future in-laws." Arabella told her father as she cut some salmon and eat herself.  

"Well, planning this state visit we knew you were going to your then-boyfriend's territory anyways." Maxima piped up. "Take this as a step forward to getting to know the British people. If the people love you, when the time comes for the ceremony, there will be people out there who will try very hard to knock you down and the comparisons will begin. These people can defend you when you cannot do them yourself."

"We have very strict press rules regarding the royal family here in the Netherlands. I made sure of that myself. But over there, it's free press. They can say whatever they want to. I just want you to make sure this is what you want. It's not too late to back out now you know. Just giving you the option." Alexander finished off.

"No, I want to do this pa. I've finally found someone who understands the importance of duty over everything else, and he loves me the way I am. I'm not letting him go that easily." Arabella said. "Thank you for the choice and concern though but I'm doing this. I'm marrying Harry."

With that, the rest of the dinner went on fine. Arabella said goodbye to her family and they in return, wished her safe travels and good luck.

Arabella was then driven to the airport using her official car for overseas. It's a black SUV that have the plate number CPAN and Arabella's coat of arms in front of the car. The car usually travels with her for state visits with the neighboring or close countries to the Netherlands. However, if Arabella was to do a state visit that's is more than 6 hours or so, she would be provided a car from the country she is visiting.

Arabella is using her own plane to fly to the UK. As the crown princess of the Netherlands and the heir to the throne, for official visits such as state visits and such that represents the country, Arabella gets her very own big plane that can fit up to 100 people. At the back of the plane, there is a big ramp and a big space to store the state car that she will be using. Her staff and members of the designated press will be provided cars and places to stay during the visit in that particular country.

All of Arabella's staff members are already inside the plane and ready to leave along with a few members of press that is tagging along. Of course, in the UK, there will already be a lot of press but those that represents the Netherlands are flying together with her.

The pilot, co-pilot and flight attendants are waiting in front of the plane as usual waiting to greet her into the plane. As Arabella got out of the car, she can hear the press and their cameras clicking at a safe distance. At the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the Arabella turned around to face the press and waved for a while before turning back to face the stairs and begin her wait up. Once she's at the top of the stairs, she turned around again, face the small crowd and waved before heading inside the plane and greet the staff of the plane.

The journey to London is about an hour long from the Hague and Arabella flight took off at 1pm that afternoon. When the plane came to a stop in London City Airport, it was around 2 in the afternoon. It takes about half an hour for everyone inside the plane to get off. First to leave the plane was members of the press. There's a certain area a few meters from the plane where other press members and their cameras are waiting but there is a certain part there designated for the Dutch press. Seeing as it is their princess, they get good seats and views to take pictures. As Arabella's staff members exit the plane one by one, the staff on the ground rolled out a red carpet efficiently and quickly as a few seconds after they did, William, Kate and Harry stepped out of their car and into the tarmac. William, Kate and Harry rode to London City Airport in one car as when Arabella's are unloaded and ready to use, Harry will be riding with her to Horse Guards.

Once Will, Kate and Harry, in that order, was ready at the bottom of the stairs of the plane, Arabella at that moment stepped into view and stepped out of the plane and onto the top of the stairs.

Knowing that this was photographed, Arabella flashed a quick smile, smoothing down her coat as it was 9 degrees out, and began her journey down the stairs. She made sure to hold the railings tightly as it was a bit slippery and Arabella doesn’t want to fall and die.

Once she reach the bottom of the stairs, she raised her arms and waved at the press before walking towards her future brother in-law. With cameras clicking very loudly, she let out a small laugh as Will bowed his head slightly at her. With a smile he greeted her.

"Your Royal Highness." William smiled as he greeted Arabella with kisses on the cheeks. Knowing that the paparazzi and press can hear everything, he made sure to be formal.

"Prince William." Arabella replied as she returned the kisses as well. She then moved down the line to Kate and smiled at her.

"Your Royal Highness." Kate dipped into a small curtsy before kissing Arabella's cheeks.

"Duchess." Arabella let out a small smile returning the kisses before leaning away. Still holding on to Kate though, Arabella looked down and said, "Not much longer now." Which Kate then replied, "Two more months to go."

With a smile, Arabella stepped back and moved down the line to the last person and the one that the press is most excited about. They don’t know what will happen in regards to this meeting but they hope that Harry will lean in for a quick kiss. But knowing the Princess, that wont happen.

"Your Royal Highness." Harry greeted Arabella cheekily while bowing his head slightly. Since he's not married to Arabella yet and only the fourth in line to the throne.

"Prince Harry." Arabella smiled when he leaned in and kissed her cheeks. He knew that she doesn’t like PDA much and especially when she's out working.

The cameras behind them continued their annoying clicking and continued to do when Arabella gestured to the cars and said "Shall we." The four royals began their trek towards their awaiting vehicles.

During the time when Arabella got out of the car and greeted her fiancé and family, Arabella's staff managed to bring down her state car efficiently and got it ready in front, waiting for her to get in and make their way to Horse Guards.

William walked next to Arabella towards their car as Harry fall behind and walked with Kate following protocol. The walk towards their awaiting vehicles didn’t take long anyways, as it was only a few meters away from where the plane was parked.

There will be a total of six police motorcycles that are escorting Arabella and Harry to Horse Guards. Sadly, Will and Kate will not be joining them for Horse Guards but will see the two soon-to-be husband and wife later on that night, during the state dinner.

Arabella's staff, were given four/five vehicles to carry everyone and their supplies to St. James Palace, where they will be situated during the state visit.

"How are you William? Everything alright with Catherine and the pregnancy?" Arabella asked Will as they walked towards Arabella's car.

"I'm well and the baby is healthy. That's all I can ask for really. And this pregnancy seem to be much easier than with George before." Will replied.

"Well that's good to hear. You're coming tonight right?"

"Wouldn’t miss it for the world."

"Might pop by later after tea with your grandparents and Charles, I want to play with George before we have to go be adults."

"Well, he keeps asking where is aunty Belle and when is she coming to visit, so I doubt he's forgetting you anytime soon."

"That's good to hear." Arabella closed their conversation as they arrived before her car. She then looked back to her fiancé and asked, "are you coming with me?"

At this, the photographers went absolutely mad and started taking pictures rapidly.

"To Horse Guards?" Harry raised his eyebrows before answering, "yes."

"Well lets go then." Arabella reached to open her car door before Finn opened it for her. As she put on foot inside the car, she told Will and Kate, "Well, I'll see you both tonight then, the Queen of England awaits me." With a flourish hand wave that could rival that of the Queen Elizabeth movie portrayals, Arabella got in her car and Finn closed the doors for her.

"I guess that's my queue. I'll see the both of you later tonight." Harry bid goodbye to his brother and sister in-law before going around the car and into the car sitting next to Arabella. Once the doors closed, Arabella turned to Harry and said, "hi." In which Harry replied before giving her a smile.

Knowing that Arabella couldn’t properly kiss him since the flashes let the photographers see inside the car, Arabella reached out and held Harry's hand before smiling and looking out the window, waving goodbye to Will and Kate.

The journey to Horse Guards only took 20 minutes. When Arabella and Harry arrived, Queen Elizabeth II was already waiting to greet them along with the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

When the car came to a stop in front of the tent that held the British Royal Family, Finn got out of the car first before opening Arabella's door. The driver of the car, which happened to be Markus, on the other side, got out of the car as well and opened Harry's door.

Arabella made sure as she got out of the car, to keep her knees tightly together and put both feet firmly on the ground before getting out of the car fully. With so many eyes on her and everything probably being televised live, she doesn’t want to flash anyone unnecessarily. She smoothed out her coat, making sure that there is no wrinkles visibly, or at least, not so obvious, before straightening up her shoulders and head and smiled. Arabella looked straight ahead, to see that Queen Elizabeth had a big smile on her face.

Harry on the other hand, had gotten out of the car, buttoned up his suit jacket before rounding the car to Arabella's side. Knowing protocol (he had been drilled this since the tour schedule was sent over and the Queen's private secretary himself came over to Harry's office to remind him of the roles he need to play, "just because she is your fiancé doesn’t mean that she isn't the heir to the Netherland's throne and on an official visit representing her father. Remember, she is the crown princess, you are not married to her yet, you are only the fourth in line to the throne." Harsh, but effective.) Harry made sure that once Arabella start walking, he will be slightly behind her. Not directly behind her, but not side by side.

Arabella started her walk towards the Queen and once she is directly in front of her, Arabella gave Elizabeth kisses on her cheeks before going down and giving her a deep curtsy. Elizabeth just smiled widely when Arabella curtsy.

"How was your journey here?" Elizabeth asked her goddaughter making a bit of small talk before the ceremony begins.

"Smooth as a baby's bum, Your Majesty." Arabella replied cheekily, knowing that if anybody were to say that infront of the Queen, they would get reprimended. However, since it was Arabella and that she put a Your Majesty after that sentence, Elizabeth had to keep her lips tightly together so she wouldn’t burst out laughing.

During this exchange, the media and photographers went crazy. They snapped as many pictures they possibly can, making sure that they have the best quality and capturing every single moment. There's also a lot of video camera's taping this whole exchange for critiques all over the world to analyze this moment. This video will be on the internet with fans of royal protocols saying that The Princess of Orange have given the Queen of England the perfect curtsy.

Arabella got up from her curtsy only to move on to Prince Philip and did the same thing to show respect that he is in fact, the husband of a monarch. While Arabella was greeting Philip with a kiss and a curtsy, Harry greeted his grandmother with kisses on the cheeks as well as a bow of his head. He then changed places with Arabella was she moved to stand next to Elizabeth and greeted Charles and Camilla who was on the right of Elizabeth.

Once all the greetings was done, the military band starts playing the Kingdom of the Netherlands national anthem and after that, the United Kingdom's national anthem.

During this time, Arabella made sure to keep herself upright, for both anthems, as to not disrespect anyone. The order of the standings inside the tent goes like this:

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Her Royal Highness The Princess of Orange are front and center with His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh next to Her Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales next to The Princess of Orange. The Princess of Orange standing to the right of Her Majesty. Their Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall standing to the right of The Princess of Orange, but a little bit to the back.

This would actually be the first time Harry would attend the Horse Guard's Parade during a state visit. Usually he wont even be involved at all and were to do his own things such as meetings and such. Even though Harry was a senior member of the British Royal Family, state visits usually only include his grandparents, father, Step-mother, brother, sister-in-law, aunts and uncles. Even those usually only involve his uncle Andrew and Aunty Sophie.

Once the military band finished playing both the Netherlands and the UK's national anthem, Elizabeth turned to Arabella and asked her if they should start reviewing the guards now, in which Arabella replied with a yes.

While Arabella went to follow Elizabeth, Harry could see how everything and everyone was looking at the two duo. He could see how the world views his granny and his fiancé. It was magical to see and be able to respect these two women that he adores so much. Of course he has seen his granny in action so many times, with Arabella as well. It just seeing the two of them work the crowds and do their duties is amazing to watch.

"They're wonderful aren't they?" Philip leaned over to talk to his grandson. "Seeing the two of them in action always melts my frozen heart."

"Granddad, I think your frozen heart have melted years ago." Harry laughed. "But yes, they are incredible together."

"You should see them later on, now out here with the press, their personas are different. It’s like they have a switch to on or off whenever they’re in public." Philip continued on. It gets incredibly boring watching Elizabeth examine the guards after so many times.

"It amazes me how they do that sometimes. It's like one minute they are all proper and the next they relax and tell really dirty jokes." Harry talked to his grandfather while still watching what's happening in front of his eyes. This is still his first time watching these things live and not in front of a tv so he knew he better pay attention.

Harry thought to himself as he paid attention to every single detail happening in front of his eyes. He knew that even though this was his first time seeing the Guards of Honour parade, he was sure it wont be his last. Through his marriage with Arabella, it was a definite that he will accompany Arabella went they go on state visits and he's sure as hell know that he will one day do this as well, representing both his wife's as well as his grandmother/father/brother.

Before he knows it, both Arabella and his grandmother arrived back at their little tent, and back beside the two men in their original positions.

"Did you enjoyed the parade?" Arabella asked Harry as they both got comfortable inside their car on the way to Buckingham Palace forty five minutes later.

"It was something different." Harry thought for a moment before continuing. "I was never invited to these kinds of stuff before and it’s something new for me to experience. It was always Will and Pa accompanying granny for foreign state visits and I was always happy to be out of the limelight for that period of time."

"Well, I hope you will grow to enjoy these things and all things royal because that's how your life will be like when you're married to me. We will someday be King and Queen of a country and we do have to represent both The Netherlands as well as The United Kingdom from now on. You'll be accompanying me to all sorts of things, from state visits to banquets." Arabella told Harry as she reached over and held his hands.

"I think with you by my side, I feel like I can do anything. It still shocks me to see you doing your royal duties." Harry said.

"I hope you enjoyed it Henry."

"It's always nice to experience new things. It's even better to experience something next to you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

6:10pm

White Drawing Room - Buckingham Palace, London

"Presenting Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Orange, Princess Arabella of The Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Heir-Apparent to the Kingdom of The Netherlands."

Arabella entered the room after being introduced wearing a caped dusty blue gown as well as her Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau sash. She is also wearing her Blue Crystal Cluster Tiara which was an engagement present from both her father and godmother. It is a tiara the public has never seen before, custom made for her.

Waiting inside the drawing room was Elizabeth, Philip, Charles, Camilla, William, Catherine and Harry. Other members of the Royal family is also attending the state banquet such as Edward and Sophie as well as Anne and her husband Timothy Lawrence, though they are already waiting inside the ballroom among everybody else.

Attending the state banquet is the Prime Minister, David Cameron and the Netherland's Foreign Minister and Ambassador, Simon Smits. There is also 150 people in attendance of tonight's state banquet. Representatives of Dutch charities in the UK, sportsmen, different people who represents the Dutch and English people.

As Arabella entered the Drawing Room, there was a videographer and a photographer on standby as this state banquet will be televised for once in British History as it was highly requested by a lot of the people.

Arabella greeted Elizabeth first with a deep curtsy and she can hear the photographer in the room clicking along his camera, not wanting to miss a single moment between Arabella and her godmother. As Arabella rise up again, she leaned in and gave Elizabeth kisses on the cheeks, before moving on to Philip who was standing next to Elizabeth.

Again, Arabella gave Philip a deep curtsy and when she stood up, she kissed both his cheeks before Philip brought up her hands and kissed the back of her palm. Arabella smiled softly at Philip before moving on to Charles and Camilla.

Since Arabella and Charles are the same rank, Arabella just softly smiled at him and greeted him softly before kissing both his cheeks. Charles in return kissed the back of her palm. Arabella greeted Camilla and kissed her cheeks before moving on to William and Catherine, who stood next to Camilla.

This time, as Arabella is a higher ranked royal than both William and Catherine, William just greeted her with kisses on the cheeks as well as a hand kiss, but Catherine gave a small curtsy, in which Arabella laughed and kissed both her cheeks.

When it came to greeting Harry, Arabella smiled at him lovingly before giving him kisses on both cheeks. The cameraman made sure to keep the camera focused on the engaged couple, waiting to see how they would greet each other.

Harry knew that Arabella liked to keep the PDA to a minimum and make sure to be professional, so when Arabella gave Harry a surprise and quick peck on the lips, he was stunned and surprised. He made sure though to keep his surprised face to a minimum and smiled softly at Arabella.

"You look gorgeous darling." Harry whispered softly to Arabella when they hugged shortly.

"Thank you, you look quite dashing as well." Arabella whispered back.

Arabella smiled softly at Harry before mentioning for him to follow her. Harry furrowed his eyebrows, not really sure what’s happening as he was never invited for these kinds of things. Ed made sure to briefly go through what's going to happen tonight but still, Harry was a little confused.

As they both made their way to Elizabeth, Arabella leaned in to Harry a little and told him that now they are going to have a photo session before moving on to another side room where the Prime minister and the Dutch Ambassador as well as a few other guests are waiting to be introduced to Arabella. Now, Harry would be presented as both a Prince of the United Kingdom as well as Arabella’s fiancé therefore, he would be presented right after Arabella to the guests before his father, step-mother, brother and sister-in-law.

Although being presented is nothing new to Harry, what was new for him was how he get to talk to these incredible people from different background before his father and brother. It really felt weird to him as of when he marries Arabella, he will take on Arabella's Royal ranking which is Heir to the throne. It is a big major leap from being the spare, fourth in line and now fifth in line to the throne.

He will be called and titled, 'HRH Prince of Orange' first and foremost before whatever dukedom his grandmother decides to give.

After meeting all these people, the Royals took their positions to go inside the Ballroom. Since Arabella is the reason why there is a state banquet in the first place and Harry is her Fiancé, he gets to enter with Queen Elizabeth while Arabella enters with Prince Philip, followed by Prince Charles and the Prime Minister's wife, Camilla with the Prime Minister, William with the Dutch Foreign Minister's wife and Kate with the Dutch Foreign Minister.

Harry rubbed his hands nervously as this is the first time he ever go inside a ballroom first accompanying his grandmother as he's usually always so far behind. He noticed that behind him, Arabella was giggling and joking with his grandfather.

"Are you nervous, Harry?" Elizabeth looked up from her position next to him.

"Just a little bit," Harry nervously laughed. "It’s the first time I'm entering next to you, Gran."

"Don't be nervous, my darling boy. Soon, you'll be hosting your very own state banquets in another country." Elizabeth lightly laughed before the fanfare started and the doors start to open.

Harry kept a small smile on his face, knowing that the entrance is being broadcasted live on BBC and SkyNews. He smiled at the guests as they made their way to the main table where they will be seated that night.

Harry will be seated on the left of Elizabeth with his father on Harry's other side, while to the right of Elizabeth will be Arabella with Philip on her other side. Next to Charles would be the Dutch Foreign Minister and his wife. On the other side of Philip would be the UK Prime Minister and next to him is Camilla and next to her will be the Prime Minister's wife. William and Kate will be seated in one of the tables on the left side of the room where a lot of the Dutch ambassadors as well as Dutch charity heads are seated.

Before dinner would commence, Elizabeth will make a small speech followed by Arabella as the guest of honor. Once the speeches are done, the national anthems will be played, The UK's national anthem followed by The Netherlands. Once those are done, dinner will commence.

"Your Royal Highness. The Duke of Edinburgh and I are delighted to welcome you to Buckingham Palace this evening. Through this State visit, we celebrate the enduring friendship which has enabled our two nations to prosper and grow, side by side, as trading partners, and as North Sea neighbors.  This visit also provides the opportunity for great happiness, and to welcome old friends to my home. Through Your Royal Highness' visits and your acts of friendship, you have formed your own personal connection with the British people. From your ongoing visits to local shelters and centers to volunteering to read at the local hospitals."

"To this day, our close relationship greatly contributes to the economic and cultural life of Britain.  The Netherlands are one of The United Kingdom’s largest European investors.  We have a thriving Dutch community, and artistic and sporting exchanges are at an all time high.  British universities are a top destination for Dutch students, and hundreds of Dutch and British scientists are teaching, researching and collaborating in both countries. Internationally we have a strong shared commitment to the transatlantic alliance, and it is no coincidence that of the last twelve Secretaries General of NATO, six have been either British or Dutch."

"Our deep bond is seen in our obligation to uphold the rule of law in the United Nations Security Council and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons based in The Hague.  It is also evident in our daily co-operation to combat cross border crime and terrorism."

"I recall the State Visit of your great-grandmother Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard in 1972, when I spoke of how our nations’ close understanding and relationship would become increasingly important as a new configuration of Europe was emerging.  As we look toward a new partnership with Europe, it is our shared values and commitment to each other, that are our greatest asset, and demonstrate that even through change, our enduring alliance remains strong, and as innovators, traders and internationalists we look with confidence to the future.   As we continue to work together to ensure peace, prosperity and security, I am confident that this friendship between The United Kingdom and The Netherlands, which we greatly treasure, will continue to deepen, and to prosper."

Taking a deep breathe, Elizabeth raised up her glass of champagne and said "Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite you all to rise and drink a toast to Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Orange, and the people of The Netherlands."

Arabella smiled at her godmother before raising her glass as well. Together, they drank their drinks and set it back down on the table. Arabella then stood up and turn to her godmother and kissed her cheeks before hugging her tightly. Elizabeth let out a short chuckle knowing it was against protocol, but for the first time in during her reign, she didn’t care one bit about protocols and must haves.

Harry stood back a bit shocked knowing that Arabella is breaking protocol and that his granny let her  but he soon controlled his face before anyone saw him.

It was now Arabella's turn to do her speech, so she took a deep breathe before standing up once again.

"Your Majesty, I am delighted to be able to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom, and above all to find you in good health, as vigorous and engaged as ever. I appreciate how special this occasion is. My great grandparents came here on a State Visit. My grandparents did too. Today it is my turn. And all within your long reign.

Last year you celebrated your Sapphire Jubilee. That is deeply impressive to someone who has yet to reach their Bronze Jubilee… In recent decades, you have seen your country, Europe and the world change enormously. The world looks to you as a trusted beacon in the midst of upheaval. Your ability to keep in touch with the times is striking. You even have an adventurous streak, as you showed six years ago at the opening of the Olympic Games.

In front of millions of viewers you played the role of the most fearless Bond Girl ever – with great panache!"

"The United Kingdom has given the world so much. We owe much of our prosperity to the skill of British inventors, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs. Our culture has been enriched by the creativity of British artists, from Shakespeare to Monty Python and the Beatles. Today, global communication knows no borders, because English has become the world’s lingua franca. Many Dutch people feel a great affection for this country. The charms of the Fairest Isle extend to the other side of the Channel!"

"Your Majesty, I am most grateful that, by inviting me here, you have underlined the special bond between our Kingdoms. Now, more than ever, we must cherish that bond. You and your family are dear to us, and with you, we delight in all of life’s joyous and festive occasions, including those among the younger generations. Let me close by wishing you and your family every future happiness. I invite you to rise and join me in a toast. Your Majesty, to your health and happiness and that of His Royal Highness Prince Philip. And to the friendship between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Netherlands."

Arabella smiled before raising her glass to the Queen and Prince Phillip, everyone followed suit. They toasted to the British Royal Family before Arabella sat back down and the banquet begins.

Food begin to pour in, as servants start going to their tables bringing their meals and set them in front of the guests. Arabella made small talks Prince Phillip and the UK prime minister for a short while before talking and laughing with The Queen. They made light jokes throughout the evening.

Once dessert was served and settled in their stomachs, Arabella stood up from her seat and begin to walk down the main table towards the where most of the guests are seated with her private secretary, Jane following behind her.

Harry looked up from where he was seated when he saw Arabella leaving the table and turned to his grandmother to ask what Arabella was doing.

"She's making her rounds on the guests who came tonight." Elizabeth told her grandson smiling. "They took their time off their busy schedule to come and meet her tonight."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Arabella and Harry said their goodbyes to the Queen and everyone before retiring back to Kensington Palace.

On the ride home, Arabella turned to Harry and asked him how he felt that day.

"It was definitely an experience, Bel."

"Do you think you see yourself accompanying me to more of these pomp and stuff in the future? Going as far as having them in your honor itself?" Arabella turned to Harry looking up at him through her lashes.

"It's something that I will get used to and grow to love," Harry looked at Arabella lovingly. "It is definitely something I would do, in order to be with you until we're grey and old."

Next Chapter

[sylvanacs]

[laurafruitfairy]

The happiest moment of the day is right before digging into a heavenly meal. ✨ Do you agree? 😊 . . . Was gibt‘s Schöneres als ein gut gedeckter Tisch? 🤩 . Bei uns geht’s heute weiter nach Groningen. Den halben Holland #roadtrip 🚗 haben wir schon hinter uns. Bisher haben wir viel Schönes gesehen und vor allem gegessen. All unsere Food Spots & Tipps fasse ich am Ende in einem Blogpost zusammen. 😊💻 Schönen Donnerstag euch! 🤗 (at FOAM Breakfast-Lunch-Catering) https://www.instagram.com/p/BypRkM4pU6a/?igshid=1gv5u2v3fq0fe