I have been in Holland since April and it has been quite a busy time. I needed to arrange a lot of things and I quickly started my new job. My first impression of Holland was that is was very very cold. Somehow I did not remember the low temperatures.

I underestimated the effect the distance between myself and Alex and Ana would have. The first few days it was very hard to be so far away. Still, in the end we worked out some kind of rhythm were we speak and see each other every day. This way we both stay up to date regarding our lives. Luckily I also have my family and friends close.

Today we leave for Madrid. A nice few days of holidays with little Alex visiting the capital of Spain. We’ll be flying with Ryanair, so we’re in for some discomfort, but afterwards we’ll be ready to enjoy the three kings celebrations.

What to do in Las Palmas while you wait for that Santa Claus to arrive and you wait for the new year. Maybe there will even be a big apocalypse. Well, fortunately life here is not so complicated. We simply wait for the things to come eating some tapas, drinking some Tropical and a nice Mojito and enjoying a nice concert in the sun. Even the little once was enjoying himself.

From Spain we wish everyone a very nice Christmas!

Last sunday I could once again get my fold-up-bike from the garage.It was the day of the bike and the local highway, the GC1 was closed to all traffic except for thousands of bikes. I did not expect that the Canarian people would have so much bikes. They keep them well hidden.

It was a short distance of about 5 kilometers, but it was fun anyway. Gran Canaria suddenly resembled Holland, except for the sunny weather of course.

Lots of parents will recognize the situations that arise with a McDonalds. With a little guy it is sometimes difficult to avoid. If you are walking on the street and you encounter a colorful place he just needs to enter it. As a parent it is sometimes difficult to say no and at times you just give in.

Once inside you ask for a happymeal, but he does not want any happy meal. He wants to be supersized. A nice big cola, fries and a burger. This results in this photo.

We had it all. A new apartment and a nice parking space for our car underneath the building. But is was not meant to be. We can still park our car, but the elevator has broken down. We now need to go from -3 to +2 by stairs. Five floors and this is noticeable. The worst is going of with bottles of water (containing 8 liters each).

Taking the kid for a walk is also a bit more difficult,but at least I only take him down (and up) two floors. The good thing is that Alex seems to love being carried across the stairs.

The origin of the problems is a bit strange. On this very dry island the elevator shaft slowly filled up with water. Now we have a problem with all the water and for sure it will be solved in the Canarian way. At least one more month of taking the stairs.

Well, this is what you get with en enthusiastic kid, a stone floor and a father wearing glasses. Luckily I had the foresight to get me a set of spare glasses and contact lenses.