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| Polaroid photo taken by Nadine's sister Kim. From left to right, Bastiaan, Isa, Nadine and me! |
We had to get a plane to an airport near London since our closest airport to our home didn't go to the airport that Nadine would be able to meet us at, and I won't lie, I don't like flying that much. I've been on plane rides to the Canary Islands, Italy, Spain and I've just hated going abroad constantly, not only the plane rides and how anxious they make me, getting there was never really worth it in terms of a load of different varieties. All you need to know is, I don't like going abroad that much.
I was messaging Nadine right before we got on the flight, there were loads of last minute changes in terms of which plane we were getting, due to expected times of departure and arrival. In the end, we got this vibrant purple plane with propellers as appose to turbines, and the flight there was alright since it lasted just over an hour and we didn't climb that high, we touched down in the Netherlands and I was allowed off the plane first. I was wearing my signature red hoodie and bright orange Max Verstappen cap (I was in the Netherlands so I would be a fool to not bring it), and in the distance was what seemed to be an outdoor café.
This was when it started getting almost too real for me, I squinted to look into the distance and my heart began racing as my gut was telling me it was Nadine, but I didn't want to be too sure yet because it could very well not be and if I started waving, I'd look like an idiot. But she clearly didn't mind because I saw her waving and it definitely confirmed it was her so I waved back and was raring to finally be able meet my long time friend who I had known since 2012!
In my excitement, I nearly forgot to get my passport ready to show to the officials that greet you at the airport, so I quickly did that and made it through the door with my heart palpitations going through the roof, I made it around the corner and my brain was so muddled, I don't even remember seeing Nadine's face immediately but I saw a figure who I knew exactly was Nadine. I abandoned my luggage, climbed under one of those metal handrails and just raced towards Nadine who thankfully was already racing towards me, we just hugged and I was so happy.
It was like we had met countless times before and we had been apart for too long, and our parents seemed to immediately get along as well. Nadine had managed to get my parents a room at a Bed & Breakfast which was walking distance from their house, which along with me being at Nadine's house, I do certainly think it'll be best if we kept that arrangement for the future. I bring this up because I didn't want to assume my parents and her parents would get along, incase they didn't, but amazingly they got along perfectly.
Nadine's dad doesn't speak English very well, so Nadine would often go back to her native tongue so her dad and I could have some conversations. Speaking of which, Nadine at one point when we went for a meal in Germany, she told me that she was having a difficult time processing her brain to go from speaking Dutch to her family, to English with me and to a waitress in German, I didn't know at the time but she was apparently speaking German to me before quickly realising. At times, Nadine and everyone had to clarify what the English word was for something, like hot water bottle, it was quite eye opening, I commend anyone who speaks multiple languages.
I want everyone to know out there if they can speak more than one language, even if some of the languages are a bit broken, you deserve the utmost respect. Being English, I have become so used to everyone speaking English to me even abroad but I have to take into account how much they have to learn when speaking these languages, you're all doing amazing. I really couldn't do it.
Anyway back to Friday, we drove back to Nadine's house and on the way, I was in total awe of the Netherlands, I do remember being very tired and light headed so it felt like a very lucid dream, though thankfully I never began hallucinating like the Netherlands was exactly like the stereotypes said it was. I did see a fuck tonne of windmills though, I didn't dream those up though.
I just remember how aesthetically pleasing all the houses were, they looked like they had character. With brightly coloured pillars, the amazing surrounding areas, everything about Nadine's town just for some reason, made me feel very energised, which was ironic considering how tired I was at the time. We had dropped the bags of my parents off at the B&B and went to their house, and it was amazing!
They had this incredible art piece which I can only assume was made by Nadine, with Valentino Rossi's number 46 and The Doctor nickname on their garage door, but Nadine had actually turned the O and C in the first part of 'Doctor' into Rossi's sun and crescent moon graphic, which I am amazed that either he hasn't done that already or hasn't done that before. At the top was the number 58 with an angel's halo, paying tribute to the late Marco Simoncelli, I still miss him a lot.
Going into their property, there was so much I recognised and was piecing everything together. Immediately walking in, I saw where Nadine had filmed the ice bucket challenge in 2014 in her garden. In her house, I saw the hallway where she took a photo of her wearing a Rossi/Ducati cap only a few months or so prior to me flying out, and then going to my room, I had seen the angle of which the wall was on from a photo and had made the assumption that I was going full Harry Potter and staying in a room under the stairs! Which I say humourously of course but I was surprised to find it along the majority of upstairs rooms in the house.
Nadine's room is amazing. I'm sat here in my room at home typing this, it's not really that heavily decorated but because of the size of my room, it still looks tightly compact. Nadine's room is massive yet it looks like there's so much going on, with all the posters, the Pokémon collectables, and it was essentially the attic as well so it felt independent of the rest of the house.
I will say though, all the stairs in their house were either really thin, on an awkward angle or had no support either from below or from a rear heel wall, whatever you call them. Not that I am berating them for this, I just couldn't go down or up any of their stairs with any sort of confidence, which is probably a good thing otherwise I would have hurt myself.
On my way in, having already met Nadine's mother Illona and her father Ben, we met Nadine's sister Kim! Who just recently had her birthday, providing of course I get this out at a decent time and not too long after her birthday but regardless, happy belated birthday Kim! I had been excited to meet her, like everyone of course but I know Kim had grown very fond of me due to my friendship with her sister, and for another reason I won't say incase it's too personal.
Then I got to meet a couple of their pets. Nadine had told me about Kim's chihuahua named Rocky, and normally I can't stand those kind of dogs, but I arrived and Rocky was actually adorable, with his long fur and a demeanour very non-typical of what I had come to expect of chihuahua dogs. I think he liked me, because I made a fuss over him of course, what a great doggo.
Nadine's family have a rabbit called Rossi (Points for whoever can guess who she is named after) and two cats, both girls as well called Felix and Pico. I didn't meet Felix on the first day, but I met Pico and wow she's just the best! I'm not a cat person really, but Pico was just so perfect, she would flex herself to fit around the back of your hand, you could almost guide her with your hand because she wants all the affection. Pico made me like cats somewhat, hopefully the majority of cats like Pico but I'll still always prefer dogs, though Pico is a close second.
After I had got settled in, Nadine told me that her two friends had arrived, Isa and Bastiaan (or as we mostly refer to him as, Bas). I had been excited to meet them both, I knew them both from Nadine speaking about them, and so when Nadine called for me, I followed her outside and I gave Bas a handshake and Isa one big hug, then Isa gave me some Pokémon cards! Nadine had told me that Isa wanted to get me a gift and it just warmed my heart, and the gift she got for me included this Pikachu coin which I absolutely adored.
Not long after that, Nadine's family had ordered Chinese food and it had arrived. This was something I was incredibly uncomfortable about, because whenever I don't like food, I tend to have my very over reactive gag reflex go into effect and so when my parents sat down for some food along with Nadine and her parents, I was very self conscious. I looked over to Isa and Bas playing on their phones and didn't want to be there in all honesty, looking like I was refusing to eat.
It has always been an uncomfortable thing for me but Nadine and her parents reassured me that I didn't have to eat anything if I wasn't comfortable, and the only reason I feel compelled to really bring up this insecurity of mine is because Nadine and everyone there were so compassionate and understanding.
My trips abroad are often terrible due to my limited sets of food but I really have to acknowledge just how brilliantly they all treated me with such patience and reassurance, and I'm very grateful for that. In the end, I tried a small bit of whatever that crunchy bread is and also some really strong chicken, I wasn't incredibly hungry having already eaten before I got on the plane.
After that, I had promised Nadine I'd bring a pack of Cards Against Humanity, and we had an absolutely incredible game (out of sight of my mum of course), and I managed to win somehow even though Bas was way too good at the game. Nadine, myself, Isa and Bas all went to play on Nadine's outdoor table and we got occasional visits from my parents, Nadine's family and every now and then, Pico and Rocket came to visit, I just remember how amazing it was to be with Nadine, Isa and Bas then and there, I was still very tired and everything still felt quite lucid. But I have to be honest, it was one of the best moments in my life.
For context, not saying I have a shitty life at all but for me, my days consist of going on my video games and doing for example, daily mileage on Gran Turismo, helping my friends grind for money on GTA, and I love my games but to be able to spend time with such a loving, tight knit group of people, even though I hadn't spent more than a couple of hours with them up until that point, it felt amazing. Isa and Bas acted like complete siblings as they would play fight and it was quite amusing, Nadine's sister Kim has such presence and talks a lot, her mum Illona was so lovely to me as well and always made me feel at home as did everyone, it felt like I was part of such a close and loving group of people.
Everyone involved like the atmosphere around us, they had such rich character and energy not only by themselves but teamed with each other and I almost felt like it was too good for me, I felt blessed to be among these incredible people. I've been missing that in my life, having a consistent group of people among me who just really worked well and appreciated each other, or maybe because I was so light headed and felt overly emotional.
We just spent that evening talking during and after our Cards Against Humanity game. Nadine had told Isa about my plans to name a minor character in my future racing novel Road To Glory after her, which had really put a huge smile on her face and I spoke a little bit about that. I spoke about a lot of things and heard some amazing stories from them all about friends of theirs. I can't say enough times just how a part of it I felt, even if I felt like I was still quite alien. I don't know how to put it, but all I can say is, no matter how high of expectations I could have had, they were surpassed on that first day alone.
Later that evening, we had said goodbye to my parents a bit beforehand as they went back to their B&B, but a bit later I was with Nadine saying goodbye to Isa and Bas, gave Bas a bro hug if I remember correctly and Isa a cuddle too. At the time, I was aware that Isa was only visiting on the Friday as Bas would be joining me and Nadine over the next few days, but Isa promised to try and make it on Sunday evening. She couldn't in the end which was of course a shame, but I know I'll be able to see her again next time I go. As with everyone of course, and the next few days were confirmation enough that I wanted to go to the Netherlands again.
Earlier that day, I gave Nadine some gifts which included an Ash cap wearing Pikachu card, a drawing I made for her earlier this year and an Eevee key-ring that my brother and his partner had come across and I asked for them to buy two of, one for me and one for Nadine. She gave me gifts as well, including an Eevee pin badge after I arrived at the airport, and before I left on Sunday, a load of World Superbikes memorabilia including two signed pictures of World Superbike riders Michael van der Mark and Jonathan Rea from 2014 as well as a poster for the event, but Nadine will have to send that to me since I couldn't fit it in my bag.
Before I went to bed, a happy surprise greeted me. For context, last Christmas and for her birthday this year, I had sent Nadine an Eevee and Charmander from Build-A-Bear and she had put the Eevee and Charmander on my bed. I already felt at home but having an Eevee there like the one I had at home was just perfect, and not that I don't like Charmander but I just had that one guarding my bed. Sorry Charmander! Nadine's gesture was so sweet and lovely.
On Saturday, Nadine and I went to the nearby city with my parents and her mum and I have to say, Netherlands why do you like Tesla so much? Nothing wrong with it or anything but Tesla's rivalled bicycles in terms of how many there were. Okay maybe not to that degree but you get what I mean, the Tesla cars were everywhere. They're not cheap vehicles either, just for you lot out there to garner an understanding of why it was so absurd.
There was a city marketplace event going on along with a netball open top facility set up for some kind of competitive women's tournament for everyone to see. I took a video of it, which reminds me I have yet to post it on social media so my mum and Nadine's mum probably had a point at the thought that I was filming it for other reasons.. I was just amazed at the set up of the facility but I know that reason won't be enough to convince anyone. We also went looking at these beautiful rose gardens, and my mum insisted on me and Nadine being in a photo.
Nadine took me to a McDonald's even though she doesn't like it there so I have to thank her for that of course. The day before, Bas gave me a tip about McDonald's, because in the Netherlands, it works out as cheaper or more valuable to buy six nuggets four times as appose to getting 20 nuggets. You only pay a few cents more but get four more nuggets and it works out as getting more nuggets for the money you were spending, if that makes sense. So big thanks to Bas!
Nadine didn't get anything but did nick a chip of mine, which I'll let her off with since she's so good to me. I wanted to learn about an anime she likes called One Piece, so she was telling me about that whilst I ate and afterwards we went to join my parents and her mum who had found a clothes shop. My mum in a clothes shop is like a nerd in a lab, she was looking all over with the greatest level of enthusiasm, I almost had to drag her out. Nadine managed to translate some Japanese on some clothes in there which was incredible.
After we got back to Nadine's place, Bas came over with his Nintendo Switch like he had promised me. In my next planned article, I am going to talk about why I am excited for getting my copy of Pokémon: Let's Go, but I had not played a Switch before so Bas actually said he'd bring his over so I could familiarise myself with the Switch for when I get my own in November for my birthday and the release of Let's Go. We played Mario Kart with the tiny controller and it was quite difficult, this being plugged into the TV and then I got a hang of it also on the portable setup, and I was amazed at the Switch's capabilities.
After we had a bit of time trying out various Switch games, we picked up my parents again and Illona drove with me along with them whilst Bas drove Nadine, Kim and Ben. We went to Germany to eat in a restaurant they liked, and I had schnitzel which was alright, not the best thing I ever ate but nowhere near bad to the point that I couldn't eat it. I'd definitely eat it again WHEN I go back to visit them. Nadine was also kind enough to swap drinks with me after I just couldn't enjoy the shitty discount cola, so I appreciated that hugely.
For the remainder of the evening, Nadine brought down her GameCube to the front room and Nadine, myself and Bas all played Mario Party for the rest of the night if I'm recalling correctly. We tried to power through but only got 10 of our 20 turns played, I was really liking the format of the game and I wish we could have completed it. But no matter, we had to get up early the following day because we had a MotoGP event to get to.
On Sunday morning, we headed down to the track and the atmosphere was absolutely incredible! We were seated in the Valentino Rossi stand between corners Ruskenhoek and Stekkenwal, and we arrived whilst the final MotoGP warm up was taking place, and I was not ready for what would happen during the MotoGP sessions.
I remember we got given a Rossi yellow fedora/trilby which didn't fit me because no hat really does, we also got a flag, a wristband all with Rossi on it and I was offered a can of Rossi branded Monster Energy drink but declined since I wouldn't have drank it. We seated ourselves down and the seats themselves were actually planted into the ground on a manmade hill (I know it was manmade because well.. it's the Netherlands! Haha) and I loved the concept of it, but I despised the seats. It's making me wince but they were so dry, the thought of placing my hands and gripping them just makes me want to curl up in pain.
The weather was boiling, not as bad as the proceeding week when I attended the British Touring Car event at Croft on race day, and I got pretty sunburnt that day but thankfully it wasn't as bad at Assen and we weren't there as long either. Oh and Nadine insisted I wear some sunglasses and I had not brought any so I stole a pair from Isa, who had left hers in the backseat of Bas' car, and I messaged her afterwards saying Bas had them but she would agree with me that I looked awesome with them!
We first sat down for the Moto3, and we were arranged from left to right as Bas and Nadine to my left, with Illona and Ben to my right. I recorded the start and in quite the funny manner, I turned to Nadine last second and said "Hi Nadine!", she didn't seem too amused but took it well. I had planned to do it for all three races but decided against it incase it annoyed her too much.
I seem to remember that it was Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini, Marco Bezzechi, John McPhee and Arón Canet were all near the front, and as ever in Moto3 with their underpowered motorcycles, slip stream was key. Surprisingly, the first lot were all bunched together and there was quite a gap to the next group, and I was quietly hoping for my compatriot John McPhee to win but kind of had this acceptance of knowing he wouldn't.
Two weeks before was the Catalan MotoGP and John McPhee was in the leading group of the Moto3 race there and going into the last lap, he was leading but I must have jinxed him. I said to myself "Knowing the luck of Brits in motorcycle racing, he'll finish fourth", and surely enough, he did. That wasn't the case though at Assen, as he fell only a few corners head of where we were sat in the last few laps.
Jorge Martin won the Moto3 race to take back the championship lead from Marco Bezzechi, who fell heading onto the last lap and from then it was onto the Moto2 race which was quite uneventful but I still wanted to sit down and watch it. Nadine, Bas and Ben all left before the start and for the majority of the time there, I had some very lovely conversations with Illona about a few things, including but not limited to if the F1 would ever come to Assen. She told me that Assen would be a hell of a lot more accessible to mass spectators and F1 teams than Zandvoort would be due to its singular public access road.
I was getting really hungry and the queues before the Moto2 race were very excessive so Ben offered to get me chips (or fries since Nadine thought I meant crisps lol), and a bottle of Coca Cola, this was incredibly kind of him. The three got back with a few laps still to go of the Moto2, and the crowds in the Rossi stand were very vocal as the leader of the race Francesco Bagnaia rides for Valentino Rossi's own team. He won in dominant style, and finally it was the main event, and this is where it becomes just something else entirely.
If you ever watch MotoGP, you'll always find at least one part of the track with yellow smoke coming out of it, and this was where I was. When the MotoGP riders began heading to the grid, a load of very enthusiastic and dedicated individuals began throwing these yellow smoke flares on the ground and I couldn't see a thing. My view was shrouded, and the smell was horrendous but it thankfully cleared for the start and the atmosphere was electric!
Before Sunday, I had told Nadine that I didn't mind who won the race as long as it wasn't a Márquez walkover and holy shit my prayers were answered and then some. The way the bikes were grouped together at the front, you'd have thought it was Moto3 but these were the full 1,000cc 260 horsepower powerhouses and at one point, you had at least seven riders able to get into the lead, you didn't know who would win!
I was hoping it would be Rossi of course but in the chaos that was the race, eventually it was Marc Márquez that came out on top from Álex Rins and Maverick Viñales, making it a Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha rostrum. Of course Márquez was booed from where I was sat, I didn't mind that he won, he didn't win it by multiple seconds and from start to finish, it was such an exciting race and I am delighted I attended.
We had to leave after the MotoGP because Bas had to get back for some kind of event, which was a shame because I had been interested in seeing what else was happening such as the Red Bull Rookies, but it was understandable. Spoiler alert though, the traffic was way too excessive and we couldn't make it out in time for Bas to make it, but we will get to that.
On the way out, it took us hours to move a few feet but we heard Beautiful Day by U2, one of my favourite songs, playing on the radio. Then when it ended, the radio presenter was talking and I heard 'Max Verstappen' in there, and I couldn't understand any other word of course but my Dutch friends heard that it was going to be a beautiful day for Max Verstappen as he was leading the Austrian Grand Prix! I made the prediction a week before, or rather a plea from the racing gods that since I was going to be in Max Verstappen's home country, he was in his team Red Bull's home country and that he had finished third and second in the proceeding two races, that he was destined to win the Austrian GP. He did! I should have put a bet on it.
The ride back to Nadine's house was awful though. I needed to use a toilet, and I can't just go pee in a field for some reason, it just doesn't work for me. So in the stop start nature of the traffic, it took hours to get back and it gave me a lot of time to reflect about a few things. I had been looking over at Nadine a lot over the day and had reservations about going up to her sometimes to get involved in conversation, because I had this horrible feeling that I like always am an obligation to someone, and heading back to Nadine's house in the fragile state I was, I really retreated into myself. I had been feeling like that quite heavily most of the day but it really peaked there and then.
I sat in the guest room and Nadine told me Bas was leaving and I unintentionally gave Bas the cold shoulder, not because I was mad at him but because everything was overwhelming me in that moment. I messaged him later to clear everything up, he was concerned and I appreciated it, he's a great guy. I met his family as well, I may have embarrassed myself. Anyway, got a bit off track there, so Nadine came to talk to me, I told her all that I had been feeling and she listened, she insisted I was never any sort of obligation to her and that I was there to see her and whilst I felt like I may have intruded on conversations between her and Bas, I guess I was wrong to not try.
On the Friday and Saturday, I told myself that I was accepting of being with Nadine for the weekend then going away on Monday, but it started to feel like a numb reality for me that Nadine would no longer be knocking on my door and saying with her amazing voice "LOO-cahh". Which is why Sunday evening couldn't have been more perfect.
My parents walked down and we ordered Domino's, the food was amazing. We all sat down and ate, we all spoke about the event, my mum and dad told us that earlier on, they unintentionally sat down in a place where dog owners get their doggos to "shite" as a polite enough individual worded it. We spoke about our home town's differences like how it takes Nadine's town way too long to get a train past, when it takes us about 10 times longer for that process to happen.
We showed our home town on Google Earth or Maps whichever one it is, we got a load of photos together in a variety of different people on a number of different devices, and then me and Nadine played two of her Pokémon games. That brought back major memories for me! I played the Gen 4 Sinnoh games, but couldn't after that, I'll get into why in my next article in which I plan to talk about why I am looking forward to Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!.
I have been abroad not many times in the last few years. Spain was the last country we went to that I recall, and that was July 2013 and it was appalling, I just wanted to get home, so I wasn't peeling myself off of the LEATHER SOFA! In Spain, a leather sofa?! It was my Auntie Paula's apartment, I demand she change her furniture but I'm not going back regardless. (Sorry if you're actually reading this, just a joke hope you find it somewhat funny)
Being very honest, I don't remember a holiday in which I didn't come back from being relieved, at least in recent memory. I used to say a holiday was a way for me to appreciate home a lot more, bring things into perspective, but being with my Dutch best friend and her amazing family and friends, I've never been happier. They're just the loveliest bunch of people you could ever imagine, I consider them already a second family to me.
Saying bye for now on Monday, I won't say it wasn't difficult because I knew Nadine and her family would always now be solidified as a major part of my life. I know I am going to see Nadine and everyone else again, but I can't lie when I say that even though I message her pretty much every day, it feels surreal now that I know what Nadine sounds like and how her life is, if that makes sense.
I want to be able to make the Dutch TT either an annual trip or maybe biennial with Nadine coming here every other year, despite the fact I am insisting she doesn't as my hometown is a shithole. But she has seen we have an owl centre nearby and is incredibly insisting and I cannot in good conscience tell her no now haha! I have plans to perhaps have her come here when there's a British Superbikes event on nearby at Oulton Park perhaps, maybe go to the World Superbikes at Donington or the MotoGP at Silverstone, having been to Silverstone before knowing fine well the best seats in the house are at the Maggots-Aintree-Becketts-Chapel complex in which you can see about 80% of the track.
I'll end this article with a caption I put up on a post on Instagram on February 17th, Nadine's birthday when she received her Build-A-Bear Charmander to have alongside her Eevee.
"Happy birthday to the most wonderful person I've ever met, Nadine who now has her Charmander along with her Eevee. I've told Nadine this before but I sense it may be also worth saying here, Nadine accepted me as her friend back in around 2011 time (if I'm remembering it correctly, Valentino Rossi was riding for Ducati at the time) and I've become a better person as a direct result of her. She has seen me through thick and thin, I dread to think what I'd be without her friendship but I definitely don't deserve how great of a friend she has been to me. I say all of this because at long last, I'll be flying out to visit her in the Netherlands when we attend the Dutch MotoGP event at Assen. I really cannot put into words how I can't contain myself to meet my long-time close friend. As for today Nadine, you celebrate turning 21 because going around the sun that many times is a major achievement, I barely made it myself lol. Ludine :D"
Nadine has indeed seen me through times I'd rather not talk about, and accepted me through those times and I almost feel I cannot be as good to her as she is with me. She made this trip great of course, but everyone else there just made it feel full of rich character and energy, being Isa, Bas, Kim, Illona, Ben, even the animals. By the way I forgot to mention, I did meet their other cat Felix and she head-butted my hand like she apparently always does.
It's official, the Netherlands is my second home. I am already a fan of Max Verstappen so effectively I am half way there! The country was great, the event was spectacular, everything was so great and I do miss it already. I know I'll see them again. Dank je Nederland, I can't wait to come back.
Alright! Dank je for reading everyone. Until we meet again.
Luca.
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| The moment we met! Taken by Nadine's father Ben. |
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