Geese

Gradually, the paperwork that allows us to reside in the Netherlands is coming together. We recently received our BSN, which is a special identification number from the town hall that is required for everything, including bank accounts, mobile phone plans, and parking in our neighbourhood. Basically, this number is required for anything and everything needed for day to day life.

Today we walked to the Cition office to register our car for a parking permit. We can now park on our street rather than in the high priced parking garage that is a kilometer away! Although we generally do not drive, it is handy to have the car nearby when it is needed.

On our way to town hall, past Olympic Stadium, we passed a flock of geese. Apparently, geese love to overwinter in the Netherlands and because the food that they like to eat is plentiful, some have over-extended their welcome and choose to stay year round. As they are big, hungry birds, this causes problems for the farmers. Winter wheat gets trampled and summer crops get eaten. I suspect these geese are year round residents in this location.