Do you have other passions besides collecting coins/other stuff?

I’ve been collecting coins for the last 29years, but other than that, I have discovered my love for travel and fitness in the last few years. When I can combine those two, that’s when I’m the happiest as was the case during the labour weekend getaway.

I imagine none of us are uni-dimensional people. So what do you normally get up to fun wise

Travel and fitness sound like boxes I'd check off myself.

Usually when I find myself in a large European city, I prefer to walk to and from my hotel/hostel, since you really notice & appreciate your surroundings a lot more on foot, rather than use the metro. I've discovered so many interesting real life Easter eggs I would never have even noticed in a taxi or bus; stuff ranging from interesting street art to graffiti dating back to who knows when. It's also usually because I've spent my last bits of cash on something else (sometimes coins!) and I can't afford transportation back anyway.


Guess which country I am in! (There's a clue in the picture)

Recently I find myself swimming more often, given the heat and temperature nowadays; I fluctuate between preferring swimming pools (no sand, temperature controlled) and beaches (no chlorine smell, natural beauty) for this; and beaches. You know the sort of pristine beaches where you can actually see the bottom through the water? I'm no marine biologist, but I honestly like observing the rocks and their inhabitants (hermit crabs, small fish) at the bottom, as well as sometimes when you find interesting things (change, jewellery). I haven't found anything this summer in the sea other than a few euro cent coins, but fingers crossed.

Aside from that, I find myself becoming a bit of an anthropologist recently; someone who studies humans and their social behaviour. Since I'm not an academic, a better term might be a flâneuse; essentially I get a coffee, and a book (I enjoy trying to predict the outcomes of mystery novels ), and sit by a public place, observing humanity in all it's forms and shapes. Sounds like something millennials obsess over, I know, but it really is fascinating; you'd be surprised at how (relatively) common mutton chops still are in 2018 if you just took the time to look.

I'm all about the disc golf!

Quote: "neilithicman"​
​
​I'm all about the disc golf!

​I’ll have to google that. Never heard of it! I’m big time into jumprope/skipping tricking and bodyweight workouts - and want to transition into advanced calisthenics (muscle ups, Hanging levers, hand stands, planche and that sort of stuff)

My problem is I collect everything. And a bad hoarder . Since my wife died I have gotten really bad. I have 50 of these in a roll on my desk.

And I have 247 1945 Canadian 1 cent coins , that I know about. Sure I have more. Why I have no ideal.
Hey Neil I must be getting old, This is what I use my freeze bee for, Disc. Full of French coins. 1900 to euros.

Cass I would say the UK. Is that a mini ?

Here you go Cass here is 8 silver French 1 franks I have on my desk. I need to get another bank box. I just found out I have silver in just about every room.

God I even have silver in the bath room. Cleaning . I really need to get my coins in order. IT is getting to the point that I don't know what I have.

Well, it's actually somewhere in an EU country (which I suppose the UK is still a part of, for now at least). Here's another hint; I'm right on this EU country's border with another, very small, non-EU country.

Silver in every room, sounds kind of like you've got a bit of treasure trove there! Those Roty Semeuse 1 Franc coins are my favourite, even if they are quite common; I'm amazed I've only gotten myself one in my collection. Thanks for showing me those, Daryl.

I just got off of 10 to 12 hours a night at work. Leave at 8 pm and get home at 8 am. For 3 months Things here are a big mess.But had time to get a lot of coins.

Quote: "ALLRED1950"​ My problem is I collect everything. And a bad hoarder . Since my wife died I have gotten really bad. I have 50 of these in a roll on my desk.
​
​And I have 247 1945 Canadian 1 cent coins , that I know about. Sure I have more. Why I have no ideal.
​ Hey Neil I must be getting old, This is what I use my freeze bee for, Disc. Full of French coins. 1900 to euros.
​
​Cass I would say the UK. Is that a mini ?
​

​collecting is good; hoarding, hmm maybe. But I’m sure you don’t sit all the time sorting through coins? Do you?

Quote: "CassTaylor"​Well, it's actually somewhere in an EU country (which I suppose the UK is still a part of, for now at least). Here's another hint; I'm right on this EU country's border with another, very small, non-EU country.
​
​Silver in every room, sounds kind of like you've got a bit of treasure trove there! Those Roty Semeuse 1 Franc coins are my favourite, even if they are quite common; I'm amazed I've only gotten myself one in my collection. Thanks for showing me those, Daryl.

​sounds like Switzerland and France? Or perhaps one of those why do these countries even exist types viz Andorra . I suppose San Marino, Vatican And Monaco are not border countries

Quote: "CassTaylor"​Travel and fitness sound like boxes I'd check off myself.
​
​Usually when I find myself in a large European city, I prefer to walk to and from my hotel/hostel, since you really notice & appreciate your surroundings a lot more on foot, rather than use the metro. I've discovered so many interesting real life Easter eggs I would never have even noticed in a taxi or bus; stuff ranging from interesting street art to graffiti dating back to who knows when. It's also usually because I've spent my last bits of cash on something else (sometimes coins!) and I can't afford transportation back anyway.
​
​
​Guess which country I am in! (There's a clue in the picture)
​
​Recently I find myself swimming more often, given the heat and temperature nowadays; I fluctuate between preferring swimming pools (no sand, temperature controlled) and beaches (no chlorine smell, natural beauty) for this; and beaches. You know the sort of pristine beaches where you can actually see the bottom through the water? I'm no marine biologist, but I honestly like observing the rocks and their inhabitants (hermit crabs, small fish) at the bottom, as well as sometimes when you find interesting things (change, jewellery). I haven't found anything this summer in the sea other than a few euro cent coins, but fingers crossed.
​
​Aside from that, I find myself becoming a bit of an anthropologist recently; someone who studies humans and their social behaviour. Since I'm not an academic, a better term might be a flâneuse; essentially I get a coffee, and a book (I enjoy trying to predict the outcomes of mystery novels ), and sit by a public place, observing humanity in all it's forms and shapes. Sounds like something millennials obsess over, I know, but it really is fascinating; you'd be surprised at how (relatively) common mutton chops still are in 2018 if you just took the time to look.
​
​

​I had to push back my trip to Belgium next month. But once I’m there, my average daily stepping would be anywhere starting from 35k and over, not including my workouts. I always like finding parks/ open spaces with some nice landmarks in the background. One reason is because it’s cool having the sights and sounds while I work out; the other is to get an awesome shot for the gramme

Quote: "ashlobo"​

Quote: "neilithicman"​
​​
​​I'm all about the disc golf!

​​I’ll have to google that. Never heard of it! I’m big time into jumprope/skipping tricking and bodyweight workouts - and want to transition into advanced calisthenics (muscle ups, Hanging levers, hand stands, planche and that sort of stuff)

​It's lots of fun, except when a tree rudely gets in the way of a perfect shot and eats your frisbee. That's me on the end of the picture in the white hat with my little lad in front of me.

Quote: "ashlobo"​

Quote: "CassTaylor"​Well, it's actually somewhere in an EU country (which I suppose the UK is still a part of, for now at least). Here's another hint; I'm right on this EU country's border with another, very small, non-EU country.
​​
​​Silver in every room, sounds kind of like you've got a bit of treasure trove there! Those Roty Semeuse 1 Franc coins are my favourite, even if they are quite common; I'm amazed I've only gotten myself one in my collection. Thanks for showing me those, Daryl.

​​sounds like Switzerland and France? Or perhaps one of those why do these countries even exist types viz Andorra . I suppose San Marino, Vatican And Monaco are not border countries

​Yeah, it's Italy and the Vatican; the "clue" was supposed to be the Italian EU license plate visible on the random car behind me, but now I see it might not have been too visible after all.

Usually the smaller a country is, the more interesting it's reason for still existing is. I have visiting San Marino and Andorra on my bucket list as well (Liechtenstein, Monaco and the Vatican are ticked off).

Quote: "CassTaylor"​

Quote: "ashlobo"​
​

Quote: "CassTaylor"​Well, it's actually somewhere in an EU country (which I suppose the UK is still a part of, for now at least). Here's another hint; I'm right on this EU country's border with another, very small, non-EU country.
​​​
​​​Silver in every room, sounds kind of like you've got a bit of treasure trove there! Those Roty Semeuse 1 Franc coins are my favourite, even if they are quite common; I'm amazed I've only gotten myself one in my collection. Thanks for showing me those, Daryl.

​​​sounds like Switzerland and France? Or perhaps one of those why do these countries even exist types viz Andorra . I suppose San Marino, Vatican And Monaco are not border countries

​​Yeah, it's Italy and the Vatican; the "clue" was supposed to be the Italian EU license plate visible on the random car behind me, but now I see it might not have been too visible after all.
​
​Usually the smaller a country is, the more interesting it's reason for still existing is. I have visiting San Marino and Andorra on my bucket list as well (Liechtenstein, Monaco and the Vatican are ticked off).
​
​

I saw the license plate but it was too late Ok, now I know how you look like, at least partially

Not comfortable uploading a less anonymous picture with a certain member from the subfamily Cricetinae on the forums.

​Perhaps we could organise another meet up someday? I know from reading this (and other old forum threads) that there was a meetup in Paris a few years ago:
https://en.numista.com/forum/topic38238.html

The only Numista member I have ever (knowingly) met in person so far was a coin dealer in Rome who was browsing Numista on his computer (didn't catch his username).

Quote: "CassTaylor"​Not comfortable uploading a less anonymous picture with a certain member from the subfamily Cricetinae on the forums.
​
​Perhaps we could organise another meet up someday? I know from reading this (and other old forum threads) that there was a meetup in Paris a few years ago: https://en.numista.com/forum/topic38238.html
​
​The only Numista member I have ever (knowingly) met in person so far was a coin dealer in Rome who was browsing Numista on his computer (didn't catch his username).

​
Well, it's a nice idea.

I like traveling, even though I don't travel as much as I would have wanted. I keep photos of any churches or chapels I travel by and I keep map of them here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1G_FDDFYqSdaT-sLzLiWmeefZKDg&usp=sharing

I also love history, especially my study area, medieval eurasian steppes and their nations.

I also play mainly strategic pc games.

I used to be a long distance runner. I was quite good but not good enough to be amongst the national best runners. I have been doing athletics for 8 years but with the first year at the university it was really hard to find the time (lectures during the training hours...). Moreover, for various reasons I was quite disappointed with running (wounds, friends stopping,...). I didn't run in two years, except to catch the train when I was late.
In july I began to run again, but not too much. Today I've just did my first race. My purpose was to do 3:50/km (on 5km), I did a little faster so I'm happy, despite the fact I was really faster two or three years ago.
I'm happy to be "back in the game" and will keep training.

Apart from sport, I like to read (currently reading Ken Follet's "Fall of the Giants"), and to play STR alone (Total war and others...) or MOBA with my friends online.

For me, it is mainly travelling, political debating [please do not ask more], programming, table tennis/football and reading. If you are interested [I will try my best to not sound boring, arrogant or rude]:

• To regard travelling, despite not having time, I enjoy exploring foreign cultures through travelling not only at the famous tourist spots but also at the local streets and shops. I've only been on a journey in a selected few of European and Asian countries, totalling less than twenty. So far, my personal favourite is Hiroshima - no swarms of Chinese tourists [unlike Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Kyoto], meaningful and unique attractions as well as a wonderful yet simple transport system.
  

• On the other hand, I cannot say much about programming as I am, to quite a degree, new. I used to write in JavaScript - however, I have since then switched to C/C++.
  

• I support Liverpool FC. Despite seeing many supporters of traditional rivals [Manchester United, especially], I still try with my greatest effort to respect one another on their own beliefs as long as they respect me in the same way and despise Sergio Ramos.
  

If you consider academics as a passion, I am proud to say I ranked the first in one of the top schools in Hong Kong. I used to skip a grade in Mathematics as well as specialising in languages and science.

Do I have to send an image?

Best,
SRL

Quote: "SquareRootLolly"​For me, it is mainly travelling, political debating [please do not ask more], programming, table tennis/football and reading. If you are interested [I will try my best to not sound boring, arrogant or rude]:
​

• To regard travelling, despite not having time, I enjoy exploring foreign cultures through travelling not only at the famous tourist spots but also at the local streets and shops. I've only been on a journey in a selected few of European and Asian countries, totalling less than twenty. So far, my personal favourite is Hiroshima - no swarms of Chinese tourists [unlike Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Kyoto], meaningful and unique attractions as well as a wonderful yet simple transport system.
  ​
  

​
​

• On the other hand, I cannot say much about programming as I am, to quite a degree, new. I used to write in JavaScript - however, I have since then switched to C/C++.
  ​
  

​
​

• I support Liverpool FC. Despite seeing many supporters of traditional rivals [Manchester United, especially], I still try with my greatest effort to respect one another on their own beliefs as long as they respect me in the same way and despise Sergio Ramos.
  ​
  

​
​If you consider academics as a passion, I am proud to say I ranked the first in one of the top schools in Hong Kong. I used to skip a grade in Mathematics as well as specialising in languages and science.
​
​Do I have to send an image?
​
​Best,
​SRL

​I'm a C++ programmer, so we do have something in common. Not a fan of Liverpool though (yeah, another Manc here).

Quote: "neilithicman"​

Quote: "ashlobo"​
​

Quote: "neilithicman"​
​​​
​​​I'm all about the disc golf!

​​​I’ll have to google that. Never heard of it! I’m big time into jumprope/skipping tricking and bodyweight workouts - and want to transition into advanced calisthenics (muscle ups, Hanging levers, hand stands, planche and that sort of stuff)

​​It's lots of fun, except when a tree rudely gets in the way of a perfect shot and eats your frisbee. That's me on the end of the picture in the white hat with my little lad in front of me.
​

​very interesting indeed, great way to get your kids active and involved

Quote: "CassTaylor"​Not comfortable uploading a less anonymous picture with a certain member from the subfamily Cricetinae on the forums.
​
​​Perhaps we could organise another meet up someday? I know from reading this (and other old forum threads) that there was a meetup in Paris a few years ago:
​https://en.numista.com/forum/topic38238.html
​
​The only Numista member I have ever (knowingly) met in person so far was a coin dealer in Rome who was browsing Numista on his computer (didn't catch his username).

​yeah, the number plate was not really visible. I’ve met several Numista members here in Toronto. We are also members of the local coin clubs.

I prefer not uploading my photo on this forum too. However, what I like is community oriented things be it numismatics or fitness. As the case is over here, I’m on the far left in first pic and right front in the 2nd

Quote: "Jarcek"​I like traveling, even though I don't travel as much as I would have wanted. I keep photos of any churches or chapels I travel by and I keep map of them here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1G_FDDFYqSdaT-sLzLiWmeefZKDg&usp=sharing
​
​I also love history, especially my study area, medieval eurasian steppes and their nations.
​
​I also play mainly strategic pc games.

​nice, I’ve had my fill of churches, so I studiously avoid them now. I’d rather do a workout session with the church in the background rather than step into one... as I did here in Quebec City in front of the Parliament

Quote: "Choucas"​I used to be a long distance runner. I was quite good but not good enough to be amongst the national best runners. I have been doing athletics for 8 years but with the first year at the university it was really hard to find the time (lectures during the training hours...). Moreover, for various reasons I was quite disappointed with running (wounds, friends stopping,...). I didn't run in two years, except to catch the train when I was late.
​In july I began to run again, but not too much. Today I've just did my first race. My purpose was to do 3:50/km (on 5km), I did a little faster so I'm happy, despite the fact I was really faster two or three years ago.
​I'm happy to be "back in the game" and will keep training.
​
​Apart from sport, I like to read (currently reading Ken Follet's "Fall of the Giants"), and to play STR alone (Total war and others...) or MOBA with my friends online.

​I’ve been running 5ks too since last year. My timing is pathetic in comparison .. so far my best has been 27m27s. However given that a couple years ago, i couldn’t even do 3k without needing breaks, this is definitely an improvement. I put that down to my cardiovascular improvement from doing bodyweight workouts and better calf strength and endurance from a lot of jumprope

Quote: "SquareRootLolly"​For me, it is mainly travelling, political debating [please do not ask more], programming, table tennis/football and reading. If you are interested [I will try my best to not sound boring, arrogant or rude]:
​

• To regard travelling, despite not having time, I enjoy exploring foreign cultures through travelling not only at the famous tourist spots but also at the local streets and shops. I've only been on a journey in a selected few of European and Asian countries, totalling less than twenty. So far, my personal favourite is Hiroshima - no swarms of Chinese tourists [unlike Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Kyoto], meaningful and unique attractions as well as a wonderful yet simple transport system.
  ​
  

​
​

• On the other hand, I cannot say much about programming as I am, to quite a degree, new. I used to write in JavaScript - however, I have since then switched to C/C++.
  ​
  

​
​

• I support Liverpool FC. Despite seeing many supporters of traditional rivals [Manchester United, especially], I still try with my greatest effort to respect one another on their own beliefs as long as they respect me in the same way and despise Sergio Ramos.
  ​
  

​
​If you consider academics as a passion, I am proud to say I ranked the first in one of the top schools in Hong Kong. I used to skip a grade in Mathematics as well as specialising in languages and science.
​
​Do I have to send an image?
​
​Best,
​SRL

​political debating? I’m intrigued! Do you mean formal debating ... or are you one of those who prefers talking politics over chit chat and therefore find yourself arguing all the time lol

is programming your job? Or is it something more? If it is your job, are you still passionate in it in other ways. Else it’s not really fun is it? That’s just something you do. Similar for mathematics.. congrats are in order for that achievement! Now my question is have you taken it further?

I’m not a language expert however I do speak 4 and can understand orally, but not communicate in 2 more. I go to regular monthly meetups for French... do you do something similar?

My biggest "hobby" (even above coin collecting) is being a Lifeguard/Medical Aid with the Dutch Lifeguards.
In The Netherlands we are known as the "Reddingsbrigade", and the tasks are divided up between beach and sea brigades, and "binnenwater", the canals and riverways and also recreational parks and area's.
I was stationed in Noordwijk aan Zee from 2011 to 2015 and we had 14km of beach to patrol, with three lifeguard stations.
In 2015 i changed to Haarlem division, to experience more of the innerwater teams work.
Haarlem has three boats, and we also provide a lot of first-aid cover at local events such as hockey, athletics, and also long-distance running events and marathons.
The image that people create of "Baywatch" and us running into the sea is correct in some beach areas but there is a lot more going on behind the scenes in the life of a lifeguard :)
All the lifeguards are volunteers, i have a "day job" as a quality control technician at a very large paint company.
My real "passion" is the medical side of the work. I used to work for the ambulance service, and the feeling of wanting to help someone has never left me.
The hockey weekends are always busy, usually an ambulance a day.
We can't patch everyone up so sometimes we need to call in extra help.
Festivals are usually "quiet" although people will tend to fight at the end. We get to see good acts performing, for free haha, that's a good perk to the job :)
I have two daughters, the oldest is doing her best to get into university, the youngest is still at secondary school.
So with family, coins, lifeguard, and work i don't have much time for other things ;)
Languages: Dutch and English fluently, German good, French not so good, and i speak what we call in the brigade "tourist languages", that means about 20 words in other languages to ask people "where it hurts" and "what happened". Not everyone understands English, and certainly not Dutch!

(photo is from Kings Day last year, glow in the dark Matt)

Quote: "MattewNL"​My biggest "hobby" (even above coin collecting) is being a Lifeguard/Medical Aid with the Dutch Lifeguards.
​In The Netherlands we are known as the "Reddingsbrigade", and the tasks are divided up between beach and sea brigades, and "binnenwater", the canals and riverways and also recreational parks and area's.
​I was stationed in Noordwijk aan Zee from 2011 to 2015 and we had 14km of beach to patrol, with three lifeguard stations.
​In 2015 i changed to Haarlem division, to experience more of the innerwater teams work.
​Haarlem has three boats, and we also provide a lot of first-aid cover at local events such as hockey, athletics, and also long-distance running events and marathons.
​The image that people create of "Baywatch" and us running into the sea is correct in some beach areas but there is a lot more going on behind the scenes in the life of a lifeguard :)
​All the lifeguards are volunteers, i have a "day job" as a quality control technician at a very large paint company.
​My real "passion" is the medical side of the work. I used to work for the ambulance service, and the feeling of wanting to help someone has never left me.
​The hockey weekends are always busy, usually an ambulance a day.
​We can't patch everyone up so sometimes we need to call in extra help.
​Festivals are usually "quiet" although people will tend to fight at the end. We get to see good acts performing, for free haha, that's a good perk to the job :)
​I have two daughters, the oldest is doing her best to get into university, the youngest is still at secondary school.
​So with family, coins, lifeguard, and work i don't have much time for other things ;)
​Languages: Dutch and English fluently, German good, French not so good, and i speak what we call in the brigade "tourist languages", that means about 20 words in other languages to ask people "where it hurts" and "what happened". Not everyone understands English, and certainly not Dutch!
​
​(photo is from Kings Day last year, glow in the dark Matt)
​
​

​I have to admit that’s pretty awesome and badass. I need to be finding ways of giving back more to the community too!

Quote: "Jarcek"​I also play mainly strategic pc games.

​Are we talking Paradox here?

I've dabbled in that before a bit myself too.

Quote: "ashlobo"​​I have to admit that’s pretty awesome and badass. I need to be finding ways of giving back more to the community too!

​Thanks Ashlobo If you ever visit The Netherlands let me know, maybe you can join us and be a lifeguard for a day!

Quote: "Choucas"​I used to be a long distance runner.

​I used to do that at school as well; we call it "cross-country" over in the UK.

I always used to finish in the top 5 of my house (that's like a cross between a class and a boarding house in posh British schools, but most non-Brits probably only know it from Harry Potter), but I haven't done any serious running since I finished my A levels.

Quote: "CassTaylor"​

Quote: "Choucas"​I used to be a long distance runner.

​​I used to do that at school as well; we call it "cross-country" over in the UK.
​
​I always used to finish in the top 5 of my house (that's like a cross between a class and a boarding house in posh British schools, but most non-Brits probably only know it from Harry Potter), but I haven't done any serious running since I finished my A levels.
​
​
​
​

​we had/have them in schools in India growing up too.. we had four houses: Xavier (blue), Kostka (Green), Loyola (yellow) and Britto (red). All named after 4 iconic saints of the Jesuit order which ran my school

Quote: "CassTaylor"​

Quote: "Choucas"​I used to be a long distance runner.

​​I used to do that at school as well; we call it "cross-country" over in the UK.
​
​I always used to finish in the top 5 of my house (that's like a cross between a class and a boarding house in posh British schools, but most non-Brits probably only know it from Harry Potter), but I haven't done any serious running since I finished my A levels.
​
​
​
​

​In Belgium we called it also cross-country, or just "cross". Running in the fields full of mud, grass, and water, ending with your legs covered with mud, and your heart ready to explode. Funny thing. We have the "Cross cup" in Belgium, but during fall and winter mainly, there is a cross country every week in various athletics clubs.
I was better on the tracks, and now that I'm not longer in a club, I only run on roads.

@ashlobo Actually that's not bad. 27'/28' is quite average. And don't forget all the people who can't even run 5k. Considering running is not your main hobby, it's very decent.

Quote: "ashlobo"​

Quote: "CassTaylor"​
​

Quote: "Choucas"​I used to be a long distance runner.

​​​I used to do that at school as well; we call it "cross-country" over in the UK.
​​
​​I always used to finish in the top 5 of my house (that's like a cross between a class and a boarding house in posh British schools, but most non-Brits probably only know it from Harry Potter), but I haven't done any serious running since I finished my A levels.
​​
​​
​​
​​

​​we had/have them in schools in India growing up too.. we had four houses: Xavier (blue), Kostka (Green), Loyola (yellow) and Britto (red). All named after 4 iconic saints of the Jesuit order which ran my school

Oh, that's interesting. I always thought it was only a few schools in the UK and former British Empire, but maybe it's more common in the 21st century world than I thought.

@Choucas
That sounds rough even by cross-country standards... in the UK we at least got to run on paved surfaces! (most of the time, anyway) The closest to that I remember was that when I was fatigued, I used to deliberately run straight into a reasonably clear puddle to splash some nice cold water onto my legs.

The other thing I hated about "cross" was the after effects; my school usually practised on Friday afternoons, so usually I would have muscle soreness all throughout the weekend.

I just collect stuff.

I also export hyena meat to china as an living. We have a lot of this bloody critters here (i wrote already once they are stealing my carrots). And since there a lot of chinese investors comeing to africa it became very popular in mainland china.

I have always loved gardening although Florida isn't really the place for it. Once we move North I predict many Foxgloves, Hydrangeas, Rhododendrons, Honeysuckles and other traditional English flowers will be surrounding our house along with free range animals, a herb garden outside the kitchen door and a sizeable organic vegetable plot. I have though increased the scope of my ambitions. We'll be living on a sizeable piece of land that we own and far enough away from any nosy neighbors or petty bureaucrats who would take great joy in interfering or demanding financial tribute. I intend to spend my twilight years on major projects to leave my mark on the landscape forever. We'll start with excavating a small lake.

I played many competitive sports when younger and while those days are behind me I still enjoy hiking. As with gardening, there's nowhere to hike in Florida, with the entire county being a spillover of Tampa's urban sprawl. The county parks are nice but walking on an asphalt path with signposts every 100 yards listing all the things you can't do isn't my idea of enjoying nature's freedoms. I've bought two pairs of good quality hiking boots in anticipation of being able to enjoy a long day lost in my thoughts while as far away from the intrusions of modern life as possible.

On a more sedentary note, for many years, right up to the point of leaving the UK permanently in August 2000, I served as a volunteer with The Samaritans. It's one of my prouder accomplishments. First as a front line volunteer, then moving on to managing the support arrangements for the AIDS quilt tour, finally as an outreach worker for prisoners which involved more face to face meetings instead of phone contacts. It's estimated by the organization that a volunteer saves three lives per year served, so there's a whole lot of people alive today because of me. How many folks can say that eh? The drawback is that I developed a genuine phobia of ringing telephones following a couple of very traumatic experiences. I rarely use phones today and it's not at all unusual for me to take the phone off the hook for the entire day.

@CassTaylor
In my school the "cross" was mainly on paved roads too (it was our exam in physical education, once a year), but cross as a sport in Belgium is quite dirty and only in woods or fields, no paved roads at all. The first time I did one when I was about 12 I lost my shoe in the mud.
Here's a pic when the rain is there :
http://www.sport.be/fr/athletisme/article.html?Article_ID=759025&v=08082017
We even have special shoes to better grip the ground, similar to the ones we use on tracks, but with bigger pikes and quite heavier. The muddier the field, the bigger the pikes. I guess you understand why there is no paved roads with shoes like this...

Quote: "Muenzenhamster"​
​
​I also export hyena meat to china as an living. We have a lot of this bloody critters here (i wrote already once they are stealing my carrots). And since there a lot of chinese investors comeing to africa it became very popular in mainland china.

​I did not know people were eating hyena.

I am surprised why somebody will run, once there are so many cars available, in every priceclass.....

Quote: "Choucas"​@CassTaylor
​In my school the "cross" was mainly on paved roads too (it was our exam in physical education, once a year), but cross as a sport in Belgium is quite dirty and only in woods or fields, no paved roads at all. The first time I did one when I was about 12 I lost my shoe in the mud.
​Here's a pic when the rain is there :
​http://www.sport.be/fr/athletisme/article.html?Article_ID=759025&v=08082017
​We even have special shoes to better grip the ground, similar to the ones we use on tracks, but with bigger pikes and quite heavier. The muddier the field, the bigger the pikes. I guess you understand why there is no paved roads with shoes like this...
​

​Oh, I see; you could practically call those pikes crampons!
I guess all that mud's the principal reason for why I won't be doing cross as a sport in the future on the continent, then.


On another note I see language learning is quite a popular pastime among those of us who've managed to find the effort to do so.... I speak English fluently, and French semi-fluently. I was taught both by my parents from an early age, but I never actually had to use the French other than when talking to elderly French relatives, so it fell into disuse for the next ten years of my life, until I left the UK. As a result I actually have to use my brain a little bit when I write in French, for example, while for English I can just sit back and write a little more "instinctively", if that makes sense.

Besides that I can get about in Spanish and Italian, with coherent sentences and barring that, basic nouns, mainly because of the other Romance languages' relation to French. I plan on visiting Portugal for the first time in nearly a decade later this year, to test how well I can fare there with Portuguese. I also tried learning German and Dutch a while back but was never able to get the hang of it; the long compound words and spelling, like "Entschuldigung" didn't exactly help.

@ CassTaylor. I appreciate you said you want to learn Dutch too, but ,please never ever speak about
'German/Dutch' again, implicating it is somehow the same language. It is not. I guess (and hope) you did
this innocently, so iI will forgive you. Once you are very good in English, Dutch should not be such a big problem
for you, actually it is a very easy language; we have children here from not even 2 years who speak
it fluently...

Quote: "yvon"​@ CassTaylor. I appreciate you said you want to learn Dutch too, but ,please never ever speak about
​ 'German/Dutch' again, implicating it is somehow the same language. It is not. I guess (and hope) you did
​ this innocently, so iI will forgive you. Once you are very good in English, Dutch should not be such a big problem
​ for you, actually it is a very easy language; we have children here from not even 2 years who speak
​ it fluently...

​hehehe, sorry
I should have said German and Dutch. Corrected!

I've heard from a bunch of native speakers of English that Dutch is one of the easiest languages to learn for them, and to be fair I can also tell what some Dutch words mean just by looking at them or by saying them out loud.

Side question; do Dutch people consider Flemish and Frisian to be Dutch dialects, or something else?

Quote: "Muenzenhamster"​I just collect stuff.
​
​

​so you work, eat, sleep collect stuff... and nothing else in between? Given you live in a place where hyenas are stealing your carrots, why not do something interesting in wildlife conservation, or bird watching, or volunteer for tree planting? Or maybe some sports where you can use the sarengeti as your outdoor gym ;)

Quote: "pnightingale"​I have always loved gardening although Florida isn't really the place for it. Once we move North I predict many Foxgloves, Hydrangeas, Rhododendrons, Honeysuckles and other traditional English flowers will be surrounding our house along with free range animals, a herb garden outside the kitchen door and a sizeable organic vegetable plot. I have though increased the scope of my ambitions. We'll be living on a sizeable piece of land that we own and far enough away from any nosy neighbors or petty bureaucrats who would take great joy in interfering or demanding financial tribute. I intend to spend my twilight years on major projects to leave my mark on the landscape forever. We'll start with excavating a small lake.
​
​I played many competitive sports when younger and while those days are behind me I still enjoy hiking. As with gardening, there's nowhere to hike in Florida, with the entire county being a spillover of Tampa's urban sprawl. The county parks are nice but walking on an asphalt path with signposts every 100 yards listing all the things you can't do isn't my idea of enjoying nature's freedoms. I've bought two pairs of good quality hiking boots in anticipation of being able to enjoy a long day lost in my thoughts while as far away from the intrusions of modern life as possible.
​
​On a more sedentary note, for many years, right up to the point of leaving the UK permanently in August 2000, I served as a volunteer with The Samaritans. It's one of my prouder accomplishments. First as a front line volunteer, then moving on to managing the support arrangements for the AIDS quilt tour, finally as an outreach worker for prisoners which involved more face to face meetings instead of phone contacts. It's estimated by the organization that a volunteer saves three lives per year served, so there's a whole lot of people alive today because of me. How many folks can say that eh? The drawback is that I developed a genuine phobia of ringing telephones following a couple of very traumatic experiences. I rarely use phones today and it's not at all unusual for me to take the phone off the hook for the entire day.

​gardening involves a lot of work but can be meditative at the same time. So that’s definitely a good activity to be doing.
My aunt counsels prison inmates in the DC tri-state area; so I know from some amount of third party personal experience what you say about saving lives of people who often society has already given up on.
Hiking is another good activity; hopefully in your new place there’ll be plenty of opportunity

Like Phil I also do a lot of gardening, my other fun activity with the kids is to get our Kayaks out and hit the water. It's been a bit cold over the last few months with it being winter, but the weather is starting to get warmer now and We've been out a couple of times. Here are my boys out on the water



And some of the wildlife we often encounter, a black swan cygnet and a white herron

Quote: "neilithicman"​Like Phil I also do a lot of gardening, my other fun activity with the kids is to get our Kayaks out and hit the water. It's been a bit cold over the last few months with it being winter, but the weather is starting to get warmer now and We've been out a couple of times. Here are my boys out on the water
​
​
​
​And some of the wildlife we often encounter, a black swan cygnet and a white herron
​
​

Very cool. My friends and I went out to the cottage and did some kayaking and canoeing. I was more content for leisurely swims



​

Quote: "yvon"​@ CassTaylor. I appreciate you said you want to learn Dutch too, but ,please never ever speak about
​ 'German/Dutch' again, implicating it is somehow the same language. It is not. I guess (and hope) you did
​ this innocently, so iI will forgive you. Once you are very good in English, Dutch should not be such a big problem
​ for you, actually it is a very easy language; we have children here from not even 2 years who speak
​ it fluently...

​You're right - Dutch is quite easy if you know English... and a bit of German. It's now 8 months since I moved to the Netherlands and my Dutch is good enough to read newspapers or have simple conversations.

Apart from collecting puffins from Lundy and shopping cart tokens from Lidl, these are my main hobbies:

• being arrogant in regard to inexperienced collectors;
  
• being passive aggressive towards anyone on the forum;
  
• complaining about everything without giving constructive feedback;
  
• criticizing the topics I don't know anything about;
  
• making politics out of each and every post;
  
• submitting bad quality photos to the catalog entries;
  
• fixing the commas on every coin page (old Cypriot habit);
  
• cooking experimental German food that includes hamster's brains.
  

Quote​Side question; do Dutch people consider Flemish and Frisian to be Dutch dialects, or something else?

​Depends on the person asked i guess, i personally consider Flemish, or Vlaams, and Frisian "Fries" both to be languages.
Officially Flemish is "Southern Dutch" so officially a language.
There is a typical phrase in Frisian which starts "Bûter Brea en Griene Tsiis", if you say it out loud a few times you'll get to butter bread and green cheese ;)
In Dutch this would be Boter Brood en Groene Kaas...
I have a good friend who lives in Brussels, we can understand each other perfectly in the main "Dutch" language despite our different accents, but sometimes we have to translate words from our own dialects which can be quite funny :)

Quote: "ashlobo"​

Quote: "Muenzenhamster"​I just collect stuff.
​​
​​

​​so you work, eat, sleep collect stuff... and nothing else in between? Given you live in a place where hyenas are stealing your carrots, why not do something interesting in wildlife conservation, or bird watching, or volunteer for tree planting? Or maybe some sports where you can use the sarengeti as your outdoor gym ;)

​Yeah i go hunting hyenas outdoors or when rich tourists from southafrica come i sometimes look into the other direction when lions are getting shot and a bit of cash is involved. Its not illegal when you claim it was in selfdefense so there is a bit of a loophole when hunting lions. I can even help them to track them down if they are really newbies or a just too drunk to search for their own.

Quote: "MattewNL"​

Quote​Side question; do Dutch people consider Flemish and Frisian to be Dutch dialects, or something else?

​​Depends on the person asked i guess, i personally consider Flemish, or Vlaams, and Frisian "Fries" both to be languages.
​Officially Flemish is "Southern Dutch" so officially a language.
​There is a typical phrase in Frisian which starts "Bûter Brea en Griene Tsiis", if you say it out loud a few times you'll get to butter bread and green cheese ;)
​In Dutch this would be Boter Brood en Groene Kaas...
​I have a good friend who lives in Brussels, we can understand each other perfectly in the main "Dutch" language despite our different accents, but sometimes we have to translate words from our own dialects which can be quite funny :)

​Thank you for the detailed answer!

I also want to extend the question to a language that seems (to me, at least!) to be related to Dutch: how about Afrikaans?

I've been spending a lot of time watching this linguist's Youtube channel, recommended for anyone interested not in learning languages, but finding out about them:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNhX3WQEkraW3VHPyup8jkQ

Quote: "CassTaylor"​​Thank you for the detailed answer!
​
​I also want to extend the question to a language that seems (to me, at least!) to be related to Dutch: how about Afrikaans?
​
​I've been spending a lot of time watching this linguist's Youtube channel, recommended for anyone interested not in learning languages, but finding out about them:
​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNhX3WQEkraW3VHPyup8jkQ

​You're welcome
Afrikaans is great, it is very much Old Dutch.
At least, to a certain degree.
I really like Afrikaans, my favourite word is "Hijsbakkie" (Hice Backie) meaning the lift.
In Dutch we just say "de lift", it sounds so primitive and funny.
Have you tried the website Duolingo?
It's a free website and i think it is quite good

Ah, so kind of like how Québecois French sounds more "rustic" (at least according to my mum).

I'm actually using that very site (Duolingo) at the moment to improve my Italian!

Quote: "CassTaylor"​Ah, so kind of like how Québecois French sounds more "rustic" (at least according to my mum).
​
​I'm actually using that very site (Duolingo) at the moment to improve my Italian!
​
​

​I chose Welsh and Danish on Duolingo, they both sound a bit Dutch when you hear it but don't listen if that makes any sense haha.
Afrikaans is very old Dutch, but if you study it and also study the Dutch accents (Gronings, Drenths, Twents) there are a lot of verbal similarities.
I expect French and German have these variations too, a friend of mine is from Hamburg and has taught in Stuttgart, her students had difficulty understanding her.

Quote: "MattewNL"​

Quote: "CassTaylor"​Ah, so kind of like how Québecois French sounds more "rustic" (at least according to my mum).
​​
​​I'm actually using that very site (Duolingo) at the moment to improve my Italian!
​​
​​

​​I chose Welsh and Danish on Duolingo, they both sound a bit Dutch when you hear it but don't listen if that makes any sense haha.
​Afrikaans is very old Dutch, but if you study it and also study the Dutch accents (Gronings, Drenths, Twents) there are a lot of verbal similarities.
​I expect French and German have these variations too, a friend of mine is from Hamburg and has taught in Stuttgart, her students had difficulty understanding her.

​Sorry for advertisement, but Duolingo REALLY helped me a lot in learning basic Dutch!

Oh good reminder Druzhynets, sorry i was inadvertently spamming with another website.
Helpful or not, excuse me.

Quotedruzhynets​

​Don't worry, I don't think it counts as advertising.
It's nothing like the bots that go "I like to collect coins too! I use <insert website> to spellcheck my essays!".

But yeah, Duo is very useful. I had periods when I forgot to do it for a few weeks and my progress went down by a few %, but it's greatly helped with my comprehension; I'm looking forward to going to Rome and trying my Italian out on a dealer I became friends with there:
https://en.numista.com/outings/filatelia-numismatica-centrale-rome-870.html

Hope that doesn't count as advertising either!
(Seriously though, his shop is awesome)

Quote: "MattewNL"​

Quote: "CassTaylor"​Ah, so kind of like how Québecois French sounds more "rustic" (at least according to my mum).
​​
​​I'm actually using that very site (Duolingo) at the moment to improve my Italian!
​​
​​

​​I chose Welsh and Danish on Duolingo, they both sound a bit Dutch when you hear it but don't listen if that makes any sense haha.
​Afrikaans is very old Dutch, but if you study it and also study the Dutch accents (Gronings, Drenths, Twents) there are a lot of verbal similarities.
​I expect French and German have these variations too, a friend of mine is from Hamburg and has taught in Stuttgart, her students had difficulty understanding her.

​What you say about Welsh is weird; I thought it was a Celtic language, like Gaelic and Breton rather than a Germanic language, like Dutch or Danish?

When I was last in Barcelona I enjoyed reading the signs in Catalan and comparing them to Spanish, and that to French; it's like a Romance language that often gets overlooked because it isn't represented by a country, like Occitan and Galician.

Quote: "CassTaylor"​
​​What you say about Welsh is weird; I thought it was a Celtic language, like Gaelic and Breton rather than a Germanic language, like Dutch or Danish?

​Welsh is very much a Celtic language, it's to do with the sounds it makes that interested me.
The Dutch CH and G in certain areas and dialects sounds like the CH in LOCH in Welsh.
I worked in a travellers hostel as a cook many years ago, we sat listening to the Danish guests all thinking it was Dutch just because of the way it sounded.
Difficult to put into exact words but the association i make is not the origin of the language but it's "behaviour" and how i think it sounds

Quote: "CassTaylor"​
​​What you say about Welsh is weird; I thought it was a Celtic language, like Gaelic and Breton rather than a Germanic language, like Dutch or Danish?

​Welsh is very much a Celtic language, it's to do with the sounds it makes that interested me.
The Dutch CH and G in certain areas and dialects sounds like the CH in LOCH in Welsh.
I worked in a travellers hostel as a cook many years ago, we sat listening to the Danish guests all thinking it was Dutch just because of the way it sounded.
Difficult to put into exact words but the association i make is not the origin of the language but it's "behaviour" and how i think it sounds

Thank you enter button.. sorry for the double text

Quote: "Muenzenhamster"​

Quote: "ashlobo"​
​

Quote: "Muenzenhamster"​I just collect stuff.
​​​
​​​

​​​so you work, eat, sleep collect stuff... and nothing else in between? Given you live in a place where hyenas are stealing your carrots, why not do something interesting in wildlife conservation, or bird watching, or volunteer for tree planting? Or maybe some sports where you can use the sarengeti as your outdoor gym ;)

​​Yeah i go hunting hyenas outdoors or when rich tourists from southafrica come i sometimes look into the other direction when lions are getting shot and a bit of cash is involved. Its not illegal when you claim it was in selfdefense so there is a bit of a loophole when hunting lions. I can even help them to track them down if they are really newbies or a just too drunk to search for their own.

​as long as you get out and get some fresh air and movement I suppose ;)

Quote: "MattewNL"​

Quote: "CassTaylor"​
​​​What you say about Welsh is weird; I thought it was a Celtic language, like Gaelic and Breton rather than a Germanic language, like Dutch or Danish?
​
​
​

​​Welsh is very much a Celtic language, it's to do with the sounds it makes that interested me.
​The Dutch CH and G in certain areas and dialects sounds like the CH in LOCH in Welsh.
​I worked in a travellers hostel as a cook many years ago, we sat listening to the Danish guests all thinking it was Dutch just because of the way it sounded.
​Difficult to put into exact words but the association i make is not the origin of the language but it's "behaviour" and how i think it sounds

​Ahhh I see, fair enough.

I've heard from my Scandi friends that Danish, Norwegian and Swedish are all related to each other to some extent, and are mutually intelligible to a high degree, like (but maybe not as much as) Czech and Slovak.

I study history, wars, rulers etc on my freetime. I visit museums. I also like to talk with politicians. I spend quite a lot of time searching for information and travelling.

@druzhynets: I am happy to see a fellow C++ programmer here! I have a lot to learn from you!
@ashlobo: Well, I have won once in a formal debate, but I usually take friendly arguments as practice so I can understand more deeply about the topic and how the opposing side thinks of us - though the political unawareness among the modern teens is quite disappointing. I apparently am <18, so I do not have a job. I am told I am one of the few people who can speak Mandarin, English and Cantonese all fluently as well as having some knowledge in foreign languages, so take the opinion with a grain of salt!

Quote: "SquareRootLolly"​@druzhynets: I am happy to see a fellow C++ programmer here! I have a lot to learn from you!
​@ashlobo: Well, I have won once in a formal debate, but I usually take friendly arguments as practice so I can understand more deeply about the topic and how the opposing side thinks of us - though the political unawareness among the modern teens is quite disappointing. I apparently am <18, so I do not have a job. I am told I am one of the few people who can speak Mandarin, English and Cantonese all fluently as well as having some knowledge in foreign languages, so take the opinion with a grain of salt!

​I appreciate that, but I’m still to hear what you’re passionate about.
speaking in several languages is nice, now what do you do with it? For instance do you Pro bono/paid tours for expats visitors? Or maybe help translate for NGOs or something else completely different? Are you part of some sort of community? I used to be very passionate about being a member of the Francophone community in Bombay and here in Toronto, but not so much anymore, so I didn’t emphasize it.

On debating, it just seems like a thing which most people do in some form or the other. I’m waiting to hear how you are taking this a notch up.

You also mentioned you’re a Football club fan didn’t you? Now are you a watcher or a doer? It’s great to support a club, but I sincerely hope you’re regularly out there on the field too even in a leisurely or amateur league.

Dont feel liks im trying to put you down; on the contrary, I’m trying to tell you go out there and act on your passions. You’re only <18. Jobs are for later and those are not passions, more like necessities to live your passions. I wish i did more at your age - I’m blown away by kids over here doing stuff that make me embarassed that I’m behind in my mid 30s lol

Quote: "Monninen1"​I study history, wars, rulers etc on my freetime. I visit museums. I also like to talk with politicians. I spend quite a lot of time searching for information and travelling.

​Talk with politicians?
You mean talk about politicians/politics, or do you actually go and talk to them (like journalists would do)?

Otherwise, visiting museums is definitely something I share with you (and probably a few more of us on the forum), but honestly I balk at most entrance fees above 5€, unless it's for a world class museum like the British Museum or Louvre. Unless there's something worth seeing, at some point when you've seen one, you've kind of seen them all- and I'd prefer to spend that entry fee on a coin or two for my collection instead.

It's not like they're going to let me take Delacroix's La Liberté guidant le peuple home with me anyway.

Wow, at this point in the thread there is really a lot of different things to cover. It appears many of us have similar passions. Like several have said before me I am an avid traveler and love experiencing different places and cultures. I try to travel as much as I can with my profession, but do sometimes travel on my own dime so to speak. Just this summer I took my teenage son to Costa Rica and it was a wonderful time.
I am also a very big sports fan and love live events. Counting local games I attend 30+ live events a year easily. When traveling there is no better way to observe a local culture than attend local sporting events. The smaller it is the more local it will be. Go to a minor league baseball game in the US/Canada or a low division soccer game in Europe or other parts of the world and you will truly experience that areas local culture. (And usually their beer as well)
Which brings me to my next passion. I love beer and always drink local if at all possible. In the US that is microbrews or brewpubs. Other places it is the local brewery. The German speaking world along with the Czech Rep are absolutely the best. I have found some places really don't have a concept of local beer and all I can say is this makes me very sad
I also love the study of languages. However, being American I was never exposed to anything but English growing up. I studied German in school and have become conversational, but this is wasting away as I never use it. I do agree with the discussion of Dutch though. If I read Dutch I can usually understand it between my native English and limited German. To me that is fascinating. In fact many years ago I flew to Europe to spend a summer school session in Prague. I flew into Amsterdam and it was the first time I had been out of the US after I had formal education in German. (I had been to Europe twice as a young teenager) It never occurred to me I spoke/understood another language, and especially not Dutch. However, I found myself understanding the announcements in Dutch. In fact I got on a train and was able to determine in Dutch I was on the wrong train. I then got off at the first stop into Germany and found myself speaking to people in the station exclusively in German and they understood me and responded as if nothing was unusual. It was simply amazing to convey my thoughts in another language and understand others in the same way.
I could go on, but will say it appears that while many of us have different views on many things, we also have an unusual amount of commonalities.

For me, travelling (when I can get the time, only 15 other countries and 42 states so far) and offroading would be my two primary other hobbies. I spend a lot of time in the garage, if it's not one of my vehicles it's someone else's. A lot of other activities on occasion, skiing, hiking, fishing, hunting, target shooting, etc. I did bull riding for a few years when I lived out west, but not anymore. I'm a computer engineer, but I spend more time in front of a monitor at home than I should.

Quote: "sc.rednek"​For me, travelling (when I can get the time, only 15 other countries and 42 states so far) and offroading would be my two primary other hobbies. I spend a lot of time in the garage, if it's not one of my vehicles it's someone else's. A lot of other activities on occasion, skiing, hiking, fishing, hunting, target shooting, etc. I did bull riding for a few years when I lived out west, but not anymore. I'm a computer engineer, but I spend more time in front of a monitor at home than I should.
​
​

​Those are some great activities. I'm not at all handy with a car (or in general with anything DIY). I get a flat tire in the middle of a deserted highway and I'm screwed till CAA can get to me lol.

Quote: "worth"​Wow, at this point in the thread there is really a lot of different things to cover. It appears many of us have similar passions. Like several have said before me I am an avid traveler and love experiencing different places and cultures. I try to travel as much as I can with my profession, but do sometimes travel on my own dime so to speak. Just this summer I took my teenage son to Costa Rica and it was a wonderful time.
​I am also a very big sports fan and love live events. Counting local games I attend 30+ live events a year easily. When traveling there is no better way to observe a local culture than attend local sporting events. The smaller it is the more local it will be. Go to a minor league baseball game in the US/Canada or a low division soccer game in Europe or other parts of the world and you will truly experience that areas local culture. (And usually their beer as well)
​Which brings me to my next passion. I love beer and always drink local if at all possible. In the US that is microbrews or brewpubs. Other places it is the local brewery. The German speaking world along with the Czech Rep are absolutely the best. I have found some places really don't have a concept of local beer and all I can say is this makes me very sad
​I also love the study of languages. However, being American I was never exposed to anything but English growing up. I studied German in school and have become conversational, but this is wasting away as I never use it. I do agree with the discussion of Dutch though. If I read Dutch I can usually understand it between my native English and limited German. To me that is fascinating. In fact many years ago I flew to Europe to spend a summer school session in Prague. I flew into Amsterdam and it was the first time I had been out of the US after I had formal education in German. (I had been to Europe twice as a young teenager) It never occurred to me I spoke/understood another language, and especially not Dutch. However, I found myself understanding the announcements in Dutch. In fact I got on a train and was able to determine in Dutch I was on the wrong train. I then got off at the first stop into Germany and found myself speaking to people in the station exclusively in German and they understood me and responded as if nothing was unusual. It was simply amazing to convey my thoughts in another language and understand others in the same way.
​I could go on, but will say it appears that while many of us have different views on many things, we also have an unusual amount of commonalities.
​

​Thats definitely a way to experience local culture. I'm sure all of us like to do a "thing" when we travel. Mine is to jumprope with an iconic landmark behind me lol. Other than that, my travel book is open. I'm planning to work out in Le Grand Place when I'm in Belgium next month. Watching sports is honestly not my thing. I rather be out there doing than watching. However, I do like to see musical/ theatre plays in cities that are famous for it, like London, Chicago and NYC, assuming I can afford the ticket.

I am also A Linguist or A Persons who Studies Another Languages
I love Studying Languages because it helps the Barriers to Smite (Google it )
The Current Languages I am Studying

1. Chinese - World Knows, China is going Dominate Everything
   

2. French - A Beautiful Language & Also One of the Most Widely Spoken Languages
Any More Linguists Here in Numista

Hey, huge language nerd here! I'm fluent in 4/5 languages and I'm currently learning several other languages as well. I have an Instagram page dedicated to languages ;)

Quote: "Amraan Amjad"​Any More Linguists Here in Numista

For the past two years, I've been studying Spanish with Duolingo

Quote: "smvdbrink"​

Quote: "Amraan Amjad"​Any More Linguists Here in Numista

​For the past two years, I've been studying Spanish with Duolingo

​Hey
That's Great

Quote: "Amraan Amjad"​​That's Great

​Sí, aprender es muy divertido!

Quote: "smvdbrink"​

Quote: "Amraan Amjad"​​That's Great

​​Sí, aprender es muy divertido!

​En effet

Wow, that question really made me think (not every day I get that question, perhaps I should get out more?).

 

Contemplating what to answer, the word “passion” makes me feel like an old fool.

 

What gets me passionated besides my collections:

 

1. Our house. Basically the fruits of my our dreams and hard work.
2. Driving our cars. Especially now during springtime.
3. Women. Most of them are very nice, some even intelligent.
4. Food. Especially quality pastry and bakeries.
5. Music. Anything from alternative hip hop to Wagner.
6. Sleep. No alarm clock here.

 

Coming up: Golf and pistol shooting.

I collect music other than coins

Hapertas

 

What gets me passionated besides my collections:

 

1. Our house. Basically the fruits of my our dreams and hard work.
2. Driving our cars. Especially now during springtime.
3. Women. Most of them are very nice, some even intelligent.
4. Food. Especially quality pastry and bakeries.
5. Music. Anything from alternative hip hop to Wagner.
6. Sleep. No alarm clock here.

 

Coming up: Golf and pistol shooting.

 

Wow, you are indeed living a good life. 🤣

ahkai

Hapertas

 

What gets me passionated besides my collections:

 

1. Our house. Basically the fruits of my our dreams and hard work.
2. Driving our cars. Especially now during springtime.
3. Women. Most of them are very nice, some even intelligent.
4. Food. Especially quality pastry and bakeries.
5. Music. Anything from alternative hip hop to Wagner.
6. Sleep. No alarm clock here.

 

Coming up: Golf and pistol shooting.

 

Wow, you are indeed living a good life. 🤣

Can't complain. 😊

 

I've been so fortunate to have had a well paid job even though I have no formal education. Then of course I am of age, so much of it was achieved through many years of hard work. Had I been goofing off for so many years the list would have been much shorter - or very different.

I have a lot, and i mean a lot of other passions.

1. Astronomy. This is maybe my biggest passion, above coin collecting. I am just fascinated by the nebulae and galaxies and all that stuff and have a quite nice telescope. 

2. Sailing. Me and my dad often go sailing in Frisia and we plan on going to Terschelling next week!

3. Tennis. It's just a cool sport that i like to play (and watch).

4. Gardening and being outside. Wandering in the forest is just something magical, probably some of you will understand.

5. Singing. I sing in the Dutch National Boys Choir and love to do so.

6. Traveling. I like to travel to all countries, espescially Sweden where i have half my relatives.

7. Chemistry. This is just an interest, not really a passion.

8. History. Large interest of mine.

Books and bourbon are my two latest collecting interests. Will swap for any of my coins😃

RegularCoiner

I have a lot, and i mean a lot of other passions.

1. Astronomy. This is maybe my biggest passion, above coin collecting. I am just fascinated by the nebulae and galaxies and all that stuff and have a quite nice telescope. 

2. Sailing. Me and my dad often go sailing in Frisia and we plan on going to Terschelling next week!

3. Tennis. It's just a cool sport that i like to play (and watch).

4. Gardening and being outside. Wandering in the forest is just something magical, probably some of you will understand.

5. Singing. I sing in the Dutch National Boys Choir and love to do so.

6. Traveling. I like to travel to all countries, espescially Sweden where i have half my relatives.

7. Chemistry. This is just an interest, not really a passion.

Thats it, i think!

8. History. Large interest of mine.

cool

Chasinva69

Books and bourbon are my two latest collecting interests. Will swap for any of my coins😃

Your cool username is reminiscent of a popular drink from the 90's - Vat69

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vat_69

With a bit more money, I am going into all my passions now.

 

Lego is a big interest of mine with this Titanic completed recently

 

  

It took 9 days, 9000 pices and cost $1200!

 

  

Easier models include a rollercoaster (Not finished in this shot) and a “Grand Hotel”

 

Stamps of course, especially NZ and British commonwealth

 

Prince ephemera - Books, music, etc (The musician not a royal)

 

Old books, particularly Atlases (Just brought one from 1898).

Moneytane

With a bit more money, I am going into all my passions now.

 

Lego is a big interest of mine with this Titanic completed recently

 

  

It took 9 days, 9000 pices and cost $1200!

 

  

Easier models include a rollercoaster (Not finished in this shot) and a “Grand Hotel”

 

Stamps of course, especially NZ and British commonwealth

 

Prince ephemera - Books, music, etc (The musician not a royal)

 

Old books, particularly Atlases (Just brought one from 1898).

 

 

Nice!

CassTaylor

Quote: "yvon"​@ CassTaylor. I appreciate you said you want to learn Dutch too, but ,please never ever speak about 
​ 'German/Dutch' again, implicating it is somehow the same language. It is not. I guess (and hope) you did 
​ this innocently, so iI will forgive you. Once you are very good in English, Dutch should not be such a big problem
​ for you, actually it is a very easy language; we have children here from not even 2 years who speak
​ it fluently...

​hehehe, sorry
I should have said German and Dutch. Corrected!

I've heard from a bunch of native speakers of English that Dutch is one of the easiest languages to learn for them, and to be fair I can also tell what some Dutch words mean just by looking at them or by saying them out loud. 

Side question; do Dutch people consider Flemish and Frisian to be Dutch dialects, or something else?

Good question! Flemish is officially still a dialect, Fries has been recognized as a language for a long time, spoken in Friesland (Netherlands) and it has dialects on some German islands and on one Danish island. Since 1997 (I just discovered that online) Limburgs (from the Netherlands province Limburg) has been recognized as a ‘local language', which is more than just a dialect. Then there is Afrikaans, which originates from Dutch dialects in the North East of the Netherlands where most migrated farmers came from. Afrikaans is available on Google Translate.
By the way, the car on the picture seems to be from Frankfurt, Germany; the picture does not have enough pixels though to be sure of the country.

Someone else in this chat mentioned going to Liechtenstein: that is the only country I ONLY ever have visited by bicycle. I found a bank there where I bought my first Liechtenstein old silver circulation coin.

My main passions (apart from coins) are geometry (e.g. I discovered various amazing dissections using self written software) and spirituality (I spent a lot of time in an Ashram in India leading to having had very unusual experiences with the power of my mind of a sort that most people think of as impossible).

I collect stamps and banknotes of my own country. Waiting  for new issues  like a dog  -  sausage  :)

My passion is  Jazz,  and  I always try to learn something on piano, when I have a drop of  free time.

And, metal-detecting, or treasure-hunting, call it as YOu want :) .