.. education .. entertainment ..
Transportation
Bicycle is the first thing you have to keep in your mind if you ask: How do I go somewhere? New bicycles can cost hundreds and up to thousands Euro. There are some places where you can get second hand bikes in Enschede. The prices vary from EUR 20, depends on the condition of the bikes. Also, ask in our mailing list if a person want to sell his/her bicycle. Do not forget to have a padlock for your bike, otherwise in a minute you may loose it.
Do not want to go by bike because of the weather? You can go by bus. Please notice the bus stops near you residence, or visit www.connexxion.nl to see the bus route and stops or www.9292ov.nl for general information and guide. (see: links)
The bus fare depends on how many zones you go. For one zone, the fare is EUR 1.20 if you buy from the bus driver. You can buy Nationale Strippenkaart or monthly subscription (maandabonnement). Using strippenkaart is cheaper than buying ticket from the driver.
For the use of the strippenkaart, monthly subscription, and more info, see links.
Traveling to other cities? Use the train. The Enschede Centraal station is the last central station in East Netherlands. From here, you can travel to some cities in Germany using Dutch train (Nederlandse Spoorwegen/NS) or German train (Die Bahn/DB).
If you are quiet often using train, it is better to apply for a discount card (kortingskaart) that costs EUR 55 (EUR 45 before 31 Oct 2008) for one year. With this card, you get 40% discount when you go after 09:00 until 04:00 the next day on the weekdays, the whole day on weekends and holidays, and in July-August.
Visit www.ns.nl for traveling advise and more info about the products issued by NS.
There are also taxis and collective taxis, called treintaxi. But, it is rarely (or never?) used by any of us. You use their service at the train station.
Enschede Market
Unlike in Indonesia, the market in Enschede open in Tuesdays and Saturdays from 08.00 until 17.00. It is located in the center of Enschede on van Heekplein. Here, people meets, goes shopping, or just enjoys the weekend as the motto “’t van Heekplein daar moet je zijn! (van Heekplein, there you must be!)”.
In the market,you can find any kinds of flower, vegetables, fruits, and fish here. The non-food articles are also here. The “most wanted” thing when the market open is fish. You can eat fish and any other seafoods, like shrimp, calamari, or haring (Dutch raw fish) here. The price varies between EUR 2-3.
Supermarket, Store, and ‘Toko’
You can find supermarket almost everywhere in Enschede. There are some well-known supermarket, such as Plus (nearby Holland Casino), Albert Heijn, Sanders, and Aldi. The articles in Aldi are different from other supermarket, but it has cheaper price.
One thing you have to know is you can not get plastic bag for free after you do transaction with the cashier. Therefore, you must bring it or a shopping bag from home. However, you can buy the plastic bag at the cashier.
Action is a store where you can find office stationaries, work-tools, home/kitchen tools, and even clothes with a relatively low price. However, the quality of the clothes here is not as good as in the clothing store or boutique, but it is still worthy. Another similar stores are Blokker and Hema.
Missing Indonesian foods or its spice and herbs? Go and get it in Asian shops or ‘Toko’!
You can find Indomie, Jahe Wangi, Sambal ABC, bumbu pecel ‘Karangsari’, tahu/tempe, and more Asian spices. In this shop various rice is available. Some Asian shops in Enschede are Toko Het Oosten (between Plus and Action; Zuiderhagen 50), Toko Tai Wing (De Heurne 16), and Peter Hu Asian Supermarkt (De Klomp 146).
If you are Moslems, pay attention when you buy meat in a supermarket. Read the label carefully whether it is pork (varkensvlees), beef (rundvlees), or mix of them (half-om-half). There is a shop called Eufraat Food International (nearby Tai Wing).
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.. education .. entertainment .. preparation ..
