The bus driver who picked me up this morning was so frazzled and in tears; he had spent an hour in traffic due to roadworks, and he was not a happy camper. He swore and shook his head for most of the 4 hour drive from Amsterdam to Bruges (Belgium), and regularly got onto the microphone to tell everyone just how much he disliked his employers. I found it really amusing, but as I was sitting behind him I had to try really hard not to let him see me smiling in case he turned his swearing on me. When we arrived I thanked him for driving us, and he looked at me and said ‘I’m a bus driver, it’s what I do’. 🙂 I sometimes forget that even when people seem totally unhappy, they’re actually in their element living their best life, it just doesn’t look like the way I would do it.
Bruges is the prettiest place, like a gingerbread village. You would not be at all surprised to see Disney characters dancing around you, or people in period costume; it is that kind of place. It was nice to arrive while there was still lots of sunlight left, so I dropped off my things and went for a wander. Today was 2 degrees during the day, dropping to -1 in the evening, but it’s a damp cold, so you feel it seep into your clothes much more than the dry cold of Finland, even though the temperatures there are much lower. Luckily I have lots of layers and cold weather things. The Christmas markets open tomorrow, so I can check them out before I catch the train to Brussels.
Christmas is all around
The original city map
Appelbol (apple donut) and hot chocolate
Oh my god, every second shop sells chocolate!!!
Marzipan by the slice
Marzipan strawberry, so good
This is smurf-land
The canal boat ride is awesome, very funny commentary
This is a bar and it has 600+ beers to choose from
Had to try some of them, liked the coconut beer the best
Tin Tin and Snowy are from Belgium too
🙂
Bought myself a tripod, happy early Christmas to me
Walking while watching your phone is probably what will land me in jail while I’m away. Not from doing it, but from brawling with people who bump into me when they are, and blame me for not managing their safety. Seriously, when did this become a thing? I am told it is worse in other countries, but it induces a footpath-rage in me, and I may not be responsible for my actions. I incurred several bruises to the left arm walking to the micro-art museum in the city centre; a pop-up exhibition of tiny tiny art. Microscopic tiny. As in, things painted onto grains of rice tiny. They give you a magnifying glass to see them, or there are microscopes in place. Incredible! Who has the patience (or eyesight) to create these! In this case it is Hasan Kale, a Turkish artist (hence the various depictions of Istanbul). What a clever clogs 🙂
When you come to the Netherlands you must venture out of Amsterdam. True, accommodation is expensive here. But….if you allow for more than a couple of days, out of the city (which is amazing anyway) is a world of waterways, and beautiful places, and you will truly appreciate the genius that is the Dutch system of dikes, canals, irrigation, and the fact they haven’t had a flood since the 1950’s despite being largely below sea-level; and you will see bucket list things. I have vivid memories of Huckle the cat from Richard Scarry books with his finger in the dike (or maybe it was the pig??), and of the book about Hendrika the cow who fell in the canal because of her acute wanderlust for seeing what was beyond the farm (kind of like me 🙂 ), and it is so cool to see that landscape in person. And windmills; which are used for moving water, grinding things, producing paint, sawing wood….and anything else that electricity can now do. You won’t find any of this in Amsterdam, but if you hire a car, jump on a bus, or (as I did) book a tour to take you there, you will see it all. The tour I chose included cheese tasting in Edam (so good), a demonstration of clog making (a lot of people do wear them!!), a visit to the fishing villages Volendam and Marken, a drive through Monnickendam which is famous for smoked fish and eel; and a stop in Broek in Waterland, which is the prettiest village.
Soundtrack for today is David Bowie’s Let’s Dance 🙂
The Netherlands is home to some seriously great artists (old and new), and several fantastic museums. I love all kinds of art, and have more pictures than walls in my house. It was a real struggle not to purchase more as I hopped around museums and galleries in Amsterdam and The Hague, but the thought of having to carry it for the next few months won over so I took only hundreds of photos of things I loved 🙁 I normally have quite a short attention span in museums, but I have discovered a love for Dutch artists and how they capture emotion and light on canvas. The paintings are not boring, they’re often cheeky and funny, and show everyday life instead of stuffy royals. And I found a street art gallery which is my fave style. So irreverent and provocative. The Hague was really interesting to visit – it is the home of the Dutch parliament and home to the international court of justice. It also has the Mauritshuis, which is a museum housing the royal picture gallery and a range of art from 1400-1800, including wonderful pieces by Rembrandt, Jan Steen and Vermeer (and the original Girl with the Pearl Earring AND the Goldfinch). It’s only 50 minutes by train from Amsterdam so very easy to get to on a day trip. In Amsterdam I visited the Rijksmuseum which is amazing (the iAmsterdam sign used to be close to here, but it was removed end of last year), the Moco street art museum which has a huge collection of Banksy originals, and the Van Gogh collection. And there is way way more if you have the time and tolerance.
Soundtrack for today is Elvis Costello’s Every Day I Write The Book 🙂
Amsterdam canals are pretty
as is The Hague
So realistic, could be a photo
Wow
Would be a shame not to
Medicinal 🙂
Bitteballen (right) taste like a potator top pie that’s blended and deep fried, dip in mustard
Apple pie 🙂
Duck with a peral earring ha ha ha
Pickled herring to go hmmmm no
I remember this book!
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam
Rembrandt self portrait
Vermeer
So real!
Ha
Love this casual portrait of King William with his dog
Van Gogh
He used self portaits a lot, cheaper than hiring a model
Vermeer
🙂
Pen and ink on canvas, beautiful
How you doin
Wow
Banksy
I want I want
I want I want
Orange cake
Raspberry pistachio cake
Oh dear
Genius artist, what a shame support for mental illness wasn’t in place when he was alive
At the urging of people back in NZ, I took myself to a doctor this week. My throat had been improving, and then my voice went completely, and after that I really didn’t feel good. It is such a gamble making a doctors appointment….do you go, do you not; but according to my friend Marg ‘you can’t put a price on your health or cleaning products’, 🙂 so off I went. After checking me over, the conversation went something like this… (Me whispering as I have no voice) So will I survive the night? “Meh, maybe. It’s hard to know what you have. You could get better on your own, or maybe you won’t. I don’t know”. (Me, already wishing I hadn’t come) What does that mean? “Well, maybe you’ll feel better in 2 or 3 days, or maybe you will get worse. Maybe you’ll get better soon if you rest, but maybe you won’t, so we’ll give you some antibiotics just in case it’s bad”. (Me) So you think I should take them? “Meh, maybe, up to you, they might be good, or they might not, you decide. Do you have heart problems because they’re quite strong.” (Me) I don’t, but that doesn’t sound good. “Oh, meh, well maybe they will be ok and you will be lucky.” I couldn’t bring myself to take the pills, but did start to feel better in the next few days, which is good because I hate being sick.
I had booked an experience through Air Bnb called Humans of Amsterdam, which is like a walking tour, but includes introductions to several people whose stories represent things Amsterdam is known for. Alex is a mobile bike mechanic, Ruud and his canal boat Marleen, Sunny who is a sex worker and manages a brothel, Ludo who owns a ‘coffee shop’ (and cannabis store), and Ari the energetic entrepreneur with multiple businesses on the go. I REALLY wanted to go because I love meeting people and hearing their stories, so I was stoked to be feeling more like myself (although still with not much voice). Alexandra from Who is Amsterdam tours is our guide, and she is wonderful. An experienced story-teller, and passionate Amsterdammer, she created this experience because learning the history of a place is only one dimension, and it is the people that bring a city to life. Some of the people you will meet in person and can ask questions, others are stories you hear as you walk. I have the BEST time,which in Dutch is called having a gezellig (pronounced cheselich) time. It’s a similar concept to hygge, and as she’s explaining this to us, a man at the table next door leans over and says how cool, you’re all visitors, that’s gezellig. If you come to Amsterdam, and you have an open and non-judgemental mind, you should book this experience. It’s awesome. I loved all of the people we were introduced to, and their stories. We could ask anything and I learned new things. Especially from Sunny 🙂 who has a client that pays 1000 euro to clean her house naked while she occasionally whips him. So Marg, you can put a price on cleaning products 😉 And there was apple pie, ginger tea and local beer which is the best medicine a girl could want.
Anne Frank memorial
Public toilet eek
Famous ‘coffee’ shop
Houses were taxed based on width, so they’re skinny, as are the staircases so furniture goes up through the windows
Ari’s shop
So much stuff! Even walking sideways is a squeeze. He supplied the TV show Mad Men with several containers of things.
This is Ari – such a character
He has a copy of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch painting on the ceiling (actual size)
Café Papeneiland
has the BEST apple pie
Very gezellig
Having a chat with Sunny in the red light district
Sunday 17th November is a special day in Amsterdam because Sinterklaas is coming to town. Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) is a much-loved character in Dutch tradition, who looks like a much-thinner Santa but dresses a bit more like the pope. He arrives on a boat from Spain along with his elves (lot of controversy with these characters, Google zwarte piet to see for yourself). He is then welcomed by the mayor, before hopping on his white horse and saying hello to everyone in a big parade. Then on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day (5th Dec), children will leave out their shoes, a glass of water and carrot (for the horse), in the hope that sacks of presents will be left before he legs it back to Spain. The next morning, much like at Christmas, everyone unwraps their presents which come with a poem written for each child, and there are special treats like marzipan, fruit and chocolate alphabet letters, spice biscuits, and hot chocolate with whipped cream. Unless they haven’t been good, in which case it is a lump of coal, and I’m guessing not much in the way of treats. There is a bit of mystery about why Sinterklaas lives in Spain, but there are connections with The Netherlands and Spain way back in history so that might be it.
Spain, on the other hand, celebrate with gifts on 6th January, which is when the three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. Children believe that the Kings bring presents to them and they write letters asking for toys and presents, and will leave out shoes to be filled with presents; along with a glass of Cognac for each King, an orange and some walnuts. And sometimes a bucket of water for the camels they’ve ridden. Then Catalonia has an extra tradition with a character called the Christmas log, which is a small hollow log propped up on two legs with a smiling face painted on one end. Every day from the 8th December the log is given a few bits of yummy food and a blanket to keep it warm, and on Christmas Day you whack it with sticks and out come the goodies (until an onion or garlic comes out in which case no more treats).
Ho ho ho 🙂
Shop displays are on form
Sinterklaas
My chocolate letter came early 🙂 thanks James and Lesley
I’m not in the best of health when I arrive in The Netherlands, having picked up a cold somewhere on one of the many flights where the people seated next to me were coughing and sneezing their little hearts out. So, my first couple of days in Amsterdam are pretty quiet. It’s raining heavily when I arrive late at night, and even with all my wet weather gear it is a challenge to stay dry. Luckily the apartment I have booked is right in the centre of town, so there’s not far to walk, and my host has kindly packed the fridge full of supplies.
I had such a wonderful time in Finland, it was hard to let that go and look at Amsterdam with fresh eyes. But I do, and I like it. It has a similar feeling to Copenhagen and Stockholm, it’s a compact city which is easy to get around, and there is a lot to see. The city is famous, of course, for its liberal attitude to sex and drugs, and there are loads of people here for that. The smell of marijuana is all around and there are long lines of people heading into the red light district (mostly with British and eastern European accents). I am not much of a drug taker, marijuana makes me feel woozy. I do go for a walk through the red light district though, which is fascinating and odd and cool at the same time; with beautiful scantily-clad girls standing in red lit window displays checking their phones and smiling at people as they walk past, live sex and peep shows on offer and a lot of toys for adults everywhere you look (and star-struck men, some of whom are trying desperately to look without their wives noticing….and failing). But there is a lot more to see here. There are more than 100km of canals to explore by foot, bike or boat; there are amazing museums to spend hours in admiring the works of famous Dutch painters like Vermeer (Girl with a pearl earring) and Rembrandt, who were masters at capturing light and skin tone, and Van Gogh; the bruin cafes (brown cafes, that look like an English pub inside) have amazing food and you can while away time very happily by yourself or with friends; CHEESE; Amsterdam has the oldest stock-exchange in the world; and if you head to the train station you can be in a different city or town within 30-60 minutes.
A friend and ex-work colleague from NZ, James, is now living in Utrecht with his wife Lesley and their gorgeous boy Luca, and I jump on a train to spend a night with them. Utrecht is only 30 minutes by train from Amsterdam, it is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, it’s really beautiful, and way less crowded than Amsterdam. Definitely worth a visit if you come here. Many of its buildings date back to the middle ages, the canals are prettier than those in Amsterdam, and there are loads of cool museums and things to see and do. Utrecht was also the beloved home of Dick Bruna, who created Miffy the cartoon rabbit, and many other characters that I remember from my childhood. He was clearly a much-loved man, and there are monuments to, and memories of him everywhere. There’s even a Miffy museum 🙂 It is so nice to see a familiar face from home, and James is so kind to show me the city, renting me a bike so I can experience it as a local, and introducing me to the amazingly good Dutch sandwich! It is the perfect way to be introduced to the Dutch way of life, and I love it. James and Lesley are so nice, they are building a lovely lifestyle here, having only moved from NZ in February. I had such a great time with them and it was the best way to orient myself in this new place 🙂
Tiny boxes of sprinkles for your sandwich
Delft china
Floating flower market
Enormous underground bike parks
James biked with my suitcase on the front!
Utrecht
🙂
Odd!
Stoemp – mashed potato, carrot, onion, celeriac with onion gravy and sausage yum yumm 🙂 🙂
Beautiful art
The realism of the faces is just incredible
Dick Bruna
🙂
His work desk
Dom cathedral in Utrecht
Brown cafe
Tomato soup and goat cheese and honey sandwich yum
Cake shops are usually close to a marijuana shop ha ha ha
Wherever you are traveling, it is always the connections you make with people and the experiences you then share that are the most special. And there is nothing more special than feeling at home even though you are on the opposite side of the world. Finland had already blown my socks off and waltzed its way to the top of my list of favourite places (alongside Peru); it is truly a beautiful country inside and out and in many ways the attitude to life and openness I have found reminds me of home. Finland also has over 20 words for snow and I have come to love the soft powdery flakes floating from the sky, landing on my face and freezing my hair and eyelashes.
A friend in the UK had put a call out to his friends in Finland when he heard I was going there (thanks Andy!). So once I was finished with my tour, I was invited by Tuulia and Tuomas to come to their home in Oulu, to stay a few days with their family and visit their cabin in Iso-Syote (which is close to a ski resort) for the weekend. Of course I said YES. Sometimes, very rarely, you meet people for the first time and it is as if you have known them a long time. This was my experience when Tuulia and Tuomas collected me from the airport and instantly scooped me into their family. They are the most in tune couple I have met in quite a while, they are so clearly the best of friends, and it was a joy to be with them and their two lovely girls (Eevi and Emma). Shopping for food, picking up Emma from pre-school and meeting her teacher, relaxing and laughing, helping in the kitchen (Tuulia is a MasterChef, and she prepared incredible Finnish food), making gingerbread cookies and icing them, chilling out on the sofa watching trashy TV, drinking wine, driving up to the traditional Finnish log cabin (built by Tuulia’s family) tucked amongst the trees alongside an almost frozen lake, having sauna, playing in the snow, exploring the countryside and stopping (twice) for hot chocolate, finding animal tracks in the snow, talking about everything late into the night, more laughing, sharing meals, sitting in easy silences, and sleeping in. When it was time to say farewell, I felt the tug of wanting to stay longer overpower the excitement for my next destination. This is somewhere I will return to one day, for sure. What I will take with me (along with wonderful memories, new friends to keep in touch with, and photos), are favourite recipes for meals I have loved….
Salmon soup – Dice potatoes and carrots into cubes, place in a pot of warm fish stock and bring to the boil. When the cubes are soft, add diced fresh salmon, some cream or milk, chopped dill and season with salt/pepper to taste. If you don’t have fish stock you can use just water. This soup also freezes well. You can add a crust of rye bread for flavour, but fish it out before serving.
Salmon rye bread – Finland has a special rye bread that is square like a pita pocket, but crusty and with some bite. The crust of a rye loaf would do, maybe even ever so lightly toasted, spread liberally with butter, lay pieces of cured salmon on top and press firmly with a fork so the salmon is moulded tightly into the bread. Eat 🙂
Hot smoked salmon with potatoes – Place wood chips and sugar cubes in the bottom of your smoker and place the salmon fillet on the tray (the fillet has to be even thickness or parts of it will dry out), season with salt, cover with the lid of your smoker and place in the hot coals until it is ready. Boil peeled new potatoes in salted water and serve with butter, along with the salmon, some remoulade/mayo dressing, and salad.
Reindeer fillet – They are cute but also tasty. It is quite a different taste to venison, less gamey and more delicate. Tuulia describes it as if a lamb and a deer had a baby. She marinated the fillets with fresh sliced garlic, dried juniper berries and fresh chopped rosemary, before lightly searing and slicing the meat (it has very little fat and should be red in the middle). Served with boiled and lightly fried new potatoes and broccolini, and a brown mushroom sauce. Heaven. Perfect with a pinot noir. I’ll try this with venison when I get home.
Salted caramel sauce with berries – Brown some dark sugar until it has melted, add salt and cream and stir to incorporate. Pour over fresh raspberries and blueberries, or dunk them into the sauce with a fork.
Warm berry juice – heat it up in a kettle over the fire (or microwave) 🙂 and sip it to warm up from the inside.
Toasted marshmallows – Put them on a stick, over a flame, until brown or black. Eat and repeat 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
And check out Finnish comedian Ismo on YouTube, he is very funny, especially his clips on the English language.
The gods have been smiling on Lapland with perfect conditions for a 6km walk in the forest to see frozen waterfalls yesterday, the snow was FINALLY deep enough for snowmobiling today, and the northern lights even made a brief appearance tonight. I have had such a great time in Finland so far, it might even be nudging its way to the top of my list of favourite countries. Highly recommend the guides at Nordic Unique Travels, they are the best. My lovely tour buddies on this adventure trip are Joanne and Justin, who are from Queensland in Australia but now live in Vienna (Austria). They bought an apartment there several years ago as an investment, and after retiring from their jobs they now live there permanently. They are now professional travelers, with a base in central Europe that allows them to explore the world, and the cost of living is much cheaper. It is always good to meet kindred spirits and it has been a lot of fun sharing this trip with them 🙂
Reindeer on the road, they run in front of the car like sheep before jumping down into the forest
