Hello All!
Andrew and I had the pleasure of spending 3 nights in a cozy home/Bed and Breakfast in the small town of Oude Nredorp. Only a 40 minute drive from Amsterdam, this place looks exactly as I would have pictured the countryside of Holland to look. Grassy pastures home to grazing sheep and cows. Narrow canals running along the quiet roads. Cute colonial or barn-style houses. Sounds quaint, doesn't it? Aside from the landscape, the people are also phenomenal. I can say in complete confidence that the Dutch are the friendliest lot we have met thus far. Above ones interest in us foreigners, was the ability to communicate. Dutch people are extremely well-spoken in English (as I'm sure they are in Dutch, but seeing as I haven't a clue what they are saying...). Understandably so, being that they are the only Dutch-speaking country. Still, I was so impressed at the range of English vocab held by many.
You may be wondering how we found ourselves in Oude Nredorp. Trust me, I couldn't have told you where to find it, and I still can't pronounce it correctly.
While traveling SE Asia, we met Maarten, a lively and thoughtful Dutch guy on a world adventure of his own. We first met in the rice fields of Batad in the Philippines, and then by chance, again in Chiang Mai. We enjoyed Maarten's company so much, so we knew a trip to the Netherlands was a must.
We kept in touch, and closer to our date of arrival Maarten informed us that his girlfriends (Sabine) parents (Kees and Gerda) ran a Bed and Breakfast out of their home, and had offered us to stay free of charge. We were elated. Our hope was to see the countryside of Holland, and here we were being offered a home in the heart of it all. What struck us most, was the willingness that family had to help us out in any way they could. Maarten even took the day off work, and him and Sabine drove us around and kept us company for our three days there.
Our first evening in Oude Nredorop, Sabine and Maarten cooked us a simple, traditional Dutch meal. Mashed potato mixed with some kind of shredded lettuce-Im not sure the of the English word, it was a bit bitter in taste on it's own-slices of sausage, all topped with gravy. It was delicious. Really though, you can't beat the comfort of mashed potatoes and hot gravy. We finished the evening with Maarten, Sabine, and her parents Kees and Gerda, chatting and drinking wine. We felt so at home. Something about those Dutchies really makes you feel uninhibited and relaxed. I never felt like I might do something weird or out of order.
Although the language is completely foreign, there was still that sense of familiarity. The farms, just smaller. The wind. The cooking and eating of meals together. It's a very kind and open-minded country.
After a wonderful sleep, we woke up to a big breakfast. My favorite? The dark bread with Dutch Peanut Butter (yes, it's better!) and fresh strawberries. Mmmm.
After breakfast we joined in on a local 14km walk along the Omringdijk. A Dijk is a man-made hill, once used as a barrier to keep the water from flooding the land. The Dijk runs for 126km and is particularly popular with cyclers. The organized walk was a huge turn out, with at least 100 people taking part. I am pretty sure we were the only non-Dutch people there. Being the friendly crowd they are, we had several "What do you think about Holland??" type questions come our way.
It was a lovely, windy day, and the walk was an absolute perfect way to see Holland. Looking back, I can see that I was too busy looking and enjoying the scenery to take pictures. I have very few from that day! Let's hope my memory serves me long and well.
Over halfway, there is a river separating the Dijk. The whole point of the walk was to fundraise for the bridge that is going to be built to connect the two Dijks. For the time being, they had boats and even a crane to take people over. It was quite the ordeal. Everyone wanted to take the crane, the operator was getting cranky at the mass amounts of people, and the organizers were getting stressed. So, on the boat we go! It didn't make any difference to us. We Canadians were just happy to be there, haha. On the other side we ate our sandwiches, listened to the local choir, the speeches. The bridge architect spoke, the organizers. It was really cool to be part of such a local fundraiser. The only words I caught throughout the entire thing? Dank u well!!
That evening Andrew and I went with Maarten to meet his father Gerret in their hometown, Heerhugowaard (get my post title now?? Hehe). Gerret is a man you take to instantly. He greeted us with a big smile, and twinkling eyes.
Maarten, we can see where you get your kind heart from! Thank you for introducing us to your father.
While Garret started dinner, he refused to let us do anything but sit in the garden and relax. Shortly after, we were spoiled with a pannekoeke feast!! Dutch pancakes with cheese, bacon, apples and cinnamon. Complete with stroop-the very delicious Dutch syrup. Ahh, my mouth waters at the thought.
Later on we met up with Sabine and their friends to watch the football game. We ended up at their friend Cheryl's house, where Andrew swapped stories with her Father, chatting about their work similarities and love for motorbikes. Cheryl's Mom marveled at the fact that I packed for six months in a backpack. I'm still not sure how I did it either...
The end of the evening came, we said our goodbyes and headed home for one of those head-hits-the-pillow-and-your-asleep kinda nights.
The next morning...Amsterdam!
Our first task was to send a box home. 14kg, and a hefty price later... Thankfully, my Mom has reported back to me that the "heavy son-of-a-gun" has arrived in one un-opened piece and is now sitting in my bedroom, awaiting my arrival.
Next, we went searching for a tent. Several outdoor stores later, we found ourselves a lovely 3-Man that will be our luxurious home in Iceland.
Once we got the "work" stuff out of the way we stopped at a Snack Bar to order our list of Dutch fast-food that Frederike had advised us to try. I'm sure some of you have seen Pulp Fiction? There is a scene where Vincent and Jules are talking about Europe...
"You know what they put on French fries in Holland instead of Ketchup?...Mayonnaise...I've seen em do it, man. They drown em in that sh*t." --Vincent
Well, it's true! And it doesn't taste too bad either.
After our fill of patatje, we continued on our tour of Amsterdam. Dam Square was full of casual, chatting students. Bicycles dominate the streets, canals circle the city. The smell of smoke oozes onto the streets outside of the many coffee shops. We walked the infamous red-light district;witnessed the (legal) prostitutes selling themselves in the windows. It was quite strange to sit on a bench eating ice-cream, while a man casually strolled by the windows, made his pick, and headed inside. Only in Amsterdam.
That evening we had ordered in pizza, snuggled in the living room and watched (part of) a movie. The next morning, unfortunately, we were off.
There are many reasons we want to go back to the Netherlands. The tulips in April. Kayaking down the canals in the summer. Skating the canals in the (very lucky) winter when they decide to freeze. Lastly, most importantly, to visit our wonderful Dutchies we've come to love so much. Sabine, your family was unbelievably accommodating and welcoming. You have such a contagious smile, and we will miss you dearly. Maarten, we are so grateful that you opened up your life to us. We can't wait to see what the future holds for you and Sabine. You two are a couple we could easily spend time with, and it's such a pity we are countries apart. Dank u well for the tour of the quirky and open-minded Amsterdam. Dank u well even MORE for the time spent in both your homes. We'll be seeing you. xx
Next post...Bruges, Belgium!
Doei!
A&C
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