Tuesday 29 September 2015

A Late Holiday - Pt.2

          Well the rain didn't let up, and not wishing for another soaking, we repaired to a restaurant at the end of our block of apartments.
          You will, no doubt, recall from my previous post that we arrived in Amsterdam to an almost "end-time" display of weather. The restaurant to which I have just referred was a run-of-the-mill establishment which supplied wholesome, down-to-earth nourishment, just the kind of thing we were looking for, with the chance of a quick scamper back to our apartment, should the heavens once more open. The restaurant, which had a basement, a mezzanine floor and a ground floor with one long table to which we were escorted, was served by two waiters who seemed to be everywhere at once. That latter comment might also be applied to the friendly, black and white cat who made a beeline towards us. You could almost hear him (I assume 'him', but could have been a 'her') thinking that an English sucker (me) had arrived.      
          Now I have a great respect and fondness for cats, and I swear that when he turned his gaze on me, he was subliminally making my choice of dish for me. Anyway, he did enjoy the fish titbits I gave him, when no-one was looking. My meal, which consisted of one course, was red snapper, prawns and mussels, and vegetables. On the side, and this I must not forget to mention, were quartered potatoes, roasted with garlic and rosemary. All this washed down with a reasonably quaffable wine.
          The following day, the rain didn't really let up. But we couldn't spend our holiday cooped up in our apartment, so we went walkabout. We visited a number of canals which were busy with water buses ferrying their occupants here, there and everywhere. These boats were just - but only just - able to slip under the bridges.



Along the way were many small boats moored along the canal walls. We discovered later in the week that houseboats could be bought but not for less than half-a-million Euros.


          On our walk we paid our first visit to the Rijkmuseum (Rijk being pronounced in a manner similar to the German "reich").




On this occasion we dropped in only for hot chocolate and cake, having had - in my case - a warming, spicy lentil soup for lunch. (Later on in the week I was delighted by pickled-chicken soup. Never had that before!)


I was impressed by the building, but in particular by the waiters and waitresses, all of whom seemed to be in their twenties. I cannot quite put my finger on what impressed me, but there was something about their friendly, organised and professional manner which greatly appealed to me. Maybe it had to do with 'service' in its highest sense. In my experience, ageism is not a problem in the parts of continental Europe that we have visited, and the same was true here. Maybe  I'm just getting old and, heaven help me, a little mellow.
          By now it was becoming obvious that if we were to travel around Amsterdam, we were going to have to use the trams.


Although there were buses, the main mode of general transport appeared to be trams and bicycles. The Dutch seem to have developed a range of adaptations to bicycles, each designed for a particular purpose. From a pedestrian's point of view I would simply say, "Walker Beware!" Cyclists travel quite quickly with an apparent total disregard for pedestrians and 'zebra crossings', or whatever the Dutch equivalent is called. More than once we escaped being run down only by a fraction of a second. As the day moved towards early evening, we were glad that Lucy had booked a restaurant a short two hundred metres from our apartment. And after a description of that lovely evening that I am about to describe I will bring this session to a close.
          This restaurant, split into two halves with each half on adjacent corners of Lutmastraat, provided a very attentive service for seated clients in one (our) half, and what appeared to be a more buffet-style in the other. On this particular evening, after a Riesling aperitif with paté, the entree was lobster claw, garnished with salad. Our host offered a suitable glass of wine with each course, the choices being quite excellent. The main course was roast duck breast with Yorkshire pudding stuffed with pumpkin. Now duck breast can be arrive in any state from too red to slightly overcooked. I have to say that on this evening the duck was perfect. The final course was 'tarte tatin' followed by coffee.
          I do hope that my references to food and drink do not come across as excessive, but one of the joys of holidays is the chance to visit restaurants which we could not otherwise visit. For most of my life I ate to live; now in some measure living is about the joy of eating. And that joy says something about my state of being. I might add at this juncture that my weight, when finally we returned from holiday, was no heavier than when we went away.
          Next time I will share my thoughts and feelings about music and candlelight.....and food! For now, a couple of examples of Dutch humour.



          And now, just because I want to,



25 comments:

  1. My views on dining parallel yours, Tom. And that young sweetie was the perfect ending to your post.

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  2. My views on dining parallel yours, Tom. And that young sweetie was the perfect ending to your post.

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    1. Hi Bruce; Yes, I also thought that a picture of "that young sweetie" would be a suitable ending.

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  3. ah, the dutch, they do everything well, from dealing with living below sea level to restaurant service.
    we found the most torrential downpours greeted us in brussels (sideways rain and a veritable boneyard of umbrellas in various stages of disrepair), but it rained for pretty much most of our trip to holland - and i still loved it! that's saying something!

    and finally, i think the garlic quote is very true, which is why i've never amounted to much in terms of art - far too sane!

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    1. Hullo Agnieszka; In general, I am not in favour of LOL behaviour, but we both commented on the bubbly loudness of girls on high speed bicycles holding loud conversations with each other, another multitasking attribute of theirs. When we talked about the rain to the locals, they seemed to be of the opinion that the rain was somewhat unseasonable, at least in its intensity. Being drenched to the skin did not seem to upset the Dutch at all. Glad you liked the garlic quote!

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  4. I just lost my comment. Ouch!!!
    I suggest that you put this thorn of a suitcase to rest. A heavily packed Rucksack feels rather light when sitting on ones back, I find.
    Nice to see that you know how to celebrate birthdays. Happy that you were born - keep repeating your birthday dear Tom.

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    1. It does seem to me that this large suitcase would make an ideal dog bed, and dog blanket carrier, when we eventually increase our household.

      We tend to make birthdays last for a period of three days, with all the fun we can cram in. I don't like getting older, but since I can't stop it I might as well celebrate it. In any case the change in age across that infinitely short gap from 16th. to 17th. is barely noticeable.

      I'm so glad that you are happy that I was born. A lovely thing to say. Thank you.

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  5. A most mouthwatering holiday! And who is that gorgeous girl you picked up there?
    Glad it was a great trip in spite of the rains.

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    1. Hullo Marja-Leena; I've been asking myself also who that gorgeous girl is. She does seem to becoming familiar [very familiar, one might say :) ] Holidays, indeed life, would be almost unthinkable without her, so I guess I must continue to invite her around. I think she was tickled pink by the idea of my picking her up.

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  6. Why is it that the the Dutch have sussed the "bicycle" thing so well and we are still trying (although Ashford's cycle path network is extending and getting more intelligent). It's a catch 22 situation - less facilities mean less cycling but we won't build the facilities until there are more cyclists to use them.................
    I love duck and your description of that menu had me drooling - I will gloss over the garlic which I abhor (vampire background?)
    Great pic of Lucy there, Tom. I guess you are lucky to have such a travelling companion (does she do heavy lifting too?)
    Did I detect from your comments above that there will soon be a doggy addition in the family?

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    1. Hullo Avus; I don't think I can answer your first question, so I'll treat it as rhetorical. Well, yes, she can lift heavy weights, depending on how you define heavy. The problem arises when we're in a hurry, I need a hand, and Lucy is zooming off at high speed leaving me behind. (A few years ago whilst travelling to Australia, I nearly lost her at Heathrow.)

      As far as a dog is concerned, we cannot really imagine the rest of our lives without a dog. The only question that remains is when do we get a dog, and when do we give up our newly-found freedom to travel? A date has not yet been set.

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  7. When your dog finds you, you will know. You're just lucky that cat only wanted attention and fish. Nothing wrong with being properly aged.

    Struggling with the eat to live/live to eat issue, this was a pleasant note on the subject.

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    1. Hullo Zhoen; I firmly believe that you are correct in your point that we will know when our dog finds us. The cat in the restaurant really was quite amazing. With three floors available, he/she had worked out his own way of efficiently getting from one place to another, never using the actual treads of the stairs. Rather, he used used handrails, parts of the floor out of normal reach of humans and so on. There was no doubt as to whom the restaurant really belonged.

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  8. Hi Tom
    One of our regretful omissions when on our European river cruise which finished in Amsterdam was not to stay on and see a bit of Holland. Now at least we hear about its delights. Please feel free to indulge yourself in culinary delights and wines to boot - no need to save the good wine for later – rather enjoy now while you’re able. Your wife looks lovely- of course you had to take a picture!!
    Don't stand up in the boat if you take a cruse which takes you under the bridges !!
    Best wishes

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    1. Hi Lindsay; What a pity you couldn't have stayed on for a while. I have almost invariably found the Dutch people friendly and warm. In a sense their national character reflects, or is reflected in, their warm brick architecture.

      There are more culinary delights on the way. And the point about not standing up, or at least fully standing up, is well taken!

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  9. Sounds like a perfect trip and birthday in every way. And the food...your description had me salivating. But those cyclists: I remember being almost run over by them several times during my brief visit to Amsterdam.
    About that cat: I was kind of hoping it would follow you back to your lodgings. How about adding a cat as well as a dog when you eventually make the decision to give up freedom in favour of slavery to a chosen animal or animals? I understand this! I'm already a slave to a merely visiting cat so if if I had a full time live-in one, I'd probaly do nothing else but cater to its every whim.

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    1. Hullo Dear Natalie; One of the problems of having a cat in the region in which we live is the constant threat of being killed or injured by farmers and others putting down rat poison, and being shot by hunters - those brave souls who put their very lives at risk shooting at anything they see. (I well recall working on my roof some years ago, only to hear the sound of lead shot scattering across the roof tiles!). The other problem is that cats seem to go feral too easily. There is no doubt that animals do tend to gravitate towards the 'English', some even being dumped on us by the French. No, in the future we'll stick to dogs.

      I can well imagine you catering to every whim of any cat coming your way. And why not? There must be some who stand up for the rest of the animal kingdom. It's called LOVE.

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  10. What a delightful account, Tom! Thank you for taking this old fellow along in review. As always, I learn here.

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    1. Hi Geo; Glad you enjoyed this post, and I hope you will continue to so enjoy. In a small way it is a return for the enjoyment and amusement I get from your posts.

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  11. Okay, no cat in France then. But when you chose the dog, maybe one who loves to travel? A gipsy dog?

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    1. Hullo Again Natalie; I think a travelling dog would be essential. One of the joys of having Molly was that she loved the car, and loved to travel - when we were all together of course.

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  12. "Yes, I love and sometimes ache for this continent." Me, too dear Tom! Mei' goldig Frankfurt ... how I would love to visit it again.

    Donner und Blitzen ... this is always considered good luck.

    Thank you for this post. My hear is warmed.

    You have a lovely wife.

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    1. Dear RW; I'm really glad you liked this post. Maybe one day soon the chance to travel to Germany will arise; I hope so. I do indeed have a lovely wife. She is my best friend, confidant and many things besides. She's a treasure.

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  13. Wonderful pictures, Tom, and a fine travelogue.

    Lucy is lovely :)

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  14. Hullo Susan; Thank you for your comment, and yes, she is indeed lovely.

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