The Netherlands' Memorial Day

Holland has a Memorial Day, but it took place on May 4th. It's called Remembrance of the Dead Day. May 5th is Liberation Day. On May 4th this year, the family and I returned from an afternoon at the beach. We got back right before 8PM to find all the car spaces taken and even cars parked on the sidewalk. We saw people rushing off and there were several members of the Jewish community among them. I asked Dan if he could think of a Jewish holiday taking place, but he couldn't. We started walking in the direction of the people and I asked a passerby what was happening. She stated that it was Remembrance Day. We had expected the ceremonies to take place the next day.

Anyway, the passerby explained that everyone had gathered at the local memorial at 8PM to observe the two minutes of silence. On this day, many people spend the two minutes watching the queen in Dam Square or gathering around the Dockworkers' Statue. Many locals, however, go to their local memorial.

Cologne, day 2

Sunday morning, we ambled over to Cafe Orlando for breakfast. Along the way, we saw a hotel with dolls that appeared to be climbing out of the windows.

Cafe Orlando featured an old-fashioned tin chairrail along and had beautiful, wide divans flanking the wall on which we could sit and eat. Dan and I both ordered the complete breakfast which came with sliced meats, cheeses, butter, jam, healthy bread, rolls, eggs, bacon and hot drink. It was amazing, filling and a great start for the day. This also reflects my experiences in Germany - I have never had a bad breakfast there!

After breakfast, we went to the EL-DE Haus. The EL-DE is a documentation center of the Third Reich and was housed in the former Cologne Gestapo Headquarters. It is one of the few pre-WWII buildings to have survived the bombing (more than 90% of Cologne was destroyed). The building seemed to be made from poured concrete and floor, walls, and ceiling seemed to be painted in a drab color. The audiotour was very interesting and simply reinforced the significance of the horrific events that took place not so long ago. The tour included a visit to the basement prison.

Afterwards, we went to the Wallraf-Richartz Museum where there was a fantastic Impressionism exhibit called Impressio Nismus. Serendipitously, the girls had fallen asleep and we could enjoy and explore the exhibit without interruption. The paintings were excellent and by Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Morisot, Fantin LaTour and on and on...This exhibit was sort of like the CSI behind painting. What was great about it is that there would be an explanation of clues to look for, a painting with such a clue, and a photo/diagram of the painting with where to find the clue. The tour started with basic information, like the importance of color, when certain colors developed and how color combinations. For example, it showed a video time lapse of light on haystacks over the course of the day next to one of Monet's Haystacks. The tour continued with some basic information about painting, such as the advent of the metallic tube in which paint could be kept and not spoil and how this was a revolution from the small bladders that had been used previously to store paint, which would spoil quickly. Other examples of the mechanics included portable easels, pallettes and painter's boxes.

What was interesting is that the paintings presented featured telltale details of they had been painted, such as how pinholes indicating the type of easel on which the work was painted, or unpainted parts of the painting that had been held in place by a tab. There was a huge feature on the "plein air" (outdoor/fresh air) movement that included were x-rays and infrared photos of the paintings where one could see sand and even leaves that had embedded themselves in the paint. There was a section on how planned paintings were, since Impressionistic works were supposed to be more or less spontaneous. This meant how photography influenced painting, how many sketches there were prior, use of geometry in paintings. There were X-rays that showed the original drawings and paintings underneath finished works and how those diverged, how forgeries are detected, how to spot whether a painting was painted in one sitting or multiple, how to detect whether the paint was mixed on the canvas or on a palette, cross-sections with mold attacking the paint, the fallibility of certain paints that fade or gray over time, the differences in effect between matte and lacquered paintings...it was really an incredibly fascinating exhibit. I could easily go through it again.

We to another floor of the museum where we got some spectacular views of the Dom and the Rhine. The girls woke up and it was time to eat a very late lunch. We went to the central square near the Rathaus and had some more hearty German food. Liliane had a pretzel, I had sausage and bread, and Dan had white sausage. We tried two different kinds of ice cream and then decided it was time to part from Cologne. We left at about 6:30 and I spotted a market along the riverbank on our way out of town. Too late this time, but maybe next.

On a personal note (and to my friend and former instructor Richard's undoubted chagrin), my German began to fail while we were there. I kept interspersing it with Dutch words. Also, we didn't get lucky finding the Cafe Paffgen and the Orlando Cafe. We read about them in Let's Go: Europe 2008. We hadn't used Let's Go for a while, these experiences have renewed our confidence in it as a guide.

Cologne, day 1

A chic German cafe?



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Nein, it's McDonald's!


Cologne, Germany, is about 2 1/2 hours away by car. Dan read a feature about it in an airplane magazine Wednesday night and was inspired to go. We headed out on Saturday morning and rolled in at about 11:30. We were lodging at the Hotel Lyskirchen, where we were able to check in early and which spontaneously upgraded our room!

Our first stop was the Lindt Chocolate Museum. We were greeted with a complimentary chocolate. The museum consisted of a history of chocolate and its origins, a small manufacturing section, chocolate in a historical context (featuring Central American artifacts), and commercialization of chocolate products. Following the tour, we ordered a piece of chocolate cake at the outdoor cafe.

"Mr. Cocoa"

There was a miniature rainforest in the museum.

We wandered into town, stopping to get a bratwurst along the way. The brat was delicious, but I still prefer the Wisconsin-style, beer infused version. We also made a beeline for a doner kebab. As we waited, I noticed the cook slip a piece of dough into the oven. Although I had ordered in German, I thought, "Did he misunderstand me and think I ordered a doner pizza?" But no, he was simply making the bread for our sandwich! As you can imagine, the fresh bread made the sandwich all the more excellent!

We then strode over to the Dom. The Dom is Cologne's famous church. It was bombed over 14 times during World War II, yet somehow survived. The Dom houses relics from the three Magi. As we approached the Dom, we noticed how sharply the brightly clad skateboarders and tourists contrasted with the Dom's blackened exterior. My initial thought was that the blackness had been caused by pollution, but Dan's assessment that it had been caused by the bombings made more sense.

Dan had visited the Dom once before, so he offered to watch the girls while I climbed the 509 steps to the top. Once I got up the spiral staircase, I had to walk up scaffolding stairs to get to the very top. I was amazed by all the detailing and ornateness of the carved stone, even at such a high point on the structure. The top afforded panoramic views of the city and it was hard to imagine the utter devastation from the bombings amid everything that has since been rebuilt. As Dan later observed, it is hard to fathom the colossal scale of the Marshall plan considering the extent to which Cologne had been rebuilt, not to mention the countless other cities in Europe.

A pre-war building. In German today, Cologne (Koln) is spelled with a K. When this building was erected, it was spelled with a C.

We stopped by the nearby Ludwig Museum, which houses contemporary art, but learned that it was about to close. We then decided to make our way to the Hausbrauereit Paffgen to sample some of Cologne's hometown brew, Kolsch. It was a beerhall in every sense, complete with beer garden and brewing equipment out back. The personnel would go back and forth to the brewhouse and bring a barrel to the front. The servers would tap the barrel and fill up all the .2L glasses in a beer caddy to distribute to customers. An empty glass indicates that one is finished, unless it's covered with a coaster. I also learned that when you say "Prost," you clink your beer glass at the bottom. We enjoyed the Kolsch, along with hearty German fare. Dan had bratwurst and I ate some hamhock with fried potatoes! At some point, a table inside even sang a drinking song. After we left, we tried two other kolsches, but nothing could hold a candle to the Paffgen!

Bratwurst

On the way back, we passed by what is known as 4711. During Napoleonic times, buildings were given a number. In Cologne, 4711 belonged to the Farina family, who were the originators of "Eau de Cologne." Yes! It's really a frangrance unto itself. I got to smell it the next day and it was nice although I didn't purchase any. As a Kolner proudly told me, it was the world's first trademark.

And what night would be complete without witnessing a stag party? In Koln, it was Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Friday, May 23rd

Friday evening, Dan's friend Scott was in town for work. We met up with him and gave him a quick tour of downtown. Aside from the permanent landmarks that one can see daily, we saw some more ephemeral ones. After our minitour, we met up with some great looking people for some Indonesian food.

Superman stag party featuring Austin Powers

Laser on the Singel

Haarlem

On Thursday I headed out to Haarlem, which is a charming town about 15 minutes by train from Centraal Station. I ended up getting there late in the morning (ran into a neighbor on the way, had to get a cappucino to go, etc) and realized that I only had time to see one of the places on my list. I chose the Corrie ten Boom house, which could only be seen as part of a guided tour. Haarlem's train station is well known as an example of art nouveau architecture.

To kill time before the tour, I decided to go shopping. Shopping in Haarlem is excellent. It has almost all the chain stores that Amsterdam has (no Zara, Mango, deSigual) and several boutiques. What I like about shopping there it is that the all the shops are densely located around the main square and they are not as crowded.

To energize myself for shopping, I had some kibbeling (a sort of fish) for lunch. I had never eaten it before, but it looked (and ended up tasting) delicious. It was served with kibbeling sauce, which tasted like honey mustard. In addition to looking at the kibbeling in the photo, you can see that the Dutch have invented a fork with a serrated edge, perfect for cutting through the kibbeling.

I made some good purchases and returned to the Corrie ten Boom House at 1:45, the appointed tour time. Corrie ten Boom and her family were evangelical Christians. Corrie, by training was a licensed watchmaker. They had hosted prayer sessions at their home, above their watchmaking shop, in Haarlem for generations. They strongly venerated Jews, the chosen people. During World War II, the ten Booms home became a center for Resistance activity. A false wall was built in Corrie's bedroom. During the war, 6 people lived there full time and possibly 800 passed through, shielded by the wall (they had to get in there within 70 seconds if the Gestapo arrived). Naturally, the ten Booms harbored Jews as well as other participants in the Resistance. Eventually, someone denounced them to the Nazis and the family was sent to concentration camps. The people in hiding were not found and survived. Corrie, due to a clerical error, was released when she should have been killed. Following the war, Corrie relocated to California. One of the other people on the tour said that she often made appearances with Billy Graham. In addition, a movie called "The Hiding Place" is based on the ten Booms' heroicism during the war.

The tour was very interesting. We got to crawl through the back of the false cupboard that led to the brick wall that was the hiding place. Among the items on display were ration cards, photos, and canisters for provisions that the Allies dropped during the war.

exterior of the ten Boom house

the hiding place, entry in lower left

After the tour, I headed back to A'dam. There are a few other places to see (and shop) in Haarlem, so I'm sure I will return soon!

recent outings

Friday night, Dan and I went to a beer tasting at 't Arendsnest (The Eagle's Nest) bar located in the Jordaan. 't Arendsnest serves only Dutch beer and our beer steward was Marcel Snater. Marcel started as a homebrewer and has morphed into a mobile brewery phenomenon, bringing his mixes to different breweries. He advised that he still maintains a day job, but his true love is brewing. We tried six different beers and, ironically, learned some Belgian beer trivia.
1) The Belgians put sugar in the malt when making the beer. This leads to headaches!
2) Belgians tend to brew sweet beer, while the Dutch are a little sweet.
3) The Delirium Cafe in Brussels has over 2500 beers.
4) Wheat gives beer the taste of clove.
5) more barley = more fermentation = more alcohol
5) The name of the microbrewery that we learned about on our bike tour is called 't Ij, and it closes at 8.

On the way to 't Arendsnest, we saw the following party driving down the street. What you cannot see in the picture is that the middle of this contraption is filled with beer kegs and people are sitting and drinking as they cruise down the street.


Monday, I headed over to Waterlooplein to check out the market there. It had been described to me as swap-meetish and it was indeed. Used things, as well as new. Of course they had the requisite hosiery that seems to proliferate the markets out here. On my way to the market, I spotted another graffito by Laser. I didn't find anything at the market to buy, but it was good to see what they had to offer. Afterwards, I stopped by the Rembrandthuis, which was around the corner.



Rembrandt lived in the house and painted most of his masterpieces inside its studio. He went bankrupt and had to sell most of his belongings, but curators have tried to recreate the interior based on drawings and descriptions of the rooms. Rembrandt's Minerva hung in the salon and radiated the light for which Rembrandt is known. The house was large, but rather cosy. As usual, I was amazed by how small the beds are and where they were located. Rembrandt and his wife Saskia slept in the living room in a "box bed" which closes up to look like a cabinet. Their servant slept in a box bed in the kitchen. The beds were tiny because people used to sleep sitting up. No photos were allowed inside, but if you click on the info button from the Rembrandthuis link above, you can take a virtual tour.

After I got home Monday, I had one more thing on my agenda - a double stroller. I had been looking for one before I left, but many people advised me to buy one once we arrived. To see what the Dutch people use. Until Monday night, I had been toting Amelie in a Baby Bjorn and Liliane in a MacLaren. On Queen's Day I spotted what I wanted among the masses in Vondelpark, but I couldn't ask the owner about it. I spotted another one while shopping a few weeks ago, and got to learn what it was called. It's called Kees (pronounced "case") and it's made by Happy Baby, a Dutch company. I couldn't find any for sale online and I went to a giant baby store called Prenatal and they had never heard of it. Luckily, Holland has something called markplaats.nl, which is a cross between eBay and craigslist. I found one and drove 45 minutes out to the seller out in Flevoland to pick it up. Along the way, I saw hundreds of windmills. The picture I included below does not begin to capture the vast number of mills spread across the plains. This link has a beautiful picture of Flevoland windmills.



So far, the girls love the stroller (knock on wood). Liliane even jumps into it when it's time to leave. It's not quite as long as a conventional tandem, which makes it easier to get on and off the tram, up stairs and to manoeuver in shops.