Nieuwe-Niedorp

August 30,2011



Kathy & Eva

Ellen, Kathy & KJ

Martijn

Nieuwe-Niedorp

One of the many cool things about living in Key West is that we make a lot of friends who pass through the island, living there briefly before moving on. While this is sad in some respects, it also means that we have a number of friends who live in all manner of far off places and with the ease of communication these days, it is far easier to keep in touch.







Our friends Klassjan (KJ) and Ellen lived in Key West when KJ was serving as the Dutch attaché at JIATF (The Joint Interagency Task Force- South) which is based in Key West. Their children Martijn and Eva were students of Kathy’s when she taught at the Preschool before they moved back to the Netherlands after KJ completed his assignment here. Through the magic of Facebook and e-mail, we have kept in touch and when we planned a trip to Amsterdam, we wanted to set aside some time to see them.

KJ



They live in the small village at Nieuwe-Niedorp, which is located in the same North Holland province as Amsterdam but it is far more rural. The village is home to around 3200 people and is located about 9 km northeast of the nearest train stop in Heerhugowaard. KJ was nice enough to drive in to pick us up and bring us out to their home.



Messi

Eva

It was apparent immediately that Nieuwe-Niedorp is a much more pastoral setting, as the drive there led through flat farmlands dotted with sheep and cows. The small village was beautiful and serene especially compared to the frenetic pace of city life. Their home was located in a beautiful little community and they have a great house.





The reunion was great as Eva had organized a welcoming party for Kathy & I and we all gathered and celebrated our visit. It was so cool to be welcomed and to get to just hang out and relax in a homey environment. It was a great visit. They recently got a brand new puppy, Messi to join the dog that they already had, Panda and it was fun to get to play with the dogs.





We all took the dogs out for a nice walk through a beautiful marsh area, where the kids were able to go play in the water and mud. It seemed too breezy and cool to get in the water, but the kids didn’t even seem to mind at all. Running and playing with the dogs and enjoying the really beautiful setting.



Panda



We also got the chance to walk from their house to a nearby working windmill. It was great to see an actual Dutch windmill. The windmill was on private property with people actually living in it. They had all sorts of ducks, chickens , turkeys and even a huge emu on the property as well.







We stayed for the entire relaxing day and then went out to a famous local restaurant and pub, the Irish Cottage. The place is accessible by foot, car or even boat and has been operating in some form for about 245 years. It was great food and great company and a wonderful way to wrap up a great visit which gave us an insight in to the local perspective. We caught the train back to Amsterdam from Heerhugowaard, which took about 40 minutes. Next time we return, we want to spend more time exploring the country away from Amsterdam.





The Irish Cottage

The Irish Cottage

Amsterdam Culture

August 29, 2011







Kathy

Amsterdam Culture

When you think of Amsterdam as a tourist destination, the first things that come to most everyone’s mind is the liberal attitudes and the legality of so-called “soft drugs” and prostitution that can be found throughout the famous Red Light District. This of course draws many people, but if that is the sole purpose for visiting this wonderful city, then people are really missing out on what is one of the cultural capitals of all of Europe.







Amsterdam has so much more to offer and exploring the beautiful architecture, museums and inordinate selection of cultural offerings is just too rewarding to pass up. Kathy & I had this brought home while we were there as our visit happened to coincide with the largest cultural festival of the year, the Uitmarkt.







The Uitmarkt celebrates the opening of the cultural season in Amsterdam and is an entire weekend at the end of August each year throughout the city but mainly focused in the large open areas of the Leidseplein, Museumplein (museum square) and Nieuwmarkt. Every cultural institution previews their upcoming season with free performances of theatre, dance, poetry readings, recitals, ballet, symphony and all other sorts of music ranging from rock and pop to hip hop to classical, cabaret and even films.







Huge stages are set up featuring large performances and smaller ones for improv, dance, theatre and comedy are there as well. The crowds of mostly locals turn out en masse to take it all in, this year braving chilly temperatures and intermittent rain showers to enjoy the festival. There are also numerous booths set up selling books and others promoting the various cultural institutions such as the myriad of museums, theatres, dance companies, symphonies, libraries, and any other cultural venue that can be found in Amsterdam.







There seemed to be no end to the variety or number of entertainment options and Kathy & I enjoyed performances by the Amsterdam Symphony, a contemporary dance company and a local rock band that was exceptionally good which sang in both English and Dutch. It was a cool event and we were thrilled to be able to check it all out.
In the afternoon, we drifted away from the festival, maneuvering through the narrow canal laced streets over to check out another big attraction of the city, The Heineken Experience. Housed at the historic Heineken beer brewery, this visitor center/tour is an interactive experience that explains the history and relevance of the famous pilsner beer.



Michael



I was a little skeptical that the tour might be a little hokey and too touristy. It certainly has elements of that, but overall we were both impressed at how fascinating and interesting the tour was. It really delves into the history and methods of brewing the tasty beverage and is all supremely well done. I came away with a lot more knowledge and appreciation of beer making and Heineken as well. Pretty cool stuff.







The best part of course is the free beer at the Heineken bar at the conclusion of the tour. The bar was as happening as anyplace we’d been in Amsterdam and we ran in to some fellow Americans who had managed to put their good old American ingenuity at work in figuring out that by asking departing patrons who did not use their free beer coupons to donate them to their cause, they could basically drink free for as long as they wanted. They had been there four hours drinking free Heineken when we arrived and stayed even longer once we arrived. It was a really fun time.

Michael & Kathy





Uitmarkt website

Heineken Experience