Christmas Food Around the World

Ah Christmas time again. The time of stuffing your face and suffering from heartburn. When you watch TV, it is all about the food at Christmas time. Having lived in a few countries, I have had Christmas dinners in different shapes and sizes consisting of lots of different dishes. A good time to

Growing up in the Netherlands, Sinterklaas was a bigger event than Christmas, but it didn't really come with food. Unless you count candy as food, there are the spiced biscuits also known as pepernoten, the taai taai or ginger biscuits and lots of marzipan. Christmas dinner was usually a cook your own in the fondue pot. Lots of fun guaranteed especially when the bits of meat got lost in the grease.

Photo by Thomas under Creative Common Licence

King's Day in Holland

It's that time of year again when the Dutch dress up in orange and go nuts. I know we have a bit of a rep for being loud and obnoxious in some part of the world and this is pretty obvious on the 27th of April, when we celebrate King's Day in Holland.

Photo by Roel Wijnants under Creative Common Licence

Five Day Trips from Amsterdam

Many visitors to Amsterdam do just that; visiting Amsterdam. But there is a lot more to the Netherlands than canal boat rides and queuing for the Anne Frank museum. (And all of the other stuff people do here.) Holland is pretty compact and it’s super easy to get around. So here are some options to explore the bits around Amsterdam.

Zaanse Schans

It couldn’t get more Dutch than the windmills at Zaanse Schans. It can get a bit touristy in the summer months, but it still worth walking around the pretty wooden houses and the collection of historic windmills straddling the Zaan river. Do hop on the little dingy river cruise for a waterside view of the windmills.

The Volkshotel in Amsterdam

I do love a stay at a quirky hotel of some kind and last weekend I found one in Amsterdam called the Volkshotel. It's housed in the old offices of the national newspaper called De Volkskrant. Of course it is steeped in journo lingo and themes throughout.

High Wine at Denovo in Breda

Living in the UK, I have had my share of afternoon teas, cream teas and high teas, but my very own people back home in the Netherlands have come up with something even better: The high wine.
And if wine is not quite your thing, you can go for a high beer as well.

Things to See in Gouda

The first thing you probably think of when I say Gouda, is cheese. And that this town produces a high amount of it is something you'll be constantly reminded of when you're visiting. However, there are other things to see in Gouda as well.

A Walk around Breda

When you live in a city or town, you don't normally tend to visit any tourist attractions or iconic sights. I grew up in Breda and always took the entire city for granted. Last weekend though, on a family trip back home, I decided to put my tourist hat on and walk Breda and its charming sights that it is home to.

Windmills and Canals in Gorinchem

Holland has got so many pretty towns and villages, that you are really limiting yourself as a tourist by just going to Amsterdam.  with windmills and canals, Gorinchem is one of them. Gorinchem, aka Gorcum, is an historic, fortified market village. Not only does it have a charming village centre, its location is down right stunning; Gorinchem is located on the banks the Linge River and the Merwede Canal offering far reaching views across the surrounding polder lands when you're standing on the city walls.

The Windmills at the Zaanse Schans

As a resident in your own country, you don't normally visit local touristy attractions. Except when your name is Jaklien. I like exploring my own back yard, but one place was still missing on the list; The windmills at the Zaanse Schans.

Five Weird Museums in Amsterdam

Every trip to Amsterdam will have the Van Gogh, the Anne Frank and the Rijksmuseum on its agenda. However, visiting these will include queuing for a couple of hours. If you don’t fancy that, here are some alternative albeit weird museums to visit in Amsterdam.

The Cat Cabinet

Housed in a beautiful period canal house, this museum is dedicated to everything feline. Besides catty sculptures, drawings and paintings by Rembrandt (!) and lots of other artefacts, there are actual cats wandering about this very quirky museum. Only in Amsterdam.

American Pilgrim Museum in Leiden

I always knew that the Pilgrims who set sail on the Mayflower on their journey to America, had come from Leiden in Holland. I didn't know that there was a museum dedicated to the same Pilgrims located here. 

The museum is located in the old centre of Leiden in a picturesque alley way called Beschuitsteeg. It's housed in two beautifully restored, historic houses that date back to the 14th century. Apparently Pilgrims never actually lived here, but this little gem of a museum is so worth a visit, regardless.

New Year's Eve Around the World

If you like to travel then chances are you've probably spent a few New Year's Eves under foreign skies. I know I have.

In 2001 I spent it on Times Square where after hours and hours of braving the extreme cold, we finally got to see that infamous ball drop at midnight. The atmosphere was great and there was lots of entertainment throughout the night, but one New Year's Eve in numbing temperatures is enough.

Photo by Anthony Quintano under Create Common Licence

Citizen M Hotel in Amsterdam

After hearing lots of good things about it, I was dying to stay at one of the Citizen M Hotels that seem to be popping up around the world lately. So last weekend I checked into the Citizen M Hotel in Amsterdam South.

Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is filled with quirky hotels, but when I go back home, I prefer to stay at the Lloyd Hotel.

The Lloyd Hotel in Amsterdam is housed in a gorgeous building along the IJ-quay which was built in the early 1900s by the Royal dutch Lloyd shipping company. It was intended as a hotel for Eastern European immigrants, stopping over on their way to South America. In 1935 the Lloyd company went bankrupt after which it was turned into a house of detention. Before Lloyd Hotel opened its doors in 2004, the former cells were used as artists' studios.

A Walk Through Rotterdam

I always thought Rotterdam was a bit, well, ugly. Until last weekend when I went on a walk through Rotterdam with my mum.

St Nicolas in Holland

Photo by Wester under Creative Common Licence

The Christmas season starts early in the Netherlands. Around mid-November a white haired dude called St Nicolas and his reliable helpers, who are all called Black Peter, travel to Holland by steamboat.

Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam

The Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam, is housed in in a beautiful, historic canal house dating back to 1666. That in itself is interesting to see, but what woman doesn't like to see an exhibition of bags that takes you through 500 years of purse history? The museum often hosts other bag related exhibits, but I stuck to admiring the permanent collection.

The first bag I saw, was this big ugly looking thing. Obviously there were no Louis Vuittons and Chanels in the Middle Ages as bags back then were more of a necessity than a fashionable item. Clothing didn't come with pockets, you see, so purses were a must have and worn around belts by both men and women.

Then as time went on, it became more of a fashion statement and purses became prettier and bolder and because men decided to have pockets in their trousers and women didn't, a ladies only thing.

I loved the travel luggage room that showed how the industrial revolution allowed people to travel farther which needed suitcases as big as my wardrobe. Imagine lugging that through an airport now. There was even a Samsonite on display that would look very cool on a Virgin Galactic flight; decked out with sparkles and fit for travel into space. Let's hope I will see that day.

I ended my visit with a wander around the pretty garden in the back, followed by a cup of tea and cakes in the tea room looking out onto the canals. Handbags and cakes. What more could a girl want?

Check out more info on the museum's website.

Scheveningen Beach

 Last weekend I went to Scheveningen Beach for some beach time Dutch style. Yes, they exist. In fact the entire North Sea coast of the Netherlands is one massive strip of sand. However the thing I love the most about the beaches in the Netherlands are the beach bars.

Scheveningen is a very popular seaside resort and there is a buzzing boulevard, lined with hotels, bars and restaurants which are open year round. The beach bars however are only open during the summer season and are built in March and stay open till about October. There are about 35 of them in Scheveningen, and when Holland is blessed with sunny days, they tend to get quite busy. 

Further north, along 'Het Zwarte Pad' the beach bars are a bit more chilled. Soomers is a nice option for a beach meal or refreshing drink on the terrace. Or you can just chill in the shade on the comfy beds along the beach path. And if the weather turns a bit chilly you can still enjoy the views from inside the bar. 

A bit further up the path you'll find Boomerang Beach, beach club and lounge. It's a very relaxed place to enjoy some sun downers and things hot up a bit on Saturday nights when punters dance the night away to the tunes of international DJs.

Next door you'll find bohemian Indigo which has very comfy lounge beds with lots of colourful pillows. At night Indigo is lit by lanterns and an open fire in the centre of their terrace. In the background you'll either hear live music or a DJ spinning loungy music. Don't forget to try one of their organic burgers, because a day at the beach wouldn't be complete without one.

Baarle A Town in Two Countries

Baarle is a town in the south of the Netherlands. It's located in the southern province of Dutch Brabant not far from the Belgo-Dutch border.  At first glance it looks just like any other town in Brabant: There's a church, a town hall, a police station. But then, as you walk along, there's another church and another town hall and another police station. Everything comes in twos; two bus lines, two kinds of traffic and streets signs, etc. When you look down, you'll see white crosses running across the pavement. When you look at the house numbers of residences and shop fronts, you'll see they're flanked by little flags; either red/white/blue or red/yellow/black ones. It's then that you realise that something weird is going on here.

As I said Baarle is a good 6km from the border, but the town is divided between Belgium and the Netherlands. Baarle-Nassau is the Dutch part and Baarle-Hertog is the Belgian part. The border, which are those white crosses marked on the pavements, is not a particularly clean cut line, mind you. The map of the two Baarles looks more like a patchwork blanket of Belgian enclaves and Dutch exclaves.

The reason for this is a bit complicated and goes back a couple of centuries, but it all boils down to a deal between the Lord of Breda whose last name was Nassau and the Duke (hertog in Dutch) of Brabant. The duke's neigbour, Dirk VII van Holland, had his eye on Breda. Both the lord of Breda and The duke of Brabant weren't too keen on that, so the duke asked for the lord's help in return for bits of land around Baarle. But not all of the land as the duke wanted to keep some lucrative bits to fill his pockets. The division stayed like that over the centuries.

Dutch town hall

Belgian church

It did cause some issues now and again. When the two countries were split up, so were some properties in Baarle. (Look for the white crosses running to front doors) The area used to be a hotbed of smuggling and during WWI when Belgium was at war and The Netherlands weren't things were a bit unsettling as well. But Baarle is a lot more peaceful these days. Now it's a hotbed of shoppers and gourmands who come here to get the best of both countries. Where else can you have mussels and fries at a Belgian restaurant and finish it off with some Dutch  pancakes next door?

It's the only place in the world where you can enjoy a meal in Belgium while your dinner companion is sitting in The Netherlands. Pretty confusing. But if you're not sure what country you're in, just look for the little flagged house numbers.

Cafe 'Koffie en Zo' in Breda

The Dutch love their coffee as much as the Brits love their tea. In fact Holland sits at the top of the list when it comes to coffee loving nations. Even though most of the cups of coffee are consumed in the comfort of Dutch homes, there are plenty of cafes to be found in cities and towns.

Last weekend, when I was in my home town Breda, I went to one called Koffie en Zo, which could be translated to Coffee etc. It's located in a cosy courtyard tucked away in the busy city centre of Breda. Even though I grew up here, it was the first time I discovered this secluded spot lined with quirky clothing and antique shops. Koffie en Zo looks out onto this courtyard where in the summer time tables and comfy couches are laid out for their guests.

But as the name suggests, there is more to Koffie en Zo than just a regular cup of coffee. Besides the usual suspects such as espresso, cappuccino and latte, you can opt for beverages with intriguing names such as Satan's Coffee and Big Chocolate Toddy. They also do breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea and there are loads of freshly baked pastries to choose from as well.

However I was after their St Nicolas Coffee which I had read about on a blog and I was dying to try it out. As it was just after Christmas, I could only find a table outside which was a bit cold, but the St Nicolas Coffee soon made me forget the chill. It is a blend of coffee and chocolate milk laced with speculatius spices (a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, cloves) and topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Since Dutch people never have a coffee without a biscuit, it comes with a large chunk of speculatius cake filled with almond paste. It is like having Christmas in a glass.

Unfortunately this festively tasting beverage is a seasonal one and won't be served at Koffie en Zo for that much longer. But next time I am in town, I think I will try that Satan's Coffee.