Amsterdam - Belgium trip

So sorry for disappearing for a while- it happens. I've been traveling around, first bouncing around the Netherlands and Belgium with with sweet sweet Mama Shanir along with her two Lyon flatmates from UVA. We had such a great trip!

Margaret, Micheal, Shirin, Gabby in Amsterdam

Mid-February, I met up with the three of them in Amsterdam and we spent our first day walking around, simply absorbing the sights, sounds, and scents of the city since it was their very first visit to Amsterdam. Each time I've arrived in Amsterdam, the first scent I notice upon stepping outside of Amsterdam Centraal, is that of wet, dog flesh in the mud mixed with cotton candy. But then there is always the undertones of fried food. It's such a beautiful city though, very traditional and very modern architechture.

We stayed in hostels, both reasonably priced and decent accommodations. The first one was quite centrally located in the city, the second one was a little farther away in Plantage, the Jewish district of the city, but was worth it. It was called Hotel Amigo and functioned as a tiny pizza/pasta joint on the first floor and as a youth hostel on the second and third floors and the whole shebang was managed by an array of cheery Arabs who cook you toast in the morning. We had a great time there.

Building by our hostel and de Hortus

Went to de Hortus, a great botanical garden right by our hostel. There was one potted plant that was over 300 years old! This of course, made me think of Maria. Along with the sheer magnitude of the quantity of Argentine restaurants and products. I've seen over a dozen "de Maria Steak & Meats" restaurant signs. I don't know if this is due to a large Argentine immigrant population in the area, a past connection between Argentina and the Netherlands, or if it is becuase the current Dutch prince is engaged to a beautiful Argentine. Meanwhile, back at the garden, there were redwoods, palms, orchids, rubber trees, cinnamon trees, and epiphytes. There was a giant Palmhouse, three Mexican-style greenhouses with a Butterfly house, and my favorite, the Three-climate greenhouse. This one showcased subtropical plants from South Africa and Australia, as well as a jungle palm section, and a desert section with varieties of cacti. Trading in the cold, damp Dutch day for temperature-controlled, comfortably humid gardens was a good idea.

Shirin, Margaret, Gabby at de Hortus

Herb garden at de Hortus

Tempting to try

Looking down in the palm house

Shirin looking at one of the world's oldest potted
Eastern Cape Giant Cycads originating from
the Eastern Cape of South Africa 300+ y.a.

Jungle palm greenhouse

That evening we went across the city to the famous Anne Frank Huis on Prinsengracht. There was one black and white photo of Otto Frank- the only one of the Secret Annex to survive the Holocuast- that really stood out to me. The photograph shows Otto returning to a bare room in the upstairs of the Secret Annex, gazing out over the naked floorboards in contemplation.

Otto Frank in the Secret Annex;
photo from the Anne Frank Huis

The Rijksmuseum was really great to see, but kind of a letdown due to all the renovations and construction currently going on. The collection used to take up this entire, huge complex and now only numbers in about 200 pieces at the moment. The renovations are supposed to be done sometime this year, I believe.

After a few hours wandering the halls of the Rijks, we went to the famous Albert Cuypmarkt which is full of delicious hot food, vegetables, fabrics, creams, pastes, doo-dads, thingamajigs and everything else anyone could ever wish to purchase. And the people watching was supreme. The market takes up many city blocks six days a week and is flooded with locals and tourists alike. Shirin and I discovered STROOPWAFELS, my new favorite: it's this crazy-good wafer-thin waffle hot off the iron and filled with this caramel-y honey "stroop" goo (stroop = syrup) that was out of this world.


We left Leiden for Brussels last Thursday and stayed through the weekend. We arranged to stay with a girl named Sietske who Gabby found on Couchsurfing. Her place is in the African quarter right in the center of Brussels and is full of tropical fruit markets, Congolese and Senegalese restaurants, hair braiding shops and loud, nasty sounding fights in a French doused in gasoline at 4 in the morning. She lived in a student house with 13 other people at university in Brussels, who were all really great. I learned a great Italian song, but now the only lyrics I can remember are "Vino, vino, vino."

Waffling around Brussles

First Belgian meal w/ a Duvel

On Friday we went shopping in an artsy part of town where there was a lot of great thrift shops and made our way to the quirky Horta Museum, the home of Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta. The Art Nouveau movement strove to make art out of furniture, architecture, accessories and functional pieces. The house was really amazing - I wasn't really sure what to expect, I read about the museum in my guidebook and it sounded interesting, but I didn't realize it was a home. Built in the late 1800s, the Horta house oozed yum - marble stairs at the entry, exposed golden support arches with decorative patterns, an inspired use of mirrors, custom-made furniture, light fixtures, a stained glass atrium providing natural light, an enclosed green room full of plants, urinals and sinks that could be tucked away or taken out, hidden behind wooden panels in the walls. They wouldn't allow photography in the house, but check out the website, there are some good images.

Gray Brussels from the lift

We then went in to town to the Rue des Bouchers to shop for some Belgian chocolates. So many chocolates. We went in twice to make purchases because they gave out samples. SO GOOD.

Downtown Brussels from the Jardin du Sculptures

Staying in the African quarter, we decided that we had to go try out one of the restaurants. We treated our host Sietske to a huge meal of fried, sweet plantains, a sampling of Senegalese beer and savory poisson au riz, complete with frightening looking side dishes of some sort of intestinal tract. It was really delicious food though (didn't try the intestine, though brave Michael did - didn't last long) and it was interesting to try out a completely different genre of spicing and food pairings.

Senegalese yums in Brussels

Saturday we decided to take a day trip to see Brugge, Belgium. Just about an hour away by train from Brussels, Brugge is a big tourist destination, pretty, albeit with quite a kooky, small-time Belgian atmosphere. It felt like a fairytale of a town. Plus, we were blessed with an absolutely perfect day - the first and only extended period of sunshine we saw all week pretty much. We even saw a hot air balloon high above a church steeple in the distance.

Brugge, Belguim

Brugge, Belgium

Later, we met up with one of Shirin's friends who lives in Brussels. She met Mohamed this summer when they were both studying Arabic in Syria. He is Belgian-Morrocan and grew up in Brussels, so he showed us all around the city, hitting the big monuments, museums and other attractions. It was really nice of him to take some time out of his day and show us around, it was really fun, and we couldn't have done it without him - it would've taken us a whole day to see one or two of the things he showed us because they were all so scattered about the city.

Belgian flag at King Leopold II's central monument

Atomium, built for the 1958 World's Fair, Brussels

Sunday we went out to the big Sunday market in downtown Brussels. Sietske came along with us and got us to try Morrocan pancakes for breakfast... they were so good! I'm really enjoying all the pancake varietals that are all over Europe. These ones came from under a tent with twenty or so Morroccan men, women and children yelling about their beautiful selection of olives, dates, nuts, fruits, vegetables and spices that were laid out on tables in enormous bowls. The pancakes were thin and came with soft, really mild feta cheese that was so fresh it was unreal. You could then decide if you wanted it to come folded up with drizzled honey or olives or roasted vegetables. I got the honey and had a fresh cup of sweet mint tea - a great way to start off the rainy day.

For our last meal, we went out to dinner with Sietske and Mohumed to a little Belgian place in downtown - Gabby and I were.determined to get our hands on some of Belgium's famous moules, or mussles steamed with white wine, beer or in a Provencal sauce. Our wish was granted, and we had a great culinary send-off, complete with fresh frites and a local brew!

Pot o moules!