Back down to earth

Waking up in my old childhood bedroom, having a long warm shower without feeling guilty (there are no water restrictions here) and being able to walk to town without looking over my shoulder. What a relief.

Then, of course, the typically Dutch food we had missed for so long. Being self-confessed foodies, a trip to the local Albert Heijn & Jumbo supermarkets made us feel like kids in a candy store. A trip to the local food market in Enschede was heaven for us!

(photo 1: tompouche, photo 2:stroopwafel, photo 3: stamppot boerenkool met rookworst van de Hema, photo 4: friet met mayo, photo 5: hazelnoottaart van bakkerij Oonk, photo 6: Dutch cheese stall at the Enschede market.

It’s such a treat to have the benefit of clean and safe public transport. The very first day we made sure we bought an OV jaarkaart (prepaid Dutch travel card) as you can’t pay cash on the bus or train anymore.
If you look out for specials, you can buy train tickets for next to nothing. We bought some of those at the local Albert Heijn and took the train to Amsterdam for the day. The trains are fast, clean, very comfortable and quiet. What a joy!

In Amsterdam, we were local tourists and visited many of the nice hotspots. The highlight of the day was the tour at the House of Bols distillery, where we learned more about the distilling process. A complimentary cocktail at the end of the tour finished it off perfectly.

After the Bols tour, we walked to Leidse Plein and enjoyed a vrimibo (vrijdag middag borrel – Friday afternoon drink) at one of the terraces as the weather was divine! Bitterballen (round deep fried croquettes) with a beer is the traditional Dutch pub snack.

Slowly but surely we are getting used to the Dutch life again. It’s great to spend time with my little nieces and nephews in ‘real life’ and not only via Skype.

At the time of writing this post, we are feverishly planning the next major step in our luxury gourmet travel adventure.