Holland: Wheels and Cheese
To the Netherlands we go! It was a bit sad to leave Norway, but it’s great we have so many wonderful adventures ahead of us. Amsterdam is only a two hour flight from Oslo, and since we’re still in the Schengen area we didn’t even have to bring out our passports. We haven’t actually had to use them since entering Iceland. Even there we only took them out for about 30 seconds when one lady asked us one question before we entered.
After arriving in Amsterdam, we took the train to Driebergen. We had planned to stay at Monisha’s uncle Arvind’s house first because we were only supposed to overlap with him for one day before he left for India. But, his son (Monisha’s cousin) Alex had back surgery for a double herniation, so Arvind left early. We are still staying at his house however, with his partner Monica. And what a house it is! They have a huge beautiful garden surrounding it. In the garden are multiple streams, ponds, and fruit trees. They also have a tower with an owl that lives at the top. The main house is amazing. It has a mostly wooden interior with beautiful pieces Arvind has collected from all over the world. Prominently displayed in its own room is Arvind’s hippo collection. :) It spills out a little into the rest of the house as well. Next to the main house, they have a separate guest house with a full kitchen (stocked just for us), bathroom, and living room. Monica is awesome. She took us to a traditional Dutch meal of pannekoeken for our first dinner in Holland. It was Nolan’s first time eating pannekoeken! They are Dutch pancakes: slightly thicker than crepes with the toppings usually baked in. We had one savory with ham and bacon and mushrooms and cheese. We also shared a sweet one with apples and raisins baked in, and ice cream, chocolate chunks, and whipped cream on top. Yum.
Monica took us on a bike ride over to the local cheese farm! It was the Dutch adventure that Monisha had been eagerly awaiting. We took a nice walk around the grounds and saw the cows, chickens, and a little museum. The cows and chickens are allowed to wander in and out of the barn with much more space than most get. The museum was basically a recreation of a traditional Dutch house. It was in an >100 year old house set up as people lived in the early 1900s. The kitchen was the coolest room to look at, with a large meat smoking chamber, the old fashioned ovens, and, to our surprise, a waffle maker built into the stove. One room of the museum was just filled with all sorts of random things from the olden days in Holland: ice skates, cheese slicers, butter churners, and more.
And, of course, the most exciting room on the cheese farm: the cheese room! Wheels and wheels and wheels of cheese! We bought three different types: cumin, pesto, and truffle. Cumin is a long time amongst Monisha and her siblings and parents. Every time any of them go to Holland, cumin cheese is a must eat. We also bought yogurt, raw milk, and custard. We couldn’t believe how cheap all of this amazing quality, delicious dairy was. Cheese like that would be 2-3 times more expensive in California. And raw milk is more than five times as expensive. The custard was quite a delicious treat as well. We ate have of the liter bottle we got in one sitting ^__^
On Friday, we went on a run around Werkhoven (the town where Arvind and Monica live) and explored the rest of their yard. We saw a hedgehog! That afternoon, we went to visit Monisha’s Oma (grandmother in Dutch). We spent a lovely afternoon with her and Opa Tom. She gave us special Dutch pastries called Bossche Bols: cream filled balls covered with chocolate. She also shared some really nice licorice which Monisha’s aunt Monisha had brought for her from southern Holland. We got to look at pictures of little Maya and Nathan when they visited Holland at a young age. Nolan walked into the room at some point humming, so Oma asked if he sang. We told her we enjoy singing with each other, so she requested a song. We decided to sing one of our favorites, Southern Cross. She quite enjoyed that.
That evening we had a delicious meal at a Turkish restaurant called Saffraan (recommended by Rajiv). We had an appetizer assortment of spreads with bread. The best were the beet yogurt spread, eggplant red pepper spread, and cucumber tzatziki spread. Our main course we lamb kofte on a bed of roasted bread with yogurt sauce and tomato sauce on top. The restaurant is right on the bank of the canal that runs through Utrecht. The shops and main walking area are a story above the water, but there are a number of restaurants that right on the water level that you walk down to from the main level.
After dinner was Rajiv and his girlfriend Francesca’s housewarming party. They recently moved to Utrecht and have quite a nice place! They also have two little kitties that are the cutest things ever! There were 20 or so of their friends at the party, but we were the last ones to stay and we spent the night at their place. So we got lots of kitty time, and woke up to kitties playing and kitties on our bed. Odin and Freya are their names.
Rajiv and Francesca spent all of Saturday with us. They took us to the ‘woods’ in Zeist where we wandered around, saw some horses, and did a little bushwhacking. Afterwards they took us around the center of Utrecht. We walked by the Dom tower, though it was closed so we didn't walk up. We found the local street market and decided to try and cover all of the typical Dutch food experiences. First up was a croquette from a sort of fresh snack vending machine. Croquettes are deep fried balls of beef ragout. Next we had a pair of delicious, warm, fresh made stroopwafels. They were somehow crunchy and soft and chewy at the same time. Next up was herring. Monisha had eaten herring before, but it was Nolan’s first try. The fish was surprisingly good! It’s a bit strange to just slurp down an entire fish, and the flavor is quite strong! Oh yeah, and they eat them raw – with some chopped onions on top. Because we’re in Holland and it’s so delicious here, Monisha couldn’t resist getting another couple cheeses – this time goat cheese and another pesto cheese (but one where the whole block of cheese was green, rather than the other pesto we had where it was white with bits in it). And lastly, a whole bunch of licorice. One sweet kind and three salty kinds of difference intensities. Rajiv says he likes the salty ones better so we were happy to give them a try. Nolan loves licorice, but Monisha is usually not a fan. Honestly, she actually enjoyed having a little this time.
After a quick lunch / dinner, we headed back to Arvind and Monica’s place. We took the bus to Werkhoven and walked home from the station. We feel some level of accomplishment making our way around new cities and places with public transportation.
One thing you can't miss about Holland: BIKES! Literally everywhere. There are traffic signals specifically for bicycles. The bike racks have thousands of bikes parked. We've probably seen more bikes in the past two days than we would in months in California.
After arriving in Amsterdam, we took the train to Driebergen. We had planned to stay at Monisha’s uncle Arvind’s house first because we were only supposed to overlap with him for one day before he left for India. But, his son (Monisha’s cousin) Alex had back surgery for a double herniation, so Arvind left early. We are still staying at his house however, with his partner Monica. And what a house it is! They have a huge beautiful garden surrounding it. In the garden are multiple streams, ponds, and fruit trees. They also have a tower with an owl that lives at the top. The main house is amazing. It has a mostly wooden interior with beautiful pieces Arvind has collected from all over the world. Prominently displayed in its own room is Arvind’s hippo collection. :) It spills out a little into the rest of the house as well. Next to the main house, they have a separate guest house with a full kitchen (stocked just for us), bathroom, and living room. Monica is awesome. She took us to a traditional Dutch meal of pannekoeken for our first dinner in Holland. It was Nolan’s first time eating pannekoeken! They are Dutch pancakes: slightly thicker than crepes with the toppings usually baked in. We had one savory with ham and bacon and mushrooms and cheese. We also shared a sweet one with apples and raisins baked in, and ice cream, chocolate chunks, and whipped cream on top. Yum.
Monica took us on a bike ride over to the local cheese farm! It was the Dutch adventure that Monisha had been eagerly awaiting. We took a nice walk around the grounds and saw the cows, chickens, and a little museum. The cows and chickens are allowed to wander in and out of the barn with much more space than most get. The museum was basically a recreation of a traditional Dutch house. It was in an >100 year old house set up as people lived in the early 1900s. The kitchen was the coolest room to look at, with a large meat smoking chamber, the old fashioned ovens, and, to our surprise, a waffle maker built into the stove. One room of the museum was just filled with all sorts of random things from the olden days in Holland: ice skates, cheese slicers, butter churners, and more.
And, of course, the most exciting room on the cheese farm: the cheese room! Wheels and wheels and wheels of cheese! We bought three different types: cumin, pesto, and truffle. Cumin is a long time amongst Monisha and her siblings and parents. Every time any of them go to Holland, cumin cheese is a must eat. We also bought yogurt, raw milk, and custard. We couldn’t believe how cheap all of this amazing quality, delicious dairy was. Cheese like that would be 2-3 times more expensive in California. And raw milk is more than five times as expensive. The custard was quite a delicious treat as well. We ate have of the liter bottle we got in one sitting ^__^
That evening we had a delicious meal at a Turkish restaurant called Saffraan (recommended by Rajiv). We had an appetizer assortment of spreads with bread. The best were the beet yogurt spread, eggplant red pepper spread, and cucumber tzatziki spread. Our main course we lamb kofte on a bed of roasted bread with yogurt sauce and tomato sauce on top. The restaurant is right on the bank of the canal that runs through Utrecht. The shops and main walking area are a story above the water, but there are a number of restaurants that right on the water level that you walk down to from the main level.
After dinner was Rajiv and his girlfriend Francesca’s housewarming party. They recently moved to Utrecht and have quite a nice place! They also have two little kitties that are the cutest things ever! There were 20 or so of their friends at the party, but we were the last ones to stay and we spent the night at their place. So we got lots of kitty time, and woke up to kitties playing and kitties on our bed. Odin and Freya are their names.
Rajiv and Francesca spent all of Saturday with us. They took us to the ‘woods’ in Zeist where we wandered around, saw some horses, and did a little bushwhacking. Afterwards they took us around the center of Utrecht. We walked by the Dom tower, though it was closed so we didn't walk up. We found the local street market and decided to try and cover all of the typical Dutch food experiences. First up was a croquette from a sort of fresh snack vending machine. Croquettes are deep fried balls of beef ragout. Next we had a pair of delicious, warm, fresh made stroopwafels. They were somehow crunchy and soft and chewy at the same time. Next up was herring. Monisha had eaten herring before, but it was Nolan’s first try. The fish was surprisingly good! It’s a bit strange to just slurp down an entire fish, and the flavor is quite strong! Oh yeah, and they eat them raw – with some chopped onions on top. Because we’re in Holland and it’s so delicious here, Monisha couldn’t resist getting another couple cheeses – this time goat cheese and another pesto cheese (but one where the whole block of cheese was green, rather than the other pesto we had where it was white with bits in it). And lastly, a whole bunch of licorice. One sweet kind and three salty kinds of difference intensities. Rajiv says he likes the salty ones better so we were happy to give them a try. Nolan loves licorice, but Monisha is usually not a fan. Honestly, she actually enjoyed having a little this time.
After a quick lunch / dinner, we headed back to Arvind and Monica’s place. We took the bus to Werkhoven and walked home from the station. We feel some level of accomplishment making our way around new cities and places with public transportation.
One thing you can't miss about Holland: BIKES! Literally everywhere. There are traffic signals specifically for bicycles. The bike racks have thousands of bikes parked. We've probably seen more bikes in the past two days than we would in months in California.
It's so cool to see you in all those familiar haunts with my family! I know that pannekoek house, and that cheese farm (isn't it awesome?) I interviewed the owner about his family's history, their back pain, etc. Can't wait for the next post!
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