My Trash

Ever since we came to Amsterdam on our recon mission in the Spring of 2011 I have been fascinated with the way recycling is done.  Large, underground dumpsters are available every few blocks for residents to deposit their glass and paper.  Every so often (knowing the Dutch I'm sure there is a schedule) a truck comes along to empty them.  The really cool thing is that the truck has one driver who single handedly empties these dumpsters with the aid of a remote control attached to his belt!

For two years I have waited for an opportunity to photograph this and last week I finally got one.  When I was done taking pictures the driver approached me.  He apologized (he backed up the truck just as I was maneuvering my gigantic bicycle out of its parking spot) and asked about the picture I took.  We started talking about recycling and he said it was important because, "it makes a better milieu."  By that, I think he meant a better environment but I liked the idea of it simply creating better surroundings.

My friendly neighborhood recycling guy lifting the paper recycling dumpster  with a crane arm.  You can see the truck it is going into as well as the glass dumpster next to it.  

Each dumpster is lifted above the truck then the driver presses something on the remote control that makes the bottom open up and the contents are deposited into the truck.  It's really very cool.

First Day of School

 M started school last week.  It's what the British call Year 1 which is the equivalent of US kindergarten.

           

 

The week was OK.  It seems they are giving the children ample time to settle in and M thinks there is too much playing.  He told me he's dying to do some math and loves learning new things.  Hopefully things will take a turn for the academic soon.  He's used to a rigorous pace:  in Reception last year (the equivalent of US Pre-K) they learned how to read and how to tell time!

Staycation Concludes

On Thursday we rode over to Flevorpark and took park in an urban foraging walk for kids.  We learned how to identify several plants, including Elder, Plantain, Mugwart, Hazel and Poppy.  We also saw the plant that was the inspiration for Velcro!  It was a lot of fun, and at the end we made our own pizzas in a wood-fired oven.  The photos below were taken off of the website for the walk since we were all too engaged in what we were learning to take pics that day.

Jeungdland in Flevopark

The oven we cooked our pizzas in.

Friday was our last day of staycation.  We toured the palace in Dam Square, something M has asked about since we arrived here.  They had a great (free) audio tour for kids that centered around a kid, the child of Louis Napoleon, who once lived in the palace.  It included quiz questions and a medal for attaching stickers.  If you answered the questions correctly the stickers around the perimeter spelled out a message.  We all really enjoyed this.

After the palace we went to the Amsterdam Museum where we enjoyed a special kids exhibit about the 17th century orphanage in which the museum is now housed.  

A Day Out in Rotterdam

When we first suggested the idea of a staycation to M he immediately suggested we visit Rotterdam.  We aren't sure where he got this idea since neither of us really had any idea what was in Rotterdam, but it turned out to be one of the best days of our week.

The day started with a bit of a shaky start--we left a little later than anticipated, look a local train, and had to get off a few stops early to make an emergency pit stop, then wait a half hour for the next train.  This meant we got to Rotterdam ready for lunch and a little discombobulated, but once we figured out which side of the station to exit on we quickly found a nice wine bar and our day turned around.

Our first stop was Euromast.  a 600 foot observation tower that overlooks Rotterdam's famous port, or as we dubbed it, The Dutch Space Needle.   We walked there, taking in some of the ambience of Rotterdam (and wishing we had brought bikes).  Most people who know me know that heights are not my thing.  I have only been to the top of the Empire State Building 3 times, all reluctantly, and all with very good friends to support me.  I will also never forget the look on my parents' faces when I climbed to the top of Blarney Castle (and the subsequent looks of annoyance every time--about 5 million-- I exclaimed my pride at what I had done).

M knows I don't love heights so he told me he'd hold my hand the whole time.  I quickly dismissed him since it was clear my freakish phobia was holding him back.  After a few minutes he and P ascended the stairs to the the second level of the observation deck to board the rotating glass elevator that ascends the final 50 feet to the top.

Next we headed over to Delfshaven, an historic district and one of the few places in Rotterdam that wasn't destroyed in the second world war.  There we visited a working windmill that actually sells flours to the public.  We bought a couple of bags of different flours for 1.30 euro. In the States artisanal flour would have easily been twice that price.

Finally for dinner we stopped at a restaurant in Chinatown. After 15 years in NY I'm a Chinese food snob--I don't eat suburban Chinese food. This was the top notch urban Chinese food I crave. M didn't get to bed until 9:15 which is a new record for him.

The little town where we had a pit stop.    
So little that M had to pee in the bushes.

I love that M has worn his Hyannis Marina
t-shirt throughout Europe!

M had a great time with the screen in the train station where he could chase after rhinos,
astronauts and storm clouds.

The view from Euromast. Yes, I eventually calmed down enough to take this photo.

A door at the top of Euromas twas labelled "stars"
but I think it was meant to say "stairs."

Unfortunately we missed the Lego building event,
but M was still able to get his picture taken with the Lego Friends.

The working windmill where we bought flour.  It was amazing how much noise it made!

Delftshaven was historic, but living in an historic area we were underwhelmed.

Staycation: Days 3 and 4

On Monday we took a short train ride to a town called Zaandfoort aan Zee on the North Atlantic coast. It was remarkable how this town reminded me of other North Atlantic beaches close to urban areas, like Nantasket and Long Beach.  The beach is lined with restaurants that have lounge chairs for rent right outside their premises.  While we didn't rent chairs--of course M wanted to dig in the sand close to the water--we did have a very nice lunch at one of them.  M had a great time building a castle and frolicking in the tidal pools left at low tide.  It was a very fun day out, but also exhausting.

We got dinner at a local snack bar chain I've always wanted to try, FEBO.  The fries were good, which was great because the quantity of fries at lunch was disappointing.

The big sand castle we made.

M having a blast in the sand.

On Tuesday we went to the Troppenmuseum which was like a trip around the world and just about as exhausting!  The cafe even features cuisine from around the world.  I can't say enough about how interesting and fun this museum is and it will now be my go-to recommendation for guests.  M loved the houses that were open to crawl into and all of the spices on display.

Dancing around the Yemeni home exhibit.

M and P learning about drums of the world.

A bodhran (Irish drum) in the music exhibit.  (This pic is for my mom)

Sunday, Part II

On Sunday M and Peter had their own little adventure:  they took the train to Ossterbeek.  Here's Peter's account of their day:

M and I went to the Airborne Museum at Oosterbeek near Arnhem to remember the campaign "Operation Market Garden" and to satisfy M's growing curiosity with WWII. We both enjoyed the museum and M especially enjoyed the "Airborne Experience" where you relive the campaign and follow in the footsteps of British paratroopers as they battle their way to Arnhem. It was quite intense, frightening, loud and scary for a six year old. So much so that we had to do it twice! What can I say? The trip was rounded off by a visit to the museum shop to buy some "faux lego" of an army ambulance and jeep.

What Peter doesn't mention is that he completely organized this on his own so that I could see Jane, even packing up the bag for the outing.  They had a great day out together and it set a nice tone for the rest of the week. Peter continued to pack the outing bag every day, do any necessary train research and M was so bonded with him that in some ways I actually got a slight vacation from my usual parenting responsibilities!

Gazelligheid (Or, Sunday, Part I)

Proof that Jane navigated around Zuid by bike!

Gazelligheid is a Dutch word regarded as untranslatable into English.  It refers to the cozy feeling of spending time with friends, particularly after a long absence.  I was really lucky to have a truly "gazellig" day during staycation.

Jane, my BFF from my year in Dominica, was in Amsterdam with her 13-year-old daughter, Melissa.  Jane and I left Dominica around the same time; she and her family now live in the UK.  Despite our best intentions we have seen each other only once since 1998, when she and her family traveled to Washington, DC, when Melissa was an infant.  This DC was one of many trips that Jane and her family has won (they are incredibly lucky like that).

From the minute I arrived at their hotel it was like I had just seen them the day before.  What I have always loved about Jane is her zest for life.  To say she is fun loving doesn't begin to describe her (and makes her sound like a party girl which isn't the case).  Jane is filled with an infectious positivity that just makes people love to be around her.

Our plan was to cycle over to Art Zuid, a large scale public art exhibit in my neighborhood, and then get some dinner.  While Melissa is an expert cyclist, Jane (like me) isn't super comfortable cycling on main roads and prefers to stick to less populated paths.  Despite this, Jane made it to Art Zuid, out to dinner (Where we met M and Peter who had their own adventure) and back without incident.  Jane and Melissa were the most fearless guests we have had to date!

The big sauna skull...

...and with a visitor inside.  Sadly we learned it smelled a bit like wee.

We all agreed this bit of bling was one of our favorites.

Melissa and Jane looking lovely (and proud!) after a day of cycling.

Staycation: The Slow Start

Suddenly Saturday morning was upon us and although I had done plenty of planning for the week to come, I had somehow failed to plan anything for the weekend and was at a bit of a loss for the first day of staycation.

The view on the way to Niewe Meer was encouraging

One of the things we wanted to do was check out Niewe Meer, a beach nearby in Amsterdamse Bos.  Amsterdamse Bos (Amsterdam Woods) is like a big state park back in the US.  It has great attractions:  a goat farm, a petting zoo, a paddling pool, some playgrounds and plenty of wilderness, all of which we had experienced before.  Niewe Meer would be something different.  We got a nice early start, hit our local favorite place for breakfast (um, not something new, but we were just starting out) and cycled toward Niewe Meer.

I only had basic directions on how to get there and we tried our best.  But since one of the road signs appeared to be missing we never did make it there.  However we had a great day cycling around the wilderness, playing at the kinderboerderij (petting zoo), and M even went swimming in a canal (although we opted against renting a paddle boat because of the ridiculous cost).  Then we went home and at pizza, the same old pizza we always eat.  It was the first day and already we were already ignoring our self-imposed guidelines.

While there was no swimming at Niewe Meer for us,
we did find a canalside recreation area that had a swimming area.

I started to think maybe staycation might turn into a bust.  Were we destined to fail in our attempts for adventure?  Would our intention to have new experiences give way to our proven inability to organize a piss-up in a brewery?  We still had 6 days, 6 better organized days, to determine if staycation would be a success.

One highlight was P on the zipline.

Mystery Vacation Revealed

When planning our family vacation this year we thought long and hard about what it was we wanted to get out of our vacation. Did we want to relax on the beach? Did we want to explore a new country?  Did we want to spend family time together?  Was it adventure or contemplation?  Was it pampering or learning?

First and foremost we wanted family time.   While we originally looked at warm weather resorts with "kids clubs," relaxing on beach wasn't really what we were looking for.  I love the idea of a kids club and certainly see many kids clubs in our future, but for this particular vacation we thought a kids club would cut into our desired family time.  M and I had already spent a month at the beach (and are still sporting our tans).  We were happy that Peter could join us there for a week.   The more we considered it, the more we thought that our ideal vacation this year would be one of exploration and adventure:  a "stay-cation:" a vacation in our home city of Amsterdam.

We prepared for this "trip" in a number of ways.  First we hyped the concept to M.  It was pretty easy to get him on board--staycation is a catchy title and he was pretty excited to have a week of exploration and learning, especially since Peter would be with us.  Next we made the decision to keep our holiday destination secret, mainly because we didn't want anyone judging our decision to stay put.  Finally we decided there were two rules to staycation:  (1) we had to do things we had not done before and (2) money wasn't an object, this was a vacation and a time to splash out.

Over the next few posts I'll detail the adventures we had during our week in Holland.