We were up early, but not quite early enough on Wednesday. The rental car had to be back by 8:30, but I wanted to check out the Royal FloraHolland flower market. Early is best for a place that ships tons of flowers as soon as possible; cut flowers don't last forever. Besides the bustling mini-trucks of flowers, I was excited to see the auction. Because time is of the essence, the prices start high and tick downward. Once someone clicks to buy, they are sold. The highest bidder always gets the flowers, to then ship to their customers, but it is almost a video game as to who gets the flowers first.
Well, everything took a bit more time than expected, so the 5:45am wake up call didn't get us to the flowers until 7:15. We then got lost, parking near an elevator that employees use and going down a few levels until we were in the bowels of the building. We retraced our steps and found the signs for the tourist section, which involved a hike all the way around the building. Our path merged in with that of a tour group, and the ten minutes it would have taken to buy tickets behind all of them were the last minutes we had before the car needed to be back.
We instead spent those ten minutes on getting gas for the car, it's own slight trial with labeling for gas that wasn't in English, but we made it back to the airport around 8:15.
We had an Airbnb in the city that I'd been emailing with. They at first wanted a phone number to text before they'd show up - I have my Google Voice number, which could work for that, but only on wifi. We eventually agreed that I'd check in as we were leaving the airport then meet up about an hour later.
I had pulled up public transportation directions on Google Maps previously, which had us taking the "Skipper" to Tram #4. I had cleared those when looking for who knows what on Google Maps, so when we got to Amsterdam Central Station I no longer had them. And, looking at my map, we weren't supposed to be at Amsterdam Central at all - there was another station that intersected with Tram #4 that was recommended.
But, getting off the train, that didn't fully sink in. You can't pull up public transportation directions offline, only driving, but I knew where we were and where we needed to go. As we exited the station, we found Tram #4. We had been told that a tap card wasn't right, since we weren't going to be in the city for a week to make it worth it. We were going to buy tickets from the driver... but he rushed us to get into the very full car and took off, not really paying attention to if we paid or not.
It was a stop or two later that we had breathing room, and by that time I had confirmed we were headed in the right direction. I suppose we still could have bought the €2.80 ticket, but that felt expensive, and we were almost there...
When I visited Maria in Austria, we learned the term "black riding." Because the bus system there requires you to tap in and tap out, there is no driver that is also a cashier - you are left to your own devices to make sure you've paid. Or, in our case back then, to make sure you hop off a bus when a ticket agent hops on.
So, back in Amsterdam, the system was similar, so we looked out for cops as we rode the last few stops. Despite going a completely different route that the one I had pulled up, we made it to the apartment.
We maybe waited for ten minutes before our surrogate host came to welcome us. She works for a company that the owner pays to connect with his guests. We were just happy that we got to check in early! She gave a good overview of how King's Night and Day would work, with some suggestions for areas and places to see tonight and tomorrow. Rick Steves didn't cover this national holiday in his book, so help was appreciated.
After she left, I napped for two hours. I was frustrated and tired from getting up early but not seeing what I'd planned on seeing, so a comfy bed was a good relief from that. The room was freezing, so the giant comforter was necessary. (We figured out the heaters after we woke up.)
It was noon, so time to venture out, find a bite, and see if Alisa could find something orange to wear. The Netherlands celebrates their royalty every year with a day off. The queen of a century ago started it on her birthday; now it's a king who is the reigning monarchy, and many people still slip and call it Queen's Day. I didn't realize that King's Night (the evening before) was a big deal, but the sound stages being set up all around the city weren't just for tomorrow!
The market was a few blocks long, and we got some Dutch goodies while wandering along it. First up: freshly made stroopwafels. Literally, ball of dough on the honey-combed grill while we were standing there. I guess I hadn't thought about how the caramel-y sauce gets into the middle of the sandwich, but learned that it was because the two sides of the waffle stick to the griddle, creating two sides. He peeled off the layers, coated one with the syrup, then sandwiched them and handed them off. They hadn't hardened into the warm crunchy snack we'd had at Keukenhof; the gooeyness was still there, fresh and hot.
Our appetites piqued, we continued walking. Herring has been a commonly suggested food to try, so what to have for lunch was answer with a herring on a bun with onions and pickles. It was shockingly good - salty, vinegary, with crunch from the pickle and onion to offset the sliminess of the single whole fish.
Alisa wasn't going for it (given that she avoids meat), so we hit the end of the market and turned around to get to the gozleme stands. These Turkish pancakes were stuffed with potato or cheese or spinach - Alisa got one with the last two and munched on it as we got back to the beginning of the market and circled the block back to our place to drop off her new sweatshirt.
While we were home, I was checking out the Rick Steves book and saw him mention a cheese tasting. When he said it was paired with wine, I got even more excited. We ordered tickets for the 4:30 tasting, downloaded a walking tour, and headed out.
I decided we'd start the tour over halfway through, so we could make sure to not be late. It started near a clock tower, called the Mint Tower, near the floating flower market.
The tower was originally the city's gate with its moat. Now, it is very much near the center. Given the coffee shop atmosphere, Rick Steves explained that the clock tower, built in 1620, is a favorite for selfies in the afternoon. (4:20 = 16:20 in Europe, get it?)
The skies got gray as Rick's audio tour described the flower markets, with all the tulip bulbs and more. A light rain greeted us at the end of the row, so we ducked undercover for the few minutes of heavy wetness.
It has been a particularly cold week in Amsterdam, so our long walks are continually interrupted by popping into shops or cafes. Thankfully, we have been near cover, though with differing amounts of welcoming. This time, no one cared that we were hanging out by spinning racks of postcards.
The rain lightened and we continued. Small streets introduced us to "Smart Shops", where naturally sourced herbs and pills ranged from vitamins to Salvia. Since they are not lab-created, they can be sold.
A final plaza (and another downpour) were at the end of the walking tour. We saw a theater, a disco, and a pot coffee shop as we ducked under the umbrellas protecting some outdoor tables. Despite the fact that it has been cold, there have been people outside everywhere and every day. Some have dogs, some are smoking cigarettes, and some are just trying to pretend that 55 degrees really is spring.
Heaters are nice, but we really should have brought our own blankets.
We still had 45 minutes or so until the tasting, but we decided to head to the shop and explore nearby to be sure we weren't late. As we began, the clouds turned into hail.
Yup. Roughly the third time we've seen hail this trip.
We ducked into a bookstore and were greeted with a very gruff "I know you're just in here to avoid the rain, but rain and books don't mix, so don't touch!"
With that heartening message, we didn't buy anything and were out once it was safe. Nicer, and we might have thought about being customers!
We checked in at Reypenaer, then wandered from store to store near there, ogling jewelry, cards, pillows, and purses. Finally, it was time!
The basement of the store had tables, each with a pair of chairs and a guillotine for cheese. A few wine glasses let me know that the tasting hasn't changed in the four years since this book was published. Our host chatted about the very old nature of the building where their cheese is aged, told us that nearly a quarter evaporates during the process (more with every passing year; it's called the "angel's share"), and gave us some of the temperature ranges for their microclimate. They'd won a high prize in Madison, Wisconsin, because they were no longer allowed in a European competition because they swept it too many times.
A five-minute video showed the old structure, the cheese master, and some of the techniques (wiping it down, thumping it with a hammer or hand to listen for holes). Then, it was time!
I carved us two slices from the young goat cheese, we described the color, texture, and taste, and then I cut us some more. The young goat one was my favorite (just like wine - I like it young). I learned the lactose in cheese is gone after about a year of aging; the darker color in older cheese is from the sugars caramelizing. He brought out a Viognier that made it have a sweeter taste. We then tried the older, "gray" goat cheese, alone then paired with a Syrah. The red wine brought out vanilla notes that were excellent as well.
We then got into the yellow goudas. The Netherlands doesn't have an international "copyright" on Gouda or even on Dutch Gouda, so their DOC is Holland Gouda. The first cheese wasn't great - just regular deli cheese with only a bit of aging. Once the one year and more came out, I liked them better... but the goat cheese was still my favorite. Their cheeses don't need to be refrigerated for a month or more, so it is safe to take back with me. I got one of those cheese guillotines too. Kitchen fun stuff!
We were feeling nice and full after our cheeses and wines, so it was time to roam and see what this King's Day was about!
Our check-in host had said the Jordaan neighborhood would be a nice place to explore, and we were only a few blocks from it, so we queued up Rick on our iPhones and hit the streets.
No comments:
Post a Comment