the stories that I'm telling.

Author: Heather

  • Day 3 in Amsterdam – Walking Lots & Visiting the Foam Museum

    Day 3 in Amsterdam – Walking Lots & Visiting the Foam Museum

    Our last museum stop of the day was the “Foam” Museum, a well-reviewed photography museum.

    Before the museum though, we needed a lunch break. On the advice of Esther from the Hungry Birds Food Tour, we had lunch at Tomaz, an old restaurant in the old part of the city. When we asked where Dutch families might go out to eat together, this was the place she suggested. We had traditional Dutch beer with traditional Dutch food. The highlight was BitterBallen, little fried balls of meet & sauce & seasoning, best eaten with mustard and beer.

    Rested and fed, we headed back to Foam. Here’s how Wikipedia describes the museum:

    Foam or Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam is a photography museum located at the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The museum has four different exhibitions at any given time in which different photographic genres are shown, such as documentary, art and fashion. Two notable shows were Henri Cartier-Bresson – A Retrospective, work by Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Richard Avedon – Photographs 1946 -2004, a major retrospective of Richard Avedon. In summer 2016 Foam will present a major Helmut Newton retrospective exhibition. Next to large exhibitions by well-known photographers, Foam also shows the work of young and upcoming photographers, in shorter running exhibitions. The museum contains a café, a library, a commercial gallery called FoamEditions and a bookshop.

    We didn’t take many photos, but we certainly saw plenty. The highlight was the exhibit of Gordon Parks’ photography. Gordon Parks was a American photographer between the 1950s and 1980s who captured American life, and was a regularly featured contributor in Life Magazine. His work often touched on themes of social justice and civil rights in the country. You can learn more about Gordon and this exhibit right here. If you live in North America, odds are good that you’ve seen his work already.

    Check out our photos from the day below!

    On the way to lunch
    Finally… time to relax!
    BitterBallen and homemade meatloaf!
    Inside the museum
    Another neat exhibit…
  • Day 3 in Amsterdam – Visiting the Cat Museum

    Day 3 in Amsterdam – Visiting the Cat Museum

    After visiting the Canal Museum, we planned to head over to the Foam Museum (more on that later). On the way, our walk took us past the Cat Museum, and of course we had to stop in for a visit.

    The Cat Museum is properly known as KattenKabinet or “Cat Cabinet”. It’s an art museum located in an old home that is solely focused on exhibiting arts related to cats, cats, and more cats.

    As well established cat people, Kevin and I were more than happy to hand over a few euros to explore the house and the collection, and hopefully see a few cats.

    As far as museums go, this one is pretty unique, but unfortunately we only saw one real cat while we were there!

    The art collection is pretty cute, and they have a lovely outdoor space that includes seating areas and more cat art. We paid 7 euros each to get in, which probably isn’t worth it unless you really love cats, but we do, so it was.

    You can see the whole collection in under 30 minutes, and it’s also pretty interesting to walk through the house. After spending so much time in awe of the canals and the houses along them, it was nice to get inside and get an additional perspective.

    If you’re looking for a cute, quick and quirky museum to visit, you should definitely consider stopping by KattenKabinet! See below for our photos!

  • Day 3 in Amsterdam – The Canal House Museum

    Day 3 in Amsterdam – The Canal House Museum

    After visiting the Amsterdam Museum, we headed to the Canal House Museum, known as the “Museum of the Canals” or “Het Grachtenhuis“. The museum is located in an old house along an older portion of canals and it was delightful. While visiting Amsterdam we visited many museums, and we found nearly all of them to be incredibly well-curated.

    The Canal House Museum was one of our favourites. They made particularly good use of audio visual effects to tell the story of Amsterdam’s architecture as it relates to the canals and the houses built alongside them.

    Here’s bit of information from Wikipedia about the Amsterdam Canals:

    Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than one hundred kilometers of grachten (canals), about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals (Herengracht, Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht), dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Much of the Amsterdam canal system is the successful outcome of city planning. In the early part of the 17th century, with immigration rising, a comprehensive plan was put together, calling for four main, concentric half-circles of canals with their ends resting on the IJ Bay. Known as the “grachtengordel”,[5] three of the canals are mostly for residential development (Herengracht or ‘’Patricians’ Canal’’; Keizersgracht or ‘’Emperor’s Canal’’; and Prinsengracht or ‘’Prince’s Canal’’), and a fourth, outer canal, the Singelgracht, for purposes of defense and water management. The plan also envisaged interconnecting canals along radii.

    As you can tell, the Canal House Museum is the perfect follow up to the Amsterdam Museum. To get a sense of how the museum looks, check out this video:

     

     

    Th Canal House Museum is a must-see for anyone interested in urban planning or anthropology, or even just those of you who love quality museums. Check it out if you can! See below for a few photos from our visit.

     

     

  • We learned how to make pierogi this Christmas!

    We learned how to make pierogi this Christmas!

    Every year for Christmas, my Nana Helen (mother of my mother) makes pierogies. My mom’s side of the family is Polish/Ukrainian, and while we dabble only very lightly in Eastern European holiday tradition, pierogies and sour cream are staples at all family events (along with cabbage rolls and borscht, but pierogies are the undeniable fan favourites).

    My brothers and I have discussed making pierogies and stepping up to learn, take over, and carry forward some family traditions, and this holiday season was one of our first collective steps in that direction.

    In addition to learning how to make pierogi (according to Wikipedia the word is already plural… why would you have just one?!), we also made dinner on Christmas Day. It was a significant group effort… despite only needing to feed 10, we made enough food for nearly twenty: butternut squash/pear soup from scratch, turkey according to the Gordon Ramsay method (lemons are the key to having a delicious and juicy turkey), green beans with bacon, baked cod with tomatoes/potatoes/onions, garlic mashed potatoes, seasoned carrots, cabbage rolls, homemade gravy, and our very own pierogi!

    For dessert, my mom ordered us the most beautiful Happy Birthday Jesus cake imaginable. That’s a new tradition, but it’s one that we’ll be keeping.

    Anyways… back to the pierogi-making. My grandparents are famously early risers, and always quick to get things done. So when the four of us arrived at their house around 10am on the 23rd, we expected the pierogi-making process to be half done. To our surprise and delight, they really had waited for us before beginning!

    We donned our babushkas and our aprons, rolled up our sleeves, and got started.

    For the dough, I mixed 1 cup of room temperature water into a 6 cups of Red Rose white flour, along with a couple dollops of regular sour cream. Once it was mixed I had to knead the dough into a nice round ball. I then put the dough aside in a bowl and covered it with a towel. The dough needed to rest on the counter for approximately 30 minutes before it would be ready for use.

    In the meantime, my brothers were getting the filling ready: grating old cheddar cheese, and peeling and quartering old yellow potatoes (just old enough that something’s growing out of them). We then boiled the potatoes to prepare for mashing.

    Next: lunch break! Heaven forbid we work without being provided lunch!

    After lunch, the potatoes were boiled. We mashed them up and added the grated cheese. We also added a few scoops from a jar of sautéed onions that grandmother had made ahead of time. Once the potato mix was ready, we put it outside in the lanai to cool to room temperature-ish.

    Once the potatoes had cooled, we started rolling out the dough: time to make pierogi!

    We rolled out the dough on the kitchen table, aiming for 1/8 inches in thickness. Then we used an old tuna can to cut circles out of the dough. To make the pierogi, you take a circle of dough, add in a spoonful of filling, and pull the sides together around the filling. Pinch the dough together on both sides in such a vigorous way that you’re sure it won’t pop open when boiling.

    We placed them on a towel-covered platter, side by side. When the platter was full, we covered it with another towel, and continued lining up pierogi. They actually looked pretty darn cute. Once all the dough was gone, that’s a wrap! The trays went out to the lanai to freeze a bit. Alternatively, the trays could’ve been placed into the freezer (a deep freeze, obviously… this is the ‘burbs!).

    Anyways, I doubt most of you read all that, but I needed it written down somewhere, so there it is. See below for our photos from our holiday adventures in Grimsby!

    making pierogi like a proper baba!
    Christmas hiking!
    dinner is served!
    dessert!
  • Day 3 in Amsterdam – Visiting the Amsterdam Museum

    Day 3 in Amsterdam – Visiting the Amsterdam Museum

    Our third day in Amsterdam was a full day, and it started quite early. We were up by 7am and out the door to explore the city and find breakfast by 7:30am. Given how quiet we’d noted the nightlife to be the previous evening, we had suspected the city would be bustling in the early morning, but that was not the case in reality.

    In fact, the city was very quiet, and there was hardly anyone outside. We walked along the canal that would later host the Pride Parade and noted a few early birds setting up their floats or their viewing spots, but the city was mostly calm. We managed to find one breakfast place open. After a delicious meal, we headed to the first of many museums for the day: The Amsterdam Museum.

    When we travel to a new city, we like to start with learning about the history of that city, as the city itself chooses to present. We’re both hoping that one day Toronto gets a similar institution to showcase our history for visitors; the courts currently housed in the Old City Hall will be moving out shortly, hopefully a Toronto Museum will move in!

    As for the Amsterdam Museum… again, we arrived too early, so we had a coffee around the corner, and then later went back for some learning.

    The Amsterdam Museum is all about the history of Amsterdam and how the city came to be. It’s located in the old historic city centre, in a building that once housed a municipal orphanage.

    The museum begins with lessons on the city’s founding, and then evolves into exhibits on the modern features of Amsterdam, including a couple of interactive exhibits about what the city’s future should include.

    The history of the city was well presented and it told an interesting tale. While most other European communities at the time were ruled by royalty, Amsterdam’s power was held by groups of regents, and membership in the ruling class was somewhat accessible. Relative to other cities in Europe at the time, Amsterdam was also know to be quite tolerant of religious diversity, and thus it was a popular destination among immigrants.

    There’s much more to all this, and it’s described in greater detail on Wikipedia – check it out!

    If you’re going to Amsterdam but you don’t know much about the city itself, this museum is well worth visiting. See below for photos from our early morning adventures and our time at the Amsterdam Museum!

    early morning, quiet canals
    still charging stations everywhere!
    and more old cars!
    getting close to the museum in the old city centre
    here we are!
    starting out with some fashions from back in the day
    an absurbly extravagant animal tusk, courtesy of colonialism
    learning!
    visiting an exhibit
    The Amsterdam Coat of Arms, found all over the city
    one of the modern exhibits
    Let’s hit the road!
  • Day 3 in Amsterdam – Pride & the Canal Parade!!

    Day 3 in Amsterdam – Pride & the Canal Parade!!

    We happened to arrive in Amsterdam during their week long Pride festivities. Our second full day in the city was the day of the famous “Canal Parade”. In most other cities, Pride parades take place as a march through the streets, but this parade taps into the city’s fantastic canal network, and thus both the streets and the waterways are packed for the event.

    We were cautioned by many people to prepare ourselves for loads of traffic and crushing crowds, but we found those warnings were a bit over zealous. Yes, there were big crowds, but movement was only restricted in a small area. We spent most of this day visiting museums, but we did stop by the Pride events a few times to check out the incredible floats, music, performers, and crowds.

    You can learn more about Amsterdam Pride right here, and you can see photos below from our time at the event!

     

    Pride crowds round 1
    look at all these people!
    many fantastic costumes
    and fantastic souvenirs!
    checking out the boats on the canal
    more chargers!
    and an old car!
    on the canal, see the floats on the water…
    more floats!
  • Day 2 in Amsterdam: Hungry Birds Food Tour!

    Day 2 in Amsterdam: Hungry Birds Food Tour!

    The best thing about our trip was that Kevin planned all of it, and I just had to show up.

    We didn’t know much about Amsterdam before we arrived in the city, so we started off our first full day with a food tour. I’d never been on a food tour before, but I definitely recommend it. We learned a lot from our guide, Esther, about the city’s history and food culture, and the route she took us on helped to give us a good foundation for how to navigate our way around the city for the rest of our trip.

    The tour we went on was run by a company called Hungry Birds. It’s owned and operated by 3 young Dutch women who love food and love their city. They offer a variety of tour packages, and we opted for the day time experience.

    So, what’s a food tour? How does it work? It’s pretty much what it sounds like. We met up with Esther and 8 other tourists, and then we walked around the city to a variety of pre-selected locations, stopping at each one for a bite to eat. The tour is curated to show you the range of food culture in Amsterdam, and at each location we learned the significance of that spot and how it relates to Dutch culture. We also met many local business owner-operators and tried many authentic local spots and foods that we would not have found on our own. After all that eating and walking, we all grabbed a drink in a bar and received more recommendations from Esther for other places to try.

    So where did we go? Photos are below to show it all!

    starting off our morning walk with some coffees, walking through a local market
    charging stations for electric cars are everywhere!
    look how pretty this place is!
    President Adams used to live here!
    we never once got over how pleasant these canals and pathways are. many more photos to come of scenes like this.
    Stop 1 – a local Toko, aka a Dutch grocery store that specializes in Indonesian and other South East Asian cuisines
    At the toko
    so so so so good
    Heading to the first ever Febo location in Amsterdam
    Spend coins, get food.
    Delicious!
    Stopping off at a yogourt bar!
    Another Toko in the area; this one is renowned for its sandwich bar, where it sells Surinamese sandwiches,
    Went inside Tjin’s to check out their international selections, and I found this Max Verstappen Red Bull can!
    Our Surinamese sandwiches. So delicious
    Entering the Albert Cuyp Marketing in Amsterdam, where our next few stops took place
    Traditional cod fish. Deliciously fried with sauces.
    Pickled Herring.
    We really ate it!
    Better than I’d expected, but still definitely an acquired taste.
    This vendor has been in the market for generations, making traditional poffertjes
    Poffertjes are a traditional Dutch batter treat. Resembling small, fluffy pancakes, they are made with yeast and buckwheat flour.
    Tradtionally they’re served with powdered sugar, and they are delicious!
    had to stop and check out the cat supplies
    And now onto another family business that makes desserts – stroopwafels!!
    A stroopwafel is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked dough with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle. They are wildly good.
    After all that dessert, we needed some espresso.
    And we got it, inside this lovely Moroccan restaurant!
    Continuing our stroll through the market
    Our last market stop was this Indonesian restaurant – another family-run, community-building business.
    Delicious spicy soup!
    This is a statue of a Dutch singer who was famous in Dutch Bars
    After leaving the market, we went to a traditional Dutch Brown Bar and drank Jenever
    Brown bars take their name from the warm tints of the dark, wooden interior with smoke-stained walls and old simple furniture, as well as soft, cozy lighting.
    A common drink is Jenever, the juniper-flavored national and traditional liquor of the Netherlands and Belgium, from which gin evolved.
    o locals, the brown bar is almost an extension of their living room: this is where you go for a cup of coffee in the daytime or for a drink after work, let their hair down, catch up with friends and neighbours, and just unwind. In fact, all the chairs face inwards, to encourage opennenss and conversation
    On the walk to our next snack, we stopped in to visit this Art Deco Theatre. They still play films here!
    Our next stop was Dutch Delicacy, a place inspired by “Eataly”. It’s part grocery store, part deli, part trendy shop. We tried the cheeses, which were amazing!
    Around the corner from Dutch Delicacy is a bakery that only sells this one cookie. There is always a lineup, but Esther picked some up for us, and we snacked on them at the Dutch Delicacy
    Obviously, delicious.
    Our final ‘official’ stop was this ice cream shop, which was wonderful.
    And then we relaxed with Esther in another Brown Bar as we reflected on the day. Thanks to Esther for the great recommendations she gave us for the rest of our trip!
    And we spent the rest of the day exploring
    Walking through the red light district
  • Day 1 in Amsterdam: Walking & Eating!

    Day 1 in Amsterdam: Walking & Eating!

    The week before we went to Amsterdam, Kevin met up with a friend who had visited the city multiple times. The friend was insistent that we seek out and eat an Indonesian dish called “rijsttafel”. Naturally, we did our research, and it was the first thing we did (after checking into our hotel, and allotting time for me to have a 2 hour nap).

    Once I was feeling a bit more rested, we struck out on a walk through the city, taking in the beautiful buildings, canals and streetscapes (in our 6 days, it never got old). We ended our walk at Restaurant Jun, a well-reviewed Indonesian restaurant.

    For those of you who (like me) didn’t pay enough attention in history class, here’s some background on Indonesian cuisine and rijsttafel, courtesy of our friends at Wikipedia:

    The Dutch colonial feast, the rijsttafel, was created to provide a festive and official type of banquet that would represent the multi-ethnic nature of the Indonesian archipelago. Dishes were assembled from many of the far flung regions of Indonesia, where many different cuisines exist, often determined by ethnicity and culture of the particular island or island group — from Javanese favourite sateh, tempeh and seroendeng, to vegetarian cuisine gado-gado and lodeh with sambal lalab from Batavia and Preanger. From spicy rendang and gulai curry from the Minangkabau region in Sumatra, to East Indies ubiquitous dishes nasi goreng, soto ayam, and kroepoek crackers. Also Indonesian dishes from hybrid influences; such as Chinese babi ketjap, loempia, and bamie to European beef smoor. And there are many others from the hundreds of inhabited islands, which contain more than 300 regional and ethnic language groups.

    During its centuries of popularity in Dutch East Indies, lines of servants or sarong-clad waitresses ceremoniously served the marathon meal on platters laden with steaming bowls of fragrant foods. The first to be served was a cone-shaped pile of rice on a large platter, which the server placed in the center of the table. The servers then surrounded the rice platter with as many as 40 small bowls holding meat and vegetable dishes as well as condiments. 

    Brought back to the Netherlands by former colonials and exiled Indonesians and Indo-Europeans (Eurasians) after Indonesia gained its independence in 1945, the rijsttafel was predominantly popular with Dutch families with colonial roots. On the other hand, when Indonesia proclaimed its independence in 1945, nationalist sentiment promoted the rejection of Dutch colonial culture and customs, including the flamboyant rice table. Today, the rice table has practically disappeared from Indonesia’s restaurants and is served only by a handful of fine-dining restaurants in Indonesia.

    More of a banquet than a regular meal, the rijsttafel has survived Indonesia’s independence, composed as it is of indigenous Indonesian dishes, and is served in some mainstream restaurants in Indonesia. A typical rijsttafel will have several dining tables covered with different dishes; while in some fancy settings in Indonesia, each dish may be served by a separate waitress. Since about 1990, Indonesian food has become part of a mainstream interest in South East Asian cuisine, and there has been a proliferation of Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands.

    Despite its popularity in the Netherlands and abroad, the rijsttafel is rarely found in Indonesia. That is probably because most Indonesian meals consist of rice accompanied by only one, two or three dishes, mostly consisting of lauk (fish, chicken, meat, egg, or other source of protein), sayur(vegetable), and other side dishes. To consume more than that number of dishes at once (a rijsttafel might range from seven to forty dishes) is considered too extravagant and too expensive. The closest versions to rice table dishes readily available in Indonesia are local nasi Padang and nasi campur. However, in Indonesian restaurants around the world, especially in the Netherlands and South Africa, the rijsttafel is still popular.

    So, um, now knowing the history of the dish, it actually sounds like a pretty gross tradition. As an ignorant tourist, I definitely assumed that the rijsttafel was more of an authentic Indonesian concept, but in fact it’s an authentic colonial concept. When we travel, we generally aim to experience the local culture, and given that colonialism is an important part of Dutch (and European) history, rijsttafel clearly fits the bill. And this is why it’s important to know your history, so you can (among other things) better appreciate and understand your modern experiences.

    As for the dinner itself, it was top notch. The food was both delicious and beautiful. Our version of the rijsttafel included 12 different dishes, plus 2 more for dessert:

    • Lumpia goreng (fried spring rolls with vegetables, chicken & a fresh salsa with coriander leaves)
    • Rendang (beef tenderloin in a Sumatran sauce)
    • Ayam rica bersantan (chicken in a red curry with kunyit and pandan leaves)
    • Saté ayam (chicken satay with peanut sauce)
    • Jukut urap (stirfried vegetables Balinese style)
    • Acar campur (fresh pickled vegetables)
    • Nasi putih (white jasmine rice)
    • Udang laksa (gambas in a red curry from West Java with 10 spices)
    • Ikan pesmol à la Jun (seabass in a sweet-sour sauce with basil)
    • Saté kambing (lamb satay with sweet soy sauce and red onion)
    • Pisang goreng (fried banana with palm sugar sirop)
    • Kue dadar (crêpe with Javanese sugar and grated coconut with a scoop)

    The team at Restaurant Jun did a fantastic job. From the service to the food to the perfect little bathrooms, we had a wonderful dinner there, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for great Dutch-Indonesian food in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam.

    Photos below!

    Standing outside the restaurant. Ready to eat!
    Getting started with appetizers…
    … and now the real fun starts!
    time for dessert!
    a quick snapshot of houseboats on the canal on our walk home.
  • In Honour of the Mitsubishi

    In Honour of the Mitsubishi

    The somewhat unnamed guest (or host, rather) on all of our Portugal adventures was the purple and silver Mitsubishi, the pick-up truck of Kevin’s late grandfather, Avô Eugenio.

    This mammoth of a truck represents countless memories for Kevin and his brother, who spent their summers in the Algarve with their grandparents.

    Until recently, Avo Maria kept the Mitsubishi in her garage, where it took up approximately 95% of available space. I’ve never seen a truck-to-garage ratio like it, and I was impressed both times I watched Kevin park it back in there.

    During our time in Portugal, we also made our fair share of memories in this truck. A thoroughly Algarvieu vehicle, we’re not sure it had even seen rain until we road-tripped north of Lisbon with my brother, Tyler.

    It was the driver of many interesting off road adventures, allowing us to explore and appreciate the Algarve in all of its glory. It took us across the Algarve, and north into Lisbon several times. Its rear gearing wasn’t exactly highway tolerable, so we always took the slower country roads all through the Alentejo. Thanks to the truck, we know an outrageous amount of back roads and countryside routes.

    Through most of our time in Portugal, Kevin drove me everywhere in the Mitsubishi – roadtrips, dinners, beach days, and more. When Kevin’s best friend Mark came to visit, I actually learned to drive a manual transmission so that I could chauffeur the two of them to and from the Algarve night life.

    My adventures with Kevin and Mark popularized the phrase “give it the beans” in my life, and also resulted in one of the funniest events I ever witnessed in the Algarve: Kevin and Mark soaking wet eating and drinking out of the back of the Mitsubishi as Albufeira morning traffic began. After a night at a Kiss Night Club foam party, we couldn’t go home without snacks. So I parked the Mitsubishi (a foot away from the curb) and they turned the back of the truck into a dining room. I’ve never seen two people laugh so hard in my life.

    This amazingly pristine vehicle, a 1999 Mitsubishi pick-up truck, was recently sold to a British expat. And so ends our adventures with the wonderful purple and silver Mitsubishi. Pretty sad, actually, but we’re both carrying a ton of memories forward.

    Photos below of our adventures in the truck:

     

    hey buddy!
    look at them, just chilling out!
    we saw some goats running across the road!
    Then we drove there, and Kevin sniped this wicked parking spot directly in front of the entrance
    chilling beside the truck… let’s gooooooo
    siblings at a non-existent archeological monument
    Kevin’s truck enjoying the ride (I’m inside the truck at this point)
  • We’re in Amsterdam!

    We’re in Amsterdam!

    Last week was my birthday, and we celebrated by getting on a plane and heading to Amsterdam. Beginning in the fall, I’ll be going back to school, starting a part-time MBA program. With work and school, we realized our schedule would be pretty tight, so we wanted to get in one last vacation before my return to school. Considering that our Madrid trip feels like it was yesterday, I am a very, very fortunate person.

    And so here we are in Amsterdam! We’re getting much more sleep here than we did in Spain, but we’re doing just as much walking, and seeing just as many museums. Below are some early photos, and I’ll be working on writing more while we’re here (and of course while we’re back).

    So far, we’re having a great time. Amsterdam has a magical quality that I’ve never quite experienced, and just being here is surreal. See below for a few photos from our first afternoon in Amsterdam!