Monday, May 10, 2010
The Night before was Mothers day, and had a nice call from my mother. It was nice to hear her voice. I think she worries about my constant exploration of the world. She inspires me to go on my journey, but mothers will be mothers and will always worry about their offspring. ;P
The plan was to go to the UNESCO heritage site of Kinderdijk where they have 18 old fashion windmills. That was not too far from Breda, just a quick hop on the highway and we were there. Got to go into the only working Windmill and saw the gears moving with an explanation of the “technology” that was used during those times.
Afterwards we got back onto the highway and onwards to Da Haag (otherwise known as “the Hague” to English speakers). Here is where I tried fresh herring with chopped onion. Even the queen has to eat it this way. It was really fresh, and didn’t feel fishy at all, but was cut with the onion taste. The beach looked nice, but it was windy. Netherlands is very windy!
Went to Marodam, the miniature village that showcases all the major buildings of Netherlands into one location. Even though it was kitchy, it was still great to see them in person. Spent a good 1.25 hours inside the park, and there were many children around. It seems like the primary schools were on holidays.
Next stop: Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. Amsterdam is made up a lot of canals and the “highway” that goes around the city centre is confusing to say the least. I would NOT want to rent a car and drive in AMS. The museum was VERY informative. I never really appreciated Van Gogh, but I knew about some of his paintings and could spot his work. Here were some shocking facts:
He started painting at the age of 27 and was self-taught. He learned under an artist at the art school which he admired. His working life was only 10years, during the time we just drew, painted and kept on trying to prefect his style. He would copy famous paintings to learn their techniques. He was supported by his brother Theo who died 6 months after the death of Vincent. Not only is he an inspiration to all artists that are starting out in their career, but it gives that glimmer of hope, that you can make it too! The museum is worth the entrance fee! There is also a temporary exhibit in the other building that showed one of Van Gogh collegues.
After the museum, we took that photo outside of the I Amsterdam sign in the courtyard.
We drove and walked around Amsterdam to see the coffee shops and red light district. I wasn’t really wowed, but I can say I was there. No photos of course…
Eventually drove over to Rotterdam to eat dinner! Kapsalon!!! This is a dish that was invented in Rotterdam by a Turkish Hairstylist seeking a fast dish. It is Fries on the bottom, with Doner meat/gyro meat/ lamb, really whatever you want. Then on top of that is a layer of cheese, and then a salad. All topped off with that garlic sauce and sambal, all contained in a tin box. YUMMY, but it’s not super rich or heavy so I can see why it’s a great snack food.
Drove around Rotterdam and saw some of the building which were in the miniature village. Then headed back to Breda.
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