Posted by Jason
On the 16th we took a train from Brussels to The Hague, where we were picked up by the Kuipers. The Kuipers are the parents of my friend, Dewi, and they very kindly agreed to host us for the duration of our stay in Holland.
After collecting us from the train station, the Kuipers took us on a driving tour of The Hague. We had no idea but there is a very nice seaside resort and beach boardwalk, Scheveningen, in The Hague.
On the 17th, Dr. and Mrs. Kuipers took us to Kinderdijk to see the windmills. There are 19 windmills located in Kinderdijk with one open to the public. This was something Karbo had been looking forward to for months and she was very excited to see them in person!
After Kinderdijk the Kuipers drove us to The Hague. We were stuck in traffic for a while and ended up dozing off in the car (it was like being kids again!). We had our first taste of Dutch croquettes and meatball at Dungelmann, a well-known Hague institution that's been serving up delicious meats and delicatessen since 1861. We'd been told that along with the croquette, herring is a well-known Dutch dish. The very fishy-smelling snack is traditionally eaten whole; you lift the herring up by the tail and dip it head-first into your mouth. We never got around to trying herring, but even some of the locals we talked to aren't fans of the taste so we don't think we missed out too much.
Even though Amsterdam is the capital of Holland, The Hague is the seat of Dutch government and parliament. It is also home to many international organizations, including the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. The Hague has a vibrant art scene as well. We visited Escher Museum, which used to be the winter palace for Queen Emma, and now houses the permanent exhibition of famous Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher.
On the 18th Dr. and Mrs. Kuipers brought us to Amsterdam. First order of business: a 1-hour canal cruise tour for me and Karbo. Amsterdam consists of 165 canals and 90 islands connected by 1281 bridges, so we got to see a good portion of the city on the boat tour.
We had lunch at Koffiehuis De Hoek, where they bake Mrs. Kuipers' favourite apple pie in Amsterdam. The apple pie was indeed very delicious! Afterwards we visited the Rijksmuseum, which recently reopened in April 2013 after a 10 year renovation.
On the 19th Dr. and Mrs. Kuipers took us to Volendam, a small seaside town 25 km northeast of Amsterdam. We entertained the idea of dressing up in traditional Dutch outfit for a photo shoot, but we decided the money would be better spent on some delicious, oily smoked eels instead. From Volendam we also took a ferry to another fishing village called Marken, where we spent the rest of the afternoon.
We left the Kuipers on the 20th to spend our last night in Holland in Amsterdam. It was sad to say goodbye to our amazing hosts who had shown us so much of Holland that would have been hard to see on our own, and provided us with such a comfortable place to stay and delicious meals. We know we got spoiled, and we are, and always will be, so so grateful for it.
We spent the night in Amsterdam with Karbo's friend Lisa, who lives in a cozy apartment in the city centre with a lovely view of a canal. The next day we went to Roem Eetcafe for our only taste of pannenkoeken before taking off to Berlin. We had a whirlwind visit to Holland and we loved every second of it!