Elfstedentocht ... not yet ... maybe ...

The official word is nay, no Elfstedentocht this year, but the winter is not over, and folks are still hopeful. Here is a terrific wrap up of the mood after the royal announcement, and the Dutch passion for ice skating in general.

Museum Willet-Holthuysen

Hello everybody, greetings from autumnal Amsterdam. Halloween is just around the corner, not that that means much in this city. By now we have eased into the miserable weather portion of our year, euphemistically referred to as "The Culture Season," which sounds much better than "The Crappy Season."

Hubby and I decided to enrich our lives last week with visits to Amsterdam's two preserved Golden Age canal houses,  The Museum Van Loon and Museum Willet-Holthuysen. They are both interesting to see, but if your time is limited, I would recommend the Museum Van Loon over the Willet-Holthuysen, because I think the Van Loon does a better job of evoking that era. Also, the carriage house to the Van Loon is opening any day now, and I believe it is the only example in crowded Amsterdam of a home surviving with its carriage house intact and still part of the property.

Nevertheless, this post has more to do with the Willet-Holthuysen because I have photos of it!

I stopped across the canal to get a wide shot before I went in. Now, with the thinning foliage, this is a great time to capture Amsterdam canal house architecture often obscured by leafy branches.

We entered without paying with our Museumkaarts, a must-have for any Dutch resident remotely interested in museums. These cards give you free entrance (and often a preferred place in line) to all nationally supported museums in The Netherlands. I feel compelled to note that the famed Rijksmuseum, home of the finest examples of Dutch Masters, is as of this writing still only partially open due to the extensive renovation taking place; if your goal in coming to Amsterdam is to see the Rijks, you'll want to wait a few years. If you do go into the partially-open Rijks, you will still be cheerfully charged the full amount, 12.50 euro, as if the entire exhibit was open. Bit shameful, that. But I digress.

Back to our 17th century mansion: at this writing, there is a very strange fashion exhibit meshed into this house. What the two have to do with one another is not clear, though a variety of media tools are strewn throughout this elegant home. These ridiculous mannequins and photo boards, and in one case, a towel(?!), were anachronistic to the Willet-Holthuysen and greatly detracted from the experience.

A towel, considered edgy art, I suppose

Trying to find any artistic justification for pairing this 1960s style sheath with a tasteful tableau from a 19th century salon just hurts my brain. The bad angle must be because I was holding my nose as I took the photo.

 A white mannequin draped in a zippered potato sack greeted me at the lovely alcove on the first elevated floor.

As a whole this is not going to be one of the most impressive houses you've ever seen, but there are loads of details and furnishings worth a gander. The house's last residents were Abraham Willet and his wife Louisa Holthuysen. They were both children of wealthy, educated families who held many soirees in their fine home. The couple traveled frequently and collected objects from all over Europe. They did not have offspring. They left the house, its contents and its sizeable art collection to the city of Amsterdam in 1895, on condition that it become a public museum.

I thoroughly enjoyed the collection of silver miniatures on display. That basket in the middle is the size of a walnut. I thought it a terrific bonus that I could take pics, but that's true in many museums here.

Museum Willet-Holthuyson

Herengracht 605
1017 CE Amsterdam, Netherlands
020 5231870

Hours: Sun, Sat 11am–5pm; Mon-Fri 10am–5pm

Transit: Rembrandtplein

 

such detailed dishes

This gold and turquoise decanter is quite a stunner. Note the rampant lions, a figure used a lot in The Netherlands. The rampant lion is both part of the Royal Family's coat of arms and part of the National crest.

This exquisite marble figure must have been a favorite of Abraham Willet's, as it is in featured by his side in many painted portraits.


The Willet-Holthuysen couple were enthusiastic art supporters. My jaw dropped when I saw Lousa's financial accounts. One small rough painting of a dog was purchased for around 6,000 euros, another impressive still life was 42,000 euros (converted here from the original Dutch guilders). There were many purchases like this. Back in the late 1800s, those were princely sums, indeed.

nice place to compose a letter

I enjoyed the art collection a great deal.  Unfortunately, the credits were spare and confusing to follow, so I'm unable to name all the artists. The picture on the right is typical in that many 18th century Dutch had their collection of oddities painted. I guess it's like taking a photo of your cool stuff today.

Not a bird cage there above the chair; it's cleverly painted tiles.

The kitchen is my favorite room in any house, but it's especially fun to see the ones in these grand homes; it balances the house, this part.The upper floors of finery always seem museumy to me, but here I can truly imagine myself living.

Another tile bird cage, this one close enough to capture.

All in all, I'd say there are worse ways to spend the afternoon than wandering hallways of a restored Golden Age canal house. The bizarre fashion exhibit ends on November 13th, so either hurry or pause, but do consider that event.

"Dat is niet Kerst papier!" "That is not Christmas paper!"

Living in a foreign country is quite the interesting experience, and education about the host country frequently comes in unexpected ways.

I moved to The Netherlands in December of 2005, but I still feel clueless about many things in the culture around me.

I was quite proud of myself this year, informing our housemate (his first year as an expat) about the whole Sinterklaas and Zwaart Piet stuff, as I covered in the previous post. But I was only partially getting a grip on Dutch Christmas customs, as a recent customer informed me.

A few days before December 5 a customer made a purchase that she wanted gift wrapped. I reached for our holiday paper, shown above left. "Do you have Christmas paper?" she asked. "Yes, I said, holding it closer to her, "we have this, would you like red or blue?" She looked unsatisfied. "Maar, dat is niet Kerst papier; dat is Sinterklaas papier." ("But, that is not Christmas paper, that is Sinterklaas paper.")

The light dawned. Oooooooooooh. So, it's not all one big season from the arrival of Sinterklaas at the end of November to December 25. No no no. I had that all wrong. Instead...Sinterklaas arrives and all the zwaart piets dance around and give the kids goodies and all that. The kids put their shoes out on December 5 (and a carrot for the horse!) and they wake up to shoes filled with kruidnoten and chocolate coins and candy; along with presents from friends and family.

zwaart piet dolls with Quila

After December 6, the whole Sinterklaas bit is over. Anything smacking of Sinterklaas and zwaart Piet is taken down or discounted and the second phase of the holiday, Christmas, begins. My housemate ran out and grabbed a bunch of zwaart piet dolls, which my cat Quila found fun to pose with. These dolls have blue eyes, which is exactly what you see when scores of Dutch people dress as "Black Peter."

Until December 6 Christmas trees are not even available. But exactly on December 6th, BOOM they appeared on every street corner. Now the focus is on the traditional story of the birth of Christ, and only now are the lights appearing in the windows and so on. However, although it's not part of traditional Dutch culture, Santa Claus' image is now making an appearance here, but this is a distinct character, he is NOT Sinterklaas. We were completely wrong to have a small Christmas tree with ornament display before December 6 (forehead smack). Okay, it's been five years, time to catch on. Makes me wonder what other glaring cultural norms I am blind to.
Typical "Sinterklaas" (not Christmas!) candy, which we are now shoving down the throats of unsuspecting La Naranja customers, because if they don't eat this stuff we know we will, and we are desperately trying to watch our girlish figures over the holidays. In fact, we will discount anything in the shop ten percent if you eat some our candy. Please. Keep Bilderdijkstraat beautiful, and remove these sweets from our reach.

And, now, officially, Merry Christmas, everybody! Let the festivities begin!

Sinterklaas in Amsterdam

As I was on my way to the Sinterklaas arrival party in Leidseplein last month I spotted children's cutouts in a window. The figure on the left is "Zwarte Piet," Sinterklaas' fun-loving Moorish helper. In the Netherlands, legend has it that Sinterklaas (the figure in the red hat) arrives from his home in Spain by boat, after which he disembarks astride his white horse and rides through the land, dispersing goodies and gifts. One Santa for the whole country arrives in Amsterdam (lucky me!) and a full scale parade with floats and tons of Zwarte Piets ensues from the ship to Leidseplein, where Sinterklaas addresses the crowd, spreading good cheer to the rain-soaked masses.




Dutch kids are really, really cute and happy children as a rule, and this event brought those qualities out. It almost made me teary, looking at their earnest little faces. Many of them dressed up either as Sinterklaas or one of his helpers, Zwarte Piet (Black Peter). The adults dressed as Zwarte Piets all put on brown face makeup to look like Moors. This can be startling to Americans sensitive to certain images due to our history of racial conflict, but I assure you this is not construed as or interpreted as offensive, here.



The Zwarte Piets dance around, goof off, insert themselves in people's photographs and hand out goodies in advance of Sinterklaas' appearance.

The man himself!!


Sinterklaas riding up to Leidseplein, led by Zwarte Piet


Little kids in the typical flouncy beret type hat, representing santa's helper, Zwarte Piet.

A last look at the World Cup faithful...

We have been enjoying such a beautiful summer that I barely have time to blog. And gosh, after this last winter, we really do deserve it. Summer is a nice time in Amsterdam. It rarely gets so hot that you need air conditioning, and even our fans don't get turned on every day. The nights are now just cool enough to need a blanket handy.

A few clouds, a little humidity. It looks like we'll have typical Amsterdam August weather for Gay Pride week, which is starting today. The big not-to-be-missed canal parade isn't until the weekend, but there will be plenty to do until then. Go to www.weareproud.nl for all the details, maps and info you can stand. It's in Dutch, but the maps are very well plotted out with easily decipherable icons.

Meanwhile, we are busy today at La Naranja, getting new customers all week. Partially because of the new promotion we are doing, but also because I think Amsterdammers take their vacation in waves: the July holiday-makers are coming back, and the August wave will now exit.

Before too much time gets away from me, I want to post my pics of the World Cup 2010 fervor that gripped Amsterdam up to the final game. The amount of participation was incredible. Museumplein was the designated spot to gather, celebrate and even watch the game on the giant screen that had been erected for this purpose.

As Museumplein is located halfway between where I live and where I work, I witnessed hordes of the faithful flocking there, all wearing something orange, perhaps accented with red, white and blue. These are the colors of the hardcore Dutch fans: Orange for the House of Orange, the royal family, and red, white and blue to represent the colors of the Dutch flag. Yes, it's an egregious color combination, and you really can't believe people put it together, but they do.

So, try if you will to imagine the pictures here multiplied by thousands, because the little balcony scenes were everywhere, and the waves of people on bikes, foot and in cars dressed or draped in orange was quite an impressive scene.

This dress was part of a promotion by a beer
company, buy a case, and get the orange dress with the red, white and blue drawstring free. A surprisingly flattering dress on many different body types. Must have been quite the successful promotion, because I saw these dresses everywhere.

Of course, Spain won the final game, but even then, the Dutchies were good losers. I went out into the streets after the game. There were little clusters of orange-clad dejected fans, but nobody felt the need to turn violent.

The worst I saw? One inebriated guy half-heartedly kicked a trash can, and somebody dressed in orange told me to "shut up" after I joined a passing crowd of Spanish celebrants in a chorus of "Viva Espana!! Viva! Viva."

I even saw a few Dutch fans laughing and drinking with the Spanish revelers after the game. Really, nobody can be angry with the Spanish, no matter what, they are such likable people.

Of course, I'm thrilled for Spain that they won. It makes me want to go to Spain.

Game on?

The Netherlands is playing Spain, and I have been in a quandry as to where to throw my support. I have decided to honor my Gemini heart and go for both. Holland gets my support during the day, then, after La Naranja closes I'm off to find los Espanoles and root for ESPANA!!! Can't help it, Holland, I love ya, but Spain is in my heart. Having said that, if the Netherlands does emerge the victor, I am sure I will be swept up in that excitement, so, I believe I have carved out a win win sitation for myself. May the best team win!!!!

All is Right with The World

Is it just me? The city seems happier to me than it was in summer. Maybe because half of Amsterdam residents apparently fled the city this summer, taking advantage of favorable pound and dollar markets over their holidays, which made the yuppie neighborhoods like ghost towns.

But it's not just that all the residents are back snugly in their homes. To me there is a relief that came over the people with the first cool rain and the first chilly evening. As if, finally, their belief that skies must be full of dark clouds was affirmed. The Dutch have a Seize-the-Sun mentality that appears to be genetic. They fill the public parks in droves at the first hint of sunshine. But at the same time, I have never seen a people so resilient in inclement weather. It's perfectly normal to see friends riding their bikes side by side on their way to work or play, talking and smiling as the rain soaks through their hair and splashes up their legs.

And, like the relief of returning to a humble home after a dazzling holiday, they greet the inevitable autumn gloom with a relaxed smile. After all, there is nothing so comforting as the familiar, and they have had centuries to acclimate to what most would label "inclement weather."

For La Naranja, this bodes well, as we sell things that are perfect for getting cosy. I've definitely seen more interest in our wares since the temperatures dropped, and the unique rugs are really getting attention.

We had a fabulous summer this year in Amsterdam, a nice long stretch of idyllic clear skies and mild temperatures, so, as one Dutch acquaintance said to me, "now it's time to pay," a perspective which I find a very sensible.

Then again, if you are paying for your idyllic summer with months of gezillig coziness, then just how steep a payment is it, really?

Do you have a great idea for keeping your thoughts sunny during the Dutch winters? Let me know, and I'll share.

Welcome to Amsterdam in October!!!

Yes, we Amsterdammers can now all collectively sing, "The Party's Over." The cafe tables are taken up, the promise of the odd Indian summer day becomes a fantasy, and as the days get shorter we are greeted by more frequent gusts of wind and longer sprinkles of rain. This my friends, is when the going gets tough.

Yet, the Dutch have braved cold, dark winters for centuries without fleeing the country en masse, so perhaps it's time to take their perspective. The key to enjoying these potentially dreary months is, everybody now, "gezellig."

Shortly after arriving in The Netherlands you will hear or learn of this word. It does not translate directly, but it in part refers to that unique sense of camaraderie and coziness one feels when welcomed into a warm, friendly place on a cold night. Bundle up for a walk through the residential streets during the cold nights through the winter, and you'll see little charming scenes everywhere. Living rooms filled with people talking and sharing a bite; dining room tables lovingly set for six or more, candles burning everywhere, one living room looking more welcoming than the next. Oh, it's not hard to see, for the Dutch usually keep their street-level curtains wide open. This is expected. Why, only somebody with something to hide would need to close their curtains before bedtime.

But there is more to winter here than gezellig time with friends. And thank God, because that little scene is hard to come by for the new kids in town that don't know anyone to be gezellig with.

Enter, The Culture Season. The beauty of culture is that it's there whether your friends are organized or not. One can always venture forth alone and see or do something, and in Amsterdam there is an official "culture season" that runs from October through June, and it's the best time to catch a great performance or musical event.

For basic information about being here in October check out this site by Sharon McAllister. And while there check out her other articles as well. Sharon writes very knowledgeably about "Mokum" and her postings are full of links and hints to help you with your experience here.

If you are tired of venturing forth alone and seeking like-minded souls with whom to explore the city, I highly recommend going over to www.meetup.com and signing up for a few groups.

There. You now have no excuse. You have plenty to do, and people to do them with. Bring on the cold, bring on the dark, we have gezellig on our side!!!!!

News Anchor Fashion

'tis the little things that make expat life so interesting. Netherland news anchor fashion, as demonstrated below by Miss-Just-Jogged-Over-From-The-Breakfast-Table AND as demonstrated on the right by the It's-Wednesday-And-I'll-Wear-Red-Satin-If-I-Want-To weather lady here. The most surreal aspect of this, to those of us raised by well-groomed USA fantasy news people, is that both the super casual anchor AND the extra "glamorous" weather lady appeared in the same newscast. Believe me, to an American, this is very disturbing.

Buckle your boots for a bumpy ride.

Today I learned that returning faulty merchandise is a lot more of a nuisance here than it is in the United States of America.

Americans give outstanding service. I took it for granted until I moved here, but Americans are very keen on keeping their jobs, and it shows. They are also intent on keeping their customers, so they treat them well, because competition is stiff in America. You have to be better than the next guy, or you go under.

As an American, I find the attitude of many Dutch merchants baffling. Many clerks and even shop owners themselves project a demeanor of disinterest as to whether you are there or not, whether you buy or not, whether you have a nice experience or not. To me it seems that many Dutch shopworkers are not very interested in working. When a store here closes at 6pm, that means that the employees are on the sidewalk by 6 pm. As a customer, you may be subjected to exasperated glares if you step into the shop fifteen minutes before closing.

So, I suppose I should not be surprised that my efforts to exchange my defective boots today were foiled. Days after buying boots at Te Invito on Leidsestraat a decorative strap fell off of one of them. Let's have a cultural lesson in retail practices:

Exchanging boots in the USA

American consumer: Hello, a piece of this boot came loose a few days after I purchased them. I have the receipt. Could I please exchange them for another pair?
American retailer: Of course. We are sorry for your inconvenience.

********************************************************

What happened when I tried to exchange boots here in Amsterdam today.

Me: Hello, a piece of this boot came loose a few days after I purchased them. I have the receipt. Could I please exchange them for another pair?
Retail clerk: I can't do that. I need to get the manager. (leaves to retrieve manager)
Retail manager: We need to see if we can order the part and put it back on the boot.
Me: Can't you just give me other boots? (Clerk and manager laugh as if I have just asked them for a free leather coat)
Me: How long will this take? I really want to wear these boots.
Retail manager: It depends. We have to call headquarters and see if they have this part and if we can put it back on.
Me: Okay, well I'll check back next week.
Retail manager: (panic-stricken look) It's better if we call you, then you don't have to trouble yourself for nothing.
Me: (I say the following lightly with a smile, while simultaneously shooting him a look that says, 'Buddy, you really don't know who you're dealing with') "Oh, well I won't trouble myself, but if I"m in the neighborhood I'll just stop and check." (yeah, you'd love for me to disappear until you call me wouldn't you)
Retail manager: (slightly dejected) well sure, if you're in the neighborhood.(damn, I may actually have to address this issue)

He reluctantly gave me his name, and I can only hope that Paul and I conclude our business soon. Stay tuned, and buckle your boots, 'cause I'm preparing for a bumpy ride!

Oh puhleeeze! You have my money and I have a pending problem. What is wrong with this picture. I was so floored by the "we will get the part" bit that I temporarily lost my ability to reason. That's okay. I'll have another chance on Monday, or Tueday, or Wednesday or Thursday...or gee, maybe he should just give me new boots and get on with his week. Ya think? Hmph. Yes. I believe Monday I'll let him know he can just give me my money back.


UPDATE: Well, only fair to tell the ending. I returned over a week later. Shock of shocks, the store had not found a replacement buckle that they could add to the boot. The manager found another pair of boots in my size, and exchanged them for the defective ones, exactly what I had wanted him to do in the first place. All's well that ends well.

May 5 2008

I actually "did" my hair today. I rolled and gelled and dried and said magic words and voila, I can finally show you Rudy's work (captured by Brett Laumeister).

Rudy Kouwenberg is my new hairdresser and I love him and I will never leave him. He listens. He's friendly and warm and after my horrible hair experiences here in Amsterdam I am sticking to him like glue.

You'll find Rudy at Spuistraat 224 not far from the Dam (020 423 3733). He also runs a B&B, the Palace, which appears to be quite nice from the site's photos.

The weather the past few days has been unbelieveably gorgeous. I just can't get off my bicycle. I find wisteria to be one of the most enchanting flowers, and it's blooming all over the place here now. I went a bit further than Brouwersgracht yesterday, and explored the Westerdok area. What a great place to catch some sun.

This interesting scene I saw over at the west end of Brouwersgracht. A nice example of new and old Dutch architecture, and I love the wooden boat.

On Saturday I checked out the WesterGasfabriek and marveled at the huge open sunny space there, with a water dipping thingy for the kids even! It's so nice to see people enjoying public spaces, and here they do. The Dutch are mad for sunlight, and you will find them in any sunbeam, no matter how public.

City residents set up little tables with wine and cheese right out on the public sidewalk. They sit there reading the paper, doing paperwork, visiting with friends as if they are in their own living room, and nobody blinks an eye. I'm dying to get a snapshot of this activity, but perhaps a bit paradoxically, Amsterdammers are private folk, and I sense they would be none too keen to be photographed as though they were a zoo exhibit. Still, it's a goal of mine to snag a shot of this sun-madness.

There is even a humorous ad campaign at the moment where a young man taking a driving lesson curses the sun as it blinds his view. Cut to the shocked expression of his instructor, cut to neighbors gossiping in a coffeeshop, cut to his family stricken in shame, trying to explain themselves. The instructor reprimands the youth and demands that he apologize...to the sun. The startled youth murmurs, "sorry, zonne" and everyone in the ad breathes a huge sigh of relief. This is the rainy dark cold cloudy Netherlands. There will be no cursing of the sun here, by God.

The New Year begins. Again.

So, today, January 7th, is actually the REAL end of the holiday season. Here in Amsterdam I noticed a sudden pile of Christmas trees at the rubbish tube. Yes! We have rubbish tubes. Quite nice, actually. I walk half a block and can deposit my refuse, recyclable paper and bottles in three neat little bins, about the size of a USA mailbox. They are connected to huge underground vats, which are dramatically lifted out of the ground periodically and emptied by big trucks with cranes. It's all very clean and convenient.