Snapshots: Cordoba, Netherlands and Belgium

My apologies for this very overdue blog post. My final months in Spain I was on the move, and escaping the harsh heat at the beach whenever I could, making it difficult to sit still and write.

After a long awaited 7 months, 3/4 of the Berk familia arrived in Sevilla. With just 48 hours to show my parents the heart of Andalucia, and the city that has captured my heart, there was a lot to see and do. More importantly there was a lot of food to taste and beers to drink.

My backyard- Plaza de España

Torre del Oro and Rio Guadalavier

Up the Setas for a panoramic view of Sevilla

No visit is complete without churros con chocolate

After my overly ambitious, fast paced itinerary through Sevilla my parents needed a slower paced day, so we hopped on the high speed train and in 1 hour we were in Córdoba. Although disappointed that the Mezquita was closed for Easter, that didn't stop us. We toured the Cathedral, Puente Romano (Roman Bridge,) Patios (secret gardens,) and explored the Jewish Quarter known as the Juderia. 

And then we were off to Amsterdam! 

The houses are narrow in order to accommodate more canal front properties. If you look closely you can see the hooks on top, which are for hoisting up furniture. The houses lean slightly forward in order to avoid the furniture hitting the siding.

After just a few hours in Amsterdam, I was completely enamored. Enthralled by learning its rich history, and walking through the endless maze of canals, Amsterdam is a lively and hip city, with some serious culinary treasures.

These are some highlights of what we saw and did Amsterdam

Noordermarkt- My favorite area to explore was the Jordaan District which is the heart of the Jewish quarter. Located on Lindenstraat Street, the Noordermarkt is an outdoor secondhand market on Saturday mornings.

Unlike Spain, freshly ground peanut butter is readily available in Amsterdam- I think this facial expression says it all

Albert Cuypmarkt- The largest street market in the Netherlands, selling flowers, clothing, jewelry, spices, antiques, and has an extensive fresh farmers market. Located in the Latin Quarter, it is lined with quaint cafe's, bread shops, and restaurants. You can definitely spend an entire afternoon browsing all the goods and salivating over all the Dutch food stalls.

Cheese Shops- There are cheese shops everywhere, walk into every single one and eat your weight in cheese samples. If you want to learn about cheese production, stop into the Cheese Museum, for just 1Euro you can see a demonstration.

 

Floating Flower Market- House boats lining the Singel Canal have been converted into stalls that sell Dutch tulips, flower seeds, and a plethora of souvenirs.

 

Red Light District- A lively area, infamously known for prostitution, and sex shops. In the Red Light District prostitution is legal and highly regulated. It is centered around anonymity, creating the safest environment possible for the women in this industry. According to our tour guide, in the majority of cases the women renting out windows are just average girls trying to pay their way through school or support their families.

Visit the I AM AMSTERDAM sign in front of the Amsterdam Museum

Narrowest house in Amsterdam 

Anne Frank House- There is always a long line to get into the Anne Frank House, but if you are in Amsterdam this is a must see. Try to get tickets in advance, or you may be waiting outside in the cold for a while. The museum fairly interactive, filled with quotes, pictures and videos of firsthand witness accounts. Through the museum you walk through the secret annex where Anne Frank and 8 others silently hid in darkness for over 2 years, it is the site of where she infamously wrote her diary. 

What I found to be most interesting was the role that Otto father (Anne Frank's Father,) played in hiding his family. The secret annex was in the back of his jam manufacturing company. He put the lives of his employees at risk who arranged supplies for the annex and were intrusted to keep their secret hidden from the Nazis.

Dam Square- The historical center of Amsterdam

Dam Square had a carnival while we were visiting

Voldenpark- A nice park to walk around

9 Strasse- 9 little shopping streets

Dutch East India Company- This is actually a cheese shop now

Coffee Shops- Not to be confused with cafe's which are for beverages. Whether of not you are going to smoke walking into a coffee shop is a must, just to see the atmosphere, and psychedelic vibes.

The Van Gohg Museum was unfortunately under construction while we were visiting and we opted not to tour the Heineken Museum, in my opinion it is overpriced and very crowded.

Walk everywhere or rent a bike if you are brave enough, try and catch a glimpse inside the house boats, and get lost in the local neighborhoods.

Perhaps the main reason for my admiration of Amsterdam was its diversity of culinary delights and  plethora of vegetarian options. Every cafe' and restaurant we went into had a relaxed atmosphere, and friendly service. This only fueled my habit of lengthy coffee and pastry breaks to chat and people watch. Look for little streets in some of the more local neighborhoods and you cant go wrong with anywhere you choose.

Oliebollen with currants- dutch fried dough balls

Lanskroom Cafe- A very small, local cafe' shop with incredible pastries

 Greenwoods English Tea Room-  Located on a quiet street with a canal view, there are a plethora of vegetarian options made with fresh, local, organic ingredients. There have omelets, salads, sandwiches, homemade soups, bread, scones and cakes. It was so delicious we ate there twice.

Tomato soup with soda bread

Portabello mushroom with roasted ratatouille, melted cheese and pine nuts, served on homemade soda bread and rucola salad

Cheesecake

Good thing we didn't eat lunch before heading to the Albert Cuypmarkt,

Waffles straight off the griddle smothered in dark chocolate

Spiced nuts

Fruit and vegetable smoothies

Poffertjes- mini Dutch pancakes made on a cast iron skillet, and turned individually with forks

Make sure to try both sweet and savory Dutch Pancakes at a Pancake House

Stroopwaffe- Two thin waffles with a caramel sauce in between

Apple pie from Winkle43, Noordermarkt 43, Jordaan

No day is complete without a strong coffee

 Have I mentioned cheese? We ate a lot of cheese!

We took two easy day trips, both within an hour of Amsterdam:

Volderdam- Charming fishing village where cheese and wooden clogs are produced

Zaanse Schans- Site of six original Dutch Windmills. We learned the history of the innovation and revolutionary use of wind mills. You can tour and see inside the mills, including a chocolate mill, mustard mill, spice mill, saw mill, paint mill, and you can see a demonstration of making pewter spoons. Collectively we decided our favorite mill was the saw mill. 

From Amsterdam we hopped several trains, making multiple connections to the port city of Antwerp in Belgium. 

Grote Markt in Old Town

Meir shopping district

Historic train station in the Diamond Quarter

We only spent a half day in Antwerp, and then decided it was time to make our way to the charming, dreamlike city of Bruges, Belgium. There are only a few landmarks to visit in Bruges. Walking through the city itself captured our attention. Bruges is a well preserved Gothic city filled with cobblestone lanes, brick building, lace shops, and little bridges over canals reminiscent of Venice, Italy. 

 

Medevil Market Square located in the center of Bruges is lined with cafes, and little food stalls, overlooking the Belfry of Bruges, a tall bell tower that you can climb up 340 steps to see a panoramic view. If you arrive at the right time you can catch a grand carillon show, where 47 bells are tuned to play different melodies from the bell tower.

Flemish fries (Vlaamse frites) are twice fried potatoes, tossed in a colander to drain the excess oil, and then salted. They are served with a spicy dipping sauce. They were delicious, but I think Pommes Frites in NYC will remain as my favorite spot for Belgium fries.

The Kiss of Chocolate Shop- There are 51 chocolate shops in Bruges, but only 7 of them make the chocolate confections themselves, The Kiss of Chocolate is one of them. We tasted chocolate gin, chocolate truffles and swirled white and chocolate seashells filled with a hazelnut praline.

"Little Water Park" UNESCO heritage Monastery

Postcard view of Bruges at night

 Our favorite stop in Bruges was a tour of De Halve Moon Brewery, a family run brewery that still has preserved its original equipment since 1856. The tour covers the history and evolution of brewing beer, from using basic techniques to the now high tech brewing methods. The tour is only 6 Euros, it includes a view of the city from the rooftop of the brewery and a beer at the end.

Fermenting vat; little children had to climb in these small holes in order to clean them, naturally I tried fitting in myself.

222 steps up to the barley drying floor (imagine doing this six generations ago in clogs)

Wooden barrels and crates with steel plates on the floor to roll them out to the horse and buggies for distribution

The final product, Brugese Zot "Joker of Bruges" A fruity yet slightly bitter beer with a hint of citrus.

These are some of our culinary highlights from Bruges

Green curry tofu soup with coconut milk from a Thai restaurant Savalai. The restaurant in run by a one man show who is the bartender, waiter, hostess and chef.

Sampling of a collection of the best Belgium draft beers on tap at Bieratelier, Timmermans traditional, Corsendonk and Palm Royale.

For the last leg of our trip we took to the capital of the European Union and headquarters of NATO, Brussels. While you don't need much time here, Brussels is like a mini Paris with lots of beer, chocolate and waffles. 

Grote Market, also called Grand Place is the central square housing town hall, museums, cafe's and shops. At night there is a light show in the square across all the buildings.

Manneken Pis (Little Man Pee Pee) is a bronze statue embodying the symbol of rebellion in Brussels. Throughout the year it is dressed up in various costumes for the holidays.

Notre Dam du Sabon- reminiscent of Notre Dame in Paris, this Gothic Church is decorated with beautiful stained glass and large arches.

 Looking for mussels in Brussels? For seafood or dinner on a bustling street, head to Rue des Bouchers. Lined with restaurants, bars, and ice sculptures this street has waiters teasing you to choose their restaurant making walking down the street quite a a laughable experience.

 Motivated by the fact that we were bordering Germany and could easily indulge in German Pretzels, and some retail therapy at our favorite European sporting goods store Jack Wolfskin, we rented a car and drove to Cologne, Germany.

Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany, located along the Rhine River. Not only is it a fun university town with the nearby University of Cologne, it is city famous for it's vast shopping located in the pedestrian friendly area of Schildergasse.

Cologne Cathedral constructed out of black marble.

Gross St. Martin Church

The last night of our trip back in Brussels we celebrated each others company and reflected on our journey with some beers at the Delirium Café, which holds the Guinness World record for offering more than 2000 beers from around the world.

Cheers