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Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The beginning or, rather, the middle somewhere
Sometimes I can't believe I moved to Amsterdam. I'll be sitting on the balcony, staring at the sky, which for some strange reason looks so much larger here, and it'll take me a few minutes to really let it sink in...the fullness of that thought. I moved to Amsterdam.
If you had asked me 10, 6, even as little as 2 years ago, Amsterdam wasn't high on my list of places to move. It wasn't on my list. And, trust me, the list is long. Filled not only with cities and beach towns in the US, but also with places around the world. I could be a surf bum in Costa Rica; a day laborer in France on the vineyards; cooking in a restaurant in London. But Amsterdam? Not even a glimmer.
Before I moved here, there's not one thing I could have named as a great Dutch food, beyond fries. And, really? Was it them or the Belgians that really do that one best? It was too early to know about the addictiveness of kroketten, haring, and stroopwafels. Not in that order, per se, but yum. And the Indonesian, Surinamese, Turkish, and African food. The fish is great, so the sushi is pretty darn good--better I had ever had in Brooklyn over the past 2 years. And the cheese. One word: Kaaskamer the most amazing cheese store that has a lovely Slow Food certified gouda that's worth trying.
Plus, though I haven't explored this option yet, there are so many great places a train ride, quick flight, or road trip away. Curryworst in Berlin; herring in Sweden; reindeer in Norway; about a million patisserie in Paris; and kebab in Turkey. These are all places that are high on the list.
So, then how did Amsterdam become the number one spot? I want to tell you it's for my Master's degree at Wageningen University, or perhaps just fulfilling a lifelong dream, because the answer sounds strange as well. I moved for love, a love that I have been lucky to have had not once, but twice, in my life. Bas.
Now we are in process of moving into our own apartment (no small feat, but more on that...), getting me started in the Dutch educational system (red tape is universal), and making a home.
If you had asked me 10, 6, even as little as 2 years ago, Amsterdam wasn't high on my list of places to move. It wasn't on my list. And, trust me, the list is long. Filled not only with cities and beach towns in the US, but also with places around the world. I could be a surf bum in Costa Rica; a day laborer in France on the vineyards; cooking in a restaurant in London. But Amsterdam? Not even a glimmer.
Before I moved here, there's not one thing I could have named as a great Dutch food, beyond fries. And, really? Was it them or the Belgians that really do that one best? It was too early to know about the addictiveness of kroketten, haring, and stroopwafels. Not in that order, per se, but yum. And the Indonesian, Surinamese, Turkish, and African food. The fish is great, so the sushi is pretty darn good--better I had ever had in Brooklyn over the past 2 years. And the cheese. One word: Kaaskamer the most amazing cheese store that has a lovely Slow Food certified gouda that's worth trying.
Plus, though I haven't explored this option yet, there are so many great places a train ride, quick flight, or road trip away. Curryworst in Berlin; herring in Sweden; reindeer in Norway; about a million patisserie in Paris; and kebab in Turkey. These are all places that are high on the list.
So, then how did Amsterdam become the number one spot? I want to tell you it's for my Master's degree at Wageningen University, or perhaps just fulfilling a lifelong dream, because the answer sounds strange as well. I moved for love, a love that I have been lucky to have had not once, but twice, in my life. Bas.
Now we are in process of moving into our own apartment (no small feat, but more on that...), getting me started in the Dutch educational system (red tape is universal), and making a home.
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