Following the Flower Parade on Saturday night, we were off to Venezia—an authentic Italian eatery that was open late. We had pizzas and pastas and the owner came out to greet us and carry on. In the end, we had the best service you could ask for and some bonus limoncello on the house… not a bad night.
Opting again for our scenic beauty tour, we woke and headed north again on Sunday. We headed to the beach, Bergen aan Zee while making stops at tons of scenic overlooks with beautiful tulip fields galore. And, of course, a pit stop at the local grocery for some picnic supplies including freshly prepared mussels… YUM!
Upon making it to the beach, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the coast was lined with soft, white sand. Small sail boats and catamarans were racing one another just off the coast, a horse and rider were making their way along the shore, kids were flying kites and making castles (despite the FREEZING water) and folks were just, generally, having a good time. We, too, enjoyed our time. We had our picnic and then walked the shoreline before heading back into the car to continue our way north to the country’s largest Dijk.
In one of the small towns along the coast, G got a taste of Dutch culture with a serving of raw herring. Served in carts along the street or in market squares, this typical dutch snack served with a side of onions and pickles is often credited for keeping the doctor away — much like our apple-a-day saying. Apparently it is served in two styles. In Rotterdam style, you tilt your head back, hold the fish above, and bite off the bottom. In Amsterdam style, the fish is cut up into pieces and eaten with a fork. While Amsterdam style is more civilized, Rotterdam style is more fun. It was surprisingly good — almost like sushi.
While there are tons of old, maintained windmills with thatch or wooden exteriors, there are just as many modern, graceful windmills in rotation. We saw quite of few of both varieties as we made our way north. And we finally reached the start of the dijk meant to seal off the inland freshwater sea from the ocean. The 18 km (I think?) dijk is made of earth and stone. Sheep herd happily graze the grassy mounds acting as lawnmowers to the keep the expanse clean and trim.
Back to Haarlem for an Indonesian Rice Table dinner. Many small dishes served with rice were a delicious and delightful end to a restful, relaxing, sun-filled weekend.
Now, and henceforth, I will hear “dijk” and think of Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam: “What is a protective dijk? Is it a large woman in comfortable shoes saying, ‘Don’t go near there! Don’t go near there!'” 🙂
I especially like the photo of the modern windmill, since that’s what we haven’t seen constantly since childhood.
Oh, and the sheep lawnmowers thing reminds me of a fluff sentence one student (who shall remain nameless) wrote on a paper for Mom’s English class: “Who knows what those sheep were thinking when they plummeted to a most unpleasant death upon a plethora of jagged rocks below.” Mom’s answer while grading: “Who cares what those sheep were thinking?”
Lawnmower? Did I say lawnmower? I just had my first trip around the yard with my new battery-operated lawnmower and I couldn’t be more pleased. — ok, that was *way* off topic….
🙂