A lunch worthy of royalty

Last thursday my parents and I hopped in the car and took a rather long drive to have lunch. We traveled to Veere. A small little town in the provence of Zeeland (yes, New Zealand was named after this Dutch province).

Veere only has 1632 inhabitants, but the small number of inhabitants is more than made up for by the rich histroy. In 1600 the city had 3000 inhabitants, but 300 were Scottish due to trade treaties and a royal wedding. Veere has many very old, well maintained buildings. The 'Grote Kerk' (literally Big Church) was built in 1348 and the old city hall is from 1579.

The tower and facade of the Grote Kerk

City Hall

However, aside from a stroll around, we came for lunch. But lunch wasn't just anywhere, it was at restaurant 'De Campveerse Toren' in well.. The Campveerse toren (tower). The tower was built as part of the city defensive wall in the 1400s, however it is also said the oldest inn in the Netherlands was housed here and that the father of the nation, William of Orange, would stay here on occassion.

Much effort has been put into preserving the building and atmosphere. You walk up very old, worn, stone steps to the restaurant, which is beautifully decirated

Your cuttlery is silver (poor soul who has to polish it all) and our main was served with a cloche! 

I felt, that I was treated like royalty! 

1, 2, 3... Decloche!!

The room has three windows, with tables so you can sit practically in the windowsill, and it's lovely, views of the water on all sides!

They also have some hints to the royal past, with a classy showcase full of royal Delftware.

And there is a big plate of William of Orange on a prime position as well!

Now all these royal surroundings are awesome, but if the food sucks, then you still have nothing. But fret not, the food was amazing.

From amuse bouche to friandise with the coffee and tea, my mouth was spoiled with delight!

The food was actually so good, I only managed to take photos of the first amuse and the main, the rest got eaten too quickly!

A mini sandwhich with asperagus creme and an arrancino. 

Lobster 'a la nage' (cooked 'as it swims')

From start to finish all the ingredients were used very purely and well balanced, it was a delight.

If you ever want to combine great food with a bit of history, the Campveerse Toren is the place to be!

A Tale of Two Cities: Groningen - a city of students

At long last, a post about Groningen. For a while I did not know what to write about, without just ending up writing restaurant and bar reviews. Those might happen at some point, but not now.

Groningen is a student city. It is a big aspect of life in the city. It means the city has a certain vibrance (yes, I too have stumbled out of a bar at sunrise) but also room for stores that sell things cheaply. Of course there are the 'dollar store' type shops, but there are also shops that are slightly nicer, but still have almost anything you need, from arts and crafts to sports to traveling at a decent price.

One of these shops is 'Flying Tiger' (www.flying-tiger.nl)on the Vismarkt. 

I hadn't stepped inside before but decided today, to take a look. It's quite similar to Søstrene Grene (www.grenes.dk) on the Grote Markt and has truly almost anything you can imagine. I managed to contain myself and only buy some candles.

They have quite a collection of different colours and models of candles.

In the kitchen section these cutting/serving boards caught my eye, but I managed to contain myself ;-)

The prices are more than decent, perfect for a student or a tourist passing by!

A bit down the block is another fairly new store, even more focused on sustainability than Flying Tiger, Waar (www.watiswaar.nl)

Selling sustainable gifts. Truly nice things, that you can gift (or keep for yourself) without any guilt as they focus on using recycled materials, fairtrade and so on. 

Tomorrow, hopefully I will stop by a chocolate shop, as well as a candy shop that definitely deserve some of my attention. Groningen has tons to offer!

Happy Birthday, dear knee!

Yesterday, 4 years ago, I underwent my last surgery (to date). Counting 3 injections in my shoulder and one major operation, a screw in my right hand thumb, countless MRIs, CT scans, a very painful steroid injection and four operations to my knee, a 'birthday' is a nice time to look back. 

A little over four years ago, I could barely walk 100 meters before my knee would give up on me. Now many hours (many hours) of physio therapy later, ups and downs, I can walk. Not great distances, but at least I can walk to the supermarket without much trouble. On occasion that might be with a limp, and recently it has been with perma tape on my knee, but walk I can. And do. 

So here is a little photo essay (spam) of my joint adventures. If you have any questions regarding hyper mobility, dislocation/(sub)luxation of joints, please do not hesitate to ask me.

A Tale of Two Cities: Gouda - Located near.. Everything

Ok. Technically this post is not about Gouda. It's about Rotterdam, more specifically the Markthal in Rotterdam. But.. It is linked to Gouda as it has to do with how centrally Gouda is located. 20 minutes by train away from Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht and it's  40 minutes to Amsterdm. By car it depends on how busy the roads are, but I like going by train, you're in the city centre and no parking troubles.

To go to the Markthal, my mum and I took the train to Rotterdam Central station and hopped on the train to Rotterdam Blaak. You can also take the metro or walk. But by train it's a 3 minute ride. And I do have bum knees ;-).

Anyway, when you exit Rotterdam Blaak and glance over your right shoulder, there it is, the Markthal.

It's a marketplace, combined with living space and restaurant and store space. And quite frankly, it is the bet thing to happen to Rotterdam in a long time! Thelocation is magnificent! Right next to the 'kubuswoningen'

And 'the pencil'.

So not only can you satisfy your culinary cravings, sniff a little architecture while you're at it.

Inside is an oasis of food stalls, foodie stalls, foodie stores and restaurants (and there is even an Albert Heijn, an Etos and a Gall and Gall for your more regular needs). It can be a little overwhelming, because there is just SO much! My mum and I just started on one side and worked our way up and down the aisles. And still I feel I may have missed some spots.

There is a little bit of everything. There are the things you would expect at a food market: veggies, flowers, cheese, fish, meat. But it's not just your regular stalls. Schmidt Vis has a stall (one of the best fish mungers in the Netherlands, in my opinion), the meat vendors have some A class pieces of meat, Wagyu anyone?, and the cheese stalls vary from extremely touristy to more specialised with odd cheeses. 

I won't discuss ALL the stalls, simply because there are too many and I may go back quite soon and I'll leave some for a future blogpost. But.. A few are worth mentioning straight away!

Monsieur Saucisson. 

As the name and the photo give away, monsieur Saucisson sell sausages. Good sausages, in the most amazing flavours. They are not shy in letting you try different flavours and actively encourage you to do so. 3 sausages cost 10 euros, which is not a lot for that quality. We took home: duck and pepper, wild boar, and pheasant cognac. DELICIOUS. Definitely worth a stop, if only to have a slice for tasting.

Bakery van Vliet

I mentioned van Vliet before, as they are the bakery with the original Goudse siroopwafelen. I was pleasantly surprised to see they have a stall in the Markthal, the prices are the same as in the store in Gouda, so don't hesitate to buy some siroopwafels or (my current fave) a siroopwafel lollypop! (2 on 400ml cream and two egg yolks, makes for delicious ice cream, but more on that in a lter post).

Habitas

Habitas is a foodie heaven. No food, but everything you might need in the kitchen. So if you get so inspired you want to experiment, you needn't go far to buy the things missing from your kitchen to conduct your experiments. Cook books, kitchen appliances, baking accessories etcetera. They also have a websghop: www.habitas-online.nl

There are also some candy shops, bakery stands and even a patissery stand of sorts, which I oddly kept myself away from. One of these stands has a gazillion type of doughnuts. And to be honest, they looked really well made, not too greasy. Haven't tried one yet, but it looked so so good.

Plenty more to go back for. I haven't even tried one of the restaurants or cafés, and there is a Basque restaurant that is high on the list!!

I'll leave you with an overview of the Markthal inside.

Last but not least, Rotterdam Central station is quite the architectural highlight itself, so if you're in the area anyway..

Pain

One of the most difficult things you can experience in relation to medical conditions is how to describe pain. And it is equally difficult for medical professionals to interpret pain. What I describe as a '2', might be a '6' for you (Pain is often scaled on a level of 0 to 10. Where 0 is no pain at all, and 10 is unbearable). 

Aside from the level of pain there are many different forms, sharp pain, stabbing pain, numb pain, nagging pain, throbbing pain, and so on, and so forth. 

No pain at all is obviously not that hard to imagine, but what is unbearable pain? Is that when you faint? And what if you don't faint that easily? If you've never had that much pain it is quite hard to label pain. 

Sometimes people try to compare it to different types of injury. I've often said sometimes 'it feels like I've been stabbed with a knife', but.. I've never been stabbed. So, how would I know? 

This is not only something patients do. By medical professionals the dislocation of a rib is sometimes described as feeling 'like a heart attack'. But how would they know? And how should I? (Now I've had dislocated ribs, I can tell: it feels like shit). 

But in all this ambiguity, the assessment of pain is incredibly vital for the treatment of this pain. The worst thing any medical professional can do, is give a patient the feeling that they aren't being taken seriously. Because no matter the source of pain, as insignificant as it may be, pain is real and scary.

Part of treating pain is, understanding what causes it. Because not knowing the source of pain can make you fearful, which makes you tense, which in turn generally increases the pain.

The one advice I would like to give is, be your own agent. If you are in pain, and you feel you do not get taken seriously by whatever medical professional you are dealing with, press on, explain that you will feel better if you know what causes the pain if it gets explained to you. And if need be, do not be afraid to seek help from another medical professional. They are all human, they make mistakes, sometimes you just have a bad connection, the most important thing is that you put yourself first. After all, no one knows your body as well as you do.

Thank you

I want to take this day, this moment, to say a heart felt and profound thank you.

Thank you to all the people in my life who make me laugh.

Thank you to all the people who let me retreat to my island when I can't muster the energy to be around them, but also drag me off it when I need not to be alone.

Thank you to the people who take care of me when I can't do it alone.

Thank you to the people who offer to hear me out.

Thank you to the people who offer me advice without telling me what to do.

Thank you to the people who are literally on the other side of the world but feel like they are beside me every day.

Thank you to the people who have taught me how to be a better friend, a better daughter, a better sister, a better me.

Thank you to the people who accept me and my flaws, and who don't try to change me, but maybe smooth my edges.

Thank you to the people who know how to push me, and do so, sometimes without even knowing.

Thank you to the people who hold me back when I push too hard.

Thank you to the people who inspire me.

Thank you to the people who show me how fortunate I am.

Thank you to the people who stuck around through the good, the bad and the ugly.

Thank you to the people who gave me a second chance.

Thank you to the people who have entered but also left my life, you represent life lessons, you represent a part of me.

Thank you to all the people I don't personally know but who have touched me through their words and actions.

Most of all, thank you to my parents. I could never properly express how much your love and care means to me. Tucking me in on the sofa when I don't feel well, bringing me flowers out of the blue, spoiling me like a princess even when I really don't deserve it and making my life that little bit easier in every way you can.

Thank you.

A Tale of Two Cities: Gouda's Delicacies

Gouda is obviously globally known for one thing: cheese. When people from abroad ask me where I'm from I often say: "Gouda, you know from the cheese?!" And I am yet to encounter someone who has no clue. Of course what I call Gouda cheese is not necessarily what you may find in your local store. And no America it is definitely not what you find at your local Kroger (or something), where anything yellow with small bubbles is labelled Gouda. Or worse, Gooda (yes, I saw it with my own eyes).

True Gouda is made following a set recipe and aging process. While I don't generally eat proper Gouda, my favourite cheeses are from around Gouda. And all from proper cheese farms. Not factories. And I realise I am spoiled rotten, because there is so much cheese to choose from in so many cheese shops! I have two faves. 

Located in the mall nearby my parents' house, all the cheese you can imagine a 10 minute walk away. And you are always allowed to try a slice!

De Kaasspecialist in winkelcentrum Bloemendaal

(www.dekaasspecialist.nl/winkels/plaats/Gouda)

In the city there are many cheese shops, but this one is the least touristy. (though they did ask me once if I was enjoying visiting Gouda. I answered them in a flat Gouda accent. Pfff)

't Kaaswinkeltje (www.kaaswinkeltje.com) on the Lange Tiendeweg

Of course Gouda is known for more than just cheese.. There is also the world famous siroopwafel. It's often written as stroopwafel, but the truest Gouda stuff is called a siroopwafel. There are three places in Gouda where I would advise you to go. 

First the original baker, bakkerij van Vliet at the Lange Groenendaal. It houses a little bakery and a tearoom and you can even book in a little tour to see how siroopwafels are made!

The next place is a tiny little shop at the Agnietenstraat. Situated between the Hema sausage shop and a Vietnamese food thingy, they often bake your giant siroopwafel on order. And (depending on the size of your head of course) it is the size of your head! They also sell (and sometimes give) 'snippers'. The baked left over dough bits. My childhood in a little bag!

The final location is a true hidden gem. A little out of the city centre on the Goudkade 1, there is a Praxis(building goods store) and the previous owner of the second location bakes siroopwafels there on Saturdays, and they really are the yummiest. And if you venture there, a proper Dutch windmill is right around the corner! 

I didn't go there today but I'll leave you with a photo of the windmill (on Saturdays amiller is there to give you a tour (if you let me know in advance I'll bring my dad with me, he's the best in telling about the mill))

Of course we don't live on cheese and siroopwafels alone. In the Naaierstraat is a chocolaterie 'Puur' (Pure) where they have amazing home made chocolates! (I didn't go in and tempt myself)

Last but not least, there is also the Punselie factory. Punselie cookies are available in Dutch supermarkets but they are definitely from Gouda. Here you can book a tour too.

The building is located at the Spieringstraat 121, it's not the prettiest part of the street but worth the stroll.

Next week I'll introduce some of Groningen's foodie stores and places. If you have any requests of what you want my to (dis)cover, let me know!