We arrived back in the Netherlands about a week ago after some wonderful time in Iowa. We have been kind of jet lagged this week, but it has been very fun despite!
The weather here is very different than warm Iowa. We put away our shorts and t-shirts and are dressing in jeans and sweatshirts.
Time With Brother!
My brother came to the Netherlands on business this week. His conference was just 20 minutes from Goes, so he spent a night at our house! I was able to show him around our town one morning. Fortunately he snapped this pic during the Goes tour.
He witnessed the manual raising of a drawbridge and tried kroketten in a local cafe. He is a fan!
We also took him to our favorite restaurant for dinner while we caught up on his business and his family. It was a great time.
Birthday Activities
First, a bit about birthdays in the Netherlands. They are a BIG deal for adults too, not just kids. When we go to a restaurant for our birthday, the person in charge comes over to wish the birthday person “Gefeliciteerd” or “Congrats”. The person in charge also makes an effort to congratulate the significant other of the birthday person, shaking his or her hand as well. Jeremy says that in the work place, coworkers make an effort to stop by his office on his birthday to shake his hand and offer sincere congratulations on his big day.
So on this note, another one of my birthdays rolled around this weekend and I chose to do something unique to the Netherlands. Jeremy and I make an effort to do something special for our European birthdays. After thinking about it, he and I only have one European birthday left during our stay here in the Netherlands. Strange to think about!
Friday Dinner
On Friday night we went to a new restaurant in an ocean town known for its seafood. The restaurant was called The Oesterbeurs. It was a splurge because it is a fancier place than we usually dine in, but the food was AMAZING, and it ended with a bang, or at least a birthday sparkler. Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed. I am also rating their tastiness up to 10, the highest rating.
Mango Passion Fruit Spritzer. 9/10 in deliciousness.
Oyster with pesto. 5/10
Crusty parmesan bread with butter and olive oil. 7/10
Smoked salmon with a dill cream sauce. 10/10. Could have had a large bowl of this.
Sea ball with citrus cream and cucumber. 7/10
Muscles with curry topping. 8/10
Dessert. Berry compote with raspberry ice cream and almond creme. 9/10
A birthday sparkler for my big day. 10/10 🙂
Saturday- The Rijksmuseum
I have been wanting to visit the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam since we moved here, and decided it was a good birthday activity. So Saturday we took the train to Amsterdam.
The Rijksmuseum is a world famous art museum. I am not very well versed in art, but I love history and art is a huge part of history in general. And when in Europe, you do as the Europeans do. You enjoy their famous art.
The museum is very large, but we saw what we wanted to see in a little over 2 hours. Here are the highlights from the Rijksmuseum.
The Rijksmuseum’s architecture was designed by the same person who designed the Amsterdam train station. If you compare, the two buildings look very similar.
Van Gogh’s self portrait. 1887
Rembrandt’s breakthrough painting- The Night Watch. 1642. The original canvas hangs in the museum behind glass walls.
One of Johannes Vermeer’s more famous works- The Milkmaid.1660
The Library at the Rijksmuseum.
Can’t have a museum in Amsterdam without a healthy dose of Delft.
“David” by Pietro Magni, 1851
I like this one by Vermeer because it is his aunt’s home in the city of Delft. I have been to this neighborhood in Delft myself.
I don’t know this painter. His name is Van Looy, and the painting is called “July”. 1900. I just really like this painting. Love the blue flowers.
And the painting of all paintings… my self portrait.
And that is it for the birthday week! I was so uplifted by every person that reached out with a “happy birthday” over text, phone and social media. That is one positive of our technical age. We can encourage each other easily! I and I appreciate all of you who take the time to read my posts. You mean a lot to me. Have a great week everyone!
Hi Jodi,
I read about your birthday week and it sounded really fun! Wishing you a wonderful year ahead.
Love the pictures! So glad you made it he for a short time. What a great adventure you are having .
Just loved hearing about your latest adventures, your time with your brother, the tempting food, and the artwork!! I love that museum so much! Really happy you were able to celebrate wonderful you! Roxine Hoekman