An Art and Alcohol Education

We have been very busy in Amsterdam!  On Thursday, October 18th, we woke up to rainy weather, but luckily, we had planned on a day indoors.  We woke up early and headed to the Hermitage Museum, hoping to beat the crowds.  The Hermitage is actually a Russian art museum that has satellite museums, like the one in Amsterdam.  They rotate their collections, and while we were in Amsterdam, there was an impressionist exhibit.  It followed the artwork leading up to Impressionism and then showed many great paintings throughout the Impressionist period.  We had seen quite a few paintings from this genre, but it was still an impressive collection.  The other half of the museum was a portion of paintings from the Van Gogh museum, which is here in Amsterdam.  It is currently undergoing some renovations, so it is closed.  We've seen a few Van Gogh's on this trip, but this was a collection of about 75 paintings, including the famous yellow sunflowers.  We got to learn a bit more about Van Gogh's troubled life, mental illness (probably schizophrenia), and gain some insight into his inspirations via letters to his brother.  It was a great museum and definitely worth the early morning!

It was still raining after the Hermitage Museum, so we headed to the Rjyksmuseum to stay dry.  This museum is also artwork; however, it features Dutch paintings, sculptures and a few old artifacts.  The most famous Dutch painter, Rembrandt, has several paintings in this museum, and they were fantastic. His use of light and his ability to paint detail and metallics are what made him so famous.  We moved pretty quickly through this museum and focused on the highlights.

There was a break in the weather at this point in the day, so we decided to take advantage and have some lunch.  We grabbed a couple of hamburgers which were actually more like a sausage patty.  It was one of the few foods in Amsterdam that we didn't really care for.  A couple stands down from the hamburgers, we found what I have been looking forward to and searching for since we arrived in Amsterdam--stroopwafels!!  This is The Netherlands version of a waffle, but it is much different than the Belgian waffles that we all know.  It is very thin, probably a quarter of an inch, and crispy.  It is made on a waffle iron, cut in half (so you have two full circles), and then a delicious and thick caramel sauce is spread on the waffle before putting it back together.  The result is a crispy cookie-like waffle filled with caramel.  I had a packaged version of this waffle during a flight from Amsterdam last summer, and I knew that I needed the real thing.  I was not left disappointed, and we will definitely be on the lookout for more stroopwafels during our stay in Amsterdam.

With full bellies, we were ready for the afternoon's activities.  We had already had our art education that morning, so now it was time for the alcohol!  We headed to the Bols Experience, which would be our first stop on this alcohol adventure.  The Bols company makes genever, which is a Dutch gin, and thirty-six different liqueurs.  We started the self-guided tour with low expectations, but we were pleasantly surprised.  The tour walks you through different interactive stations that allow you to better understand how the senses work together and how each of your senses can affect the way you taste something.  

We started with small flavor strips that we placed on our tongue while watching a video that was supposed to confuse your mind as to what flavor we were tasting.  Then, we placed a different strip on our tongue while plugging our nose.  Neither of us could discern the taste until we unplugged our nose, and then it was a very obvious mint flavor.  I've seen experiments like this done before, but it was a fun way to start the tour.

We got to touch a few of the different spices and herbs used in the genever and liqueurs before moving onto another smelling portion of the tour.  They had small bottles set up with each of the thirty-six different liqueur scents.  We were supposed to go through and smell each one and guess what it was.  Some were very easy to tell, some we had no idea, and others were familiar scents that we just couldn't quite figure out.

We moved through the rest of the tour quickly, as the hearing and seeing rooms were just advertisements for Bols.  I suppose they have to get their plug in at some point!  We didn't really mind because the best part of the tour was about to begin.  We moved into the bar area, but first had to stop at a computer.  We looked through different cocktails, and then printed off one that we wanted to try.  Our bartender Marvin was phenomenal.  I tried a Mai Tai and Jeremy tried a Gold Fashioned (similar to an Old Fashioned).  They were both delicious (and strong), but my favorite part was watching the bartenders make the cocktails.  Marvin showed us how to mix the cocktail in shaker, how to make a fireball from an orange peel, and he answered all of our questions.

After the cocktail, we also got to taste two of the liqueurs or genevers.  We figured that it would be a tiny taste, but it was actually full shots of each.  I decided to be adventurous and try a genever, so Marvin started me out with the easiest sipping, unaged genever.  It was actually more like a very smooth, almost tasteless vodka rather than a gin.  There are fewer juniper berries in Dutch genever, so you don't get the strong pine needle taste like in other gins.  I also tried the coffee liqueur, which was fantastic on its own.  Jeremy decided to try the barrel-aged genever, which he said was more like a light whiskey than gin.  Because we had developed a relationship with our bartender, Marvin gave Jeremy an off menu genever for his second shot.  It was a six year aged genever, which was also similar to a whiskey and apparently very delicious.

We had the option of buying a second cocktail for just five euro, which is a fantastic deal for a really well-made cocktail, so Jeremy decided that it was too good to pass up.  I decided not to get another cocktail, but Marvin decided that Jeremy couldn't drink alone so he offered me a non-alcoholic drink.  I accepted, thinking that a glass of water would taste good.  I was surprised when he started pulling out all sorts of things for my drink.  He put raspberries, some kind of lettuce leaf, two slices of hot pepper,  a bit of egg white (to bind), grapefruit juice and a few other things into a shaker.  He mashed it up a bit and then gave it a good shake before pouring it into a chilled glass.  It was actually very good.  The flavors were extremely complex, and you could taste each component of the drink.  It worked surprisingly well, and I could understand what Marvin meant when he told us that he is a "chef of liquids."

We reluctantly left the Bols Experience after three hours of learning, drinking, and fun; however our alcohol education was not finished!  We walked just a few blocks to the Heineken brewery.  It was, as expected, an advertisement for the company; although, it was still a good time complete with a tasting.  The highlight of the tour was a ten minute video that followed the process of a piece of grain turning into Heineken beer.  During the video, we stood on platforms that shook, rocked, and turned with the video.  We got splashed on when the grain jumped into the vat of liquid, and we could smell the various odors during the process, and we could feel the heat when the brew was boiling.  It was a cute video, and we learned a few things about beer making that we hadn't heard before.  It was interesting to do the brewery tour of a huge company versus the smaller breweries that we typically do.

The Heineken tour included a 15 minute boat ride through the canals from the brewery to a different Heineken shop.  The shop was on the way back to our neighborhood, so we took advantage of the free boat ride.  We stumbled back to our apartment after a day packed with learning.  The next two days would be busy with day trips, so we needed to get some rest (and water)!

Getting Moved In!

We finally have internet again!  We had quite a wild trip home from Europe and then had less than a week before we were supposed to close on our new home, so I've been a bit too busy to share the last few days of our vacation.  I promise that I'm working on a few more vacation posts and then I'll show some pictures of the new house when we get a bit more unpacked.

We've Arrived in Amsterdam

We arrived in Amsterdam on Tuesday afternoon after a three hour train ride from Brussels.  We spent the afternoon and evening getting settled in our apartment rental and exploring the neighborhood.  Our bedroom has a balcony that is right on a canal with beautiful views.  We are in the Jordaan district, which is very ethnically diverse.  It began as an area for immigrants, but now has become the place to be for students, young professionals, and artists of all kinds.

Today, we spent the day doing a lot more walking and exploring.  We did the official Rick Steve's walk through the Jordaan district.  The highlight of the walk for me was the Anne Frank Museum, which is located in the secret annex that she lived for just over two years during the Nazi occupation.  Anne lived in the tiny space with her parents, her sister, and four other Jews before they were discovered and shipped off to Concentration camps.  The eight people hid in less than 1,000 square feet and were unable to make a sound during the day (including flushing the toilet or running water) because her father's former business continued to operate on the main level of the building.  It was heartbreaking to walk through the rooms, reading the excerpts from her diaries, and knowing that she wouldn't make it through the war alive.  At one point, I noticed Anne's birth date--she was just eight days younger than my grandmother.  Unlike the soldiers that we saw tributes for during our Flanders Fields tour in Belgium, the children that lived in this annex easily could have been alive today if it hadn't been for the Holocaust.  Unfortunately, Anne and her sister died of typhoid in a Concentration Camp just weeks before it was liberated by the Allies.  In fact, of the eight people that lived in the annex, only Anne's father, Otto, survived the Concentration Camps.  It was his determination that got Anne's diaries published in 1947, and since then, they have been published in over 70 languages around the world.  Seeing her deportation card, walking through the small rooms that served as her home for two years, and seeing pictures taken before the war was a moving experience.

For lunch, we decided to try a food that is popular in The Netherlands --herring!  Jeremy had a herring sandwich, and I chickened out and got cod strips with tartar sauce.  I did try a bite of his sandwich, but I'm very glad that I didn't have to eat the whole thing.  It was very fishy, kind of mushy, and the smell was like a dirty aquarium.

We walked to the Hermitage Museum with plans to spend about three hours looking at paintings by Van Gogh and Rembrandt among others, but when we got there, they were just closing.  We had gotten some bad information (from two different sources), so we came up with a second plan.  We will do this museum tomorrow, and instead, we decided to do another Rick Steve's walk.  This one would take us through a rather infamous district of Amsterdam--The Red Light District.

We stopped off at the beginning of the walk, so I could get some liquid courage in the form of a couple glasses of wine.  I was rather uncomfortable with the thought of drug deals going down in front of me, naked people meandering through the streets, and money changing hands for activities that I didn't want or need to know about.  Now, I'm sure that there were people buying drugs, plenty of naked people, and lots of money being spent on various activities; however, you can "experience" the district without experiencing all aspects of it.  The drugs that we saw were in the form of "coffee houses," which are found throughout Amsterdam and sell marijuana and not actual coffee.  The nudity that we saw was no more than you would see in a Victoria Secret catalog.  And the activities that we saw taking place were mostly just tourists walking through the neighborhood.  Now, if we had walked deeper into the alleys, entered any of the buildings, or wandered through later at night, I might have a much different (and more colorful) memory of the Red Light District.

Things I've Learned From Belgium

The four basic food groups are french fries, mussels, chocolate, and beer.
     Remember in the movie "Elf" where he says that the four main food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup?  Well...he was wrong!  In Belgium, the main four main food groups that everyone (or at least us) ate everyday were french fries, mussels, chocolate, and beer.  Perhaps, not the healthiest diet, but we were walking a lot to make up for it!

It rains a lot there, too.
     We had only one day during our stay in Belgium that didn't rain at least a little.  Maybe we're bringing the terrible weather with us, but I hope it doesn't follow us to Amsterdam.

They have really good (and strong) beer--and they're very proud of it!
     You've noticed that we've been drinking a lot of beer on this part of the trip, and there is a good reason for it.  Belgian beer is delicious!

Swans can make any city more romantic.
     The swans swimming through the canals somehow made the city even more perfect.  Imagine if Rochester had hundreds of swans instead of geese.  Perhaps, we would have been known for more than the Mayo Clinic!

Waffles can be eaten any time of day.
     Belgians eat their waffles for an afternoon snack with nothing on them, but they also offer them with caramel and chocolate sauces, fruit, and sugar.  The possibilities are endless (and worth experimenting with when we get home!)

French fries can (and should) be topped with more than just ketchup!
     I love ketchup, so I was a skeptic when it came to other French fry toppings; however, I now have to admit that I have been converted.  I think my favorite combination was mayonnaise, thousand island dressing (sort of), and dill vegetable relish.



Kari's Top Three of Belgium:
-The picturesque views of Bruges
-Amazing chocolate
-Rochefort 10 (my favorite Belgian beer)

Jeremy's Top Three of Belgium:
-Bruges
-Belgian Beer
-French Fries

Things we would like to do someday...
-Bike in Bruges--We had plans to bike to the North Sea and/or the Belgium/Netherlands border, but the weather didn't cooperate.
-Tour a Trappist brewery--I don't know if this is even possible, but we have left with a new appreciation for this type of beer and would like to learn more!
-Day trip to a smaller village--We are very glad that we slowed down for a day in Brussels, but if we ever get back to Belgium, we would like to at least day trip to a smaller city to get a different perspective of the country.

Jeremy's Guest Post on Belgian Beer

The author: Dispenser of wisdom, consumer of ales

Hello all you followers of Kari's tales.  You are in for a treat, for today you will learn about Belgian beer. First, a small disclaimer.  The following critiques of beer are my opinions and even though it might be fun, do not try all of these beers in one sitting.  This post contains hours of laborious testing using trial and error.  Any facts or figures are likely to be made up but will sound better after sampling one or two of these delicious brews.

Happily Enjoying a Belgian Brew

The French do wine, the Spanish do ham and the Belgians do beer.  Belgium has over 150 breweries and they make hundreds of different beers.  There are probably too many types for me to sample safely, so I will give you the highlights so far.

Before visiting Belgium, I was under the impression that they mainly made White beers.  These generally are brewed with spices and have fruity flavors.  Blue Moon would be a similar type of beer in the US.  This type of beer is not for me.  What I found was heavy, delicious beers in dark, amber, or pale shades.

Kari enjoying Lambic while surrounded by Scots

They also make lambic, which is a strange type of beer.  Lambic is a fruity beer that tastes more like a hard cider, but in different flavors.  It's less fruity than Berry Wiess but not much manlier.  Kari enjoyed a lambic while I was sampling other brews.

Belgians have been brewing beer for centuries.  Beer was made not only because it was delicious, but because water used to cause nasty diseases.  Through the miracle of fermentation, alcohol kills those diseases and leaves people feeling much better about themselves.  Monks in Belgium noticed this miracle and became specialists in crafting unique brews.  Like the famous Shaolin Monks perfecting Kung Fu, these Belgian Monks have created beers that make you feel as though you have attained total consciousness.

The best beers are either made by monks or in the style of the monks.  Trappist brews are still made in monasteries with the monks significantly involved in the process.  There are currently six Trappist breweries.  Abbey beers are the second style.  These beers are made in the style of the monks but can be made by larger brewers.

This is a Tripel

A Dubbel beer is a classic Belgian style.  It, like all of these beers, is stronger than typical in the States. I tried a few that were between 7-8%.  It is a brown beer with a slight amount of bitterness that is nicely balanced with other sweeter flavors.  I recommend the Westmalle Dubbel.

Tripel is another style of beer.  At 8-9%, it is stronger than the Dubbel but is a pale ale, not brown.  This beer is not as sweet as the Dubbel and has more of a hoppy flavor, though much less hoppy than an IPA.  Westmalle originated both the Dubbel and Tripel.

Chimay Blue, which is dark brown

We now get to my favorite beers, the Belgian Strong Dark Ales, also known as the Quadrupels.  These are complex beers.  I thought I knew what a good beer was.  It turns out I was having overcooked flank steak and was missing out on filet mignon.  I imagine a person who only drank Coors would have to take a couple of days questioning their entire existence if they tried these beers.

Chimay makes a wonderful Strong Ale just called "Blue."  It starts out creamy and then has all sorts of pepper and fruity flavors.  Truly a beer to savor.

Free cheese with your beer

St. Bernardus is not a Trappist beer, but makes a great Quad called "Abt 12."  It is delicious.  Very malty and sweet.  Creamy flavors as well as many aromas.  This is as nearly as complex as cognac.

Perfection in a glass

Here it is, my pick for best beer.  As good as St. Bernardus is, the Rochefort "10" is my pick for best Belgium beer.  It is even more complex than the Abt 12 and also has more alcohol at 11%.  This was a perfectly balanced beer.  Fruit tones and caramel flavors.  I don't smoke and felt like I needed a cigarette after finishing it.  I think I was waking up taste buds that hadn't been used in years.  Do yourself a favor and try it.

Please...No More Mussels in Brussels!

The past couple days have been very laid back and relaxing with no specific plans or itinerary.  On Sunday, we woke up to beautiful weather in Bruges, so we decided to delay traveling to Brussels until the afternoon.  We walked out to a few of the windmills on the edge of town and then strolled through the canals.  We watched the swans feed on the bottom of the canals and continued to admire the picturesque city.  By noon, it was raining, so we collected our bags from the B&B and headed to the train station.  After an hour train ride to Brussels, we found our apartment and got settled before heading out to explore for a few hours.  We wanted something different from the typical french fries, rich stews, and mussels that we've been eating for days now, so we tried out a sushi restaurant for supper.  It was buffet style where little trains pulled around different types of sushi and you could take what you want.  It was delicious and definitely different than typical Belgian cuisine.

We had planned on a day trip to Ghent, Belgium from Brussels on Monday because most of the museums are closed Mondays; however, we needed a day to recharge, so we decided to sleep in and wander Brussels without a schedule.  We walked to the main market square, which is just a few blocks from our apartment.  As we approached, we heard loud chanting, singing, and what sounded like a bagpipe.  We entered the Market Square to find hundreds of Scottish football (soccer) fans filling the pubs and patios with drinks in their hands at noon!  We later found out that there is a big soccer game on Tuesday night between Scotland and Belgium, and the Scots came in early to show their team spirit.  At least 90% of the men had their kilts on, which is not a sight we get to see very often in the States.

We walked a few blocks to the most famous statue in Brussels, Manneken Pis.  This translates to "The Pissing Boy," and that is exactly what the statue is.  It stands about two feet tall, is made of bronze, and depicts a little boy peeing into the fountain.  It has become the symbol of Brussels, and you can find replicas of all sizes to bring home.  Jeremy joked that we should get one for the small fountain in front of our new home, but I convinced him that the neighbors might not appreciate it!

We tasted Belgian fruit jellies, which are a type of Belgian candy that is soft and gooey on the inside and a bit harder on the outside.  They are very sweet and come in all sorts of fruit flavors.  We also got a waffle to eat on our walk through the city.  As I mentioned before, the museums were closed, so we just looked at the shops and read about the historical buildings.  It was so nice to have a relaxing day without any expectations.  It also helped that we had a clear day with no rain, so it was great to walk around and not worry about getting soaked.  Tomorrow (Tuesday) we head for our final stop of this trip, Amsterdam, where we will stay until Sunday when we head back to Minnesota.

Bruges' Swan Song

Jeremy and I are truly in love with Bruges!  The past two days we've spent looking through museums, wandering beautiful side streets, eating Belgian chocolates, and drinking delicious (and strong) Belgian beer.  Our host has been a wealth of knowledge and shares pieces of history that we haven't read in any of our guide books.  We noticed from our first past the canals that there are a lot of swans here, and we now know that this is no accident.  During the 1400s, Bruges had a mayor named Pieter Lanchals (means "long neck"), who was hated by the townspeople.  After asking the duke to remove him from office three times without success, the townspeople put the mayor on trial and then beheaded him in front of the duke.  The people of Bruges had three punishments instilled upon them.  First, they had to pay increased taxes to the duke.  Second, they had to build a church named after Lanchals, which is still standing today.  And lastly, they had to keep at least 52 swans, or "long necks," in the city at all times.  There are many more than 52 right now, but the city still replaces them if their numbers drop below 52.

Friday was a rainy day until early evening, so we toured the Groeninge Museum.  We saw many Flemish primitives, but the most famous painting (featured in the movie "In Bruges) was loaned out so we didn't get to see it.  From the museum, we headed to a brewery tour.  The De Halve Maan (The Half Moon) is the only brewery in Bruges that makes beer to sell off site.  We've done a brewery tours the last few summers on our annual baseball road trip, so we know the basics of brewing, but it was interesting to see how they brewed beer back in the middle of the 1800s before modern technology.  We got to taste the brewery's "light" beer, which is still 6% alcohol.  It was a good beer, but we had many more delicious beers to come later that night!

We wandered the streets a bit more, and bought some chocolates from the Dumon shop.  It is operated by a family, and everything we tried was delicious!  We also tried waffles later with our afternoon coffee.  I got mine with caramel and Jeremy had his with sugar.  There are several types of waffles here in Belgium, and they are typically eaten plain, with sugar, or a chocolate or caramel syrup.  You can find lots more toppings in tourist areas, but these are not traditional or how most Belgians eat their waffles.  Also, waffles are eaten as an afternoon snack and not as a breakfast like we eat them in America.

After a bit of wandering and window shopping (two very popular activities in Bruges), we headed to a recommended pub, called De Garre.  They have a beer list that looks like a book and brew several of their own beers that are only sold at the pub.  We started with one of the house beers and then moved to the beer list.  Jeremy has been trying all of the Trappist beers that he can find.  These beers are brewed by Trappist monks, and they are considered to be of very high quality.  I won't say too much more about the specific beers because Jeremy is preparing a strictly beer post, so watch for that in the next few days!  The waitress at the pub was impressed with our taste in beer, so she brought us one of her favorites.  We split five beers between the two of us, but then realized that all of these beers were between 7-11% alcohol.  This is much heavier beer than we are used to, and we could definitely tell a difference when we stood up to leave!

We headed out for supper and tried a couple dishes that Belgium is known for.  I tried the "Moules Frites," which are mussels steamed in white wine sauce with french fries on the side.  Jeremy tried the Belgian version of boeuf bourguignon, called "Boeuf Braise Flamande."  This version is much sweeter than the French version because the Belgians add brown sugar to the gravy and use beer instead of wine.  They were both tasty and the ambiance of the city was surrounding us on the patio.

We headed back to the B&B and admired the beautiful city.  We had learned from our host that the city enforces building codes very strictly.  You must have a permit to demolish a building, and they will only allow it if you keep the original front of the building.  Bruges was part of a "gentleman's agreement" during WWI and WWII, where both sides agreed to that it would not be bombed.  Great care has been taken to maintain the legitimate look of the city and it truly shows!  The city employs enough people so that at least 140 people are cleaning the streets each day, and they have strict laws against begging.  In fact, you must have a permit to do any kind of street music performance and all other types of begging are forbidden.  The city council set these kinds of laws in motion back in the 1950's and it has helped to create and maintain a gem of a city!

Saturday was another rainy day until about 5pm, but we tried to make the best of it (again).  We headed to the morning market, where we bought a handmade vase from an artist.  There were many other things that I would have liked to buy, but we have limited space in our luggage.  We bought some chocolate for souvenirs and then found a place called "The Chocolate Line."  The owner has been featured in magazines and on T.V. throughout the world for his inventive (and delicious) chocolate creations.  They were quite a bit more expensive, so we only tried a couple pieces.  My favorite was the Earl Grey tea chocolate and Jeremy loved the saffron curry.

We avoided the rain by wandering through the Memling Museum.  It is an old church that was used as a hospital starting in the 1200's and lasting until 1978.  We saw some artwork depicting various saints associated with healing, and then we went into the pharmacy which is still set up as it was when it was functioning.  It was interesting, but I would have liked to see more of the old medical equipment and instruments.

We headed back to the main city square, and waited in line to climb the old Bell Tower.  It was built in 1240, but has had portions of it rebuilt twice.  We climbed the 366 stairs to the top, but because of the cloudy skies, we didn't get expansive views of the city.  It was still worth the climb, though, as we were able to see and hear the bells.  There are 47 bells in the tower and the tune that they play changes every two years.  In Medieval Times, the bells were used to indicate the top of the hour, the half hour, and they could also indicate if there was a fire, accident, etc. that the townspeople needed to be aware of.  The bells weigh a total of nearly thirty tons!

We did a bit more window shopping, but decided no to buy any lace, which the city is known for.  Supposedly, people still send their children to Bruges to learn to make lace in the summer, but years ago, it was a driving industry in the city.  People came from all over the world to Bruges markets to get the best goods, including lace.  Bruges was the largest and most important city in Europe for many years until a huge storm shut down the river to the North Sea.  So much sand accumulated, that they were unable to reopen the main ports and the markets moved to Brussels.  The only people left in Bruges were too poor to move or too rich care, so the rich women would buy the lace from the poor women for just enough money to keep them alive.  Then, the rich women's husbands would take the lace and sell it on business trips for lots of money.  Still today, there are lace shops on every street selling everything from placemats to clothing.

We wandered onto the patio of a pub and sat down for a beer.  A very nice couple next to us began talking to us.  Their English was not perfect, and I'm sure a few things were lost in translation, but it was wonderful to get another perspective on Belgium.  It was very clear that Rebecca and Emmanuel were very proud of their country's beer and recommended some of their favorites.

We headed to dinner at Restaurant Sint Barbe, where we had some more traditional Flemish cuisine.  I had a fish stew with salmon, sole, and mussels.  Jeremy had squash soup and rabbit with, of course, french fries.  The restaurant required reservations, but we got there as they were opening and allowed us to sit down.  It was unusual and delicious.  I wouldn't order rabbit myself, but it wasn't terrible.  It was a dark, gamey meat and the sauce was sort of sweet.  The squash soup was delicious, and my stew was perfectly cooked.  We walked back to the B&B very slowly as we knew it would be our last night views of the beautiful city.