Posts in Category: Holidays
Remembering Normandy
This Remembrance Day we decided to get out of the city and drive out to Normandy to pay homage to those who fought and died bravely for all these freedoms and splendors that we so enjoy. And as I walked around, taking in all the beautiful foods and smells that the region boasts, I also remembered my grandmother Sabina, who loved her whole family madly, and who died on November 11th several years ago.
We made it to beautiful little Bayeux, where we were lodging, within a few hours (Danica Patrick’s got nothing on me). The region is known for it’s Calvados, Cidre, Poire, Cochon, and landscapes that I can’t even describe the beauty of. Cattle, horses, and wild birds can be seen everywhere, and beautiful stone towns that look like they are about a million years old. It’s an incredible mix of history and modernity, and the food is just to die for. You haven’t tasted foie gras, bread, oysters and cheese ’till you’ve tasted them here. FYI, Au P’Tit Bistro is not to be missed, should you be planning a trip there.
Next, we visited Omaha, Gold and Juno Beaches. I was especially impressed with the American Cemetery and Memorial, and how beautiful it was.
John was also giddy with excitement at the prospect of visiting Mont St. Michel, so out we went. It truly is an incredible sight – I really thought such things only existed in Disney movies – and we gawked at everything until our eyes were sore. To cap off the evening in an adventurous fashion, I got lost in the swampy, pitch-black parking lot, and was rescued by a couple from Montreal who decided that they couldn’t leave me to sink like Artax and drove me around the massive grounds until I found my little Giulietta. See, you make friends everywhere. Thanks guys!
Abbey St. Michel is spectacular. It holds a special place among the religious buildings that I have seen on my travels because of its beautiful, tastefully minimal stained glass that is unlike any I have seen. The building is not dark and dismal and busy, it’s light and pastel-coloured and gorgeous.
Honfleur was a beautiful little artist’s town that we visited as well. I’m a sucker for any charming spot with an abundance of cafes, awnings, galleries and boats, but throw in amazing oysters and narrow, cobblestoned streets into the mix, and I get all grinny. Like so.
The White Cliffs of Etretat were the last stop before our drive back to Amsterdam. We climbed to the top, and watched the sun set perfectly through the narrow opening in one of the arcs. It was incredible. Later that night, we dreamily drove back home, our tummies filled with chocolate crepes and gaufres, our heads with visions of the beautiful places that we had seen, and the trunk filled with camembert, baguettes and bottles of cider for us and our friends.
(20)11 Resolutions
- The Amsterdam Public Library is wonderful. Really. Super cool. Will go there more.
- I will learn how to speak Dutch (ok, I will learn the alphabet and how to count to 50, let’s start with that).
- I will finally get within 2 feet of the Bald Coot and stare at its shelled little feet. Oh yes, I will.
- Will eat fewer oliebollen. Bazinga.
- I will stop cutting my own hair. Apparently, just cuz it was cute when my mom did it when I was 6 does not make it ok when I’m 30. Or something.
- I will visit Angkor Wat. Watch me.
- If a movie is really really bad, I will not finish watching it. I will walk away, turn off the tv (or leave the theater). I will not sit there and calculate how much money I am wasting by not seeing the denouement, but rather how many brain cells I am saving by not.
- I will not buy things at Sabon that fill bathtubs since now I have no access to a bathtub. Because that would be silly. And I am not silly. Except on my birthday, because Jacqui bought me a gift certificate, BUT ONLY THEN.
- I will eat more cheese. Because I can. And because it’s ridiculous here.
- I will finally read Manufacturing Consent.
- I will allow others to win at Scrabble because “it’s supposed to be fun for everyone”.
Mad College Blast
It’s been a busy few weeks, and I’ve barely had a chance to sit down, let alone update everyone on the events of the recent past. My employer in Amsterdam held their annual Christmas Party last night at the Amsterdam College Hotel. The Mad Men theme allowed us all to bust out the pearls, suspenders, curlers and mink and channel the energy and style of our grandparents. Everyone looked absolutely fabulous, and danced into the wee hours of the morning. It was a great way to truly get a feel for the holiday season and connect with our coworkers in a laid back setting.
Afterwards, a few of us headed over to a little Blues bar called Maloe Melo, since we couldn’t get our dancing feet to stop jigging. It was fun, and along with the pizzazz of the College Hotel led to the general consensus that the evening was awesome.
This will be the first year that I will spend Christmas away from my family. I did consider flying back to Toronto for the few days that I have off, but it would be madness and costly, and I’m trying to tell myself that, just as BlackBerry commercials have taught me, distance has nothing to do with closeness – I can spend Christmas here and my family can still understand how much I love them. And just when I started to feel sorry for myself and renege on the conviction of my decision, I got an email from Jacqui and Jeff (who now live in England, where Jax is a Post Doc) that they would like to come to Amsterdam and would I like Christmas visitors. Something about coincidences like that freaks me out, and I got a little teary eyed that I will, in fact, be spending the holidays with people that I love and feel at home with. Albert-Heijn-grocery-bag tobogganing at Museumplein, holler.
Now come a few precious weeks to familiarize myself with supermarkets in Amsterdam. No one wants boring ol’ cuisine for Christmas, do they?