Life in Amsterdam

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Rollende Keukens

Last weekend was awesome, and not just because it was my first Mother’s Day. It was a long weekend in the Netherlands for Hemelvaartsdag, or Ascension Day, which meant our little family spent four whole days together. Yay! Even better, we had a great place to spend the long weekend: at Westerpark for Rollende Keukens, or Rolling Kitchens.

As the name suggests, Rollende Keukens is all about meals on wheels. At this yearly festival, dozens of mobile kitchens roll into Westerpark to create one giant open-air restaurant.

Of the food festivals and markets I’ve been to, I have to say this one was the most fun and full of character. That’s what you get when you have creative foodies repurposing everything from Volkswagen camper vans to Airstream trailers to surfboards and boats.

More (lots more!) pictures, and my Rollende Keukens favorites and regrets, after the cut!

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Posted on May 14, 2013
Category: Food & Drink, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: Amsterdam, food, Westerpark

Mother’s Day at The Conservatorium

Marlon totally scored 10 out of 10 for organizing my first Mother’s Day. After Tala’s ~~breastfast~~ breakfast at 7am, he put me to bed, whisked her out of our bedroom and let me sleep in until her next feed at 11am. As the mother of an eight week-old baby, you think you’ll never ever sleep in until 11am again, so this was definitely the right way to get the party started.

I woke up to breakfast in bed: chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup (a hard-to-find commodity in the Netherlands) and bacon. No pictures, sorry—I demolished everything before I remembered the camera!

Then it was off to a top-secret location for my Mother’s Day surprise. He put me on the wrong tram and took me the long way around the block to throw me off, but eventually we reached it: The Conservatorium Hotel on Museumplein, and in its basement, the Akasha Spa.

Obviously I couldn’t take pictures of people in a spa state of undress, so all spa images are via The Conservatorium.

He deposited me at the spa, took the baby, and disappeared for the next five hours. Left to my own devices, what was I supposed to do?

Image via The Conservatorium

Nothing. That was the plan, apparently: for me to do absolutely nothing. To do nothing in the steaming marble hammam, or the Finnish sauna, or the pool, for five blissful hours.

Image via The Conservatorium

Oh, right, I had an Ayurveda massage. But I didn’t have to do anything there either, just lay there like a blob while hot sesame oil was slathered all over me. I hate hard massages, so this soft and gentle treatment was perfect for me. My husband, he knows me well.

I’m not a spa addict, but after the beating my body took from pregnancy, birth and caring for a newborn, this was like being reborn. After gorging myself on idleness, I emerged from this sleek and gleaming paradise of pampering to meet Marlon and Tala upstairs in the hotel. I had been here only once before, and this time I got to take a closer look… and take pictures, of course!

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9 Comments
Posted on May 13, 2013
Category: Life in Amsterdam, Motherhood · Labels: Amsterdam, baby, Europe, Marlon, Mother's Day, motherhood, Tala

Sunday stroll in the park

Sometimes I wonder what I’d be doing if I was living back home in Manila. On a Sunday, for example, Marlon and I would probably, like most young Filipino families like us, take our daughter to the mall for a meal and a walk.

The difference in what-could-be really strikes me on weekends like the ones we’ve had recently. I thought I would miss shopping malls when I moved to Europe, but I don’t. Not when we have this.

On one of our weekend walks in Westerpark, we explored an idyllic footpath that brought us you closer to nature. I still have a hard time believing that this is literally minutes from my house, and I live so close to the center of Amsterdam. [Read more...]

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Posted on May 6, 2013
Category: Life in Amsterdam · Labels: Amsterdam, Tala, Westerpark

Queen’s Day flea market

They say the business-minded Dutch, inventors of the multinational corporation and stock exchange, are Europe’s shrewdest when it comes to money. And they say Queen’s Day, when the streets turn into a free-for-all flea market, is when Dutchies first learn to make money.

That said, to join the Queen’s Day flea market with the goal of making money is to miss the point entirely. The point is to have a good time! The Dutch sense of fun and humor comes out in blazing orange on Queen’s Day, and there are as many silly gimmicks to enjoy as there are bargains to be found.

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2 Comments
Posted on May 2, 2013
Category: Life in Amsterdam, Shopping & Finds · Labels: Amsterdam, Europe, Queen's Day, shopping

Queen’s Day 101

April 30 is Queen’s Day in the Netherlands, the biggest holiday of the year. This year’s Queen’s Day was extra special: it’s the last one in this generation, as Queen Beatrix abdicated in favor of her son Willem-Alexander, who was crowned King in Amsterdam yesterday.

Starting next year, Queen’s Day becomes King’s Day, and will move from the 30th to the 26th of April. Though the dates might change, the festivities never will. If you ever find yourself in Amsterdam on Queen’s—er, King’s Day, here’s how to celebrate it like a local.

1) Score a bargain.

Love pawing through strangers’ rubbish? You’ll love Queen’s Day. Amsterdam becomes one big flea market, with residents cleaning out attics and staking out places on the pavement days in advance. Find the biggest square or most central thoroughfare in your neighborhood—for us, it was Haarlemmerdijk, which was mobbed—and pack a shopping bag.

Most of the sellers are little kids, so be warned: they will use the cute factor to their advantage. But don’t be afraid to haggle! Even if you don’t score any deals, walking around and exploring the city-wide flea market is the best way to soak up the party atmosphere.

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3 Comments
Posted on May 1, 2013
Category: Life in Amsterdam · Labels: Amsterdam, baby, babywearing, first, Queen's Day

Westergasterras

One of my new pleasures is taking Tala on long walks in Westerpark. I’ve been meaning to show Marlon what I’ve discovered while he’s at work, and to bring the camera too. This weekend I finally got to do both.

After a long winter, spring is finally kicking in and everything is in bloom.

During my first spring in Amsterdam, I was surprised by how quickly the flowers came and went. Now I make sure to take photos before they’re gone.

Walking past all the trees in bloom, we reached the Westergasterras, a restaurant housed in one of the old brick factory buildings beside the Gashouder, a gas tank that dates back to the 1900s.

The Gashouder looms large over the restaurant’s biggest draw: a large, spacious terrace that is perfect for sunny days. Westergasterras also has a cool industrial interior, with a big brick fireplace and metal pipes everywhere, but in spring it’s all about this terrace.

We stopped for a light lunch and coffee, plus one of the best sticky toffee cakes I’ve had in a while. I find casual dining in Amsterdam to be hit and miss, so it’s always nice to come across a place with good food.

I love discovering places like Westergasterras: so cool yet so laid-back, unpretentious, and most importantly, kid-friendly. There was a high hipster-to-stroller ratio, and all around the restaurant were toddlers wheeling around on loopfiets (balance bikes) or kids drawing on the ground with chalk.

A decent lunch, a cool new discovery, and another reason to love our neighborhood. Not bad for a laid-back Sunday. How was your weekend?

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Posted on April 29, 2013
Category: Food & Drink, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: Amsterdam, brunch, food, Westerpark

Newborn photo session

The photos from Tala’s newborn photography session arrived yesterday… and I can’t stop looking at them! These were taken when Tala was a little over three weeks old, and already I can’t believe how small she was just two short weeks ago.

Not only did lifestyle photographer Melody Rae do a wonderful job capturing our home and our family in these images, but she was also generous with them—we received over a hundred post-processed photos, with color and black-and-white versions of each. That way we can just choose which ones we want to print, without having to pay a set price for prints.

I love the way the photos all feel so relaxed, like it would be on a regular Sunday at home. We couldn’t have gotten this same vibe at a studio. It’s hard to choose favorites, but here are some of mine.

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9 Comments
Posted on April 25, 2013
Category: House & Spouse, Life in Amsterdam, Motherhood · Labels: baby, home, Marlon, photography, Tala

Market day

Our little family is beginning to find its rhythm on the weekends. Mornings are slow and lazy, with everyone—including Rogue!—staying in bed for Tala’s first feed at around 7 or 8 a.m. After we have breakfast and coffee in bed, Marlon gets to do what he’s been itching to do all week: cuddle Tala and play with her while she’s still adorably fresh (read: not fussy or tired).

This frees me up for an hour or so of me time, in which I go back to sleep, enjoy a long hot shower, or take my sweet, sweet time getting ready to go out. Going back and forth over what to wear (not that my nursing-friendly wardrobe leaves me with a lot of options), blow-drying my hair, putting on eyeliner—all of that really relaxes me. Never underestimate the therapeutic power of clothes and makeup!

Then we head out for lunch and a walk, with Tala falling asleep in the stroller. I love exploring our new neighborhood and finding new things to enjoy. This week, we found the perfect chai tea latte and carrot cake at Small World Catering, a deli style shop and tiny (often packed) cafe on a street corner in the Jordaan…

… which we enjoyed in a rare seat in the sunshine, always a tough thing to find on a beautiful spring day. Tala graciously let us finish lunch and dessert before demanding her own meal. Look ma, no nursing covers!

Then we strolled down one of the prettiest canals in Amsterdam to the Lindenmarkt, which runs just behind the popular Noordermarkt. While the former is more of a regular neighborhood market, the latter is a farmer’s market with organic and specialty items.

Aside from being open on Saturdays, both markets have another thing in common: an abundance of tulips and cheese. How very Dutch indeed!

How was your weekend?

2 Comments
Posted on April 22, 2013
Category: Food & Drink, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: Amsterdam, food, Jordaan, market, Tala

Rainarai at the Westergasfabriek

Our first walk in the park as a family not only made me feel giddy and happy. It also made me hungry! Luckily, at the tail end of Westerpark is Rainarai, a restaurant and lounge that serves “nomadic Algerian” cuisine.

We decided to pop in for a bite and a bit of a rest after our walk and I’m glad I did. Finding a place like this just minutes from our home makes me feel like we moved into the right neighborhood.

At 2:30pm on a sunny Saturday, we had the entire place to ourselves and it was just great.

Aside from regular restaurant-style tables and chairs, I love that this restaurant offers “nomadic” style seating with low tables, cushions and rugs on the floor. So comfy, casual and colorful!

Rainarai struck me as being very baby- and kid-friendly. Wide shallow steps leading up to the door made it easy to carry our stroller in (a ramp would have been nice, though). Wide aisles made it easy for us to park our sleeping beauty right beside our table as we enjoyed a long-ish, leisurely lunch.

We had the €12.50 mezze lunch, something like a chef’s special that includes soup, salad, a few sides like a kofta and vegetable relishes, plus a main dish. That day, it was a baked tortilla-style roll stuffed with our choice of mackerel or lamb. Delicious, filling, hearty and I’d say pretty good value for money.

The service was friendly too, something not to be taken for granted in Amsterdam. Or maybe people are just nicer to you when you have a baby! The woman waiting on us that afternoon offered me use of the downstairs lounge if I wanted privacy for breastfeeding, and told me Tala was probably the youngest guest they’d ever had.

“I hope we’ll see you again,” she said as we rolled out the front door.

Are you kidding? Yummy food, baby-friendly and cool interiors, plus friendly service, all within walking distance from my house? “Oh, we’ll definitely be back,” I assured her.

“Then we’ll get to see her grow up!” she said with a big smile and a goodbye wave to Tala.

And that is how you win over the mommies, folks!

3 Comments
Posted on April 10, 2013
Category: Food & Drink, Life in Amsterdam · Labels: Amsterdam, baby, food, Westerpark

A walk in Westerpark

After three weeks of being bound to hospital and house, Tala and I took our first walk in the park this weekend. It was chaos getting mommy and baby dressed and ready to go (do daddies ever have this problem?), but what a feeling when we finally made it out the front door!

Being from a land where babies go out in cotton tops and diapers, I need to get used to dressing Tala for cold weather. Tying on her little knit hat made me terrified that I would accidentally choke her. The fact that she hates being dressed up (a child of mine that hates clothes? This cannot be!) didn’t make it easier. But once she was bundled up in her bassinet, she was totally fine and slept, as the saying goes, like a baby.

It was a sunny spring weekend and I was glad to finally be out and about. This is how long I’ve been away from the Philippines, a notoriously walking-averse nation: I now fantasize about and enjoy going on walks.

We are so lucky to live close to Westerpark, one of Amsterdam’s biggest city parks. Within the park is the Westergasfabriek, a former gasworks that dates back to 1885. After it closed in 1967, the beautiful brick buildings in the complex were given over to creative workspaces, festivals and events.

There’s always something going on here, and I love that energy.

Westerpark is also dotted with public art, which made our walk even more fun.

And look! Regular, non-pregnancy clothes! Although I did wear this dress from Bleach Catastrophe during my last trimester. I still need to edit my closet and see what outfits are both nursing-friendly and more forgiving to my post-partum silhouette.

I was so excited to be out in the sun with Marlon and Tala that I ended up pushing myself a little more than I should. By the time we got back home, I could hardly walk, and I was in serious pain for the rest of the evening. It’s easy to forget what happened to me, and I constantly have to remind myself to be more patient with myself and my body. But I’m so glad I had this sunny Saturday at the park with my family. Here’s to many more to come!