jacobblogs

Tag: The Netherlands

  • Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 4/17

    Second to last day in Amsterdam! Really, my last full day.

    Breakfast today was at a cute little bakery/cafe that Vince recommended. Our mode of transit was (again) ebike, which led to some less blurry (but arguably more embarrassing) photos where the wind made our hair look crazy.

    De Laatste Kruimel, the place we got breakfast.

    Our breakfast spot was the little balcony above the water in the middle of the photo. As we ate, multiple tour boats passed below us, and more people stopped to take a photo from the bridge I took this one at. I felt like a zoo animal a little bit – it was funny to realize I had become part of the tourist attraction.

    OLYMPUS C5050

    Breakfast this day was really more of a late brunch – I had slept in quite a bit, so I headed back to the hostel and did the boring, not-blog-worthy parts of traveling (checking in to my plane, booking a hostel for Malaysia and and AirBNB for Milan, planning the next few days).

    OLYMPUS C5050

    Before another interview I had at 7PM, I wanted to get out of the hostel for a bit – so I took my bike along a river path behind the hostel in Noord (an area of Amsterdam). It was here I saw my first up-close windmill!

    As I biked, I listened to an album of piano music by Philip Glass (titled “Piano Works”), which I happen to have downloaded on my phone – it makes great relaxing travel or biking music, especially when there are pretty things to be seen.

    OLYMPUS C5050
    OLYMPUS C5050
    OLYMPUS C5050
    A neat bridge. There are a lot of drawbridges across the canals here to let riverboats through – something I also saw a lot of!
    The same windmill, from across the river.

    While there, I noticed this bird helping its mate build a nest, and took a short video of it collecting sticks and bringing them back to the nest.

    After returning to the hostel, I prepared for my second interview of the week. This was also for a technician position, which is technically below what I studied for (I should be applying to work as an engineer too, which I am! But so far am only getting interviews for technician positions… Oh well!)

    This interview went really well and I already have a request for a second interview! The company seems interesting too – they’re a spinoff from Rivian working on smaller EVs (like electric bikes).

    OLYMPUS C5050

    After this I was pretty tired, but wanted to treat myself before heading to bed, so I returned to the streets on my bike and headed to Secret Garden, a fancy restaurant that had been recommended to me.

    Chunks of watermelon with finely creamed avocado, grated feta cheese, and a slice of red onion on top, to be eaten in one bite. You wouldn’t think to combine these ingredients, but the sweet crunchy juice from the watermelon mixed well with the mild creaminess of the avocado, and the feta and small bit of onion added a nice little kick of flavor.
    Grilled duck breast with some type of cabbage and a sweet pumpkin puree. Absolutely delicous. I want to try roasting or sauteing chicken with pumpkin chunks and some type of green vegetable in a honey or maple syrup based glaze, I think it would taste similar.
    Earl Grey ice cream with coconut based (thick!) whipped cream and pineapple chunks. The ice cream was pretty mild but distinctly earl grey, and I really liked the coconut whip.

    The only unfortunate part of the meal was the price – I left just barely satisfied knowing I would be hungry in the morning, and the total cost was $99… Would I do this again? Probably not, but it was worth the experience once!

    The ceiling of the restaurant had these leaf-shaped lights with (fake?) vines dangling down between them. Neat vibe!

    After this, I stopped by the hotel Vince manages to say hi (since he was nearby and on a night shift), before biking back to the hostel across the ferry.

    That’s all for this day!

  • Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 4/16

    Hi again! Finally gonna catch up on blog posts after almost a week MIA. Travels have been going well, but I haven’t had a chance to relax and write for a bit. I’m now in Malaysia and really enjoying it – post to come, of course.

    This (4/16) was my second day in Amsterdam. Amsterdam intimidated me at first, with all the bikes zooming everywhere and just how packed the city was with tourists (despite not being the nicest season, there were a TON of people there). But after a few days (and renting my own bike) I felt much more at home. I’ll want to come back!

    The bike I rented. It cost me only 21 euros for three days! It was really nice to ride, too.

    After picking the bike up, I went to a bakery recommended by Sam (who I met earlier on my way to Lyon), called Bakhuys Amsterdam. Here I got a late breakfast/lunch of a couple of pastries (plus some bread for later), and did the last batch of blog posts.

    A rhubarb soda! It was tasty, and did taste like rhubarb!

    After the bakery, I went to the Rijksmuseum, which is what I’d intended to go to the day before – a museum with ancient to old art and works by masters like Vermeer and Rembrandt.

    On my way, I noticed the hooks / pulleys mounted above most of the old townhouses. I actually saw one being used to raise furniture up to a higher level! It’s neat that these are still in use.

    The Rijksmuseum was sold out – but luckily Vince, a friend I’d met the day before, was able to get me a ticket through the hotel he works for! I guess they get extra spots for guests or something 🙂

    A very regal duck-thing.

    I did accidentally get to the museum only an hour and a half before they closed, so I saw a lot less than I wanted to. But I did manage to see some of the Vermeers!

    Johannes Vermeer’s works hold a special place to me because I read a book called Chasing Vermeer as a younger teen that I really liked. In the book, one of the main characters was the painting Girl with a Pearl Earring (by Vermeer) – which had been stolen. The three actual main characters, kids who became unlikely friends, solved the mystery of where the painting was. It also involved the Robie house, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright – so in part, this is where my love of Wright’s designs comes from too. The book had such a way of describing the art (both the house and the painting) that made them seem alive (in fact, in the story, they kind of were). Anyway, it was cool to see some of Vermeer’s work in person.

    Vermeer is known to have had a mastery of light – his paintings often play with it to highlight and contrast their subjects in a very realistic and striking way
    He’s more well-known for his paintings of people, but this one (especially from this distance) looks like a photo, and is of a real place in Amsterdam.
    A sad dog lying at the foot of his deceased friend. This was (of course) made to commemorate the man who died, who was some important person. However, it was the dog who stood out to me.
    An ancient chess set!
    Sometimes I see people like this in paintings and think “Did they really look like that?” This guy looks comically evil, but in a lazy way…
    A scene from (1500s?) Europe. It’s neat to think things used to look like this!
    The windmill is how you know it’s Dutch.
    This one is a scene of Brazil!
    A self portrait by Rembrandt.
    A landscape by Rembrandt. I think the plaque said he didn’t do a lot of these.
    Apparently even the great artists did sketching sheets to practice. There was one of nothing but hands, too.
    I really liked this nighttime scene. Not by Rembrandt or Vermeer, I forgot to note the artist.
    A (very small!) harpsichord! They didn’t seem likely to let me play it 😦

    After the museum, I headed to a nearby Ramen place that had been recommended to me.

    I tried the chicken ramen, but it didn’t seem quite as flavorful as pork based ramen. But it was still delicious!

    After this, I had to go back to the hostel and do an interview, for an Engineering Manufacturing Technician position. The interview went well and it seems likely to progress forward, but afterwards I was a bit frazzled!

    Once I’d calmed down a bit, I took my bike back out via a ferry to get a drink with Vince (and pizza, which we picked up on his ebike). I know this isn’t quite a moped picture, but it might be the closest you get for now, Katerina & Felix!

    0.6x lens at 20km/h on the back of an ebike on cobbled roads while holding two pizza boxes in my other hand in low light lends to an . . . interesting photo!

    All for this day!