Interesting design (Or: Horse drawn carriage in The Hague)

Posted on May 19, 2024 by Niki

A few days ago I spotted a horse drawn carriage in The Hague’s city centre. It was near Buitenhof and the H&M store.

It is definitely an interesting choice to have the seats facing inward, since you have to turn around to see anything outside. But maybe conversing with the group at the same time is also important?

Happy Sunday everyone! If you live in the Netherlands, happy day off tomorrow (Monday after Pentecost), unless you work in the horeca. ho = hotel, re = restaurant, ca = café.

Horeca is probably my favorite Dutch abbreviation…

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Sugary goodness (Or: A cronut from Albert Heijn)

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Niki

Apparently cronuts (a crossing between croissants and donuts) were first made in New York City in 2013 (Wikipedia). But I first had one last year, from the Dutch grocery store Albert Heijn. Technically I’m not a huge fan of sweet stuff – I like it in moderation – but this is a nice exception. A few times a year.

Check out Marco’s lovely knife work to show off a cross section of the cronut. So much flaky goodness! And the texture does indeed taste different than a normal donut.

Consider this your public service announcement (PSA): if you live in the Netherlands and have an Albert Heijn nearby, see if they stock cronuts. They come in packs of two. Put it in the fridge for a few hours so it gets a bit colder before you eat it. It’s also great with a cup of black coffee to counter the sweetness.

Although you’re talking to someone who loves storing her gummy bears in the freezer, so maybe take my advice with a grain of salt…

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Hamster pasta (Or: Albert Heijn is selling what?)

Posted on May 12, 2024 by Niki

Here is an unexpected item which you can purchase at the local Albert Heijn:

It will definitely cause you to do a double take! The reason it is hamster pasta is because that is the mascot of the Albert Heijn. The hamster forms are definitely cute but I wonder how the form affects the taste. What I do like is the use of the apron as part of the label – that is nicely done.

Today was a lovely day full of sunshine, no rain and not too much wind. Marco and I even went to Florencia and got an ice cream, our first of the year. I had mocha and Marco had lemon and mango. (Note: I linked to the website but it is pretty sparse at the moment. The website owner left a note that they are working on it.)

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Ingenious uses for a bike (Or: Flower pots everywhere)

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Niki

Last week I came across this bike converted into a flower holder:

Definitely some great choices of flowers to display. The pink ones pop out immediately.

Of course, the bike itself won’t be going anywhere anytime soon – check the tires. Or what is left of them…

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BlowUp Art The Hague (Or: 2024 edition)

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Niki

The 2024 edition of BlowUp art has arrived in The Hague and is available through 2 June. This time the focus is around the Hofvijver area. Here is a look at some of the artwork currently on display:

The yellow pot is from the theme “larger than life”. The pink tower is a play on the Torentje or “little tower” that the Dutch Prime minister would sit at, just out of view behind the tree above. There’s even a Dutch Wikipedia page about it.

Here is a close up:

The floating garden near the pink tower is also part of the temporary art exhibition and was designed by second year students in the “Urban Green Development” program.

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Dutch flags in the sun (Or: At the Hofvijver)

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Niki

This weekend is Remembrance Day (May 4) and Liberation Day (May 5). The first day is a somber event where all war victims with ties to the Netherlands are remembered, and the second day is a celebration of freedom. For instance there is a festival going on at the Malieveld this afternoon and later tonight.

While in the city centre I took a picture of the Dutch flags on display at the Hofvijver:

May has been just as rainy as April, with only a few exceptions. Therefore, any bit of sun deserves a trip outside, even if you still need to wear a jacket.

The Netherlands still has two more holidays to go before we enter June – December drought. This Thursday is Ascension day and Monday, May 20 is Pentecost. After that the next holiday is Christmas… eek! However, we do get more days off than the US does. If you work full-time in the Netherlands you are entitled to 20 days off at a minimum. I get 25 days off, although when I started at this job we only got 20 days. Some lucrative companies even give 40 days off, although that is not the norm.

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Party time (Or: Photos from the Life I Live festival, 2024)

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Niki

First: today is the first jacket-less day of the year! Bring on summer!

Second: we had an awesome thunderstorm in the middle of the night last night. Both Marco and I woke up to the loud crash of nearby thunder and then stayed awake for a while listening to the storm. This is newsworthy because proper thunderstorms are quite rare in this part of Europe.

Back to the blog post: The Hague was host to the Life I Live festival last Friday, held on the night before King’s Day (and back in the day, Queen’s Day) every year. Here are some of the photos Marco graciously took for this blog. He’s tall so he usually can get the camera over everyone’s heads. Thank you Marco!

First up was the Dutch band Droom dit (Dream this). See also Dutch Wikipedia. The podium was at Lange Voorhout.

Here is the band Chibi Ichigo. See also Dutch Wikipedia. This podium was also at Lange Voothout, but at the other end. Kind of a funny moment to take a picture if you ask me.

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Hemaxima (Or: Eating a tompouce on King’s Day)

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Niki

As recently noted, today is King’s Day in the Netherlands, a holiday to mark the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. Every year the royal family (including King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima and their children) visits a Dutch city to celebrate King’s Day. This year they visited Emmen, a city in the province of Drenthe in the northeast of the Netherlands.

The local Hema had a great marketing trick. They added “xima” to their logo as shown in this tweet:

Of course the “xima” is in orange since it is King’s Day. It is also a nice word joke since “Hé” is a way to get someone’s attention, pronounced “Hey”. Therefore Hemaxima becomes “Hey Maxima!” The question above that is “What is your favorite way to eat (tompouce)?”, so it is asking the Queen how she eats the messy dessert that is known as tompouce.

Personally I eat the cream first with a dessert fork and then I eat the top and bottom layers in either order. Any other way results in a mess (for me). The kid in the photo above is eating it in the traditional manner, but then you risk the cream squirting out the other side.

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Preparing for King’s Day 2024 (Or: Flags and tompouce)

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Niki

Tomorrow the Netherlands will celebrate King’s Day to mark the birthday of King Willem-Alexander.

Tonight is the Life I Live festival, with free podiums set up at Lange Voorhout, Kerkplein, Grote Markt and the Hofvijver. Here is a look who is playing at each podium. Alternatively you can now download an app for iOS or Google Play (under the name “Woov”).

Here are some of the things you can do tomorrow:

  • Visit the King’s Day carnival at Maliveld (Saturday is the last day)
  • Visit the King’s Day carnival at “De Fred”, or Frederik Hendriklaan, which runs through 5 May
  • NMNH Kingsday Festival at Zuiderpark (paid event)
  • The Hague’s Vrijmarkten. If you’re from the US this is equivalent to a garage sale, but held on a national level. It’s the one day of the year you’re allowed to sell your stuff outside, although you have to do it in certain streets of The Hague. Check denhaag.com for a list of streets where you are allowed to sell your crap–err, precious memories.
  • Eat tompouce. indebuurt.nl has a nice list of places where you can buy it. Since it is for King’s Day the top layer is orange instead of pink. I had a “double decker” tompouce yesterday from Plasman.
  • Geraniummarkt at the Lange Voorhout. That translates to “Geranium market”. Yes, for some reason it is tradition to buy geraniums on King’s Day.
  • King’s Day at the Grote Markt, at the Zwarte Ruiter bar. denhaag.com has the list of bands and the times they will be playing.

Lots of places have put out Dutch flags to mark the holiday. This photo was taken near Dozo, an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant (formerly known as Sumo, see also this blog post).

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Pickleball (Or: Are they watching you play?)

Posted on April 19, 2024 by Niki

Last month I visited my parents in the US. I had a blast of a time and really enjoyed visiting my old childhood town as well.

One of the places I came across while on my travels was a pickleball court. That sport is getting more and more popular. Don’t ask me how it is played though – I will just point you to the Wikipedia page (English|Dutch). But the court did have some very, very gorgeous graffiti in the area.

Are you a dog lover?

Perhaps you have two dogs at home…?

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