Day 1 | Europebound

Hallo!

We had a great first day in Europe and we were both ready to continue to see, learn, and explore. We were looking forward to orienting ourselves to Haarlem. It appeared to be such a great town with a lot to offer. The excitement of the first day hadn't worn off yet, I'm not sure it ever would...

Learning even more about the Dutch people. Learning how windmills work- it's amazing how intricate their system is. Also just the pride that Dutch people take in their country, their culture, and their tolerance. What a wonderful people!

Netherlands

Haarlem

May 5, 2013

Tour Day 1

Wow Moment

Food

For lunch we had our doner, which was delicious. The doner was some kind of meat (ignorance is bliss) lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato and sauce. Honestly, loved it!

For dinner we enjoyed our rijsttafel dinner. Rijsttafel is an Indonesian meal that consists of several side dishes. I enjoyed almost everthing I tasted.

To top the evening off we enjoyed gelato. I had white chocolate raspberry and speculoos - which is a dutch cookie. Delish!

Travel Tip

Plan, plan, plan and then let go. Mike and I have wasted a good deal of time trying to decide where to go, what to do, where to eat, etc. We have also had a couple of missed opportunities because of our lack of planning. Do your best to plan ahead but even when things don't work out, because sometimes they won't, let go and enjoy the moment. It's all a part of the experience.
When looking for a place to eat go to a place where locals are eating and ask the waiter to bring you what's best.
Sometimes traveling to a foreign country can be so intimidating and there are always a million excuses we come up with to not travel, but don't be afraid just do it. People will help you get around. Once I got to Europe I saw how silly a lot of my fears were. Just do it!

Quote of the day

After Mike and I spent the last two days struggling to find our way and making decisions, Mike said: "Yesterday and today we learned we made the right decision to book a tour". Although difficulties are a part of the travel experience we felt that all our hiccups were getting in the way of truly soaking in the country. We were ready for some help!

Our second day in Europe I woke up to the sound of church bells ringing. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreamnig...nope! I wasn't! Today our tour started in the evening so Mike and I had most of the day to explore Haarlem. My day started with indecision. There were so many things I wanted to do but was not even sure where to start.

Eventually we decided to rent bikes and explore Haarlem. We rode around the back streets and discovered unique things. We made our way to a windmill. There we had a tour of how the windmill works from Henry Blue who works a windmill when he’s not giving tours.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Henry Blue was a kind man who showed us the intricacies of a mill - it was fascinating. It was obvious Henry took pride in the work of millers.

And the tour begins!

After the tour we continued to explore. Eventually we stopped for a late lunch. We were not sure where to eat and our stomachs were prodding us to just eat anything. Our stomachs won and we just stepped into the closest place that appeared to be selling food- a doner place. We were not sure what a doner was and the hole-in-the-wall restaurant had an ominous piece of meat rotating in the back that did not clear any suspicions. It was interesting trying to speak with the restaurant owners who didn’t speak a lick of English. It was actually kind of nice because we had the opportunity to connect with both of us fumbling with hand gestures. The doner ended up being delicious and was something we found ourselves enjoying several times throughout our tour.

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A little later in the day our tour actually began. I was so excited! We had the opportunity to meet Reid Coen, our guide, and all the rest of our travel buddies. After introductions and taking care of business we had a rijstaffel dinner together. Which is my kind of dinner because I got to sample several different dishes.

After dinner, our waitress, Jody (pronounced “Yodi”) switched hats and gave us a tour of Haarlem. She did such a good job of describing both old and new in terms of architecture, culture, politics, etc.

Jody took us down one street that had been preserved for quite some time. She showed us how companies used to have designs in the brick in front of their business to indicate what service they provided. Additionally, she pointed out placards above people’s homes to indicate who used to live there.

Jody also walked us by the red light district in Haarlem and a coffee shop (marijuana shop). While showing us around Jody described why the Dutch people tolerate these practices. She also discussed the Netherlands tax system, health care system, and the Dutch people in general. Jody kept saying that Dutch people “are a happy people.” Having this personal tour pointed things out I would have never noticed. I’m not sure I can put into words how having this tour enriched my experience. Something I would discover to be true all throughout Europe.