Amsterdam: Highlights (7 - 13 September) — Finkel Family Adventures

We were in a much better groove this week. Mostly, this is because both kids are thriving in school. Norah and Ben have made several friends and now, the ride and walk to school is less tedious, as we meet up with families we know along the way. They are very comfortable and very happy here, which is really the most important factor of all.

Ben on the Metro with his good buddy, Eva.

Walking to the train with two of Norah’s friends from Group 6 (5th Grade)

An underpass we walk through near school that Ben climbs on daily.

All smiles at the end of school last Friday.

Almost as important, I successfully navigated various Dutch systems and am now in possession of the trifecta of Dutch resources: a bank pin card, a personalized transit card, and a museum card. Having these allows us to navigate less like a tourist and more like a resident. In particular, the transit card means we’re now operating with a monthly pass rather than single tickets which is much easier to manage. Plus, the museum card allows us free access to more than 400 museums across the Netherlands, so we can pop in for an hour or two after school and not feel like we spent $60 euros to see one painting.

Last step: complete application to enroll in Dutch health coverage.

And, as an honorable mention, it is SO FUN to live SO CLOSE to Jill, one of my oldest and dearest friends. She has been in Amsterdam for seven years now and since her move, I’ve only had the chance to see her a handful of times. Our apartment is just around the corner from her and it’s so easy to share a meal and a glass of wine. There is something so comforting about being with long-time friends!

Over the weekend we had several adventures that took us to many of our favorite places from our first stay in Holland in 2008. On Saturday morning, we took the kids for breakfast at the Winkel Shop, which serves the best appeltaart in Amsterdam. I can say this with some authority as I taste-tested appeltaart like it was my job in 2008. I tried nearly three dozen appeltaarts that summer and none compared to the Winkel.

Still the champion. Plus, it’s totally permissible to eat one for breakfast.

From there, we spent some time at the Noordermarkt which is a weekly organic farmers market filled with delicious treats. We bought fruit and veggies and herbs and bread and cheese and flowers and capers and came home ready to make magic in the kitchen.

Later that afternoon, we set out to ride 16 miles round trip to the town of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. To facilitate this, we rented a bakfiets or wheelbarrow bike, and Eli pedaled the full distance with Ben sitting up front.

This ride, mostly along the Amstel river, delivers a lot of fun features in a short distance. There are animals grazing in the pasturelands, old and new estates, two historic windmills, and – our personal favorite – a pair of friendly and fat goats who live in a little house by the riverside. This little ride was a favorite part of our time in Amsterdam ten years ago and it was as pretty as I remembered. Both kids enjoyed it, but by mile 15, back in the busy streets of Amsterdam, Norah had her fill.

On Sunday, our friend Jill tipped us off that the Pure Markt, a traveling outdoor fair and food festival, was going to be set up at the Amstelpark in South Amsterdam. The kids and I made our way there by tram with the intention to live our best 10 and almost 7 year old lives: Train ride? Yes. Face Paint? Absolutely. Nibbles from street vendors including a fresh potato chip maker? You bet.

In addition to the features of the Pure Markt, the Amstelpark offers a bunch of great areas for kids. There is petting farm and a huge playground. There is also a kids arcade where $15 of tokens gave the kids options to play on motorized cars and boats, merry-go-rounds, and try other old-fashioned carnival games. We easily spent an afternoon here and eventually made our way back to our neighborhood for a quick dinner and bed.

What is better than a pocketful of tokens?

In Amsterdam, school on Wednesday is only a half day and is dismissed at 12:30. Having decided that we were tired of the few activities I had packed in our carry-ons for the trip, we ferried to Amsterdam Noord to check out a second-hand store that had pictures of a large kids section on Google Earth. There, we found a trove of kid’s toys and games and we managed to fill a large shopping bag for only $12. Our finds include puzzles, crafts, and the game “Dokkter Bibber” which we know as Operation in the US. Ben also spent $1.20 on an old-fashioned alarm clock and a shower squeegee. Not sure why these were so precious to him, but he seemed thrilled with the discoveries.

On Friday, we wrapped up our week by meeting Eli at the Van Gogh museum after school. Ben had already talked about the famous Sunflowers painting in his class so he was eager to see it in person. The kids each completed the museum’s treasure hunt for kids and were declared Van Gogh Specialists.