Brian's Apartment
Den Bosch, Netherlands
How fun it was for Neal and I to finally get to visit Brian's home that he's been living in for the past year! Nestled amongst tall buildings on a street that more resembled an alley, we settled in, made ourselves at home, and began to reflect on the previous week's trip. Our first night there, too tired to go out for dinner, we broke open the large jar of Alsace stew, a pork-based dish, that was the perfect comfort food for the drizzle-filled sky and chilly temperatures the Netherlands is known for. That, paired with various yummy beers Brian had cold and ready in his fridge, it was a perfect way to end the long day's trip.
The next day, Brian reluctantly went back to work (we begged him to skip, but he's so darn responsible!) and Neal and I had a day to wander on our own. We were both excited and nervous. Up until this day, we had relied on Brian to do the speaking of German or Dutch, as well as help out with European customs. Our jobs were two fold: 1. Get the car returned to the car rental 2. Walk back to Brian's safely
The rest of the day was open to whatever exploring we desired.
Following the GPS and figuring out after driving 1/2 mile that her prompts to turn were actual roads, not alleys (it's REALLY hard to tell in Europe), we were able to navigate and drop off our wonderful Fifi. We walked back in a drizzly rain and stopped for coffee in Brian's neighborhood. The streets of Den Bosch are confusing (there are no perpendicular streets there) so it took us the entire afternoon to lose ourselves in the streets and then find our way back. Before the end of the day, we did find the butcher, baker, (but no candle stick maker), and made a trip to the grocer to greet Brian home with a home-cooked meal. We also found the local wine shop and the "wine man" made some great recommendations. Not bad for a first day on our own!
Brian coming home to dinner and wine. We are discussing the possibility of sitting on his rooftop porch. It sounded lovely----so we did. :-)
My small attempt to "chickify" Brian's apartment. The flower cart in the central market, just a few blocks from the apartment, would be a dangerous convenience for me if I lived here!! The empty whisky and wine bottles made for great candle holders.
The next day, having more confidence about getting around on our own, we made our way to St. John's cathedral, a 3-minute walk from Brian's place. It is beautiful, its floor plan designed around an ancient burial ground that was there centuries before the cathedral's erection.
Tombs of said burials. This is Indiana Jones stuff we're talking about here!
Neal and I found this painting to be beautiful, odd, and slightly frightening all at the same time. The Virgin Mary on the right is exposing her breast to God, and there is a possessed looking Jesus face on the bottom left that's slightly covered with a sheet. EVERYTHING was written in Dutch, so I had no idea what the meaning was behind any of it.
Isn't this beautiful?!?
The next day was "Market Day" on the square, and we took full advantage. You may notice in pictures that I am gradually adding European apparel to my wardrobe, and as it turns out, Den Bosch is a shopping destination in the Netherlands. We enjoyed shopping for clothes and bags, as well as trying various food carts on the square. Turkish dumplings, egg rolls, fish nibblets, as well as Dutch and Belguim waffles were all sampled. The Dutch are not really known for their culinary skills, but I can attest, that if you have them straight off the cart, Dutch Waffles are AMAZING!! Thin, crisp, with a small layer of maple-caramel syrup between two waffles makes for a great dessert!
Yummy, yummy, in my tummy! We have heard from locals that eating them hot and fresh right from this cart is the only way to go (they are not nearly as good packaged), so here's a shot by the waffle stand. I can almost smell the yummy goodness!
Bikes, bikes, everywhere! People in this country do not verbally voice their presence. Bells are used vigorously, so we went to the local bike shop and bought a bell for each kid to bring the custom back to Iowa (no more yelling "bike on your left!" on the trails).
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