Bye Bye Daycare

For real this time. I have been running around all day since it is also the very last day I have in Amsterdam without having the kids around. Quickly ran into Foam Photography Museum to at least use the purchased Museum Year Card once. Jump onto my bike for the Beauty treatment I've been wanting to do this month. Than the Bijenkorf to purchase Gift Certificates to thank the girls at Daycare. Last but not least to Arjan Flower Shop, my favourite flower shop in the whole of Amsterdam for their beautiful bouquets and season flowers, to pick up the flowers I ordered for the girls.

And then it's time to pick up my girls and shed some tears. A lot actually. And not only me, but my girls are really going to be missed. Makes sense. They really are a happy few. More laughing then crying in their little books. Not in my book today tough.

Cafe Restaurant Amsterdam

Celebrating Daddy's birthday with a dinner for three. Thought about going all together, but the twins wouldn't enjoy it very much, so just one kid. What would be a good place to eat with a 2-year-old? Should we choose a restaurant with a children's menu? And then I thought about the time I ordered snails but ended up eating chicken and fries. Or the time I ordered salmon tartar and ended up eating a chocolate cake. So no children's menu, cause there's now one appreciating this in our family. But we do need a child friendly restaurant and that's exactly what Cafe Amsterdam near the Westerpark is. Used to children walking around. And besides that they also have a very attractive French bistro menu and we end up ordering Fruit des Mer, again. With french fries and mayonnaise, again. 

Windmills

Saying goodbye to daycare. My Goodness. I've been dreading this for weeks. I have to take it slow because it really truly feels like a rock in my stomach every time I think about saying goodbye to these girls. I actually now will be happy when they've had their last day because then that will be it and I won't feel as badly as I've been feeling since I've told them we're leaving (and they had to cry and me a little bit as well) This will be definite. I can't take the girls. As much as I would have loved to.

I'm taking this step by step. Telling myself this is the best way, but actually it's necessary for my own process of letting go. So when actually Thursday will be the kids last day I decide to hand out their goodbye gifts (wind mills with hand written goodbye and thank you notes attached, 44 of them, hand written! part of the process for sure) on Tuesday. I figure this will give the kids and mainly their parents the chance to say goodbye. It's also Disney day today (on the most lovely daycare in Amsterdam with the uttermost lovely girls, whom I would definitely  and truly recommend to everyone looking for a reliable daycare in Amsterdam) so while I was writing and writing and writing my better half was putting together Minnie Mouse ears for the little one, using a cutout from one of the moving boxes and one of my diadems. Worked out perfectly. As did my windmills.

Step one in letting go.

English Brunch

My sweet sister and her husband surprise us on a Sunday morning by letting us know they will take care of lunch today. And they really did. Showing up with this huge bags full of food, cooking in our kitchen and an hour later surprising us whit a super tasty and bulky lunch. Or actually a full English breakfast with everything you need from sausages to scrambled eggs to white beans in tomato sauce to potato wedges to scones with clothed cream. (so happy Marks and Spencer returned to Amsterdam). Oh how we'll miss this little family, their adorable little girl (we were due only 4 days apart, twins were born 3 weeks early though so now the age difference is little over a month). Most wonderful part of the afternoon still is our kids having a ball in playing together. Realizing this feels like one of the real sacrifices of our move, missing out on this kind of family fun, these little ones grow up so very very fast.  

Anyhow, thank you dear A & I for giving us this wonderful afternoon!

I Amsterdam

We are really beginning to feel it now. We actually are going to do this and move, in one month, to one of our favorite city's. But also: we are going to leave THE most wonderful city we know. We feel how much we actually love this city and are beginning to see it with a different view. The view of people who soon will not be living here any more.The last couple of years, actually since our oldest was born in march 2012, we have been asking ourselves whether our next home will be in or outside the city. Leaving Amsterdam for a while has made us realize that we will never be happy leaving the city permanently. So now we know: when we come back it will definitely be Amsterdam for ever. 

An Evening Together

We will today actually, really proceed with our plan today to have a last evening together in Amsterdam. Actually just an afternoon to see a movie but for the babysitter it's no problem to stay longer. Also for her it's a goodbye from the children.

The new film museum Eye is a magnificent building, we first have a beer on their fantastic terrace which oversees the IJ river with the Central Station on the other side. We saw the German movie "oh Boy" which tells the black and white story of a student in his twenties in Berlin. Really a beautiful movie, but all we can think of is that we can totally not imagine we will live in this city in one month.

Afterwards the plan is to eat in the bar of the theater (which also looks beautiful with it's high ceilings, big windows and great lighting) because we heard a lot of good things about it, but the are completely booked. And here's the downside of the Northern part, it's not a place to quickly find another place to eat without making a reservation. The upside however is that the restaurants here actually are on average very good, it takes some effort to come here so they really make an effort to make the travel worth while. We make this travel often because of the high standards in quality at the restaurant in this part in Amsterdam. In the neighborhood there are Cafe Modern in an old bank building (really very very good, cook you a five course meal, but you really have to take your time and that's not possible at this moment), Il  Pecorino (very good Italian pizza's with fresh ingredients, but a little too low key for tonight), Hotel de Goudfazant in an old barrack (not expensive, good rough food, very nice people, have been here very often) and Stork, a fish restaurant.

We choose the last one, only been here once and then saw the fruits de mere on the menu. Something we really are craving at this moment. With some french fries with home made mayonnaise of course.This part of Amsterdam, combined probably with looking at Berlin images for an hour and a half, feels a bit like we're already in Berlin with it's industrial buildings, empty spaces and room for creativity seen in for example the beautiful graffiti.

Het Gooi

Having quit my job means a lot of time for me to see all my lovely friends and family a lot, what I really haven't being doing enough over the last year. To day it's one of the most important persons ever we're visiting: my Mama!

After spending the afternoon at Paviljoen Heidezicht, where the twins main activity and goal was to eat the whole sandpit, we rest from this warm summery day in a shadowy spot in my mums lovely garden.

Chefs Table

My sweet parents-in-law take us out for a wonderful evening to celebrate the new step were going to make and look into the future together. They take us to the Chefs Table in Amsterdam North, who this summer are not serving at their regular spot in the old Renault garage, but on the Undercurrent location where there's a magnificent view over the IJ. Right across from my old office. The wonderful Indian summer weather makes it that we can sit outside for the whole evening and enjoy the Chef's surprise menu while we mesmerize about the steps we're going to take. Afterwards the two of us take a bike ride through the beautifully changing north of Amsterdam, pick one more drink at Toren at the bottom of the Shell tower which is transforming into one of Amsterdam's main spots, wonder around the new Eye film museum, decide we definitely are seeing a movie there before we leave, take the ferry to the center and then finally bike through the Jordaan on our way home.

Taking our goodbye of this city bit by bit

Wonderful Saturday

We are in luck: our last days in Amsterdam and the weather is magnificent! Beautiful summer days. Nice walks through our beloved city. Use the time we'll spend as good as we can.

Haarlemmerdijk, Herenmarkt, Jordaan, Elandsgracht, Vondelpark and finish in our own neighborhood at the City Farmers spot near the Bellamy square, where they reserved square meter boxes for kids to use to grow their own veggies and flowers. It's a lovely spot and R loves to run around and look at the little red tomatoes, secretly steel a strawberry now and then, call the flowers by name and run around at the lawn as hard as she can because it wont hurt a bit when you fall.

Saying Goodbye

Moving to Berlin for me means quitting my job. Ending my work at a Dutch Photo Agency what I really loved to go go something I even love more: spending a lot of time with my girls and man.

The last weeks I have discovered a new side of myself: I hate to say goodbye, or in case of some of my colleagues: farewell. In case of my family and friends I know I will be in contact with them plenty, we'll return to Amsterdam every now and then and I know the will be visiting us in Berlin. They will be there when we'll return. The hard thing for me is saying a goodbye indefinitely to people and to a part of my life.To people who I've been seeing a great part of my week over the last five years.

We had a great evening together at my last day in the office. We ate at Saskia's Huiskamer Restaurant on the Albert Cuyp markt. The whole little restaurant to ourselves, it was a great evening and I'll miss everybody big time. Thank you sweet colleagues!

Amsterdam to Berlin

About four weeks ago we made our decision definite: we're going to Berlin and we're going as soon as possible. To live in the most beautiful city of Germany by the first of October will be our goal from now on. Change because it's needed.

Our story shortened: We know each other for about 10 years, lost track, but got a hold of each other again and are together since the beginning of 2008. June 2010 we were married in a French meadow during a wonderful week at a chateau surrounded by our most beloved friends and family.
The first of March our oldest girl was born in Amsterdam, to be followed by her twin sisters only 1.5 years later on the 24th of August. Last member of our family is Weimaraner Sjakie, who is five years old at this moment.

And now we're moving to Berlin, hopefully to create some peace in our lives and spend some more time with our lovely threesome.

Eastbourne

When you don't mind the elderly Eastbourne is a lovely place to spend a day. After a couple of hectic days in London at a wedding we have one spare day before travelling back to Amsterdam and decide to spend it near the South Coast of the UK. Inittially the plan was to stay in Brighton, but since it's the first of May it's very hard to find an affordable place to sleep at the last moment.We end up at the Best Western hotel that's more like a retirement home, which is kind of an experience on it's own, travelling back in time. The girls shake up the breakfast room the next morning, but all the grey heads are woken up afterwards.

Eastbournes Pier gives the same experience: back in time, but so nice. We've had a full English breakfast, but some day I will definately be back for a high tea on Eastbournes Pier! Or a fresh fish from the Friendly Fisherman at the end of the Pier.

Lamb chops on the BBQ

After a huge Easter brunch we hardly need to eat anything the rest of the day, but there are some lovely lamb chops (from De Krat) in the fridge. So the BBQ is lit again for a simple Easter dinner.

I marinated the lamb chops in some olive oil and fresh thyme with sea salt and black pepper for half an hour. Grill them for about 8 minutes, while putting some left over baguette next to it.

Dress some lettuce with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Other left over ingredients on top, in our case halved cherry tomatoes, roasted pine nuts, sliced spring onions and some fresh cut mint.

One of the things I really love about having a (tiny) garden in Amsterdam: Being able to BBQ!

Easter Eve BBQ

Although the weather wasn't very helpful these last couple of days we decided to have an Easter Eve BBQ, if only because our weekly organic box 'De Krat' was so full off lovely ingredient screaming to invite some guests. Only ingredients we had to add for a 6 person BBQ with salads and bread were some steaks, 1 avocado, pinenuts and some fresh basil and thyme. Alright, and some merquez sausages.

Salad 1: Grilled Veg Salad
Slice 1 Courgette and 1 yellow Pepper, brush the slices with olive oil and grill for a couple of minutes on each side. Mix it up with a chopped peace of Garlic, chopped Basil, a squeeze of Lime juice and some salt and pepper. Put aside. Fry some Pine nuts, cut some Cherry Tomatoes in half. Mix up 1 tbsp Red WineVinegar with 3 tbsp Olive Oil for the vinaigrette. Dress 3 hands full of fresh Spinach with the vinaigrette and put all the other ingredients on top. Finish of with some salt, pepper  and fresh Basil

Salad 2: Sunny Salad
This salad was solely based on the fact De Krat brought me pansies to use in the kitchen, so we had to make them into salad that added a little sunshine to our Easter Eve BBQ. All you need to do for this salad is slice and mix and its ready.
Cut and wash (a) Green Lettuce, slice an Avocado, cut Cherry Tomatoes in half, slice up half a Yellow Pepper. Slice a Leek  into thin rings, put in a bowl and pour some boiling water over, put aside. Make a dressing of 1 tbsp (Fennel) Vinegar, 3 tbsp Olive oil, 1 tsp (Spring) Mustard, 1 tsp  Honey and s+p. Dress the lettuce and put on a plate. Drain the leek and put on top, together with the other ingredients. Finish of with the Pansies, some Fresh Herbs (I used fresh Mint and Perilla) and maybe some Pine Nuts.

For the rest we needed some meat and bread. Where else to get your steaks than from butchery Louman who truly sell the best steaks you can get in Amsterdam. Their Merquez Merquez sausages are also not to sneeze at by the way. Bread of course from De Krat, who brought us some nice Walnut bread from Menno this week. And also got some brown Baguette at the Vlaams Broodhuys.

 

Despite the low temperature it was a very successful Easter Eve BBQ with thanks to De Krat en butchery Louman!