Perfect Guests

I’d say for 90% of the time, Mr T and I get on  very well, but after an entire month (bar one weekend) of no-one but each other for company, even I'm starting to see why lighthouses always have three keepers. Mr T has his work colleagues to talk to most days, I just have the cat. This week we played host to a flurry of visitors and these guests were very warmly welcomed.

The first to arrive was an old college friend, and the chance to indulge in some much missed girly time. We tried clothes shopping, although it is becoming more and more apparent that the friend who intimated I’d end up buying my Dutch clothes in the children’s departments may well be correct. And while I probably should say the highlight of our trip into Amsterdam was the thought-provoking tour of the Anne Frank house (unbelievably with no queues) I’d be lying if I didn’t say I found the glass of gluhwein and the apple cake that followed a lot more enjoyable.

As soon as one visitor left, another two arrived. This time the sister and brother-in-law who provided further excuses to sample some Dutch culinary delights. There are over 180 restaurants in Haarlem, and if ever I fancied a career as a food critic then this would probably be the place to begin. Mr T has already started posting regular comments on Trip Advisor.

Our first stop for an evening meal was the Jopenkerk Brewery, where instead of a wine recommendation, beer suggestions are made to accompany each dish. I don’t do beer, so for me it was an easy choice but the brewery has a humongous selection of flavours on offer – from original 16^th century recipes to fig beer, which my sister described as liquid Christmas pudding (cough medicine was the term that sprung to mind when I tried a quick sip).

While out and about the brave brother-in-law was perfectly happy to sample the traditional Dutch delights of croquette sandwiches (indistinguishable ingredients mashed up with potato, rolled into a sausage shape, deep fried in breadcrumbs and served between two chunks of bread) and bitterballs  (more unidentified ingredients mashed with potatoes, rolled into balls, deep fried in breadcrumbs and served with a pot of mustard). I like to know what I'm eating so  I happily stuck to yet more apple cake and slagroom (whipped cream).

Haarlem has restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets, and despite eating out every day for nearly week, we've only just dipped our toes into the culinary waters. 

But it’s not all about the food. We walked for miles, proudly showing off our new home town and exploring more unchartered territory in Amsterdam. We braved the cold and headed up north to Volendam, another former Dutch fishing village now reliant on the tourist industry where we resisted the urge to buy cheese, clogs and tacky model windmills (although we are quite tempted to return for a Christmas card photo-shoot in traditional Dutch costume….)

All in all it’s been a good week. We’ve a brief respite now until our next visitors arrive, but already the house seems all too quiet. Anyone looking for a Dutch city break, happy to stay in a 'Make your own Bed and  Breakfast' - just contact me. I know the perfect place!