Windmill, tulips and giant pancake

Around Europe in many different cultures - Part 3 Holland

If you are in Europe during Spring, then you should not miss the gardens of Keukenhof, Holland. Situated between Amsterdam and The Hague, Keukenhof http://www.keukenhof.nl/ opens from March to May. Its Willem Alexander Pavilion has over 80,000 tulips of 600 varieties. You can also have your family photo taken in traditional Dutch clothes.

For Holland’s famous windmills, Kinderdijk is the place to go. The UNESCO world heritage site is situated 16 kilometres from Rotterdam.The village is unique for its 19 windmills dating from the 1500s. One of the windmills that still in operation is open for visitors during the tourist season.

If you are a fan of cute cartoon characters like Renate and me, visit the "Miffy-museum" in Utrecht. Unsurprisingly, the museum tells you the history of the little rabbit Miffy (or Nijntje) created by Dutch artist Dick Bruna.

While Dutch pancakes are served in almost every café and restaurant all over Holland, Renate Heru Utomo’s favourite pannekoek are those from specialist pancake houses (pannekoekenhuis) in Leiden. Oudt Leyden is considered the oldest pannekoekenhuis. Its customers included Winston Churchill and Dalai Lama. Warning: the pancake is very large, so do not eat them just as snacks. While in Leiden, take time to explore the canals. Renting a small rowing boat can be as cheap as five Euros an hour. Alternatively, take a sightseeing tour with a guide.

For your culinary experience, try the Dutch way of serving French fries. Many snackbars in Dam Square Amsterdam server chips with vast choices of condiments, the must-have one is patatje oorlog (Dutch for “little chips at war”), which is chips with mayonnaise, peanut/satay sauce and onions. If you cringe reading this, then you will be very surprise to find that the combination actually works very well! (I grew up being familiar with peanut sauce for gado-gado and satay, but lately enjoy our family’s “Dutch dinner” when we enjoy the “chips at war” dish). As you walk around Amsterdam, be careful when walking into a “coffeeshop” as this is the popular name for legal places to buy and enjoy cannabis.