An Olympics and Tulips Kind of Weekend

We had a quiet, cozy weekend. Jude was home sick on Friday so we didn't make any plans and just spent a lot of time relaxing and watching the Olympics at home. We are just 8 hours behind South Korea so we can catch some good events live throughout the day. We just have to decide which network to watch them on (Dutch news featuring Dutch athletes and in Dutch, the German sports station, Eurosport with standard footage, but also in Dutch, the BBC with the emphasis on Team GB or via NBCOlympics.com streaming on the computer)!

And what better way to get into the spirit of the Olympics then going Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium for dinner Friday night with my Maeve baby group. Mama Kelly, a restaurant decked out in blush pink was a very fitting setting for our Mamas Night Out. The restaurant windows overlook the arena. Amsterdam's Olympic Stadium, built for the 1928 summer Olympic games is not that impressive on its own apart from the Amsterdamse School Architect style.  But, what made the view special that night was that the arena has been transformed into "The Coolest Runway in the Netherlands," an awesome iceskating rink around the track. So while enjoying some lobster, I watched what the Dutch do best, speed skating!

And speaking of Speed Skating, #DutchDominance.

Gold, Silver and Bronze for the women in the 3k speed skate (courtesy of the BBC)

While it was fun to see these ladies win their medals, I got choked up watching snowboarder Red Gerard win his gold for the USA so I guess I know where my loyalties lie.

From taking pride in being American to being totally embarrassed: I didn't watch the opening ceremonies, but this has been circulating here. Did you catch how Katie Couric said that the Dutch ice skate as "an important mode of transportation"?? Geeze! #fakenews The last time the Amsterdam canals froze was before we even arrived.

It may be cold and snowy here, but I've got spring on the brain. So when I saw that a local farm was having a pick your own tulip event this weekend, we wasted no time in going. Thankfully the event was moved in doors due to the cold temps. Along with tulip picking, there was also a bouncy house and free hot cocoa. And bunches of 10 tulips for 2.50 euros! They were showcasing how you can grow tulips in plastic trays just in a little bit of water as opposed to the traditional way of planting the bulbs in the soil/sand. Then to harvest them, you just have to lift the trays instead of cutting the flowers and digging up the bulbs. Have you seen the National Geographic article about the Dutch cutting edge farming methods? Really cool to check out if you haven't seen it!

Since the weekend was so Dutch culture heavy, we threw in a little bit of American culture with a lunch stop at a rural McDonalds. Though there were as many bikes parked outside as cars so we could not forget that we were in the The Netherlands!

Andrew and Kinza Visit Amsterdam

After our random, last minute hosting of Half Waif, we anxiously awaited the long-planned arrival of college friend, Andrew and his wife Kinza from Boston. They took the train to Amsterdam from Paris. The visit was short, but very sweet. The kids took to them immediately. It made me wish we lived closer to friends who don't yet have kids of their own! Jude wouldn't let them off the hook without first reading a terrible hero book a dozen times and making them dance with him to some Wiggles music. They got to witness the after school/dinner time madness and then later, we introduced them to Indonesian food after the kids were peacefully asleep. The night before they left, we had some typical Dutch food at Troost brewery in de Pijp. We wish we'd had more time together, but hope for a Stateside reunion soon. 

Fast friends

                                                          The Joanie Hammer Song

Hosting Half Waif

We've found our niche market! Offering free accommodation for US bands performing in Amsterdam!

A band that Pete and I like, Iron and Wine, were coming through Amsterdam towards the end of January. Pete saw that he knew the singer in the opening band, Half Waif. Nandi is the little sister of one of Pete's classmates from Williamstown. When Pete went to buy tickets, it was already sold out. So he contacted his classmate to see if we could be put on Half Waif's list. "No problem," she said and "you don't perchance have a place for them to stay do you?"

I really enjoyed Half Waif's music, especially the songs they wrote about New York City. Iron and Wine were great as usual. After the show, the band came to our house with their tour manager. They had an off day so they stayed on a second night to have time to enjoy Amsterdam. I love these random encounters and making our world smaller and smaller! Half Waif has a new album, Lavender, coming out in April. Check them out!

Half Waif

Iron and Wine