The venue looks odd but at the same time very cool - you actually do have the feeling you’re in a tunnel (a very spacious one, don’t worry); the tram can be seen passing by over your head! There’s a lot of scaffolding, graffiti and traffic lights going on, adding to the feeling of cool urbanity. Toddlers and pre-schoolers will love the challenges this place offers, but older kids (up to 12) will still love this place, because it’s so cool.

Plenty of benches and couches are provided for the parents to sit down have a cup of coffee and read one of the magazines or newspapers around.
Well, idealy.
I think that the older the children are, the more relaxing your time at TunFun will be: even though they have a seperate soft play area for the little ones, my 11-month old still needed my help and support. Meanwhile, my 2 1/2 year old was so excited she dissapeared in the section 4 years and up – 4 floors of crawling, climbing and sliding, in which she had no problem mountaineering into, but more trouble coming back from! After looking for her for 5 minutes in this gigantic playground, I saw her crying about 6 meters over my head on the top floor. Dutyfull mother as I am, I ended up climbing and crawling through this oversized foam climbing rack, bending myself in all shapes to come to her rescue, only to find out that the whole panick proved to be slightly exagerated – and in fact just an excuse to get me up there!

Oh well, I guess I needed the work-out.

Changing room and kids toilets are available, nappies are for sale together with a variety of basic drinks and snacks (nothing fancy).

I hear going here in a weekend is not the best of an idea (I’m weary of finding out for myself). Instead, if you still have the option, try to go on a weekly morning for the Early Bird 10-times-ticket special: entrance Monday through Friday before noon, excluding holiday periods: €40.00 (normally €60.00). Entrance for children aged 1 to 12 is €7,50, adults and children under one are free, which is nice for a change . Open daily from 10AM to 6PM (last admissions at 5PM), except for Queens Day (April 30th) and New Years’ day (January 1st).

-Esther

But I must say, after being back for about six weeks now, I feel that the city has changed. People have been surprisingly friendly. Cool shops. Nice restaurants. Clean. Well organized. Luxurious even (at times)!

Fact is, it’s probably not so much the city that has changed – I have changed. When I left the Netherlands 7 years ago, with a brand new and shiny Master’s Degree in the pocket (can I brag about that for a second – otherwise I might forget), and holding hands with a brand new and shiny boyfriend, my focus on the world was a little bit different than it is today -if it wasn’t blurred by an excess of alcohol from the previous night: party, party, party!

The first thing I noticed six weeks ago, coming out of the plane at Schiphol, was cigarette smoke. What is this? Pollution? I need a gas mask for my children – hurry!

Holland lags a bit behind the rest of the world; the anti-smoking laws are under construction and will only be implemented next year July. Meanwhile, everybody seems to be smoking everywhere and it annoys me.

Who would have thought? When we left 7 years ago I was still a smoker myself, and secretly thought that everybody who didn’t smoke was pretty lame (except for the boyfriend of course, he was pretty cool and damn sexy!). But it seems that wherever we have lived in the last seven years, not only have the terror attacks followed us, but also the smoking bans. This one can’t come quickly enough!

The second thing I noticed, is that the people are surprisingly friendly and helpful. Fact is, 7 years ago I was probably half drunk, arrogant (I’m going to NY M.F. get out of my way!) and smelling of cigarettes, so it’s quite understandable people were rude to me.

Whereas look at me now: happy smile, pushchair with 2 adorable babies, boyfriend became husband so wedding ring and engagement rock – (true NY style), cashmere jumper and a whole lot of new-found patience (who knows that I haven’t showered in 3 days and that I will kill those little bastards back home …gna gna).

“Can I give you a hand, madame?”

Amsterdam and I are a better fit now. And I am surprisingly liking it here!

xxx Esther

St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra (Turkey) in the third century. He was known for his goodness and generosity: he was quite rich but used his entire fortune to assist the poor. Furthermore he was known for his love for children and as such he became their patron saint. Apparently he was also very concerned about the welfare of sailors and ships but that has nothing to do with this. He died December 6 AD 343, and the anniversary of his death has (weirdly enough) been celebrated ever since. In Holland, we like to be different and celebrate St. Nicholas day (‘Sinterklaas’) on December 5th. But for weeks leading up to that, Sinterklaas keeps everybody busy!

Traditionally, Sinterklaas arrives from Spain (nobody knows why) on a steamboat (nobody knows why) somewhere in November; this year it was the 17th. On his boat, he brings alongside millions of presents for all the children in the Netherlands, his white horse Amerigo and many, many naughty ‘Zwarte Pieten’ (Black Peets), who throw candy to the crowds. This event is broadcasted on National Television. At the same time, Sinterklaas arrives in every single town or village in the Netherlands, and all little children go out to welcome him by singing the traditional Sinterklaas songs.

From that moment onwards, little children can put their shoes (yes, traditionally the wooden ones but nowadays even leather shoes are available in Holland!) in front of the fireplace before they go to bed. Sinterklaas will come in the middle of the night, riding his horse over the rooftops, and Zwarte Piet will climb down the chimneys (hense his black color) and gather the hay and carrots that the children have left in their shoes to replace it with a small gift, a chocolate letter, some traditional gingerbread mini-cookies called peppernuts or a mandarin (bad luck I suppose). Of course he only comes if the child has been listening to his parents perfectly well, didn’t wee in his pants, slept through the night etc.

Sinterklaas is dressed as a saint – red robe, red mitre, cross around the neck and holding a gold staff with a big curl in the top. He wears white gloves and an enormous ring with a precious stone around one finger (I guess he didn’t give it all away). He has a huge, white beard. He also carries a big book in which he keeps track of the behaviour of all children in Holland.

The weeks before December 5th, Sinterklaas visits schools, hospitals etc. We welcomed Sinterklaas at my children’s crèche last Friday. Of course the children are initially dead scared of this weird looking man with his black companions but when they understand they can eat as much candy as they like and get presents on top of that, they are even willing to sit on the good man’s lap (Kodak moment for all the parents).

The night of December fifth is when it’s really happening. Children are supposed to sing St. Nicholas songs in the early evening while dad sneaks out of the house and starts knocking on the windows and eventually the front door. When the front door is opened, a basket full of presents is found. In the meantime daddy re-enters the room pretending he has been to the loo (the older the children get, the more of a theater the whole thing becomes)! There are loads of presents for the children and also some for the grown-ups, and traditionally they are supposed to be accompanied by a poem.

When children are getting too old to be fooled by the whole thing, the whole evening is converted into a ‘surprise’ night, but I’ll tell you girls about that next year.

If you are Dutch or just want to know more about this silly tradition, you should read this article – it is all true, and it makes me laugh every time I read it: Sinterklaas, a Dutch tradition

xxx Esther

In Holland, ‘pannekoeken’ are the size of an average frying pan, and are a bit thicker than a crêpe but thinner than American pancakes. Traditionally they are eaten for dinner, usually after the traditional Dutch pea soup called ‘snert’, with a variety of savoury (bacon&syrup, cheese&paprika) or sweet (apple, banana, icing sugar, sugar syrup, confiture) toppings. It’s a children’s favourite.

We just discovered a restaurant called Pancakes!, which serves, well, pancakes (in all different varieties) and is conveniently located in the center of the ‘nine streets’ in Amsterdam (a little shopping delight for the ones who don’t know it yet)! They have highchairs (I counted at least three) and a children’s menu that comes with a little surprise. Might your little one get bored after all, a toy-box filled with books, toys and games is present, or the staff can provide crayons and paper. There’s a microwave for warming up milk. And they also cater children’s (birthday) parties – age 4 years and up!

xxx Esther

Last weekend we decided to treat our children to a little trip to ‘Miffy’s House’ (a.k.a. the Dick Bruna House). The house is located in Utrecht, a beautiful city about a half-an-hour drive or train ride from Amsterdam. It was brilliant! My 2 1/2-year-old had the time of her life exploring the museum. There’s a real (kid’s scale) house where children can sit at Miffy’s table, try her bed, test her clothes, etc. There are interactive computer games, videos to watch, books to read, big elements to play with, and more.
My 10-month-old loved crawling through the tunnel (with real windows and curtains) and checking out the displays of Dick Bruna’s characters. There is also a workshop where they can make Miffy masks, ears and dolls. I liked seeing Dick Bruna’s other graphic work (posters and book covers), by which I was very impressed! The shop has a fantastic selection of Miffy books and toys, and ships internationally!

xxx Esther

At 10 to twelve everybody starts staring at the television for the official countdown. At twelve, we all wish each other a Happy New Year (accompanied by the traditional Dutch 3 kisses) and the champagne is opened. At that moment, the guys run outside with their glass of champagne and bag of fireworks. At New Year, all the guys smoke big cigars – to light the fireworks. The women and children follow the men on the streets to admire the guys and their fireworks.
(Of course each year there are a couple of awful accidents involving the fireworks. The Dutch government doesn’t hide this from us – in fact, every year we see the pictures of people with missing body-parts around us on billboards and campaigns on television. This doesn’t keep us at all from lighting the fireworks, in fact, I suspect it makes it even more exciting)!

On the streets, all the neighbours are pouring each other champagne (so don’t bother getting the most expensive one, it will be mixed up anyway) and wishing each other a Happy New Year. It’s usually a really enjoyable time! After, everybody goes either clubbing (Before Children), or back home.

I like to be in the Netherlands for Old Year’s Eve…
Have a great night!!

xxx Esther

After Janneke (♀) moves into the house next-door to Jip’s (♂) and they meet through a hole in the hedge, they become best friends, and together they run into all sorts of typical kids situations! A lot of the stories are based on the adventures of the writer’s own little son and his next-door girlfriend, and remind me of the trouble my daughter used to get in with Courtney’s son! (Though Jip and Janneke are a bit older–about 5)! You can read an English translation of the story on how they meet here!

The stories, written by the author Annie M. G. Schmidt, started as a weekly newspaper series from 1952 to 1957. Later the stories were bundled in books, and because the stories were so short (not over 250 words) and an independent story in itself, they proved to be perfect for night-time reading! Children love the books because they are written in such simple language, and because they explore a world seen through the eyes of an innocent child.
Because the pictures, drawn by illustrator Fiep Westendorp, had to be printed on cheap newspaper, they were drawn as silhouettes. Later she would use more detail in her drawings– grown-ups or animals became line drawings, and she even introduced colours– but Jip and Janneke always continued to be silhouettes.
Everybody in the Netherlands grew up with Jip and Janneke!
Here are some more pictures for you to enjoy:

The baby looks like a piglet

A very mischievous Jip and Janneke

Cute, don’t you think?
xxx Esther

Food wise – I would suggest to have lunch on the top floor of new public library. Here you find really good, fresh food, nice fruit juices and plenty of high chairs. (Unless you fancy a simple hot dog or soft bun, then NEMO will serve you just right.)

From the sloping roof-piazza, the panorama over Amsterdam is magnificent. In summer, this roof-piazza transforms in a city beach with sand, beanbags, stunning harbour views and tapas-style snacks. No NEMO ticket is necessary to get here (either by means of the exterior stairs, or the lift inside the building), but before you go you should check the opening hours on the NEMO website because they are dependend of the weather.

NEMO is located on the east side of the central trainstation (walking distance). There is an (expensive) parking garage located underneath the new public library.
Admission to NEMO is €11,50 (children under 4 get in for free). Not cheap but it’s worth it! And you might as well save yourself €2 and get a combination ticket with the VOC ship ’Amsterdam’ harboured in front of the building!
Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00; typically closed on Mondays, except for the months June, July and August and official school holidays. Closed on Queensday (April 30th), Christmas Day (Dec 25th) and New Years day (Jan 1st).

I do have to give you girls some background information. After 7 years of cycling to High School, ‘through weather and wind’, as we say here in the Low Lands (meaning rain or shine), 9 kilometers to and 9 kilometers back (about 35 minutes each way – and that’s riding fast!) and 8 years of cycling to university (less far but with hangover – that’s equally bad), I thought I had had my fair share of cycling.
So. No cycling in New York. No cycling in Brussels. And No cycling in London. Seven years of no cycling, and no plans to change that situation. I actually quite liked our lil’ old Saab 93 that we had in London, combined with the occasional taxi!

Sigh.

Back in Amsterdam, things are different. I forgot. Everybody cycles. So, after the initial shock, I started to get used to the idea of cycling again. Especially when I saw these cool ‘transport bikes’ everybody has nowadays:

Not bad, I thought. And so practical! With a crate in the front (handbag) – brilliant, and so cool!

So, I decided that for now, I wanted a bike with a crate. Maybe after a while, when the children are a bit bigger, I would convert to a ‘bakfiets’:

You can easily fit in 3 children, as you can see, maybe even 4! All the SATC mums in Amsterdam have one similar to this one, so it must be ingeneously practical!

After browsing the Internet, I found out that the best-tested ‘bakfiets’ in the Netherlands (by Dutch cyclers club ‘fietsenbond’) is ironically this one, the ‘Nihola’ from Denmark:

(see also http://nihola.info/).

So, I send my husband en route (he studied industrial design engineering so he must be an expert) with the assignment to find me a cool bike with a crate, if not a bakfiets, preferably the cute one from Denmark.

Of course, I neglected to look at prices. How much could a bike be? (I have never paid more than 50 euros for a bike).

Prices:

Transport bike, as in picture: from €1145,-

Bakfiets, as in picture: from €1579,-

Nihola, as in picture: from €2195,-

End of story: after two hours of anxiously waiting for my cool bike to arrive, my husband called to say he got me a decent second hand Gazelle bike, (€200), which would be fitted with 2 children’s seats and a basket on the front.

Please don’t tell anyone.

♥

-Esther