Commuting

Getting up at 7am is a lot harder when the sky looks about the same as it did when you went to bed. This week, I've been commuting from Amsterdam to Nieuw Vennep for work, which means a big change from my usual leisurely cycle.
Each morning I enjoy nearly all forms of public transportation, ranging from the tram to the bus, to the high-speed rail, and of course, bicycle.
Luckily, the rail system pumps out a number of trains heading my direction, so I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.


I'm the only one who brings a bike to work. Despite all the harassment I endure, I can proudly say I've been an eco-friendly non-driver for the past six years. Holler!

Hats for people

Amsterdam gets a tid bit nipply during the winter months, and this year has been no exception. Between the freezing canals and the crisp, cold air a lovely group of ladies found the courage to stand outside all morning last Saturday in an effort to make this a better world.

And just how did this motley crew of women expect to do something so grand? With handmade wool hats, that's how!

In a project called "Mutsen voor Mensen," beautiful hats were given away for free to 275 passerby's at the Spui square in Amsterdam. Anna, one of the project leaders who spoke to me said the idea was to do something good that doesn't cost money. "It's to show that you can do nice things without materialism or expecting in return," she said.

I was luck enough to be one of the first to recieve a hat, and even had the pleasure of meeting its maker, Anneke. She was a lovely woman who happily declared the hat "was made for you!" I couldn't agree more.

Guest blogger: Vector

You can spot lots of celebrities in Los Angeles, but all pale in comparison our favorite Dutch master Rembrandt Van Rijn who was spotted at the Getty Museum with a few of his closest pals. An exhibit entitled, "Drawings by Rembrandt and his pupils: Telling the difference" hands out lots of backhanded compliments to anybody whose name isn't Rembrandt. "Nice drawing Fritz, but let's see how Rembrandt would have done that..." I'm joking (no i'm not). The show slices and dices the elements of Rembrandt's drawing style so that viewers can clearly see what makes the master so masterful. Some of the most interesting pieces are drawings made by his students and corrected by Rembrandt with some fierce marks. You can tell he was an advocate of 'tough love.'

The Getty Center, btw, is an incredible piece of modernist architecture in and of itself. Designed by Richard Meier, it sits on a hill overlooking Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. You can even bring your own wine and picnic on the museum grounds for free. If you love the Dutch, art, and happen to be in LA between now and February 28, 2010 -- you should probably learn how to draw for realz.

I like eating animals

Last night I went to a book reading with Jonathan Safran Foer. The novelist was discussing his latest and first non-fiction work, Eating Animals.

The book is a personal story about Foer's innate sense of vegetarianism. Chronicling his 20-year long struggle accepting the vegetarian lifestyle (which he only fully accepted after the birth of his son), he juxtaposes the

personal story with startling facts, figures, and images from factory farms.

I have been thinking about the food I put in my body a lot lately. For me, it is incredibly difficult to turn away from meat. But Foer reveals that factory farmed animals, produced for nothing other than our consumption, are treated worse than our family dog or cat - and that just ain't right.

Becoming a vegetarian is a battle though, as Foer describes it. One that is more of a slow, personal evolution than a black and white decision. It isn't important that you are a picky eater, but that you make smarter food decisions.

Certainly some food for thought from Foer and the John Adam's Institute who hosted the event. The cultural organisation hosts regular conferences, lectures, and readings like this in the Amsterdam area.

Eye on Dutch design - From the living room

It's been nearly a month since I've updated this. My bad. But, the time away has been well spent and I have a new perspective on approaching this blog. I hope you like.

In the meantime, check out the interior design skillz of these average Dutchies from Utrecht.

Susanne Gilsing and 12 of her neighbours shared the decorating techniques used in the front room of their commercial housing project. Despite the fact each of these guys has basically the same living space, the slideshow is an interesting vision of individualism and home decoration.

Santa is officially in town!

For those of you who haven't experienced the holidays in Europe, you might be surprised by a few of the quirky traditions they have over here.

Yesterday was just another average grey-skied Amsterdam Sunday when out of the blue, I hear the sounds of a high school marching band pounding away on the street.

I live off of the Vijzlestraat, which is a fairly central avenue used by almost everybody, including Sinterklaas.

Sinterklaas is the Euro equivalent of Santa. He's got the characteristic white beard and comes bearing gifts. But the Dutch Santa has a much more unique background. This guy is arriving with his horses fresh off a steamboat from Spain - and this spectacle down below is his welcoming party.

Now, this scene is basically your standard scaled down Macy's parade, with small

floats pulled by little Euro-sized trucks. But, there is one thing that makes this parade a complete spectacle - and it's called Zwarte Piet.

This guy is a little black coloured Sinterklaas helper who used to be the right hand guy. Today, there are a bunch of little Zwarte Piets, just like the elves troop Santa Clause rolls with. But, these guys are all decked out with black painted faces.

That's right, black face!

It's really quite the thing to see good ol' Mister Santa come to town followed by a crew of little black-painted faces, but he does, and it is completely normal here. Many others would balk at the idea, with easy throwbacks to the slave trade and what not. And, there are many such stories to explain the painted faces, but most of us just accept he got that way from climbing down chimneys - with Sint's presents of course!

And truth be told, everybody loves these little characters. Particularly by the children who sing Sinterklaas songs with them in exchange for handfuls of pepernoten.

Out on the street with the children, Santa, and his parade of Piets, I couldn't help but be filled with a little Christmas spirit. But, not too much. I'm an American after all, and we do Thanksgiving first!

Bock beer festival: Education meets inebriation

Man, do I love a good beer festival. Any opportunity to mix great beers and the pretense of learning about booze is my own personal paradise.

My first taste of beer sampling shenanigans was back in my Boston days at the annual Beer Summit. Each year my friends and I would meet for an excess of drinking that gave us the gumption to ask stupid questions like 'what's a hop'? or declare a beer to 'taste like candy!'

These festivals were also where I found my love for European brews, so naturally I was psyched to hear that Amsterdam hosted a yearly bock beer festival.

Bock beer is a seasonal brew, which oftentimes reminds me of the many October-themed American beer variations that come out about now (think Sam Adams' Octoberfest). Flowing freely from the taps that virtually lined the 1900's commodities exchange building, the Beurs van Berlage, bock beer was the topic of debate among me and my beer drinking buddies this evening.

We did our best to maintain a beer tasting guide, with witty comments ranging from "carmelised sweetness" for the amber coloured Phoenix Sofie HerftstBock form Het Klaverblad brewery to "like a dirty malt" for the Ossenbock out of Massland brewery.

As the night wore on, and our tastes were simultaneously subdued and sublime, we resorted to a few simple "No!" ratings and even one "YUCK" for an unnamed bock that did not go down well with

our trio.

But my favourite of the evening was a special double bock that I convinced an experienced silver-haired brewer to share with me. "It's a double bock," he warned, squinting. "I can handle it," I assured him.

And indeed I could - Jopen brewery's 4 Granen Bok Bier was my best in show!

The bock beer festival is held annually in Amsterdam, but it's just one of a number of beer drinking events organised by the Netherlands' PINT association. Bringing the best of beer to its members with various tastings, festivals, and other beer excursions, their events section is the number one place for beer connoisseurs to plan their Dutch drinking adventures.

PINT Association

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Chairmen Jeroen Carol-Visser

+31 (0)64 823 4294

http://www.pint.nl/