Walter and Lillian Le Noble picked me up at Schiphol. Medyo naghintay ako bago tumawag, kaso hindi pala sila na-late dumating, so nagkalituhan konti, okay lang. Suot ko ang prep 63 T-shirt and cap, pero kahit hindi daw ay makikilala ako. We drove to their dampa daw (with brand-new kitchen, hindi sinabi sa akin na may major renovation at baka raw ako mahiya, siempre oo nga). Ibinaba lang ang gamit and nag-change si Lillian into her own prep 63 T shirt plus may tig-isang up prep cap silang mag-asawa, off na kami to the windmills!

Malapit lang sa kanila sa Krommenie yung reconstructed village of Zaanse Schans na may windmills. Imagine, transplanted daw yung lahat ng old houses na iyon to create that attraction! Maraming bahay ang may mga featured trade. First we saw the art of tin making. Ang gaganda ng designs ng souvenir spoons at marami pang iba.

May house featuring the art of Delft blue ceramics. Magaganda rin ang mga souvenir products at iba pa.

Authentic yung reproduction nung village na nasa both sides of the river and including also the flora and fauna. May mga ducks swimming in the pond, may grass, flowers and trees along the paths.

We interrupted our leisurely walk by having a lunch of pancakes. With bacon yung inorder ko. Isang plateful ang size niya. I also tried their yoghurt drink, siempre erdbeer. Sos, ibang language ang Dutch, lito na ang German ko.

Showcase talaga yung village. Nagtikim kami ng cheeses dun sa isang bahay featuring cheesemaking.

Nanood kami ng wooden shoe making using machines. May museum ng mga wooden shoes, wow, parang binurdahan yung wooden shoes for weddings! May wooden shoes na parang spiked shoes. Nakaakyat ako dun sa malaking bakya, pero mahirap pala bumaba, kasi parang slide siya. Natatawa na nga yung mga susunod sa akin na mag-po-pose!

Minamadali na kami ni Walter kasi dapat operational pa yung windmill pag-akyat namin. So we prioritized looking at the expensive (glass encased) Delft blue pieces. Meron hindi blue ang kulay. Ang gaganda!

We also looked at diamonds displayed in one house. Cheapest item is worth 300 euros.

Windmills muna kami. Akyat sa isa kaming dalawa ni Lillian. Si Walter stayed sa ground to take our picture. Kilig talaga ako!

After that, bumili rin kami ng bread dun sa bakery, sinilip ang bottled mustard dun sa isang house (wala nang mustard making).

Eto yung description sa Internet: "The Zaanse Schans is a delightful old hamlet on the banks of the river Zaan with characteristic green wooden houses, charming styalised gardens, small hump-backed bridges, tradesmen's workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops. This enchanting hamlet gives an excellent impression of how a typical Zaanse village must have looked like in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Apart from the cluster of windmills and houses there are also several museums, restaurants and a visitors' centre to be found as well as the possibility of taking a boat trip on the river. The Zaanse Schans has become one of the top tourist destinations in the Netherlands."

Ops, kailangan mag-jingle. Instead of going back where we started, we got to the car and stopped to have beer at a pub. Naks!

Tapos umuwi na dahil maluluto si Lillian ng lumpia sa kanyang brand new kitchen. Pagod pa sila sa pag-akyat ng mga boxes daw. At hindi pa kabisado ang re-indexed kitchen kaya di mnakita yung cornstarch for the sauce. BSHE naman si Lillian, kaya nag-substitute ng flour.

I know at some point ay nag-pick na ako ng raspberries sa garden. And Walter showed the pictures dun sa big TV screen na hindi pa namin agad napansin kasi todo tsismisan kami ni Lillian about prep and UP which lasted until 2 AM.

Day 2:

The sun is up by 4:30 am in Holland. I got up at 7:30 am. Lillian is already downstairs. She had taken her cereals breakfast with Walter, who had already gone to the office. I saw him prepare his baon the night before. Cheese sandwiches halved and neatly stacked in a plastic container.

Ano kakainin mo, asked Lillian? Rice, leftover lumpia, kasama na rin yung leftover piece of meat. Ikaw na ang maglagay ng portion mo sa plato, instructed Lillian. Then she reheated it in the microwave. You want some coffee? Sige. She showed me the coffee maker .Uy, new sa akin yung coffee pads. Yun daw ang uso ngayon, never seen it before. Strong?. Hindi. Naks, napipili pa kung anong klaseng kape ang laman nung coffee pad!

Lillian sat opposite me while I ate and so the breakfast kuwento extended on until 11 am. Medyo overcast skies kaya iniisip pa kung ano ang activity na mainam unahin.

Mauna ka nang maligo, magliligpit ako dito. Sandali lang ako, kako. Kahit matagal ka, okay lang.

I went up my two flight of circular stairs to the third floor room to get my things. Lillian went up the 2^nd floor where the bathroom was to give me towels and show me how the shower works (naka-set na raw, open na lang) and where the hair dryer was (dun sa kanyang walk-in-closet na actually isang separate room opposite the bathroom).

Brrr! Ginaw naman ng body temperature setting! Labas ako ng banyo.Lillian, paano iinit pa? Pihitin mo sa 40, sagot niya. Ayos!

I did part of the final drying of my hair in the garden where I thoroughly harvested all the ripe raspberries. Lahat ng nagtatago under the leaves, nakita ko. Expert na yata ako kahit pa sa maliliit na wild strawberries, e yung raspberry, shrub nga at hindi kailangang nakatalungko pagpitas. I also ate my share and left half for Walter and Lillian.

 Before we left the house, Lillian asked if I ate. Fruit (banana), I said. Kumain daw siya nung lumpia. Nagbaon kami ng bottled water. Bakit nga ba sa kahit sa Austria ay hindi uso ang drinking water? Pagtanong mo sa restaurant, they give you this bottled water with gas pa nga. Hindi masarap. Potable naman yung tap water nila.

Asos, si Lillian pala ay allergic sa pollen na floating in the air especially on cool days. Papunta pa lang sa bus stop a few meters away from the house e luhaan at humahatsing na. Guilty nga ako that she has to go out para ipasyal ako. Okay lang daw. Pero pag those kinds of days, she chooses to stay indoors.

She explained the bus system to me. Nasa bus stop yung sked. Na-miss namin yung hinahabol sanang 8 minutes before the hour (12:52 pm) sana so the next one will be 8 minutes before the half hour (12:22 pm). Since we got there at 1 pm, may 20 minutes wait kami kaya lalong exposed sa pollen. Babalik tayo sa bahay? Hindi na.

Kami lang halos ang sakay ng bus which brought us to the Krommenie train station. Ini-stamp yung bus strip niya depende kung ilang stations ang dadaaanan at kung ilang tao ang gagamit. Tangay na rin ako sa discounted fares niya. Usually ay entrance lang yung bus door in front and exit yung door near the back, pero the driver opened the front door for us to exit, kami lang naman ang sakay, ano?

We took the train to Amsterdam. Lillian got the Sudoku pages from the newspapers available on the train. I took in the scenery. Denser ang population ng cows sa mga grazing areas. Pati mga sheep. Nakakatuwa. They dot the landscape. Water everywhere. May river running over a tunnel pa nga.

Eto na kami sa Grand Central Station ng Amsterdam. Paglabas, uy, parang expanded in all dimensions na Zaanse Schans ang Amsterdam! Nilingon ko ang Station, ang ganda! Lillian pointed to the St Nicholas Church. Patron saint of sailors, siempre naman.

Lakad. Lakad. Pipili pala kami boat na sasakyan for the canal ride. May naabutan na about to load na. Sige, sakay. I opted for the seat in a row with a glass window and near the open ceiling but we moved to another row with an open window kasi mas clear pala makita yung buildings that way. Tamang tama ang canal ride, nakakalibot ka nang di lumalakad! Tingin sa harap, sa kaliwa, sa kanan, tingala, lingon, baka may ma-miss! Uy, parang masarap subukan yung tumira sa houseboat. May mga gardens pa mandin sila.

Isang oras sa boat, libot na ang buong Amsterdam, how efficient! Lakad naman kami to Chinatown. Coffeeshop is where one can legally smoke marijuana in Amsterdam. "Naamoy mo?", tanong ni Lillian when we passed by a coffeeshop. Oo nga.

We ate lunch at their favorite Nam Kee restaurant opposite the Chinese temple. Ang sarap ng hot and sour soup (akin lang) and spicy pancit (naglilihi yata si Lillian!) Kailangan uli lumakad dahil busog na busog kami. We lighted some incense at the temple. Very serene inside. I remembered China.

Lakad kami to the Gentlemen's Canal. Maaga pa, 4:30 pm kaya hindi sure kung naka-display na sila sa eskaparate. Meron naman. Lillian, mukhang mga lalake sila sa tingin ko. Ang titigas ng mukha. May customer din daw ang mga iyon. Yung mga naka-display sa upper floors, more expensive. May mga matatabang malalaki ang boobs. Meron din customers ang mga iyon. O, simple mong tingnan yung nakabukas na pinto where a man and a woman were talking, whispered Lillian. A transaction is probably taking place. Maliit lang yung room, may bed saka chamber pot akong nakita. Yun na pala ang ofiice. When the curtain closes, the meter runs.

A young lady walks alongside and politely asked: "Is it okay if I walk along with you?" Lillian asked her why and she replied: "Because I am scared." She turned out to be a tourist from Montreal exploring the city by herself. "Do you always talk in English?" she asked us later. She probably heard us and felt she can be safe with us. Lillian advised her to keep her camera inside her bag (taking pictures there is prohibited anyway), walk normally and stay with us till we get to the main road. Walter told me later that nobody messes up with the Chinese in Amsterdam so were quite safe walking around. Both Lillian and I look Chinese enough.

"Nag-eenjoy ka ba?" ang every so often tanong ni Lillian. Speechless na nga ako sa kilig, he, he, he!

We shopped at their Rustan's equivalent store. Lillian got Hugo Boss T-shirts for her son-in-law Maurice, husband of her only daughter Yvette and father of her only grandchild Quinten. We looked at several dark glasses for Lillian. She called Walter to tell him where we are and to please peel the potatoes for boiling.

Time to go home. We took the city tram to the Grand Central Station. Then the train to Krommenie. Talagang maganda ang minimalist landscape ng countryside. There is something quite romantic about that haze of a sky. We missed the bus to home so we called Walter to fetch us.

We had a typical Dutch dinner, boiled potatoes with salad and meat fried in margarine for that brown color. Strictly speaking, according to Walter, the Dutch dinner is at 6 pm, with coffee following at 8:30 pm.

We talked about what we did during the day and the museum day tomorrow. You have to be early because one museum can take you 4 hours, Walter warned. If we can only go to one, my choice is the Van Gogh Museum, I said. But you have to see the Rijks Museum, insisted Walter. I only like to see the "Nightwatch" of Rembrandt and several of Van Gogh. "Nightwatch" is in the Rijks Museum! Oh, why did you not say so? Of course we will go to the Rijks, then. The Van Gogh Museum is near the Rijks so we will go to both, Lillian decided.

Walter plans to bike to his office the next day. It is 15 kms away. He says it is very relaxing to do and clears his mind for the work ahead. Similarly for the return trip home.

Tutulog daw kami nang maaga. We really did. I closed the thick curtains kasi maliwanag pa till almost 11 pm dun sa Holland.

I woke up very refreshed with the full night's sleep. Lillian was having her cereals breakfast so I joined her and took the same. Masarap nga and filling. Walter had biked to his office. Kuwentuhan pa rin kami, siempre. Mukhang overcast so hindi kami nagmamadali.

May baon uli kaming tubig. Again, dale na naman ng pollen si Lillian. We took the bus to the station. Went to the store in the station to get the schedule of the train the following day. We will go to Schiphol by train daw. Lillian, bakit ang palabas sa TV ng store ay ikaw? He, he, he! Security system display pala iyon!

Talagang maganda ang landscape. Reminds me of the central plains of Luzon. Ang tataba ng mga baka at mga tupa. Muted light, malamig sa mata.

Eto uli kami sa magandang Grand Central Station. City tram uli. Medyo nakakalito, nagkabaligtad yata kami ng track and platform kung saan hihintay to get to the Rijks Museum . May stop dun mismo. May security check sa museum, ni-xray ang handbags. Bili ng ticket, pasok. Lillian, dun na tayo agad sa "Nightwatch" muna. Teka, hindi natin alam kung saan. Dapat may museum map tayo. Tanong siya sa guard. Balik uli kami sa lobby, nandun pala. Bumili na rin ako ng museum guide.

WC muna. Tingin sa mapa. Andun yung dapat regular flow, pero sa Rooms 8 and 9 on the upper floor yung mga Rembrandt and his pupils and the later Rembrandt.. Sakay na kami ng lift, dun agad. May nakasabay kaming tourists with a guide explaining in English. Tabihan mo na iyan, whispered Lillian. Simple lang, kasi may bayad sila and libre ka. Ang galing mag-explain. Rembrandt captures the moment in his mind and paints it (as in the decisive moment in photography). One can imagine sitting for a portrait in repose, but can you imagine sitting for a painting with a wide-eyed surprised look?

I look closely at the paintings that appear in the museum guide and read the descriptions from there. I merely glance at the rest. So I was ahead of Lillian who reads each inscription near the painting and looks closely at all of them.

Johannes Vermeer's paintings were in the room next to Rembrandt's. I left Lillian and went to see the 'Girl with a Pearl Earring". How exciting to see it in person. I read the book with the same title sometime ago and have not forgotten it. It is fiction and tells the story of how Vermeer found his model and how he painted her. Ang ganda! There was also a movie based on the book.

I went back to Lillian, looked again at the Rembrandts. Then we looked together at the paintings in the next two rooms before proceeding to "Nightwatch". Matagal kami dun. I even looked at the detailed description laminated card available in English and other major languages.

After we had our fill of "Nightwatch", we went backwards to the rest of the paintings of the Dutch masters and on to the exhibit of the doll's houses, Delftware and finally to the museum shop. 80 cents ang postcards.

Lillian, malapit na akong gutumin. Saan tayo kakain?, tanong niya. Sa malapit na lang dito para makatuloy tayo sa Van Gogh. Naglilihi sa pancit si Lillian talaga. Dun daw kami sa may flower market at magpapaluto ng pancit kay Edwin. Madali naman daw mag-city tram. Sige, kung ikaliligaya.

Sakay ng tram. Baba sa flower market. Uy, ang ganda naman talaga. Lillian, maraming singkamas mo, o. Hindi, oy! Mga bulbs yan. He, he, he! Yun pala ang mga itinatanim para mamulaklak! Parang kamukha kasi nung hiniwa niyang main ingredient nung lumpia. Ang gaganda ng mga bulaklak! Konti na nga siguro yun kasi tapos na ang tulip season.

Lakad, lakad to the coffeeshop of Edwin. He promptly seated us at the counter and tuloy-tuloy tsismisan na sila ni Lillian. Ano meron? Menudo. Eto palang si Edwin, kung ano ang gusto niyang kainin for the day, iyon ang lulutuin. Menudo ako, si Lillian pancit nga. Tuloy ang tsismisan. Ipinakita ni Edwin ang suot niyang diamond earrings na binili sa Pilipinas for P100,000 Binigyan kami ng hot tea. Naglabas ng catalogue ng Cartier watches. Later, ang price list na.

Our order was served. Dalawang menudo. Hindi na kumibo si Lillian kasi mukhang masarap talaga sa porma pa lang. Naku ang sarap-sarap nga!

Ipinakita sa amin ni Edwin ang tummy na resulta ng kain sa Pilipinas, kababakasyon lang. Gusto ninyo ng tuyo? Tuyo? Oo, galing Pilipinas, gourmet tuyo. Meron ngang ganun, sabi ko kay Lillian, isine-serve pa nga sa PAL flights. Kinuha ang bote, binuksan, and pinakuha kami. Sarap with the menudo.

Aba, ubos ni Lillian ang menudo pati rice. Ay, bakit kaya may kanin pa ako ay wala nang ulam?, drama ko. Stop!, sabi ni Edwin. Ikinuha ako ng isa pang platitong menudo sa kusina. Sarap, thank you! Yang ngiti mo lang na iyan ay thank you na, sabi sa akin. (Imagine ang contented fattened cow look and smile ko.)

More tsismisan. Gusto ninyo ng dessert? American pancakes with apple? With maple syrup only for special people? Isa lang,hati kayo. Sige. Ops, dalawang pieces per order pala yun, kaya tig-isa kami. Sarap!

May nagtanong kung nakakabili run ng beer. Sorry, no alcoholic drinks, only coffee. Next door please. Natanong pa kami kung gusto naming humitit, nati rin daw. Oh, no.

We met Edwin's cousin who helped himself twice to the menudo. He is based in Turkey and of course we were updated about our Miss World princess and her woes. By the way, ang bagong word na nakuha ko kay Lillian: Pabo referring to you know what nationality. Marami na sila dun sa Holland and naka-legislate na nga for bigger housing kasi mas marami silang mga anak.

Kakatuwa ang ambiance dun sa coffeeshop ni Edwin. Sweet ang mga couples, holding hands pa nga under the table. Kita ko kasi tapat ng counter yung mezzanine where several tables are placed. Hindi ko nakita yung rooms being rented out pero 60 euros daw for single and 80 euros yung double. For visiting relatives, he requires 3 months notice prior to arrival so he can block off the rooms. Fully booked na raw siya for June.

Hindi na kami makatayo sa busog! Dapat nang lumakad para matagtag. Lillian paid a reasonable amount for the food and Edwin even declined to keep all the change but only got the proper amount for tip. I got his email address and phone number.

Lakad uli kami through the flower market. Maganda talaga! Marami rin dung shops where one can get souvenirs.

City tram uli to the Van Gogh Museum. Lampas konti yung station, saka tatawid pa. Tickets agad dun sa entrance. Sa museum shop bibili nung museum guide. Kuha ng map of the museum. Tanong agad kung nasaan yung "Sunflowers". Third floor daw. Derecho na dun agad. Walang nasabayan na English speaking guide this time, so museum guide ang ginamit. Iba talaga ang brushstrokes ng Van Gogh! Uy, "Bedroom in Arles" in the same room as "Sunflowers". Bakit ang dami mong alam?, tanong ni Lillian? Debbie gave me a calendar of paintings sometime back, and "Bedroom in Arles" was in the cover as well as in the print of its box. Ataboy, may after Hiroshige paintings pa pala si Van Gogh! Lillian didn't like the dark-colored ones but particularly liked the flowers with light backgrounds. I was thinking of Don McLean's song all along but we did not see "Starry Starry Night" kahit binalikan pa namin twice ang third floor displayed paintings.

Where is "Starry Starry Night"?, we asked the museum personnel stationed near the elevator. He laughed and replied, "It is at the MOMA in New York City." Oh! We were looking for it all throughout. "It will be here later this year", he volunteered. "Then I will go back for it, cheaper than going to New York", said Lillian.

We went to the 2^nd floor.Opps! Special exhibit hall pala yun. "The potato eaters", how can I have forgotten about it? Matagal ko na yun na-google sa Internet.

First floor for the letters and the drawings. Ang daming works in Van Gogh in his short productive years!

Finally we were done kay Van Gogh. Lakad, lakad uli kami.

Saan mo pa gustong pumunta? Parang locked na yata ang knees ko sa vertical position. Uwi na tayo. Natupad na lahat ng pangarap sa Holland, may bonus pang Edwin, he, he, he!

Medyo maginaw kaya sini-shield ko ang sarili ko sa waiting shed. City tram uli. Beautiful Grand Central Station uli. Tinitigan nang maige lahat on the way home. Commit to memory until next visit, kelan kaya? Tinawagan pa ni Lillian si Walter na sunduin kami sa bus stop. She forgot that he biked.

We just got inside the house when Walter arrived on his bike. The parents got a call from only daughter Yvette. Her husband Maurica and son Quinten are getting home from The Hague by 7 pm. We are invited to dinner to celebrate the 32^nd birthday of Maurice.

left to right: Maurice, Yvette, Lillian, Walter and little boy Quinten

We freshened up and changed to more formal clothes. We drove back to Amsterdam. Bonus look at the landscape again. This time I noticed the avenue where the tree branches shade the passing vehicles, ang ganda. Malapit na pala dun sina Yvette. "Oh, they are here," exclaimed Lillian when she saw Maurice' car coming as we parked. Yvette let us in to their house currently undergoing major renovation. There is a temporary living room on the ground floor. The kitchen is already complete on the 2^nd floor. The bedrooms on the third floor are of course comfortably utilized. We did not see Quinten because he was still sleeping in the car.

You have a very beautiful voice, I told Yvette. Sarap talaga pakinggan siyang magsalita.

We were going to walk to the restaurant so Quinten was disturbed from his sleep, bundled up, put in the baby carriage and wheeled. At first he wasn't socializing with us. When we passed his playground, he awakened, wanting to play there.

We went tot he neighborhood Korean restaurant. Surprise! There was an Ana whom they know and she was celebrating her birthday with her Indonesian husband and her daughter. Excited kumustahan silang lahat. Sali na rin ako. Yvette and Ana's daughter knew each other when they were still kids.

We sampled the appetizers. Eto maanghang, yun hindi, yan matamis, ito maalat. We had the little pancakes with sauce, sarap. Bulgogi ang kinakain nina Ana. We opted for same plus beef slices grilled on the table na ibig palang sabihin ay kami ang magluluto! The waiter showed us how to eat it. Dip in the sauces, add the strands of something and roll in the green leaf. Opps, mahirap putulin ng ngipin yung strands. Kinain ko ang strands outside the roll. We tried to guess what they are. Finally, tinanong sa waiter. Leeks daw.

Quinten was very lively throughout the dinner.We talked about him, of course. And about intelligence. Yvette showed us her paper on Charles de Gaulle. She is going to school while working, too.

We can only take fruits for dessert, full na talaga.

Natawa ako when I went to the restroom kasi very graphic yung his and hers indicators sa doors. (May nipples yung female and may manoy yung male!) I told Yvette and she said, perhaps she should go too, and did.

When we were walking home and Walter was playfully wheeling Quinten, I told Yvette that the boy is lucky to have such a doting grandfather. He was not as doting with me, shared Yvette. I like that picture where you are barefoot in the sea, holding your shoes. Taken in California daw.

Quinten entertained us with his all out dancing in their living room. Maurice and I talked about international trading. He told me about some experiences of people who did trading with China. We were into logistics management and raising square tomatoes when we got up to back home to Krommenie.

We had tea before calling it a night. I packed my things till about 2 am. Lillian was into chat way past that.

 Walter took half the day off to take me to Schiphol. Lillian slept late. At cereals breakfast time, I had a very engaging conversation with Walter about the Dutch way of life. We also talked about healthcare.

Hay . . . talagang ang ganda ng countryside. Another last look at all the cows, sheep, trees, colorful weeds, and that sky.

We circled a few times to get a parking space in the Schiphol area. Alert talaga si Lillian. Kumuha ng brochure of shopping in Schiphol and pointed to the Old Amsterdam cheese that I should buy. (I did. Nagustuhan pati ng bubuwit sa bahay.)

They saw me off till I got past immigration, smiling and waving all the way.

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June 29, 2007

I still have to cook potatoes and prepare dinner the Dutch way! I already miss my Dutch family, now that I have been back home for two weeks. Thank you very much for sharing Lillian with me. Happy Birthday tomorrow, Lillian!