The NETHERLANDS and BRUGES – Beers, countryside

and more

Our short trip to The Netherlands and Bruges was fabulous and while I wish we had stayed on longer, we made the best of our short time there.

First stop was Amsterdam and since we arrived past 8.00 p.m., all we had time for was a quick beer and some bites at a neighbouring restaurant, Gent Aan De Schinkel. As it turned out, this would become our ‘go to’ place for a couple more dinners in Amsterdam after a mediocre and overpriced meal in the tourist area of Leidseplein. (Tip: There are tons of ‘Argentinian Steakhouses’ but all of them are far from it.)

Our B&B, a 20-minute tram ride from the city centre, was lovely. There was great attention to detail, generous breakfasts and free use of bicycles as needed, making for a wonderful stay. That it was very close to Vondelpark made it much lovelier as it allowed us to easily stroll and cycle in the park and watch the locals go about their daily lives. Outdoor gym and yoga sessions seemed to be very popular, as well as dogs joining their owners for an evening run!

Visiting the Anne Frank house, Heineken Experience and Van Gogh Museum were the highlights of Amsterdam for us. Thankfully we had booked tickets online well before hand so avoided the queues on the day. The commentary for the museums was very informative. The Heineken Experience was well-curated, especially the interactive exhibits at the end that made for some great family moments. That we were already in high spirits, having downed the free beers that came with the tour (a very generous 3 half-pints each!), likely helped in that regard 😉 

Walking around Dam Square, the Museumkwartier, the Jordaan neighbourhood and the 9 Streets was interesting. We managed to find some great cafes for lunch where we got scrumptious sandwiches and pancakes, while buying the famous Dutch cheeses at one of the morning markets and the cheese shops that were literally around every corner. And of course, one can’t miss doing a canal cruise when in Amsterdam as it gives a great introduction to the city from the water as well as a visit to the famous but not-so-PG Red Light district 😊

We were recommended the Zaanse Schans Windmills, Marken and Volendam tour, which provided a glimpse into the working of windmills, a cheese factory and how clogs are made. However, the tour was too rushed we felt and tour companies would do well to add on another 1.5-2 hours to the tour so that customers can savour each of the towns at leisure. If one has the time, these are doable on one’s own over a day so would recommend that, though would involve slightly more effort.

The highlight of the Netherlands for us though, was the day trip to Delft and Madurodam. The little town of Delft was beautiful and had an old town feel. The Markt was a lovely place to sit, people-watch and catch a performance. We were fortunate to be able to watch the Durham University Brass Band in action. While in town, a short walk to Oostpoort is highly recommended for the lovely views. 

The boys decided to climb all of 375 steps of the tower of the New Church (the 2^nd highest tower in the Netherlands) for the views while I shopped around the Markt square for cheese and pottery 😊 It was here that we indulged in our best dessert of the trip – poffertjes - at Willem Van Oranje. Other must-try food while in the Netherlands are Kibbeling (a Dutch snack consisting of battered chunks of fish, commonly served with a mayonnaise-based garlic sauce or tartar sauce), croquettes, bitterballen (a Dutch meat-based snack, typically containing a mixture of beef or veal, minced or chopped, beef broth, butter, flour for thickening, parsley, salt and pepper, resulting in a thick roux) and of course the endless varieties of Dutch cheese.

From there it was on to Madurodam, a theme park, which has all the key monuments in the Netherlands in miniature (built at a scale of 1:25). It was intended to be a happy memorial to George Maduro, built by his parents following his passing at the end of World War II, where he fought the Nazi occupation forces as a member of the Dutch resistance and died at Dachau concentration camp in 1945. 1.5 hours is sufficient to cover the park given its small size. I just had to tick this off the list given my Mum used to talk about it a lot. We managed to buy lovely souvenirs at the shop too before being picked up for dinner with a friend.

Then it was on to Bruges by train where we spent our final two nights and this was definitely the best part of the trip. The Belgian countryside is beautiful and travelling by train allows one to take in all the sights – fields, cattle grazing, windmills, etc. The town itself is absolutely stunning and we thoroughly enjoyed walking through the streets, taking a different route each time. The streets were lined with all kinds of shops with a predominance of gourmet chocolate and some Belgian waffle ones. Need I say more?

Catching two World Cup soccer matches at two different pubs was an amazing experience given how soccer-crazy the Belgians are. And of course, with the awesome, freshly-brewed Bruges Zot beer to go along. In fact, very surprised that I had never heard about this particular beer given that it is so delicious and widely available all over town. In fact, one can do a brewery tour at De Halve Maan where it is brewed, though we didn’t have time. Bieratelier, where one can do a 12-beer tasting session was interesting and very quaint and a lucky find on the way to Minnewater Park and the Beguinhof. Our meals at the oldest café in Bruges, Vlissinghe, and Café Cambrinus (where we tried the famous Flemish beef stew) were great though the service at the latter was terrible! The piece the resistance however, was the fabulous cycle ride through the countryside to Damme where we had the best meal in Bruges at Tante Marie. Viren’s ex-boss offered to be our guide for the trip and we would never have been able to do it on our own so we are really thankful to him. He even guided us in ordering lunch which included the tiny North Sea grey shrimps, croquettes, salmon quiche and the famous Dutch pancakes, Pannekoek, and boy was everything mouth-watering! Stopping along the way to admire fields of barley, corn and potatoes and watch the various water birds tend to their young was simply amazing. Apparently, it was the season for the eggs to hatch and we were fortunate to encounter several bird families with their young. Adorable!! What an ending to the holiday!

So there you have it. Couldn’t have asked for more for my early 50^th birthday celebration. Feel blessed. Signing off till the next travelogue…

Colourful RAJASTHAN – A dream come true

Our trip to Rajasthan in end-Jan/early-Feb of 2018 was a dream come true and a perfect start to 2018.

Having just 6 nights to explore, we limited ourselves to 3 towns / cities with Kumbhalgarh being the first. Though not a town on most tourists’ lists as there is so much else to see in this vast state, I would highly recommend it, not least because of the Kumbhalgarh Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. Built during the 15^th century by Rana Kumbha and enlarged throughout the 19^th century, this was the birthplace of the great king and warrior of Mewar, Maharana Pratap. The perimeter of the wall extends over 36 km long making it the second longest continuous wall in the world, only behind the Great Wall of China. Importantly, the fort remained impregnable to direct assault. A good time to explore the fort is around 4.00 p.m. as one can remain for the Sound and Light Show which takes place every evening from 6.45-7.30 p.m, to see the fort lit up at night. Though we did not have time to explore it, another key attraction is the Kumbhalgarh wildlife sanctuary where night tours are popular. We did however, visit the ‘Hammeripal Lake’ to feed the thousands of African catfish that reside there. It was a sight to behold! 

Kumbhalgarh also dished up two of our best meals of our trip. The first was at the restaurant in The Aodhi Hotel, one of the heritage hotels of India, so comes highly recommended. It was here that we were introduced to ‘laal maas’. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious to say the least, so more than lived up to expectations. The service was impeccable to boot so it was worth every penny. The second great meal was at a little, nondescript vegetarian restaurant called Shreeji, not far from our abode, the Club Mahindra Fort. This is also considered a heritage hotel, in beautiful surroundings.

Then it was on to Jodhpur, also known as the Blue City for its cerulean-painted houses. One thing about travelling in Rajasthan is that it involves a lot of driving between the different destinations, which can be tiring. We reached Jodhpur by lunch time and headed off to explore the much touted Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada. As it turns out, they were the most impressive of all the monuments we visited on this trip. The former is one of the largest forts in India, built around 1460 by Rao Jodha, the founder of Jodhpur. One year after his accession to the throne, he decided to move his capital to a more secure location as the 1000-year-old Mandore Fort was no longer considered safe. Entry to the fort is via a series of 7 gates or ‘pols’. There are several palaces within its boundaries famed for their intricate carvings and courtyards such as Moti Mahal, Phool Mahal, etc. The pictures speak for themselves. The museum was fabulous too and is supposedly one of the most well-stocked museums in the state. 

Just nearby is the Jaswant Thada, a cenotaph built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in 1899 in memory of his father, Maharaja Jaswant Singh. It serves as the cremation ground for the royal family of Marwar. The mausoleum is built out of intricately carved sheets of marble which are extremely thin and polished so that they emit a warm glow when illuminated by the sun.

We kicked off Day 2 in Jodhpur with a visit to the impressive Umaid Bhawan Palace, one of the world’s largest private residences. Thereafter it was on to Sardar Market, close to the clock tower, which is one of the major landmarks of the city. The narrow lanes are adorned with shops (estimated to number around 7000!) selling all manner of handicrafts, spices, tea, etc. which made for an enjoyable excursion. The highlight though was the stepwell, Toor Ji Ka Jhalra. Built in 1740s, this historic structure was only recently excavated and restored and will leave you awestruck. No surprise then that it has made it to the list of ‘most beautiful stepwells in India’ (http://www.themysteriousindia.net/12-beautiful-stepwells-india/). We picked up a few pairs of ‘mojaris’ or embroidered, leather shoes and some spices from the market as souvenirs.

After lunch at ‘On The Rocks’ (very overpriced with poor service so stay clear!), we rested at our hotel before embarking on a Bishnoi village safari, one of the highlights of our trip. It was lovely seeing the friendly villagers go about their tasks, with one lady volunteering to be photographed with me (for a small fee😊). Driving from village to village, we were fortunate to see not only several deer in the Guda Bishnoi village, but also the rare black buck, made famous by the Salman Khan poaching case! Another highlight was catching the sunset at the Guda Bishnoi Lake where we saw several migratory birds. A visit to a local dhurrie-maker rounded up our village safari. 

Finally it was on to our final destination, Udaipur. Enroute, we visited the Ranakpur Jain Temple, made of light-colored marble. Over 1444 marble pillars, carved in exquisite detail, support the temple, with no two pillars the same.  The Eklingji temple and the remains of the Sahastra Bahu Temples (not far from Nagda) are also worth a visit. The latter are now in partial ruins, but are still indicative of their original splendour, artisanry and perfect geometry.

Of course, every key city in Rajasthan has its palaces and forts and City Palace,

Udaipur, was the last one we visited.  It was built over a period of nearly 400 years, with contributions from several rulers of the Mewar dynasty, with construction starting in 1553. Having visited the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, this palace was no match, though admittedly way more impressive from the inside than the outside. Within the grounds, located inside the Fateh Prakash Palace, Crystal Gallery is the largest private collection of crystal in the world. It was established by Maharana Sajjan Singh who ordered the crystal collection from the Birmingham-based F&C Osler company in 1877. Unfortunately, he died before it arrived and all the crystals remain packed in the boxes for 110 years. The Crystal Gallery was opened to the public in 1994 and exhibits precious crystal items brought from various parts of the world, including a dining table, a sofa set and a crystal bed. A must-visit when in Udaipur.

One can’t leave Rajasthan without having eaten dal-bati, so after a quick stop at the vintage car museum, we headed to lunch at the nearby Krishna Dal-Bati Restro. Yummy but boy was it heavy! Definitely called for some R&R before our evening boat ride on Lake Pichola and a romantic dinner at Jhumar restaurant, overlooking Fateh Sagar Lake. After all, Udaipur is called the ‘City of Lakes’ 😊.

Apart from the amazing structures, the best part of the trip was driving through small villages, witnessing the colourful, village life and people first-hand. It was all we expected it to be and more. Our driver, Hari Ram, was amazing at getting us the best photo opportunities with locals in turbans, camels and everything one associates Rajasthan with. Experiences like drinking tea cooked on coals in Busi village and trying my hand at dhurrie-making will forever remain etched in my memory.

So it was with a tinge of sadness that we ended our maiden trip to this colourful state and we hope to return to explore other parts someday…