Alkmaar

We took a train up to Alkmaar, which is a beach town in the Netherlands where people from Amsterdam take weekend trips. We were excited to get out of the city for a bit to see expansive beaches, rolling hills, and thick layers of trees. We got to experience all three within our first couple hours in Alkmaar. Irene’s friend Ludwin picked us up from the station and took us to the sand dunes. These sandy hills formed along the coast as a result of wind, and were held together by the roots of vegetation. The town preserved much of the natural formations and vegetation recognizing their flood minimizing and benefits, but also put a labyrinth of paths for people to enjoy it. It was relaxing to get lost in the woods, and quite a contrast from navigating urban areas. (I have unfortunately misplaced my pictures from this portion of the trip, but I will get some from Irene or Christine soon).

After a brisk walk through the dunes we made our way to the street where there was a pancake restaurant. I ordered a pancake with apple and bacon, a combination I couldn’t resist. My goal was to save my sweet tooth for Belgium waffles and chocolates, but I have to admit the banana and powdered sugar pancake looked pretty amazing as well. Holland style pancakes (called Pannekoek) are very large––one is enough––and they are absolutely delicious. I am tempted to compare it to a crepe or an American style pancake, but I just don’t think it would do it justice. If your really interested let me know because I would like to try and make it myself when I get back in the states.

After brunch we made our way over to the beach. Sitting on the beach in January is a bit strange, instead of bathing in the sun we were huddling together wearing winter jackets, gloves, and scarves. Still the absence of tall buildings made the sun strong and relatively warm. We went back to Ludwin’s house which was really cozy and perfectly located at the confluence of two canals with a clear shot to the cheese tower which marks the center of town. The tower used to be a cheese factory, now it is a market place where they sell cheeses (mostly Gouda of course). We relaxed and warmed up for a while, until we felt motivated to make dinner. Ludwin insisted on making her famous Moroccan stew which is filled with hearty vegetables and spicy curry seasonings. She also made a chocolate cake with a layer of homemade jam in the center, and a hand powdered sugar glaze on top.

The next morning we slowly made our way out of bed, filled some crepes with cheeses and jams and went in to the town center. There used to be a bridge over the canal linking Ludwin’s neighborhood with the town center, but it was replaced with a ferry that went back and forth all day long, only traveling about 50 feet each way. It was pretty ridiculous, but convenient so I did not complain. We walked around looking at shops and the church near the center. We eventually made our way to the train station where we could rent bikes to ride around. We got fries with curry mayonnaise to hold ourselves over while we explored. We wandered along a bike trail along a river where there were large wind mills every 50 meters.

After our ride we headed back toward town to grab dinner. We went to a Tapas restaurant, which of course is Mexican, but Holland is not really known for their food and I have never been to a Tapas restaurant. Christine’s Spanish came in handy because there were no english translations. I had her order for me, so I could just sit and enjoy. There was a special that night that essentially made the number of dished you ordered unlimited, I was not prepared for such a gluttonous evening. We had cheeses in a bowl doused with honey and herbs, cheeses wrapped in meats and meats wrapped in cheeses, and so many more things I couldn’t possibly remember, but almost all of it was delicious and filling. I kept thinking we were almost done when another round of dishes would come out. By the time we were done the restaurant had emptied, and we were leaning back in our seats with our heads back and our bellies out.

The next morning we had our usual crepes and spreads, dropped off our bikes at the train station, picked up some fruit from the market, and headed to the train station for Brussels. Alkmaar, although not on the original itinerary, was a relaxing, accommodating, cheap, and yet gluttonous surprise.