Who can resist an old style candy store? Not me, thats for sure. I always love visiting them and buying a small bag of something each time wherever I am.
This visit to the candy shop in Zutphen was no different. The old man that ran the shop gave us a taste of polka brokken, a brittle candy with a buttery taste and we had to take some home with us. In the traditional cone shaped paper of course.
Its not just the candy I love though. Its the smell, the colours and packages and jars in these old shops.
The many many types of ‘drop’.The paper cones hanging from above, ready to be filled with candy.Making use of old tins.
Next door to the candy store is the smallest museum – this is the first office of the now huge dutch insurance company Nationale-Nederlanden.
A video plays with the history of NN.
Its a single tiny room with enough space for one bookcase, a desk, a chest for keeping files, a coat stand and little else… so different to the company my friend’s daughter works for now.
A little history, a little candy… what more can a girl ask for?
I’m finally back in Holland after years of Covid and cancelled trips. I just love Holland. I first came here for Christmas when I was 17 years old, to visit my friend Inge who I’d met on Paros that summer.
After that she would visit me on Paros each summer and I would visit her in Utrecht each winter.
Those were the days… Student clubs, cafe crawls on bike in freezing weather, meeting people, learning to ice skate, having fun. I’ve always felt at home in Holland, like I belonged here… maybe in a previous life…
There was the time I considered applying to art school in Amsterdam instead of going back to Australia. And the time I applied for a job with Greenpeace. I got an interview, but by then I’d decided to return to Aus. How different would my life had been had I taken that fork in the road. Its something I think about now and then, the path not taken.
After I moved back to Australia I only visited when I could make the trip to Europe. Every trip to Greece included a stop-over in Holland. It was something I always did.
Having visited here so many times over the years my trips here are more to see Inge and spend time with her and her family than it is to sightsee. This trip however, I wanted to revisit some places I haven’t been in years. Meanwhile a trip to the supermarket is always fun for me. I love seeing the different things on shelves in different countries.
For instance, the licorice section in dutch supermarkets is always huge. There are so many variations on the ‘drop’ – which is what they call licorice candy here. It comes in sweet or salty and everything in between.
Then there’s the hagelslag section… I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere else. Chocolate and candy sprinkles to put on your bread! I mean, I grew up in Australia where a staple of children’s parties was fairy bread (for those that don’t know it, its Hundreds and Thousands on buttered white bread, back when it was ok to feed children candy, white bread and butter!), but here it seems not only children eat chocolate shavings or sprinkles on their bread. First time I had it was when visiting a friend in Amsterdam when we were 20yrs old or so…
But this time I saw something I’d never seen before, though apparently its always been available and much loved by dutch children:
Are you familiar with the dutch spiced cookies called speculaas?
So, these bread topppings are basically tiny speculaas bits…
Odd? For sure. So I had to try them…
My opinion: I prefer to get a handful and nibble on them that way. Its interesting to have the crunchy texture on your bread, but cookies on bread? Nah… and I have a sweet tooth the size of Australia. I will eat almost anything sweet. Just not this.
However, having tried it, I am now officially a dutch child.
I started off the day like any other: checked email, did some laundry, folded washing to put away, washed dishes, cleaned the kitchen, scooped up some poopsicles (its been really cold lately!).
I must say, I’m not sorry to be leaving when its so cold. Though I actually don’t hate the cold. I just wish we’d get some snow now and then. All we get is frost. Wake up to a white world which is frost and ice. Frozen dog bowls, ice on the dam this morning (first time ever!) and poopsicles.
It does make it more pleasant to pick up, I must admit.
Then I ran around in a panic cause I couldn’t find the track pants I planned to travel in! I looked everywhere – in the wardrobe, behind the sweaters, under the boots, in the drawers, in Wayne’s closet (he has been known to try to get into my pants!)… I even considered unpacking my bag in case it was in there. Thankfully I didn’t have to go that far!
I found them in the bottom of my legging drawer.
What, doesn’t everyone have a legging drawer?
Amanda gave me a lift to the airport, thank you Amanda! I used to be the airport driver for Merrill, and wouldn’t you know it, just when it was her turn to drive me to the airport she went and moved interstate.
I call that over-reacting.
The flight was uneventful, though I did have a small moment of concern when there was an announcement over the speakers that “Would Clarice Starling please report to the crew”… hm…
Clarice Starling? Are you kidding me? Was Hannibal Lecter on the flight as well?
So, here I am, sitting at the Melbourne Airport waiting to board the plane to Doha where I’ll take another airplane to Athens.
First leg of the journey accomplished… a 55 minute flight from Hobart to Melbourne.
Only 28 hours to go.
Sigh.
I am NOT looking forward to it.
———————————————————
Breaking news.
I’m still here. In Melbourne. At the Holiday Inn though, not on an airplane on the tarmac.
From what I gathered from others, a crew member did something when closing a door and a slide popped out almost sucking her out with it.
Not a good thing.
So after an hour delay and a further hour to come, the captain said that legally he needed 18 people to get off the plane voluntarily so they could fix the situation and fly. When he sweetened the deal with an upgrade to business class I took it.
I’m getting too old to fly in economy. My body just cant take that cramping any more. And when the person in front of me pushed his chair back into my face I almost became and instant claustrophobic. I had to get up and walk around. Sitting on a plane for hours is bad enough, but sitting in a plane which is not moving was just messing with my mind.
The deal is an overnight stay at the Holiday Inn with breakfast (and lunch if we opt for a later flight), a flight to Perth and then an upgrade to a flight to Doha from there to our final destination in Business Class. Guaranteed that they’d get us there to make connecting flights.
Hey. I’ll get to fly at least partway like a human being and not a pretzel.
z
PS I’m too tired to proofread so if there are typos in the above, deal with it.
junk4joy 