Aku memutuskan untuk lebih anteng dan santai di Amsterdam mengingat kemarin saat di Paris aku sudah memforsir Mama untuk banyak berjalan kaki. (Kalo 10.000 langkah = 8 km, ada kali kami jalan 20.000 langkah sehari 🙀) Apalagi 3 hari ke depan kami akan pesiar penuh totalitas bersama keluargaku, jadi alangkah baiknya kami tidak menguras energi selama tur Amsterdam.

I decided to be more calm and relaxed in Amsterdam remembering yesterday I had forced Mama into a lot of walking. (If 10,000 steps = 8 km, then we have walked 20,000 steps in only one day 🙀) Also because the next 3 days we will have trips with family, it'd be nice for us not to drain our energy during Amsterdam tour.

Amsterdam si Kota Kanal

SENIN, 26 MARET / MONDAY, MARCH 26

Pertama kalinya dalam sejarah bertualang dengan bis, aku tiba di destinasi lebih cepat dari waktu yang diperkirakan. Kami tiba pukul 05.45 dini hari di terminal Amsterdam Duivendrecht, 1 jam lebih awal dari schedule yang tertera di karcis. Keren juga Pak Supir, padahal rasa-rasanya beliau tidak mengebut kok selama perjalanan.

Sekilas info nih, readers, sekarang Google Maps punya fitur "Maps Timeline" yang merekam histori perjalanan kita setiap hari. SETIAP HARI. Keren banget kan? Dipadupadankan dengan fitur geotagging-nya yang sudah oke sejak dulu, aku merasa makin dimudahkan untuk menyusun real itinerary pasca ngetrip. Dia tahu jam berapa kita ada di mana dan exact location dari tiap foto yang kita ambil dengan kamera HP. Jadi kalau aku randomly took a picture saat melintas dengan kereta atau bus, kita tetap bisa melacak lokasinya walau antah berantah.

For the very first time in my history of bus-trip, we arrived at the destination sooner than expected. We arrived at 5:45 am in Duivendrecht Terminal in Amsterdam, 1 hour earlier than the schedule listed on the ticket. What an awesome Mr. Bus Driver; I didn't think he was speeding during the trip.

FYI, Readers, now Google Maps have "Maps Timeline" feature which recorded our trip history daily. Yes, daily, EVERY DAY. Cool, right? Combined with its geo-tagging feature that always has been working well, I felt very facilitated to report a post-trip real itinerary. They (Google's features) knew what time we were at some place and the exact location of each photo we took with our cellphone camera. So if I randomly took a picture when passing by inside train or bus, we could track the location even though it was in the middle of nowhere.


Walaupun masih sangat pagi, Stasiun Duivendrecht ternyata sudah beroperasi. Kami membeli karcis metro di luar gedung stasiun, tidak jauh dari area parkir bus lintas Eropa. Anyway, AMSTERDAM DINGIN SEKALI, KAWAN! Aku akhirnya menyerah kalah pada suhu setelah 10 menit terpapar udara subuh, kurogoh ransel untuk mencari sarung tangan dan mengancingkan mantel lebih erat lagi. Pantasan saja, 1℃ suhu di sini. Ah, semoga makin siang semakin menghangat juga udaranya.

Menuju ke hotel kami cuma butuh satu kali perjalanan metro yaitu Line 54 ke Stasiun Waterlooplein kemudian disambung jalan kaki 5 menit. Deket banget! Untuk di Amsterdam, aku kali ini menginap di Luxury Suites Amsterdam. "Kok bisa nginep di hotel bintang 5, Lin?" Hasil berburu promo, readers... pesananku di Amsterdam tetap bertahan sementara yang di Paris cancelled. Nggak sedih sedih amat lah, setidaknya ada yang bisa terpakai 😋

Although it was still very early, Duivendrecht Metro Station was already in operation. We bought metro tickets outside the station building, not so far from the cross-European bus parking area. Anyway, AMSTERDAM WAS VERY COLD, GUYS! I waved a white flag to the temperature after being exposed 10 minutes to the cold air. I scrabbled around inside my backpack for my gloves and tightened my coat. It was reportedly 1℃, no wonder we felt colder than in Paris. Ugh, hopefully it would get warmer as the sun got higher at noon.

Going to our hotel only takes one metro trip which is Line 54 to Waterlooplein Station, and continued by walking 5 minutes; very close indeed. This time in Amsterdam, we stayed at Luxury Suites Amsterdam. "Isn't it a 5-star hotel, Lin?" Yeah it is, but don't worry I didn't afford to pay the real price. I got a very nice promotional price months ago. It was also the case with Paris. originally I have booked a 5-star hotel there but it got cancelled. Things like this can happen to anyone so I'm not really bitter about the Paris case, at least there was this Amsterdam hotel that still ongoing 😋

Pemandangan indah menyambut begitu keluar dari hotel

Setibanya di hotel, kami putuskan untuk took a nap terlebih dahulu demi merelaksasi kaki setelah 8,5 jam tertekuk di dalam bus. Jam 2 siang barulah kami keluar dari hotel itu pun setelah yakin bahwa langit di luar sudah biru cerah penuh kehangatan 🌞 Om Freek menyarankan kami untuk ikut canal boat tour hari ini. Itu adalah cara paling praktis dan nyaman untuk melihat seluruh kota Amsterdam dalam waktu singkat, plus bebas rasa capek dari jalan kaki.

Pilihan kami jatuh pada Tours & Ticket sesuai dengan saran Tante Grace. Sungguh mudah menemukan tour agency satu ini karena dia ada di mana-mana, kami hanya jalan kaki 5-8 menit dari hotel dan tak sengaja bertemu salah satu kantornya di kawasan Damstraat. Kami membeli paket CitySightseeing Hop On-Hop Off Bus + Boat Combination 24H seharga €28 alias Rp476 ribu 😱. Aku banyak membuat keputusan kurang bijak nih, Readers, selama trip ini terbukti dengan kesembronoan memilih paket wisata dan transportasi harian. Seperti paket tur tadi yang ternyata hanya kami pakai 1 kali saja dalam 24 jam. What a waste! Aku tak perlu membeli paket hop on-hop off 24H sebenarnya dan cukup membeli Canal Cruise biasa yang cuma seharga €16. Well... experience is always the best teacher, isn't it?

Upon arrival at the hotel, we decided to take a nap first to rest our legs after 8.5 hours being bent in the bus. At 2 o'clock we left the hotel, only after assuring that the sky outside was bright and the air was warm 🌞 Uncle Freek suggested us to take the canal boat tour today. It was the most practical and convenient way to see the whole city in such a short time.

We selected Tours & amp; Ticket in accordance with Aunt Grace's suggestion. It was easy to find this tour agency because they were everywhere in Amsterdam. We only walked 5-8 minutes and accidentally met one of their offices in the Damstraat area. We chose the CitySightseeing Hop On-Hop Off Bus + Boat Combination 24H package for €28/each (IDR 476.000)😱. I made so much reckless decisions during this trip, Readers, proved by the frivolousness of choosing tour packages and daily transportation. One of them was the aforementioned tour package which we only used 1 time in 24 hours. What a waste! I shouldn't have bought the hop on-hop off 24hr package and could just go with the regular Canal Cruise which only cost €16. Well ... experience is always the best teacher, isnt it?

Bagian dalam boat

Banyak yang bilang "kakak-adek" 😌

Rute yang kami tempuh untuk boat ride adalah Green Line. Aku pun nggak mengerti apa alasannya karena aku seharusnya memilih Blue Line yang menurut Mbak Agensi merupakan favorit karena bisa melihat A'dam Lookout. Nggak papa sih... banyak juga sightseeing attractions yang menarik di jalur hijau, sebut saja Passengers Terminal Amsterdam, Gassan Diamonds, Amstel / Icebar, Albert Cuyp Market, Rijkmuseum, dan Anne Frank Huis. Tentu tidak semuanya kami kunjungi karena selama 1-1,5 jam tur itu aku dan Mama hanya berdiam di atas boat.

The route we took for the boat ride was Green Line. There was no specific reason in choosing it whereas I actually should've chosen Blue Line. According to Mbak Agent, Blue Line was more preferable because it crossed the A'dam Lookout. Well not a big deal... the sightseeing attractions on the Green Line were still interesting, such as Passengers Terminal Amsterdam, Gassan Diamonds, Amstel / Icebar, Albert Cuyp Market, Rijkmuseum, and Anne Frank Huis. Obviously Mama and I didn't visit everything on that list, we stayed on the boat for the whole 1-1.5 hour tour.

N.B. Aku sejujurnya kurang puas dengan boat kami, karena adanya dinding-dinding kapal yang menghalangi pengambilan foto dengan lebih jelas. Beberapa kali kami berpapasan dengan kapal yang lebih kecil namun dengan open ceiling and wall, I wish I was there instead. Kapal kecil itu tampak menarik karena pesertanya hanya 5-10 orang dan masing-masing memegang botol bir, sementara kami di CitySightseeing boat tidak diperkenankan untuk makan dan minum. Selain itu mereka juga berbincang-bincang akrab dengan 'kapten'-nya, the kind of guided tour I like: you can ask anything and the guide will answer even any ridiculous question with all his/her best. Kapal kami hanya menyediakan rekaman penjelasan guide selama 1 jam, tanpa interaksi, tanpa tanya-jawab menarik, tanpa tertawa-tawa mendengarkan inside joke langsung dari tour guide atau celetukan turis lain. Sayangnya aku tidak tahu apa nama agensi dari kapal kecil yang kulihat itu, tapi kalau nanti ada kesempatan lain mencoba Amsterdam canal tour aku akan menjajal 1 hour tour dari agensi Lovers yang tiketnya juga dijual di Tours & Tickets.

P.S. Honestly I was unsatisfied with our boat because of the walls that obstruct me taking pictures clearly. There were several times we ran into smaller boats with open ceiling and wall; I wish I was there instead. The small boat looks more interesting, it could only fit 5-10 passengers and everyone inside held a bottle of beer. At the CitySightseeing boat we were not allowed to eat and drink. It's also lovely seeing how they freely communicated with the Captain; just the kind of guided tour I like where you can ask anything and the guide will answer even any ridiculous question with all his/her best. Our boat only provided a 1-hour recorded explanation. No active interaction, no interesting questions, no laughing at inside jokes told directly by the Captain or other tourists. I regrettably didn't know the name of the small-boat agency that I saw, but if later I got another chance to try this canal tour, I'd go with the 1-hour tour from Lovers agency whose tickets were also sold in Tours & amp; Tickets.

Karena bosan Selesai menikmati full round canal tour, aku dan Mama turun di Centraal Amsterdam. Misi selanjutnya adalah mencari makan siang kesorean. Langit memang masih tampak cerah, tapi saat itu sudah jam 5 sore. Udara yang semakin dingin juga berkontribusi menjadi penyebab kelaparan. Sebelumnya di atas kapal aku sudah googling (XL Pass-ku bekerja dengan baik di Belanda!) daftar restoran atau makanan yang must-visit/taste di Amsterdam. Salah satunya adalah Pancake Amsterdam. Aku sama sekali tidak ada bayangan bagaimana makanan satu ini, tapi ternyata enak sekali dan pas untuk a late lunch. Kami singgah di salah satu store-nya di Prins Hendrikkade 48, surprisingly it's a small store with big queue. Untungnya kami tidak perlu menunggu lama untuk mendapat table for two. Aku memesan banana, chocolate, almond pancake yang varian Dutch dan American. Rupanya Dutch pancake itu bentuknya tipis seperti roti cane, tapi tetap bikin kenyang tak kalah dengan American pancake yang tebal dan lembut itu.

Due to boredom Finished with the full round canal tour, Mama and I got off at Centraal Amsterdam. The next mission was to find a late lunch. The sky was still bright but it was already 5 p.m. The cold weather also contributed in being the cause of hunger. Previously on the boat I was googling -- my XL Pass works well in the Netherlands! -- about must-visit restaurants or must-taste foods in Amsterdam. One of the listed foods was the Pancake Amsterdam. I clearly had no idea about this one food, but it turned out delicious and suitable for a late lunch. We stopped at one of the stores in Prins Hendrikkade 48. It was just a small store with big queue. Thank goodness we didnt have to wait long to get a table for two. I ordered banana, chocolate, almond pancake in two variants: Dutch and American. The Dutch pancake was as thin as "roti cane (canay)" but still successful in filling our stomach.

Amsterdam Centraal

Perut kenyang, hati senang. Saatnya pesiar lagi memanfaatkan langit cerah Amsterdam. Sedari awal perjalanan menyusuri kanal-kanal kota ini, aku sudah memendam hasrat ingin stroll around tanpa tujuan di gang-gang cantik Amsterdam. Sekadar melihat-lihat bentuk bangunan yang unik dan jalanan cobble stones-nya yang indah. Tercapai!

Happy stomach, happy heart! It's now time for another trip while Amsterdam's sky was still bright. Since the beginning of boat tour, I had this desire to stroll around aimlessly in the pretty alleys of Amsterdam. Just for enjoying the unique buildings' shape and its beautiful cobble stoned streets.

Kisah lucu nan miris di Amsterdam terjadi sore itu. Ceritanya, Mama ingin bertemu dengan seorang kenalan yang masih berkerabat dengan kami di Manado. Kenalan Mama meminta agar kopi daratnya dilakukan di hotel kami, sedangkan posisi kami saat itu masih jalan-jalan tanpa arah di kawasan Raamgracht. Demi menghemat waktu & tenaga serta mengingat dia juga seorang lokal yang lebih tahu jalanan Amsterdam, aku pun meminta agar dia saja yang menemui kami di meeting spot terdekat, yaitu Nationale Opera & Ballet. 15-30 menit kami menunggu di dinginnya angin malam Amsterdam, kenalan Mama tidak juga tiba dan ujung-ujungnya mengatakan tidak bisa bertemu kami karena dia tidak berhasil memarkir mobil. Waduh! Usut punya usut... dari gedung Nationale Opera & Ballet ini ke hotel kami hanya berjarak 650 meter dan bisa ditempuh dengan jalan kaki dong! Astaga. Tahu gitu mending kami saja ya yang balik ke hotel dan menunggu kedatangan beliau dengan nyaman di lobi hotel yang hangat. Aku juga sih yang salah karena tidak terlebih dahulu mengecek peta. 😷

A funny experience happened that afternoon. Mama wanted to meet an acquaintance who is still related to us in Manado. This acquaintance requested to meet at our hotel, while at that time we were still strolling around in Raamgracht area. In order to save time, and remembering that he was a local who should've known more about the streets of Amsterdam, I asked him to meet us at the nearest meeting spot: the Nationale Opera & amp; Ballet. We waited 15-30 minutes in the cold night breeze of Amsterdam but Mama's acquaintance still not yet arrived. At the end, he told us that he couldn't make it because it was hard to find a parking lot. We then found out that... the distance from this Nationale Opera & Ballet building to our hotel was only 650 meters by walk! Geez. Have I known this earlier, we would of course decide to just return to the hotel and wait for him comfortably in the hotel's warm lobby. Well, I was at fault because I didn't check the map first. 😷

SELASA, 27 MARET / TUESDAY, MARCH 27

"I will be there at 9 or 9.30!" pesan Om Freek menjadi pembuka hari kami. Ah, sudah saatnya check out dari hotel yang nyaman ini. Hiks. Hatiku berat banget saat itu, apalagi mengingat perjuangan 'memburu promo' 2 bulan lalu yang bikin makan ati dan menguras energi hahaha. Tapi ya sudahlah... there will be a silver lining. Saat itu tentu saja aku belum mengetahui betapa nantinya aku akan jatuh cinta lebih dalam lagi dengan Keluarga Kosakoy dan Kota Arnhem.

"I will be there at 9 or 9.30!" Uncle Freek's text started our day. Ah, it was about time to check out from this cozy hotel. My heart felt heavy at that time especially remembering the "promo hunting" struggle 2 months ago. Never mind though... there would be a silver lining. At that time of course I didn't know how much I would fall in love with the Kosakoy Family and the City of Arnhem.

Sarapan terakhir di Luxury Suites Amsterdam / Last breakfast

Om Freek akhirnya tiba jam 10.30 😅 Jam karet ini disebabkan karena dia tidak tahu kondisi kemacetan di Amsterdam, ditambah dia sudah lama sekali tidak mengunjungi kota ini. Terakhir kali sekitar belasan tahun lalu. Wow. "Tur Keliling Belanda Bersama Om Freek" hari ini akan berlangsung di 3 lokasi. Empat malah, rencana awalnya, tapi hanya 3 yang terealisasi. Ke mana saja?

Uncle Freek finally arrived at 10.30 😅 'Jam karet' (Rubber clock) was caused because he didn't know the traffic condition in Amsterdam; he hadn't visited this city for such a long time. The last time was about a dozen years ago, wow. "Holland Tour With Uncle Freek" would take place in 3 locations. Four actually, but we could only make it to three. So, where did we go to?

Perkenalkan: Om Freek! / Meet: Uncle Freek! Lokasi: Zaanse Schans

Lokasi satu ini terletak di Zaandam, sebuah kota di utara Belanda yang merupakan kota penting pada era revolusi industri. Zaandam dulunya adalah sentra pelabuhan kapal dan menjadi kota pusat penggilingan karena memiliki ribuan windmill powered saws (mesin gergaji bertenaga kincir angin) yang digunakan untuk memproses kayu-kayu Skandinavia guna kebutuhan industri pembangunan kapal dan kertas.

This location is located in Zaandam, a town in the north of Netherlands which was an important city in the era of industrial revolution. Zaandam used to be a ship's harbor center and became a central milling city. At that time, it had thousands of windmill-powered saws that was being used to process Scandinavian timbers for the ships-building and paper industry.

Zaanse Schans terkenal di mata dunia karena menyimpan koleksi bangunan-bangunan bersejarah Belanda, utamanya sejumlah kincir angin dari tahun 1574. Selain kincir angin, terdapat sejumlah bangunan tua yang pada masa tahun 1961 - 1974 direlokasi ke area ini dari seluruh distrik Zaan. Beberapa bangunan difungsikan sebagai museum yang selalu penuh ramai pengunjung sejak tahun 1994; mereka adalah The Weavers House, the Cooperage, the Jisper House, Zaan Time Museum, Albert Heijn Museumshop, dan Bakery Museum.

Zaanse Schans is famous in the eyes of the world for having the collection of historical Dutch buildings, especially windmills from 1574. In addition to the windmill, there are a number of old buildings that, during the years 1961 - 1974, were relocated to this area from all districts of Zaan. Some of them are functioned as museums that has always been full of visitors since 1994; they are The Weavers House, the Cooperage, the Jisper House, the Zaan Time Museum, the Albert Heijn Museumshop, and the Bakery Museum.

Nama "Zaanse" diambil dari nama Sungai Zaan yang melintasi kota itu, sedangkan "Schans" ('sconce' in English) berarti 'tempat perlindungan'. Yang terakhir ini memang fungsi asli bangunan  Zaanse Schans saat melawan pasukan Spanyol pada zaman Perang Kemerdekaan Belanda. "Schans" ini juga menjadi tempat berlindung bagi para tukang kayu tradisional di distrik Zaan pasca Perang Dunia 2.

The name "Zaanse" was taken from "Zaan River" that crosses the city, while "Schans" ('sconce' in English) means 'sanctuary'. The latter is indeed the original function of the Zaanse Schans building against the Spanish forces during the Dutch War of Independence. "Schans" was also a refuge for the traditional carpenters in Zaan district after World War 2.

Did you know? Tsar Peter I dari Rusia belajar teknik pembuatan kapal di Zaandam pada tahun 1697. Tahun 1871, pelukis impresionis terkenal Claude Monet pernah menetap di Zaandam. Restoran pertama McDonald's di Eropa didirikan di Zaandam pada tahun 1971. Albert Heijn, supermarket terbesar Belanda, berkantor pusat di Zaandam hingga saat ini.

Did you know? Tsar Peter I of Russia studied shipbuilding techniques at Zaandam in 1697. In 1871, the famous impressionist painter Claude Monet settled in Zaandam. The first McDonald's restaurant in Europe was built in Zaandam in 1971. Albert Heijn, the Netherlands' largest supermarket, is headquartered in Zaandam to date.

V O L E N D A M

Selanjutnya kami pergi ke Volendam yang berada di timur Zaandam namun masih di bagian utara Belanda. Ciri khas Desa Volendam adalah jejeran rumah kayu berwarna warni dan perahu-perahu nelayan tua di pinggir pelabuhannya. Awalnya desa cantik ini hanyalah sebuah tempat berlabuh bagi kapal-kapal penangkap ikan milik nelayan setempat, tapi sekarang sudah disulap menjadi tempat wisata dengan daya tarik luar biasa. Salah satunya kios-kios penjaja seafood di tepi pelabuhan yang wangi makanannya semerbak sampai bikin ngiler.

Next, we went to Volendam that''s in the east of Zaandam but still in the northern Netherlands. The main characteristics of Volendam village is its colorful wooden houses and old fishing boats on the edge of the harbor. Initially this pretty village was just a berth for fishing boats owned by local fishermen, but it had been transformed into a tourist attraction with tremendous appeal. One of them is seafood stalls on the edge of the harbor, the smell of freshly cooked seafood was very seductive.

Deretan toko dan restoran / Rows of kiosks and restaurants

Desa nelayan ini terletak di tepi Danau Markermeer, biasanya wisatawan yang berkunjung ke Volendam juga sekalian menyeberang danau ke Desa Marken dengan kapal ferry. Jika ingin ke Marken, pastikan Readers punya waktu 3 jam di Volendam agar puas berwisata. Kami tidak punya waktu sebanyak itu makanya tidak sempat main ke seberang. Padahal Marken itu cantik banget!

This fishing village is located on the shores of Markermeer Lake. Usually tourists would also go across the lake to the Marken Village by ferry. If you want to visit Marken, make sure you have 3 hours spare time in Volendam to have a satisfying tour. We didn't have that much time so we skipped that plan. That was really unfortunate though, Marken Village is really pretty!

Kami cukup bahagia karena sudah bisa berfoto dengan kostum tradisional Volendam dan mencicipi seafood superlezat. Ada beberapa tempat berfoto yang bisa jadi pilihan Readers di Volendam; Om Freek menjatuhkan pilihan pada Foto de Boer yang menjadi studio foto bagi banyak VIPs (Very Important Person.red). Aku dan Mama naik ke lantai 2, menyimpan barang-barang di loker, dipakaikan kostum berupa gaun, topi, dan klom, lalu berpose manis dengan latar foto pilihan kami. Cantik kan hasilnya? Untuk 2 lembar foto ukuran 3R dan satu buah flashdisk berisi seluruh hasil foto, kami cukup membayar €15.

We were satisfied enough to be able to take pictures with traditional Volendam costumes and taste the appetizing seafood. There were some photo studio options in Volendam; Om Freek picked Foto de Boer which had taken pictures of so many VIPs (Very Important Person). Mama and I went up to the 2nd floor, put our valuable things in lockers, dressed in costumes with hats and clogs, and then sat in front of our chosen background. Beautiful result, isn't this? For 2 pictures of 3R size and one USB disk containing all the photos taken, we only paid €15.

Kostum tradisional Volendam / Traditional Volendam costumes

Demi menunaikan tugas mulia sebagai Ratu Museum 2018 (terus aja Lin gonta-ganti tahun :p), serta kompensasi karena dua hari sebelumnya aku belum mengunjungi museum apapun... di Volendam kami singgah sebentar ke Cheese Factory Volendam. Di dalamnya terdapat pabrik, museum, dan stall untuk mencicip keju! Aku sampe eneg sendiri mencoba-cobai keju di sini karena rasanya yang begitu bervariasi. Teteplah keju yang paling enak adalah keju yang sudah berada di atas roti atau pasta, hahaha.

For the sake of fulfilling my noble task of Queen of Museum 2018 (from year to year hahaha) as well as compensation because two days before I had not visited any museums ... in Volendam we stopped briefly in Cheese Factory Volendam. They had factories, museums, and even stalls for cheese tasting! I, the cheese lover, even gave up on trying because of its super varied tastes. Conclusion: the most delicious cheese is the one that's already been spread or put on top of bread or pasta, hahaha.

Pertama kalinya lihat keju hitam / My first time seeing black cheese

Di Volendam, Om Freek mengenalkan kami pada sejumlah must taste Dutch foods. Pertama, kami makan siang di salah satu restoran tepi pelabuhan Volendam. Om Freek memilih restoran ini tanpa tendensi apa-apa, ya main masuk aja gitu toh harga dan jenis makanan di Volendam ini rata-rata serupa. Eh, ternyata yang kami masuki adalah restoran milik penyanyi country ternama Belanda, Jan Smit. Namanya Lotje Wine & Dine, tempatnya sangat cozy dan antik. Menemani makan siang kami yang nikmat, suara Jan Smit mengalun indah dari tape restoran. Berapa harga sekali makan di Volendam? Persisnya aku tidak tahu karena waktu itu Om Freek insisted menraktir kami, tapi rata-rata harga per porsinya sih €20 atau Rp300 ribu/orang. Mahal? YAEYALAH INI BELANDA COY. Kalo mau murah harus siap bawa abon dan B*nCabe :(

In Volendam, Uncle Freek introduced us to a number of must-taste Dutch foods. First, we had lunch at one of the harbor-side restaurants. Uncle Freek chose this restaurant without any tendency since the prices and types of food in Volendam are averagely similar. It turned out that this restaurant we entered is (half) owned by a famous country-song singer, Jan Smit. It is Lotje Wine & amp; Dine, the place was cozy and quirky. Accompanying our tasty lunch, Jan Smit's voice flowed beautifully from the sound system. How much does a meal cost in Volendam? I didn't know the exact number of our meal because it was on Uncle Freek (he insisted to haha) but the average price is €20 or Rp300 thousand for a person. Expensive? SURELY, THIS IS NETHERLANDS, GUYS. If you want to eat cheaply you better prepare abon and BonCabe (from Indonesia) :(

Kalo ada satu makanan yang paling bikin kangen dari Belanda, itu adalah Dutch fries alias kentang goreng. Kalo pas membaca "fries" kalian langsung membayangkan kentang goreng McDonald's yang tipis dan penuh minyak... bersiaplah menghadapi another level of fries heaven di Belanda. Kentang gorengnya gendut-gendut tebal namun renyah dan gurih. Sekali mencicipnya, Readers akan dibuat terpukau lalu bertanya-tanya kenapa selama ini hanya mengenal French fries 😹

Kentang goreng Belanda yang chubby / Chubby Dutch Fries Source: TripAdvisor

Sebelum pulang Om Freek menepati janjinya mengajak kami mencicip satu lagi makanan khas Belanda. Kalau Asia punya sushi, di Eropa mereka punya raw herring, sejenis ikan kecil yang berada dekat perairan Denmark (Laut Utara dan Timur). "Just try, if you don't like it I will eat them all." Berulang kali Om Freek mengucapkan itu, aku jadi makin penasaran emangnya kenapa aku bakal nggak suka? Rupanya rasa ikan harring mentah itu kuat banget di lidah, meskipun sudah 'dibantu' oleh irisan bawang dan pickled cucumber (gherkins). Pantaslah tidak semua orang doyan snack satu ini, termasuk si emak yang langsung menolak setelah gigitan pertama. Karena rasanya yang kuat ini, ikan herring mentah biasa menjadi snack pemulihan dari hangover dan sudah menjadi makanan khas Belanda (khususnya bagian barat) selama 600 tahun. Makanan ini biasa disajikan di atas piring kertas atau dengan roti (broodje haring). Tapi secara tradisional, herring dimakan dengan cara dipegang di ekornya lalu langsung dimasukkan ke mulut.

Uncle Freek kept his promise to let us taste one more Dutch food. If Asia has sushi, in Europe they have raw herring, some kind of small fishes that lived near Denmark (North and East Sea). "Just try, if you don't like it I will eat them all." Uncle Freek repeatedly said that, making me more and more curious, why would I dislike it? Apparently this food had a very strong taste on the tongue although it was already 'helped' by onion and pickled cucumber (gherkins). No wonder there were people who disliked this snack, including my mother who immediately refused after taking her first bite. Because of its strong taste, herring is usually eaten to heal a hangover and has become a typical Dutch food (western area) for 600 years. The snack is commonly served on paper or on top of bread (broodje harring). But traditionally, herring is eaten by being held on its tail and then directly goes into the mouth.

Raw herring yang telah dipotong-potong / Sliced raw herring Source: blog.daum.net

Sebagai penutup hari, aku, Mama, dan Om Freek melaju ke The Hague/Den Haag untuk mengunjungi Madurodam di distrik Scheveningen. Fitur utama taman ini adalah ratusan replika landmark Belanda dalam skala 1:25. Madurodam dibuka pertama kali tahun 1952 dan hingga saat ini terus buka sepanjang tahun dari jam 09.00-20.00.

To end the day, Mama, Uncle Freek, and I drove to The Hague/Den Haag to visit Madurodam in the Scheveningen district. The park's main feature is Netherlands' landmarks replicas on a 1:25 scale. Madurodam was first opened in 1952 and is still open all year from 09.00 - 20.00.


Hujan yang hanya gerimis saat kami di Volendam tadi, kini turun lebih deras membuat kami wajib memakai poncho. Untunglah Om Freek sudah sedia payung (dan poncho) sebelum hujan, kami tak perlu pusing membeli lagi. Sayangnya, kenikmatan foto-foto jadi agak terganggu karena hujan. Outfit si Emak yang super maksimal itu jadi tertutup poncho. Aku pun tidak bebas menyalakan kamera karena takut rusak kebasahan.

Kami baru tiba di Madurodam sekitar pukul 18.30. Suasana sudah sepi banget, hanya 2-3 orang turis lain yang terlihat di area miniatur yang luas itu. Aaaaahh! Ini yang aku cari-cari! Seakan lupa bahwa hujan masih rintik-rintik, aku heboh lari kesana-sini untuk mengabadikan Madurodam. Sama halnya dengan Menara Eiffel, aku juga sudah mengenal Madurodam sejak masih kecil (Puji Tuhan aku punya orangtua yang sangat mendukung hobi baca anaknya). Berawal dari Majalah Bobo aku tahu bahwa ada 'surga' miniatur bernama Madurodam di Belanda. Pernah dong aku bermimpi main-main di antara gedung-gedung mini di Madurodam, berpura-pura sedang jadi Ratu Raksasa yang menjaga keamanan dan kebahagiaan penduduk kurcacinya 😅

The rain, that only drizzled when we were in Volendam earlier, has now poured more swift making us obliged to wear poncho. Luckily Uncle Freek has prepared some umbrellas and ponchos. I couldn't maximally enjoy taking pictures because of the rain. My mother's super-cool outfit was also covered by the poncho.

We arrived in Madurodam at around 18:30. The situation was very quiet, only 2-3 other tourists roaming around in the vast miniature area. Aaaaahh! This was what I'm looking for! As if forgetting about the rain, I excitedly ran here and there to take pictures of Madurodam. Similar to the Eiffel Tower, I have also known Madurodam since childhood (Thank God I have real amazing parents who were supportive of their daughter's reading hobby). From some articles in Bobo kids magazine, I knew that there was this miniature 'paradise' named Madurodam in Netherlands. I even once dreamed about Madurodam, pretending to be a Giant Queen for her inhabitants dwarf citizen 😅

Ada yang bisa membantuku memberi judul untuk tiap bangunan-bangunan di bawah? Aku lupa mencatatnya hehehe...

Can anyone help me to name each of these buildings below? I forgot to take note of them hehehe ...






Kalau nanti berkesempatan ke Belanda lagi, aku wajib ke Madurodam saat hari masih siang dan langit cerah, supaya bisa leluasa mempelajari tiap-tiap bangunan di sini. Ingin rasanya menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam di Madurodam agar bisa memperhatikan setiap detil miniatur dan mencoba tiap simulasi yang ada. Psstt, Readers tahu nggak kalau kostum para 'penduduk' Madurodam berganti-ganti sesuai dengan musim saat itu?


Nah selesai sudah cerita petualangan Mama dan aku dari Amsterdam hingga Madurodam selama 2 hari. Minggu depan aku akan melanjutkan cerita tentang pelesir sekitar Arnhem serta wisata ke Scheveningen Strand dan Keukenhof Tulips Garden. Terima kasih sudah mampir, Readers, sampai jumpa! 😘

If I have the chance to come to Netherlands again, I must visit Madurodam when there's still daylight and the sky is clear, so I can freely study each of its replicas. I would love to spend hours in Madurodam just to take a closer look at every miniature's detail and try all the simulations. Psstt, do you know that the costumes of Madurodam's 'residents' were always changing according to Netherland's current season ?

It was the end of Mama and I's adventure from Amsterdam to Madurodam for 2 days. Next week I will continue the story about Arnhem tour as well as trips to Scheveningen Strand and Keukenhof Tulips Garden. Thanks for stopping by, Readers, bye! 😘


Cerita sebelumnya: Asam-Manis Paris (Western Europe Trip Part 1)