A Day in Leeuwarden

Canal running through Leeuwarden's city center

I recently went on a day trip to Leeuwarden, which is the capital city of Friesland (Fryslân is actually the official name - more on that later), the province that is just to the west of Groningen.  Accompanied by my husband and a pair of friends, we set out to explore what the city had to offer in terms of museums, food, and drinks. 

What is initially striking about Friesland is that, upon arrival in the province, one is greeted by signs that are in both Dutch and West Frisian (also known as West Fries).  West Frisian, which to me sounds like a mixture of Dutch and Old English, is widely spoken there and this is why Friesland's official name is Fryslân.  Although we had a new language in the mix, this did not at all hamper our ability to get around Leeuwarden, as everyone we encountered spoke Dutch and as in the rest of the Netherlands, many people were also fluent in English.

We started our tour of Leeuwarden at the train station where we stepped off of our sneltrain from Groningen, which took just over 30 minutes from one city to the other.  Then, we walked the short distance to the Leeuwarden VVV (tourist information center) to pick up maps and postcards.  From there, we set out on foot across Leeuwarden's very compact and very walkable city center for the Fries Museum and Verzets Museum.

Leeuwarden's beautiful train station

The Fries Museum, which occupies the basement and first 2 floors of the same building as the Verzets Museum, has an assortment of historical items and paintings from Friesland's history, a beautiful silver collection, ceramics, and modern art.  Most of the displays here are in Dutch, but it is possible to get an English language guide to the museum when paying for your ticket.

The Fries Museum

Interpretive display about Mata Hari, the femme fatale and former Leeuwarden resident

The Fries Museum's modern art room

The Verzets Museum Friesland chronicles the struggles of the Dutch when they were occupied by German forces during World War Two, telling the stories of Jewish victims of the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, as well as stories from the resistance movement in Friesland.  In the back of the museum is a small cinema that screens various short films that tell stories from World War Two. I felt that the Verzets was an incredibly powerful museum and it is worth visiting the museum complex just to learn more about the stories that are told within its exhibits.  Like the Fries Museum, the exhibits in the Verzets Museum are in Dutch; however, you can find laminated cards with English translations hanging next to each set of exhibits.

Verzets Museum memorial to the residents of Friesland killed in the resistance to occupying forces during World War Two

After the Fries Museum and the Verzets Museum and a quick stop for lunch, we took a leisurely walk around Leeuwarden's city center, enjoying the way it beautifully incorporates its central canal into the cityscape.

Part of that cityscape is the Oldehove, one of Leeuwarden's most notable landmarks.  The Oldehove is a large old tower. It is not unlike those typically found in Dutch cities and definitely not as remarkable or as tall as many of the old towers I've seen elsewhere.  But one thing sets it apart - it has a noticeable tilt.  You can see it for yourself in my photos below. 

The Oldehove, Leeuwarden's leaning tower

The Oldehove is leaning away from the camera in this photo

From the Oldehove, we strolled through the Noorderplantage, which is a lovely park situated along a canal in the northwestern portion of the city center.

The Noorderplantage

A statue depicting a bicycling woman during the last winter of World War Two, in honor of women who transported food to those who were in hiding during the war

After visiting the Noorderplantage, we came back to the city center for a visit to the Boomsma Distilleerderij, where we learned about the processes involved in making Boomsma's Beerenburger bitters and genever, followed by a sampling of distilled spirits in Boomsma's tasting room behind the room housing the informational displays.

Boomsma Beerenburger: you can still buy it in the old-style ceramic bottles

A photo from the spirits tasting in Boomsma's tasting room

We ended our day in Leeuwarden with an excellent dinner at Yucatán Mexican Restaurant, which is also located in the city center.  It was very surprising to find good Mexican food so far from Mexico, and we were thoroughly impressed with the fresh ingredients, large portions, attentive service, and a menu that included a lot of vegetarian dishes. 

Yucatán Mexican Restaurant in Leeuwarden

Dutch Food: Witlofsoep (chicory soup)

Witlofsoep garnished with flat-leaf parsley

 A couple of months ago, I was talking with a group of friends about all of the wonderful Dutch soups that I've learned about since moving here to the Netherlands.  This conversation led to many more suggestions for delicious soups to try out.  One soup suggestion that really caught my attention was witlofsoep (a.k.a. chicory soup).

Witlofsoep is typically made with witlof (a.k.a. chicory, sometimes also called Belgian endive), onions or leeks, potatoes, chicken or vegetable stock, and cream.  I was very excited about the prospect of learning a new way to prepare witlof/chicory, so I set out to make a vegan version of witlofsoep. I think I've had some success figuring this one out, so I'm adding it to my growing collection of vegan-friendly, Dutch-inspired recipes here on my blog.

Here's my recipe:

Vegan Witlofsoep
(6-8 servings)

Ingredients:
4 medium heads of witlof (chicory) - add a 5th if they are on the small side
1 small leek
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
4 small yellow potatoes
1 bay leaf
6 cups (about 1.5 Liters) water
2 vegan bouillon cubes
1 cup (about 250 ml) oat milk - soy milk is a good substitute if you don't have oat milk
salt and pepper to taste
optional garnishes: chives or parsley and/or vegan crème fraiche

Witlofsoep ingredients

Instructions:
1. Remove the dark green top of the leek - you'll only use the light green and white part of the stalk for this recipe.  Chop up the leek and witlof.  Peel and roughly chop the potatoes.
2. Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a large soup pot and toss in the leek and witlof.  Stir constantly to coat with the hot olive oil.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes.  The witlof should begin to brown and the leek begin to soften.

Sautéeing the leek and witlof in the soup pot

3. Add the water, chopped potatoes, bay leaf, and bouillon cubes next.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.  The potatoes should be very soft. If they are not easily pierced with a fork, keep simmering a few more minutes.
4. Remove the soup from heat and allow to cool.  You are going to blend this soup, so it needs to be sufficiently cooled.  Before blending, remove the bay leaf. If you have a handheld soup blender, you can blend the soup in the pot.  Otherwise, you will need to blend it in a stand blender. NEVER put boiling soup into a stand blender.
5. When the soup has sufficiently cooled, blend it thoroughly.  Return the blended soup back to the stovetop, and stir in the oat or soy milk. Reheat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
6. Before serving, season with salt and pepper.  If you want to be fancy, you can add a small spoonful of vegan crème fraiche to each bowl of soup just before serving.  Suggested garnish: chives or parsley.

Current Events in Groningen: April 2012 Edition

I've been having so much fun enjoying springtime in Groningen that I forgot to update my blog for a couple of weeks!

So, what's been happening here in the North of the Netherlands?  Well, for one thing, the spring bulbs are in bloom and they are gorgeous.

Crocuses blooming on my balcony

Tulips, also on my balcony

There have also been lots of other fun things happening in Groningen.  In this blog post, I will share my photos from two recent special events - the Bloemenjaarmarkt and the Bierfestival Groningen.

Two weeks ago, on Good Friday, Groningen hosted the Bloemenjaarmarkt. The Bloemenjaarmarkt, also known as the Bloemetjesmarkt, is a giant flower sale that attracts people from all over the Netherlands and Germany. There were flowers and small trees for sale everywhere - on the sidewalks, the streets, and the squares in the city center.  It was a sight to behold!

The Bloemenjaarmarkt took over a portion of Groningen's city center on Good Friday

Flowers could be purchased at very low prices

Entertainment included a street organ with moving figurines

Garden decorations were also well-represented at the Bloemenjaarmarkt

There was even a flower auction!

Evidence that people really do grow flowers in wooden shoes here

Bierfestival Groningen was held last weekend in the Martinikerk, one of Groningen's most remarkable old churches in the city center.  The festival brought together breweries from Europe and America, including a good representation of breweries from the northern provinces of the Netherlands (for example, Maallust Brewery, Witte Klavervier, and the Groningse Stadsbrouwerij, just to name a few).

As you can see, the church provided a beautiful backdrop for an evening of beer tasting.

The Martinitoren, with Martinikerk in the background

Interior of the Martinikerk

A beer cart parked in the Martinikerk

Representatives of Witte Klavervier brewery discuss the brews on tap for the bierfestival

The view of the bierfestival from the gallery above the chapel

You can also view a short video about the bierfestival by RTVNoord news channel at this YouTube link: http://youtu.be/fg5KYxT5KUs  If you know me and my husband, you might recognize us in the video near the 2-minute mark.

Three Days in Munich

The view over Munich's Marienplatz from Peterskirche tower.  The twin towers of the Frauenkirche can be seen on the left and the Neues Rathaus is on the right-hand side of the photo.

My latest weekend trip took me to Munich, Germany (München).  München, which is located in one of the southern states of Germany known as Bavaria, is a little further from Groningen than my other recent weekend trips.  It takes about 8.5 to 9 hours to get there by train, but the scenery on the way, which alternates between farmland, rolling hills, and woodlands, is absolutely lovely.

I spent most of Friday and Tuesday traveling to and from München, with 3 full days in between to explore the city with my husband, my sister, and my sister's boyfriend.  Three days was enough for just a brief overview of what München has to offer, and I plan to return to see some of the places that I was unable to explore on my first visit.

My little group started our first day in München with a self-guided walking tour of the main sights within the Altstadt area. We started out at the Marienplatz, exploring the main square surrounded by many of München's most famous sights.  In front of the Neues Rathaus (City Hall), we were able to enjoy a performance of the city hall's glockenspiel, which appears to depict a festival and the triumph of a Bavarian knight over an enemy.  Here's a short video that I took during the glockenspiel performance (pardon the shakiness and blurring - this is what happens when I attempt to record video with a low resolution camera):

After taking in the glockenspiel performance, we visited the Frauenkirche, Peterskirche, and Heiliggeist Kirche. We climbed the tower of the Peterskirche for a spectacular aerial view of München. It was a crowded climb up the narrow steps to the top of the tower, but it was worth it.

Frauenkirche and its twin towers,
one of which was covered for renovation.

Interior of Frauenkirche.

After lunch, we took a break at the Hofbräuhaus, where we found Polka music, locals dressed in traditional Bavarian clothing, and giant 1 Liter mugs of beer. We also strolled around the Viktualienmarkt - an open air market and a great place to pick up food for a picnic lunch.

The dining hall upstairs at the Hofbräuhaus has displays about the history of this famous beer hall.

Starkbier (strong beer) from the Hofbräuhaus.  Our visit to München conincided with the annual starkbier festival, so we sampled some of the strong beers from the various beer halls and biergartens.

Later, we had an excellent vegan dinner at Max Pett, which is an all-vegetarian restaurant located within walking distance from the Marienplatz. My husband and I actually ate dinner at Max Pett on 3 of our evenings in München because the food was so good, and my sister and her boyfriend joined us on our 3rd visit after hearing about how impressed we were with the restaurant. Dinners at Max Pett included vegetarian versions of Bavarian schnitzel and kaiserschmarrn, as well as gulasch and chocolate mousse. Speaking of food, I also found excellent vegan lunch options at Royal Kebabhaus (vegan döner), Tushita Teehaus (vegan savory and sweet pastries), and Café Ignaz (buffet with vegan selections and several vegan pies).

Photos of Max Pett's yummy gulasch, chocolate mousse, and kaiserschmarrn:

We concluded our first day in München with a trip to the Augustiner-Keller biergarten, located northwest of the main train station.  It was a bit of a hike on foot, and I'd probably take one of München's numerous trams if I were to do it over.  Augustiner Keller was huge, crowded, and a little bit rowdier than the other places we visited in München during our trip, but it was a lot of fun.  There was a live band playing in the back of the beer hall, but we opted to sit out front and enjoy a slightly more peaceful scene with Augustiner's strong beer known as "Maximator."

Augustiner-Keller biergarten at night.

We spent our second day in München visiting the Alte Pinakothek and the Neue Pinakothek in the morning, and the Englischer garden and its biergartens in the afternoon. 

The Alte Pinakothek is an art museum housing a collection of European paintings dating from the 14th to 18th centuries, while the Neue Pinakothek houses paintings and a few sculptures from the 19th century.

Alte Pinakothek

We visited the art museums on a Sunday, when both of the museums offer discounted admission, so we were able to view their impressive collections for only a few euros!

Neue Pinakothek

After getting our fill of art history, we headed to the Englischer Garten, a massive city park that is home to 4 biergartens and lots of open spaces, trees, and sunbathing people.

The Englischer Garten

Monopteros at the Englischer Garten

Chinesischer Turm biergarten in the Englischer Garten

The view from the Seehaus biergarten in the Englischer Garten, and a glass of radler (a refreshing mixture of beer and lemonade).

 Osterwaldgarten (above) and Spaten Bräu's strong beer, known as "Optimator" (below).

On our third day in München, we visited more of the beautiful churches and other sights around the Altstadt, and then spent the remainder of the day at Schloss Nymphenburg (Nymphenburg Palace and grounds).

Theatinerkirche (above) and interior (below)

Asam Kirche (above) and interior (below)

Cafe Luitpold

Sendlinger Tor

Vegan Döner at Royal Kebabhaus. The vegan döner is absolutely amazing,
and this restaurant is definitely worth a visit for lunch. 
It's just outside of the Hauptbahnhof (train station).

Nymphenburg Palace and grounds:

Above: the resident swans with Nymphenburg Palace in the background.

 Below: the great hall at Nymphenburg Palace and a painting on the hall ceiling.

 Below: more photos from our stroll around the Nymphenburg Palace grounds.

As you can see, the Nymphenburg Palace is stunning, and we could have spent all day wandering the expansive grounds.  With our tight schedule, we spent about 3 hours there, which was enough to cover the interior of the main palace building and about one quarter of the palace grounds.  It was a very relaxing way to end our trip to München.