Day 325: De Bakfiets & De Bazaar & the Celebration Dinner

What a busy day! It started with pouring rain and then turned out to be sunny and beautiful and windy.

Jeff has been talking about wanting to bring back a Bakfiets – a bike with a cargo basket attached to it, to bring back with us to the States. They are seen everywhere around Holland, usually with mamas and papas riding their children from here to there. We thought it would be fun to bring one back to California to replace our red wagon that we use to carry all sorts of stuff from our house, to the park, and to April and Steve’s house and back. We think it’ll be especially fun on Halloween, to carry a keg around the neighborhood and carry all the candy! Maybe our portable BBQ will fit in it too!

Today I went searching for one, let’s say for Father’s Day, does that get me off the hook for trying to pick a gift?? But anyway, they are hard to find used so I posted a request for one on Holland Homies (if you’re moving to the area, send a request to the Facebook fan page to be added – it’s a great resource for expats) and searched the Amsterdam Mamas (another great Facebook resource) for a used one. No luck. And then I remembered you can find things on the Dutch eBay, http://www.marktplaatz.nl. When we first arrived here, I tried to shop there but without speaking or understanding any Dutch, I felt lost and uncomfortable trying to communicate with sellers, so I gave up. But today, was my lucky day! I went searching and found some, but then realized they are far away from where I live and I don’t have a way to transport it anymore. And they are very big, so I’d have to ride it home. I searched on ads from vandaag (today) and there popped up a three-wheeler bakfiets located in Amstelveen. Really? I asked Jeff again if he was sure he really wanted one, and he said yes. So I called the guy, and spoke Dutch and asked to switch to English. An hour later, we drove over to his house less than a mile away, did a test drive, and rode it home with the biggest smiles on our faces. I can’t wait to bring this beast home!

Our new bakfiets

After we got home, we went to meet up with Joseine to check out De Bazaar in Beverwijk.

Her family started this over 30 years ago after her parents visited Colorado Springs and saw the concept and wanted to create something similar in Holland. This is the coolest place that no one that I know besides my Dutch friends know about. It’s like the Grand Bazaar in Turkey, and a flea market, and a produce market, and a casino, auctions, pony rides for kids, international food court, inexpensive hair cuts and eyebrow threading, and houses the new Bounce, an indoor trampoline playground. It’s only open on the weekends, but it’s definitely worth a visit.

Drippy, ooey, gooey, baklava! Yum!

Cool chandelier made from lanterns over the coffee area

I chose Malaysian food in the food court, and the kids chose Chinese, Joseine chose Afghani food, and Jeff chose Turkish food. How cool is that??

If you plan to go, make sure you have plenty of hours to spend there as there is so much to see and we only were able to see maybe 20 percent of it. There are so many cool things about it, but the coolest part is to see all the international communities working side by side, trading and selling and creating a marketplace, which creates unity through diversity. I love it and want to go back again, if we can fit in one more weekend day before our move date. You should definitely plan to see it when you come to Amsterdam. Here is a link to their website: http://www.debazaar.nl/

9 Euro haircuts! What a bargain after we’ve been paying 25+ Euros in Amstelveen!

The reason we had to leave early was to get Juliana to a birthday party and to a celebratory dinner to honor Christian and Matthew as they get ready to finish middle school. Matthew is leaving for vacation before the actual ceremony, so we decided to celebrate early. Christian chose to eat at Kokosai, an all you can eat sushi place in Amstelveen. The way it works is you’re allowed to pick whatever food you want from a menu card, but you order a round of food at a time, and you have 5 rounds to choose what you want to eat and can chose as much as you can/want each round. Each round you might pick 5-7 plates, but can pick as much as you want. By the third round, you’re so full, you don’t really want anymore, but you still have the option. The fish was fresh, and there were lots of side dishes such as tempura, edamame, seaweed salad, Thai beef, fried rice, etc. If you choose to go, go hungry. They give you a two hour window to be seated and then you have to leave to make room for the next guests. And be sure to make a reservation, as it’s nearly impossible to get a table without one.

Congratulations Christian and Matthew! You both will go far and I’m sure the next 4 years are going to fly by so quickly! I’m so proud of both of you and wish you well.