Emma had it right when she exclaimed that she was just getting used to Dutch, right before we head off to Germany tomorrow. Thankfully the languages are similar, but overall I think that comment really signals that each of us is starting to gather our bearings in the Netherlands a bit more. I can successfully navigate central Amsterdam on foot, have a semi-decent grasp on public transport, and am starting to get common Dutch phrases down and pick up on words as I see them repeatedly. My favorite word so far? Aardbei, which is Dutch for strawberry and literally translates to "earth berry."
However, those are just some of the accomplishments we've made, and we've started to pick up on some other cultural practices as well, for instance, knowing how to stay out of the way of bicyclists by hearing the soft whir of the wheels and anticipating which direction they will be coming from. In the case that one of us still slips up in that scenario, we've gotten pretty good at darting out of the way, too.
-A row of homes in Krewerd, NL-
Another part of Dutch culture we have become aware of is how truly kind and polite the people are. Today, we traveled beyond the tall canal houses and grand museums of Amsterdam into the country to two villages: Oosthuisen and Krewerd. Our destination in both towns were local churches, Grotekerk and Mariakerk respectively. At Grotekerk we were greeted by Peter who quickly offered us tea or coffee to warm our bones in the massive unheated church which is adorned with gilded panels on the walls and houses one of the oldest organs in all of Europe. Despite my shivering, Peter's welcoming attitude instantly made it easy to become engrossed in the beauty and history of the church. He even suggested where I should stand to get the best photos of the organ; this happened to be the pulpit. In the organ loft, he also told me to stand on a bench to the best photo of the church from above, so you can thank Peter for several of the images below. While in the organ loft, we also had the opportunity to hear the Grotekerk organ at work and some wonderful playing by Dr. Tegels. I, on the other hand, played a bit of a Coldplay song, and I'm certain that somewhere out there the organ maker rolled over in his grave, but it was fun nonetheless.
- View from the organ loft at Grotekerk-
-Ornamentation on the Grotekerk organ-
-Grotekerk organ as seen from the pulpit. Dank u wel, Peter!-
-Detail of the Grotekerk organ-
We were similarly greeted in Krewerd while visiting Mariakerk, and the caretaker of the church followed us on bike from her home to unlock everything. Comparatively, Mariakerk is much smaller than Grotekerk, but just as charming. Here, decorations from Christmas were still up due to an icestorm in postponing their take down. After exploring the church and hearing more organ music, we returned the keys to the caretaker's home where she offered us free postcards after our visit. One thing that Dr.Tegels has taught us is that after a visit in, in the Netherlands it is imperative that we shake hands with those who have helped us and thank them, which isn't hard to remember or difficult to want to do in light of the overwhelming generosity of everyone we have met so far.
What is difficult, is to share everything we have been experiencing daily without rambling too much or running out of time to sleep. However, to sum everything up, the Netherlands has been wonderful to us so far, complete with delicious food and kind, patient, people. While I wish we could stay longer, it's time to head to Germany where new adventures and other magnificent organs to taint with Coldplay await.
-Emma, Tessa, and Kennedy at Grotekerk, featuring creepy/cool skull sculpture-
-Grotekerk exterior-
-Panels at Grotekerk that commemorate the death of the one time Lord of the village and his family members.
-Mariakerk interior-
-Christmas tree and windows at Mariakerk-
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