Saturday - Escape to the (Dutch) Country

Scattered on the polders between Wassenaar and Leiden, are several farms and cheese makers selling their products from small shops on their premises.

Different kind of high quality cheeses, butter, yoghurt and other local delicacies are sold for very reasonable prices. You can indeed taste the difference from supermarket bought equivalents.

Eggs are on sale too, so it's a good chance to stock up some for the Easter days.

My personal favorite is Nellestijn, with its gigantic dog, well kept cows and cute lambs. Try the zeer oud cheese, the yoghurt and the mustard with honey.

Fun fact: the daughter of the owner was the first girl to appear on the popular Dutch TV show "Boer Zoekt Vrouw" (=  "Farmer looks for a wife"), although I am not sure if she managed to find love (or an husband, or both) on that occasion.

http://www.nellesteijn.nl

Friday - Witness the Good Friday re-enactment

The description of the Orientalis in Nijmegen sounds like one of Simpsons' Ned Flanders' Bible based fantasy dreams.

A park that describes itself as a "trip through the three holy books", with reconstructed holy land villages, Bedouin camps and the nativity grotto.

However words can be deceiving and if you don't try it, you will never know.

On the program for this afternoon a re-enactment of the Passion of Christ, featuring Pontius Pilatus, the Golgotha and the Getsemani grove.

http://www.museumparkorientalis.nl

Thursday - These boots are made for walking (and then going back by train)

Although it's one of the most densely populated countries in the world, there are plenty of interesting walks to do in The Netherlands passing across pretty green areas with canals, tiny villages and polders.

A good starting point is the website eropuit.nl, which is a brainchild of the NS (National Railways).

A search engine on the left column allows you to set the criteria you wish: departure place, kind of excursion (nature, sporty, with kids, with museums), date of the trip.

According to what you chose, several suggestions are provided with useful information about the length, the sights, the costs involved and public transportation advice.

http://www.eropuit.nl

Wednesday - Slow food in Rotterdam

I am a sucker for all things sustainable that are so fashionable right now: farmers' markets, heritage products, long lost vegetables. A bit hypocritical too, since my clothes and house appliances are most likely made by kids in some sweatshop in the Far East. Anyway, these are confusing times.

Uit Je Eigen Stad (From your own town) is a little surprising enterprise based in Rotterdam, hidden in the quite uninspiring area of the harbour where the fruit and vegetables freight companies are located.

They grow their own vegetables and serve them in the cafe', together with locally produced meat and cheeses. The produce is also on sale and they have a stall at the monthly Rotterdam Harvest Market.

It's a very nice place to have a lazy Sunday brunch outdoor when the weather gets better or a dinner with friends in the cosily furnished interiors.

Try the pear juice: it's delicious!

http://www.uitjeeigenstad.nl

UPDATE: 25/07/14

We went there for dinner Friday last week: it was a lovely, warm evening, so we sat outside enjoying the weather, the dozing cats and the roaming chicken.

Some of us had fish while other had pork and everything was lovely.

Like any proper hipster place, they have local craft beer produced in Rotterdam, which is absolutely worth trying.

Before going back, we took a walk through the fields and glass houses where gorgeous tomatoes and other veggies are grown.

Check their website out for more info on their Saturday and Sunday open air market.

Tuesday - The future is in the cards

I found an intriguing postcard in the Boterwaag the other day, advertising Tarots readings and workshops.

Not really my thing, although I  know people who profess themselves "former sceptics" converted by a particular skilled cards reader who made them change their minds by guessing it all right.

I must admit that it does however sound like a fun, if only just to impress friends and families at dinner parties.

Consultations, classes, party and festival hires are all available.

http://www.ridderspoor.nl

Monday - Get down with the cool kids in Almelo

I am obviously past the age and anyway always lacked the skills for it, but for people between 10 and 25 there's a really cool venue in Almelo called NAXT, offering classes and open sessions for aspiring break dancers, songwriters and visual art wizz.

There are yearly courses of DJing, slow motion animation, producing and hip-hopping, but you can also buy a daily ticket (for only 5 euro) and join daily open sessions with professional coaches giving you tips and guidance in the new art of your choice.
.
Concerts and events are periodically organised as well. You can get an idea of what they are doing on their YouTube channel and FB page.

http://www.naxt.nl

http://www.youtube.com/user/NAXTcreative

Sunday - Lekker films in Amsterdam

It was mentioned it in yesterday's post but there is still time today to savour the offers of the Amsterdam's Food Film Festival.

Not just films in fact, but also culinary workshops, guided tastings and a market.

I would have liked to see the film about Slow Food, but there are some other promising ones scheduled for today, particularly one about foraging, a documentary about the rise of supermarkets and a cautionary tale about the benefits (and the perils) of eating raw food.

http://www.foodfilmfestival.nl/en/