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Everytime I had short period time of break I’m always think to spend my time to go around Netherland.
Alkmaar and Haarlem are two cities in Netherland I’ve ‘targeted’ for a long time. Alkmaar is famous for it’s cheese market, eventhough the cheese market is reproduction from early 20th centu’s ry, but many tourists enjoy the attraction. Mean while in Haarlem, I have to admit that the city square is very beautiful, it is the best from cities I have visited in Netherland.
How should I explain about Alkmaar cheese market? It is not really impressive, despite of it’s great name, all I can see is some guy (they pretend to be the seller) carrying the stack of 8 cheese weighing 10 kg each, the kaasmeisjes (literally cheese girl) went around to sell the brochure, and there’s guide explaining about the process of cheese market in english, Japan, Italian, and Germany. Actually, I was enjoying the museum more than the attraction, there’s Kaas Museum nearby the square and there I could understand the process of cheese making. But since the weather was really nice, I made colourful photography during the Market.
Haarlem indeed a nice city, I think it’s one of the oldest city in Netherland. A long time ago they used the city as tulip planting area, it was one of the luxurious city. The city itself pretty interesting, the square it’s really huge and surround by the stadhuis, church, restaurant, fountain, statues, and everything that possibly use as decoration hahahhaha..
One think I like from Haarlem is the secret garden, some of the old housing complex has secret garden on it and the municipality turn the garden as public garden, so we can enter freely, take something to eat and chat as long as we didn’t disturb the house owner.
Both of the cities certainly show beautiful aspects of Netherland, I like those cities better that flat landscape, farm, red bricky house that I saw everyday.
On a sunny day of June, amy friend asked me whether I ‘d like to join them on a summer excursion, at first I kind of skeptical about the trip. First, because it was held my christian community, so I’m affraid it would be like christian ‘joy and blessing’ trip. But since I was really bored on my room and I need sunshine plus my friend from Islam community also join the trip so I gave it a go.
The trip turns out to be fun trip, just let me explain it the way that a 3rd grade schooler explain. I woke up at 9 in the morning and rode on my bike, I make appointment with my friend on the corner of the street (this is so Indonesian, meet in the ‘pengkolan’ hahahhahaha), we spent 10 minutes to wait for my other friend (Ms.E) and then we were riding our bike again, after riding our bike for 15 minutes we were realize that we were lost, the appointed place should be 5 minutes distance from TU Delft. But yes, we spent like 10 minutes rode our bike and another 10 minutes to return back.
Our destination was Hoeve Ackerdijk, it was an ecological farm, I bet someone who read this blog wondering what’s the different between ecological farm and normal farm? I’ll tell you on the folloeing paragraph. By the time we got there, some of the international student from ISS-Den Haag already gather, the owner prepared us some drink and explain about the history of the place. He showed us the aerial picture of the area, and believe it or not it hasn’t change since 1970, we’re not even on outskirt of city but even the rural development not change since 1970.
Ecological farm treat their cattle differently from normal farm. Eventhough all cow came from the same breed, most of the cow are american-frisian cow and they were imported from French, confuse? welcome to globalization. Eventhough the size is enormous, they didn’t feed the cattle with trans genetic (TG) food the cow was fed by natural grass or wheat, the farmrs only gave pellets if the cow was sick or during the milking period.
Unlike modern farming, these cow were treated more ‘humane’ they were able to walk on the prairie, able to milk their children, and the during the milk producing the treatment is not as cruel as modern farming. The sewage treatment also conducted naturally, the manure of the cow is thrown on the prairie around the farm so it could nourish the soil. They put priority on local content especially for the food.
Well too bad my journey on Hoeve Ackerdijk, must end during the noon, afterwards me and my friends (Mr.C and Mr.R) went to Oriental to look for our dairy needs, it made me realize we’re not ‘ecologically-aware’ and afterwards I spent time to chat with them in McDonalds, It was a happy day..
