Amsterdam Sojourn

Last weekend I met some friends in Amsterdam to see a football match, Ajax vs. Excelsior. It was a short trip, leaving Thu evening and returning Mon midday. I didn’t expect to be hit by jet lag too bad but here it is Sat and only now do I think my clock is finally back to normal. I have been waking up at 4 am though.

We planned the trip several months ago when I learned that a good friend of mine, Mike, was beginning chemo after it was found that his lung cancer had returned. Since Mike was a big Ajax fan, we decided that now was the time for him to finally go watch Ajax play. Mike was born in Amsterdam but had never had a chance to watch Ajax in person. I contacted a good friend of mine who lives outside of A’dam, Mark, and he was able to get tickets. Mark and I had done a similar trip seven years before to see Arsenal play in London (at Highbury) and then Ajax the next day in A’dam. Another college friend, Rich, jumped at the chance to join us and Mike’s brother-in-law, who lives near Amsterdam with Mike’s sister and their son, also came along.

Mike and I arrived in A’dam around lunch time after about an 8 hour flight. We took the train from Schiphol to Amsterdam which was about a half hour ride. We were staying at the Krasnapolsky at Dam Square, a short walk from the Centraal train station and very centrally located. On arrival at the hotel, we learned we could not check into our room until late afternoon. Anyway, we quickly met up with Rich and took a walk around the city to see some sights. The city was abuzz with tourists. Of course when we decided on the weekend, we based it on who Ajax was playing. Their opponent would be Excelsior who were near the bottom of the table. We figured it would be a good chance to see an Ajax victory. Of course, who knew that the game was on Easter Sunday? Still, the weather was gorgeous, sunny with temps in the 70°Fs (21°Cs) and that was the forecast for the whole weekend. The tulips also were in bloom.

We found a cafe to get lunch and I ordered bitterballen which are similar to kroketten (Dutch croquettes) but are round instead of cylindrical. They are a mixture of meat and thickened sauce that are rolled in breadcrumbs and then deep fried, a great snack.

I gained an appreciation for them the last time I visited A’dam with Mark and he introduced me to the fast food eateries known as FEBO:

We returned to the Kras at 3 pm to check into our room but were told it wouldn’t be ready until 4. After hanging out in the lobby for an hour checking email, we finally got into our room. We ended up getting an upgrade to a larger room because of the delay so that worked out okay. After resting for a bit we met up with Rich again to get dinner. There were a lot of restaurants around the Dam. It was surprising to see how many Argentinian steak houses there were in Amsterdam. We decided on one called CAU. It turned out to be quite nice and I had a good ribeye steak.

After dinner we called it a day.

On Saturday, Mike and I headed out to check out the shops and get souvenirs for our wives, kids and of course, ourselves. We also stopped off for some breakfast and I got pannekoeken with apples.

We then met up with Rich and headed for the Centraal to catch a train to Leiden and meet up with Mark who lived just outside of the city. The train ride went past Schiphol and through the tulip fields. Leiden is similar to A’dam with canals and older buildings.

It was nice to get away from all the tourists in Amsterdam. Leiden was much quieter. It is home to the University of Leiden which is the oldest university in Holland, founded in 1575. It is also the birthplace of Rembrandt. Saturday afternoon many street stalls were set up in the city selling wares and food. We came across a fish monger and Mike saw that they were selling broodjes haring which is raw herring filets on white bread with onions. The monger was filleting the herring and making the sandwiches right in front of us. Herring was one of the things that Mike specifically wanted to get on this trip. I also got one since it was well past lunch time and I was feeling pretty peckish. It was delicious. I could have eaten another couple but I had to save my appetite for dinner.

After browsing some shops and visiting some sights we walked through the campus on our way to meet Mark’s wife Mariken at an Indonesian restaurant. It was time to eat rijsttafel. Rijsttafel is a Dutch word meaning “rice table” and refers to an Indonesian feast in which a number of small side dishes of meat, vegetables, curries, etc. are served. Our rijsttafel had 18 dishes. It was great. Another item to mark off of Mike’s checklist of things to do.

After dinner we took our leave of Mark and Mariken and headed back to A’dam. Jet lag was starting to kick in and we had a big day ahead with the football match.

On Sunday we met up with Mark and Rich and took the Metro down to the ArenA for the match. We met Rene, Mike’s brother-in-law, at the ArenA and went to our seats. We had great seats in the upper deck.

When we ordered the tickets, Ajax were languishing in the standings, 5 or 6 points back of the leaders and it looked like we would not be able to keep pace with PSV or Twente. We were dropping points and we had sold our best player. At that point we were just hoping to catch a match that Ajax would win. Now we found ourselves with three games left in the season within one point of the leaders. PSV and Twente started the weekend tied for first with Ajax one point back. Twente though had played on Friday and beat ADO Den Haag 2-1 to take sole possession of first place.

Anyway, the match was great and the atmosphere was amazing. The F-Side (a section of hardcore fans) were singing and chanting throughout the match. We won 4-1 after being tied 1-1 in the second half. It was a bit tense until we finally regained the lead with 20 minutes left. The last three Ajax goals were all scored right in front of us. At the same time as our game, PSV were playing Feyenoord, Ajax’ bitterest rivals. Each time Feyenoord scored a goal, the highlights were played on the scoreboard at the ArenA to raucous cheers. When the final score came across that Feyenoord had won, the ArenA resounded with the singing of “Feyenoord.” We had a great time. We even got to see Siem De Jong score a goal from a bicycle kick. So, with two games left, we have a chance of being champions of the Eredivisie if we win both games. We play Heerenveen away on Sunday which will not be easy. Then we play the league leaders FC Twente on the 15th at the ArenA. We currently trail them by one point.

Here are the highlights of the match:

After the match it was farewell to Rene and then we headed back to the Centrum and one last meal with Mark before he headed home. Rich flew out early the next morning to Stockholm for a business meeting. Mike and I took the shuttle to the airport early Monday morning for our flight and returned to Minneapolis around noon. Mike was met at the airport by his wife and daughter and they drove back down to Iowa.

It was a really fun and memorable weekend and we’re already talking about doing something like it again next year, but we’ll be bringing the wives along next time.

Tianjin

Tianjin is the sixth largest city by population in China and lies directly southeast of Beijing, only half an hour away by high speed rail. We have an aunt and uncle who live in Tianjin and we plan to visit them during a day trip for Beijing. The city was an important port city and served as a guard city for Beijing. Consequently it served as western access to Beijing. As a result of the Opium Wars in the late 19th century and the Boxer Rebellion during the early 1900s, Tianjin became the home to foreign concessions (Austro-Hungarian, Belgian, British, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and American). Land was ceded to each of the colonial powers where Western diplomats, merchants, traders and entrepreneurs could reside full-time and colonial authority presided over these territories. As a result of these concessions, the city has many late 19th century Western colonial style buildings such as mansions, clubs, banks, churches and hotels.

I expect we’ll be doing some sightseeing but the main purpose of the visit is to meet our relatives. I’m looking forward to sharing a large meal with all of our relatives. Tianjin cuisine is known for its seafood and river fish and shrimp. The Hia He (海河 or Sea River) connects the Yellow Sea to Tianjin and Beijing.

One dish that I would like to try is a dumpling known as Goubuli (狗不理) baozi for which Tianjin is renowned and is a steamed, pork stuffed bun. The name literally means “dogs don’t pay attention” and is derived from the nickname of its founder Gao Gui You (高贵友) who became so successful that he had no time to converse with his customers.

Zhongshan Park

Zhongshan Park (中山公园/中山公園) is a public park that lies just to the southwest of the Forbidden City. It is the favorite Beijing park of one of Grace’s friends and former co-workers and she highly recommended that we visit it. It is a former imperial garden since the Ming Dynasty and the site of the Altar of Earth and Harvests which was built in 1421.

The park contains a number of halls and pavilions that were built for the imperial family and a greenhouse which contains 39 varieties of tulips that were presented to the park by the Princess of Holland in 1977. The park was named Zhongshan Park in 1928 after Sun Yat-sen who is referred to as Sun Zhongshan. A statue of Sun Yat-sen stands at the Protection of Peace Gate (previously known as the Ketteler-Denkmal, a stone archway memorial for Baron von Ketteler, a German ambassador who was killed in 1900 during the Boxer Rebeliion in revenge for executing a Chinese boy.)

Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan, 天坛) is a park in Beijing which contains a complex of Taoist buildings. It is located to the southeast of Tiananmen Square. It was constructed in the 1400s and was a site where Ming and Qing Emperors prayed each year for a good harvest. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is a three story circular building which is the main landmark of the park. There are also three main halls in the square.

To the south of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests lies the Imperial Vault of Heaven

and south of the Imperial Vault of Heaven is the Circular Mound Altar.

The Circular Mound Altar is the altar proper where emperors would pray and sacrificial rites were performed. An interesting architectural feature of the altar is that the construction of the top terrace created an echo of the emperor’s voice when he stood on top of the central stone in the center of the altar. The result of the echo was to amplify the emperor’s voice to nearly twice its volume.

On our last trip to China, Karen, Laurel and the kids went to the Temple of Heaven just as it closed. She said it was a very fun park with kids flying kites, musicians playing for the public, and people taking walks. It is one place that Karen wants to return to for a proper visit. I’m sorry I missed it last time and am looking forward to visiting it this time.

Orion Cooker

It was a beautiful morning today and I figured it was a good day to finally try out the Orion Cooker/Smoker that I purchased in January. A good friend told me about it and so I ordered it online and it’s been sitting in my basement, waiting for Spring to come. So, it was off to Everett’s for a rack of ribs (St Louis-style spare ribs, of course). I was lucky enough to get the last slab that they had. I was debating about buying two or three racks so that spared me from having to make a decision.

The Orion cooker basically is an enclosed container with a heat source at the bottom and at the top. Because it is enclosed, the meat inside cooks by convection heating and is basically steamed in its own juices. Some wood chips in the bottom of the container provides a smokey flavor. The cooking time is also greatly reduced. Basically, all it takes is placing the ribs in the container (using the rib holders), put on the lid, add and light the charcoal (I used an entire 6.7 pound bag of Kingsford Match Light charcoal), set the timer to 75 min and wait for the buzzer.

When the timer went off, I opened the cooker and removed the ribs. They were plump, juicy and tender.

I used Penzey’s Galena Street seasonings for the dry rub and I placed a bottle of barbecue sauce at the table for those that wanted it. The ribs were very good. They had a light smokey flavor. It is different than how ribs come out of a smoker or grill since the meat is basically steamed. It was excellent and very fast. You could cook six racks of ribs in just one and a quarter hours.

I’m looking forward to trying it with a duck or goose. A whole turkey can be cooked in one hour and 45 minutes. Very pleased with the results and the level of effort.

May China Weather

This is what travelchinaguide.com has for the weather we may encounter in China in May:

Spring in Beijing comes in early April and lasts till the end of May. To visit Beijing in spring, you need to bring lightweight clothing such as long-sleeved shirts or T-shirts, plus one or two jackets and sweaters. Generally, the spring in Beijing is warm, windy and dry. The temperature rises in spring, but there is a sharp difference in temperature between the day and the night. Do wear warm clothes when enjoying outdoor nightlife. Strong wind occurs sometimes with terrible floating dust and sandstorms. Please remember to prepare glasses, masks and scarves. In May the average high is 79°F and the average low is 57°F with an average temp of 68°F. Typically there are six days of rain totaling less than 1.5″.

The weather in spring in Tianjin is pleasant and suitable for traveling. However, there will be windy days and sandstorms occasionally. In May the average high is 79°F and the average low is 59°F with an average temp of 68°F. Typically there are six days of rain totaling about 1.5″.

Spring in Shanghai is from March to May. This is the best season in a year for traveling. Spring flowers in bloom make the city lively and attractive. Light rain happens however will not disturb your trip. Long-sleeved shirts, thin sweaters or coats are suitable for this time. In May the average high is 75°F and the average low is 61°F with an average temp of 68°F. Typically there are ten days of rain totaling less than 3.5″.

Suzhou is located in a subtropical monsoon zone, so the weather is mild and moist. It’s best to visit Suzhou between January and April because the temperature is not too low and the flowers are in full bloom until June. The Tiger Hill Flower Festival takes place in Suzhou from March to May. In May the average high is 75°F and the average low is 61°F with an average temp of 68°F. Typically there are ten days of rain totaling about 4.5″.

Hangzhou has a subtropical monsoon climate with mild and moist weather. Generally, spring starts in March; April and May are the best seasons for visiting. In May the average high is 79°F and the average low is 63°F with an average temp of 70°F. Typically there are 15 days of rain totaling about 5.75″.

Sandstorms in Beijing

This past week sandstorms blanketed Beijing in a yellow dust. Northern China has been plagued by deforestation, overgrazing, urban sprawl and drought. Deserts now cover one third of China. In the Spring, sandstorms frequently hit the arid north. Something I guess we’ll need to prepare for when we visit Beijing and Tianjin. Do we need to pack masks for the trip?

Peking University

One of the places I’m looking forward to visiting is the campus of Peking University (Beijing Daxue, 北京大学). My father was a student there (at the original campus) and my aunt and uncle were also professors there. The university was founded in 1898 by Zhang Baixi, who was an Imperial official in the Qing Dynasty. It was formed as the Imperial Capital University (Jing Shi Da Xue Tang) during the Hundred Days Reform during the time that the nephew of the Empress Dowager, the Guangxu Emperor, had his brief reign. Zhang Baixi was an educational reformer and instituted a modern educational system at the university. As such, Peking University is the first formally established modern national university of China. The Hundred Days reform culminated in the coup d’etat that led to the Empress Dowager Cixi retaking control of the country. In 1912, after the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, Jing Shi Da Xue Tang was renamed Peking University.

The original campus of the university was located north of the Forbidden City in Shatan (east of Jingshan Park). It is here where the Red Mansion of Peking University sits that students from Peking University gathered on May 4, 1919 to demonstrate against the government’s weak response to the Treaty of Versailles and the concession of Shandong Peninsula to the Japanese. The national protests were known as the May Fourth Movement.

In 1952 Peking University was merged with Yenching University (Yanjing Daxue, 燕京大学) and moved to the Yenching University campus, the former site of Qing royal gardens known as Yan Yuan (the Garden of Yan). The campus is located in northwestern Beijing near the Summer Palace. The campus contains many traditional houses, gardens, and pagodas and surrounds Weiming Lake with the Boya Pagoda.

There are three main gates that lead into campus – East, West and South gates, and the West Gate is the most well-known.

China Visa

We received our China visas on Monday. We found a service that brings our paperwork and passports to the Chinese consulate in Chicago and then returns everything to us once the visas have been approved. It took about a week and a half to take care of everything. Originally we went to Triple A but one agent said that we could save money by working directly with a service. The cost was reasonable and the service was prompt.

One nice surprise was that our visa allows us multiple visits over the next year. We had originally applied for a 3 month single entry visa but because we are of Chinese descent, we were given the extended visas. We received this type of visa for our previous two visas.

The Great Wall at Jin Shan Ling

The Jin Shan Ling section of the Great Wall is located about 80 miles northeast of Beijing in Hebei Province. It is part of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall and was built in 1368 and restored in 1570. It is located in a strategic pass which saw action in repelling Mongol invaders. After having already visited the Badaling and Mutianyu sections, it will be interesting to visit another famous section of the Great Wall. It will take over two hours to reach Jin Shan Ling and the mountainous terrain should present some steep climbs along the wall.