Amsterdam Shopping

A wall of blue and white

I had only one item on my to-buy list---horseradish!!! It's harder to find here in  Carcassonne than it should be;  it seems to be something eaten in the north, but not here in sun-drenched peppers and garlic country.  My former neighbor at Rue du Pont Vieux found a small jar about 18 months ago, and made me a present of it  I had been hoarding it, trying to make it last.  But it was gone and I decided to bring back some from Amsterdam.

I went into the little grocery store next door to our rental apartment only to discover that they did not have any horseradish.  Furthermore, several of the clerks didn't even know what I was talking about.  One young woman, who did know, told me that she'd looked for a year to find it.  Surely I couldn't be hearing this correctly, but my friend Shelley can vouch for me.

My best Amsterdam "score"

And it was eagle-eyed Shelley who spied it in the larger supermarket a block further down the street.    Out I came with a score of three jars!  Now I won't have to scrimp so much on it.  I could now call the Amsterdam trip a complete success, shopping-wise. And they were only 60 centimes a jar, a steal if you don't factor in the plane ticket!

Sweet and delicate egg cup

Really!

 

The other item I thought I might like to bring home was a piece of Delft, preferably a pot to hold my jade plant.  Larry, Shelley and I hopped off the #5 tram en route to the Delft store, because I spied a wonderful antique shop, full of glassware, and porcelain and silver---anyone who knows me realizes that I cannot simply walk by such a shop.

It was dusty and crammed with all manner of lovely things--and I always wonder what stories the silver pieces could tell.  The proprietress spoke no English when I told her how lucky she wasa to work surrounded by so many beautiful things. There were no bargains, but I found a sweet blue and white egg cup for only 6 Euros.  

Oh yes, we then stopped at a cafe for a drink and a piece of lemon tart--this one was very different from what our local patisseries offer.  More ike lemon chiffon pie!  Yummy, though.

 

Coffee and a pastry--it must be 4:00

We did find the Delft store, thanks to Larry's search for just the right water bottle.  (We all seemed to have our own searches to undertake)  I had been warned by Lauren, who'd visited the store the previous day, that the prices, especially for the Royal Delft, were astronomical....I found a smallish sort of container for the jade plant and it was a mere 16,000 Euros!  I did buy a piece of the "lower grade" porcelain--I seem to be collecting tiny little bowls on my voyages.  I now have one from Barcelona and one from the artists' coop here in Carcassonne.  I use these tiny little bowls to parcel out peanuts for snacks!  A dosage cup, if you will.  

That center jar could almost hold my jade plant

The items in the store were lovely to look at, but there they must remain--too pricey for my budget. 

My modest little "dosage cup"

The prices of the Delft made me look at the piece I bought in 1975 in Dutch Curacao with fresh appreciation!  $30 back then was a lot of money, but glad I spent it then--now the same sugar bowl would be several hundred dollars!

Thrilled with my blue and white

All in all, the shopping aspect of my trip was a great success!  I have some useful (and tasty!) souvenirs.