Looking for Dutch Roots

Statue of a funky dude eating a raw herring on Scheveningen beach, by The Hague

Continuing with my little European tour, I met with friends who were on a course (I’m doing it year more on that in another post), and it was taking place in The Hague, near Scheveningen beach. I was glad the Indian summer trend continued for a few more days, and we were able to have a lovely lunch in the sun on the beach, not sure how usual that it for mid-October.

I wanted to spend a few days in Amsterdam, because I hadn’t spent much time there at all and had spotted the city as a potentially nice place to live: a few excellent creative agencies have set up their European headquarters there, it has all the life and activity of a capital city without being as huge as London, for exemple. Plus my father being Dutch and me having a very Dutch name, I thought I should spend a few days and consider if I’d like to live or settle there.

Writing away with beer & bitterballen!

I’m not sure about the roots, but it was lovely to spend quiet time walking around Amsterdam, sitting at various cafés to write and have bitterballen (they’re addictive). I also visited the Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum, both were fantastic – Van Gogh was great, though I was slightly disappointed to figure out that The Starry Night is in fact at the MoMA in New York. Actually now I write about it, I was also disappointed that a fire drill interrupted my visit of the Van Gogh museum and  after standing 15min in chilly drizzle I opted to leave it and head to the Rijksmuseum, and I enjoyed this one more in the end. Fortunately the nice weather came back the following day.

Restaurant De Kas, in Amsterdam

My elder brother, who is a chef, had told me the level of fine dining in Amsterdam was excellent, so I decided to check it out. After doing some research, I had a nice walk out of the main centre of town to an old green house in a park that had been converted into Restaurant de Kas. They grow fruits and vegetables on site, and also have a dedicated farm in the countryside, they cook mostly (if not entirely) with their own ingredients. It was a great and beautiful lunch, though I was disappointed to get the full flavours because I’d caught a little bit of a cold the day before, probably under the drizzle waiting by the Van Gogh museum.

I also had a few interesting conversations meeting a few people in the advertising / marketing industry to talk about the market and agency life in Amsterdam, and unexpectedly caught up one evening with an old friend I hadn’t seen in ten years and randomly realised via Facebook he’d moved from Belgium to Amsterdam.

I enjoyed the few days I spent there, but aside childhood memories from visiting family and a certain familiarity with the country that I enjoy, I also felt how I’m not particularly Dutch. I didn’t grow up in The Netherlands, I don’t speak the language, nor do I know much about it culturally. I’d live there if an interesting job opportunity arises, but thought I probably wouldn’t pursue it actively.

About the author

Willem was born in New York, grew up in Paris, lived in London and Asia for several years before moving to Chicago in 2017. He is an award winning brand & marketing strategist, having worked with some of the largest creative advertising agencies and most valuable consumer brands globally. Willem enjoys tabletop games, skiing, scuba-diving, traveling, eating, and lengthy conversations with friends.