Gezellig in Amsterdam
- eduplus1
- Dec 6, 2025
- 2 min read
When I was a child, the Dutch community in our parish held a family event for Sinterklaas in our church hall. I remember recognising Mr Van Dyk as Zwarte Piet in blackface, bent double and carrying two bulging sacks of presents in pillowcases on his back. The adults were laughing as he toured the hall behind Sinterklaas, in priestly red over Father's cassock with a broomstick painted in gold with a cross on top. I must have been about six years old. I remember the crowded hall, the lolly scramble and my sister's tears. 'Gezelling', said Mum. My Sunday dress was smeared, I don't remember why.
Yesterday, Elise, Finn, Darcy and I took the train to Amsterdam. Mist lay low on the ground and lasted all day. It was cold. We visited the Rijksmuseum; Darcy wanted to see everything, Finn was bored after five minutes and we were there for three hours. He might have been interested in the Jan Steen Sinterklaas picture, but he'd disappeared when I wanted to refer it to him. I am too optimistic. Oh well.
The highlight of his day was our accidental discovery of the Schaatsbaan on the Museumplein afterwards. It was the atmostphere that got us all. We explained to the kids about gezellig. This was it. It wasn't at all the 'slightly crazed temperature' of a summer Christmas on our usual side of the world. It was casual wandering among Christmas lighting over stalls and food cabins surrounding an artificial outdoor ice-skating rink.
It was lunchtime, everyone wrapped in puffer-jackets or coats and scarves. Hot chips and steaming sausages were being served. And a bar with mulled wine. Perfectly casual, (relatively) inexpensive, and gezellig!
Finn's happiness didn't extend to Mary's recommendation that we visit floor seven of the public library. The view to the Scheepvartmuseum was misty, the cafe terrace closed. I appreciated the hot coffee, but the hot chocolates had cream over-the-top, not to Finn's satisfaction. Oh well. We decided the intended walk to visit the ship was too far in the cold.
We will celebrate a family Sinterklaasavond tomorrow, when Chrissy Montanus and her fiancé Tom will be able to join us.
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