A Market Full of Beer

A beer market, you say? Something I can definitely get on board with. A square packed with people, all holding glasses of beer, their pockets full of tokens. It is crowded, loud, and progressively more drunk as the afternoon passes.

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to visit this event with a crowd of Dutch friends. For those of you that know me well, I really like beer and wine. I became interested in beer partly because of father's love of Saranac and Long Trail, but even more because of a semester I spent in Ireland sampling all kinds of beer. While there, I was told it is easy to pick out an American girl in a bar because she is the one drinking the Guinness. A lot of women in Ireland paid €6 to drink Coors Light over ice. Not my thing... but I digress. So, I developed an interest in beers of the world a few years ago and I'm always excited to sample a new one. Giel and Remy, two lovely and interesting young gents that I've gotten to know since my visit to Holland last year, braved the crowds to pick out some interesting beers for us to sample. There was a nice refreshing white beer, an interesting and sweet rose beer, and a tart and slightly odd cherry beer. We finished our sampling with a traditional Dutch beer: Heineken.

After standing around the market for a while, our small crew walked a bit away from the square so we could rest and actually hear each other again. Sitting along the canal, discussing politics, language, and culture, my friends kindly spoke English so I could follow the conversation (as best I could given the beer). They also remarked that it is strange, of course, for them to talk to each other in English. I am at times embarrassed of my lack of foreign language skills, especially when surrounded by people who are fluent in at least two and sometimes more languages. I do plan to learn some Dutch, but it probably won't be enough to converse fluently anytime soon. After more talk, some pizza, and a nice walk back to the station, I was on a train back to Rotterdam and my little apartment. Quite honestly, this day was one of the best I've had since I got here. I definitely felt like I was in a foreign country, sitting along a canal drinking beer, but I was also surrounded by new friends and could be myself. Friends can make a place start to feel like a home.