It’s a Gouda life

Except Gouda isn’t pronounced at all like good. Not one bit. “How-da” – with the trademark Dutch throat full of phlegm for the g. About 2 weeks ago now, me and some of my kids went to Gouda for the afternoon – it being only 14 minutes from Utrecht by train. Turns out there isn’t all that much to do in Gouda, which worked out well after we lost someone at the station and spent 30 minutes trying to find them – downside of having one of the biggest train stations in the country. But off we went to the home of Gouda kaas and the beloved stroopwafel. Gouda is such a quaint place – really cute back streets and canals (as ever, canals everywhere, I’m more surprised when there aren’t any). I especially liked all the footbridges over canals into people’s houses or shops, really lovely. Obviously being in Gouda though the focus was really on cheese, and oh my god did we eat a lot of cheese, I think the shop was out of samples by the time we had been in and tried every type. We did all then buy cheese though, largely out of guilt for the number of free samples we ate. I got some geitenkaas (Goats cheese) – but hard goats cheese as opposed to the soft stuff we are used to at home. I really should have bought some gouda though. Next up on our tour of Dutch delicacies was stroopwafel – we went to a cafe that specialises in them and they are easily the best ones I have ever eaten, which is saying something because even Albert Heijn own brand stroopwafels are good. I didn’t buy any though – instead favouring the stroopwafel liquer which really is the best thing I have ever drunk and am considering going back to Gouda just to buy some more. I even bought it in my best Nederlands: “Hoeveel kost het?”. It was actually a rare occasion when a shop worker replies to you in Dutch even though they know you are English. I had spoken to her in English and then as soon as I said something in Dutch she swapped the language. Makes a change from getting English responses when you have made the effort to attempt Dutch, and trying to speak another language, especially with no lessons, really does take a lot of courage particularly when your pronunciation is as bad as mine. We managed to find a little cafe in the warm since it had started snowing. Fresh mint tea is something that I think the UK really needs to get more into, every cafe here sells it and it’s wonderful. We then tried to find a restaurant, but apparently everyone in Gouda wants to go out for dinner on a Friday evening so we couldn’t get sat anywhere, then we had the great idea of going back to Utrecht. Meneer Smakers – probably my all-time favourite burger bar. It’s always so busy but the burgers are unrivalled and it’s got such a cool feel to it. I think it ties with the pancake house for my favourite place to eat in Utrecht.