We took a break from lopen, slapen, and fietsen yesterday! (walking, sleeping, and biking)
I have gone shopping in Middelburg twice now. I was able to distinguish a variety of differences between stores in the Netherlands and stores in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Middelburg clothing shoppes resemble big city stores that are well kept, fancy, with loud music, and nice architectural features. They do not simply have shelves and racks of clothing like Target or JCPenney. It is more of an experience with very stylish clothes that do not appear to be cheaply made in bulk.
I was determined to find a store that I could relate to Walmart in America, “Albert Heijn” was close to it. I remember Pieter’s first trip to Walmart when he came to the States for the first time, he looked so overwhelmed and scared by the fluorescent lights, hundreds of shelves, and wide space filled with a wide variety of American necessities. “Albert Heijn” is the super market in Middelburg. It is not nearly as large and warehouse-like as Walmart, but it did have the necessary items one would need to pick up during a shopping trip, in one place.
We also visited a restaurant “The Middelburger” to get me a burger so I could compare one of my favorite American foods, cheeseburgers, to Dutch burgers. I was not disappointed. The restaurant presented a lovely experience. Our server was very friendly and offered to take our picture. He even spoke a little English. We both ordered the classic burger with sautéed mushrooms, onions, BBQ sauce, lettuce, and Dutch bacon. On the side was a piece of lettuce with a tomato and cucumber salad and potato salad as a garnish as well as an orange slice. Everything was very fancy for a burger place. Definitely nothing like the dining experience one would get at Five Guys or Texas Roadhouse in America. There were no free refills and you had to pay for water if you wanted it. Everything was delicious though!
 |
| The train from Arnemuiden to Middelburg. |
 |
| The bridge over the canal in Middelburg. |
 |
| Houseboats |
 |
| My first attempt at taking the above picture. Thank you Mr. Dutch man. |
 |
| "The Sting" a clothing store we visited. |
 |
| "The Tourist Shop" had a restaurant and a large bookstore inside. |
 |
| "The Middelburger" restaurant, small and quaint. |
 |
| Small glass bottles and a tiny glass, that's all you get! |
 |
| Tempting glass bottle of water with fancy glasses on each table, not free. |
 |
| Yummy burger! |
 |
| Fries and mayonnaise |
 |
| The basket turned into a tiny, awkward shopping cart at "Albert Heijn" |
.jpg)
