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Celebrating my ‘Jubilee’ – 10 years in the Netherlands at Landgoed Groenhoven

Today, Tuesday 14 August marks my 10 years in the Netherlands. It is a special day for me because it reminds me of the reason why I came to this country and most importantly, what I had to give up back home in the Philippines and the consequences that this crucial decision entails in my life. I have never thought that migrating at the age of 32 would be so difficult. You can find the struggles I went through during the first 3 years in the country here: ‘Almost 10 years in the Netherlands and looking back to the things I hated much’

I may not openly talk about my personal life in this blog but I must say that I have been through a lot in this country. Mostly career-related wise. I’m a high strung (calmer now haha), driven, pragmatic, competitive and perhaps too independent individual. So I’ve had desperate days. Very frustrating periods. But successes as well. It makes life interesting when you have a smorgasbord of everything.

So last Friday after work I celebrated my jubilee and invited the Dutch family to join me at ‘Landgoed Groenhoven’ in Bruchem. The little village is located in Zaltbommel in Gelderland province, about 15-20 minutes south of Utrecht (45-50 minutes from Amsterdam).

We gathered outside in the garden terrace for some drinks and tête-à-tête. Of course I received some flowers and the Dutch flag as well, haha. It was a lovely day. Warm enough and the sun shone!


Dutchman took this picture of the family. Moi giving a speech, not sure what its about, haha. We are waiting for the wine to arrive!

The brothers-in-law are enjoying the Cuban cigars that I brought from my trip in Cuba last May while we enjoy some Beaujolais white.

We start with some amuse from the chef, paired with Beaujolais.

Then we moved inside for the 5-course dinner.

Normally when I eat at chic or fine dining restaurants, I feel awkward taking pictures of the food. But because we are a large group and we had enough privacy from the rest of the diners, I was not shy. It was basically our show so lots of pictures for the evening!

Landgoed Groenhoven is a 200-year old villa and is a rijksmonument, which means the building is declared by the state as a piece of historical architecture to be preserved. The villa is now a gastronomic restaurant and also holds special events, art exhibitions, business meetings and weddings.

First course for the vegetarian Dutch sister and for the Dutchman who does not eat fish.

First course for the rest of the family who eat fish. This is crab. Delicious!

For our wine on the table we elected a red from down under, a Shiraz.

Second course is steak tartare with chickory and a medley of yummy flavourings in it.

Third course is pan seared cod fish.

Fourth course (main) is lamb meat with mushrooms – oops they look like magic mushrooms that can cause hallucinations, haha.

Fifth course (dessert) is strawberry sorbet in cream and cracked crispy cookie.

Double espresso for me and a Macchiato for the brother-in-law… while the rest had cappucino and normal coffee.

The church in front of the restaurant.

Food here at Landgoed Groenhoven is 4.5 stars out of 5. Service was great. We enjoyed our time here and really loved the place. The villa is a beautiful piece of historical building. Highly recommended.

I must say that after 10 years in the Netherlands and at 42 years old, I am at the prime time of my life. It can only get better. Life is good.

Visit Period: August 2012
Destination: Bruchem (Zaltbommel – Gelderland), The Netherlands

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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

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