Merry Christmas!

What a beautiful Christmas morning! Bright sunshine, warm temperatures and most importantly, spending the day with two of my favourite people. After mass at Obrechtkerk, we enjoyed our special Christmas morning brunch and then exchanged gifts.

Built between 1908 and 1911, Obrechtkerk is a neo-Romanesque basilica. The architecture firm was the partnership of Joseph Cuypers and Jan Stuyt. However, as the two men generally worked independently it is believed that the design was that of Stuyt, who was one of the main architects of Dutch churches in the 20th century. Many artists contributed to the interior of the church, including Kees Dunselman who created the glittering mosaic in the domed apse of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, four saints, two angels and three cherubs. The mosaic is immediately above a series of seven stained glass windows depicting the seven sacraments that were created by Willem Mengelberg. The pipe organ at the back of the church was well played and the choir sang absolutely beautifully. All that said, we couldn’t understand a word of the mass.

Dinner was at In De Wagg in the City Centre. The food was delicious, but there was no turkey on the menu! A restaurant since 1996, the building was one of the city’s gatehouses from 1488 to 1601. In 1617, the building was converted to a “waag” – that is a weighing house. It was also home to many guilds, including masons, surgeons, blacksmiths, painters, pastry cooks and cobblers. It is hard to imagine that these people worked in the same building.

This was the most unusual Christmas for us. Ever. We walked to and from dinner through the busy Red Light District. What sights to see on Christmas Day. On the walk between Dam Square and Central Station, we admired the lights decorating the streets and shopped along Damrak at the temporary market stalls and permanent gift shops with the seemingly endless merchandise of treats and souvenirs. In today's photo, the skinny snowman hiding behind Santa entertained passersby in the live snowglobe on Damrak.

Although it was a different kind of Christmas, we had lots of laughs and plenty of fun. We are so lucky that we could exchange Christmas greetings afterwards via Skype and FaceTime with family and friends at home and abroad. We love and miss you all. Merry Christmas!