sprinkles for breakfast.

Published on by Quandie

And I’m back from my European vacation!  Phew!

Our return trip from Europe was a doozy.  Out of the 7 of us who traveled together, 5 of us came home with covid.  Mr. Q and I started to feel a little worn out as we left for the airport for our return flight home, but we chalked that up to spending two weeks going full speed.  We then had an 8 hour wait at the airport (due to a delayed flight), then a 9 hour flight home.  By the time we got home we were feeling pretty miserable.  By the next day we realized it could be covid, so my neighbor, nnK, dropped off some tests for us.

Sure enough, we were both positive.

I have to say, this is yet another of those times when it’s really nice to be retired.  Neither of us had to worry about now calling in sick to a job that we were already away from for two weeks for the trip.

I also have to say how lucky we are to have such a fabulous neighbor.  Not only did nnK pick us up from the airport, but she also stocked our fridge and left a meatloaf and mashed potatoes that I could just pop in the oven.  She also made homemade chicken noodle soup for us, and continued to deliver groceries while we isolated for five days.  It’s awesome to have good neighbors!

One more thing I’m grateful for is that we didn’t get sick during the trip.  So we didn’t miss out on any fun!

We most likely contracted covid on the Norway cruise portion of our trip, which was the final week.  We were careful with frequent hand washing, but we did not wear masks on the ship.  My advice to any of you considering a cruise is to be aware that chances are good that you will get covid.  If that’s a deal breaker for you, I would avoid cruising for the foreseeable future.

Over the coming weeks I plan to share some of the highlights of our trip, in no particular order.  But for now, I just wanted to check in and let you all know that I’m getting back in the groove a little more slowly than usual.  I’m hoping to get my paintbrushes back out soon though!

Now, if you’ve bothered to read this far I am going to reward you.  Well, one of you anyway.

If you’ve followed me for long, you know that when I travel I like to bring back some goodies to give away to a lucky reader.  So here’s what I’ve got this time.

First up, a couple of European decorating magazines.

I always hit up the newsstand at the airport for good magazines.  I only found one in Dutch …

At least I’m pretty sure that is Dutch (do any of you speak Dutch?).

Although you may not be able to read it, it’s still fun to look at the pictures.

I see the same sort of trends we’re seeing here, lots of raw wood paired with dark, moody colors.  The Nordic countries always include lots of furry throws in their decor too.

They seem to be calling this sober-chic, which seems fitting.

I googled sober chic out of curiosity and found lots of articles on living alcohol free, but I’m sure that’s not what they mean here.  I think they are referring to another definition of sober, which is austere or serious.

What do you think?  Is sober-chic for you?

I also grabbed the British edition of Country Living.

This issue includes a fun article on potting sheds, and another on the rise of the new boot room.

Next up, I’m including this paper folding kit for a tulip vase from the Tulip Museum in Amsterdam.

They claim that it will actually hold water, but I have my doubts.  Still, it might be a fun little project for the lucky winner.

Speaking of projects, I’m also including this paint that I picked up in Zaanse Schans.

De Kat is the only remaining working windmill in the world that makes paint.

I mean seriously, how could I resist some powdered paint?  I bought some for myself to experiment with as well.  There are several ‘recipes’ included for turning this powder into paint, with the simplest one being the ‘egg tempera’ which involves mixing it with an egg yolk and some water.  There is also a recipe for ‘children’s paint’ where you mix the powder with ‘fat milk’ (would that be our whole milk?) and claims that the paint will ‘not go sour after it has dried’.

Finally, no travel gift would be complete without some chocolate.

Including some chocolate sprinkles!

Wait, what?  Did I say sprinkles?

Apparently a very popular Dutch breakfast choice is chocolate sprinkles, or hagelslag, on bread.

It’s a simple enough recipe, take a slice of bread (non-toasted!), butter it, and add sprinkles.

When we read about this practice before our trip, I really thought it was one of those sort of things that people don’t really actually do.  You know, like Norwegians eating lutefisk.

But sure enough, these sprinkles were available at the breakfast buffet every morning at our hotel in Amsterdam.  So I grabbed some extras to share!  If you win today’s giveaway, you’ll have to give it a try and let us know what you think.

The rules for today’s giveaway:  Simply leave a comment on this blog post (and please forgive me if I don’t respond to every one, but know that I read and appreciate all of them).

Your comment must be left on this blog post, not on Facebook or Instagram.  You are not required to follow my blog, or follow my Facebook or Instagram accounts, although it would be awesome if you did!

I will randomly draw the name of a winner for today’s prize from all of the comments left on this post by Sunday, October 1, 2023 at the stroke of midnight (U.S. Central time).

The fine print: no purchase necessary, you must be 18 years of age or older to win, void where prohibited by law, the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning, approximate retail value of prize is $50, if the prize is not claimed by Friday, October 6, 2023 another name will be drawn at random to win, blah, blah, blah.

39 thoughts on “sprinkles for breakfast.”

  1. What fun you must have had on your trip but I am so sorry that you returned sick. I am looking forward to your travel posts and pics- vicariously exploring the world through your eyes! Your goodie stash looks amazing.

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  2. OH bummer on the covid! Such is life these days. I love the adventure you had, it sounds wonderful! Sober chic sounds interesting too. LOL. Glad your trip went well and you’ve made it home safely.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. What a great giveaway you have put together. ❤️ Hmmmm, chocolate sprinkles on bread and butter. I guess you could call it a chocolate croissant! I may have to find some good chocolate sprinkles and give it a try.

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  8. Sorry about the Covid. Two out of the four of us came home with Covid also after our river cruise. Norway is on my bucket list. It looks so beautiful. Starting the day with chocolate sprinkles sounds very up lifting.

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  9. So very sorry to hear you both came home sick with Covid! Still such a worry and concern for us ~ sounds like you had a fabulous time, though and can’t wait to hear more!

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  11. Oh No – Covid! So sorry, glad to hear you and Mr Q are recovering – and hope everyone else is as well. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip (minus the Covid) and am looking forward to your blogs about it. Wow, you really put together an amazing giveaway!

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  12. Sounds like a wonderful trip until the end. Sorry about the COVID and so glad you are beginning to feel better. Aren’t you fortunate to have such a wonderful next door neighbor! Hmmmm…chocolate sprinkles on bread for breakfast. I might need to try that sometime. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

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  16. So glad to hear you had a wonderful trip but sorry so many in your group returned with Covid. Hope all are now on the mend! Your generous giveaway is sure to delight the lucky receiver. And chocolate sprinkles for breakfast – yes please!

    Liked by 1 person

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  17. Sounds like a wonderful trip! Except for the covid part, of course. That paper mini-vase sent me down the rabbit hole, looking at Delft tulip vases. My guess is you put a small bowl inside it to hold the water. Welcome home! Be well!

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  18. SO glad you’re feeling better-you timed out that case of Covid perfectly😜 maybe sober chic is the new dark academia??!!! Good thing you went to Europe to bring back the latest in design styles!!! Can’t wait to hear all about the trip and bread and chocolate are my two favorite food groups so I’d fit in great in Amsterdam 😉

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  19. I sure hope that you and Mr. Q feel better soon. Thank you for sharing about the chocolate sprinkles on non-toasted bread with butter. I learned something new since that is not a combination I would have ever put together.

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  21. Glad you are recovering. Great photo of the windmill. If I were doing things over, I think I’d get a nice chunk of land to plant all my veggies and have a windmill built onto the house so I could rely on wind power, if for no other reason than that they are cool.

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  23. Always nice to hear about ur travels! I went to Amsterdam several yrs ago for a wedding. The happy couple were off on their honeymoon, and we got to stay in their flat. Soo cool, above a store, big windows to watch all the people go about their business. It is a lovely lovely place to visit!!
    Hope u and Mr.Q get better soon!!

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  24. I’m sorry you got sick but happy for you that your vaca was over. This is a great giveaway. Foreign magazines are so expensive here. What a treat. Get well soon. As a child I use to put butter then sugar on my bread. Not to far from chocolate sprinkles.

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  28. Well heck on the Covid! 😕! I love Amsterdam. Seeing the windmills makes me happy! I’m in Australia at the moment and loving seeing a touch of home !
    Smiles, alice

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  29. Three of my favorite things: chocolate on bread for breakfast (must be the Dane in me), Country Living British Edition, and paint!! So glad you had a wonderful trip and made it back safely. Wishing you a speedy Covid recovery!

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  32. I’ve always wanted to visit the Scandinavian countries, but have yet to make it. It is on my ‘next trip list’ though. I’m not big on cruises, something about being trapped on a ship with hundreds of other people, but I’ve been told a cruise is a great wait to see Norway and other Scandinavian countries. So sorry you contracted covid! Hope you’re feeling better!

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    1. A cruise is probably one of the most cost effective ways to see Norway mainly because it’s a very expensive country to visit. One source I found online said that Oslo is the most expensive city in Europe to visit, but I’m not sure how true that is. I will say that it’s a very convenient way to travel around Europe since every morning you wake up in a new city, and you’ve only had to unpack your bags once. Another thing to note is that most of the cruise ports in Norway are very accessible on foot right from the dock, unlike other European cities where the ports can be quite far away from the city centre.

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  34. What a great prize pack… magazines are my weakness. Would love to go to Amsterdam. The paint powder is also very interesting much like milk paint. So glad you enjoyed your trip and did not suffer too much with covid, rest up for full recovery. Your neighbour is a treasure. Wish I was eligible but I am away up in Manitoba, Canada but so enjoy your blog and your creativity and gardening.

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  35. Looks like you saw some beautiful and interesting things–thanks for sharing them with us in your post(s). And as for lutefisk, Norwegians in their homeland no longer partake, but as a long-time Minnesotan I can assure you that Norwegian-Americans in MN still do (but I don’t! I’, Swedish!)

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