Finally, a Haven

View outside of DeLuca


DeLuca's copacetic interior

Outside the vast double door of our apartment, strong silhouette of an uninterrupted line of barren trees adorns the narrowed streets. Besides the trees, the canal gleams and casts a serene countenance being under the spell of the radiant sun. Ducks squeal as if in rapture of the beautiful day lying ahead! That was precisely my sentiment when we woke up this morning with sunbeams peeking through the two skylights of our loft-like bedroom. A day such as this is unseasonably bright considering that bleak winter is just round the corner.

A clear day like this shouldn’t go to waste, my husband and I concurred. We resolved to venture outside of Delft into Den Haag. In fact, we had tentatively planned to do so after ‘successfully’ spending several hours there yesterday. (Successful in mom-speak means a cooperative tot) Out of a whim and boredom for the lack of fun English-medium TV programs, we scuttled off to American Book Centre’s branch in Den Haag in pursuit of a stimulation of the cerebral kind.

Guided with a dog-eared map, we finally located ABC in Lange Poten, which intersected with Spui, one of the tram stops along the Delft-bound route. Like its big-city counterparts – Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the stores in Den Haag open on Sundays, usually from noon until 5pm. After our book purchases, we found ourselves drawn to the festive atmosphere and growing crowd plainly visible across the other side of Spui. From our vantage point, Christmas lights were serially festooned on top of what seems like an endless shopping avenue. We were instantly hooked! (no pun intended)

Like a skilled animal armed with its killer instinct, we have found our watering hole. At last! A shopping arcade to feast our eyes on and tempt our wallets! Our pupils dilated at the sight of a bevy of noteworthy shops and like a fish out of water, I excitably called out familiar names – Zara! H&M (Hennes&Mauritz)! Hema! Levi’s!

Halfway along the arcade, we bumped into a group of mischievous-looking Zwarte Piets (dress-for-hire teenagers) giving out kruidnoten to passer-bys in front of the ‘entrance’ into the alfresco pedestrian mall simply called ‘The Passage’ with its own share of interesting stores like Benetton, Sisley, Selexyz – a Dutch-language bookstore not dissimilar to Barnes & Noble – and Apple Centre (just what hubby would like). One of the Piet practically ambushed my husband and impishly left some pieces of Kruidnoten inside the hood of his sweater. Now I know how Dhanu feels ;-)

We bought finally the long-postponed sweater for Sadia at H&M which was quite inexpensive, even when compared to Hema. Thereon, lured by the throng of eager shoppers and relatively fine weather, we ambled on and somehow ended up at the corner of Gravenstraat where the super-duper exclusive department store Maison De Bonnaterie proudly stood. Pressed for time, we didn’t trudge inside but advanced further down the lane. We then decided to call it a day after arriving in the middle of heavy pedestrian crossing of luxe department stores Peek & Cloppenburg, and De Bijenkorf. This was where we bumped into Surina, a good friend of my twin and her immediate family, who had settled in The Hague since last July. How nice to see a familiar face from Malaysia!

Today, as a treat for our second anniversary, we indulged in a mini-celebration by having lunch at La Place Mangerie in Vroom & Dreesman (V&D), another department store along the arcade. The open-air, kiosk-style concept is redolent of Café La Marche in The Curve at Mutiara Damansara. The cozy eatery also reminded me fondly of the gourmet food court I chanced upon at Water Tower Shopping Centre in Chicago during the heyday of collegiate life. However, the two entrees and two Frambozen (Raspberry) shakes were a tad bit expensive in comparison to the spread we relished at La Marche!

We then opted to exchange gifts with one another using a system whereby both of us must be in agreement to what one would chose for the other. Yet, in the end each of us wound up picking an item that we like ourselves and then asked the other for an opinion. That seems fairer, doesn’t it? ;-)

The anniversary celeb came to a full circle as we sat down for latte (what else!) at Deli DeLuca, a brasserie located at the corner lot of the Passage. The coffee was too pungent for my taste (caused me a mild headache) but the chocolate truffle tidbit managed to offset its headiness a little.

By the time we reached Delft proper, tiny droplets of rain tapped gently on our winter coats, thus slowly transplanting ourselves back into a Dutch wintry (albeit rainy) existence. Despite the cacophony of people rushing home, the air was surprisingly tranquil, echoing the wistful longing of the deceptively silent canals. Befitting the mood, we whisked Sadia away from the elements into the sanctuary of our home where duties resume and responsibilities await us. Nonetheless, the day’s proceedings buoyed our spirits up for we have, in no doubt, unearthed a shopping haven to call our own.