A Weekend with The Twins

The weekend of 5-7 December saw us swapping locations: Netherlands for the UK, Amsterdam for London. All thanks to the generous invitation to join Nicole Ex and the team at See All This in celebrating ten years of publishing with a grand dinner party at Felix Meritis. Having been commissioned to contribute a piece on healthy foods, Fats, Fruits & Fundamentals, it is almost impossible to explain our thrill and excitement at the thought of what was ahead of us. It’s not every day that one gets to enjoy the talent and skill of Mory Sacko.

saturday

From the luxury Ambassade Hotel we sauntered the five minute distance to Felix Meritis in the company of Elias Asselbergs, our friend and guide over the weekend. We were looking forward to the evening’s event but not even our imaginations could have prepared us for things. On arrival at the entrance of this neoclassical building, our names were checked and coats left in the cloakroom. We were now ready to mingle with guests enjoying several glasses of champagne. 

Ruinart – a new bubbly to us – was in abundance. No stinting whatsoever. Kombucha was also on offer, but despite its healthy properties we settled for apple juice.

Several introductions were made, hands shaken and poses adopted for the camera. Since we were wearing Hermès silk ties, last year’s Xmas gifts, for the first time, it would have been criminal not to have them recorded for posterity. 

By the time the announcement to head to the area for the main event rang out, we had already imbibed the exciting atmosphere filled with chattering voices and met more guests. We moved slowly to the main hall. 

The entertainment had already started, so we stood in the crowded entrance and enjoyed the action: three costumed dancers, dressed as flowers, gave us a performance worthy of the occasion. We were impressed with their gliding movements, interposing themselves amongst the standing audience to music that evoked the theme their dance celebrated. They deserved the applause they received at the end of their performance.

On invitation guests made their way to and sat down at allocated tables, whilst some played hunt my name. From our seats on table 4, we were able to scan the entire room and marvel at the effort that had gone into decorating the huge space: not only the tables but also from the ceiling to the floor, creating an atmosphere that made everyone feel so special that evening. 

When Nicole Ex mounted the stage to address the guests, we opted to keep our eyes on her though she spoke in Dutch – ignoring the English translation of her script which was provided – because Nicole’s facial expressions and body language helped us to understand, much more than words on the page, what the event meant to her as founder of See All This.

Mory Sacko is an adorable individual with a smile that would light up a cave. He makes everyone feel like a special guest at his family home. We enjoyed the harmonic interaction between him and the Dutch forecaster, Lidewij Edelkoort, who conversed easily in Dutch, French and English. Every aspect of the menu met with our approval – presentation, taste and much to our surprise: ample.

We never seek high table, but we were deeply touched to be on stage speaking to what we were later told was a captivated audience. The significance of our presence at this grand occasion was not lost on as we answered Jacquill Basdew’s questions.

Sunday

On Sunday, our third day in Amsterdam, we went for a small walk after a three hour breakfast, returning around 1 p.m. due to a pre-planned trip to the Rijksmuseum.

The exterior of the building is visually what we adore from a building: beautifully patterned brickwork. Our friend and guide, who joined us, was a blessing: so knowledgeable on Dutch history and art.

Once inside, the right words were exchanged with a guard and we were immediately granted access to the interior of the museum. Nothing prepared our senses for the sheer size and design of the Rijksmuseum.

Once we deposited our jackets we were ready. We joined a group who (looked in their twenties) were part of the specially invited guests. Our host, the dapperly dressed Jacquill Basdew, greeted us and the other guests. We were led by a staff member to the amazing library. Imagine a bookworm, a real bookworm (i.e. the insect type) in the museum, the library would be like book heaven.

We sat at the back and the talk began. Though it was an informative talk about inclusion, alas the book cases filled with numerous books held our attention.

Later during the question and answer session, to our surprise, we were invited to speak. The audience listened attentively, so we think that they picked up something useful from what we said. It could not have been easy trying to follow closely the thread of two people dressed in similar attire.

After we had spoken, the guests then got together in groups. Dubem had a long chat with a young man and Elias and Chuka honed in on the books.

The sheer number of books was intoxicating for a lover of books. Cloth-covered books, books with jackets, books that were several centuries old. Row upon row of books. The fact that many were in Dutch did not detract from the visual delight. Imagine a field filled with a wide variety of flowers. The honey bee would recognise all of them all, but many would most of us be able to recognise and name.

When the event ended we were given tokens for the cafe. Thanks again to our unique guide, we were able to have some wild pastry (venison and beer, puff pastry, red currant jam, herb salad).

What a way to end a trip to Amsterdam’s finest museum.