pompadour
i moved to amsterdam in august, but you wouldn’t have known it was summer because of all the rain. there is the general misting present most days that you can still walk around in and then there are the serious downpours where you need to go inside. one of my earliest rain-evading discoveries was the chocolate shop, pompadour. this “gezellig” (dutch word for cozy, but meaning so much more) patisserie was located just around the corner from my apartment. it was almost a holy place for me. the interior is beautiful…rich, intricate, rose-colored wallpaper with warm, carved wooden moldings cut for the town hall of mortsel in 1895 and imported and repurposed, striking light fixtures evoking wild flowers or some kind of nature and inviting little marble cafe tables. there was just about no trouble that couldn’t be soothed away by having a cup of mint tea at pompadour. the tea was served in a large, clear glass of hot water with a couple of fresh mint stalks tucked in, accompanied by a delicious almond cake on the side. and i haven’t even gotten to the gorgeous chocolates and little cakes that looked like works of art.
i spent countless rainy afternoons in that cafe taking in all the prettiness and listening to the drumming of the famous amsterdam rain. when i was pregnant with my daughter and had horrible “morning” sickness ALL day long, i would waddle over to pompdour and have a toasty (or three!) toasties are little ham and cheese panini-like sandwiches that are a perfect cure for nausea. after both of my children were born, it was the first place i went when i could manage to get out of the house. pompadour felt like an extension of my home. the vastly talented belgian chocolatier who owns it was so welcoming and kind to me and my children, as were all of the dedicated, lovely ladies who work there.
when my son was just about two, a little girl named ruby moved to the canal above ours. pompadour was on the side street between our two buildings and quickly became our favorite playdate location. ruby and theo would have hot chocolates and almond cakes and sarah, ruby’s mama, and i would have much needed grown up conversation. the children were (almost) always well behaved at pompadour… i think the elegance of the shop and the quiet atmosphere elevated their conduct because they were pretty cheeky everywhere else.
we left amsterdam in august of 2011 when theo was four and a half years old. ruby and theo had one last hot chocolate date at pompadour the day before we flew to the states. theo was on my hip as we all left the shop and turned toward our respective canals. he yelled over my shoulder, “i’ll love you ruby for the rest of my life.” ruby responded, “i love you too, theo.” i cried all the way home. a month or so after we had moved to boulder, colorado, theo, tired of the relentless sun and frequent car rides said to me from the back seat, “when i grow up, i am going back to amsterdam and i’m going to get my goldfish (we left nemo and blemo with our dear friend, isabelle) and i’m going to marry ruby.” maybe we can have the reception at pompadour.
* ruby’s family has since moved to dubai, but over spring break, we all met up in amsterdam and the first place we went, of course, was pompadour. all of our favorite people were still there and even though it’s been seven years, they recognized the kids because i’ve been sending them holiday cards each winter… somehow i couldn’t bear for us to be forgotten by the special people of this most treasured place.