Joe and I had the opportunity to take a quick trip to Amsterdam - a belated trip for our anniversary, so it was just the two of us. It was a USO tour, so we didn't have to drive ourselves, but that was a VERY uncomfortable bus ride. We barely made it.
We started out with a breakfast, demonstration/tour, and shopping at De Simonehoeve - a family owned business that makes cheese and wooden clogs.
From there we went to downtown Amsterdam and took a guided bus/walking tour of the city center. Maybe I've been living under a rock all my life, but I had no idea (until I started doing research for this trip), that Amsterdam is sometimes called the "Venice of the North" because of the more than 100 kilometers of canals criss-crossing through the city, creating about 90 islands, linked by over 1,200 bridges. Very cool looking. I must have taken a gazillion pictures of the canals, but I promise not to post them all here.
This guy (above) was our tour guide for the morning, and he was a hoot. He took us through the neighborhood where Anne Frank grew up (we didn't go to the museum, but maybe another time), the more affluent old Jewish quarter (there are hardly any Jewish people left in Amsterdam), China town, the Red Light district, the farmer's market, Dam Square, and a million other places. He talked about history, economics, religion, architecture, drugs, prostitution, crime, and everything else under the sun. Very informative. Very entertaining. He obviously loves his country very much (as well he should, because it is a beautiful place with a lot to offer) and he takes great pride in their liberal ways. He kept talking about how their crime rate keeps dropping since they've decriminalized things like marijuana and prostitution, and so they can rent out their prisons to other countries. Joe and I couldn't help ourselves and we joked about this (to ourselves), saying that the percentage their crime is dropping is directly proportional to the rising percentage of their looking the other way ;) Joe's other running joke of the day, of course, was the word dam/damn. Need I say more?
When the tour was over, we had several hours to do as we pleased, so Joe and I hopped on the tram (great public transportation there) and headed over to the Albert Cuyp Market. What a variety!
It reminded us of Korea in some ways, and it was pretty crowded. We had a lunch of fish and chips (very different from any fish and chips I've ever had, but delicious all the same). They had a lot of fruit stands, and they were all selling freshly squeezed orange juice and other juices.
Question - Can you get addicted to something after having it only once?
Answer - Yes. Yes you can.
We quickly discovered that most convenience stores also sell these freshly squeezed juices, and we took full advantage. First I had some orange/mango juice. Then I had some plain orange juice. Then Joe got some papaya/mango juice, and I had some of that. And then I got two more orange juices. I couldn't stop. It was so good, and I want some right now.
But the real reason I chose this market was because I was looking for this.
They are called Stroopwafels, and they are a unique treat in the Netherlands. You can't tell from this picture, but there is hot gooey caramel inside of there. You can buy packages of them in any stores (usually mini sized), but they do NOT compared to the one's freshly made. I did my homework, and this market was said to have the best freshly made stroopwafels in all of Amsterdam, and that's what we went for.
They did not disappoint. MmmmMmmm, DELISH!
One thing that had Joe excited were the bikes.
Amsterdam is the one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that bikes outnumber people (you can Google it if you don't believe me). It really is the perfect city for biking because it is so flat. Of course there are bike paths literally everywhere, complete with traffic lights specifically for the bikers, bike racks everywhere, and it's cheap to rent bikes there too. Joe REALLY wanted to buy a bike there, but he's going to have to wait until next time.
The highlight of the trip came next when we went to the Vincent Van Gogh Museum. This was not only the highlight of the trip, it was a highlight of my life - epic! I was within inches of some of my all-time favorite paintings, basking in the glow of thick brush strokes and brilliantly combined colors. I wanted to touch them SOOOOO bad! But I also did not want to be arrested, so I refrained.
It's hard to pick favorites, but three of my favorites are:
Irises - the colors in this up close blew me away.
I could have stared at that painting alone for hours.
Almond Blossom - Vincent had a very close relationship with this brother, and he painted this for his sister-in-law after his nephew, and name-sake, was born.
Can you feel the love?
Sunflowers - Van Gogh said that other flowers belonged to other artists,
but sunflowers were his. For some reason,
I've always thought of this painting as another of his self-portraits.
Okay, enough gushing about art. Needless to say, it was an emotional experience for me.
After the museum we explored some more of the city.
The Waag (or weigh house, built in the 15th century) in Nieuwmarkt, which used to be a city gate and part of the city walls of Amsterdam
Central Station
Dam square, includes the National Monument
The Royal Palace
And the New Church
And, of course, more pictures of the canals ;)
By the end, our old feet and backs were killing us, but we were happy. As with all other places we visit, I feel like I have to go back to see the things we missed. I want to see the tulip festival in the spring. I want to take a boat tour through the canals. I want to see inside the palace and some of the churches. I want to visit the Anne Frank house. And I want to rent a bike and ride all over, and let Joe buy a Dutch bike. Joe reminds me that there are SO many other places we want to go - how will we have time to re-visit Amsterdam? We'll just see what happens.
