Washing, Lunch, a little bit of wandering, Beer and Pizza

Today was our last full day in Amsterdam and we started the day doing our washing. Several years ago when doing washing on Santorini we ended up with very red clothes, so we tend to approach travel washing with a little apprehension. We put our washing into a machine and left it under the watchful eye of the attendant there as we headed out for a walk and coffee (well that was our intention, but we ended up having fruit juices).

Returning ~30 mins later we rescued some of the merino wool clothing from the dryer the attendant had moved the clothes into and thankfully they all seem to still be an appropriate size.  We only lost one sock and the clothes were all the same colour that they started so we deemed this to be a successful washing adventure.

For lunch we went next door to our apartment to a busy cafe called Bâton. I had an apple pie that was lovely and Jane had a salad that she enjoyed.

I went out for a walk after lunch and ventured into the Magna Plaza shopping centre. They even had a grand piano in the Atrium of this beautiful building!

In Dam Square a couple of policeman on horseback ensured everything was under control.

We headed back to Van Zuylen again for an early evening drink. It is a nice and relaxing bar overlooking the Singel canal. The view from our seat was pretty good.

I like how when you order a beer in Amsterdam it usually comes in the proper glass, with brewery logos. It just seems like a more civilised was to drink. Beer however obviously takes priority in Amsterdam (in terms of good glasses at least), since around us everybody was drinking wine out of a water glass.

On our way to get pizza for dinner I came across an electric car charging station, and there was even a Tesla there being charged.

da Portare Via at Leliegracht 34 is a small pizza shop that does great pizza and is consequently quite busy.

Whilst waiting for our pizza we noticed that in addition to bikes being locked up that trees also get locked up too.

We ate our Napoletana and Con Salsiccia Picante pizzas on the bench out the front of the shop overlooking the Leliegracht canal; both pizzas were excellent.

Cafe de Klos - Ribs in Amsterdam

This evening we decided that as our favourite meal so far in Amsterdam was the spare ribs starter we had at Rancho, we would seek another ribs meal. Simon asked Google where the best ribs in Amsterdam were to be had and after a touch of consideration for the location (the result was a 1.5km walk away) we headed to Cafe de Klos at 41-43 Kerkstraat.

It's a tiny little place with wooden floors and walls and a central bar, with a small open kitchen off to one side where we saw the grill, flaming the foil-wrapped baked potatoes and various meat dishes.

We sat at the bar, and after a little playful banter with the bar tender, and frankly being thoroughly insulted (he called me a pussy!), we both had an Amstel (don't worry, the banter was good-natured - and it continued for the rest of our visit).  I ordered the plain spare ribs and Simon the smoked ribs, however our server advised him that the smoked ribs were a dry american rub style rib - great if you like really bacony flavours.  Simon switched to also having the plain ribs.

They were served with a generous helping of salad, a basket of bread and refresher towels!  We also had one baked potato that we shared (one each would have been a meal in itself) - and thoroughly enjoyed the garlic butter it was served with.  Both of us got to our last section of rib and freely admitted we were full, but they were so good we didn't want to leave any behind.  Good thing we had to walk 1.5km home again! (The sauces in the pic below were a seafood style sauce (I have no idea why) and the ubiquitous mayonnaise - despite the absence of fries. Oh! And the plate was wooden!).

Note - that glass of beer at back right is a pint - the plate is actually much bigger than this photo makes it look.

We would absolutely return and would certainly recommend anyone visiting to stop in for a drink or a meal or both.  The servers were all incredibly friendly, leaving us feeling like we had just popped in to our local - there's nothing quite like being insulted to make you feel at ease. (In case you're wondering - the banter was prompted by me foolishly asking if they had Amstel Light.  I was laughed at and told 'we don't have light beer, we cycle', then 'light beer is for pussies'.  I did call him out on this pointing out he was insulting me - which he rapidly denied while emphatically nodding his head.  Hmm.  I enjoy a server I can play with and he was great value right to our departure.)

Vondelpark and cycling in Amsterdam

We braved the bikes today and after working how to manage the various locks (one big chain lock and another that goes through the rear spokes) we set out through the narrow paved streets of Amsterdam to Vondelpark.

Jane was clever and had looked up some of the road signs before we left, so could inform me that the sign was saying no entry except for if you’re on a bike or scooter. This is a city that has lots and lots of cyclists, where cyclists have right of way of pedestrians, yet it can be a bit intimidating. Also, cyclists and people riding scooters that have a low cc rating don’t tend to wear helmets.

Vondelpark is a huge park located South West of the centre of Amsterdam and we were very glad we took the bikes otherwise we would not have seen as much of it.

Jane disappears into the distance along one of the huge cycle/run paths.

There were also some huge homes bordering on the park.

We had lunch at Vertigo, one of the many cafes in the park, after making sure we had locked up our bikes. I had a baguette with a generous serving of carpaccio, parmesan, truffle mayonnaise, pesto, pinenuts and rocket. It was magnificent and possibly the best baguette I’ve ever had. The carpaccio was also very raw which was good. Jane had a beef burger with a cone of fries (and mayo, of course), which was okay, but could have done with a tomato sauce or chutney.

After lunch we relaxed at the cafe for a while and then headed back to our apartment by a much better route that took us along Prinsengracht and past the ridiculously long queue at Anne Frank’s House (as noted in a previous post, book online and then you can just walk straight in). It was a quick trip back and we were very glad to have taken the bikes out; we may however have some sore muscles over the next couple of days.

Dinner and Drinks on Saturday evening in Amsterdam

This evening we wandered along Damrak to Dam square and then up a couple of quieter streets beyond the Magna Plaza to find somewhere for dinner.  We weren't overly fussed about what we were looking for, just something different to what we've had before and preferably outside - the sun has been shining since first thing this morning and the city is positively hot!  I even regretted taking my cardigan (although I was glad of it a few hours later).

We eventually came upon a fondue restaurant in a back alley and once we'd convinced the waiter that while we appreciated his advise, we'd really like some time to think about what we'd order, we settled on a couple of different fondues, served simply with bread (instead of the 50 euro all-the-bells-and-whistles option he was urging us to 'trust' him on. He was charming.  Well, until we rejected his advise, then he was positively peevish, but even that had a certain charm.)  I chose the Normande fondue and Simon the traditional one with a name containing more esses, cees and aitches in weird combinations than I am prepared to try and repeat.  As it turned out, his traditional one was significantly better than my supposedly spicy one.  I think spicy ought to have been translated as ripe.  It was a basic, but different meal that we don't regret but wouldn't hurry back for.

Next we wandered back towards home via Van Zuylen - a bar with many tables spreading out on the very wide bridge across the Singel.  Simon had a couple of odd beers (well, I thought they were odd, he seemed to enjoy them) and I enjoyed first an apple juice and later a hot chocolate - which I chose mainly because by this stage I had put my cardigan on and was still feeling rather cold.  We saw many meals being consumed here and by the looks of everything served we will definitely return for a meal.

Amsterdam is clearly Hen and Stag central on the weekend and the evening was filled with free entertainment, both on the road by way of ambulatory and pedal-powered revellers and of course on the canals - I expect there were several 'man overboard' instances through the evening, although we didn't witness any.

We still haven't adjusted to the unfamiliar hours of daylight.  Simon asked the time of me at one point and I was rather shocked when I looked at my watch to discover it was in fact twenty to ten.  And yet it wasn't even quite dusk yet!  Amazing!  It is finally dark outside as I write this at 11pm (although the bars next door, and next door to that are both still going strong - not so strong that I won't sleep through it mind you - it's a very civilised clientele - no pre-wedding parties here!)

Noordermarkt and Lindengracht markt

The Noordermarkt and Lindengracht markets are a block apart in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam and are great in terms of produce and have a better quality of clothing and other goods than I’m used to from a market. Both markets are equally good. All of the photos below are from the Noordermarkt.

It was great to see the variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh herbs,spices, flowers, artisan bread, cheese, olives, fish, meat and more.

There was also a child hiding…

After wandering through the Lindengracht markt we relaxed with an espresso at a cafe on the edge of the market and listened to the beautiful sound of a clarinet, piano accordion and bass cello. It was a nice way to start the day.

El Rancho, Spui, Amsterdam

We decided we wanted steak for dinner, and after wandering around lots of streets that we decided were far too touristy we eventually ended up at El Rancho in the Spui area of Amsterdam which is one of many Argentinian restaurants in the city.

The restaurant was busy but we didn’t have to wait for a table. Seated just inside the front door, the decor had a very rustic feel that whilst it does give the appearance of a dirty feel our utensils, crockery and table were all perfectly fine.

We started with the spare ribs to share and they were magnificent. There was sufficient meat on the ribs and the meat was very flavoursome, even before it had the hot sauce on it (that incidentally wasn’t that hot but did have a nice flavour).

I had a Rib Eye Steak for my main and Jane had a Sirloin. We shared a mushroom sauce for the steaks since my garlic sauce didn’t arrive and I failed at signalling a waiter for their attention, even though there was no shortage of them. I had asked for my steak to be rare, but it was definitely blue, and Jane’s medium rare steak was in fact rare; we are both however fine with steaks done these ways so it wasn’t a problem. The steaks were very flavoursome and the mushroom sauce worked well with them. We had accompanying tomato and cucumber salads that were very basic but fresh.

We would return and the ribs would be very high on our list to order again.

Anne Frank House, Amsterdam

Yesterday we went to the Anne Frank House (aka Anne Frank Huis) in Amsterdam (in the Jordaan area). We had booked our tickets on the Internet and printed them out which meant that instead of having to wait in the very long queue for admission we had an allocated time that we could turn up to a side door, ring the bell and be let in. Needless to say we thoroughly recommend this approach.

Photos are not allowed inside the house, so unfortunately I am unable do do a pictorial tour.

The self walking tour is very well done and contains lots of information is suitable bite size chunks in both written and audio form. Everything that was in Dutch of German was also translated into English.

The house was in fact bigger than I expected, although when you think that there were seven (I think) people living there, all of a sudden it is quite small.

Anne’s various diaries and other books are on display; I had never thought about her having more than one, but since the time period did span a number of years it is to be expected.

There was a very interesting interactive short film exhibit near the end of the tour that talked through various human rights situations and got people to vote for an answer. The collective vote results were then displayed, first showing the proportion for or against of people in the room, and then of all the people that had voted over time. It was interesting how varied the responses were. There was one question for which the audio asking the question differed from the words displayed, but other than that it was an excellent exhibit.

The entire visit was well worth it and thoroughly recommended. I will leave you with a photo looking from the doors pictured above out over the canal and the Westerkerk church that Anne heard chime (that is still chiming regularly today).

A tour of the Jordaan (guided by geocache)

We walked several kilometres this morning around the Jordaan district in Amsterdam, guided by a multipart geocache (GC20DV1). If you want to know what a geocache is check out my this previous blog post.

This multipart geocache consists of 12 different stops throughout the Jordaan and therefore we got to see a lot we would never have got to otherwise. We started off at this statue of Theo Thijssen, a Dutch writer from the nineteenth century.

and then came across some bird houses on a wall.

There are some lovely shops in the Jordaan and in particular this bakery and butcher looked excellent. I will have to try and find my way back here some time.

There were some lovely buildings located along the canal.

We saw kids playing football on a concrete area between parked cars; the ball occasionally landing on or going under a car. They even had a metal cage for a goal at one end.

With some buildings that seem to emerge from the canal, house boats and normal boats, there is a lot to see.

There are even some mammoth birds walking around.

As per the wikipedia definition “Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people (typically elderly people who can no longer work to earn enough to pay rent) to live in a particular community”. The almshouse pictured below founded by Daniël Stalpaert in 1650 is probably the biggest in Amsterdam and is just tucked away from the roadside and you wouldn’t know that a beautiful courtyard was within.

We also came across some interesting art along the way.

The Westerkerk church that resides next to Anne Frank Huis is also prominent from many locations in the Jordaan.

Restaurant de twee grieken, Amsterdam

We ate out at our local Greek restaurant last night, de twee grieken. We were the only people in the restaurant for our entire time there, but the food was very authentic and tasted good. We even had a cat (and No, we didn’t eat it).

I had Stifado (veal fillet in tomato sauce with shallot onions) and Jane had Katsikaki (stewed goat meat) that came on the bone and was a very generous portion. Both tasted like home cooked meals and were presented in like, accompanied with hot chips, rice, white beans and coleslaw.

Strange art (and other things) in Amsterdam

We decided to target a different part of Amsterdam today so headed off towards the South Eastern side of the city. We made our way to Dam square and then took the most direct route to get to Rembrandt’s house, through streets lined with cheap gift shops and takeaways.

We didn’t go into Rembrandt’s house but wandered through the tacky Waterlooplein Flea Market and then on to the Jewish Quarter where we walked around the vicinity of the Jewish Historical Museum and I finally got my camera out when we found this cute mosaic on the wall. I have no idea what it represents and after a quick search online I’m none-the-wiser.

On route to the Dutch Resistance Museum (Verzetsmuseum) we passed Wertheim Park

and then came across these strange sculptures overlooking the canal.

The Dutch Resistance Museum was very well setup and contained lots of information presented well about the everyday life of people in Amsterdam during the German occupation of World War II, and some exceptional stories about how the Dutch resisted the Nazis. Just outside the Museum we came across these tile sculptures strung as a window screen.

We had lunch just along the road from the Museum at Cafe Koojes. Jane enjoyed a Goats Cheese salad that had a large slice of goats cheese that had been lightly heated with a apple and basil syrup. I had heard that Croquettes were a food associated with the Netherlands so I decided to order a couple. I didn’t have high expectations and consequently my expectations were met… I won’t be rushing out to have them again any time soon.

We then took Tram 14 across town and disembarked out West beyond the Jordaan and proceeded to walk back towards the city centre. Before long Jane spotted this piece of art diving from the wall into the canal.

Wandering around the canals is lovely and we came across many house boats in one canal.

In the middle of the Jordaan, close to Anne Frank’s House, this sign on one of the benches along the canal made me chuckle.

Almost back to the start of our journey, we came across this smart car charging.

Wonderful Eatery in Amsterdam - La Place

After our rather long and wet walk on Wednesday morning, we doubled back to one of the shopping centers we had passed and had lunch in the ground floor cafeteria called La Place (link in dutch only).  I've never seen a food hall quite like this and I do rather hope I have the opportunity to see more of these in the future.  Basically it was a large food hall with all manner of freshly cooked or prepared items at various counters.  You helped yourself and paid at a central kiosk.  So the layout itself it not especially unfamiliar, but the array of food on offer was absolutely outstanding.  There were freshly backed items - bread, muffins, croissants, cakes and hot savouries; myriad cold salads; freshly squeezed juices - including a fruit salad in a glass topped up with fresh juice, or a lemon and mint juice, or strawberry juice; an asian section where you choose your various items and handed them to the attendant to cook in a wok as you watched; a stand of hot soup - white asparagus, fresh vegetable or fresh tomato and basil; pizza; grilled items - again you choose your meat or fish and have it cooked while you wait.  Fantastic!  We shared a selection of salads, a bowl of white asparagus soup and one of those fruit salads in a glass with juice.  Simon managed to take a few photos before he had finger waggled at him advising there were no photos allowed!  Actually, the finger was waggled at ME once the woman realised I was with the guy taking the photos!

A much longer and slightly soggy walk around Amsterdam

After Simon's ridiculously early morning walk, we did the conspicuously touristy thing and took our guide-book in hand and proceeded to follow the author's self-guided walking tour of central amsterdam.  We started out at about 8:30 which meant that many places were not yet open, but in some ways this was nice too as it also meant we had many places to ourselves - and seeing as we walked back rather than following instructions and catching a tram, we also had a 2nd opportunity to visit the places that were closed earlier. Having said that, we're really bad indoor tourists and I don't actually think we set foot inside a single recommended building.  Ah well, we were happy. Despite walking more than 7km, mostly in the rain.

Where did we go and what did we see?  Well, a lot of it was more about just taking it all in, enjoying the architecture, observing the customs and spotting all the small details.  And noticing how even everyday things become less familiar when you're half a world away from home.  Such as fruit.  We walked past a number of fruit stalls today and invariably they were selling many fruits we were unfamiliar with, along with varieties of usually familiar fruits that were far from it -  like the strawberries that looked almost like raspberries, except that I am aware that strawberries are the only fruit who wear their seeds on the outside, and these little guys clearly had their seeds on show.  Anyway, I digress!

We wandered from our place (I find I fairly quickly refer to where-ever I'm sleeping as 'home') across a few canals and through a few alleyways until we reached Damrak - the main street that stretches from the Centraal station down to Dam Square.  From there we wandered along Damrak to Dam Square observing sights along the way.  We joined the street at about the Beurs - the old stock exchange building, which apparently is an early example of a "modern building, emphasising function over looks".  Personally I think it far more attractive than most 'function over form' buildings I am used to!  Apparently Simon didn't like the photos he took here, so if you're curious, use Google. Wait!  My crappy Mac skills are to blame (oh, did I fail to mention our apartment also has a Mac for our use?!)  Found a glimpse of Beurs.

We reached Dam Square and I did the cheesy deed and read out all the details about the various buildings and monuments around the square.  I personally found the guy cleaning windows in the palace the most notable feature.  I don't know why, but he was quite fascinating!  And the buildings of course were absolutely gorgeous.  I remember at some point wandering through here thinking how fabulous it felt to be back in Europe.

Next we wandered down on to the pedestrian only Kalverstraat.  Here we stumbled upon the 'hidden catholic church'.  I was again taken with the small details - the parrot and dude with set-square carvings above the door.  Is he a mathematician? Or a priest? Or who?  Wandering off to google briefly...   Didn't help.  If anyone knows, please comment and enlighten me!  The parrot is explained, but not the dude with the set square.

Directly across the road from this was a McDonalds where we were amused to see a traveller hunkered down with laptop in hand, taking advantage of the free-wifi hotspot.  I'm really not sure why he didn't just go inside and sit more comfortably and order a coffee or tea.

Next we were meant to wander down an alley to the entrance to the Amsterdam Museum, but it was not yet open, however we still photographed the entrance and learnt about the use of XXX and the crown in the Amsterdam coat of arms.  Apparently the 3 Xs symbolise heroism, determination and mercy, whilst also representing the crucifixion of St Andrew - the patron saint of fisherman.  And the crown dates back to the 15th century and Maximilian I.  (I'm not relaying details here, I'm sure wikipedia has it all for the curious).

 We also popped in to the Begijnhof, however photos were strictly not allowed, despite the man clomping around taking photos from pretty much every angle.  I appreciated the peace and tranquility of this interior courtyard surrounded by connected houses.

Our next point of particular interest was the flower markets lining the western side of the Singel canal from the Mint Tower back towards Centraal.  Our first sight of this was from the other side of the canal.... (yes, Simon has hat hair - persistent rain and coat-hoods will do that.  The guidebook is also quite damp by this stage).

The array of flowers, seeds and bulbs on display, ooh and cacti, was just amazing.  Every single shop had something new and fabulous to admire or marvel at.  The bonsais were wonderful - including a bonsaied olive tree, and the variety of colours of tulips simply amazing.  There was in all honesty, far too much to try and take in along this stretch. And a few too many photos to boot. I've tried to keep it the bare minimum! (The canned marijuana seeds were export quality btw.)

From here on, the notable points for us were once again in the little details.  The cheese shop, the park full of bronze lizards, the clothing shop "NZA - New Zealand Auckland", the madness of parked bikes - what to do if yours is at the back?, people riding bicycles whilst holding an umbrella.

Once we'd completed the prescribed tour we randomly wandered back to Kalverstraat in search of somewhere to have lunch.  And lunch is the subject of a further blog post.