Saturday, August 31, 2013
Bada bada bing bong
Ran. Stretched. Wandered around Waterlooplein Vintage Market. Ate. Walked around some more. Bought stuff. Visited a coffeeshop. Special brownie. Greg sleeping.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Tired! And back in Amsterdam (from Paris)
Tomorrow (or tonight) I will post about the Paris touring murder mix!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Red Light District running, Jordaan exploration, Canals tour, Torture Museum
I'm exhausted!
Up at 6:15 AM (12 AM Toronto time) because I had this romantic notion of going for a run in the Red Light District (which is near our apartment). In the wee hours of the morning, when all the sinners have gone home, the area has that innocent, village-y feel. I also added a few kilometers along the Amstel river to boot.
I kinda felt out of shape even though I've run religiously for more than two years now. I am going out on a limb and will say that it may be the cobblestones plus all the hills along the way. Yeah... that's it. And maybe also the jet lag slash time difference. I'm full of excuses today.
My run was followed by my usual long stretch and we finally made it outside the door around 11 AM.
Today we explored the Jordaan district - a very quaint part of Amsterdam, east of the Red Light District. Reminded me of Greenwich village in New York. I wanted to check out the flea market there but turned out we were a bit too late (we stopped for lunch first) so we just window shopped and checked out a few antique stores.
Lunch today was at a cafe along the Pinsengracht, one of the five major canals along the Canal belt. Greggy had schnitzel and I had steak frites and a delicious chocolate milk shake. Yummmm....
I wanted to check out Anne Frank Huis (house) where Anne and her family hid during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam in WW II before they were betrayed by neighbours and arrested by those nice friendly Nazis. I knew the line to get in was going to be uber long as most travel books mentioned.... sure enough it was. I asked Greggy who would line up for places cause I certainly won't. I'll find a VIP pass or something before I go somewhere I really want to check out (like the Vatican). So no Anne Frank Huis for us today although we could have waited until 6 PM and the crazies would all be gone. But I don't like waiting either.
So....
We hopped onto one of those touristy canal boat taxi thingys which was hate at first sight for me.... but had to be practical and wanted to be on the canals so I relented. The boat took us along some of the most picturesque canals in Amsterdam and 1 hour later we got off at the Golden Belt, by the Herengracht where the richest merchants in the 1400s-1600s or so used to live. I want to live there.
On our way home we passed by the floating Flower Market and more importantly, the Torture Museum! It was of course very kitschy but still fascinating. The tools that were used back then give new meaning to "I'm gonna get medieval on your ass..." They were surreal, who thinks of these things? Were there torturer sadist architects designing them? Did he or she think "Hmmm.... it will really really hurt if we put spikes on a chair and then slowly tighten up the metal bit until she admits she's a witch." Or "Maybe hanging 40 lbs weights on each leg while he straddles a pointy wooden bench will be a good time...."
Back at the apartment, I relaxed for an hour and then cooked. Yes, cooked! The simplest ingredients here elevates home cooking to a new level. We had the best burger crusted with jalapeno and shwarma meat with shredded lettuce salad and garlic aoli. I am convinced we need a gas stove / oven at home. I will have to work on Greggy to agree with me on this.... will have to use jedi mind tricks.
I'm really tired so have kept this short and will head to bed soon.
Tomorrow - Paris! Another Jason Bourne location and I can't wait!
Up at 6:15 AM (12 AM Toronto time) because I had this romantic notion of going for a run in the Red Light District (which is near our apartment). In the wee hours of the morning, when all the sinners have gone home, the area has that innocent, village-y feel. I also added a few kilometers along the Amstel river to boot.
I kinda felt out of shape even though I've run religiously for more than two years now. I am going out on a limb and will say that it may be the cobblestones plus all the hills along the way. Yeah... that's it. And maybe also the jet lag slash time difference. I'm full of excuses today.
My run was followed by my usual long stretch and we finally made it outside the door around 11 AM.
Today we explored the Jordaan district - a very quaint part of Amsterdam, east of the Red Light District. Reminded me of Greenwich village in New York. I wanted to check out the flea market there but turned out we were a bit too late (we stopped for lunch first) so we just window shopped and checked out a few antique stores.
Lunch today was at a cafe along the Pinsengracht, one of the five major canals along the Canal belt. Greggy had schnitzel and I had steak frites and a delicious chocolate milk shake. Yummmm....
I wanted to check out Anne Frank Huis (house) where Anne and her family hid during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam in WW II before they were betrayed by neighbours and arrested by those nice friendly Nazis. I knew the line to get in was going to be uber long as most travel books mentioned.... sure enough it was. I asked Greggy who would line up for places cause I certainly won't. I'll find a VIP pass or something before I go somewhere I really want to check out (like the Vatican). So no Anne Frank Huis for us today although we could have waited until 6 PM and the crazies would all be gone. But I don't like waiting either.
So....
We hopped onto one of those touristy canal boat taxi thingys which was hate at first sight for me.... but had to be practical and wanted to be on the canals so I relented. The boat took us along some of the most picturesque canals in Amsterdam and 1 hour later we got off at the Golden Belt, by the Herengracht where the richest merchants in the 1400s-1600s or so used to live. I want to live there.
On our way home we passed by the floating Flower Market and more importantly, the Torture Museum! It was of course very kitschy but still fascinating. The tools that were used back then give new meaning to "I'm gonna get medieval on your ass..." They were surreal, who thinks of these things? Were there torturer sadist architects designing them? Did he or she think "Hmmm.... it will really really hurt if we put spikes on a chair and then slowly tighten up the metal bit until she admits she's a witch." Or "Maybe hanging 40 lbs weights on each leg while he straddles a pointy wooden bench will be a good time...."
Back at the apartment, I relaxed for an hour and then cooked. Yes, cooked! The simplest ingredients here elevates home cooking to a new level. We had the best burger crusted with jalapeno and shwarma meat with shredded lettuce salad and garlic aoli. I am convinced we need a gas stove / oven at home. I will have to work on Greggy to agree with me on this.... will have to use jedi mind tricks.
I'm really tired so have kept this short and will head to bed soon.
Tomorrow - Paris! Another Jason Bourne location and I can't wait!
Sunday, August 25, 2013
I AMsterdam
Sunday August 25 - first full morning in Amsterdam!
We arrived yesterday morning after a 6.75 hr flight via Arkefly. Traveling in "Premium Comfort Class" on Arkefly is equivalent of getting business class type seats on any North American flight operators (I don't know what else to call the likes of Air Canada and Porter, etc.)
We were very comfortable on the plane and felt very smug and giggly due to where we were sitting... remember that Seinfeld episode when Jerry and some model chick were in First Class and Elaine was trying to sneak in from economy?! We even had our own "entertainment system" which is a fancy term for portable DVD player with select first run movies and TV shows pre-loaded. Champagne helped set the mood and I swear Greggy and I couldn't stop laughing. I booked Premium Comfort Class in advance for a modest sum on top of the plane tickets... no regrets here!
When we arrived at Schipol airport we waited a bit before we went to the meeting point for our private airport to apartment transfer (Rudy's Taxi and Tours). We were mid-drink when I happen to hear my phone and the person on the line is none other than Rudy, who said he was there an hour early as he was monitoring our flight and indeed we arrived 1 hour earlier than ETA.
Rudy was uber friendly and hyper - a welcome fit for royalty - as he took us to the parked Mercedes Benz so we can go be driven to our apartment in style. Schipol is 30 minutes from Amsterdam Centrum and we enjoyed looking at the buildings while engaged in friendly banter with Rudy.
We called our apartment host and Desiree arrived with her daughter Roxanne - such lovely people. We navigated very very steep flights of stairs up to our apartment and we barged in to another guest yet to check out (he was supposed to be out by 11AM). I don't think he found that as funny as we did but we were grateful to be able to get the keys and drop off our luggage.
Semi jet lagged we wandered around a bit until we found a very touristy Mexican restaurant where we had the most expensive burrito ever and killed some time... had to wait for our apartment to get cleaned.
Navigating our way back to the apartment was a breeze.... but by that time the toll of the long flight and the time change has definitely kicked in full gear. I was tired but not too jet lagged - Greggy was dead on the couch, snoring, within 10 minutes of our arrival.
I chilled and tried to get oriented with the map, setting up WiFi, etc. Roxanne came by later in the afternoon with fresh linens.
Eyes very droopy I finally prepped for bed around 6PM Amsterdam time and took my sleeping pills Heath Ledger like. Blissful sleep.
6 hours later I woke up to the sound of people laughing. Our apartment is in the perfect location - quiet street of Groenburgwal but just minutes away from the action of Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein. I didn't want to look at my watch as I'm always paranoid that if I knew the time I will stay up and not be able to sleep again. My body clock was still on Toronto time so read for a bit and took a couple more pills.... ended up checking the watch anyway and it was 3AM here (9PM Toronto)... I just relaxed and tried to sleep again. Was successful cause I woke up at 7AM refreshed.
I didn't realize that Amsterdam will have San Francisco bay area weather during the summer - it's like that, but warmer. Actually PERFECT weather for me as: 1) I can run comfortably and 2) Reminds me of Jason Bourne getting off the boat in Marseilles. Very character like weather for me and I love it.
Greggy and I wandered over to Nieuwmarkt square around 9AM and it was still early enough so not too many people or tourists walking around. I wanted to figure out how to get to Amsterdam Centraal train station so we're prepared when we go to Paris this Tuesday on the Thalys hi speed train. Very convenient location as it took only 20 minutes or so... we got to Centraal and now we know exactly where to catch our train to Paris (line 15a). We also got 48 hour multi day transportation ticket which we'll use starting Friday when we return from Paris.
From Centraal Station we meandered our way to Oude Kerke (Old Church) and the Dam (Dam Square) until we found the Red Light District! Very cool how it's close to the Church. Windows were not full of girls enticing patrons yet (it was only 11 AM after all) but we still saw a few of them getting an early start. We'll go back later tonight so we can see what it's really like.
Had lunch at Poco Loco on Nieuwmarkt square... pleasantly surprised! Sat on the patio and Greggy had the Mexican chicken sandwich while I had lentil soup and the BEST CAESAR SALAD EVER. Super garlicky and fresh with fried chicken breast and egg on top. Sooooo delicious! And we can tell it's a local place (we were probably two of the handful of tourists there). While eating lunch we were people watching and saw some action - a guy getting arrested, another mentally disturbed man shouting Dutch obscenities.... why he was refused entrace at the Albert Heijn supermarket I don't know (do you detect the sarcasm here?)
Nice segue to my final bit - went to Albert Heijn and bought some groceries for today / tomorrow. I LOVE going to other cities/countries and checking out their markets and grocery stores. That is one of the best ways to get to know the local culture. Couldn't read anything in dutch but I figured if it looks like what it is (cheese, lemon, some type of cured meat, yogurt, etc) then it's probably the item that I was meaning to buy.
On our way home from Albert Heijn we followed one of the main canals south to Groenburgwal and we were again pleasantly surprised by an outdoor opera concert underway. Imagine walking down cobblestone streets, by a canal in Central Amsterdam, on a moody foggy day with Opera singers' voices echoing in small alleyways? Sounds like a movie scene, no? That pretty much sums up our first full morning in the Netherlands.
We arrived yesterday morning after a 6.75 hr flight via Arkefly. Traveling in "Premium Comfort Class" on Arkefly is equivalent of getting business class type seats on any North American flight operators (I don't know what else to call the likes of Air Canada and Porter, etc.)
We were very comfortable on the plane and felt very smug and giggly due to where we were sitting... remember that Seinfeld episode when Jerry and some model chick were in First Class and Elaine was trying to sneak in from economy?! We even had our own "entertainment system" which is a fancy term for portable DVD player with select first run movies and TV shows pre-loaded. Champagne helped set the mood and I swear Greggy and I couldn't stop laughing. I booked Premium Comfort Class in advance for a modest sum on top of the plane tickets... no regrets here!
When we arrived at Schipol airport we waited a bit before we went to the meeting point for our private airport to apartment transfer (Rudy's Taxi and Tours). We were mid-drink when I happen to hear my phone and the person on the line is none other than Rudy, who said he was there an hour early as he was monitoring our flight and indeed we arrived 1 hour earlier than ETA.
Rudy was uber friendly and hyper - a welcome fit for royalty - as he took us to the parked Mercedes Benz so we can go be driven to our apartment in style. Schipol is 30 minutes from Amsterdam Centrum and we enjoyed looking at the buildings while engaged in friendly banter with Rudy.
We called our apartment host and Desiree arrived with her daughter Roxanne - such lovely people. We navigated very very steep flights of stairs up to our apartment and we barged in to another guest yet to check out (he was supposed to be out by 11AM). I don't think he found that as funny as we did but we were grateful to be able to get the keys and drop off our luggage.
Semi jet lagged we wandered around a bit until we found a very touristy Mexican restaurant where we had the most expensive burrito ever and killed some time... had to wait for our apartment to get cleaned.
Navigating our way back to the apartment was a breeze.... but by that time the toll of the long flight and the time change has definitely kicked in full gear. I was tired but not too jet lagged - Greggy was dead on the couch, snoring, within 10 minutes of our arrival.
I chilled and tried to get oriented with the map, setting up WiFi, etc. Roxanne came by later in the afternoon with fresh linens.
Eyes very droopy I finally prepped for bed around 6PM Amsterdam time and took my sleeping pills Heath Ledger like. Blissful sleep.
6 hours later I woke up to the sound of people laughing. Our apartment is in the perfect location - quiet street of Groenburgwal but just minutes away from the action of Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein. I didn't want to look at my watch as I'm always paranoid that if I knew the time I will stay up and not be able to sleep again. My body clock was still on Toronto time so read for a bit and took a couple more pills.... ended up checking the watch anyway and it was 3AM here (9PM Toronto)... I just relaxed and tried to sleep again. Was successful cause I woke up at 7AM refreshed.
I didn't realize that Amsterdam will have San Francisco bay area weather during the summer - it's like that, but warmer. Actually PERFECT weather for me as: 1) I can run comfortably and 2) Reminds me of Jason Bourne getting off the boat in Marseilles. Very character like weather for me and I love it.
Greggy and I wandered over to Nieuwmarkt square around 9AM and it was still early enough so not too many people or tourists walking around. I wanted to figure out how to get to Amsterdam Centraal train station so we're prepared when we go to Paris this Tuesday on the Thalys hi speed train. Very convenient location as it took only 20 minutes or so... we got to Centraal and now we know exactly where to catch our train to Paris (line 15a). We also got 48 hour multi day transportation ticket which we'll use starting Friday when we return from Paris.
From Centraal Station we meandered our way to Oude Kerke (Old Church) and the Dam (Dam Square) until we found the Red Light District! Very cool how it's close to the Church. Windows were not full of girls enticing patrons yet (it was only 11 AM after all) but we still saw a few of them getting an early start. We'll go back later tonight so we can see what it's really like.
Had lunch at Poco Loco on Nieuwmarkt square... pleasantly surprised! Sat on the patio and Greggy had the Mexican chicken sandwich while I had lentil soup and the BEST CAESAR SALAD EVER. Super garlicky and fresh with fried chicken breast and egg on top. Sooooo delicious! And we can tell it's a local place (we were probably two of the handful of tourists there). While eating lunch we were people watching and saw some action - a guy getting arrested, another mentally disturbed man shouting Dutch obscenities.... why he was refused entrace at the Albert Heijn supermarket I don't know (do you detect the sarcasm here?)
Nice segue to my final bit - went to Albert Heijn and bought some groceries for today / tomorrow. I LOVE going to other cities/countries and checking out their markets and grocery stores. That is one of the best ways to get to know the local culture. Couldn't read anything in dutch but I figured if it looks like what it is (cheese, lemon, some type of cured meat, yogurt, etc) then it's probably the item that I was meaning to buy.
On our way home from Albert Heijn we followed one of the main canals south to Groenburgwal and we were again pleasantly surprised by an outdoor opera concert underway. Imagine walking down cobblestone streets, by a canal in Central Amsterdam, on a moody foggy day with Opera singers' voices echoing in small alleyways? Sounds like a movie scene, no? That pretty much sums up our first full morning in the Netherlands.
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