We got back late from our vacation in Amsterdam last Tuesday night. Since then, I've been working hard to get all the photos edited-- and here they are!! Justin and I have been quietly recovering from too much to drink and too little sleep, slowly getting back into our normal schedules. Of course, airline travel was a fiasco as usual, but we were blessed to benefit from Jeff's elite status with United. On the way from Amsterdam to Dulles, we were upgraded to first class-- oh goodness, champagne, tablecloths, hot towels, wine, menus & more!-- and from Dulles to Seattle we sat in a spacious exit row. I'm ruined for regular travel forever!
Justin and I stayed with my aunt Julie, who lives just north and across the river from Amsterdam Central. Jeff stayed down the street in a room run as a B&B at Julie's neighbor's house. Photos from each day are up in my gallery. Here's a quick recap of the highlights to provide some context:
Day 1
We arrived in snow and sleet in the early morning hours. Slogged across the tracks to our rooms and slept for 2 more hours. Ventured out in the afternoon to see the city. Spent the late evening listening to my aunt (a concert violinist) perform in Mendleson's Elijah. Nodded off intermittently to beautiful music.
Day 2
We walked back into the city, ducking in and out of shops in Jordaan to pass the time and avoid bad weather. Had lunch at a fabulous okonomiyaki restaurant... definitely not Dutch food, but a Japanese specialty that's hard to find even in the states. Drank a copious amount & smoked a few joints. Watched a somewhat ominous gathering in the square at Leidseplein that turned out to be a Kurdish New Year celebration combined with some form of political protest. Ate delicious Indonesian food.
Day 3
Got up really late. Ate breakfast at the famous Pancake Bakery. Took some canal photos. Dicked around.
Day 4
We rented bikes since the weather had improved, then rode them to Amsterdam East. We took a quick detour to Java Island (a residential island) and then visited my favorite microbrewery, the Brouwerij t'Ij for a couple strong beers. We all enjoyed dinner at Il Parco, a tasty Italian place around the corner from my aunt's house. Then Justin and I headed back to the Red Light District for some drinks, a gawk at the hookers, and a (rather boring) visit to the Moulin Rouge, one of the Red Light's well-known "erotic nightclubs."
Day 5
With Jeff in Rotterdam visiting a friend, Justin and I took off for the 9 Streets to see another part of the city and do some more shopping (this time for cheese and desserts). We also visited the Anne Frank House. In the evening, we met with Jeff and Marche, who was his coworker at Swets. We all went out for coffee and drank a few schnapps at Winand Fockink. Then, the four of us dined at Blau aan de Waal, an exceptional restaurant hidden in the Red Light District.
Day 6
In the morning, we went with Julie to the Saturday market at Noorderkerk. We bought some sausages, cheeses, and olives, then returned home to gear up for our 19-mile training run. We ran out to the Waterlands, a gorgeous stretch of farmland criss-crossed by canals. Our run took a long time because we "misunderestimated" the distance and ran 21.5 miles instead. Oops. (Our time was about 4:10.) The only logical solution was to go back into town to eat & drink until we couldn't feel our legs any more. It was Dutch daylight savings time so we planned to head home by 1AM to avoid the pain of losing an hour-- but we ended up closing down the bars instead. Double-oops.
Day 7
We got up painfully hungover and sore for a 10AM brunch with Julie's neighbor, the woman who ran the B&B at which Jeff was staying. After breakfast, we biked out to Nieuwendammerdijk in the sunshine and walked in the park, then enjoyed some tea and frites at a cafe. In the late afternoon, Justin and I took a canal boat ride in the city. The three of us ate dinner at an amazing Algerian restaurant we found.
Day 8
This was the most beautiful day of our trip! We visited the Keukenhof tulip gardens in Lisse under a warm spring sky. This was the first week the garden was open and many (but not all) of the tulips were blooming. We took an obscene amount of photos, as evidenced by this gallery, and bought a bunch of bulbs that will be shipped to us later in the season. Afterwards, we ate Thai food and said goodbye to Holland, friends, & family.
Posted on April 01, 2007 @ 3:56 PM | 3 comments
Comments:
Haha, pretty and funny pics! Looks like fun times.
By 
Rachel, at
4:01 PM, April 02, 2007
Thank you! :)#
By 
Kat, at
4:21 PM, April 02, 2007
Nice photos. I especially liked the shots of the graffiti. In recent months, Portland, where I'm living, has been hit hard by the lame-style of graffiti that consists of quick scribbles. Locals are up in arms about it. I wonder if they would still be upset if it looked like the stuff in Amsterdam.
By Brandon, at
4:42 PM, April 06, 2007
