September 2015
Another great trip.
We flew out of Southend Airport, which felt like a provincial New Zealand airport rather than an international London airport. We touched down around 9pm and caught the train in to the city. Our accommodation was pretty impressive - a full, modern apartment to ourselves - booked again through AirBnB.
Our hosts had left stroopwaffels for us but we thought we'd need something a bit more substantial - so we ventured out in the pouring rain. On the way we actually saw a cyclist being hit by a car at some speed - luckily the cyclist was ok but his bike looked to have bit of a dent in it. The only food place open at 11pm was a kebab-type establishment - but our late night pizzas were surprisingly good.
The next day, after a 15 minute walk to the central city we started our walking tour at 10am. It was a good and informative tour, but not quite as good as the one in Brussels.
We wandered around a bit after that.
Then it was back to the hotel for a quick nap for Rach. We headed back out to have dinner at a cafe (what we would call a pub in New Zealand) near the Heineken brewery where we tried some bitterballen (oddly flavoured deep fried meat gravy) and kroket (similar, but vegetarian). We managed to squeeze in a very nice canal cruise before an informative and enlightening red light district tour.
Sunday was a bit quieter, the day of eating. We started with a trek across the city to Winkel 43, a place reputed for its Dutch apple pie, which did not disappoint. It was delicious and the best aple pie we've tried, with big chunks of juicy apple and a substantially sized portion. I also had a Dutch sausage in a bun, which is similar to salami but less dry and more fresh-tasting.
Next we went to a Febo, where you got hot food from vending machines. The kroket was surprisingly quite good.
At that point we were ready for our 3 hour bike tour which we'd booked the day before - but when we got to the start point we were told it had been cancelled. It was too late by that time to get another tour arranged - we didn't ride a single bike while we were in Amsterdam.
So instead we kept wandering and eating. I managed to get some haring in Spui square - raw herring, with pickles and onions, in a bun. Rach didn't want a bar of it, but I was keen to try and she had a nibble in the end. It smelt stronger than it tasted, and had a slimy texture, but it was actually pretty good.
Wynand Fockink was next, a jenever bar opened in the 1680s. Jenever is a juniper liquor from which gin evolved, with different flavourings. The barman was very friendly and happy to help us choose among the shelves of jenever. The tradition is to fill the tiny glass to the brim, and you have to drink a small amount without lifting it off the bar.
We had a couple of little glasses each - I went for a lemon and a passionfruit, while Rach had a butterscotch and an apple.
Next up, we had poffertjes (tiny pancakes served with butter and icing sugar) and a stroopwaffle (some toffee sandwiched between two thin waffles) from the Ice Bakery. Stroopwaffles are now my new favourite with a cup of tea.
We finished our trip with a quick drink as we waited for our train to the airport. Cheers Amsterdam!
We wandered around a bit after that.
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| The Condomerie, the novelty condom shop. |
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| War fries from Manneken Pis - good, but not as good as good as proper Belgian frites. Fries with satay, mayo and raw onions! |
Then it was back to the hotel for a quick nap for Rach. We headed back out to have dinner at a cafe (what we would call a pub in New Zealand) near the Heineken brewery where we tried some bitterballen (oddly flavoured deep fried meat gravy) and kroket (similar, but vegetarian). We managed to squeeze in a very nice canal cruise before an informative and enlightening red light district tour.
Sunday was a bit quieter, the day of eating. We started with a trek across the city to Winkel 43, a place reputed for its Dutch apple pie, which did not disappoint. It was delicious and the best aple pie we've tried, with big chunks of juicy apple and a substantially sized portion. I also had a Dutch sausage in a bun, which is similar to salami but less dry and more fresh-tasting.
Next we went to a Febo, where you got hot food from vending machines. The kroket was surprisingly quite good.
At that point we were ready for our 3 hour bike tour which we'd booked the day before - but when we got to the start point we were told it had been cancelled. It was too late by that time to get another tour arranged - we didn't ride a single bike while we were in Amsterdam.
So instead we kept wandering and eating. I managed to get some haring in Spui square - raw herring, with pickles and onions, in a bun. Rach didn't want a bar of it, but I was keen to try and she had a nibble in the end. It smelt stronger than it tasted, and had a slimy texture, but it was actually pretty good.
Wynand Fockink was next, a jenever bar opened in the 1680s. Jenever is a juniper liquor from which gin evolved, with different flavourings. The barman was very friendly and happy to help us choose among the shelves of jenever. The tradition is to fill the tiny glass to the brim, and you have to drink a small amount without lifting it off the bar.
We had a couple of little glasses each - I went for a lemon and a passionfruit, while Rach had a butterscotch and an apple.
Next up, we had poffertjes (tiny pancakes served with butter and icing sugar) and a stroopwaffle (some toffee sandwiched between two thin waffles) from the Ice Bakery. Stroopwaffles are now my new favourite with a cup of tea.
We finished our trip with a quick drink as we waited for our train to the airport. Cheers Amsterdam!
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