Row row row your boat,
gently down the stream.
Or in our case, against the current.
Our new boat, with the old engine, was having a bit of trouble the first weekend we took her out.
Actually, a lot of trouble.
We ended up having to tie her up in a random canal in the middle of Amsterdam.
But never fear, we found some cheap paddles and eventually went back for her. And then paddled her home. Slowly.
I helped paddle of course…but if you were wondering how I was paddling & snapping photos…my, you are a quick one. I may have taken a small break to lay in the beanbag. But let’s stay focused: all that matters is that WE MADE IT.
To celebrate we went out to dinner with our friends, to a restaurant none of us had been to before.
It was so terrible we may all be writing individual yelp reviews to bring down the rating. Against my better judgement, here’s the restaurant, mainly so you never to go here if you visit or live in Amsterdam:
But on a brighter note, I am creating a list of all the really good places in Amsterdam that you should experience. It’s a work in progress, but a start nonetheless.
Last Sunday, it was gorgeous here in Amsterdam. The kind of gorgeous that makes your heart melt for all the tourists visiting…as opposed to the normal frustration felt from them walking all up in the bike lanes.
The sun felt better than ever, simply because it wasn’t predicted. The forecast called for gray skies & a bit of rain…and then BAM, sun in your FACE. It was pretty fantastic.
We ended up walking through Dam Square & stumbled upon the carnival. And then we almost spent the 5€ to ride the high swings to get a view of the whole city. But then we got some food instead.
For once I didn’t play any carnival games, even though I really wanted to win a ten cent prize.
Those are the high swings, pictured above.
We eventually made it to the Oude Kerk, which was our end-goal for the day. The 2011 World Press Photo Tour begins here, and it was a good exhibit- complimented by well-written English captions.
I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to control myself from taking canal pictures. They just get me every time.
It was an unexpectedly good Sunday.
Tomorrow’s Friday! Aren’t you glad I’m reminding you? I know, what would you do without me?
Link-up tomorrow with The Friday List: copy & paste the code below,
write your post, & then link-up tomorrow.
Brunch in Amsterdam tends to be so good. Mainly, because as an expat here, you quickly learn the Dutch have a hard time with the concept. As a result, good brunch spots are few & far between…and always super crowded. But the upside? When you are actually brunching, sipping on a saucer filled with cappuccino, the universe aligns & it’s magical.
Last weekend, PAB & I headed to Le Pain Quotidien, which has quickly become one of our favorite spots. Located in a cozy neighborhood square, I’m envious we don’t live in this part of town every time we visit.
I opted for a salad, I don’t know…I guess you could say I was feeling daring, passing on the opportunity to order something breakfasty-delicious. {Reality: you could have given me anything piled on top of lettuce & I probably would have been happy. This place is just one of my favs – they can do no wrong.} And it was delicious, as I had expected.
LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN: open seven days per week, three locations in the city. Outdoor seating. No reservations.
De Pijp: Cornelis Troostplein 4hs, 1072 JK Amsterdam
Tel: 020 – 675 05 06 Email: depijp@pqnl.nl
Oud Zuid: Johannes Verhulststraat 104 (hoek Cornelis Schuytstraat), 1071 NL Amsterdam
Tel: 020 – 379 59 00 Email: oudzuid@pqnl.nl
Spuistraat: Spuistraat 266, 1012 VW Amsterdam
Tel: 020 – 622 25 55 Email: spui@pqnl.nl
Pop quiz hotshot: which drink is mine & which is PAB’s??
How well do you know me
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On Friday night, we had an early dinner. We walked down our street, took a right & arrived at the local pizza spot in our neighborhood. It happens to be one of the few restaurants in true walking distance of our place, and it also happens to be pretty good. A bit overpriced, fine…but we’re pretty picky with our pizza, since you know…we usually make our own. {And obviously when I say we, I mean PAB. I’m good with “getting the toppings ready”.}
I ordered this cheesy salami thing below, while PAB opted for the mushroom prosciutto combo.
Dinner conversation floated from topic to topic, but we spent a good portion of the evening talking about us, our lives here in Europe, the give & take of living abroad, traveling & vacation time, and striking the work-life balance to take advantage of it all.
At the end of the day, we are so very lucky to have this opportunity, and we look forward to making the best of our time spent here in Europe.
The coke was his.
