Amsterdam Continued

One of the many perks of staying in our AirBnB houseboat was that breakfast was included and not just any breakfast, but a full Dutch continental spread. Every morning, we heard a friendly "breakfast is ready" call from outside of our door and were greeted with a beautiful tray full of fresh breads, jams, yogurt, fruits, hard boiled eggs, sliced meats and cheese. In addition, we always had access to the cutest Nespresso maker and an assortment of tea. We always ate at the small round table at the foot of our bed, with the sliding large glass doors open so that we could see the waterfront. If only we could start our day like that every day, right?

One of my favorite things to do during fall is to just be outside and look at the varying colors of the fall foilage. So, before we headed into town for the day, we took a side trip on our bikes to the nearby Oosterpark to do just that. The park, while small, has enclaves of varying landscape around each corner and was quite picturesque as a result.

Then, it was on our way to the historical and acclaimed Rijksmusuem, a national museum dedicated to arts and history. The museum itself is housed in a magnificent architectural work of art and is filled with astounding paintings and portraits by the likes of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Vermeer.

Lunch time meant a trip to the Upstairs Pannenkoeken (Upstairs Pancake House). We first saw the restaurant on an episode of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain and since we are such Bordain groupies, we knew that we had to go. The restaurant is very small, four tables at most, and sits atop a serious flight of stairs that are at a 90* angle from the street. John and I split 2, one sweet (pear, eggnog, chocolate, and cream) and one savory (bacon, cheese, pineapple). Aside from John taking a tumble inside of the restaurant(and having to crawl around on the floor and cling to a strangers hand in order to get his grounding), our lunch was perfect.

Despite the fall temperatures, we decided to walk around the famous Bloemenmarkt to look at the rows of tulip vendors. I will say that it was pretty touristy and definitely not something that was high on our favorites list. So, after quickly strolling through, we hopped on our bikes and went across town to a local favorite- the Albert Cuypmarkt. The market is a mix of a flea market and farmers market and is where we had our first stroopwafel, a sugar dusted waffle made of two thin layers and filled with caramel. They quickly became one of John's favorite snacks.

One of the many perks of staying on our specific houseboat was that it was located to Amsterdam's leading organic  microbrewery, Brouwerij 't IJ which also happens to be housed in Amsterdam's only windmill. So, after a long bike ride across the city, we enjoyed a late afternoon brew beneath the windmill.

While I took charge of most of the itinerary for the trip, John researched and made a reservation long before we arrived for Tuesday evening's dinner at Marius. The quaint restaurant serves a limited menu that changes daily based on what's available at the local market. The menu itself is even handwritten. We loved everything that we tasted and particularly enjoyed the tussengerecht (pike like fish over potatoes and vegetables). After dinner, we walked around the city with a pitstop to check out the Amsterdam Public Library that towers over the city for a quick peep at the city scape.

It was another lovely day in Amsterdam and we found ourselves falling more in love with the people, the culture and the food. Stay tuned for more adventures!