Amsterdam

Wow, it has actually been 2 months since I posted! I have an even bigger backlog now! To be fair, I've been very busy - directing Charlotte's Web, which is now up and running, having guests visit, working full time, writing a 2nd draft of my book, and getting ready to come home to get married! Hurray!

I will now take you back to... AMSTERDAM!!



Yes, Amsterdam is full of "coffee-shops" (places to buy/smoke pot), prostitutes and bakeries that are open all night selling chocalate covered waffles, donuts, eclairs, pizzas. There are also plenty of tourist (like us) trying to decipher maps on every corner. But, Amsterdam is also full of beautiful flowers, spectacular architecture, canals, cats and bicycles. Lots and lots of bicycles.






Swans!

Everything was quite expensive, but we saw things you couldn't see anywhere else, like a cat licking whipped cream out of a shot glass on a bar and the world's largest collection of Van Gogh as well as some Rembrandt and Vermeer. We also went to what was probably the best vegetarian restaurant in the world - De Boelhoed (The Bowler Hat). Expensive (but probably not that expensive for Amsterdam) but huge portions, nice staff and a friendly kitty. Every store/restaurant had a cat. Heaven!!

We went to De Poezenboot, which is a cat shelter on a boat on one of the canals. We made a few friends, some more shy than other.




A view from a bridge of the Bloemenmarkt, the flower market - not just tulips, but cacti and roses as well as Dutch touristy trinkets.


The Christmas Palace - all Christmas all the time!!! Christmas stuff the whole year 'round!


Amsterdam is full of little alleys, some only narrow enough for two people to slip through. Someone will always try to ride a bike through them.


A big beautiful church. One of many.


Tourists in the Red Light District!


Pat, enjoying the tilting buildings. They are so old and so narrow that they lean into each other or lean forward. Some of them even have material built in to fill in the gaps.


More bicycles, beautiful buildings and canals.


Amsterdam, like all major cities, has a Chinatown, complete with Buddhist temple.






Another gorgeous building along the canal.

The university theatre.


Me n' Rembrandt.


Pat in the heart of it all.


Me, at my new favourite store in the world - De Kunstboer, where I bought a new wallet and phone case. Everything was bright colours, cute animals and polkadots!


It was probably a good thing that I had run out of money/room in my suitcase. It was nearing the tail end of our European holiday and I could have spent thousands on beautiful, unnecessary crap in Amsterdam. Like little fairy-pigs. So cute!

By then, the crocuses were all starting to sprout. It was cold at night, but the days were breezy and sunny. We were a little early for the tulips, but one day we'll go back and see them! Three days was simply not enough to see this amazing city!