it's been just under a month since we returned from europe. i meant to post these a lot sooner, but time got the best of me. in any event, amsterdam was a total dream! at times it was a bit of a sensory overload (and i say that as a lifelong new yorker), with all the cyclists, tourists/pedestrians, metro cars, and car-cars, but whoa! what a beautiful city. we took advantage of the 3 nights and 2 days we had there and walked almost everywhere. we had beers, saw museum exhibits, ate a slice of deep dish apple pie, got lost in the red light district looking for said apple pie slice, drank some amazing coffee and mint tea, walked the streets where so many have walked before us and where so much history has been made, got stuck in rain storms, a brief hail storm, and got to see the home of anne frank. we also took some time to explore the noordermarkt, a farmers' market of sorts where local businesses come to sell everything from vintage books, to antiques, cheese, mushrooms, eggs, breads, pastry, and flowers (i'm working on an additional post for that, too many photos!). so many fun times were had and shared, we can't wait to visit again!
i also included a short list below of some of the places we visited and loved : )
spelt - awesome menu both for lunch + dinner. not to be missed: creamy mustard soup! if you can make dinner reservations ahead of time, if not, then try to get there on the early side.
stach - located right near spelt, this take-away food shop is loaded with all sorts of goodies, including soups, salads, pizzas, sandwiches + coffee - even if you're not hungry this place is too fun to miss.
buffet van odette - this was my favorite place by far. the food was awesome (frank may have eaten the best croissant of his life), friendly waitstaff, and the design of the restaurant was beautiful, both inside and out. we went for breakfast/brunch but they do serve lunch and dinner as well.
winkel 43 - (not to be confused with de bakkerswinkel) serves the famous deep dish apple pie. a little crowded for my taste, especially when the pie wasn't my favorite. however, if you're super into pie i guess it's worth it. we ate lunch there as well which wasn't the greatest. overall, a bit underwhelming.
la perla - really good wood-fired pizza. definitely make a dinner reservation or get to the restaurant early and put your name down. they also have a take-out/eat-in pizzeria across the street.
proeflokaal arendsnest - if you're into beer just go! they have over 100 bottled beers + 30 on tap! frank and i got a flight of 6 different tap beers, and for a girl who isn't too into beer, they were seriously good. if you're not sure what you want the bartender will make some recommendations based on your likes.
marqt - is the equivalent of whole foods, i suppose. i really enjoyed poking around and looking at the various flours, condiments and cheeses. i picked up a bunch dutch mustards as well as chocolate.
noordermarkt - this farmers' market is beautiful. baked goods, cheese, produce, fresh dairy, antiques, etc. go!
anne frank house - be prepared to wait in line for about 2 hours whether you have pre-bought tickets or not (we went on the weekend, not sure if it's any better during the week). be on the lookout for people who cut the line! we had a couple try to sneak their way in front of us.
weldaad - an antique home goods store. i picked up a couple gifts here, including an authentic dutch tile. they have beautiful things with some reasonable prices.