Eating our way through Europe: Part III

I'm trying to get through Europe more and more so in order to write about other stuff and post pictures from Vegas!

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Another early morning to get on the train, but, no worries, we did what we do best to pass the 4+ hours on the train, sleep! This was going to be our first overnight trip.  We got to Amsterdam and started walking in the general direction of the hotel where we were going to stay at.  We stopped in at a little brasserie to get brunch and kept walking toward the main plaza, stepping in souvenir shops along the way.  Let's just say, we all felt very educated after stepping in those shops.  The front part of most shops had the typical souvenirs, but the further back you walk, the more paraphernalia you see. I won't say more on the matter, but if you ever go there, you can't be bothered by it.  It's a different way of life and the Dutch opinions on those matters is very nonchalant. Nonetheless, it was a unique experience.

This is actually a mall right next to the palace, but the palace was under construction with scaffolding wrapped around the entire outside of the building (that's it in the left side of the frame).  The view from the guys hotel room could see the other side of this building and the palace.

We got to our hotel which had a 73-stair walk-up.  These are the 40 that greet you when you enter from the street. I don't know if you can tell, but they have about a 4" tread and are 8" high (a.k.a. very vertical).  This is actually very common because they are taxed on width of houses and the city only has room to grow vertically.  At least we could make sure we got our exercise in (amidst all the eating)!

This was Sarah's and my view.  It was mostly backyards and trees, but I loved looking at the sky at night and snooping on the neighbors!  I almost forgot I was in Amsterdam given the view I had.

One of the canals we walked by.

My absolute, hands-down favorite part.  We went to the Anne Frank House which is a museum as well as the actual house.  First of all, it was very well done.  You had to walk through it in a certain order and it was set up to where you learned the life story of her and her family and those who helped them hide.  We actually went through the hole behind the bookshelf into the "house" she hid in.  It was quite humbling, standing in Anne Frank's room.  It was neat to see artifacts, articles, videos, her actual diary, and well-placed quotes of hers on the walls that met you at every turn.  It was sad, but affected you in a graceful way.  It left a powerful lasting impression on all of us.  Note: they didn't allow pictures to be taken inside.

Another canal with a river cruise on it.  Classic Holland.

If you look up, you'll notice these beams on the top of every building.  Since the stairs are so vertical, and very narrow in many places, one would never want to risk their life carrying furniture up or down them.  These beams have hooks that are for hoisting furniture to the upper floors of the buildings in a safer, easier manner.

Dinner at Sara's Pancake House! The menu was about size 4 font because Sara (the owner and only employee) had so many different kinds of pancakes to choose from.  I'd probably guess over 200! Also, pancakes there are not the same as what we have at IHOP here.  They are thin and crepe-like but oh-so-good!

This hot-food vending machine which was at the front of a cafe or brasserie where the food was cooked then put in these windows.  Matt bought a croquette which is comparable to a cheese stick, and very tasty!

A cute window display at a (dessert) bakery.

On our way back the next day, we stopped in The Hague for lunch in between trains.  I had a panini with  something (I can't remember) on it, but it was yummy because it had a uniquely sweet taste to it. 

Lastly, I have to mention we ran into the Dallas couple (we met during the Zot Brewery Tour in Brugge) outside of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.  Small world concept wins yet again! We named them Amber and Steve because they look like those names, but honestly we never knew their names!

Eating our way through Europe: Part II

Sorry about the hiatus from blogging, I recently went to Las Vegas to celebrate Jordan's birthday, and will get to that later.  Those pictures will come after Europe.

Brugge, Belgium

We took a train to Brugge on Monday morning and planned to spend the whole day there.  Upon arrival, we took a short bus ride into the city center where the architecture is breathtakingly quaint.  It was very picturesque, classic Europe.  When Matt and Sarah went into a store, and Kevin was taking pictures, I took up a conversation with an elderly woman on a bicycle outside the store.  Turns out she was a local, born and raised there in Brugge and she was telling me about the history and the significance of some buildings and to avoid an ugly scar of architecture that was designed by the same man who created the pyramid in front of the Louvre. She was very friendly and helpful.  We really started our day (of walking) after that.

The two above pictures are in the city center and since it was mostly overcast I don't think the pictures really do them justice. Though I only included two pictures, the views were 360 degrees with cafes mostly and other official offices such as a post office.

Though you may not have known it, Belgium is famous for its handmade lace, among other things.  This was in a shop where I ended up getting my mom a Christmas table runner that is absolutely "stunning" (to use her word), and is handmade and unique.  I mean, how often do you really look at lace and notice all the effort that goes into it?

We took a river tour through Brugge's waterways.  There were only 30 people on the boat and only 4 boats at one time could be on the river because of the very low bridges.  In fact, we went under what the driver called the "Brugge Guillotine", the lowest bridge where everyone but the boat had to duck. 

Also, Bruggians (?) who live on the river are given tax deductions based on how many windows they have (more windows=less taxes) and the waterfront property here goes for an average of €11,000 per square meter (or $15,290)!

We went on the Zot Brewery Tour and learned all about how they make their beer and how laborious and odorous it is.  This shot is on top of the brewery with endless views of Brugge and where we met a couple on our tour who was from Dallas. Small world. Our tour guide had a very subtle sense of humor and explained that a beer is to be poured with 3 cm of froth on top and you are to wait until it is gone before you consume it.  This time is for you to build a relationship with your beer, talking to it, and increasing your anticipation.  She said that you know it's your last beer when the beer talks back to you.

At the end of the tour you get a Zot beer. Sarah and I didn't like it so we gave ours to Matt and Kevin to drink.

L to R: Sarah, Matt, Kevin, myself

This was dinner in Brugge in a tucked away restaurant just off of the city center. Sarah and I both had waterzooi which is comparable to a chicken stew but with a creamier, denser sauce than the typical broth. It was great! 

The group in the restaurant. Matt had a mushroom-covered steak and Kevin had half a chicken. Restaurants in Belgium are kind of expensive and people tend to eat at them when they have a reason to. Brasseries and cafes are the more typical eat-out options.

This is more or less a side note. When we were driving back to the house one day, Mitzi made a point to stop by and let us see the afro chicken! He seemed to be a very cocky chicken (no pun intended).  He was quite hilarious, both in antics and the way he looked!