Lunch in Lisbon, dinner in Amsterdam ~ such are the charms of living in Europe!
We arrive in Amsterdam, in our new home exchange, just in time to catch a herring before the stall closes.
Whew! We must start Amsterdam on proper footing!
Herring is one of the classic street foods in Amsterdam and boy do we both love herring! (We both have good childhood memories of eating herring in our respective countries of origin.)
Best thing to eat in Amsterdam hands down ~ smoked eel and herring. Nothing better!
View of canal and houses opposite from the balcony of our home exchange in the Jordan neighborhood.
Our respective association with Amsterdam is many-fold, having been here together so many times over the years. Amsterdam never fails to charm. We both feel extremely at home here and in fact, consider it one of our European nests ~ one of those cities we keep coming back to!
We were here last three years ago to drum up support from investors for our bamboo housing business in Nicaragua. We stayed in a river barge and a canal townhouse home exchange.
We were in Holland to set up a housing program with Dutch impact investors for our Nicaragua bamboo housing business, CO2 Bambu: http://www.greenglobaltrek.org/2012/04/off-to-rotterdam-for-business.html
Strolling the streets in the early evening as the lights come on and are reflected in the canals in front of the buildings.
Amsterdam is quite magical at night. Ink blue waters and golden lights.
Small shops with local products, such as the famed Gouda cheese. This wall of cheese reminds us both of our famed orange wall in our pre empty nester days home. We painted a wall orange and invited our sons and their friends to contribute orange items to the family art installation project. It was a great success and stayed up for several months.
The Dutch take bread making very seriously. Some incredible wholewheat breads with sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Artisanal chocolate cookies ~ fresh out of the oven, hot gooey and sinfully delicious!
Cafes outside the tall Dutch buildings… Being still winter, the trick is to wait for the sun and then choose your spot!
Main mode of transportation in Amsterdam ~ the bicycle. One has to be pretty alert as a pedestrian as bikes coming flying by at high speed.
Love the classic view… Dutch architecture, canals and bicycles, bicycles.
Spring is not quite here yet. Once the sun is behind clouds it feels quite chilly.
Church and magic mushroom and seed shop cohabit in Amsterdam.
Perfect way to spend some time ~ sitting on a bench on the canal.
My favorite…The herring in the street and the smoked eel…..yam yam “”””
Oh yes! Very delicious indeed!
Oh! The church of cannabis! They’re starting that in Indiana, allowed by the new freedom of religion act. Of course the Dutch beat them to it.
You make the world look irresistible. Thanks for another great ride.
Ha ha ha…
Glad you enjoy the ride with us.
The world IS irresistible!
The Dutch are really good at bread. We miss it.
Thanks for stopping by to read us and comment, Tracey. Yes, the Dutch bread is fabulous!
Peta