Day 3 – Amsterdam 8/11/09

Today we woke up at about 8:30am after a lovely night sleep. We got dressed and headed down to rent our bicycles and have the included breakfast. Breakfast was very big (not like the continental breakfast at most hotels in the States). Lots of pastries to choose from – they even had the chocolate and fruit sprinkles for bread that I remembered from Indonesia! There was sausage, bacon, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, yogurts and fresh fruit. We sat by the open window that overlooked the canal.

We then proceeded to ride our bikes all over the whole city. What fun to see Amsterdam like a local. And we got everywhere so quickly that we became very adept at getting lost. We began our cultural education at the Van Gogh museum which also had a special event about Avant-garde work from the 20s and 60s. After the museum we ate tomato, pesto and mozzarella sandwiches by the giant I Amsterdam sign. I think its one of my favorite public sculptures (and great marketing from their tourism board). It definitely beats the scary Denver International Airport Mustang, with huge glowing red eyes. After lunch we rode to Vondlepark. So green and lush. The flowers were partially blooming in the many gardens, but I can assume its an amazing site to behold in the spring when the tulips are in full bloom. From the park we continued riding and getting lost. Finally made it back to the hotel at 5:30pm. Getting excited for our second night in Amsterdam.

We wandered around Central Amsterdam looking for a place to have dinner. We stopped by a small café called Restaurant November. We shared a wonderful bottle of red wine and each had a starter of bouillon soup followed by lamb chops in a red wine sauce with fresh seasonal vegetables and mashed potatoes. Dessert was the most beautiful and delicious crème brulee. The sugar was melted perfectly and cracked with each delicate bite. What a delicious meal and a find – not once have we been let down by Amsterdam!








Van Gogh museum








Steve on his bike by the dog








Us in Vondlepark








Our amazing dinner