Koffiehuis Van Den Volksbond

First group dinner at Koffiehuis Van Den Volksbond, Amsterdam.

http://www.koffiehuisvandenvolksbond.nl/

We had our first group dinner at this wonderful place off of Kadijksplein. We took the tram to Amsterdam Centraal and snaked our way to the restaurant.

The food here was incredible! My starter was the green salad with baked goat cheese. This was followed by Haas Sirloin Steak with whiskey-green pepper sauce and fried potatoes and then several desserts, mine being the Pistachio ijsparfait (basically Pistachio ice cream).

Through the cooperation of friends around me, we made great use of the ‘I’ll share my dish if you share yours’ technique and so I tried the risotto. It was incredibly flavorful and done perfectly. Here are some photos!

We spent almost 3 hours eating and talking. Taking time to enjoy your meal and the company with you is a very Dutch way of doing things. There is no rush to clear the tables and the check is not forced at you as is the way in the States. We arrived in the sunlight and found ourselves leaving in the moonlight.

With my belly full of wonderful food and my mind full of new ideas and overloaded trying to take everything in, I found myself too wired for bed, even though at this point it was 11pm. Last night I slept better but not soundly, but I think tonight will be different.

One last thing before I go...my room at the Bicycle Hotel is on the top floor, the 4^th floor, up the steepest and most narrow stairs I have ever witnessed. The upside to being on the top floor is my spectacular view of the city street below. I will leave you with this shot from my window I took yesterday afternoon, once the rain abated.

Morning stroll

08/23/2010 Monday Albert Cuypstr. Albert Cuyp Market 7:15am Market yet to open. @ ,,het koffiehuis’’

So I am up. Early….very early…

I went to Stumptown Coffee but it wasn’t open until later, so I settled for a photo.

I settled here at ,,het koffiehuis’’ to have a morning espresso and I have a feeling this is where I may find myself most mornings.
Maren made a wonderful discovery while browsing through iAmsterdam.com (http://www.iamsterdam.com/), the Tall Boat Festival!

There were more boats than I could count, but the truly impressive ones were the old wooden sailing boats, some of which they allowed you to walk on। To cap off the night there was a gigantic fireworks display, so many in fact and so loud that they terrified a little girl. Eventually you couldn’t see the fireworks explode anymore due to the clouds of smoke. To add to that, the smoke began to engulf the huge bay and we were also engulfed. I was particularly impressed with just how many people there were. Also everyone was drinking and walking along the canal-which made me a little thirsty- only adding to my hunger issue. Maren, Greta, Maggie, Moritz (her sweet) and I made our way along the canal and eventually found a place for food and beer. I had a bratwurst with grilled onions, spicy ketchup and a dollop of mayo. Oh, plus a Heineken.

It was nice looking back on my first day. Weird there is so much ahead of me. So now I just sit here, enjoying my espresso with sugar, watching the rain-RAIN-fall hoping it will let up since I am wearing sandals. So yeah it is raining pretty hard right now but I could care less. I am in Amsterdam!

Later after breakfast at 8am at the Bicycle Hotel, we will get our bikes. Then we have a lecture from 10-1pm and then who knows. So much to do!

I am impressed with the way in which people ride bikes here. On bike racks people sit sideways. Little kids strapped on the front and back sometimes. Total control. NO helmets-love it! Average speed seems around 5 mph. Super casual with bells on every bike. Also there are two locks on each bike, one built into the rear wheel and one chain for the front wheel and frame in which to attach to a pole. OK time to go back to BH for breakfast. Still pouring.

I may have to change when I get back home!

My first day in Amsterdam (08/22/2010)

I flew into Amsterdam only a few hours ago and haven't really slept. It is about 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I went out looking for some coffee to tide me over and stumbled into Coffee Company on Govert Flinck Straat. I walked in and they are playing She & Him, one of my current favorite records and I feel like I haven't really even left the States. The song was 'You Really Got A Hold On Me" and it was quite interesting hearing American music on the radio. I figured I would be inundated with Dutch, that Dutch would be everywhere and used in every conversation, and in some cases this is true, but so far all the music I have heard has been in English. I wonder just how much of this culture is bilingual???
After ordering my small Americano for 2 Euros 30, I sat down to people watch. I think I will be spending a lot of time on this street, 1e Van Der Helst Straat, because there are cafe's everywhere and people are sitting enjoying themselves chatting.
More to come later. For now here is that song. Oh Zooey and M. Ward.

My arrival in Amsterdam and the Bicycle Hotel

http://www.bicyclehotel.com/