It's probably fitting since we're NOT going to Thailand now (wedding=lots of money). Oh, and there's also an idea floating around of going to Ireland for St. Patty's Day... but well, it's probably a long shot this year.
Here's our Amsterdam wish list:
1. Cheese. Lots and lots of the amazingly creamy stuff. A visit to Henri Willig Farm is a MUST. While we are there we can also stop at the wooden shoe factory.
2. Go VIP at the Tuschinski. Perhaps the coolest art deco building ever designed, and even maybe the greatest movie theater in the world is the Pathé Tuschinski. The Tuschinski not only offers cinema in style — it offers it VIP. Champagne while you snack on some gourmet popcorn? Yes please.
3. Find food in walls. Glass walls. The surrealness (new word!) of FEBO at 4am can amuse anyone. Especially me.
4. Get free beer. The Henikin Brewery tour is what you'd come to expect from Amsterdam: trippy and psychedelic. A "roller coaster" of a ride ends with many free beers in the factory. Oh, and lends it self to lots of opportunities to make really weird videos. Here's one of many I found online:
5. Become a book.print.worm. Lucky us, the 29th Amsterdam Antiquarian Book, Map & Print Fair is on right before I leave. Vintage typography here I come.
6. Find other people's trash. The U.A.E has nothing in regards to vintage shopping or thrift stores. Needless to say, Wes and I are starving for some good ol' thrifting and Waterlooplein Flea Market should fill that void.
7. Visit the countryside on two wheels. Mike's Bike Tour of Amsterdam came highly recommended via Wes' sister and many reviews on the Web. Sweater weather and a bike ride sounds like pure bliss.
8. All things tasty. I'm starting to formulate a list of "must-taste" places. We're going from Barney's hole-in-the-wall styled Irish Breakfast, cutting-edge Envy and picnic items from Gewoon Eten en Meer (this place is enough to make me move to Amsterdam).
Gewoon Eten en Meer: Tasty picnic treats
9. Flashback as much as possible. Amsterdam has a love for the old and wacky just as much as Wes and I do. Kitch is king at 70s style Bar Bep, the obvious household store Kitsch Kitchen and Laura Dols for the rest of our vintage wedding wares.
Laura Dols: Will you have the matching slippers to my dress?
10. All that typical tourist mumbo jumbo. We will still get in the museums, Red Light District, coffee shops, flowers and windmills. Although I'll probably go without the windmills if time is tight.
3 comments:
You must, must, must go to the flower auction! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHs-NNQ5UVQ You do have to get up early, but it is well worth it.
Wes, don't forget, you can get good Indonesian food there! Who knows, you might even run into some of your classmates from Bogor! Not that you would recognize each other or anything. :-)
Elysia, for shopping, go north of http://www.zaanseschans.nl/ (The windmill place) to Alkmaar. Keely and I loved it and made a special trip the last time I visited them. It is too late for the cheese market, but you can buy lots of cheese there. This is the cheese I brought back for Wes http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/c7cd2/71244/c/ Scroll way down for the address.
Ok, first things first. You can skip the Heineken factory tour. It really isn't all that great, and could eat into precious time. There are plenty other better dutch bier than Heineken. ALFA being one of them. Also, those "many beer" at the end of the tour are really small. More like a tasting.
Mikes bike tour is wonderful. You won't have to worry about missing any windmills, because you'll see some on the tour!
As far as your eating arrangement goes, I suggest skipping Barney's. You'll be in Holland for God's sake, get Dutch food! I know you're not big meat-osaurs, but you must indulge in Frikandellen and Kroketten. For supper make sure you order some Zuurvlees. It's similar to sauerbraten, and like Germany, each provence has its own style!
Oh, and another warning about the coffee shop thing. I recommend getting the half and half for starters. Half Tobacco Half good stuff. See how things go, and if you feel up to it pick up a doob for a few euros. Because the green is legal and the government has little interference in the growing process, the THC level is extreme! Just take it easy please!
I'd also say skip the Heineken factory tour. The Van Gough Museum was awesome and I loved just renting a bike and biking around to the different city parks. Wish I was flying someplace cool every couple weeks.
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