Amsterdam, The Netherland
We got up early and boarded a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam. We were sad to leave the Middle East, we had such a great time. We decided to make the trip home a little easier by spending a night in Amsterdam to break up the long flight. Wow I forgot what real cold feels like, it was damp and chilly and raining a bit. We bundled up with hats and gloves and coats and I remembered how much I hate this weather! Of course the boys didn’t mind much but I did. I wanted to show them so many things in Amsterdam that I love, but with one night it wasn’t possible. We ate at Café Hoppe, a traditional Dutch pub known as a ‘brown café. They are a quintessential part of Amsterdam’s culture and are known for their dark wood and smoke-stained walls. The atmosphere is cozy and this one is one of the most famous and founded in 1670. It was pretty awesome to drink an Amstel while standing in a National Monument. We ordered some traditional food like savory Bitter Balls, they are battered in a crunchy breadcrumb coating and filled with a gooey mixture of chopped beef, beef broth, flour, butter, herbs and spices. They were served with mustard for dipping and really good but super hot inside! Tasted amazing with the beer. Kaasblokjes are bite-sized cubes of aged Gouda cheese. They are firm and almost crumbly and served with mustard for dipping. Of course Stroopwafels for desert, it’s a waffle cookie made from two thin layers of batter with a sticky syrup filling in the middle, soft and crunchy and so good! I really wanted the boys to try the herring, since they love any kind of raw, cured or smoked fish. It is raw, gutted and the head taken off. You hold it by the tail and put your head back and put it in your mouth and bite it off by the tail. They are usually served from outdoor carts throughout the city. If you don’t think you can eat it like that, they also cut it up and serve it on bread with chopped onions. Unfortunately we didn’t see any, maybe next time. Home tomorrow…
