Monday, August 1, 2011

OMG

The food here is awesome. I bought the most perfect coconut-dusted, Argentinian alfajores. And pumkin soup with crayfish. And Sicilian olives (the excellent light green kind) and ravioli with squid (which tasted like ham, for some bizarre reason, not that I'm complaining). Not to mention that there's really reasonably priced booze everywhere.

Every experience is amazing and it's all bracketed by yummies. Alors, my hedonism is in high-gear. How I wish I were a moderate person... In a moment of alteredness, I somehow ate a box of Dutch butter cookies. 900 calories later, I was devastated to find them all gone. As I write, I'm in my room drinking a Brunello. Makes that stuff I get at the LCBO seem like swill.

The weather was delicious today. I only had to supplement my summer outfit with a sweater and tights! :-) Seriously, it was totally sunny and 20 degrees. Fabulous weather for wandering. I actually packed the tights by accident. Hello? Who packs tights in August?? But how handy is that?

Here are a few photos (bad scene if you hate people who post their vacation pics):






PS: I'd really appreciate it if one of my more solvent readers could stay here and write about it. It was my goal to take the hit for us all, but the 500 euro a night charge surpassed my means.
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13 comments:

  1. KimAugust 1, 2011 at 3:38 PM

    You have to try some of the real classy food like Frites met Mayo from Febo ;-) Or my other favorite, Stroopwafels. I spent a semester in Gronigen and despite riding a bike or walking everywhere, I still put on 20 pounds! I'm sure all the bier didn't help either!

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  2. Susan TinerAugust 1, 2011 at 3:47 PM

    You look so adorable!

    500 Euro seems like a lot for a "boutique" hotel.

    Please keep eating and drinking good stuff for me :-).

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  3. FarahAugust 1, 2011 at 5:35 PM

    I second the stroopwafels suggestion. yummy yummy...(although you can get them in toronto). you look great, I am jealous of your vacation.

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  4. KayYAugust 1, 2011 at 8:09 PM

    Yes!! Stroopwafels!! So good!

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  5. AndreaAugust 1, 2011 at 9:19 PM

    If you try that Alfajores recipe and don’t like it, let me know. I’ve got a recipe that’s super easy and has been in my family for ages and it’s delish. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

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  6. materfamiliasAugust 1, 2011 at 10:30 PM

    Ah, hedonism rules!
    that's such a cute photo of you -- you look very Euro-chic, truly.

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  7. valerieAugust 2, 2011 at 1:25 AM

    Glad you're enjoying my city try the Vondel park on a sunny day?amsterdammers at their best,laid back and enjoying life,are you biking round the city only way to see it all and a crazy beach cafe called blijburg is worth a vist

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  8. ReethiAugust 2, 2011 at 3:00 PM

    I went to the Repenyaer cheese tasting - very fun. (They don't really tell you it's paired with wine, and then it is, yay!) And the weather sucked when I was there as well, it rained the 3 days I was there.

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  9. miss sophieAugust 2, 2011 at 10:19 PM

    this looks so fun - i hope it's not too hot and humid in amsterdam. are you over your jetlag yet?

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  10. miss sophieAugust 2, 2011 at 10:20 PM

    also - LOVE the last pic of you rocking some shades and attitude and a striped shirt in front of the charming street! ;)

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  11. RosesredAugust 3, 2011 at 5:15 AM

    I don't like to brag, but we do make the best cookies in the world :D. (O.k., I bragged. )

    Absolute favorites, and easy to locate in a supermarket
    - stroopwafels (either fresh, yum! or by Albert Heijn (supermarket))
    - Bastogne-koeken by Lu (yellow white box)
    - Speculaas (Delicious with English tea and milk)

    If you have time and the inclination; the Beemster is a beautiful region just outside of Amsterdam, great for a bikeride or something. Also; The Enkhuizen open air museum (hour and a half away from a'dam) is a really, really neat way to get a feeling for Dutch history in the countryside. It even has a big closet full of traditional dutch clothing for kids, and is generally awesome.

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  12. Dr. MonkeyAugust 3, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    I'm totally jealous.

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  13. K.LineAugust 3, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    Kim: We have the stroopwaffels in TO. I have some dicey memories of them in my early 20s - a time when I only ate cookies and salted licorice. It was a dramatic phase...

    Susan: No problem!

    Farah: I am so jealous of everyone else's vacations! Thank you for returning the favour :-)

    Kay: See my response to Kim :-)

    Andrea: I want your recipe!

    F: I'm working the Euro look :-)

    Wendy: I re-read this post and now I'm hungry. I've got to change my focus...

    Valerie: Made it almost to Vondelpark on bikes. Got sidetracked by the antiques district and side streets. Maybe on the return leg.

    Reethi: Oooh, good surprise! Where did you stay when you were here?

    Sophie: I thought I was over the jetlag but today I'm feeling blah. Could be mega PMS, unfortunately. Thank you for your compliment!

    Roses: That's not very Dutch of you! You know, I've been aware you have the best cookies for years. In TO there are many great places to buy Dutch yummies. I actually love all of those - which I get at home (too regularly). I love the square cut ones with chocolate on one side as well (can't remember the name).

    Monkey: You wouldn't be if you saw the Visa bill :-)

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