Posts by blinkin2000

Anne Frank House, The Jordaan, Amsterdam Market, More Indonesian Food

Posted by Andrew on Sep 25, 2010 in Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1 comment

We woke up bright and early this morning excited to see more of Amsterdam. We had breakfast at the hotel where they put out a buffet of high quality fruit, smoked meats, cheeses, and breads. They also had one of Andrew’s favorites “De Ruijter” chocolate sprinkles. They are a Dutch invention. Basically they take an un-toasted slice of white bread, brush a bunch of butter on it, and layer on the chocolate sprinkles. We actually have some of the sprinkles at home as a special treat so we saw it and knew just what to do. It was tasty. We also had some smoked salmon for breakfast as well. I guess that is popular here as we have been eating lots of it morning, noon, and night. As soon as we left the hotel we headed for a fun neighborhood called The Jordaan. The concierge recommended it to us because it is a quaint neighborhood with lots of good photo opportunities because the canal houses are so picturesque in that area. As we walked along, we stumbled upon the Anne Frank House as they were opening. Since the line was pretty short, we decided to go in and we were really glad we did. You basically get to see the house as it was in 1944 (but without the furniture) when the Franks were hiding there from the Nazis. It really gives you perspective about how close they were living and leaves you with sadness that Anne never got to see her diary published as she always wished. The message of the museum is of tolerance and it gives you an appreciation for what a wonderful and wise young girl Anne was. It is an incredibly special place that we were lucky to be able to visit. As we exited the building, we saw hundreds of people standing on the block. Apparently we were lucky to arrive early in the morning, because by 10:30, the line was around two corners of the building. It was insane! Next we headed on to The Jordaan. As we started our neighborhood tour, we saw an amazing farmer’s market where people were selling all kinds of organic produce, flowers, meats, and cheeses. Of course we snapped a few pictures there which you can see below. We then continued on and saw all kinds of beautiful houses along the canals and got a feel for the area. It was amazing. We also stopped in a few shops including this really cool one called Kitsch Kitchen featuring Dutch oil cloth which is a vinyl-like material that is printed in really unique patterns and bright colors. We bought a few souvenirs there and finished our walk.

It was now lunchtime so we dropped off our goods at the hotel and looked around for something to eat. We found this great little lunch spot called Goodies which looked crowded with locals so we tried it. We ended up having a really nice lunch. I had a smoked salmon and egg bagel sandwich (see…there they go again with the smoked fish) and Andrew had a smoked chicken sandwich. Fun atmosphere, decent food, and friendly service…all at a low price. What more can you ask for? After lunch we headed back to the hotel to pack our bags and move to the new location. Our new place is just as nice as the last one except the service isn’t quite as good, but that’s okay because I paid less than half the price. With anything else, you get what you pay for. It’s definitely not bad, the people just aren’t overly helpful. When we checked in and the receptionist showed us for our room, she forgot to bring the key with her and she was looking at us like we had it. Haha, we were laughing. Especially since it is quite a hike to get to our room from the front desk. Apparently this hotel used to be a college and is really beautiful inside and out.

After check-in we explored the room and the hotel and then took a quick nap before heading out to another Indonesian restaurant. This one was called Restaurant Blauw and the food was just as amazing as last nights, without the fiery inferno experience. We ate goat satay, another version of rendeng, and shrimp in a coconut sauce. This place also gave us tons of little dishes to go with the main courses like they do at home in Korean restaurants. My favorite was the sweet coconut shavings with peanuts. We had a good laugh at the French tourists at the next table who had obviously never eaten Indonesian food before. Their eyes kept getting bigger and bigger with every dish that came out. They looked scared of everything. Haha, having just left Paris and being on the short end of the stick (and the victims of a little bit of snootyness) because we didn’t speak French very well, it was nice to feel like they were the ones who couldn’t speak the language. See what it feels like? Just kidding…it’s not like we speak Dutch either, but pretty much everyone here speaks perfect English and is more than happy to talk to you. They don’t speak very much French here from what we can tell. At the beginning of the meal, Andrew asked if they had cendol. The waitress said they did, but when we got the dessert menus we didn’t see it. We asked the waiter and he said that it was on the secret menu that no one knows about. We ordered it and Andrew was a very happy camper. It was a slightly different take on traditional cendol with melons and cendol flavored ice cream, but we loved it anyway. Makes me wonder what else is on that secret menu. Hmmm… We finished every last bit and hailed a cab to take us back to the hotel as we haven’t yet figured out the tram system. Maybe tomorrow. Oh and all throughout the day the weather has been rainy with patches of sun and has been unpredictable, as I write this I can hear the rain against our windows. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more sunshine. Au revior, Chelsie and Andrew

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Au Revior Paris, Thalys Train, Hello Amsterdam

Posted by Andrew on Sep 24, 2010 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Paris, France | 6 comments

We had a great day today despite both fighting colds. We woke up in the morning leisurely packed our things, got breakfast, and headed out. We caught a taxi to the train station and watched people for about 30 minutes until our Thalys train was ready to board. This is the only train ride that I booked first class. For one, it was our longest train ride. And two, they had a deal and it didn’t cost that much extra. Wow, just like flying first class. Meal and drink service was included which we didn’t know so we bought sandwiches ahead of time and never ate them. Oh well. It was a smooth 4-hour ride into Amsterdam with a few stops along the way. When we arrived at Amsterdam Centraal Station, we made sure we had nothing in our pockets (apparently, the station is frequently overrun by pickpocketers). We never saw any though as we headed straight to the taxi line. When we stepped out on the street we saw the most amount of bikes we have ever seen in one place at one time ever. They are everywhere…more on that later. Our taxi driver spoke great English and was very nice to us. He even pointed landmarks out along the way including Anne Frank House and the Red Light District. By the way, the Red Light District is very unimpressive. We saw all of three ladies in windows and in general the street looked seedy and run down. We are pretty much done with that area. As soon as we got out of the taxi we knew we would love it here. It is so beautiful. The canals are amazing. It is definitely a highlight of our trip so far. Just like in Paris, the service at our hotel is just excellent. Everyone here speaks perfect English and the concierge is wonderful. As soon as we arrived, he helped us book dinner reservations for all three nights.

Andrew is really excited because Amsterdam is known for their Indonesian food due to the fact that the Dutch occupied Indonesia for a long time. In fact, the concierge recommended a great Indonesian place within walking distance for tonight’s dinner called Tempo Doeloe. We LOVED it. The restaurant staff was incredibly friendly and the food was delicious. For appetizers we had chicken satay and lemper, which you tried if you attended our bridal shower. It’s minced sweet chicken wrapped in sticky rice. For our main courses we had rendang and prawns with macadamia nut sauce. When Andrew ordered the rendang, the waitress warned him that is was really spicy and that they could make it a little milder if he wanted. He, of course, said no. He insisted on having it the way the chef normally prepares it. Later on we looked at the menu and it was basically the hottest thing you could order. “Hot+++” Yikes! I was confident he could handle it though. The waitstaff wasn’t as confident. As soon as Andrew took the first bite, he said it was really spicy. He kept eating and soon I started to see the sweat start pooling on his neck and cheeks. (Andrew sweats with really spicy food as most of you know) Before long it looked like he had run a marathon and the waitstaff kept coming around asking him if he was okay. They even came by and dropped off some coconut shavings to cut the heat. Andrew stuck it out though and ate the whole plate. I think they were pretty surprised. In the end, he said it was the spiciest dish he ever ate which is saying a lot, but that didn’t stop him from loving every second of it. Andrew kept laughing and saying that his dad would be cracking up if he were here. Next time I guess he will know better than to ignore the recommendation of the waitress at an authentic restaurant. Hee hee! We finished everything off with a cooling pineapple crushed ice dessert and walked back to our hotel.

Now is probably a good time to mention the bikes here. Everyone…and I mean everyone rides bikes. There are hardly any cars. It’s a little weird to cross the street and watch for bikes instead of cars everywhere you go. You also have to watch for the trams which are Amsterdam’s version of public transportation as they will run you over as well. Besides that it is really one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. Everyone is friendly and the canals are just the most beautiful and romantic thing we have seen so far on our trip. My descriptions hardly do them justice so hopefully you can look at the pictures and see how beautiful it is here. Unfortunately tomorrow we have to move hotels as we had trouble finding open rooms here. I hope the next one is as good as this one. Au revior, Chelsie and Andrew

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The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Night Shots, Paris in the Rain

Posted by Andrew on Sep 24, 2010 in Paris, France | 0 comments

So yesterday I mentioned that the Louvre’s availability might be disrupted today because of a strike going on here. We headed out this morning hoping for the best and when we arrived at the Louvre, we were happy to see that they were letting people in. We got in line and made our way down into the pyramid via escalator. We purchased our tickets and audio guides in English since everything is written in French. We immediately headed over to see the Mona Lisa since that is the big attraction and we were very excited. She is enigmatic although the painting is actually smaller than I had imagined. There were so many people crowding around to look that it was a little hard to get a look, but we finally made our way to the front and enjoyed the unobstructed view. She was worth the wait. In general there are a few things that are very different about this museum from museums at home. For one, there is rarely glass or dividers separating visitors from the art work. This means that some people even though it clearly says not to, feel the need to touch the artwork and sculptures. The other thing that is different is that they don’t enforce the rule about no flash photography. Apparently, it can damage the works of art, but no one seems to care. I say if you want to see some of this great art, do it soon before the flashes of a million tourists ruin it for all.  The other thing we really wanted to see was the area on Egyptian art and artifacts. It is the largest collection outside of Egypt. Unfortunately, we didn’t look too closely at the signs for closures so we wandered around for about an hour trying every entrance possible with no avail until one of the workers said “ferme” (closed). Oops, I guess we should have read the sign. The good thing about it was that we saw lots of art that we normally wouldn’t have visited. Our favorites were the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, both pictured below. They were just breathtaking. After we finished at the Louvre, we took the Batobus down to the Eiffel Tower to get some closer shots. People warned us about the beggars and people selling cheap imitation souvenirs, but they were everywhere. Usually if you say no they leave you alone, but there are just so many that you seem like you are constantly saying no. Plus there are some other generally shady characters down there as well. Nonetheless, we got some great photos of us in front of the Eiffel Tower.

After that we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We asked the concierge for his recommendation and he made reservations for us at Jamin, a 10 minute walk from our hotel. Jamin turned out to be Modern-French Asian fusion cuisine, and offered a great selection of comfort foods with the delicacy of french dining. We both ordered from the tasting menu, I ordered the goat cheese starter and Sea Bream and Andrew chose the salmon starter and duck skewers. For dessert, we had pear tiramisu and chocolate ganache with pralines. Everything was delicious and the restaurant staff was  friendly. We had heard that some restaurants allow dogs inside, but this is the first time we saw it. A French woman came in with her small pooch and he sat under the table with her while she ate…inside. We were a little surprised by it even though we knew it was possible. He even barked a few times during the meal. Dog or no dog, Jamin was the perfect way to end our last dinner in Paris.

After dinner we realized it was raining but that didn’t stop us from heading over to the Arc de Triomphe. On our way, which we thought was the right way, we ended up at Musée national de la Marine which is directly across the river from the Eiffel Tower up on a hill. The area was a huge courtyard area with buildings on both sides, and down below was another courtyard area that is overrun by skateboarders during the day. It was perfect location to stop and enjoy the tower without any obstructions. We stayed there for 20 minutes admiring the view along with all the other tourists that found this great lookout.  Again the peddlers were present but they’ve upped their game with LEDs and light-up tchotchkes . From there we headed the right direction to the Arc de Triomphe about a mile or so walk. No trip is complete without a hooker sighting and lucky for us, two were fighting, yelling, and making quite a scene.  An entertaining change from dodging motorcycles, crazy taxi drivers, and winding roads. We knew the Arc is spectacularly lit at night and can be seen from afar, but nothing can prepare you when you walk out and see it in its entirety. The building is so amazing large and beautify lit. The traffic is continuously circling creating such a focal point of the Champs-Élysées. Andrew stopped to take many photos of it before the rain kicked into high gear. It was an fabulous way to end our evening. Au revior, Chelsie and Andrew

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Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries, Louvre, Notre Dame, Seine Boat Ride

Posted by Andrew on Sep 22, 2010 in Paris, France | 4 comments

UPDATE:Sorry for the lack of pictures yesterday. Our internet connection was spotty and I was only able to post one. Now there are more. Enjoy!

Hello again! Today we had a much better day than yesterday, although Andrew still isn’t feeling better. We woke up and got out of the hotel around 9:00 a.m. I asked the concierge on the way out where we could find a bakery for breakfast and he recommended this great place only two blocks from our hotel. It is called Josephine and if you look into the windows on the side of the building you can see them making the fresh bread and pastries. I knew from the start I would like this place. They also have amazing fresh-squeezed orange juice which Andrew really needed. After eating quickly on the patio we moved on toward the Seine stopping briefly to buy Andrew some meds for his sore throat. It was interesting to say the least to try to buy OTC drugs in a foreign country where you can’t read the boxes and the workers speaks English “un peu” (a little). Haha, after a bunch of funny gestures and yes and no statements we were off with something for Andrew’s sore throat.

We continued walking down the main road until we reached the Seine and saw the Eiffel Tower unobstructed for the first time. It took my breath away. It is so stunning. Then we headed East along the river until we reached the Place de la Concorde with it’s beautiful fountains and Egyptian Obelisk. Along the way we passed lots of people walking their dogs and some pretty amazing park areas along the river. It’s amazing the difference between London and Paris. In London, if you walked too slow, people would run you over. In Paris, everyone seems content to walk at a leisurely pace. I can now see why it is considered such a romantic place. Everyone seems to be taking their time and enjoying life. And one thing we noticed right away is that people have dogs everywhere here. In the first hour of walking, we saw more dogs than we did the whole time we were in London. We even saw a pug from the taxi on the way to the hotel. Next we headed into Jardin des Tuileries, a beautiful formal French garden that leads into the Louvre. Again, people were just strolling around although we did notice some panderers and people selling cheap imitations of the Eiffel Tower here. Once we had enough of the park we crossed the street into the area where the pyramid that forms the entrance of the Louvre is. We spend lots of time watching people and just enjoying the plaza before venturing back into the gardens to grab a quick sandwich to eat while enjoying the view. Andrew had salami with pickles on a fresh baguette and I had ham and butter which is apparently very popular with the Parisiens. Since we knew we would have to save our trip to the Louvre for another day since the lines were getting long, we headed East again to Notre Dame. On the way we noticed some very loud music playing across the river so we crossed the bridge to check it out. It was a free benefit for heart disease where they had all kinds of fun Cirque du Soleil-like performances. There were amazing pole and trampoline acrobats as well as a group of men playing music on oil drums. It was really moving and all free. We couldn’t believe our luck to stumble across something this awesome. After the act was over we continued on to Notre Dame. Wow, all I can say is “spectacular!” It’s the most incredible church we have been to so far. And it was the first church to allow us to take photographs inside. I included a few below, but you really can’t tell the scale of it’s beauty unless you are there. We even ended up just sitting in the seats for about a half hour enjoying how amazing it all was.

By this time we were getting tired and Andrew was a little worn out because he was feeling sick. We walked about halfway back and then decided it might be a good idea to try a water taxi or “Batobus.” It’s basically a hop-on hop-off boat service on the Seine. We got to see Paris from another angle and it was wonderful, although it was a little warm. Did I mention that it’s about 80 degrees here? Nice, but we didn’t know this when we left the house and we had our jackets with us. The Batobus dropped us at the Eiffel Tower which is close to our hotel and we headed back. On the way we noticed that none of the restaurants were open yet (it was about 5:00 p.m. at the time). When we got back in the room Andrew took a little nap while I asked the concierge to help us make reservations at a nice Michelin Guide-rated restaurant two blocks away from our hotel. We were in luck, they had some seats open. Our concierge is the best, I just have to say again. They will help you with ANYTHING and do it with a smile. We couldn’t ask for more. The restaurant is called “ETC…” and is a modern and seasonal take on classic French bistro food. Turns out it was a good choice because the food was out of this world! Just what I was hoping for in a French dining experience. We started out with the mushroom ravioli in a mushroom foam with a cheese crisp on top. Wow, so earthy and delicious. Then I had the cod with spicy sausage, spinach-stuffed squid, and white beans. Another home run. But I have to say that the best item all night was Andrew’s quail stuffed with fois gras and served alongside the best pureed sweet potatoes you could ever imagine. They were so fluffy and smooth. I have no idea how they got them that way but we were definitely impressed. And the perfectly-cooked (medium) quail literally melted in our mouths. We finished the whole meal off with a poached pear with homemade caramel, and sesame brittle. It was an amazing meal we’re not soon to forget. We are finishing the night off with a few episodes of Modern Family on the laptop so we can fall asleep and hopefully do some more sightseeing tomorrow. We are going to try to see the inside of the Louvre, but I’ve just found out that they may be closed tomorrow due to some labor strike. We will see and keep you posted. Au revior, Chelsie and Andrew

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