Two Years Ago Today.....A Visit to Amsterdam, the Netherlands!

                                               
Two years ago today, my husband and I flew to Europe for the first time. We traveled to Amsterdam and stayed for a little over a week. Eight days of sightseeing, going to Museum's ( The van Gogh Museum is really something else!), staring up at old churches and hearing the bells ring, exploring city squares on all that lovely cobblestone, hearing the little ding of bicycles passing me. I even liked the sound of the police sirens there. What can I say, its so different from home! But what I loved was the food.  Dutch chocolate, cheese, apple pie, fries dipped in mayo while standing in the street looking at the sweet European buildings, huge pancakes in pancake cafes, super strong espresso. Pretty much all my favorites, chocolate, cheese and coffee. What's not to like? Amsterdam is a beautiful city and the look and feel is very old world. Enjoy my photos as I relive one of my fav trips of all time!

                            
                         Yes, the buildings are pretty cool and look like they could collapse!

                                                    
                                                     My very first Holland Windmill.

Bikes are a huge part of the Dutch culture. Residents don't drive as much as they do in the States. Just lots and lots of bikes! Plus the transit system is wonderful too. Canals run through the whole city. Lovely to look at!

                                                           

                                                                                   

                                                   
                                            One of the gorgeous old churches we saw.

                                                 

                                                      
                                                 The Staircase at the Bible Museum.

                                                     
                                                    It even snowed while we were there!

Now let's talk about the good stuff, the food. One of the reasons why people even travel. To get tasty things you might not find at home. I will start with my favorite food of all- Chocolate!

                             
 Dutch Hot Chocolate. Dutch chocolate is less acidic and has a milder flavor. Super smooth and good.  Especially because it snowed the day I drank this so it hit the spot.

                                                           
                                                    Belgian Chocolates from Leonidas.

        
 A Liege Waffle. A Belgian waffle from the Liege region. Covered in chocolate, this tasted like so good!

     
 Dutch Chocolates from Puccini bomboni- makers of the Dutch original bomboni. Simply the best chocolate from the whole trip. From left- Rhubarb, Caramel and Amaretto.

Next is the cheese:

               The Netherlands is known for its Gouda Cheese. We tried some at Natuurlijke Reypenaer. The flavor is dense and smoky and this cheese shop has been making Gouda for over a hundred years.

                                                   
                                                      A cheese display in a shop window.


Time for pictures of more dessert.

                                 
                                    Dutch Apple Pie served with ice cream and whipped cream.

             
             These are called Poffertjes. Small mini pancakes covered in powdered sugar and butter.

                                            
                                            Amsterdam is famous for its apple pastries.

                             
 A Stroopwafel. A delicious cookie with two layers caramel in the middle. Brought some home with me, but I ate them on the plane home. Who could resist?

Yeah, our first meal in Amsterdam, Pannenkoeken from a Pancake Cafe. Huge pancakes with anything you want on top. We both got apples and ham on ours. 

Now that I have covered the main food groups, I will show you the other foods we tried on our trip.

Toasties: A neat name for a sandwich, you will find these all over Amsterdam. A fancy way to serve a sandwich I thought.

Check out this pizza from the cafeteria at the van Gogh museum. We split this because it was so big.

Vlamese Fries. Can you say yum? Who doesn't love fries? Add some sweetened mayo and you have a delicious snack for a cold winter day in Amsterdam. 

                  
                A bratwurst with a snap to it! The perfect lunch paired with a salad with goat cheese.


I hope you have enjoyed seeing my photos from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Hope I got your interest going and have made you hungry.  There is nothing like travel to find some of the tastiest things! We absolutely loved Amsterdam and wouldn't mind returning some day. I could sure eat more of that Dutch Chocolate!