Catch up & Final Thoughts!

I did not have time to spare in Amsterdam. There was always something to do – or a nap to take! This recaps our time there.

We had two & a half days alone in Amsterdam. Upon arrival Wednesday, we took care of some ‘housekeeping’....laundry, grocery shopping, and paperwork.

Thursday, my agenda included several new stores I had read about. I wanted to see the new Starbucks Concept store at Rembrandtplein. It had only been open a week & is built inside an old bank building. I thought it would be interesting to see a unique spin on something I know so well. The new ‘Holland’ Starbucks mug (to go along with the other 3 or 4 in different styles from Holland) is very cool. My new favorite. A big negative for a Starbucks – their WIFI was not working. Kind of a big thing at a Starbucks.
From Starbucks we went to another new store – the Apple Store at Leidesplein. Nothing unusual about it, just had to see it.
The ‘Americana’ tour continued with lunch at the Hard Rock & a stop at Ben & Jerry’s (surprisingly the weather was warm enough for an ice cream cone).

On Friday, we managed to drag ourselves out of the apartment around the crack of mid afternoon. We took a brief walk & then I went to the grocery store. I made a decent dinner of tacos & Allen joined us so we could catch up on his life. It also meant my early bedtime intentions were just that. Oh well…



Early Saturday morning, two beeps from the taxi announced the arrival of Ramzi & Livia. After their initial shock at the stairs, they headed up.....carefully. I will say a few days into these stairs, they are handling them like pros! A little coffee & they were good to go. Destination for Saturday....the ‘I.V.M.’ Market, our favorite farmer's market.
Some wandering......a little of this, a lot of that, some more of the other & we had two bags of goodies filled.
Back at the apartment - music on, eggs cooked, fresh mushrooms sautéed, coffee brewed & all the wonderful goodies spread out. Meats, cheeses, smoked salmon, olives, breads.....our favorite tradition in Amsterdam. Allen, Bruce & Eelco joined us, as we were hoping. We had a great time!
After eating, Ramzi & Livia finally gave in to sleep. By mid afternoon when the dishes were cleaned up & the last of the food was put away, I felt like I had jet lag too. A brief nap helped everything.
Back out to the store to stock up on Amstel & wine....& that could only mean one thing. The arrival of our two favorite people in the world....direct from Detroit...our guys! Having anxiously followed their travels as they left DFW & headed to Detroit, we we're thrilled to get a text saying they were 'on' the flight.

Another early morning Sunday as we jumped up to look at the street every few minutes, excited to see them. A few minutes later than anticipated, there they were at the door! It seems those canals all look alike & when you have had no sleep, you get turned around easily. But they made it!
We pulled out the leftover goodies from the IVM, made some coffee & eggs & visited for a while. Then, they too had to sleep.

Leaving Sean & Brian behind, we headed out with the now refreshed Ramzi & Livia to the Spui Straat art market, our Sunday tradition. Unfortunately it was windy & a little rainy. Several vendors were displaying their wares, despite the weather. A fun tradition for us, we rarely buy but love to admire. Coffee at a nearby cafe warmed us up & got us reenergized. We wandered up Kaalverstraat, through the Dam Square & then back to the apartment. With rain still threatening & Sean & Brian still trying to recover from jet lag, I made an executive decision to stay in for the night. Livia & I walked to the market & I got enough food to feed anyone who wanted to eat.

I had read about the Westergasfabriek Markt...... a once a month farmer's market in nearby Westerpark. Initially we thought we would not be here the 'right' week. It turned out our timing was perfect. With everyone else otherwise occupied, Bob & I wandered up there late Sunday afternoon. The Westerpark was all lit up with a carnival...rides, games & food. I resisted a carnival favorite of mine, ‘suikerspin’ (cotton candy).
Inside a large warehouse space we found an eclectic variety of stalls. Wine, cheese, sausages, pancakes, tomato basil soup, music in one corner, an espresso ‘bus’ (‘follow us on Twitter…’) in another.
A glass of wine, a small cup of soup & some wandering made for a great time. In the end, we purchased a reusable shopping bag & some sausages that looked interesting.

Our group reconvened for dinner – 7 of us for a dinner of beef stroganoff. The sausages from the market, along with bread & cheese made a nice appetizer. The guys played cards before giving in to their jet lag again.

Monday morning the sun was shining, everyone was well rested & it was time to play. We walked Ramzi & Livia to the canal boats. Their ‘To Do’ list in hand, they set off to enjoy their day.
The four of us wandered the city, revisiting sites we have all seen before….the Beginjnhof, Vondel Park & a stop for Vlaamse frites. We sat at the new Starbucks. Bob & I loved hanging out with the guys & chatting. Good times, for sure.
Dinner Monday night found all 6 of us at a restaurant very close o the apartment, Donna Soffia. We had a nice Italian meal followed by dessert & a visit from Allen once we got home. A very late bedtime this night as ‘the boys’ decided to play cards again. I am not a card player but how could I not hang out enjoying every minute I could with all of ‘my guys’ together.

On Tuesday, Bob, Sean & Brian were able to revisit a long standing tradition of airplane watching. They headed to Schipol Airport for their adventure.
My adventure was to Jumbo (the supermarket…in former blogs referred to by it’s previous name ‘Super De Boer’) to get ingredients for Paella. I figured it would be interesting trying to find the specialty ingredients with Dutch labels for a new recipe. It turned out to be more difficult to lug the two very large shopping bags back to the apartment & up the stairs. With some help from one of Jumbo’s employees who was interested in what I was preparing, I was able to get everything I needed. After unloading the groceries, I set off again to meet the guys at Sara’s. Our timing was off & after waiting awhile I gave up on them & headed home.
Dinner was a big success. I see various iterations of paella being served in the near future at our house.

Wednesday we tried again to take everyone to Sara’s for breakfast. This time, a painting was being done to the outside of her building & she was gesloten. We found out later she opened shortly after we were there. Instead of Sara’s we headed for the Dam Square & the Niewkerk café for breakfast (it was very good but ssshhhh….dont tell Sara!).
Ramzi & Livia headed for the museums after purchasing tickets to the Keukenhof Gardens for the next day. Again, the four of us just wandered – through the Floating Flower Market, into some junk stores & eventually back to the apartment.
Sean & Brian took off for an afternoon of beer & more wandering. Dinner on Wednesday was at one of our favorites in the neighborhood. A Thai restaurant called Kinnaree.
It was also the last night the guys had in Amsterdam.
Brian & I stopped after dinner for beer & ice cream. I don’t know that anyone drank beer while eating ice cream – but I can’t be certain. Another late night round of cards with Allen. This time, I gave up way before everyone else & headed to bed.
Thursday morning arrived all too soon. At 7:00 a.m., the guys were out the door & headed to Central Station. We had such a great time with them. What can you say about grown kids who will still come hang out with their parents? WOW!
Via text we heard that Sean & Bri were on their plane. What we did not hear until much later is how close they came to not making it to the airport.
We had an inkling that ‘something’ was up when Bob & I arrived at Central Station to take a train to Zandvoort (the beach). The CRT’s were not displaying anything, there seemed to be a lot of policemen wandering around & a TV station van was outside. We found out there was a switching problem on the tracks earlier in the day & for several hours no trains ran. That left the guys scrambling for a quick trip to the airport via taxi. They were able to get there ‘just in time’, but they made it.
Unaware of the fun the guys were having, Ramzi & Livia set out for the opening day of the Keukenhof Gardens & we headed for Zandvoort. We got on the first train & realized we were on the wrong train. A switch of trains & we were on our way.
Zandvoort is a fairly recent discovery of ours. The train station is a short walk to the beach. As we did last fall, we sat at a restaurant on the beach. It was a wonderful ‘ahhhh’ moment. The fresh air, the water, the sun, a glass of wine & some snacks. Wilson also enjoyed himself very much! After snacks we took a nice walk on the beach. Perfect day!

Friday, we headed to Edam with Ramzi & Livia., We love this charming little town. You feel like you are hours away from the hustle & bustle of Amsterdam. In reality you are just a 30 minute bus ride from the Central Station. It was a beautiful day & we had a very nice lunch followed by a leisurely stroll around the town. We also realized our trip was ending, very quickly.

We stopped at Sara’s to say goodbye, walked up to Mr. Happy’s Delft shop (I really think he has another name…but you can probably figure out why we call him this name) to buy some more tiles for the dining room wall. Surprisingly, Mr. Happy even spoke, commenting on the beautiful weather. It was the most he has ever said to us!

Friday was our night to get organized & pack. A 9:45 cab afforded us some leisure time on Saturday morning but not too much.
All too soon, we had to say good bye to Allen, Eelco, Bruce, Sara, Mr. Happy, Harriet the Heron, The ladies at Jumbo, my favorite drugstore, Etos, Mr. Skirt at the IVM & all of our other Amsterdam ‘friends’.
We left Ramzi & Livia with another long ‘to do’ list for their last day & headed to the airport.

Back in Madrid for one night, we could not resist the draw of Plaza Mayor. The number of people on the streets of Madrid, day & night is almost overwhelming.
For the final night of this wonderful trip, we started at Mercado San Miguel (a tapas for me of caviar, soft cheese & bread, a croquette for Bob).
We headed back to Cantina La Traviesa for Paella. Just as we expected, we had the same wonderful welcome from the ‘crew’. Even with our little Spanish & their little English we had a wonderful time. We finished our dinner with shots of grappa crema & lots of hugs & kisses all around. Fantastic!

Sunday we made our way to the airport & our flight home. We had an uneventful flight & Brian & Jessie’s smiling faces to greet us at DFW.

We had an amazing time in Spain. I cannot wait to go back & explore it some more. The people, the weather, the food, the architecture…..amazing. And, as always, our 2nd home, Amsterdam awaited us with open arms. I love being in that city. I love wandering, sitting looking at the canals, walking through the park, just being there.

And now it is spring in Texas. The yards have turned a gorgeous shade of green. There are flowers blooming, weeds growing & plenty of work to keep us busy! For the next few months, I will be in the yard every opportunity I get!