AMSTERDAM DAY TWO

We decided not to set our alarms super early since we knew that we needed rest after our early morning  wake-up and exploring the day before. We woke up around 9:30, quickly showered and headed out the door. We didn't have any plans or previous engagements to consider, so we just decided to start at the Bloemenmarkt (the Floating Flower Market) and work our way around from there.

First things, first-- Breakfast. 

No matter what research you do for your first trip to Amsterdam, you are going to find that every single piece of information you read is going to urge you to try the Dutch pancakes. Conformity is key here. Give into the majority. They know what they are talking about. 

James and I found a small cafe located in the heart of the Bloemenmarkt called Amarylles. I would recommend this cafe; great location, friendly staff and delicious food. While there are many different styles of Dutch Pancakes, I was most interested in trying the Poffertjes, which are small fluffy pancakes served with butter, syrup and powdered sugar. My only mistake was getting the order of 12 instead of the order of 24. They made me very, very happy. James got a delicious ham and cheese croissant and then we finished off breakfast with a slice of traditional Dutch Apple Pie.

After breakfast, we walked around the flower market. The people of Amsterdam are so lucky to have such beautiful flowers at their fingertips! It was disappointing not to be able to take some home with us.

I was still high from the amazing cheese sampler plate we got the night before, so we stopped into a few of the Dutch cheese shops along the way for free samples. Like that pun? Hehe!  I have never tasted such amazing cheese. These people really know what they are doing. 

I wish I had taken better pictures of the cheese, but I was too busy stuffing my face...

After enjoying our second breakfast, we moved towards the heart of Amsterdam to find our way to the canal tour that our iAmsterdam card included. I can't say that I was smitten with this experience. The captain (or pirate, I would say) was rude to me, and the boat was already full, so we didn't get good seats to look out or take any pictures. Plus there were raindrops all over the glass, so every picture I took, had water droplets all over it. It's called a squeegee. Ever hear of it?! It's the little things!

compilation of crappy architectural pictures from the canal tour

The canal tour was a nice way of learning a little bit about the city, and it was nice to get off our feet for 45 minutes, so I guess it was worth it. After making the rounds of the city by water, we went to check out the view from the Science Center Nemo. It was a little bit off the beaten path, but since we didn't have any plans we could just wander for hours.

The Science Museum is a children's museum that you have to pay for, but the viewing platform on top is owned by the city and is free. The time of day wasn't that good for taking pictures, but it was still nice for us to enjoy the peacefulness of being up and away.

At that point, we started to get hungry and wanted to relax and have a drink, so we headed back into the city to find a place to post up for a few.

On our search for food, we passed through a very unsuspecting Red Light District during daylight. You wouldn't even hardly notice it was the "sleazy" part of town...

We found a pub to get a snack and have a couple drinks. We enjoyed more cheese, wine and beer for a couple of hours and then decided to try to find a place to watch the Manchester United match on TV. With our bartenders referral, we set out to find Players, a pub back in the heart of Amsterdam that shows the games and has "expensive beers, but not too bad." James had an idea of where it was and thought he saw it earlier, so we headed that way.

Soooooo, "Players Pub" turned out to be "Teasers Club." There must have been something lost in translation because their 'Babes and Beer' slogan wasn't exactly what we I had in mind. It was basically the equivalent of a Hooters, but they also would randomly dance on tables (with their clothes on, don't worry!) It was actually kind of comical, and they were in fact showing the game, so we sat down and decided to deal with it for the time being. In our minds we thought that we would order some cheap draft beers, see the game and go away from it no harm no foul. Turns out, our pint and a half of Heinekens cost us over €14.00! WTF! AND, it's brewed in this city?!  Obviously we were irritated at this, but when this restaurant tried to make James pay to use the toilet, that was the last straw. James ripped me out of the place so fast... Luckily the game was over!

We were worn out from our second day of adventure, so the rest of the night was spent searching for the perfect french fry stand. So yum! Amsterdam has the best french fries! 

Check out:

AMSTERDAM DAY ONE

AMSTERDAM DAY THREE

SCENES FROM 27 BDAY

Food. Fun. Friends. Family. 

All the makings of a fabulous night! xo

me: birthday! birthday! birthday!  ::  james: make it stopppppp!

team  ::  lamb starter

frens

the al's: ali, alejandra & alexandra

hey ladiesss

allie, ali, kristen & val

expat life

three brits and  j

things start to get a little weird

WEEK TWENTY-THREE

Where do I even begin? This week was beyond amazing. The weather was GORGEOUS, and even though I didn't do that much actual sightseeing, I had a very active week full of fun, friends and memories that will last me a lifetime.

Let me start by bragging on my main squeeze for a bit...

James made a serious effort to make sure my twenty-seventh birthday was one for the books. Y'all, I basically got two whole weeks of Birthday Queen service! James handled the laundry, cooked AND cleaned the kitchen all while being very sweet, patient and loving to me. He, hands down, went above and beyond the call of duty. Did he need to treat me like a helpless child to make my birthday great? YES!  #helpmeimmarried No, but it certainly made me feel very special and I am so happy that we set this precedent in our relationship! wink!

Monday, I woke up with James and headed off to Oxford Street to do some camera shopping. Yes! I am getting a camera for my birthday! I know nothing about cameras, so I went to John Lewis to get information and try some out. Once I was sufficiently confused, I walked around Oxford for a bit and then worked my way back to the tube to head back to Islington. Monday was the only day it rained last week, but it was worth it because I was able to get some awesome shots of a double rainbow over Chapel Market.

 It was beautiful out on Tuesday, so Kristen met me in Islington to take Oliver for a walk around Highbury Islington fields. After our walk, we went over the Alwyne Castle and grabbed a drink and a snack before our Bachelor date. The special thing about this Bachelor date is... SOME OF THE BOYS CAME! James and Paul decided to grace us with their presence and join us for pizza. Paul even made us cookies from scratch!

Wednesday was my actual birthday, so I decided to pop into the Castle and enjoy a beverage on the rooftop terrace and catch some rays.

James came home at 5:00 PM (which was a super surprise) and he brought me some tulips. 

black like my soul. love them!

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a press launch of a new restaurant in Hoxton called Made in the Shade. I didn't have any set plans for my actual birthday, so the timing worked out perfectly!

When James and I got to the restaurant around 8:30, there was already a big crowd. We were greeted at the door by friendly staff who gave us our drink tickets and urged us to enjoy ourselves. Will do!

My first impression of the restaurant was that it reminded me of a speakeasy with the dim lighting and wooden bar. I thought it had a nice, laid-back feel. Though I am not particularly familiar with the renowned names behind this new establishment, I was impressed with the mixology and we both enjoyed our drinks thoroughly. Our favorite part was the huge ice cubes. They cut all their cubes from a huge block of ice, and it definitely adds a bit of sophistication to your drink! As for the canapes floating around, we didn't get that many, but what we did try was delicious! We loved the Caribbean twist! I would recommend checking this place out! Here's the website: http://mitshoxton.co.uk/

We had such a great time chatting with some Brits we met at our table that we stayed longer than we expected. Everything food-wise was closed, so we just grabbed a frozen pizza from Sainsbury's and called it a night.

AHH! THE WEEKEND!

A bunch of us girls had plans to check out this London club for an upcoming hen do, or as Americans say, a bachelorette party. My friend did as most Londoners do and organized the night through a club promoter. Everything was in order-- name on list, free entry before 11PM, table for six and free drinks throughout the night. Sounds nice right?! Think again.

 NAME AND SHAME TIME!! 

BEWARE OF PAUL, A CLUB PROMOTER AT NO. 5 CAVENDISH! HE WILL TELL YOU ANYTHING JUST TO GET YOU THROUGH THE DOOR! DON'T GIVE THIS PLACE YOUR MONEY!

Paul totally misled us. He promised our group of seven free entry before 11PM, a table and free drinks all night. What we actually got was us waiting in line for an hour (in heels), paying cover, being forced to pay to check our coats, no table, shitty drinks and poor service.

I left within twenty minutes of being there. It wasn't my scene. It was a very immature crowd, but I left mainly  due to the fact that Paul blatantly misrepresented this club. I thought the whole point of a club promoter was to PROMOTE the club, not make up lies just to get people in the door and take their money. It was an absolute SHIT night. I will never go back, and my friend is not using their club for her friend's hen-do. Needless to say, the highlight of my night was ending up at McDonalds.

Saturday morning, James went out and got us coffees, breakfast, and some snacks for the day. We stayed in watching football and working on our computers. We just wanted to relax before heading out to Modern Pantry for my birthday dinner.

Dinner was at 8:30PM and we had a wonderful time. The food was delicious and it was nice to catch up with everyone over our three hour! dinner. We went over to the Giant Robot for some drinks until about 1 AM and then headed over for some late-night pizza and games at Ali and Paul's to finish off the night. We stayed out wayyyyyyy later than we should have, but it was worth it!

James and I went to Sunday brunch at the Breakfast Club in Islington. The weather was the best that I have seen in London and the streets were flooded with people out and about. Living in London teaches you to appreciate the sun, so when the sun comes out, so do the Londoners!  Brunch was delicious and we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sunlight. 

After brunch, I met up with Kristen in Chelsea. We walked around a bunch and found a couple places to sit and have a drink. I experienced my first Pimm's and I loved it! Definitely a spring/summer refreshing drink!

Once the sun went down, we met up with James for an easy dinner at Nandos and finished up the evening with a bit of Snog (frozen yogurt). Perfect end to a wonderful week.

Bye, bye Birthday Week! See you next year!