Skip to main content

Hamster Jams do Amsterdam

 


Here we are having our first full day out together.  In our namesake place, Amsterdam.

We had a brilliant day out and about - walking to the train from our little cabin after a delicious breakfast from the local grocer that Mike pedalled to. 

Our little cabin

Walking to the train station

Breakfast in our little blue cabin


We jumped the train and in 15 minutes were back in Amsterdam Centrale, which we now knew intimately.

We had an early lunch then headed for a good wander to check out the canals, the architecture, the comic book shop, the chocolate shop, a couple of stroopwafel places, and the frites shop.  YUMMMMM.  What a great city.  Heaps of people.  Even more bikes (we stopped in to see the amazing new underwater bike storage facility at Amsterdam Centrale).  Great comfort food - frites and stroopwafel.  And a pretty happening vibe.  

One bizarre note for the day was how there are a few food places here that only sell one thing - and people line up for it.  Like, for ages.  Roses and I stood on one of the stroopfwafel queues, and it was pretty damn good, Cody and Mike stood on the frites queue, and they were pretty damn some of the best frites I've ever eaten (with a heap of sauces to choose from), but there was one queue that was so long we had to go and find out what was going on.  It was a cookie shop.  It sold only one type of cookie, and each customer has a limit of 8 cookies per day.  Bizarre.  The queue ran two lengths of the alleyway.  I think I need to take my baking more seriously.


Cody eating a YUM chocolate from the divine chocolate shop we visited

This Stroopwafel shop has been here since 1907


It was pretty good


Cody with his frites with Belgian Mayonnaise

So many decisions!



This sign (above) for these cookies (below)...



And there were tulips in the shops

And tulips on the walk to the station outside someone's house

And of course there's Amsterdam in all her (cold and wet) glory...








And then we jumped the train home, walked back from the station, Mike played with the bikes, I wrote blog thingies, Cody slept a bit, and Roses watched stuff.  



Life is good in Hamster Jam world.



















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sometimes the Plan Doesn't Come Together

  That's what I had for lunch in the local town.  And Mike's now famous "old cheese roll" is hidden there at the back.  We have had hours of fun and laughter about Mike's lunch.  It was shit. And so was mine.  Cody's was ok.  And there was no food for Roses.  But never fear - a visit to the supermarket (that included lollies, chocolate, chips, Fanta, and pancake mix - both gf and normal) made everything better! Let me go back a step.   We woke up to pouring rain this morning, and then our we-plan-as-we-go fell a bit to pieces today.  We tried to find a trekking hut or cabin for the tonight about 25km south, but it's the long weekend here, and nothing was available.  Luckily, the nice people here in our palace let us stay here again tonight - so we had a day of washing clothes, shopping, watching movies, laughing, eating - and I made another spag bol for dinner.  YUM YUM.   We have a new plan for tomorrow and a trekkin...
1 comment
Read more

WE FREAKING DID IT - 686km in 22 Days!!!

  Well, sportsfans, we did it.  We actually did it.  From Amsterdam to Villers Allerand - 686km in 22 days.  So much laughter, so many crazy moments, so many great places to stay, so many terrible places to stay!  Such amazing food.  So many funny moments.  So many swearing moments.  Rain, hail, snow, sun, freezing temperatures, very cold cabins, cobblestones, mud, water, grass, lots of fields, AMAZING SCENERY, INCREDIBLE CHEESES, and a shitload of FUN!!!! It's hard not to get philosophical, but that could get really boring, so instead, here are some pics and moments from our last day on the bike - 48 crazy km, including the longest 2km of our whole trip - the last 2km, on the "country" track between the champagne vines coming into Villers - it took us over an hour to get through it!  INSANE ending to and INSANE TRIP!  Our final breakfast - feeling happy and sad at the same time Bikes packed and ready to go for the final hurrah! Final mo...
1 comment
Read more