Day Trips and the Jordaan, Feb 15-16 2018

The next day was forecasted to be overcast and rain, so we figured it would be a perfect day to take a day trip into Waterland along the coast and North of Amsterdam. It was a very convenient walk to Centraal station to catch a bus, but first we stopped by our new favorite hot chocolate shop where I got one with cinnamon and Kat picked Irish cream. We stopped by the information desk to straighten us out when we couldn't determine where to buy our bus tickets. He gave us vague directions to the opposite side of the station, where we eventually found the desk to buy our all day bus tickets to Edam, Volendam, and Marken.

Our first stop was in Edam, a town known for producing delicious cheeses. It was a charming place that reminded me of Cesky Krumlov with its narrow lanes and bridges connecting the main square with the rest of the town. We took in the sites it had to offer including a church with herons nesting nearby and the quaint cheese shops but unfortunately we missed the open air cheese market which typically happens on Fridays. We stopped at the Hotel de Fortuna & Restaurant for lunch where I had a ham and cheese sandwich and Kat ordered the lunch special which included a selection of small sandwiches and a mustard soup, which turned out to have little bits of salmon in it that she fished out and fed to me.

After lunch we hopped back on the bus to our next stop, Volendam, a seaside town with a touristy waterfront district. The museum was closed during our visit but we enjoyed a short stroll along the waterfront and sampled a waffle and stroopwafel while we awaited the ferry to Marken.

It was about a half hour ferry ride across the sea to the island fishing village of Marken. There wasn't much to see there, but we opted to take the long walk out to a lighthouse on a narrow strip of land. The countryside along the way was very picturesque and we passed by a huge flock of ducks or geese along the way. Unfortunately we couldn't get all the way out to the lighthouse since it was private property but we got as close as we could and I took a few pictures.

On the walk back we passed by the birds again and suddenly they decided to launch into the air. I was dumbstruck by the magical moment even if part of me was worried they would poop on my head. We completed our walk back to the Marken bus station and then took the bus back to Amsterdam Centraal Station.

I was getting tired from our full day and long walk by the time we got back to Amsterdam so we opted to head straight to dinner before turning in for the night. We chose Cafe Restaurant de Reiger in the Jordaan neighborhood, a suggestion from the Rick Steves guide. Kat had just mentioned that she was missing our cats back home so it was kismet when we arrived and there was a cat lounging in the window. We grabbed a seat nearby and the owners introduced us to their cat, Binky, who they said had been missing for the last couple weeks and had recently returned. He seemed very calm and comfortable so Kat got a chance to pet him while we waited for our dinners. We shared some onion soup and I ordered Dutch mussels and fries while Kat had some pesto rotolo with purple carrots with wine. Everything was great.

We returned to the room and turned in early that night. Unfortunately we had some noisy neighbors that night with a child that seemed to scream at random intervals which interrupted our rest. They woke us up again early in the morning as they left their room. It sounded like at least 8 people speaking Chinese at once with no concept of volume control.

By the next morning it was time to checkout from our room at the Ibis and find our B&B. Since we had our heavy packs with us I was focused on finding our room while Kat kept wanting to stop and look at things along the way. Sometimes on these trips I have to remind myself to stop and enjoy the scenery rather than being focused on the next destination. Thankfully it wasn't too long of a hike to Herengracht 21, our B&B for the next couple days.

The entrance to the place was sub-grade and I had some difficulty figuring out how to get inside since the door was locked and the buzzer wasn't labeled correctly. Our host spotted us, thankfully, and let us in. Contrasting with the Ibis hotel, Herengracht 21 was simply dripping with charm. A spiraling staircase took us up to a cute apartment with a roomy sitting room and another stairway led to a loft with a bedroom and tiny bathroom and shower hidden behind closet doors. I was pleased to see it had a heated drying rack so we could do some laundry during our stay.

We dropped off our bags, paid for the room, and then headed back out to find some dutch pancakes. Our first option turned out to be too busy so we headed around the corner to place run by some Indian immigrants, which turned out to be just as tasty.  Next we backtracked to Dam Square to began another one of Rick Steves' audio tours focusing on the Jordaan neighborhood.

The tour led us back to the Jordaan, through Big Head Square, past Westerkerk, and by the very busy Anne Frank House, which still didn't have any tickets available to us. We stopped long enough for me to try a raw herring treat, smothered in onions and pickles. Kat opted for some fries instead. Soon we finished our tour and decided to stop by a grocery store to pick up a few beers, some wine, a cheese plate, and some milk for hot chocolate back at the apartment. We took a break at the room and shared a couple beers, ate some cheese, and watched some figure skating. The beers were surprisingly strong!