Pictures from Amsterdam

Had a relaxing break in Amsterdam just recently. Not too much to report, it was a lot of walking, drinking, chilling out. I can categorically state I did nothing illegal - but you know that doesn't mean anything in the Netherlands..

It was fun coming back...i got all excited hearing the stilted dutch accent at the airport, the blue and and white 'Albert Heijn' signs dotted around the city, the aisles of stroopwafels and koekjes, the slicked back long hair, shirts, jeans combos..

The weather was pretty good to us despite bbc telling me it would p*ss it down all weekend long.

Amongst the recommendations was this place called Pancakes! (no prizes for guessing what they sold) - we went there both mornings and I picked these gems:

Palermo Ham, Camembert Cheese and Raspberry Sauce pancake"3 in the pan" - raisin and sultana mini pancakes, strawberry sauce

Must admit they were both delicious. It was the sauce that made the first pancake work - the cheese was incredibly heavy so i wouldnt have been able to stomach the whole thing if the sweetness didnt balance it out. I highly recommend it, its on Berenstraat and you can check out their menu on http://www.pancakesamsterdam.nl/.
I'm obviously rather biased having spent a lot more time in Rotterdam, i just have more affection for the place - Amsterdam is much more pleasing to the eye, and its a great city to go walk along the side streets - the Jordaan district, as many people have said before is especially charming.

There's apparently around 90 islands that make up Amsterdam.. its hard to imagine that, even though you see canels run through every other street.

Of course, the red light district is somewhere you just have to walk through... it was still the afternoon once we got there, and there wasn't really much incentive to go back there in the evening! Remarkably some of those girls worked daytimes too - by working, i mean gazing aimlessly and half heartedly through the windows, leaning on a pole, in their underwear. The above sign was quite amusing to me, only cos i don't know what a 'writing show' is...


I also took in a visit to the Anne Frank House - a few people have told me its small, its nothing special, but I actually really enjoyed it (in the most sombre sense of course) - i thought it was fascinating to walk through the same corridors, through the secret annexe, and step silently on the same floorboards as the individuals who hid here all that time ago. I loved how they kept the place as real as it was before, even though they had to tourist it up a bit. The posters Anne put up to cheery up her room, the pencil marks on the wall to mark the children's growth..so real, and yet surreal. It had more of an effect on me than it might have, since I had been to Auschswitz and witnessed exactly where they were heading when they were betrayed (and no one has discovered who betrayed them). I was a bit naughty and took a pic of Anne's original diary which was kept in the last room - a simple square book with perfectly scripted handwriting.

I'm still about 3 holidays behind in terms of blogging.. really crap cos now i cant remember them! I shall have to try..