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An Anniversary and A Dutch Treat
M and I just came back from two weeks in The Netherlands, celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary.
We returned, for the first time since 1993, to the place we had our honeymoon.
Part One: Amsterdam
Amsterdam's floating flower market on the Singel canal.
After window shopping on the Bloor Street (or Fifth Avenue) of Amsterdam, P.C. Hoofstraat, we took a break here.
Our room in the Pulitzer Hotel overlooked a canal and the glass-ceilinged tour boats.
On the one rainy day, we had tea in the lobby of this stunning, newly renovated hotel. The Conservatorium was a 19th-century music conservatory. Two buildings are joined by this atrium.
Tomorrow I'll continue our tour with a look at Scheveningen, on the North Sea....
Tot ziens!
Wow, that's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt's incredible. We were thrilled to go back. Although some of the things we remembered were gone, its charm is still there. No wonder it's overrun with tourists!
DeleteWow, wonderful pictures (and commentary). How cool that you got to do this! Happy anniversary to you both :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Robin! We're still on our honeymoon. <3
DeleteHappy Anniversary! High romance for the perpetual lovebirds :).
ReplyDeleteHappy Anniversary! High romance for the perpetual lovebirds :).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jama! :-)
DeleteThanks for taking us along. I wonder how different it was form the same place on your honeymoon... But that's another post all together.
ReplyDeleteM and I first went to Amsterdam together in 1985, then in 1991, and on our honeymoon in 1993. On the first three trips we went to a few great Thai and Chinese restaurants which had disappeared by 2013. Also our favourite pen store is gone. (Don't worry; we found a new one!)
DeleteAlthough Amsterdam was popular, we don't remember it being so crowded--not just at the tourist sites such as the Anne Frank House where you'd expect lineups, but on the cobblestoned sidewalks.
Traffic is much worse. The drivers are courteous, but watch out for those cyclists!
I was amazed at the Dutch women who routinely wore high heels on those cobblestones! I switched to my comfy sneakers after the first day and was much happier when walking around.
The shoe-switch was smart... Some things do change, but the city stands.
DeleteWow, Barb, what a wonderful adventure! My ankle twisted just reading about the cobblestones.
ReplyDeleteJust walking to and from our room was a workout: 29 stairs in one direction. I think the Dutch make up for their lack of hills by substituting super-steep stairs.
DeleteFunny, the cobblestones and the stairs didn't bother us much twenty years ago... ;-)