Myth Busters

Since my last post, Francisco and I have acquired 2 live-in nannies (My parents): “The Stacker” or "the Captain" (Pat) and “The Cather” (Cathy) have arrived! The two got here yesterday and I was a little worried about them being jet-lagged. To help them get adjusted to the new time difference, I made them meals according to Amsterdam’s time zone, I only allowed them to take short naps throughout the day, and I told them they should cuddle up with Ronan and get to bed shortly after they put him down. That’s right, "shortly after they put him down." Woo hoo! Francisco and I were out the door and headed straight to my favourite cafe, “Thuys” with Justin Timberlake on repeat.      

Today, my parents, Ronan and I walked around the city. I don’t know if it was the canals, the laid back people, or the cheese and sausages, but my dad was immediately in love with Amsterdam. I was also impressed with how quickly he adapted to “Euro Style”: He is currently wearing soccer shoes, a scarf and has rolled his jeans up. He had heard there were a lot of pickpocketers in Amsterdam, so he decided he would conduct his own “Myth Buster" Experiment: He hit all of the tourist hot-spots  (Dam Square, Old Amsterdam, Spui Square, The Amsterdam Museum, 9 Straatjes, The Anne Frank Museum and Jordan) with a giant wallet in his back pocket filled with a stack of Canadian Tire bills and old hotel room keys (Which he hoped the pickpocketers would think were credit cards). I think he might be the first person to be disappointed by not being robbed, but the experience seems to have increased (if possible) his love for this city.

Photo Credit: Patrick Walton; graduate of Durham College Photography  101

Photo Credit: Patrick Walton; graduate of Durham College Photography  101

I reminded my dad that tomorrow, we are headed to Brussels, Belgium and he could continue his pickpocket experiment there. His spirits were immediately lifted and he seems very excited for an Amsterdam vs. Brussels challenge. I will be sure to post the results.

Kapsalons & Rollende Keukens

The sausages I mentioned in my last post went over well, Ronan made it through another yoga class and I've found 2 new things to add to my I.A.A List (Ideas from Amsterdam to Adopt):  

11. Hair Spas- Last night, I went to Salon B to get my hair cut and it may have been the best experience of my life. Salon B was more like a hair spa than a salon: Coffee, tea and biscuits are served throughout your appointment, there is a lounge for you to wait in while your hair colour sets, and they sure do take hair washing seriously. You can even pay to get a half hour relaxing head massage/wash!

12. Rollende Keukens (Rolling Kitchens): Francisco, Ronan and I just got back from the 6th annual Rolling Kitchens festival. Iamsterdam explains, "Mobile kitchens descend upon the [Westerpark] at the Westergasfabriek to create an enormous open air restaurant!" There is "Food to suit every appetite on the menu, with everything from fresh Italian pizza to sophisticated seafood dishes."  

After walking around and looking at all of the creatively decorated "kitchens on wheels," I made my pick: The Rolling "Rock" Kitchen. I appreciated that aside from wheeling in their kitchen, these clever cooks also took the time to cart in a stage so their patrons could enjoy some rock n' roll music while they ate. Genius.

"Diner" and "Stage" clearly marked to avoid any confusion

The Cream Cheese Brothers

Ronan is kind of a big deal around here, so we do things like celebrate 6 month birthdays for him.To start his big day off right, I took him to Vondelpark to meet Katharina and Marlene (Born one day before Ronan). On my way home, decided I'd pick up a candle and some desert (Yes, I realize this is weird and basically just an excuse to eat more chocolate and cheese). One problem: Ronan has been trying new foods and seemed to think the desert was something new for him to try. He took the, "It's my party, I can cry if I want to" approach after learning this was not the case. 

"Are you serious?"

The very next day, Ronan found his squealing voice and did the cutest thing: If I didn't give him my full and undivided attention for 1 second, he screamed his head off. Longest. Day. Ever. Luckily, screaming for my attention seems to be a thing of the past and is now something he does to kindly let me know I'm not getting the spoon to his mouth fast enough. 

For Amsterdam Visitors: Check out this amazing site: IamExpat 

There are listings of festivals, things to do, places to eat, maps and some great Amsterdam blogs. Enjoy!  

Koninginnedag (Queen's Day)

I’ve been impressed by so many things in this city, that I thought I’d better write some of them down. I’ve created a list of my favourite things about Amsterdam and, once it is complete, I will devise a transition plan to get these things happening on a more regular basis in Canada. Here is my working list so far (In no particular order):

1. Stroopwaffles: These should always be served with our coffees and teas.

#7: More Flowers

2. Mint Tea: This tea should be regularly served and promoted at every cafe, Tim Hortons and Starbucks.

3. Minimal Makeup: This sure makes getting ready in the morning much easier.

4. Bike Hair: Forget blow dryers and straighteners, just ride your bike!

5. Dutch Strength: It is not uncommon to see someone change a bike tire and then ride that semi-broken bike home with a kid, 5 bags of groceries, the old bike tire and a friend on it. Inspirational.

6. Charcuterie Boards: Meat and cheese for dinner= amazing!

7. More flowers: They are so pretty, let's plant more of them.

8. Bike Lanes: Don't think an explanation is needed here.

9. Jumping castles for the public on random street corners: Now, this may have just been for Queen’s Day, but it made me think, why not everyday?

10. Queen's Day: Let's celebrate Dutch Royalty once a year and take the day off of work to do so.

Yesterday was Queen’s Day and to describe it, I'll say that it just looked like the best day of absolutely everyone’s life. We got Ronan dressed in orange and he was ready to celebrate.We walked through Vondelpark where kids had set up markets all over the place. They were selling things like their parent’s furniture, clothes, toys, coffee, lemonade or cake. I particularly enjoyed the kids who got creative. Some performed plays, made up their own games, sang a song or played their guitar. My favourite were two brothers who spent the entire day dancing to Michael Jackson for donations (Below right).  

There was so much to see, do and buy; there were lots of people to talk to and lots of bikes in need of saving. Francisco basically became a local hero on this distinguished day: After someone got in their boat and accidentally tipped their unlocked bike over into a canal, Francisco raced over and pulled the bike out of the canal. To the bike's owner, it was a Queen's Day miracle! To top the day off with some more good news, I was also thrilled to swindle a local into selling me a brand new car seat for 5 Euros (I will conduct a safety test before its use). If all goes well, South Holland Road Trip, here we come! To celebrate my good deal, a salute to King Willem for this glorious day was obviously in order (Above right).

Local Hero Saves Bike