Sarah had a two week work trip to Amsterdam and London in the Spring of 2017 and I tagged along. I spent the week in Amsterdam site-seeing and the week in London working from my company's office while Sarah worked from her company's office. It was a great trip with minimum vacation time impact.
It was a long, direct flight from San Francisco to London today and it arrived an hour early leaving me with a long wait for my connection to Amsterdam in an under-construction terminal at Heathrow. But otherwise my travel was uneventful. The connecting flight was great and Amsterdam's reliable public transit got me to my hotel quickly.
Sarah arrives tomorrow so for tonight I'm on my own and staying at "Pension Homeland" which is a hotel/restaurant/brewery that is located on a former naval base. It's cheap and accessible to the city and very nice. After arriving I had a shower, rested a bit, and then went out to the city to wander around. I didn't do anything in particular, just acquainted myself with the city and worked to keep myself awake until a more appropriate bedtime. Amsterdam is gorgeous so the latter task was pretty easy.
For dinner I returned to my hotel to eat at the restaurant and to sample their beer. I had a fantastic piece of whitefish with Israeli couscous, clams, chives, and tomatoes all swimming in a delicious butter sauce (possibly composed entirely of melted butter). For beer I tried an excellent sour and their flagship beer, a spelt ale. Both were quite good. After dinner I did some nighttime wandering then returned to the hotel and collapsed into bed.
Tulips in the hotel gardens
Naval museum
Awesome lift bridge
Canal
Canal
Central Station
Bicycle parking
Dinner!
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2017-04-17
I slept like a log last night and then got up early this morning for breakfast at my hotel. It was a pretty standard European-hotel-style breakfast with breads, yogurt, granola, meat, cheese, a hard-boiled egg, juice and coffee. Super tasty.
As I finished breakfast Sarah arrived from the airport and I took her up to my room so she could shower and rest a bit before I had to check out. Then we transferred to the hotel we'll be staying in for the rest of the week. Our room wasn't ready yet so we stashed our bags and went for a walk. We're located in Rembrandtplein, a major square in central Amsterdam so we're super close to lots of fun stuff and we have easy access to public transit.
Our first stop was the Bloemenmarkt, a huge flower market selling bulbs of all kinds. It's a pretty touristy area but it was fun to see the enormous variety available. Next we headed up to Albert Cuyp Market to get fresh stroopwafels, but unfortunately it was closed for Easter Monday. So we wandered around until we found a cafe for lunch and then walked to a fancy cheese shop to pick up some super old Gouda to bring home (apparently it's good for a month without refrigeration).
Back at the hotel we got checked in and had a bit of a rest in the room. Then we headed back out to check the line length at the Anne Frank museum. The lines for people without advance tickets are legendary and unfortunately we were too late to get tickets for this week. The line was enormous as expected so instead we wandered over to "Proeflokaal Arendsnest," a craft beer bar specializing in Dutch beer (they have 52 taps!). I had a special-edition doppelbok from Jopen and a crazy whiskey-barrel-aged lime-coconut imperial stout from Morebeer. Both were great!
For dinner we went to Hummus Bistro for delicious middle-eastern food (we think it was primarily Israeli). It reminded us a bit of Oren's in Palo Alto. Then we headed over to Winkel for legitimate Dutch Apple Pie. The pastry is more like cake, and the quantity of apples is enormous. Sarah also had a mint tea, which was just hot water with mint leaves in it, and she loved the simplicity and warmth at the end of a very long day. The pie was epic too!
After pie we returned to the hotel for some much needed sleep. We both love Amsterdam so far though!!
Canals of Amsterdam
Lift bridges
Lift bridges!!
Boats under lift bridges
In Rembrandtplein
At Bloemenmarkt
At Bloemenmarkt
Melted Gouda on bread...happiness
The back of Bloemenmarkt
Lunch!
Lunch!
A heron on a car!
Tulips on a bridge
Beer!
Amsterdam (non-canal) street at dusk
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2017-04-18
Today was our one day to see the city together before Sarah has to start her work at the conference. So we got up early and had a nice breakfast at a local cafe. There was a really cute cat inside that had its own special spot on top of one of the tables. They had cut a hole in the table top, replaced it with a piece of steel and positioned the table over a heater. Kitty hot plate!
After breakfast we went to the museum district. It was an easy tram ride from the restaurant but we stepped off into a freak hail storm! We quickly sought shelter in a grocery store along side a group of young protesters.
Like the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh museum is one of those spots that it's best to book tickets in advance for, but again we had not done so. We confirmed that the line was too long to wait in and went to the amazing Rijksmuseum instead. It's a huge general art and history museum in a gorgeous building. We especially enjoyed the old ship models, all between 150 and 300 years old, used to help design and build real ships and train their crews.
After the museum we went to Foodhallen, a giant cafeteria-style food hall, for lunch and beers. We followed this up with a walk through Vondelpark, a huge urban park with lots of ponds and rivers and cyclists. We took a bit of a nap on a bench in the rose gardens and then hopped on a tram to the conference centre to get Sarah registered.
For dinner the Internet told us there was excellent Mexican food down the street from our hotel so we thought we'd check it out. It turned out to be a restaurant started by some people from California who missed Mexican food after moving to the Netherlands. The funny part is that they totally ripped off Chipotle. It's basically identical in terms of serving style, food options, and even how you order. The food was great though!
After dinner we stopped at a local grocery store to buy some beer and wine and stroopwafels to enjoy back at the hotel. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying those treats and then went to bed early so that Sarah could be fresh for work the next day.
Rembrandt sculptures in the square outside our hotel
Warm kitty
Breakfast!
Tram with a Tesla Model S taxi (!!) pulling a u-turn in front of it
In front of the Rijksmuseum
Happy dog playing fetch in the pool in front of the museum
Happy dog!
Rijksmuseum with the famous 'I amsterdam' sign
Tulips
Tulips
Tulips
Tulips
'I amsterdam' sign
Fountains outside the museum
Tiny truck
Awesome boat model
Operational art research library in the museum
Crazy detailed dollhouse
Ship models for days
Small portion of the armoury
Lunch at Foodhallen
Foodhallen
Dessert at Foodhallen
In Vondelpark
Protected stork nest in Vondelpark
Crazy heron in Vondelpark
Me in Vondelpark
Residential street outside Vondelpark, the hooks are for hoisting furniture to upper levels because the stairs are too narrow
Secondary 'I amsterdam' sign outside the conference centre
Secondary 'I amsterdam' sign outside the conference centre
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2017-04-19
This morning Sarah and I got an early breakfast again at the same cafe near our hotel and then she left for her conference and I headed out to explore. I started back at Albert Cuyp Market, which was in full swing this morning. It is a flea and farmers market and appears to operate almost every day of the year. It stretches for quite a distance and features food and goods of all kinds. I stopped for fresh stroopwafels at a stand in the centre. They were delicious!
After the market I made a short stop at the central train station to book seats for my train trip to Germany tomorrow, and then I returned to Foodhallen to try out "Bitterballen" for lunch. Bitterballen are "a Dutch meat-based snack, typically containing a mixture of beef or veal, beef broth, butter, flour for thickening, parsley, salt and pepper, resulting in a thick roux." They're deep-fried, come in many flavours, and come with dipping sauces. They're also super tasty. I then walked to the Van Gogh museum, grabbing some espresso at a small coffee roaster along the way.
I managed to get reserved tickets today so I was able to just walk right into the museum. It was pretty crowded, but not so bad as to ruin my enjoyment. Van Gogh was prolific and the museum collects hundreds of his works. Unfortunately it's missing some of his most famous works (e.g. Starry Night) as they're owned by other museums. There's still tons to enjoy, but I found it strange that they did not mention anything about the missing works.
The museum also had a special exhibition on of "print art" from Paris in the 1800s. It covered all different types of print making, often used for advertisement and magazines. The most famous piece was the "Le Chat Noir" print advertising the cabaret of the same name. I really enjoyed this.
After the museums I walked back to the hotel and met up with Sarah for dinner. We grabbed a sit-down meal at a restaurant named Mystique near our hotel. I had ribs and Sarah had some lovely venison.
Sarah checked in with her work email back at the hotel and then we went on a late-evening walk through the city, passing through the red-light district to see what all the fuss was about. It was pretty classy actually. I suspect any real grit has been polished off for the tourism industry. We also walked some of the quieter canals to see them lit up at night.
Construction on an under-canal parking structure (!?!?)
Under-canal parking structure (!?!?)
Residential Amsterdam (with more moving hooks)
Albert Cuyp Market
Stroopwafel
Bitterballen
Bitterballen
Espresso
Le Chat Noir
Walking through Amsterdam
Dinner
Dinner
Dortmund, Germany
2017-04-20
This morning I got up early and ate a quick breakfast at the hotel. Then I caught a train from the central station to go visit KJ and her family in Dortmund for a night. It's amazing how easy and comprehensive trains are in Europe. I had to make a single connection but since the trains were ludicrously on time (i.e. leaving EXACTLY at the time specified) there was no problem.
KJ met me at the station in Dortmund and then gave me a short walking tour of the city. Dortmund was 90%+ destroyed during World War II and after it was hastily rebuilt to get the manufacturing industry going again. Unfortunately that meant all the buildings were pretty ugly by European standards. Still, it was interesting to see. We stopped in the central square for some coffee, and then headed to KJ's favourite Vietnamese restaurant for some lunch.
After lunch we headed back to KJ's home and then picked up her kids from tennis camp (their school is on break this week for Easter so they're doing tennis lessons instead). It was great to see them all again! Back at the house I played soccer with the kids outside, then table-tennis with them inside, and then checked out Byron's totally amazing 2700+ piece Lego Technic Porsche.
For dinner we all met Lars at a local German restaurant where I enjoyed some schnitzel with white asparagus, potatoes, and hollandaise. Then I had a fun ride home with Lars in his real-life Porsche which he can actually exercise on the German autobahn system.
KJ, Lars, and I spent the rest of the evening chatting at their house. It was a lovely day and it was great to catch up with them all!
Seriously legit Lego
Hilarious and awesome roomba-like lawnmower at KJ's house
Bread at dinner with AMAZING herbed schmaltz
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2017-04-21
I slept in a little this morning and then joined KJ and the kids for a delicious breakfast of avocado toast, smoked salmon, apple, hard-boiled egg, and coffee. KJ is a truly excellent host! Then we took the kids to their tennis camp and I helped KJ shop for new plants from a garden centre.
Back at the house we had some tea and then headed out for hike in the nearby forest. The leaves had just come out for spring so everything was bright green and lovely. After the hike we had some snacks and then picked up the kids from the final day of tennis camp. I had a chance to chat with some of the other parents who were able to switch between German and English with ease.
In the afternoon I played a vintage edition of "Sorry" with Byron and read him some stories until it was time to catch my train back to Amsterdam. Lars dropped me off and soon I was on my way. Unfortunately the initial local train was delayed by a passing freight train on the way. I was certain I would miss my connection to the big international train to Amsterdam. But I was lucky, as that train was running a bit behind too, so I made it with three minutes to spare.
In Amsterdam I hopped on a tram and met Sarah for dinner at "Tempo Doeloe," a Michelin Guide "Bib Gourmande" Indonesian restaurant. The Netherlands colonized much of Indonesia back in the day so there are tons of Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam (similar to Indian food in the UK). For dinner we shared the "ricetable" which is a Dutch invention for Indonesian food (again, similar to how many dishes considered "Indian" were "invented" in the UK). A ricetable is rice served with small portions of many different dishes. Ours had 11 different dishes plus salad and several types of crackers. It was a mountain of amazingly tasty food. The service was also exceptional.
Dinner ended quite late so we headed back to the hotel and went to bed.
Breakfast
Hiking
Our ricetable at dinner
Our ricetable at dinner
Me enjoying one of the spicier dishes
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2017-04-22
I had another early morning and fast hotel breakfast today so that I could catch an early train to Hoofddorp, a small town on the outskirts of Amsterdam. Today was the day of the Bloemencorso Bollenstreek, the largest bulb flower parade in the world. It contains dozens of floats made entirely of flowers and the 25km+ route runs past the famous Keukenhof, one of the world's largest flower gardens. People come from all over the country and the world to see the parade, and most also visit the gardens on the same day.
Obviously today was not the best day to visit the gardens due to the crowds, but it was the only day I could do it on this trip. Besides the crowds, the parade also greatly complicates travel. Normally public transit can take you to the gardens from Amsterdam in under an hour, but on parade day the roads are a mess and the trip can take up to three.
So I got creative and decided to visit like a true Dutch person. In Hoofddorp I rented a bike! I did this via "Donkey Republic," a bike sharing system that acts a lot like Zipcar. I used an app on my phone to reserve the bike and then when I found it at the station I used my phone to unlock it. The bike lock is controlled via Bluetooth.
From Hoofddorp Station I biked out of town and across the countryside using the amazing network of bike paths that exists in the Netherlands. The trip was 15km long and passed through several small towns. The whole time I was able to use well-maintained bike paths that were well separated from the main roadway. Intersections have separate signals for bikes and all drivers are well aware of cyclists. It was amazing! The countryside was beautiful too.
Keukenhof was unbelievable. I've never seen so many perfect flowers in one place. I expected to see flowers in various stages of bloom, but for the most part every single one was in perfect full bloom. Every single colour was represented too. It was insane. The crowds were also reasonably epic, but I still had a great time.
After I finished at the gardens I rode into the nearby town of Lisse and checked out the market and main strip of shops. I had about an hour to kill before the parade reached Lisse so I found a cafe and enjoyed a coffee and a slice of Dutch apple pie.
Rather than watch the parade with the crowds in town, I biked out a bit to watch it as it passed between towns. This was a fantastic idea because I got to see the parade up close and I got to see some amazing fields where they farm flowers. The parade was impressive, and it was fun watching with all the locals out in the middle of nowhere.
When the parade finished I hopped on my bike and rode back to Hoopddorf. Once again I was extremely pleased with the ease of bike travel in this country. In Hoopddorf I caught a train back to Amsterdam and then returned to the hotel to rest until Sarah finished work.
For dinner we went to a fancy salad place near our hotel to get some healthier food for once. After dinner we walked to Brouwerij 't IJ, a brewery I like, to pick up some bottles to go. It was also great to see another section of the city before we leave tomorrow.
My trusty steed
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Fiesty swan at Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Keukenhof
Crazy music machine at Keukenhof
Flower fields outside the Keukenhof
Flower fields outside the Keukenhof
Flower fields outside Lisse
Flower fields outside Lisse
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Bulb flower parade!
Sleepy baby horse on my ride back
Dinner
Dinner
London, United Kingdom
2017-04-23
This morning I had breakfast at a cafe that was started by and is staffed by people from New Zealand. It was pretty great, although the bircher muesli was a bit sweet. Then I walked back to the museum district to check out the Moco Museum which is currently running a Banksy + Dali Exhibition.
The exhibition was great, although I found the commentary on the Banksy pieces a to be a bit lame. It was awesome to see so many real pieces all in one place though. Many had been saved from destruction by various groups and this is the first time they've been collected together. The Dali stuff was super weird, as expected.
After the museum I returned to the hotel and we checked out of the room. We went to get stroopwafels from Lanksroom and then bought some tulip bulbs to take home from Bloemenmarkt. We also popped into a print shop and purchased a colour etching for our apartment.
Souveniers acquired, we caught a taxi to the airport where we boarded separate flights to London (Sarah's was booked through her work). We met up at Heathrow where we caught a proper London black taxi to our hotel for the week. The hotel is the St. Ermin's and it is gorgeous. During WW2 it was also the informal headquarters of the SOE and MI6.
Once we were settled we headed out for dinner at CASK Pub & Kitchen. We had burgers and beers and there was a live folk band playing as we ate. The place was super busy and fantastic.
After dinner Sarah needed to work, so I went out for a walk to see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Westminster Palace, and other sites in the area. I managed to see it all in daylight, sunset, and lit up at night. London is very pretty.
Breakfast!
Banksy piece at the Moco
Stroopwafel
Back of a black taxi
Lobby of St. Ermin's
Beers at CASK
St. Ermin's Hotel
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Big Ben
Big Ben
Big Ben
Detail on Westminster Palace
The London Eye and the Thames
Big Ben at night
London, United Kingdom
2017-04-24
This morning Sarah and I got up early and had breakfast together at a local cafe. We took a short walk so that Sarah could see Westminster and Big Ben and then we split off for our separate days of work. I took the tube to my office near Soho and Covent Garden and it was awesome. I love cities with comprehensive public transit.
I had a great day meeting co-workers in person and enjoyed lunch with some at a ramen shop, followed up by excellent coffee from Monmouth. After work I walked back to the hotel past tons of amazing sights and then Sarah and I grabbed a quick dinner. She had to work this evening so I relaxed quietly at the hotel with a beer.
High Commision of Canada to the United Kingdom
The National Gallery
Admiralty Arch
London, United Kingdom
2017-04-25
Another day, another cafe. Breakfast spots seem to be everywhere in London and so far they're all great. I had another good (and busy) day at work, enjoying enormous pizzas from Homeslice with co-workers for lunch. Later I met up with Sarah for dinner at Great Queen Street. We shared a bunch of small plates and enjoyed some fine ales.
After dinner we walked back to the hotel taking the scenic route past some shops, theatres, and Buckingham Palace!
View from my desk at work
Probably enough pizzas for four people, maybe
Dinner!
Dinner!
Dinner!
The Canada Gate, presented to London by Canada in 1901 as part of the Queen Victoria Memorial
The Canada Gate, presented to London by Canada in 1901 as part of the Queen Victoria Memorial
Buckingham Palace
London, United Kingdom
2017-04-26
This morning Sarah and I went a little further afield to get a full English Breakfast at the Regency Cafe. The spot cranks out tons of no-frills food (overseen by a drill-sergeant-esque manager) and we enjoyed it thoroughly. Work was busy again, and I had a nice lunch meeting with a co-worker at the Craft Beer Company across the street from our office. After dinner I wandered a bit on my way back to the hotel, stopping at The Vintage House Whisky shop. Later in the evening I took a double-decker bus to the London Beer House to pick up some to go bottles to share with Sarah at the hotel.
Breakfast!
Breakfast!
Theatre showing the Harry Potter show, sold out forever
Chinatown
London, United Kingdom
2017-04-27
This morning I got up a bit early and walked to the Covent Garden location of the Indian restaurant Dishoom for breakfast. Dishoom is incredibly popular and does not take reservations, but it's often possible to walk in for breakfast (dinner requires a long wait). I had an amazing naan roll and a breakfast lassi, but they also served all sorts of other wonderful looking dishes.
After a long day at work I met Sarah for dinner near Ottolenghi Spitalfields, hopeful that we could snag a table at that popular restaurant. Unfortunately they were super packed, but they do dessert to go so we grabbed a couple of those and then had a simpler dinner elsewhere.
Before heading back to the hotel we went for a long night walk across the Tower Bridge and around the Tower of London. It was all very pretty!
Breakfast!
Desserts at Ottolenghi
Riding up top on a red double-decker bus in London
Tower of London and London Bridge at night
Desserts!
London, United Kingdom
2017-04-28
This morning Sarah and I grabbed breakfast from a small cafe near our hotel and coffee from a streetside coffee tent. Both were excellent as always! For lunch a colleague and I scored a table at a very popular tapas place called Pix-Bar near the office. The food is all you can eat for £10, but they were fully booked. Fortunately we only had ten minutes to eat before I had a meeting, so we promised them we'd leave fast if they just let us scarf some food. We made the most of it and tried almost all of the delicious bites on offer.
Today ILM London had a pizza-and-beer evening after work so I hung out for a while drinking and eating with my newly met co-workers on the rooftop patio of our building. It has been a great week here, I really enjoyed my time at the office.
Later in the evening I met up with Sarah and we had dinner near St. Paul's Cathedral at a yummy restaurant called The Fat Bear. Then we walked across the Millennium Bridge, past the Globe Theatre, and on to a bar near Borough Market for local craft beer. The bar was full but we were able to enjoy the British rule allowing you to enjoy your drinks outside within six feet of the establishment that served them.
Coffee
Breakfast of poached eggs, avocado, and salmon over spinach
Black swan!
Lunch, yes that is a quail egg
Tapas bar
London Eye
St Paul's Cathedral
London, United Kingdom
2017-04-29
Today was the big day! Our day of actual tourism in London! We got up early and headed to the famous Borough Market for breakfast and tasty treats. We had coffee from Monmouth along with a ham filled croissant and then we grabbed a grilled cheese from Kappacasein. We then spent a bunch of time looking at all the shops and enjoying the relative peace and quiet of the market early in the morning.
Later in the morning we walked across Tower Bridge to visit the Tower of London. We spent way more time in this castle than anticipated as we both really enjoyed everything it had to offer. The crown jewels were fabulous (go early to avoid the line) and the displays of armour and full-sized wooden horses were super cool. We also enjoyed the resident raven population, the prisoner graffiti in the Beauchamp Tower, and the changing of the guard.
After the tower we returned to Borough Market for a late lunch of scotch egg and meat pie. It was all delicious, but the afternoon crowds were overwhelming. Before escaping though we stopped at a cider shop and a beer shop for some bottles to go (we also sampled an excellent cider/ginger beer mix). At the beer shop I bought a rare sour and also a single bottle of Founders KBS (a beer from Michigan that is extremely hard to buy in America).
We then popped back to the hotel before heading quickly to the British Museum. This world-renowned museum is free so it's very busy, but we still enjoyed it quite a bit. We saw the Rosetta Stone and then focused on the Egyptian exhibits. This engendered a later discussion about the uncomfortable truth that the collections of many famous museums are often built on theft. Interesting times!
After the museum closed and kicked us out we headed over to the famous British department store Fortnum & Mason. This place was way better than we expected (and I expected quite a bit). We spent over an hour exploring and walked out with a pile of tea and treats. We also spent time at their wine bar to enjoy a glass and some cheese. Fantastic!
With dusk approaching we headed to Hyde Park to see if we could spot the bats that reside there. We found a nice pond in the gloaming and dodged angry swans, coots, and ducks until we spotted the bats swooping through the night sky.
Eventually we had to head back to the hotel to pack for our flight home tomorrow morning. It was a great day though and we are eager to return to London to experience more of what it has to offer.
Ham croissant
Grilled cheese
Tomatoes
Poppy seed roll from a Russian baker
Church remains in an alley
The Thames
Tower of London
Tower Guard
Sculptures in the Tower
Tower of London
Horses and armour at the Tower of London
Armour
Armour
Raven houses
Raven!
Tower Bridge
Scotch Egg
Meat pie
British Museum
Rosetta Stone
Lego Store
Cream puffs
Fortnum & Mason
Wine and cheese
Fortnum & Mason
San Francisco, United States
2017-04-30
This morning we got up early and after a brief struggle with early Sunday morning transit we boarded the Heathrow express and got to the airport. We managed to score entrance to the United lounge where we enjoyed a lovely hot breakfast and then had a long but uneventful flight home. Despite all the work, this was a great trip!
