Day 57

Today we had a chill day at home. After all the museums packed into the 96 hours of the I Amsterdam Pass we needed a break. Having the realization that we make our own weekends has been helpful in keeping this adventure sustainable. If we try to go, go, go seven days a week, even travel is exhausting. So today we decided it was a Saturday!

We had a  Netflix marathon. Ordered delivery pizza. (We were relaxing so much we didn’t even take a picture of the food.) Did some reading and writing and generally lazed about the AirBnb.

Day 58

Today we were back at the adventures! The Moco Museum (of modern and contemporary art) was not included on the I Amsterdam Pass and we wanted to check out the Banksy art exhibit. Banksy is the pseudonym of an anonymous and notorious street/graffiti artist from London. His works are a comedic political and social commentary. Cam is a big fan.

We also learned about Icy & Sot, two brothers from Iran who were exiled for their art and now live in New York. Their works have a similar social commentary to Banksy.

The Museum also had some permanent exhibits.

After the museum we walked around Amsterdam a bunch. We walked through Vondel Park.

We accidentally found a Toms store. But our Toms from London are still going strong so we didn’t buy more.

We were walking around when we realized we were near the Anne Frank House. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to get tickets to the Anne Frank House but we did walk by and take a picture.

The Cheese Museum (one of many) is near the Anne Franks House so we headed that way. They have every kind of cheese you could think of at this cheese shop. And all of them are available to sample. Between the two of us, we probably tried all of them. Some possibly two or three times! We spent a decent amount of cheddar on some gouda and headed towards home but first a snack.

FEBO is a… restaurant …must do…hmmm, thing to do in Amsterdam. We had heard about FEBO but hadn’t done it until today. The basic concept is the food is in little heated compartments, you put in the exact amount of Euros and then the door opens and you take out your fare.

It was basic Dutch food. We got a kroket (think meatball gravy but hotdog shaped and fried) It was yummy but we wouldn’t eat it every day. After our FEBO snack we headed home. We had lots of interesting cheese to try from the museum. We also picked up some other snacks to enjoy with our cheese.

Day 59

Today was another relaxed day. We went into Amsterdam from our AirBnb in Amstelveen. It is a quick 20 minute train ride. Having done most of the museums with the I Amsterdam pass, we decided to soak in the vibes wandering around the city.

Before house numbers, gable stones were used above houses in Amsterdam to denote who lived in the house. We went on a walking adventure to see how many gable stones we could find. Katie had read that there are over 500 bridges in Amsterdam (more than any other city). So we decided to also count how many bridges we walked over while we were hunting for gable stones.

We counted 12 gable stones (they were not as ubiquitous as we had thought) and crossed 27 bridges (these are definitely as ubiquitous as advertised). Our walk eventually took us near the Science Museum which has a pretty amazing view of the city. We also were able to see the entire street lift up to let boats go out into the river from the canal.

After resting and enjoying the view of the city we headed to dinner. As we walked we found an entire store devoted to condoms. They had every shape (including animals), size, flavor and many more options.

For dinner we went to Golden Chopsticks. It was yummy and satisfying.

Day 60

Today is our last day in Amsterdam. Tomorrow we move to The Hague. We walked around a bunch. Checked out some street performers. And did something we’ve been avoiding doing since we found out about it.

Raw Herring. It’s a thing. Lots of people have said to try it at least once. It’s a “Dutch Delicacy” we have been told repeatedly. We had misgivings before trying it and after trying it the jury is still out. It wasn’t terrible but there won’t be any cravings for it in the near future.

Day 61

Today was moving day to The Hague. Moving days are hard but we’re getting better at it. For instance, this time we stopped for coffee and a snack halfway through our travels to the new place. It was a good choice! Especially because the bus/train/bus travel of today was pretty confusing.

We dropped our bags the moment we got inside the door at the new AirBnb. Carrying everything you own on your back is heavy. After a quick breather we headed into The Hague to check out our new area.

At the train station we saw this sign!

We did dinner at Mingle Mush. It’s a bar/food court near central station in the Hague. It had lots of options. Katie went with The Poke Bar and Cam got a burrito from Hermanos.

After dinner we headed to the beach to check out the fireworks competition that we saw the sign for earlier. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset. It was a little chilly and we felt silly being bundled up on the beach.

Day 62

Lots of walking around the area today. But first coffee.

After coffee we checked out the local mini grocery store to get some supplies. The store is right down the street from our AirBnb which is super convenient.

The Hague is a pretty small city but there is a lot to do. There are plenty of parks, “woods”, and art. Check out some of the things that Katie saw walking around.

More sand sculpture art!

For dinner we headed to Jimmy’s Tex Mex. Our expectations were low but were far exceeded by the chicken fajitas and fresh made juice.

Day 63

Katie is working on staying fit/healthy while we are on this adventure. On a run this morning she found this great work out park. Hopefully we will get a chance to use it while we are here.

Walking around today we found these statues carved out of tree trunks.

For dinner we went to Pizzeria Pinocchio. Cameron had pizza and Katie had a delicious salad with sundried tomatos and rocket/rucola/arugula. It was a great little restaurant and we would definitely go back!

We are definitely excited for our next week in the Hague. We have loved the little test of the city that we have had so far!

Netherlands