Last saturday I met up with Hans in Amsterdam. We met 7 years ago in Salamanca, where we both did in Spanish language course. Every now and then we meet for lunch or dinner, and in between those meet ups, we write old fashioned postcards. If you stumble upon photos of pretty stamp on this blog, they are often ones I received from Hans.
Amsterdam Central Station, designed by Pierre Cuypers,
Normally, we meet in the city of Utrecht but this time we choose Amsterdam. Hans was born and raised in Amsterdam, so it was nice to go there with someone who knows the city well. For lunch I had roti from Suriname, with potatoes, string beans and spicy sauce. A dish our old neighbour used to make, and I haven't had in years. It tasted just as good as I remembered!
I think this door already appeared on this blog some time ago. But I think it's pretty enough for a second feature. It's a door of the Oude Kerk ('old church'), which is the oldest building in Amsterdam (founded in 1213, according to Wikipedia). Located in the very touristy red light district.
I love all the pretty architectural details in Amsterdam, like this boat
De Waag (weigh house)
Loved this pair of balloons :-)
As a dessert, Hans treated me to a bonbon.
(I choose dark chocolate with a mojito filling)
Amsterdam is such a great city! I think I walked past that door the last time I was there :) The chocolate looks devine. I didn't know you speak Spanish. That's wonderful! Glad you enjoyed a nice day :)
ReplyDeleteSo wonderful and it sounds like you two had a great day. I'd love to visit Amsterdam one day...it's such an amazing city. Kisses, love.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great visit with a long-time friend! And your meal sounds delicious too. We have an excellent roti shop nearby, that I haven been to in ages. You've reminded me that it's time to go.
ReplyDeleteOh Amsterdam! It is on my bucket list named: cities I will visit as soon as possible :) Pined you post for future reference for when I will visit ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! I have always wanted to visit Amsterdam! The architecture is gorgeous. A bonbon with mojito filling? Sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful is that to have a friend like Hans:) That's so sweet that you guys do the postcards.
ReplyDeleteAnd you make me really wanna come back to the Netherlands, Marieken! Waaaaaaah!
Aw, I love the photos of all the pretty buildings in a row. Looks like so much fun! :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. And how fun to have such a sweet friend.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of the cheese!
Carla
Sounds like a great day! Love the Weigh House. And those bonbons look delicious!
ReplyDeleteSounds like so much fun! I'd love to visit Amsterdam, and so many other cities on the Continent. Unfortunately, it will be a while longer before I make it back to Europe - it just don't really make sense as a destination from Hawaii. We're focusing more on Asian and Pacific places to visit while we live here because they'll be too far away once we get back to the eastern US one day!
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful place. thanks for sharing all the pictures, because this is probably as close as I'll ever get. :)
ReplyDeleteDebbi
Your pictures look beautiful. I love the balloons!
ReplyDeleteHi Hope all is well in Nijmegen. Great to stay in touch with an old friend and catch up and send snail mail. I love Amsterdam I recognise that beautiful old church. I have a photo of it as well from a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of Salamanca but have been often in Spain. We got taught spanish by the sister of a friend who used to live in Mallorca where she gave us a fantastic tour as well. I still remember one sentence she used in her lessons: que hay en el bolso That's what we used a lot as we didn't know what else to say lol
Sounds like a really good time. One of my biggest dreams is to visit Amsterdam. I saw a show that was filmed there and I fell in love with it. I can only imagine what it's really like to be there in person. I love the boat! I want to steal it and hang it in my house. But first I have to go there, right? The chocolates look amazing! I don't think I could settle for just one though.
ReplyDeleteIf I have a Facebook friend who traveled to Europe, I bet, Amsterdam was always part of their itinerary. The place is one of my dream destinations. Like you said in the postcard, if only I'm rich enough, I would visit a new country every year. I would visit all the European countries in my list. I can imagine the years of friendship you have with Hans. It's priceless and definitely for keeps.
ReplyDelete