DAY 3: Amsterdam: City of Stairs

Observation of the day: The Dutch are proud (and rightly so) of their traditions and heritage. Several times during the last three days we’ve had locals remind us of the Dutch’s role in colonizing the world and opening up markets. They also are eager to share their stories and unique tastes – items like Bitterballen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitterballen) and Dutch pancakes with apples and bacon. Their personal pride is infectious.

These are scenes from our early morning stroll including a Dunkin Donuts stop. There, HM indulged in a donut adorned with the flag of Amsterdam in honor of JM and his love of all things DD.

VM & HM: We awoke early to visit the Anne Frank House (https://www.annefrank.org/en/). Upon arriving and waiting to enter, we met two fellow American ladies from Scranton, PA and NJ. We enjoyed swapping travel stories with them as we awaited for the doors to open. They had just come from visiting the site of the Berlin Wall in Germany and now were seeing this incredible Dutch landmark.

It is difficult to articulate the emotions you feel as you visit this house and the Secret Annex. While the apartment itself is empty upon Otto Frank’s (Anne’s father) direction, it is still filled with intense memories, including artifacts from the family and the others who stayed here. It is hard to place yourself in their shoes and imagine how they lived virtually cut off from the world for two years only because they were Jewish.

However, in the darkness, there is always some light. Seeing how their close family friend, Miep, and a few others, risked their lives out of loyalty and love was impactful.

We are so grateful we were able to visit this humble home where a little girl opened the world's eyes.

And ultimately, it is mind-boggling to think that a 13-year-old’s words could continue to be so meaningful 75 years after her death. As HM wrote in the visitor’s book, “may we learn from it and never forget it.”

Upon collecting ourselves, we decided to visit Amsterdam’s famed flower market. For us, it was a bit of a dud. We assume at one point this was a bustling, traditional flower market, but today, it has succumbed to the deadly designation of “tourist trap” with approximately only 3 out of 15 stands truly being purveyors of blooms. But we will admit, those blooms were MAGNIFICENT and incredibly affordable.

Yes! That's right. 50 tulips for about $11.

Although we were highly disappointed in the other stalls, this was one of three
that was magnificent.

HM about to tackle the STEEPEST stairs in Amsterdam
all in the name of pancakes!

By now, we were ready for food and were excited to check out a spot recommended by a Fort Lauderdale-based Delta employee upon hearing we were visiting Amsterdam. She directed us to the Upstairs Pannenkoekenhuis also known as the Upstairs Pancake House (https://upstairspannenkoeken.nl/the-menu/?lang=en) because she had seen it featured on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s show, The Layover. This hole-in-the-wall place has only four tables, only takes reservations by phone & will only hold your table for five minutes, otherwise you’re out! 

And the fare? Fantastic! This spot specializes in Dutch style pancakes. They are not thick like American pancakes and not as thin as French crepes. They are just perfectly in between. We ordered two types to share including the traditional bacon & apple plus another sweeter version with Lambada strawberries (a sweeter strawberry which is only available here for two months), blueberries and homemade whipping cream.  We couldn’t pick a favorite. They were just simply delicious. Only the chef and one host/waiter ran the tiny spot. By coincidence, we were seated at the same table where Anthony Bourdain dined when he came, and we couldn’t help but be a bit sad about his tragic end.

Yes! It's was as good as it looks. Even better.

He is a one-man cooking show!

Anthony & HM sat here.

Fully fortified and a bit sugared up once again, we visited the Rembrandt House Museum in lieu of the Van Gogh Museum. While neither of us were Rembrandt scholars, we enjoyed learning about his life and his art. Despite a vast intellectual curiosity which included collecting eclectic items from all over the world – Roman & Greek mythology-inspired busts, taxidermy animals, other famous painters’ art – he ended up bankrupt and losing his home. He lived in a rental the rest of his days. Basically, he lived large, but ultimately, couldn’t afford the lifestyle.

Tackling the metro.

We love the trams!

Determined to master the public transportation system, we made our way via metro AND tram to a bar recommended by our landlord. He had been quite insistent that we should visit it & we were glad we did. It is named De Ooievaar (The Stork) (http://www.proeflokaaldeooievaar.nl) and is a small, charming spot where you’d expect to find the equivalent of a Dutch “Norm” hanging out. While there, we struck up conversations with the patrons including a German Cruise Director who was on his “break” from a river cruise which was moored here in Amsterdam. At his behest and that of a fashionable older Dutch lady, we all toasted with a handcrafted gin-type liquor named Jenever. Sipped, not shot, it is good, but I will still stick with beer, wine & champagne.

The equivalent of Cheers right in the
heart of Amsterdam's Centraal neighborhood.

The favorite part of the stop was when our barkeep left us for a moment to cross the street. Moments later he ran back and just after that, a waiter from the restaurant delivered piping hot Bitterballen for our enjoyment. This is one of my dad’s all-time favorite Dutch treats & we recalled him fondly as we munched on the steaming hot croquette-like balls. Sorry we couldn't take a photo, we were too busy eating!

We ended our night frequenting another of Captain Dan’s recommendations – Cannibale Royale (http://cannibaleroyale.nl). It is a local spot with various locations and reminded us of J. Alexander’s. The food was delicious. 

If you’re wondering where today’s title comes from, it is based on the fact that nearly any building we have visited thus far in Amsterdam involves navigating the steepest and narrowest staircases we have ever encountered! Only today we have gone up and down nearly 20 flights of the craziest staircases we have ever seen. At the Pancake House, you nearly have to go down in ladder style as the stairs are that darn steep. It is a byproduct of the narrow houses all crunched together!

We plan for another early day tomorrow as we trek to Haarlem by train and hope to see Holland’s famed tulips!

HM helped pen most of this update, but she has now abandoned me for bed. I’m heading to do the same.

RANDOM PICS OF THE DAY

This brave gentleman is our "neighbor." Despite 46 degree windy weather, he watered down his garden BAREFOOT and in short sleeves while his cat looked on from his private garden above his storage shed. HM was determined to pet him, the cat was apparently not interested in making an American friend.

Our swan neighbor came to our boat for a visit.

Wondering how the locals get stuff up these crazy narrow staircases??? They don't. Nearly every building has a hook on top so they can hoist things up with a pulley system. Walking through a busy alleyway this evening, we saw just how this was done as some buddies moved in a couch into an apartment. Everyone down below stopped to watch & the viewing crowd cheered (including us!) when the couch finally made it in the window!

We haven't had an opportunity to take many pics, but we have been driving the locals nuts as we ask to say "hello" to their dogs. Yes, we miss our fur babies at home. Luckily, Jeff was all to happy to oblige and quickly positioned his hind quarters for some scratching!