24 hours was a perfect amount of time to spend in Brussels. After a day and night of strong beer, we walked from out hotel to the train station and caught the 9 am to Amsterdam. We didn’t eat anything that morning, so we were feeling pretty hungry by the time we pulled into Centraal Station, around 11 am. This was my third time in Amsterdam, and each time I’ve made sure to got to Gandhi, probably one of the best Indian restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. Unfortunately, it didn’t open until noon. We doubled back and headed to Barney’s, a spot that I had been to five years ago on my first trip to Amsterdam. It’s a coffeeshop and bar, but also known for its big English breakfasts. We scored a perfect spot in the front window where, looking right at a bakery, we could take in a slice of Dutch life while feeding our faces (it was also a perfect spot for me to set up for a few more time lapse shots :)).
The bikes in Amsterdam have always impressed me. It’s not uncommon to see something like the one above, even with multiple kids in it. They’re never really “new” looking either, and mostly single speed. Amsterdam is a flat city, with the canal bridges providing the only (extremely small) elevation rise, so gears aren’t much of a need.
With our stomachs full, we set out to find out hotel and some Heineken. Luckily we were staying right next to Leidseplein, so bars and spots to hang out were right around the corner. We were supposed to do a bike tour, but the weather won out. Oh well, that meant more Heineken and Amstel :). We got some fries (which are a must in Amsterdam, I had curry ketchup, mayonaise and onions on mine) and after a much needed nap, ditched the cameras and headed out for the night, hitting up a number of spots where we could sit right on the canals in the Red Light District and enjoy Amstel before having a great Thai dinner at Bird Thai Restaurant. Some walking and sight seeing later, we found ourselves back near our hotel and Leidseplein for a night cap.
Near Leidseplein, on the way to the Rijksmuseum
Woke the next morning and headed to the Rijksmuseum. I had been here once five years ago, but it was under construction and a number of the galleries were closed, this time I got to see it in its entirety. The Rembrandt’s are simply amazing, as well as so much else at Rijksmuseum.
Messed around with some neat time lapse stuff at the I amsterdam sign and then caught a train back into the city center. Here’s a shot out of the back of the train.
Found an amazing little hole in the wall for lunch that served us a bunch different types of smoked fish (herring, smoked salmon, smoked eel, smoked mackerel among others) along with some tasty mayonaises and crusty bread. With our bellies full once more, we set off for some more picture taking. I sat in Dam Square to do a bit of time lapse work, and Eddy and Bryan scattered off for an hour.
These (presumably) Dutch kids seemed excited to be part of my time lapse
More photography, more Heineken and finally dinner at Gandhi (where the owner said he recognized me, which is he probably says to everyone, but still made me feel nice :)). 3 times to Amsterdam and 3 times eating at Gandhi! I’m not kidding when I say this place is top notch. Caught the 7 pm train and were back in Paris by 10:30. Four solid days in Paris laid ahead of us. So much to do and so little time!
Euro Time Lapse coming soon!