With a sprained ankle, my plan to join A in wandering about Amsterdam for the day while bg was at a family do sort of got kiboshed. But I still headed up later to join A, bg and her sister and another out-of-town friend, lg, for a canal tour before dinner.
On the boat: lg, bg and bg’s sister.
In conversation.
A and lg.
Seven bridges through a smudged window.
The Bartolotti House.
After dinner we went for drinks and then attempted to go for dinner. Unfortunately we’d let the fact that it was not only Saturday but Valentine’s Day to slip our minds and hadn’t made a reservation. So, we ended up at the last table at an Indian restaurant. There we experienced some of the slowest service we’d ever had – the poor server said the manager would come and talk to us, but although he delivered the food to our table, he didn’t say a word. The food was pretty good once it finally came, but we won’t be going back there.
That night I slept at bg’s – a true vacation for me, with real sleeping in and everything. A and I lazed around for a bit before heading into the centre – after frites at the best frites place (first one on this page), we were thinking of a museum, but got sidetracked by postcards and the flower market and tacky tourist stuff. And boy is some of it tacky – go nuts with the idea of Amsterdam as a sex and pot haven. It was another cold, drizzly day, so the museum eventually got booted aside for hot chocolate at Bagels and Beans, where it involves warm milk with a chunk of chocolate on a stick slowly melting in it, with whipped cream (or not). Then we all met at bg’s work to have dinner again – this time at a Vietnamese place with the thickest menu ever and smart and snappy service. That one we’ll go back to.
And, before we all split off, the group shots. The girls.
And all four of us.
I have to say I was quite sad to say goodbye to A at the train station. But hopefully she’ll be back another time (with better weather)!