Travelogue: Amsterdam (Part Three)
A few days ago we hopped the number 24 tram to what is claimed to be the largest outdoor market in all of Europe, the Albert Cuyp Market.It was our goal to find some of the most authentic Dutch food we could and the market didn’t disappoint. There’s a picture of everything we tried in the slideshow below.
We tasted freshly made stroopwafels, or “syrup waffle” which are thin wafer cookies filled with caramel syrup. We first had them during our trip in 2016 but never had the real ones. You can order these dipped in chocolate, or not. We chose dipped (of course). When I say freshly made I mean the cookies were baked on an iron right in front of us and it was delicious.
Next were poffertjes,tiny Dutch pancakes. You can get these with all kinds of sweet toppings but we chose the classic, butter and powdered sugar variety. They were just the right balance of savory and sweet and I could honestly have downed twenty of these bad boys without batting an eyelash. I imagine these are very popular "after smoking" snack for the 420 crowd.
Last but not least was the raw herring. The thought of eating raw herring turns many people off but I'm a big fan of sushi so I didn't have a problem with it. I had mine “Amsterdam style”, which just means cut into bite sized pieces. This is traditionally served with raw onion and a mildly sweet pickle. This, by far, was my favorite of the three things we tried. My palette tends to like savory over sweet almost every time. If you find yourself anywhere outside of Amsterdam this raw herring is served in one big piece and they grab it by the tail, tilt their heads back, drop the raw herring in their mouths, and just take a bite out of it.
The market wasn’t just all about food. There were vendors selling clothes, both vintage and new, furniture, 420 accessories, and pretty much anything you can imagine. If you find yourself in Amsterdam I urge you to check out Albert Cuyp. A little tip, they officially open and 9am Mon-Sat but I would advise getting there around 10am. We arrived when they were supposed to open and almost none of the vendor stalls were ready for customers for the first hour.
There are also photos included from our walk to and from the tram stops, throughout the Jordaan (our neighborhood) and the De Pijp area of the Oud-Zuid district, where the market is situated. While we were exploring we just stumbled upon one of our very favorite restaurant from 2016, Little Collins.
Greetings from Amsterdam!
Did you miss Part’s One and Two our adventure?
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Thanks for sharing this refreshing video. The Netherlands looks really pleasant. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
Always my pleasure sir.
Just thinking about the stroop waffles and the pickled herring makes my mouth water.
I was born and raised in Canada of Dutch immigrant parents, and those 2 foods were occasional treats in our house as I was growing up. We always loved those foods.
If you're still in the Netherlands, make sure you try some black "salted licorice" candies. They're not for everyone, but for me and my cohort, they are the finest of all Dutch treats. They come in dozens of varieties, from salty to sweet, from hard to soft, from strong to light.
Enjoy your trip!
Thanks! We saw a huge variety of licorice in markets and grocery stores but that's the one thing we didn't try. That'll give us a good excuse to go back. : )
I love sushi too, but I would definitely opt for the bite sized pieces...not sure I could go all Gollum with it, haha!
Haha, yeah, I'll be sticking with the Amsterdam style, I think. How's your summer been?
My summer was great! My daughter moved to Charleston with my stepson, so we spent ten days down there with them, plus a couple trips to Vermont- and in two weeks we'll be in a resort in Myrtle Beach with the whole family to celebrate mom's 70th. I'm taking advantage of this gig economy (GrubHub, doordash) for some extra cash.. Howie and I have made a new plan for the future- work long hours for three months then vacation somewhere for a month- our first destination is the Smoky mountains of Tennessee (partly because our SC kiddos will be able to visit 😆) Eventually we'll make our way overseas.
What's your next destination?
I'm glad to hear it! It's amazing to have the flexibility, isn't it? We've switched to this way of living too. Thankfully, I can work from pretty much anywhere as long as I have Wifi. The Smokey Mountains are gorgeous. I've driven through that area but have never had a chance to stay.
We just returned from nine days in Amsterdam. It was so much fun! I think we'll be home for a while now. Our next trip will probably a warm weather destination in January and then possibly Japan later in the year. I've always wanted to see Kyoto.
Where would you like to visit overseas?
Where wouldn't I like to visit? Haha! But first I'll base it on some Steemit friends, so Scotland first and probably more of Europe on that gi, then New Zealand- two places that have always been at the top of my bucket list anyway, just a major plus to have people I adore there. But some more of the states first, I would definitely love to connect with you at some point!
That's a smart move. We've found that our very best memories are the times we've met and hung out with Steemit friends. We did that in London and during this last trip to Amsterdam. It would be great to meet you! If you come by this way make sure it's between May and October unless you really like snow and extreme cold. : )
Hello Eric, thanks for the great video. The Netherlands is really beautiful. Many Buildings in the city are beautiful and ancient shaped. Many of it are castle shaped. It looks like I entered the time of the princess Cinderella. The food also looks delicious. But I don't like raw fish,
Have a nice trip, Sir.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! We couldn't believe how beautiful the buildings were. Thanks, Eliana!
Everything is so perfect there my new favorite place hahah :D
It's one of our new favorite places too. : )
Beautiful Holland. Thank you for your report. I learn about Holland through your writing , Sir.
It's definitely an incredible place. I appreciate your comment! Thanks.