All posts filed under: Amsterdam Love

Folk Sampler Cross-Stitch

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Whew, I took quite a break from blogging! January kept busy with other things, and I was kind to myself and left space–I’m planning on being here more often now, though! I started the year off by beginning lots of new projects, but first, here’s one I finished recently. This is yet another design from Alicia Paulson’s Embroidery Companion book. My copy is now dog-eared and scribbled all over. This is the fifth project I’ve made from the book, and I’ve loved each and every one! This is inspired by the Folk Sampler, with some major changes. But the bones of the pattern are still there.  I moved lots of things around, used different words, and added more buildings.  Honestly, I’m not thrilled with every one of my placements, but I think the overall effect is fine.   I stitched this in Amsterdam, and infused it with Dutch elements. I changed the single farmhouse to a row of canal houses, those sweet iconic  buildings. Then the Dutch words which I saw scribbled on a wall …

Canal Houses in Neon

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I’ve loved looking at the different canal houses all year long. The stately bricks and shutters, the curled or stepped tops, and the tilting, crooked lines give the whole city such an interesting feel! It’s such an iconic image, and I can’t seem to help going back to it. I’ve sketched them out on scraps, colored them in, stitched them into my quilt, and more. And now, I’ve stitched them up in some fun summer colors for the shop. I really love the way the bright pink and turquoise pop together! What a sweet little line of houses!

My Favorite View

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We’ve been in Amsterdam just shy of a whole year! It’s hard to believe how fast a year can go by. In a few short weeks we’ll be wrapping up our year abroad and heading home, which carries a lot of mixed feelings with it. I’ll miss Amsterdam, but at the same time I’m ready for the next adventure. Though I wish I could stay longer I’m still happy for the time I had. Time is funny in that way, always continuing and changing things. Like the city: season by season, it’s always changing. You can visit a city and get to know it in a few short days, but there’s nothing like living somewhere to really understand the feel of it. Rain, sunshine, snow and fallen leaves–they alter a single street drastically. Over the year I’ve been consistently drawn to a certain bridge with a view right near our apartment. I feel it’s quintessentially Amsterdam, and it’s been fascinating to watch it change over the year. I took photos of it often, trying to …

A Word on Windmills

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Over the year, I’ve gotten to see quite a few windmills. I like to play the “Spot a Windmill” game on our train rides, pointing out any old sails we see across the fields. There’s even one down the road from us that serves beer! Windmills were (and sometimes still are) used for grinding things, like flour, spices, or malt. The wind would turn the giant sails, which would turn giant gears, which would turn a giant millstone, which would grind your item to your specified texture and deposit it in a bag below. Ready to sell! A lot of millers would just trade flour for other goods, in the olden days. It seems like running a mill would be a pretty cushy job, just waiting for flour to spit out the bottom and trading it for other goodies. Of course that’s not the case, as a miller’s work was never done. From hauling bags of raw materials up and finished flour out, changing and fine-tuning the grindstone (which was huge), and keeping all the …

The Speelklok Museum Was Awesome

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I found one of my favorite musuems, in all of the Netherlands. And really that’s saying something because this country has some awesome museums, from great historical buildings in Amsterdam, to art in The Hague, to some awesome interactive exhibits in Rotterdam. But if you want a museum on the crazy side of quirky, and you find yourself in Utrecht, please, please go to the Speelklok Museum. The museum showcases all sorts of automatic instruments that play music, such as clocks, automatons, music boxes, organs, street organs, and even a small (but still bigger than me) bell-tower carillon. Everything works, and if you jump on one of the hourly tours you get to hear everything being played. Which, I just have to say, was awesome. From the tinkliest bells to the biggest organ pipes found outside a church, there were all sorts of sounds and songs. I’m no musician, but I’ve always been a little bit in love with music boxes. I used to spend far too long in the San Francisco Music Box Company …

Biking in Waterland

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Just north of Amsterdam lies an area called Waterland, which sounds like a magical place. It is full of fields of cows, tiny towns, idyllic bike paths, and many waterways, and I’d say it is pretty magical in it’s own right. A few weeks ago we took a bike ride up to Broek in Waterland, a little village about 12km away from Amsterdam. One of the best parts about going to North Amsterdam is taking the free ferry from behind Centraal Station. It’s usually a short ride, but it’s fun to see the clock count down to departure and watch people cycle on until the last possible second. Once the gate’s up, it’s a short ride across the IJ, then you’re on your bike and cycling off! The towns are well-signposted and it’s generally easy to follow them around. We usually ended up next to a sweet canal speckled with bridges and houseboats. Riding in the sun with a green field on one side and a calm canal on the other, with the scent of …

Little Crumbs at De Laatste Kruimel

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One of my favorite pastry shops in Amsterdam is tucked into a narrow street, unassuming and a bit hidden. But the window displays are so beautiful that you’re immediately lured in to taste the goodness that awaits! It’s called De Laatste Kruimel, which means “The Last Crumb.” Which is what you’ll be searching for on your plate when you go. Those crumbs come from quiche, bread pudding, cakes, scones, and tarts, all made right there in the little shop. All seriously good. The shop is tiny, and there are only a few tables, made from wooden crates with lacy vintage tablecloths thrown on. The best location to munch on your treats is on the back patio, overlooking the canal. While the tour boats go by, you can wave sweetly and take another bite of your cake. As the wonderful hand-drawn sign says, they also serve lunch sandwiches and soups. And everything is delicious, right down to the de laatste kruimel! De Laatste Kruimel, Langebrugsteeg 4, Amsterdam

The Joy of FEBO

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I crossed something off my “to-do” list last weekend. Amsterdam has a fast food place called FEBO that’s stuffed into areas all over town–usually near a collection of bars. Ever since we moved here I’ve been promising myself that I need to try it. It was a necessity! Why did it take me so long? Because the food comes from a vending machine. This is strange to me. In my head I know it’s freshly made (well, ‘freshly’) and placed in the slots to keep warm until I come along. But my eyes want to say, “Are you crazy? That’s a vending machine!” So I required a lot of time and a night out to said bars before I worked up the courage to try it. Luckily for you it was well documented, so you can get the full feel of FEBO without the actual food. The selection is a mix of traditional dutch food like krokets with the normal fast food burgers. There’s also a counter where you can order fries and smoothies and …

Sittin’ on the Dock of the Canal

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I’m taking a little break from Edinburgh at the moment. My favorite part about blogging is the chance to look at the little things in life and appreciate them, day to day. When I get so caught up in multiple posts about our trips, the here and now tends to fade into the background, and I forget to appreciate it. So here’s a few photos about our weekend, which was nothing special, but still lovely. The sun played hide and seek with giant fluffy clouds all weekend, teasing me into thinking it was warm then fading away again. But when it was out, it was gorgeous. I spent a few hours on two separate days sitting on a dock by a canal, eating, drinking, and chatting. That white drink is a new, delicious creation of mine. I had a bottle of too-sweet white wine in the fridge, so I mixed it with bubbly water and put a couple halved cherries in it, and voila! A perfect dock-sitting summer drink. And if I’ve learned anything from …

Amsterdam Love: Latei Cafe

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One of my favorite bustling cafes in Amsterdam is the funky Latei, located just off the Nieuwmarkt in Chinatown. It’s kind of a crazy mish-mash of a cafe, selling fresh olive oil from Italy, vegetarian Ethiopian meals on some weeknights, and a delicious apple tart. Oh, and everything is for sale. Everything–the art on the walls, the chair you sit on, everything. It’s a small, crowded place, but it’s warm and cozy in the winter and fresh and breezy in the summer. Plus, there’s a nice balcony above that gives great views. And perhaps the best thing is the resident cat, Elvis (who does not leave the building, according to the sign on the door). Any cafe that comes with a sweet kitty is ok by me! http://www.latei.net, Zeedijk 143, Amsterdam