It has been a busy, but sad time in the Netherlands. Everywhere you go the flags are at half-mast.
The ramifications of nearly 200 Dutch people being killed, and over 30 Australians, has left me reflecting on how precious and yet fleeting life can be. Would you like to know more?
My little blog is growing up! As I become affiliated with more sites, the readership keeps growing each week. It’s hard to believe that it began just 3 short years ago as my weekend wanderings around the Inner West of Sydney.
Happy Birthday little Ghoti Industries Blog!
In the intervening years I have travelled to Cairns, Christchurch, Paris, Prague, and we now live in Amsterdam in the Netherlands! And through the blog you have all come with me on these adventures. Would you like to know more?
I had a birthday. You don’t really need to know which one. But I did.
This is the first year I’ve ever had a Summer birthday though! I decided to celebrate this fact by lazing around on the balcony in the sun-shine, and having take out Thai food
with some expensive champagne. Himself indulged the occasion in my honour with some expensive whisky.
Followed by some cheesey movies (Cowboys and Aliens followed by Tourist), for a Friday night, it was everything I wanted to do.
Saturday I was spoilt! After a day out (which is an entire post all on it’s own and is still being structured), we ended up at the Bar Americain
to have some cocktails and collect ourselves.
After some discussion we decided that the place we needed to be was the Whisky Café. So that was where we headed.
They have a tasting menu where you get to try three different whiskys that have something in common. Either area, distillery … we went for the Whisky Appreciation Society selection and fell in love with the first one. So then we each had one of it. (It was an 11 year old Auchentoshan, very delicate, evaporated on your tongue with subtle notes of chocolate …)
Damn this makes it look like all we did was drink! I swear this will be rectified in the next post!
One of the best birthdays I’ve had in years. Thank you Himself, for making it so memorable, and so wonderful. I love you so much! *hugs you tight*
Himself had a birthday. We decided that in honour of this occasion, we would go somewhere we hadn’t been yet; Leidseplein!
With a high concentration of bars, pubs, clubs, and cafes, we knew we’d be sure to find something that suited us.
The first place that had looked likely in an online search provided us with pre-dinner drinks.
Not the cocktails we were hoping for, but it was the poor nervous barmans first night on the job and he was a touch clueless. Sweet, but clueless. By the way, that is how you get mixed drinks in Amsterdam. If you’re lucky it’s the liquor (vodka) in one glass and a bottle of what you decide to mix it with. If you’re unlucky it’s a glass of each. They turn up as 4 separate items on the receipt too!
We were the only patron in that bar and it was 8:30. It was also a Tuesday night. We shuffled on.
ambling up the road a bit we stumbled across an Italian Trattoria. You’d think after Leichhardt we would have had enough Italian food, but in we went. Himself likes Italian!
We began with a wine selection
Then antipasto
Followed by calamari fritti
And as usual, we were too busy eating it to get a photo of the veal saltimbocca. (Veal with prosciutto and cheese) Trust me, it was delicious.
We were the third couple in there. Of the other two, one were English tourists, and the other were American tourists, and as we were leaving another group of Americans came in for pizza.
The two staff who were on seemed very taken with the fact that we were practicing our overly rusty Italian on them. We all had fun. 🙂
The fountain outside hotel Americana puts on a good show too.
Then it was time to take in the final sights as we waited for the tram to take us home.
Thank you Leidseplein, it was a truly lovely evening.
And happy Birthday Himself. May the adventures only continue My Love. *smoochies*
Birthdays are so much fun! Especially when Grandma pulls out all the stops and bakes you a “fantasy castle”!
Himself bravely ventured a piece of a step, and I just valiantly cheered him on from the sidelines. The kids made great in-roads though!
The weather which had been amazing turned to this on the drive home …
You can see how 75% of NSW was underwater. The equivalent of the size of France!
Arriving home to my new yarn did me no end of good though!
I feel like I have been waiting forever for this to come to a local shop near me! I guess it’s only been a few years though … I can’t wait to play!!! Now, which socks shall I make with them?
ghoti industries 