Postcards from Amsterdam

We're back from Amsterdam and had a great time. I loved that city. The people were friendly, the city was easy to navigate, and well, it just has so many things I like--charming little streets, great shops, creative people, beautiful architecture, and it really just felt like a big cozy neighborhood, the kind where you could pull up a chair and have a nice chat with anyone. Here are a few pictures from our Amsterdam weekend getaway. We started our first day with a Dutch pancake from Pancakes!, which Pia Jane Bijkerk mentioned in her book. 

Then I hunted down a few shops in the book, and found quite a few great other shops as well. 

On Saturday we went to the Noordermarkt and found some great things, including this bag on the right made by Anne Van Dijk made from recycled army surplus supplies and men's suits (one of the things I especially liked in the Amsterdam: Made by hand book were her bags, which at 27 euros, are very reasonably priced, I think). 

We mainly spent our time in two areas, the 9 Streets and the Jordaan. Those two areas alone could have kept us busy for days. And those parts of the city are just so charming. Little narrow street after little narrow street, canal after canal. 

We stayed on a houseboat, which was really fun. The houseboat studio we stayed in was adorable but has suffered a bit of wear and tear and could use some TLC. It was still a really nice way to stay in Amsterdam, and it was in a great area for getting out and seeing the city. 

Lois liked to watch the boats and ducks go by. 

We liked checking out the other houseboats along the canals. 

I loved seeing the sheets on the line of this houseboat. So homey with the sheets and the potted garden. 

We also went to a few museums. The Rijksmusem pictured below. Museum of Dutch masters like Vermeer and Rembrandt. They also had a really great exhibit of doll houses--not the kind little girls play with, but serious, and expensive replica's of one's actual house. Check it out here. 

We bought Lois a new umbrella at a fun place called Kitsch Kitchen. She loves it. 

The weather was chilly and a bit grey the last two days, but it still looked beautiful. I really love the roofline of the canal houses. 

People love their bikes in Amsterdam. Soooo many bikes. I have never seen so many bikes. 

And sometimes entire families can be seen cruising on one bike, like this one in the center with 3 child seats on it. Wow. That would make me nervous! 

We also loved looking into peoples houses. It seemed like most people either didn't have window treatments or their window treatments were open. Both of these places below were split level, where behind the dining area was a floor above and one below, both of which you could see through to the other side. I wish you could see better. The houses were so pretty inside. 

This house below was really pretty too. It had a spiral staircase that went all 4 floors, which you could see through the windows. 

And of course we had to have Dutch apple pie. It was soooo good. Our trip was short but sweet, and I'd love to go back one day and explore the city some more. Amsterdam is now one of my favorite places I've been.