Going Dutch: Valentines Day in Amsterdam

After our Thursday night at Escape, Kelly and I decided to take it easy over the weekend. Saturday we ventured out into a cold, persistant mist to check out the Anne Frank House. After arriving in the vicinity of the museum, we decided we needed to warm up and grab a snack before standing in the rainy, cold line. We walked along a nice business district and found a little Turkish bakery where we purchased a delicious feta cheese roll and an even more delicious chocolate croissant-all for a total of 3 Euro.

After finishing up we headed back out into the mist and made our way to the Anne Frank House, where upon arriving we decided neither of us really wanted to wait in line in the cold and wet, and decided to check out the Royal Palace on the Dam Square. The Royal Palace was originally Amsterdam's city hall, but after the French invaded it became Louis Bonaparte's (Napoleon Bonaparte's brother) royal palace. We arrived a half hour before closing, but still managed to at least see all the rooms. I am planning to go back to take the guided tour at some point.

The palace wasn't very warm, so we went to find a nice place to grab a cup of something warm. We ended up at Abraxas Coffeshop, one of Amsterdam's coffeeshop that actually has a decent atmosphere and nice decor. We each ordered a very yummy "chocochino". It is kind of like a mocha, except the chocolate is in the form of chocolate buttons at the bottom over which steamed milk is poured, and then a shot of espresso is added. They were very yummy and warmed us up for the ride back.

Interesting note: most warm drinks here are served in glass mugs, rather than ceramic mugs.

On Sunday I checked out Amsterdam's impressive new public library. I have never been in a library quite comparable. It is 7 stories and has two restaurants. The inside is very slick and modern with tons of chairs and tables for reading, as well as a few hundred public access computers. Unlike many public libraries in the States, this one is clearly used well. In addition to the books and computers, there are pianos sprinkled throughout the library that anyone may play and a mini-movie theater. (first picture not taken by me)

Monday of course was Valentines Day. The Dutch seem aware of Valentines Day, but it is by no means "celebrated" in the American sense. It seems flowers are customary, but beyond that there is not much significance associated with it. In the morning I went out and got Kelly flowers and a box of chocolates. After giving them to her, we realized we didn't have a suitable vase so we made one out of an Orangina bottle and the wrapping the flowers came in. 

For dinner we went to a nice Italian restaurant down the road and enjoyed some filling pasta dishes.