Why did I buy an umbrella at the markets?

15.05.2015

One look at the pictures I took at the markets yesterday and the answer is obvious. After a few hours the drizzle stopped and by 2pm the sun was shining again. A few of these photos were taken a couple of days ago when it was really sunny. I really like Amsterdam. The people are friendly, usually smiling, and the scenery is totally unique. Maybe that is why the streets can get really crowded with tourists from all over Europe and the world. As you walk around, following the mob, it is interesting to listen in on different conversations and figure out where the speaker comes from. I've heard lots of French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, German, many of the dialects of Great Britain, and languages of the countries of Eastern Europe. These voices seem at times to make you forget where you are and drown out the voices of the locals. It's only when you head out into the suburbs that Dutch once again reasserts itself as the common tongue. The buildings in town look like they belong in Amsterdam, but opposite the Centraal Station is a stunner. The Grand Hotel Amrath was built as offices for a group of shipping companies in the Early 20th century in a uniquely Dutch Art Nouveau style. Over the years it had many different lives but In 2007 the refurbished building reopened as a luxurious 5 star hotel. It is supposed to be as grand inside as it is on the outside and for rooms starting at two hundred euro a night it would need to be. I just found out that they do a tour of the building with a cup of tea and a sandwich for about $60. I'll think about it. The canals are very cool and many of them have houseboats on them. Not just in the city but also throughout the suburbs can be seen cute little homes situated on canals, most have a small boat tethered on the canal. It could be an idyllic lifestyle for some. My first day wandering around the streets was a long one. I got lost twice. It was my fault because I was too cheap to buy a 2 euro map. Lesson learned and it was the first purchase I made before wandering the streets yesterday ( when I didn't get lost ). My first day also was also the first time I checked out the local supermarket chains for ready to eat meals and snacks and was pleasantly surprised at what I was able to buy. What I didn't expect to find were two things. The first was ONTBIJTKOEK also known as Breakfast Cake. Wow who would have thought that someone could invent a special cake for breakfast. It comes in a rectangular sliced block and has the texture of a madeira cake, but tastes of ginger, molasses and cinnamon. It is cheap as chips to buy and it is very yummy spread with butter. The second thing that I got excited about was a 500ml bottle of orange juice with a screw on metal cap. Imagine my surprise when I took the top off and had a gulp of what tasted first of all of bananas and then an aftertaste of orange. When I read the label it said that the bottle held all the natural goodness of six oranges and one banana. I wonder who the first person was who said "I know how about making the orange juice taste of bananas" ...

albert cuyp market