I repeatedly found myself lost today in the city center. The streets often change names for no apparent reason, and all the cross streets look the same. Also, the Garmin GPS navigator that my father bought me for christmas does not work well in the city center because the density of buildings does not allow for good satellite reception. The walk was nice however. I especially enjoyed stumbling upon what seemed to be an exceptionally hospitable part of town. Most of the ladies I encountered as I walked down the street were super friendly and tried to get my attention so that they could talk with me. I can only guess that they saw that I was a foreigner and wanted to find out where I was from, what brings me to Amsterdam, and probably also to see if I'd like to join them for a cup of coffee. Since I've had almost no social encounters in Amsterdam, I was happy to get so much attention, but by this time of day I was set on finding 1870 amid the maze of narrow cross streets and canals. So I did not get to stop and talk to these nice ladies. After all, they were hardly dressed appropriately to come out of their rooms for a chat. What a free place this is where women can sit in their windows in lingerie and feel completely comfortable.
Finding 1870 was a debacle. I found myself in the same places time and again, unable to locate Spuistraat, the street where the restaurant was located. Finally I found it, realizing that I had basically walked around it several times during the day. But at this point it was only 5, I mean, 17:00, so I kept walking until I got to a cafe. There I had two cups of coffee and sat for about an hour. Then it was time. I made my way back down the street to 1870. 1870 is a place where you can find good, hearty, cheap eats. It is also a place that serves traditional Dutch food, which I happen to like. The restaurant used to be a place where mostly poor people would come, something like a soup kitchen (1870 is actually down the street from another restaurant called Soup Kitchen). I sat and the same husky Dutch lady that waited on me last time served me this time as well. Her demeanor was less brusque this time and she might have even smiled. She read off the specials, but I knew exactly what I wanted: Stamppot, a traditional Dutch dish consisting of either smoked sausage or a giant meatball (I opt for the latter), mashed potatoes with cabbage folded into them, and a delicious and rich gravy with little chunks of pork in it to add just the right amount of saltiness. This dish is 7.50 euros and fills you up quite nicely. It is perfect for a chilly day. I finished my meal and headed home, stopping at the local grocery store for a latenight snack, some mineral water, and some wine. I had hope to stop at the cheese shop near my place for some unpasturized camenbert, but they were closed. So much for wine and cheese night. Wine, water, and focaccia in hand, I walked home.
It was a good day.
1 comment:
Capital post Hood. Capital.
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