Amsterdam - Part 1

we went to Amsterdam for 3 days for Queen's day 2013.  Queen's day is the biggest day and party in the Netherlands and Amsterdam.  My old London pal Sebastiaan Van Der Kock is dutch and was more than happy to hop over to his home country and party with us.



we had a few days off back in Paris between the budapest/berlin trip and the Holland trip.  Here is Ile St. Louis, my favorite corner of Paris.  Weeks later the water will have risen up to the banks.





chocolate covered face.  Also my camera is official f'd now after that camera strap attachment broke and my camera smashed on the ground.  magenta and green Chromatic abberations a plenty along with sharpness and focus and color issues.  this is the kind of photo you should get from a $300 pocket camera in 2005 not from a $2,500 5D Mark II!!!!!!!



had to stand up on trains a few times in Holland, even in the stairwell of this double decker train from the airport.



Central station



I love canals and amsterdam is literally all canals.



we stayed at a really nice place, Andaz Amsterdam Hyatt.  It was a suite and like a boutique hotel









there was artwork and installations all throughout the hotel.



Indonesian "rice table".  Indonesia used to be a dutch ruled so their food is part of dutch food now.



Queen Beatrix handed over the crown to prince Willem-Alexander on Queen's day 2013.  its the first time the Netherlands has had a King in 123 years.  After this year it will be called King's day.  Willem-Alexander's wife is Argentinian. 



we discovered Stroop Waffles.  they are the best thing in the world.  there is carmel and butter in between those sweet waffle cookie things.  oh man we at at least 15 of these each.  We even called down to the desk at 4 am and requested more and they said they are a complimentary thing and they aren't for sale either.  finally they agreed to bring us another tin of them and we devoured that too. 



my camera is f'd look at all that magenta chromatic abberation action going on.  (magenta halos)



this is taken with the polorizing filter.  i don't remember photos being taken with it looking so weird and photoshopped before the camera smash.  it's not photoshopped.



amsterdam is totally a biking city but it looks like it would not be fun because there are just too many people on bikes and literally everyone uses them to get around



"War" Fries are fries with indonesian satay sauce, mayo, and onions.  good stuff, especially since the fries are twice fried.



chillin' with beer along the canals of amsterdam is pretty sweet.



a good example of chromatic abberations happening.



Bitterballen "are a savoury Dutch meat-based snack, typically containing a mixture of beef or veal (minced or chopped), beef broth, butter, flour for thickening, parsley, salt and pepper, resulting in a thick ragout. Most recipes include nutmeg and there are also variations utilising curry powder or that add in finely chopped vegetables such as carrot" (wikipedia).  They are awesome!



not pictured:  all three of us getting blackout drunk by 8pm at the hotel, leaving the hotel and going around places and then all coming back home separately at separate times.  i came home in a taxi for some reason, didn't have enough money and saw this when i walked in.  The next day we tried to piece it all together and we don't even remember leaving the hotel.  we're not 21 yrs old, the 3 of us have been drinking for years, how did this happen to us?  How could we make such a rookie mistake like this and be totally sh!tty and hung over the next day for Queen's day, the big draw?  We are dumb but its seriously a mystery.  and no there weren't any drugs involved so it really is a mystery.