Flying Buccaneer

Sunday, December 28

Even though I was up for a few hours in the middle of the night, I forced myself up at 9 a.m. Mr. FB wanted to sleep a little longer, so I went to a nearby Caffe Nero for a latte. (Exiting the W, I turned to the right and walked uphill.) I had the place to myself while I had my grande latte, my first coffee in days.

Back at the room, I woke my spouse and we got ready for the day. The concierge had recommended taking the ferry to Kadıköy and having lunch at Çiya Sofrasi, so we walked across Dolmabahçe Caddesi (via the pedestrian overpass) to the Beşiktaş Pier. It had rained earlier in the morning, but the sun had come out for a change! We bought our tokens and waited for the ferry. After we boarded, we went upstairs and sat outside. It was cold, but we wanted to get pictures of the Asian and European sides of the Bosphorus.

It started to rain just before we arrived at Kadıköy. The rain, combined with the lack of street signs everywhere in Turkey, made finding the restaurant the concierge had recommended like feeling around in the dark. But it was worth looking for. Çiya Sofrasi was not only recommended by the concierge, but also by our Lonely Planet and Frommer's Istanbul guides. When we walked in at noon, only one other couple was there. When we left an hour later, it was packed. After you take your seat, you walk up to a counter where two dozen hot dishes are available for you to choose. On the other side of the door is a bar with cold foods which is self-service. We stuck to the hot dishes: I had a garlic stew followed by an eggplant-red pepper stew, and my spouse had yogurt soup followed by a small pide and two meatballs. Our waiter brought a basket of bread to go with it. The garlic stew had chunks of beef, green beans, onions, and what looked like broccoli rabe. It was in a yogurt broth. The eggplant-red pepper stew also had chunks of beef and was in a tomato broth. Both were outstanding and very filling. We drank three bottles of water and finished with glasses of cay. The bill came to YTL35, without tip.

We walked around Kadıköy in the rain, and made our way to the market. We saw (and smelled) fresh fish everywhere, along with fresh vegetables and fruits for sale. We also saw the goose that is the market's mascot.

After doing a lot of looking and picture-taking, we boarded the ferry to Eminönü. At YTL1.40, these ferry rides are great values. I imagine that, if timed right, they could be a scenic, but not fast, way to get from the hotel to Old Town without dealing with taxis or the walk to the tram. The reason that we wanted to get to Eminönü was to take the tram to Çemberlitaş and the Çemberlitaş Hamam. Visiting a hamam is one of those things every visitor to Turkey needs to do. During my trip in June, I went to hamams in Antalya and Konya, and thoroughly enjoyed the experiences. When I went to Çemberlitaş in June, I was underwhelmed. While I was the only person in the hamam when I was in Antalya and Konya, I felt like I was part of an assembly line at Çemberlitaş. However, after talking to the concierge and reading different guides, I began to realize that it comes with the territory in Istanbul. You pay more for the hamam and don't get quite the experience you would elsewhere in Turkey. However, for someone like my spouse who had not experienced a hamam elsewhere, I figured it would be a great experience.

We each decided to get the luxury package: scrubbing, bath, 15-minute soap massage, and 30-minute oil massage for YTL90. We went upstairs to our cubicle, undressed, wrapped ourselves in our towels, and walked back downstairs where a man directed us through a door. We were then led to the hot raised marble platform and instructed to lie down. There were 6 or 7 others lying there, and we made sort of a flower petal pattern.

After 20 minutes of sweating, we were each instructed to lie parallel to the edge of the platform and each were scrubbed of a few layers of skin by our bathers, first the front, then the back. Then we were rinsed, doused with suds, given soap massages, and rinsed again. After that, we were led to another place and instructed to sit down while our bathers washed our hair and massaged our neck and shoulders. After another rinse, we were taken to another area where our masseurs were waiting for us. Four tables were crammed together with barely enough space for the masseurs to move around us. No part was left unkneaded, except of course for the part that remained covered by the towel.

The luxury package lasted for about 90 minutes from the time we walked in until we left. I enjoyed this experience more than I did the one at Çemberlitaş in June. However, the bather and masseur each pinched and poked unmercifully at times. My spouse also enjoyed the experience, but said that he could have done without the oil massage, because his masseur dug his fingers into his back too much.

We looked for postcards for awhile, and I remembered that postcards are almost as difficult to find in Turkey as street signs are! Maybe we will find some tomorrow. We boarded the tram and took it back to Kabataş, and then walked the rest of the way to Beşiktaş. Again, we decided to find a place to eat dinner before going back to the room. We found a place called Firnisi. It was similar to a cafeteria. I had a serving of the bamya (okra) and a serving of the fasülye (white beans), while Mr. FB had the Iskender kebap. The dishes were excellent. We shared a sütlaç, the Turkish baked rice pudding, for dessert. I could have eaten three or four of the rice puddings. The pudding has a burned top, and I have been to places that top it with a choice of dried fruit, ground nuts (pistachios, walnuts, or hazelnuts) or a combination. Plain or adorned, it is a wonderfully simple (or is that simply wonderful?) dessert.

Walking back to the W on the cold rainy night, we stopped off for an assortment of baklava. Once again, we are in for the night early, but we had a full day!

Flying Buccaneer

Monday, December 29

There are three ways to get from the W Istanbul to Taksim Square:

• Walk uphill for awhile. No way.
• Walk down Dolmabahçe Caddesi to Kabataş and thake the funicular. Probably not.
• Take a taxi.

We decided last night that we would take the taxi. That was before we woke up this morning to snow. As Floridians, we only get to see snow when we travel, and we don't mind it as long as it doesn't stick to the sidewalks and streets. Thankfully, this did not.

After my latte at Caffe Nero, we left the hotel for Taksim Square. After we walked around for awhile, Mr. FB pointed to McDonald's. I don't really have an aversion to eating at McDonald's when I travel, but I was proud that during nearly three weeks in Turkey in June, I had avoided the place completely. The food is too good in Turkey to waste a meal at McDonald's. However, my spouse is not as adventurous as I am when it comes to food, but he had been a good sport with my choices of places to eat. So I agreed that we could have lunch at McDonald's. We had the McTurco combo meal, something we couldn't get back in the US, so I didn't feel as bad about going there. The McTurco is two beef patties wrapped in flatbread with lettuce and smothered in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce.

After our lunch, we crossed the square and walked down İstikkal Caddesi. This is probably Istanbul's best shopping street, and at times it is a 2-3 km long parade of wall-to-wall pedestrians. It also seems to boast the highest concentration of Starbucks anywhere in Istanbul. There are two ways to take this walk: from Taksim and to Taksim. The walk from Taksim is downhill, explaining why we did it this way.

We didn't buy anything, but we took lots of pictures and some video. We also avoided the nostalgic streetcar that occasionally makes its way up and down the street. As crowded as Istikkal is, the streetcar seems to be even more so!

After a leisurely stroll to the end of Istikkal, we made a slight left turn for the steep downhill walk to Galata Tower. By now, it had stopped snowing and the sun was shining brightly. But it was cold and windy. After the elevator ride to the top, it seemed even more cold and windy. We walked around the outside taking pictures, but it was too cold to spend a long time there.

After taking the elevator back to ground level, we continued our downwill walk toward Karaköy, where we planned to visit Istanbul's Jewish Museum. My partner is Jewish, so he wanted to visit the museum. I also wanted to visit, because I have been fascinated by the history of Jewish people in Turkey and how they have been there since there since they were expelled from Spain in 1492. The museum is at the end of an alley and not easy to find. I am glad that we did not give up our search, though. It is in an old synagogue and has a great deal of information about the history of Jewish people in Turkey, but particularly Istanbul.

My spouse visited the small museum store, and after he made his purchases, we walked across the Galata Bridge. After a few hours of walking, I was ready for a snack. I suggested we go back to the Hafiz Mustafa shop that we visited Friday. Mr. FB agreed, and said that he would like to get a couple of boxes of Turkish delight to take back for gifts. Luckily, a table for two became available at the window as we walked in, and we seated ourselves. We ordered cays, and for our snacks I got a sütlaç while my spouse got something that looked like chocolate pudding but tasted a lot better. While we enjoyed our desserts/snacks, we watched people walk by and drooled over the desserts that were being taken from and placed back in the case. The lady who was working behind one of the candy counters brought us samples of the Turkish delight, halvah, and chocolate covered almonds, some dusted with cocoa, others with ground pistachios. As if she really had to convince us that we had to buy something before we left!

Our snacks eaten and sweet gifts purchased, we walked over to the Spice Bazaar. There were a few other things we wanted to look for, and having a couple of boxes of Turkish delight in tow made it easy to say no to hawkers who were trying to sell us theirs. We managed to walk though unscathed until we got to one of the stalls that had plates, pashminas, and other items for sale. Mr. FB's father's work takes him to London a lot, so both of his parents spend a lot of time there. He thought that a pashmina would be a nice gift for his mother. And a plate. And a small rug that appeared to be handcrafted from pieces of other rugs. After some spirited bargaining, he was able to get it all for YTL300. Almost immediately, he said, "I paid too much, didn't I?" I told him that others would have gotten them for less, but probably an equal number would have paid more, so it didn't matter as long as he was happy with what he got and what he had paid for it.

My purchase? I bought a decorated porcelain-like elephant. I asked how much it was, and the gentleman said YTL25. I offered 14. He gave me a look like I had offended his family and explained that it was handmade and that it could not be sold for less than 25. I offered 15. He gave me an angry look and told me that it sold everywhere else for 24 but he would let me have it for 22. I offered 16, and he told me that I did not understand what a fine item I was looking at, and that 22 was a fair price. But 20 was his minimum price. I told him 17 was my maximum price, and he said that we did not have a deal. I nodded and walked away. He yelled, "OK, 19!" I offered 18 and we settled the deal. Again, others have paid less for it, but I was happy with the price I paid, and I enjoyed the give and take.

As we exited the Spice Bazaar, we realized that it was snowing again. This time, it was more of a wet snow. It was 4:30 p.m., and we had dinner reservations near Taksim at 6:00 p.m. We decided to take the tram to Kabataş and the funicular to Taksim. The trams were packed, but we managed to get one and grab a couple of seats. At the end of the line, we walked over to the funicular and took it up the hill. Taksim looked different at night, with winter decorations lighted up. With the snow, it was like a crowded winter wonderland. We took some more pictures and walked to Starbucks for a warm beverage before dinner.

Our dinner reservation was at Doğa Balık, a fish restaurant I had visited with my group in June. It is on the seventh floor of the Hotel Villa Zurich, about 600m south of Taksim Square. When I ate there in June, the windows of the restaurant were rolled back, creating an outdoor feel. In the winter, the windows were closed, but the view was just as spectacular. So was the fish. And the service? Well, no one in Istanbul eats dinner at 6:00 p.m., so we had the place to ourselves.

After we were seated, a waiter came over and asked what we wanted to drink. We started with waters, and we were invited to help ourselves to mezes. I could have made a meal from the meze bar; there were at least three dozen dishes to choose from. These were accompanied by fresh bread. After we finished those, we were invited to choose our fish. We walked over to the case and decided on the sea bream and the monkfish, grilled of course. The waiter asked if we would like salads, too. Why not?

The salads came quickly. After the plates of meze, these big bowls of salad could have been the rest of our dinner and we would have left happy. The bowls were filled with lettuce, other greens and herbs, and tomatoes. We were given lemon juice and olive oil for dressing. We should have been full, but we had been walking all day, so we were ready for our fish! When it arrived, the server offered to fillet the bream, and we let him. Both dishes were outstanding, and there was a small bowl of lemon juice with garlic on the table to drizzle on the fish. That and olive oil were all these fish needed.

OK, we really should have been full after all of this, but this is Turkey, and we had not had any rakı yet. We each ordered one. Rakı is the national drink of Turkey, similar to ouzo, but better because it is Turkish! With our drinks, we shared a small plate of fruit. When I ate there in June, the fruit was fresh watermelon. This time, the plate contained figs, apricot, pear, and pumpkin, all stewed in sugar syrup and served with a soft white cheese. This probably filled us, but we weren't sure because of the rakı! At any rate, after we finished, we asked for the check. Considering the quality and quantity of food, the attentive service, and the spectacular view of the Golden Horn and the Old Town, YTL140 plus tip was a bargain that will be hard to beat anywhere!

Wobbly from the food and rakı, we took the elevator back to the ground floor and hailed a taxi. The snow was mixed with rain, and the traffic was slow. Our driver was entertaining and honest as the traffic crept at a snail's pace. We made it back to the hotel, wishing that we had more time to explore this incredible city, but looking forward to our three days in Amsterdam!

couscous

Great trip report. Thanks for all the great ideas and advices.
Have a great time in Amsterdam !

Flying Buccaneer

We awoke to snow again this morning. On the advice of the concierge, we decided to get an early start for our flight at 1:50 p.m. He said that the snow could cause traffic problems, so it was better to be on the safe side. After my morning latte, we finished packing and got ready to leave.

It was not easy to leave the W. Our room was spectacular, and we really enjoyed our neighborhood. I can't say enough good things about the service at the W. Everyone at this hotel gives the impression that he/she will do whatever is necessary to make sure that their guests are delighted. That literally is true of everyone we encountered. The concierge, Cem, is perhaps the best concierge I have worked with anywhere. Anyone staying at this W need never worry about having any question unanswered or any need unattended.

But it was time to go, and at 10:30 a.m. we boarded our taxi to Atatürk airport. Even though traffic was crazy in Beyoğlu and Eminönü, the rest of the ride was smooth and we made it to the airport at 11:10 a.m. We went through security and saw that check-in for our flight was with all TK flights at counters G-H. We didn't see a dedicated desk for business class, so we joined the queue. We waited for less than 10 minutes. After accessing our record, the agent handed us our passports and boarding passes and told us that we could have checked in at the business class counter. It was at the end of the H counter, closest to passport control. Oh well, it's not as if we had to wait a long time.

We passed through passport control and did some shopping. There's no better way to feel good about the prices you paid in an Istanbul bazaar than to look at the prices at the airport bazaar! However, Mr. FB had some extra lire, and I wanted to buy some rakı to bring home. I had seen on our flight to IST that a 70cl bottle of rakı was €10 on the airline duty free. At the airport bazaar, I found 2 35cl bottles with 2 rakı glasses for €11. I considered that a good deal, so I used my last 10 YTL and less than €6 to get it.

Our shopping done, we walked to the TK lounge. I had visited the TK lounge in the domestic terminal in June, and the one in the international terminal is completely different. It's spacious and offers an enormous variety of foods: meatballs, yogurt soup, 5 types of sandwiches, desserts (including sütlaç!), pastries, and fruit, as well as coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine, Efes on tap, and other alcoholic beverages.

We have less than an hour before we leave for AMS. It took some convincing to get my spouse to come to Istanbul, but I don't think it will be that difficult to get him to agree to a return trip... especially if we stay at the W!

Flying Buccaneer

Thanks couscous! And have a wonderful New Year at the W. I am sure that it will be a great place to welcome 2009!

Flying Buccaneer

Tuesday, December 30

Turkish Airlines 1953
IST-AMS
Scheduled Departure/Arrival 1:50 p.m./4:35 p.m.
Actual Departure/Arrival 2:10 p.m./4:35 p.m.
B-737
Seats 3A and 3C

Our departure gate (220) was close to the Turkish Airlines lounge. We went through security to the gate area and had a brief wait before boarding the plane at 1:35 p.m. When we boarded, there was still a line of pax waiting to go through security. That probably explained our late pushback. I think Y was full, and 10 of 12 seats in C were occupied. Upon boarding, we were offered our choice of water, orange juice, or champagne.

After pushback from the gate, we taxied briefly before coming to an area where our plane was de-iced. The snow was not heavy, and there was no accumulation on the taxiway, but there was probably enough to require the procedure as a precaution. We finally took off at 2:35 p.m., and shortly after takeoff the FAs came through the C cabin with menus and hot towels, and taking drink orders.

MENU

ASSORTED TURKISH APPETIZERS

STUFFED ZUCCHINI IN OLIVE OIL

Which would you like as your entrée:

GRILLED SWORDFISH MEDALLION
Eggplant stuffed with red pepper/potato puree

or

GRILLED FILLET MIGNON AND CHICKEN MEDALLION
Café de Paris sauce
sautéed mixed vegetables/buttered rice

or

HOME MADE MUSHROOM RAVIOLI
cream sauce/sautéed mushrooms
marinated red pepper
___

ASSORTED CHEESE
___

HOME MADE BAKED RICE PUDDING
___

ovenfresh bread selection

freshly brewed coffee or tea

The FA brought a tray with three small dishes containing the rice pudding (more sütlaç!), eggplant, and cheese. On another plate was the appetizer: sliced chilled chicken breast served on a bed of greens with a shrimp and a cheese slice with a red pepper strip. A FA then came around with a selection of breads from a basket.

After we had eaten our appetizers, a FA then came through the aisle with a cart offering entrée selections. Mr. FB chose the fillet mignon and chicken, while I went for the swordfish. This was an excellent airline meal, better than anything offered by US airlines, even in international premium service. The swordfish was cooked perfectly, even better than some I have had on the ground! The eggplant was moist and nicely seasoned, and the potatoes were good. With my meal, I had a Turkish chardonnay, 2005 Pamukkale.

I almost forgot, the sütlaç was very good as well… not as good as what I had at Hafiz Mustafa, but it did nothing to diminish my unnatural adoration of this dessert!

After the tray was cleared, I relaxed with a cup of cay as we flew over Eastern and Central Europe. Much of the view outside was obstructed by cloud cover, but every now and then a mountain top would break through, or a break in the clouds would allow a glimpse at a snow-covered landscape. The video entertainment for the flight was one of the series of The Mummy movies, so I once again ignored the screens.

My spouse had spent much of the flight watching a video on this iPhone, so I decided to do the same. When I flew TK between IST-AYT in June, a FA told me that I was not allowed to use my iPhone on the plane, even in airplane mode. However, my spouse had been watching his, and I was prepared to say that it was an iPod Touch if anyone asked.

Despite the late takeoff, our flight landed at 4:25 p.m. and arrived at the gate on time. We followed the “Arrivals” signs and waited in line at passport control. Our bags came out within 10 minutes, and we were on our way to buy train tickets. The queue for tickets moved quickly, and we went in search for the next train to Centraal Station. It made two stops, and arrived at Amsterdam Centraal at 5:30 p.m. From Centraal, we took a taxi to the Hotel Pulitzer.

I was able to get three nights at the Pulitzer using Starpoints. The Pulitzer has been around much longer than the W, and it is certainly a bit more sophisticated. It’s also a place I have noticed on walks to the Anne Frank House and canal cruises through Amsterdam. However, our first impressions of our stay at the Pulitzer have not been great. There was no one to greet our taxi upon arrival and help with our bags. Two clerks were checking in guests, and each line was three deep. After a five-minute wait, we were next. We were welcomed and told that no upgrades were available and that we had a very nice garden room. I had heard the agent tell the couple who checked in before us that she was including breakfast because an upgrade was not available, so I asked if our room included breakfast. She frowned and said, “No, I am sorry, it does not.” She reconsidered, perhaps realizing that I had heard her provide breakfast to another guest in lieu of an upgrade. Anyway, it’s understandable that the hotel would be sold-out for New Years Eve, making upgrades impossible. Check-in completed, there was no offer to help us with our bags to the room, maybe because our room was the closest room to the front desk.

The room is about 11’ x 14’, plus the alcove with a 32” flat screen TV and an entry. The bathroom is elegant but small, and the king bed is very comfortable. To be fair, I don’t think that I have had a larger room during any of my dozen or so visits to Amsterdam in the past. Also, I know that Amsterdam has a reputation for indifferent service. However, compared to my other two stays at Luxury Collection hotels in the past 18 months—the Sheraton Park Tower in London and the Sheraton in Ankara, Turkey—the Pulitzer does not measure up, so far. Maybe my feelings will change after we both have some sleep… and see what breakfast is like.

While the Pulitzer does not offer free wi-fi in its lobby, it does have a business center with two computers that can be used by guests free of charge. While using one of the computers, I saw that the hotel does have at least one executive room available for the three nights we will be here. Considering that I am not the only guest who was told no upgrades are available, and that the offer of breakfast is a nice gesture, I decided it wasn't worth pursuing.

After we had relaxed a bit, we walked around the corner to get some water at the nearby Albert Heijn and then got pizza at an Italian place on Raadhuisstraat. We had planned to walk around some more, but the cold and exhaustion forced us inside. Also, we need to rest up for tomorrow’s visit to the Rijksmuseum and the New Years Eve celebration.

hmv

It's very cold in The Netherlands, just got back from work..
My butt was freezing.

Tommorownight it's -1 C, but it feels like -4..
Brrr

Next time if you come to The Netherlands(or have a long layover), PM me.

Flying Buccaneer

At least the sun is supposed to shine here today and tomorrow!

I will let you know the next time we are here. Tonight should be fun for everyone.

Flying Buccaneer

... from the Hotel Pulitzer Business Centre.

The beds at the Hotel Pulitzer are very conducive to sleeping. I slept at least 8 hours, though that might have had more to do with catching up on sleep than anything else. However, I will give the beds a big ^!

Another big ^ goes to the breakfast at Pulitzers Cafe. This one has something for everyone, from fresh pastries and breads for making toast with all of the usual toppings to fresh fruit to hot dishes. The gentleman who seated us was very friendly. At €29 per person for breakfast, I realize now that we did get a great deal in lieu of an upgrade!

However, I have to give a big to the towels in the guest rooms. They are 2'x3' and have the thickness of a Days Inn towel. (That might be unfair to Days Inn, because I haven't stayed at one in years, but that's how I remember them.) A hotel that is part of the Luxury Collection should not have bargain basement towels.

dcmike

Great trip report! I'm looking forward to hearing more!

I know the W in Istanbul is in a great shopping area, but how is it for getting to the historical sights? You seemed to take a lot of taxis - is it possible to get on public transportation from around there?

Flying Buccaneer

Thanks, dcmike!

It is possible to get from the W to all of the sights without taking taxis. The Kabatas tram stop, the northern terminus of the tram line, is about 1.5 km from the W, or about a 20 minute walk. The walk is along a very busy street, and we did it during the day and evening. We would have done it more often had it not been for the rain. The tram goes directly to the Old Town and makes stops very close to all of the attractions. Also from Kabatas, there is a funicular up the hill to Taksim. We thought it would be more efficient timewise to take a taxi there.

Alternatively, if you like ferries, you could take a ferry from the Besiktas pier across the Bosphorus and then take another from Asia to Eminonu. It would be a leisurely, but certainly scenic, way to get to the Old Town.

However, if you find yourself walking so much in the Old Town that you don't feel like walking any more, taxis are cheap in Istanbul, as long as you get a good driver. One tip our concierge gave us was not to hail taxis from tourist areas but to go to a hotel and ask for one. I hope this helps!

Flying Buccaneer

Wednesday, December 31

I slept very soundly, and I was upset when I was awakened by a commotion in the hallway. I wanted to yell at the people having the loud conversation for being inconsiderate so early in the morning. Then I looked at my cell phone and saw that it was already 8:13 a.m. You couldn’t tell by looking outside. It was still pretty dark. I work Mr. FB and told him that we should head to breakfast. He wanted to sleep a little longer, and I suggested that we eat first and relax later.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the breakfast at the Pulitzer is quite wonderful. We were seated next to a window facing Reestraat and had a leisurely breakfast as we walked people walk their dogs in the cold gray morning.

After breakfast, we checked our email and then went back to the room. My spouse wanted to sleep a little longer, so I went to the nearby Albert Heijn to get strippenkaarts and some more water. While I was out, I realized that the white dust everywhere was not frost. It had snowed lightly overnight. I had never seen Amsterdam in snow, so I decided to take a walk before getting the water. Some canals had a thin layer of ice, while others did not. I’m guessing that the canals with more boat traffic are the ones that are ice-free.

Back at the hotel, I found Mr. FB asleep, so I decided to let him catch up on his sleep a little longer. A little before 11 a.m., I decided it was time for us to get going. We showered and dressed and walked to the other side of Magna Plaza to catch a tram to the Rijksmuseum. We arrived at 12:05 p.m. to find a long line of people waiting. We should have bought tickets online, but we didn’t expect such a long line. We waited in the freezing weather and just as we passed through the arch leading into the grounds, a group of four decided to join the line a few people in front of us. They didn’t leave, and we seemed to be the only ones perturbed by their rudeness.

Our wait was a little less than an hour, and after going through security and buying tickets we were in. This was my fourth visit to the Rijksmuseum, Mr. FB’s first. We will need to come back to Amsterdam after the renovations are finished so that he can see the whole thing. Even in its abbreviated form, it is well worth the wait to get into. Of course, the highlight is Rembrandt’s Night Watch, but there is much more to see. Besides that, it was nice and warm inside!

After a visit to the museum shop, we walked outside to see that it was snowing again. We walked toward the Albert Cuyp market on Albert Cuypstraat. I remember accidentally stumbling upon this market years ago, and I try to visit it every time I am in Amsterdam. We had a quick lunch and then headed down the street looking for the stroopwafel vendor. On a cold afternoon, a warm freshly made stroopwafel was a perfect snack. We love the pre-packaged ones at stores, but nothing beats the fresh ones. Pretty soon, we approached our target and got what we came for and ate them before they had a chance to get cold.

We reached the end of the market and took the tram to Rembrandtplein. During most of my visits to Amsterdam, I have stayed in this area, so I am very familiar with it. We passed the friteur near the intersection of Reguliersbreestraat and Halvemaansteeg. I have eaten more cones of frites from this place over the years than I care to remember, but I was not hungry at the moment. Besides, eating frites smothered in mayonnaise and satay sause while wearing gloves is a guaranteed mess!

We crossed Muntplein and made our way up Kalverstraat, one of Amsterdam’s pedestrian shopping streets. We popped into Vroom & Dreesman. V&D used to be one of my favorite stores in Amsterdam back when it had the excellent candy counter and fresh sandwiches. It still has an area with a bakery, take away food, and a sit down restaurant. We also stopped at H&M to get scarves to help keep us warm.

Around 5:30 p.m., we ended up back at the Pulitzer. We decided that some down time was in order, so we relaxed until 7:00 p.m. when it was time for dinner. We walked west on Rozengracht until we ran out of places and then walked back. Steak sounded like a good idea, and that’s never a problem in Amsterdam with all of its Argentinean steak houses. We stopped at one called Amigo and had the special menu: steak, chicken, or spare ribs with frites and salad for €10.95. We each had the steak, plus chimichurri sauce and bread with garlic butter. With a Heineken and water dinner came to €35.

We walked around a little more after dinner. We had heard and seen fireworks since we arrived in Amsterdam, but now they were going off more frequently. We figured that we should save some of our endurance (and resistance to the cold weather) for later in the evening and return to the hotel.

A little before 11:00 p.m., we left the hotel and started walking toward Dam Square. Amsterdam doesn’t have an organized fireworks display because so many individuals and groups shoot their own fireworks. We passed at least a dozen people shooting firecrackers and bottle rockets while we were in the river of people. There was a giant stage in the square, set up in front of the Royal Palace. The entire square was full of people, but we managed to wedge ourselves in about halfway between the stage and Madame Tussauds. A band was performing. We arrived after they were introduced, but the lead singer had a shaved head and looked a lot like Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel.

After the band finished, there was a short intermission followed by a performance by Anouk. We had seen one of her videos on MTV. Her performance was short but enthusiastic, and very well received by the crowd. When she left the stage, it was a little after 11:50 p.m., so the crowd was getting wild! Even though we were packed as tightly as a sea of humanity could be, people were still making their way through the crowd. There were two things that were good about that: it was impossible to fall, and the heat generated by the crowd kept us warm even though the temperature was below freezing.

Midnight approached, and as the countdown reached zero, the crowd went wild. (Here's the link to my YouTube video.) People screamed and champagne sprayed everywhere. The entertainers on the stage sang Stevie Wonder songs including “Do I Do” and “Sir Duke.” Candy Dulfer was one of the performers.

About ten minutes after midnight, we decided to start making our way toward Paleisstraat. Of course, that was easier said than done, but eventually we joined what could be best described as a human train headed in that direction. A group was setting off fireworks just before we reached Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, and it was almost like a combat zone. A loud, but celebratory, combat zone!

Fireworks were going off everywhere, nearby and at a distance. Every time we crossed a canal, we stopped to take pictures. Even though our hotel was only about 600m from the Dam, we spent an hour walking back. Amsterdammers really know how to ring in the New Year! Long after we returned to our room, we could still hear the explosions from the fireworks.

Happy New Year, everyone!

dcmike

Thanks for the info and Happy New Year!

hmv

The lead singer with the shaved head is probably this guy:


The strippenkaarten will be banned from public transport somewhere this year and will be replaced by OV-Chipkaarten(looks like a credit card).

Flying Buccaneer

That's the guy. I remember seeing one of BLØF's videos when I was here in 1999. I didn't realize it was them! I think they sang a song called "Follow the Leader," but I might have misheard. Also, thanks for the information about the strippenkaart.