For Valentine's Day this year it was time for a trip to Amsterdam. It was my first time but so many people gave me so many recommendations I felt like a local before we even arrived!
The first recommendation was for breakfast...naturally.
We were urged to head over to Buffet van Odette; described as a 'light and fresh breakfast spot', and this was pretty exact!
It was very light and airy, and we were seated with a fairly succinct menu of breakfast items; your usual eggs, granola, porridge etc.
But first.... ;)
Ian went for the eggs with 'marmite' (literally- I know, bizarre) and added a side of bacon, as you do. I went for the cheese truffle omelette because I can never say no to truffle!
It was a perfect start to the day - nothing particularly lavish, but more than enough to fuel us up for our day of culture!
I'd love to come back here in the summer and sit outside next to the water watching the world go by....
Our first stop after breakfast was the museum district. We decided against the Rijksmuseum and the thousands of teenage tourists swarming into itand headed straight for Van Gogh.
To our dismay, there was a huge queue outside when we arrived to buy tickets. We asked a helpful staff member if we absolutely had to stand in the queue in order to get tickets (bore), and luckily we didn't! Tip...there are usually tickets available online on the day, so we just popped onto the website on my phone, bought 2 tickets for the next available slot (5 minutes' time) and walked straight in. Perfect.
You're not allowed to take photos of the paintings, but there was this lovely reproduction mural on the wall of the man himself. The sunflowers were being examined for restoration purposes,but I'd recommend this museum - it's so much more than a gallery! We got to learn loads about his life, and also saw works which he was inspired by, and who he in turn, inspired.
As the sun was shining we decided that one hour of being inside was enough, and spent the rest of the day wandering the streets, visiting the flower market and soaking up the atmosphere. I could have wandered for hours - and we got lost so many times, thinking we were by a different stretch of water, or recognising the same places over and over - it was lovely!
I spent most of the time lusting after the beautiful buildings and planning which one I would like to live in.
But, as usual, hunger came a-knocking, and we had to cave into our sweet-cravings! We passed so many cafes and bakeries, we just had to dive into one, and I for one was looking forward to a famous dutch stroopwafel.
They had lots of different types, but I went for the honey caramel one. 2 thin layers of waffle-biscuit, with a gooey honey caramel centre - beyond delicious!
After a quick break and spot of people watching we were back on our way....next stop...dinner!