Best Of: Amsterdam Edition

So, I got back from Amsterdam late Sunday night. I had some time on the train (6 hours, give or take) so I jotted down a framework for this post while it was still fresh in my mind.  Also, I'm playing around with picture placement. I thought it might be a nice change from having the same size (large) and position (center). What do you think? Which do you prefer? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Amsterdam is an absolutely beautiful city. It has picturesque streets, canals lined with small boats, and warm little cafes on every corner.  The level of English is amazing. You can literally speak English with just about anyone, and they have a perfect grasp of grammar and barely any accent. Which is a really good thing, because the native Dutch language definitely has to be one of the strangest languages I've heard. Is it German? English? Are they sick and hacking up some mucus mid-sentence? If you aren't a fan of the French "r", you are in for a treat:


So, with that to set the tone.. This is the "Best Of" from my recent trip to Amsterdam.  I actually really like this, so I will try to make it a tradition for every city I visit in the future.  Without further ado..



The "Best of" Amsterdam January 2014

Best Neighborhood: Jordaan

Wiki says:

The Jordaan is a district of the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Originally a working-class neighbourhood, the Jordaan has become one of the most expensive, upscale locations in the Netherlands. It is home to many art galleries, particularly for modern art, and is also dotted with speciality shops and restaurants. Markets are held regularly at Noordermarkt, the Westerstraat (the Lapjesmarkt textile market) and Lindengracht.
Rembrandt spent the last years of his life in the Jordaan, on the Rozengracht canal. He was buried in the Westerkerk church, at the corner of Rozengracht and Prinsengracht, just beyond the Jordaan. The Anne Frank House, where Anne Frank went into hiding during World War II, is located on the edge of the Jordaan, on the Prinsengracht canal.

Personally, I love Jordaan because it's so picturesque and tiny and pristine. Tiny streets and canals,  tiny (beautiful) buildings, and tiny cafes with amazing coffee, beers, and desserts. It's more residential and much less touristy, which means the streets are quiet and calm -- but it's just a short walk away from the busy center. There are far fewer cyclists, so you can walk without fear of hearing the dreaded bike bell two seconds before they run you over.  It reminds me of Sacramento St in Pac Heights/Laurel Heights in San Francisco.

Best Beer: la Chouffe

la Chouffe, actually a Belgian beer. But I tried it for the first time on this trip, so it's going on the blog.  La Chouffe is a blond Belgian beer, and at 8% it's a pretty strong one. It's got a 94% rating on beeradvocate.com, so I'm not the only fan. A review that sums it up much better than I could:

"The beer pours a cloudy apricot color, plenty of sediment floating around the glass with a big, billowy white head, soft and fluffy that has very nice retention and leaves an incredible amount of soapy lace behind. The aroma is inviting, lots of fruity yeast, sweet pale malt, lemongrass and some crisp spice character from both the hops and the coriander. The flavors follow really well, nice fruity yeast flavors, a touch of funkiness, berry and lemon pop nicely, pale grain that is smooth and soft, sweet but not too rustic, but with a earthy assertiveness. A bit of spiciness leads to a crisp finish that has just a faint hint of alcohol. The mouthfeel is superb, super lively carbonation, dances across the tongue while still coating the mouth nicely and gently and finishes easily with just a touch of carbonated zip.

Verdict: A benchmark for the style and a really wonderful beer to drink. It's not overly complex or inventive, but refined and executed impeccably. It's quite refreshing for the ABV and one of the more quaffable Belgian Pale Strong Ale's one can find."

I say: delish.

Best local food: broodje haring

I got my broodje haring (herring sandwich) from a street vendor near the Anne Frank house. From what I can gather from the internets, the raw fish is brined and then slapped on a soft bun with some pickles and raw onions. It looks disgustingly unappetizing. The raw fish is (unsurprisingly) grayish white and pink/red towards the center.  The skin is only partly removed, so patches of it are still clinging to the fish. Bones abound, and sometimes the tail is still on.  If you can get past its less than tasty looks, however, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The sandwich is served cold, which is good because otherwise the smell would probably be REALLY strong.  The fish tastes pretty mild but pairs well with the sweet pickles and sharp onions.  It was definitely a change from my normal street food in Berlin (doener) but a good one. I even bought some to make a sandwich to eat on the train ride home--in the compartment between cars, of course. There is always "that guy" who brings the smelliest food onto the train, turning the car into a huge Dutch oven for everyone else. No way was I gonna be that guy. 

Best Restaurant: Bazar

with my Italian friend whom I met in
San Fran but who is living in Ams now
Confusing? Yes. But cool.

Tucked down a street far from the hustle and bustle of the Red Light District and all its tourists, Bazar is a Middle Eastern restaurant that is perpetually busy. The restaurant is inside a former synogague, so it's huge. The second story is open to the first floor below, and everywhere you look is a riot of color -- from the large colored lamps to the mosaic walls to the dining section with colored Christmas lights, it's definitely not visually boring.  It might even be a bit much for a dining experience, but hey it's not my restaurant.

The service is actually horrendous.  I've been there twice and each time was really bad, even for European service. We called ahead for 7:45pm. They agreed that 7:30 would work -- and then wrote us down for 8:30. Innocent mistake or excuse to get us to have a drink by the bar? You be the judge. We found a spot at the bar, and despite having 3 bartenders working, it took us 15 minutes to even get someone to take our order. We stopped a waiter to order drinks during dinner. "Ok sure," he said, and walked away. Ten minutes later we stopped another server and asked about it. "Oh, he probably didn't even put it in the order," she said nonchalantly.  She brought our order -- a Coke, a bottled beer, and a red wine. Except somehow, "Coke" got transformed into "large beer."  She zoomed away before we could inform her of the mistake.

So, why did we eat there? The food is amazing.  The huge portions are cooked and spiced to perfection.  I ordered the Yogurtlu Adana (grilled minced beef and lamb kebab with lawash, yoghurt sauce with moesir, rice, grilled tomato, haydari and salad).

my dinner, plus an appetizer of dips (hummus, etc), dolmas, and bread that didn't last long enough for pictures

Christian posing but trying not to

Best Coffeeshop: The Doors

There are just some things that you HAVE to do in certain cities -- see Golden Gate in SF, have a beignet in New Orleans, Times Square in NYC..and a coffeeshop in Amsterdam.  When visiting a new place I am always terrified of picking a shitty (restaurant, hotel, museum, etc etc) so I had a list of researched, tried and true coffeeshops to visit. Knowing that Christian (my travel buddy for this particular trip) is a Captain Wing It, these were strategically chosen all around the city so that whenever when we needed a break from museums or the cold, we could pop into the nearest shop for a smoke. However, in additon to being Captain Wing It, Christian has a built-in "Plan Fucker-upper" and instinctively got the coffeeshop urge literally nowhere near any of my picks.

There were two shops within sight. At the risk of being too kitschy, I picked The Doors -- least we could probably hear some good music, I reasoned.  It was actually an awesome choice.

A barman stood behind a bar on the far wall. People were sitting at a bar along the left wall, but instead of drinking, they were smoking.  A barman was hanging out, serving them and smoking a cigarette.  A long bench ran along the length of the right wall with low tables, and booths were tucked in front of the two windows along the front of the shop.  Pictures of Jim Morrison lined the walls.  The customers were a mix of Dutch and English speakers, but they didn't seem like tourists.  It was almost cozy.

We snagged a table and ordered some prerolled joints. "Don't smoke all of it at once," the barman (or would it be weed man? ahaaa) cautioned us newbies.  "It's better to be kind of high than totally stoned."

It was really cool to chill, talk, smoke, and listen to 70s rock.  How funny that I was doing the same thing that my mom used to do -- just 40 years and 4000 miles away!

Afterwards we went for a walk.  Christian immediately ran into a parked bicycle just steps outside the door.  "Oh yeah, I get really dizzy. And I mix up my languages. And I say shit [stupid things]," he said.  "But the kickstand on the bike was down. That's why I tripped." Suuuuuure....

Best Bar: Bar Italia
Bar Italia is a spacious bar/restaurant combo. You enter one side and it's a packed bar/lounge.  Cross over the dance floor, go up a flight of stairs, and you are in a classy and quiet restaurant.

 It was absolutely packed when we got there after dinner at Bazar. We definitely did not manage to snag a table, but we did enjoy the DJ spinning popular dance/pop music while having a drink. The sad part was that no one was really dancing. I don't know if it was the crowd or just that it's Europe. I know that in France a lot of lounge/club/bar combos play dance music, but everyone who is there is too cool for school and just kind of bob around and talk to each other instead of shaking their booties on the dance floor.  Perhaps Bar Italia is the same.

Looking around I was struck by how good looking the Dutch are.  After so much time in Berlin with its scruffy unkempt look so in vogue, it was almost strange to see so many people who actually put effort into their appearance. Guys had longer hair, parted on the side and coiffed into place. Slim fitting jeans were paired with equally slim-fitting dress shirts and buttoned V neck cardicans. Girls were beautiful with long flowing hair and tasteful, classy yet casual dresses. Definitely not booty shaking, mini-wearing club girls. Some examples:

     

I pulled out my camera and tried to discreetly take a couple of pictures, but I was spotted. Not too hard to imagine considering it is an SLR and not very discreet at all. Can you see him? Hint: Look for the "peace" sign. 

What I imagine he was thinking: Oh look at that girl all in black with that fancy camera, she must be a professional party photographer! I'm gonna be in some sweet travel magazine or at the very least on an awesome party website!
What he was probably thinking: PICTUUUUURRRRRRE

Best Encounter: the Crazy Australians

Christian and I went separate ways on the last night we were there.  I was standing outside waiting to meet up with him again when a pair of guys walked by. One of them asked if I had a light. I lit his cigarette for him and we started chatting -- "Where are you from," etc etc, normal small talk. "We're from Australia," they said. 

"I LOVE AUSTRALIANS!" I all but yelled. I mean, who doesn't? With their quirky accents and fun, beach-infused attitudes, I have yet to meet an Australian I don't like.

One of them was definitely tipsy, and the other was the voice of reason.  "Oh my Gawd, you look like an Eskimo, can I just -- your fur looks so warm -- I just want to --" Tipsy started rubbing his head on the fur trim of my hood. "Oh my Gawd leave her alone, Jesus Christ," Reason said, rolling his eyes and pulling Tipsy away. "You freak."

"Look, you are so nice, can we put you in a cab or something?" they asked after talking for a few minutes.  "It's getting late, you should be back in your hotel room instead of out here in the cold."

A ton of empty cabs had driven by, looking hopefully for an easy fare from a (relatively) sober tourist. I didn't need the help but let Tipsy try to hail me a cab anyway. "I've got a great cab dance, just watch. I'll hail you one, no problem," he promised. He then ran into the street -- yes, into the middle of the street -- and started wildly flailing his arms, jumping around, doing kicks that would make the Rockettes proud, and gyrating his hips.  While hilarious, it was definitely having the opposite effect. Cabs were actually changing lanes to avoid this maniac in the middle of the street having a strange seizure.

After a couple of missed cabs, I looked at Reason. "Dude, your friend is scaring them away," I laughed. He shook his head. "Come on, man, let me do it," he said, pulling his friend onto the curb.  With only a reasonably raised hand and two seconds of time, a cab pulled up to the curb as if he'd summoned it, which I guess he had. 

"Take this lady where she needs to go. No funny business. We're watching you," Tipsy said. He gave the cabbie the evil eye.  "I mean it."  They started walking away.  I waved as the cab passed. Reason waved back, and Tipsy gave Cabbie the "I'm watching you" hand gesture a la Robert de Niro in Meet the Fockers:

While the whole encounter sounds kind of creepy (meeting two random men at night on the street, rubbing his face on my hood, etc etc), it was everything but.  It was actually quite hilarious. I'll never forget that crazy cab dance or how genuinely concerned for my safety they were. 

Definitely winners in the Best Encounter category.

6 Things I miss about France

I know I am living in Germany, and the name of this blog is directly related to Germany.. But I have to go back to the topic of France, just for a bit.  I just got off of the phone with a French friend. We met in SF and dated briefly, and then his time studying in SF was over and he returned to Strasbourg. Now he's the cofounder of a startup that's been recognized multiple times and has won awards (Synovo, but everything will be in French if you google it and find the correct Synovo). It's really cool, and I am so proud of what he's doing!

Most of our conversations have always been in French and this one was no different.. It's so nice to be able to dive back into my second language and really speak fluidly and have a real conversation, not just say some nice sentences for my friends. It normally goes like this:
Friend: "You speak French? Say something!"
Me: (struggling to find something to say on the spot) "Bonjour, je m'appelle Casey.. Je parle français..Je porte un manteau?"
Friend: "Awesome! What did you say??"
Me: "My name is Casey. I speak French. I'm wearing a coat."
Friend: (obviously disappointed) "Oh."

So, in honor of our reconnecting (it's actually the first time we've spoken in a LONG time)..Here's a list of things I love and miss about France. Also, while I'm thinking about it.. Here is my now-defunct blog from this summer.. I actually wrote a post mentioning how much I love Berlin. So ironic that I am now living here a few months later.. Definitely did not see that one coming.

France, you are so close and yet you might as well be part of China...Je t'ai quitté pour l'Allemagne, mais je t'aime encore, ma belle!

1. la langue, la langue, la langue. Speaking French will always be, as the Frenchman in The Matrix says, "Like wiping your ass with silk."  I'll never have a perfect accent but it's getting better all the time (so I've heard..I will forever be skeptical of comments like that).. And anyway, despite stereotypes, the French have always loved my American accent.  Especially when I curse. "C'est mignon," ("It's cute") is the common response to my "Putain!" I also get a lot of requests to say "Va te faire enculer!" ("Go fuck yourself") just for the accent cuteness. The response "Awww! So cute!" is not necessarily what you want to hear when you are angry enough to use a gros mot, but I guess that's a small price to pay for the freedom and ability to speak in a different language.

2. le fromage.  There are over 300 types of cheese in France, and one of my greatest pleasures was the bi-weekly cheese adventure -- going to the supermarket, wandering up and down the 2 huge aisles of cheeses, and picking a couple of random ones to take home.  I never knew what I was going to get -- Reblochon? Saint-Félicien? Comté, Camembert, Coulommiers....Be it hard or soft,  aged or fresh, each one was a little adventure into Tasty Town.

3. the pastries - German bakers try their best at recreating the French croissant, the pain au chocolat... They look very appealing, sitting there in the bakery case in all their flaky pastry glory.  You remember the sweet buttery taste of your breakfasts in France and order one...and then are utterly disappointed when you bite into something dry and tasteless. A+ for appearance, but I don't want to eat something that tastes like a week-old, dried out piece of imitation croissant from the mass-production bakeries of the discount chain Dia.

4. My ability to speak the native language. Since moving to Germany I have found this as being highly underrated during my time in France. When I was in France, I thought I hardly spoke French. Sure I could have a conversation with people but my grasp of higher grammatical concepts was lacking. Plus-que-what??  Put me in a loud room with music and young people using slang with an accent and I would be lost.  That is literally making me smile as I type it, because... Fast forward to Berlin, where I have to deal with words like Kartoffelpuffer (hash browns), Friedrichstrasse (the name of a major street here..seems innocuous enough but the "ich" plus "str" sounds together get me every time), Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung (the word for speed limit??? wtf??), and Knoblauch (unfortunately, this is my favorite doener sauce, which means I have to use it fairly often) are literally alien to me. Like, you might as well just say "adingadurdongdang" to me. At least in France I can freaking understand when you ask me if I have a pen.

5. l'apéro. This is the pre-dinner snack/drinking course when you have friends over. This is amazing on a summer evening when it's still sweltering hot but cool enough to sit on the balcony with friends. Le pate en croute, des cornichons (baby pickles), le saucisson sec, des olives, et meme les chips (in American..chips)-- and don't forget le pastis (a licorice-flavored shot you mix with water and ice), le kir (white wine + a flavored liqueur)...It's the perfect amount of finger foods plus drinking plus talking, until the sun finally sets and you can head out to a boite.

6. the fashion. The French are well-known for both their fashion sense and their slender bodies which only accentuate their style.  Yes, they do wear black a lot.. But it is universally flattering and looks great when paired with a form-fitting dress shirt and a tie (on guys..or girls, if that's your thing) or a cocktail dress. Hair is perfectly coiffed. Guys tousle it just the right amount, and girls always have a cut that suits them perfectly. Heels or shiny dress shoes are a requirement, regardless of what you're doing -- going to the market, pushing your baby in a stroller, apero hour, going to a classy event... Wear. Your. Heels.

Compare this to Berlin, where you are forbidden from going into most clubs unless you are sufficiently DRESSED DOWN. Bed head, tshirts, hoodies, dirty Chucks/sneakers...This is the dress code for Berlin. Totally different world. But I refuse to give in. I am waiting to go back to the US.. I'm taking an empty suitcase just for my shoes.

French clubbing attire, guys. T-shirts? I don't think so.

Annnd this is Berlin.

At the end of the day, however, no matter how much I complain -- I'm happy to be here in Berlin.

Christmas Cheer

Ok, so my holiday wasn't the best this year, to be honest.. Many of the people I know are expats from other countries, and all returned home for the holidays.  Of the friends who were left in Berlin, most already had plans. Either having their own dinner party, or being hosted by another.. And I was hesitant to invite myself along.

I had an amazing brunch with an amazing person.. But that only takes up so much of the day, and I was back home around 6pm.

So, on the 24th, I listened to Christmas music. I tried (and failed) to call my grandma. Several times.  This technology thing only works if you pick up the phone, Grandma! So after leaving her a holiday voicemail, I made a healthy dinner and hunkered down in my bed with my laptop-fueled Christmas movie marathon and a bottle of wine.

Was it kind of sad? Yes. But as an expat in a totally new country and city, sometimes these things happen. As an expat you have to be self-sufficient and not mind doing things alone, at least some of the time. So while a bit sad, I was still happy knowing that I am here in Berlin, that I have friends and family who love me from afar, and that I am fortunate enough to have a nice warm bed to snuggle into.

Honestly, I was more disappointed that it has been unseasonably warm and we didn't have a white Christmas. Heck we didn't even have a rainy Christmas. It was just kind of overcast.

The 25th was better. My roommate woke up and we had a bottle of wine with lunch to celebrate Christmas ("My breakfast!" he said, toasting me). Then we took a nap and woke up to prepare dinner for my ex coworker Andy, who was in the same boat as me -- an expat with nothing special to do on Christmas Day.

We had a great antipasti course (pickled garlic, roasted red peppers, bruschetta, olives, and cream cheese-stuffed hot peppers) and fun conversation

Cooking hard for the guys

Thumbs up for my dinner.. Chicken and cannelloni beans in a white wine sauce with seared green beans. Plus some bread from the Turkish bakery downstairs, because they were the only ones open on Christmas Day 

Later on we started getting kind of crazy due to the excessive flow of wine...

According to the timestamp, this picture was taken around 2am..? Andy was eating Nutella and got some on his teeth so I had to join in too.  And now I'm putting it on the internet for you to see as well

In the Hood - Cafe Schade

Roomie's mom was visiting for the weekend from Italy. The poor guy -- he was so exhausted from taking her around the city.  He came home yesterday, invited me out for dinner, and immediately disappeared into his room to take a nap.

Wedding is one of the less glamorous neighborhoods of Berlin. I mean, the city in general is kind of grungy and dirty and poor.  It's not one of Germany's most cosmopolitan centers, but I love it for that. It's real.  But among the different neighborhoods, Wedding is definitely less desirable -- at least to the general public. And I prefer it that way! It means we Weddingers get to keep this awesome place a secret for a while longer. I'll have to write a post just for Wedding and why I like it.. But I digress.

There are so many great little places tucked away off the beaten path that you find only by exploring. A perfect example: Cafe Schade, where we ate last night.  I stumbled across it by accident with Hanky last week and was thrilled when Roomie said we were going there for dinner.

It's tucked away from Wedding's main street, Muellerstrasse. You could easily walk past it if it weren't for the tables set up outside, marking it as a restaurant. Unfortunately it was snowing lightly, way too cold for eating outside, but in summer I bet it's packed for weekend brunches.

Inside, rustic wooden tables contrast with sleek leather couches piled high with pillows. You don't know if you should order food or lounge around, so you end up doing both.  Prints of classic movie stars like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe dot the walls, and a soft warm light -- the kind that instantly airbrushes you -- bathes the restaurant. It's perfect.

The menu is pretty varied -- some light appetizers like bruschetta, soup and salads, flat bread pizza, burgers, "meat dishes," plus traditional German fare.

We tried the olive plate -- cheese, olives, and homemade olive bread (3-4eur).  Pollo picante and schnitzel were ordered from the normal menu, and from the daily specials we ordered a really amazing poultry leg with rotkohl and dumplings. I got venison Gulasch and Rotkohl and Schnupfnudeln(14eur). It was so good.. Words can't describe. The venison was so tender and smothered in this delicious dark sauce. The schnupfnudeln (really big long dumplings) were fried to perfection and when paired with the sweet Rotkohl and sauce.. Amazing. Couldn't have asked for a better meal, and it was so German.

If you are in Wedding and you want to impress someone, please take them to Cafe Schade and order from the specials menu. I ate everything and then some.