Visitors in London and Trip to Amsterdam

Initially, I was going to play blog catch-up in chronological order and work my way up to the present, but I think I'm going to work backwards a little, too, just to make sure I get stuff while it's fresh!

Recently we had several friends come to visit us, which was heaven.  Kym and Vance arrived first and then Mark and Lauren, with one day/night overlapping for all of them.  Having four great friends here at the same time was good for my soul.  Skype is great, but nothing beats face to face!  The overlapping Saturday, the six of us wandered around shopping on Old Bond Street and then went to the Portobello market in Notting Hill.  Which of course ended up in a pub.

The girls in Notting Hill (most of this borough is colorful like the buildings in the background):

We all had dinner that night with our friends/downstairs neighbors, Julie and Herve, and after-dinner drinks at our flat where Herve poured the guys Scotch with a heavy hand.  Stephen's bottle of Laphroaig Quarter Cask was lightened of a great deal of its load.  We kept running out of glasses - we've only had at most four people in our place and usually it's just the two of us, eight people takes a lot more stuff!

One day while we were having lunch at a pub, I went upstairs to use the bathroom and as I was walking down the (1) extremely narrow and spirally staircase (2) completely sober, I somehow slipped, both feet coming straight up and then falling straight down on my back. Like a cartoon.  And both of my shoes came off my feet (darn ballet flats).  One shoe just bounced about a foot, but the other arced clear across into the next room where Stephen, Kym and Vance were sitting.  I made quite the ruckus when I fell, and when my shoe whizzed into the room I think they pictured the worst.  Stephen said when he ran to check on me he truly didn't know what he'd find.  Maybe me in a twist with my legs over my shoulders!  I was fine, just bruised and sore.  Embarrassed?  Not really, I fall so often that I'm used to being the clumsiest one in the group.  Really, I fall ALL THE TIME.  Like, just walking down the road.  Sometimes I have the excuse of walking on snow (Magdalene... Aspen) or slippery, watery surfaces (like in Croatia with the sore ribs), but sometimes it's just because.  It's ridiculous, and I think it's getting worse as I get older.  I'm not even that old yet, in 20 years I may need a constant escort.  

After Kym and Vance left, and with Stephen and Mark working during the day, Lauren and I filled up every single hour with various London activities.  The first day we went to the summer opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace.  They open the palace every summer, and this year it includes a display of Kate's wedding dress.  It was actually pretty neat to see in person, there's a lot of detail that you couldn't see on the screen or even in photos.  Much is made of how skinny Kate is (at least here in the British press).  All I can say is that the waist of the dress looked like it would fit a china doll!  Teeny!  They didn't allow picture-taking, or else I'd post mine here!  That same day, to continue the girly London tour, we had high tea at The Connaught Hotel.  Complete with champagne and fancy sweets.  Great pricey fun!

The next day we got up at the ungodly hour of 3:30 a.m. to catch a flight to Amsterdam.  We were there for just one night, but really got a good feel for the city.  Amsterdam has water canals all throughout and is called the Venice of the North:

We first went to the Van Gogh museum...

Outside of the museum there's this big green park space with a shallow water pond.  At one end of the pond is this famous sign:

In the middle of the pond is this awesome statue.  I think it sums up a lot about Amsterdam's culture:

Kind of looks like a duck, right?  Notice the eyes?  They're boobs!  Nice.  

We also went to Anne Frank's house.  Going to Anne Frank's house alone was worth the entire trip.  What an amazing, moving experience.  I have actually never read the book, although I bought it in the gift store on the way out, but I am certainly familiar with the story.  Right as you walk in, there are three big portraits of Anne in black and while on a large white wall under spotlights.  She is happy and smiling, like a normal child.  Like you can reach out and touch her.  Looking at those pictures is like a punch in the gut.  Walking through the house, it's almost like watching a movie that you've seen before.  You want it to end differently, but it never does.

You walk up the very steep, narrow staircase and then through the hidden door that was covered with a tall bookcase.  You are then inside the secret annex of the building where the two families lived.  It is, of course, a very small place.  Tiny rooms, low ceilings, all windows completely covered.  There is no furniture in any of the rooms, as that is the way Anne's father, Otto, who survived, wished it to remain.  But there are cutout pictures of royalty, postcards, and celebrities of the day still on her bedroom wall where Anne placed them.  She wanted to dress up her plain room.  The bottom of the building housed a spice business where people came to work while the families were in hiding.  After a certain hour every morning, those in hiding were no longer able to make any noise, lest the workers hear them and get suspicious.  They couldn't walk with audible footsteps, run water, flush any toilets.  As you walk through the house, you get to look up the stairs into the attic.  There is a window in the roof of the attic where Anne used to go to see the sunlight - just a small window to see the tops of trees and some birds.  The family was in hiding for two years and after their secret annex was raided, they were all divided up and taken to concentration camps.  Anne was in a camp for seven months before she died only weeks before the liberation.  I wasn't aware until going through the museum that Anne's goal was to become a published author, and man what a successful author she became.  I haven't had time to read her diary yet, but it is on my immediate to-do list.  Here is a good timeline if you are interested in reading more.

Outside of the house:

The one night we spent in Amsterdam we went to dinner at a great restaurant called Seasons.  I got the recommendation from one of my absolute ALL TIME favorite teachers and, luckily enough, friend.  (And I'm not just saying that because she might be reading this.)  If you went to Austin Academy, I know you know Lesley Nittler.  One of your all time favorites, right?  Don't you remember yelling out the quadratic formula in unison in class?  She's coming to visit London in September and I'm so excited to see her!!!  Anyway, her friend has a restaurant there in Amsterdam and it was fabulous.  Stop by if you find yourself in Amsterdam! 

But what we ate more than once, and what the Dutch made famous, is pannekoeken.  It looks and tastes like a cross between a crepe and a pancake - they are the size of a dinner plate, and you can get them with sweet (banana, Nutella) or savory (ham, cheese) toppings.  They are fantastic either way.

Pannekoeken and pannekoeken maker (pannekoeken belly apparently a must):

Pannekoeken house:

Amsterdam is a heavy cycling community.  They are whizzing about everywhere and it is definitely up to the pedestrian to stay out of the way!  The cyclists use the little bells on their bikes as horns, so pay attention, if you hear that sound, move!  It's pretty neat though, often you'd see two people on the same bike.  Sometimes a parent/child combination (I heard more than one parent singing to their child as they rode), but sometimes two adults with the second adult sitting side saddle with their feet swung over on one side.  And nobody is wearing any kind of helmet!  

Before we left Amsterdam, we did go to the most famous site of all - the Red Light District.  First of all, there are actual red lights over doors/windows.  With ladies in lingerie showing their wares.  We didn't stay long, but next time I go to Amsterdam, I want to do the Red Light District night tours where your tour guide is an ex-lady of the evening, which I think would be fascinating.  Needless to say, Amsterdam has a very tolerant culture.

Back to London for a day...

With the guys still slaving away at work (hey, my time is coming), we went for a horse ride around Hyde Park.  There are stables in the mews behind our building and I'd always wanted to try it.  Definitely a different way to tour the park!

We then met up with my friend Andrea who gave us a private tour of Parliament - we actually stood in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.  This past week when I was watching the Prime Minister's comments on the London riots and the debate that followed, I kept thinking "I've been there!".  Like most things, it feels smaller in person than it looks on TV, but it is a very grandiose, beautiful building.  I wasn't able to take pictures inside, but we did stand here and get a good look at Big Ben:

We ended the day with cocktails at the bar of the famous Savoy Hotel.  Incredible cocktails, it's such a luxurious place... great way to end a day!

The next morning the four of us got up - again - at the ungodly hour of 3:30 to catch a flight to Croatia!  Five days and four nights of a place that was very new to all of us, and it was awesome!  Stay tuned for the next post!