Burger Meester!

So, on my way to work this morning I encountered this entertaining scene. How do they reach those high windows to wash them? With a very, very long pole of course! In Portland they hang from swings way up in the air to get the job done, but I guess that is a bit too precarious for dutch style. It's a little hard to see, but the man is in the lower left of the picture, and his pole goes up to the upper right.

Zoomed into the window 4 stories up. There is a hose that goes all the way up, and a broom-looking thing at the end.

For lunch today I went to Burger Meester with a couple co-workers. It was very good! I couldn't decide between the Falafel and Salmon burgers, so I got a mini version of each.

Wendy and Sebastiaan! Two fellow studio workers. Team Genius. Just look at them! Stunning.

I just noticed this little guy today for the first time. It's quite near the office, but I must have missed it because it almost disappears between the much larger buildings. Maybe my new apartment? A room with a window and rooftop patio? Perfect!

Dinner Party on Westerdoksdijk

What happens when you bring together an American, Australian, and 4 Spanish friends? Fun. Last night was an evening of much food, drink, and laughs at Edu and Lel's beautiful new place.

Lovely view out the back

A very plentiful spread with salmon, salads, potatoes, portobellos, and ciabatta.

Dessert was homemade green tea ice cream, and a green tea cupcake. Absolutely fantastic!

This is a game that Australians grew up playing. Squatter was sort of like their form of Monopoly. But instead of trading real estate, you're trading wool. Every country has it's industry, right?

The Road To Marken

In a wooden shoe!



Sunday proved to be a very beautiful, sunny day. Alas! Well overdue with all this rain! Nacho made the very smart suggestion of getting out of the city, and so that's just what we did. We took the 10 minute ferry across the water and made our way north to the tiny island village of Marken. Nacho has a scooter, so we were able to zip along on the little roads seeing many cows, horses, and sheep. Also, to our right was, Markermeer, a very large lake that was full of sailboats enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon.

A long the way we passed a couple adorable small villages. We had refreshments at a couple cafe's, and also had a small picnic along the water. We went to Marken's tiny museum and learned about the history of the place. They had to re-build it so many times. It kept on going into the sea. Why they didn't just move inland is beyond me.

On the way home I learned how to drive the scooter. The hand clutch was a little tricky. Especially getting started going up a tiny incline. I got the hang of it a little bit, but I think it'll take some more practice until I feel confident driving it in the city. And then I shall steal it :)

We ended the day getting drinks with some friends we ran into on the ferry back. All in all, I would say it was a very successful day!

Stedelijk Museum

What better way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon, than in a museum? Nacho took me under his wing for the afternoon, and we started off at the Stedelijk Museum.

Large hall; ancient and neon:


A wall heater. Breaks up in segments so it can be as small or large as you want:


Piet Mondrian:


Graphics designs:





Towards the end of the exhibit, there was a room where you could make your own museum poster to take home. After some attempts at our own posters, we settled on making portraits of one another. Nacho's concept had something to do with me having 300+ teeth when I'm smiling. He's still working his out.






A cool Euro/American soda fountain bar sort of place. That's the best I can do to describe it. I doubt I'll be able to find it again on my own.


The view from the top of the library (a very impressive structure in and of itself):


We also grabbed a coffee at a bar that was built in the late 1600's. I forgot to get a picture of it, but I'm sure I will at some other date. It's a pretty impressive structure. A tiny 3-story thing that is leaning, struggling to stay standing.

Noordermarkt

Saturday is market day. Everyone goes out to get their goods for the week. You can find nearly anything at these markets. The one I went to, Noordermarkt, stretches for much of the length of a street and carries everything. You'll find fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh (still warm) bread, amazing cheeses, tons of fish, clothing, toiletries, shoes, flowers, nuts, olives, bicycle stuff, jewelery, kitchenware, there was even a giant stand dedicated to all dog and cat treats (you'll see the last image is of that stand).

The first image is my haul from the morning. I'm quite proud of it. The Basel is potted and a very happy plant that I was able to get for just €2. I also bought an electric toothbrush. The same one I had back at the states, but it was much cheaper at this market. It's not in the photo, because it just didn't seem to fit ;)

I forgot lettuce, but aside from that, I think I'm set for the week!

A Spot Of Sun

The sun decided to peak out it's head today after work, so I decided to take a little ride in Vondelpark. First things first, let me introduce you to my sweet ride. I haven't named her yet, but here she is:



The Eye, is the Amsterdam film museum. It is located in this amazing old building in Vondelpark. But not for very long. They are currently constructing a new, modern, flashy building on the other side of town. I wonder what will be here when the film museum moves.



Vondelpark is full of many ponds and little waterways. At around 6 o'clock, the place was buzzing with people on their commute, as well as friends meeting up after work.



A neat gate I spotted on one end of the park. I like to imagine that it leads to endless meadows beyond. But alas, it does not. You can just barely see towards the left a nest in the distance. There was a rather large bird in there when I cruised by. I think it might be a heron. This city is crawling with herons. They're all over the canals perched on boats, streets, and cars alike.

My Desk

Here are a couple shots of my work area:
(view of my desk, view of wall behind my desk, and view out the window)