my triumphant return
I went to Amsterdam for a second time to visit my friend Dan. I was so glad I went back because I felt like I saw much more of the city this time. Some highlights from the trip were:
Next to my friend’s dorm is a beautiful natural park, and in the middle of the park there is a distillery cafe that sells dozens of kinds of natural liquors and jenever, a local gin. When choosing my liquor I asked the friendly bartender what his favorite one was. I forgot the name of his recommendation (as it was in Dutch), but it was made of orange extract, cinnamon, clove, and a few other spices. The flavor was unbelievably complex and it was like nothing I’ve ever had before. The distillery is on a pond surrounded by willow trees, and after getting our drinks we sat on a bench and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
My other favorite part of the trip was going out in the boat. Dan and his friend’s share a motorboat that seats about 6 people. He had two couch surfers in addition to the two friends that I had brought so it was quite cozy. We went to a market and bought fresh bread, cheese, and sausage to have on the boat. The weather was perfect in the sun and we cruised around the canals for a few hours.
