Saturday

Springtime! The willows are blooming!

Saturday broke beautifully and during my morning walk with Chelsea, it looked like a perfect day to go exploring. After a stroll through the Albert Cuypmarkt (hey, I was right there; I couldn’t not go; right?) I was off in search of the Noordermarkt. I took the #24 tram to Centraal Station and walked east from there. Amsterdam is easily navigated (no pun intended) as it was created over a long period of time by reclaiming the land through the construction of a series of concentric semi-circular canals. (Think of Amsterdam it as a huge semi-circle; try mentally drawing a line through a clock-face from nine to three. Now disregard the top half. Centraal Station is like being at the center of the straight line. Noordermarkt is near the eight. I was staying at the five.) Suffice it to say, it’s a bit of a hike from one side of the city to the other. It can certainly be done; it just takes a while.

A tiny example of the vegetables available at the Noordermarkt

The Noordermarkt has been a market square since the 1600’s. Nowadays it is home to several different markets specializing in everything from a boerenmarkt (farmer’s market) featuring organic fruit and vegetables (Saturdays), to flea market (Mondays), to birds (in cages, a holdover to the livestock market once on this site)! Although I didn’t see any caged birds, I did notice a unique collection of aging hippies, hippies-in-training, and vendors who seem never to notice the very people who shop at their stalls. I must admit that there was an awesome selection of everything from seafood to produce.

Ev and Jim on Amateur Night

As it turned out, my day was far from over. I walked for about an hour to get back to Ronan’s with a short stop near Leidseplein. (One does need a beverage to strengthen one’s resolve; doesn’t one?) I was looking for the right dinner spot because Jim and Eveline planned to meet me later that evening. Knowing that Saturday was International Amateur’s Night (a.k.a. St. Patrick’s Day) we readied ourselves for the theatre-of-the-absurd we might find. We found it. After a wonderful dinner away from the crowd, we found a bit of solitude at the Cafe Americain, in the Amsterdam American Hotel. Built by the architect, CAA Steineweg who studied his craft in the USA, Amsterdam American Hotel originally featured many icons of Americana (life-sized Indian chiefs and their squaws and a huge eagle at the main entrance.) The hotel was demolished in 1900 but rebuilt to appear very similar to the original.

A delicious Irish coffee in honor of the day!