Walking Here and There

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs

Since moving to Amsterdam, I’ve become a huge fan of taking walks. I’ve never been opposed to walking, and a stroll was often a nice way to end the evening. But here, I walk. Italicized. I do a lot of indoor work on the computer and stitching, so some days I barely have an excuse to leave the house. Like yesterday. So I grabbed my camera and a scarf and headed out for a short walk.

First of all, my new shoes that I treated myself to. On sale and super comfy.

Sometimes I get caught up taking pictures of the big views. We live right by the harbor, so there are always sunbeams streaming down canals, far-off canal houses looking pretty, and wide views to take in. But on this walk I tried to focus on the small things. I stayed in a small 5-black radius of our apartment (ok, blame the new shoes for that. They’re still getting broken in), but was still able to find plenty of camera subjects. Sometimes making myself focus on the small things is just the refresher I need.

Art Nouveau window

Rusting boats

Red and Black

It’s getting warmer, and I’ve seen crocuses poking their heads out of the grass in a few places! I love the anticipation of spring.

 

Etsy Shop Opening!

Tags

etsy, embroidery

Friends and readers, I have such an exciting announcement to make. I’ve just opened my very own Etsy store, Needle and Compass!

Last year I thought embroidered city maps would be perfect for remembering past travels or favorite places, and I searched high and low for something like what I was envisioning… finding nothing. So I’ve spent the last few months tinkering with some designs and ideas, and now I’m offering them up to the world, just in case anyone else thinks they’re nifty.

Santa Fe Embroidered Map

It’s a little eerie how well this combines my two big loves, needlecraft and travel. Now when I’m visiting a new city it’s “research.” Perfect!

Prague Old Town Embroidered Map

I currently have about eight maps available, and I’ll be adding more as I go, including a few of Amsterdam, of course. Though these canals are proving difficult.

London Tube Map

I’m happy to offer custom-made maps, as well. You can find the details in the shop!

Become a fan of the store on Facebook for updates and special discounts! And if you like the look of them, I’d so appreciate if you shared it on any social media you deem worthy. It’s so tricky to start out sometimes.

Watch for a discount code on the Facebook page in the coming days, and thanks for putting up with this shameless self-promotion. Regularly scheduled programming to follow!

Valentine’s Day Take Two

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, holidays

In my last post I mentioned that we had tried to visit a sauna for Valentine’s Day and found it closed. On Friday we tried again, with great success! Sauna Deco is in the Jordaan neighborhood, in a totally typical house on the Herengracht canal. From the outside it looks completely normal:

Inside, however, is a world of art deco decoration and flourishes, a small slice of Paris in the 20s. Gray stones, golden brass metalwork, and flowery stained glass windows flow into every room, a feast for the eyes. {Photos below from SaunaDeco.nl}

For a small price we got full reign of the spa, including the showers, dry saunas, foot baths, a cold plunge pool, garden patios, and a steam sauna with sinus-clearing menthol and eucalyptus. After relaxing to our heart’s content we sat in big chairs in the lounge to relax some more.

It’s European, so… no swimsuits allowed. Which was actually fine. Everyone wore towels or robes in between rooms, and in the saunas it’s so steamy you couldn’t see anything if you tried. And who’s trying? You’re too focused on the delicious-scented air, the warm steam, and all the stress leaving your body. The clients were a range of young and old, men and women, couple and singles. All so very focused on themselves to not care a whit who you are.

We took full advantage of the place, topping off our day with freshly squeezed orange juice (an Amsterdam specialty) from the cafe. When we finally tore ourselves away I felt refreshed, relaxed, and eucalyptus-scented. Oh happy day. Can this be every week, and not just on Valentine’s Day? I need to push around some budget numbers…

If you go: Sauna Deco, Herengracht 115, www.saunadeco.nl

A Portland to Amsterdam Story, with Chocolate

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, holidays, restaurants

We had big plans for Valentine’s Day. No champagne and extravagant dinner, but instead a few hours of relaxing at a fancy-but-affordable spa, right downtown. It was going to be beautiful… until it was closed.

Luckily Amsterdam had more in store for us than a sad, cold walk home. We wandered around, soaking in the city, the melting ice on the canals, happy to be holding hands and enjoying life with each other. Eventually we made our way to the Nine Streets, and then to a tiny street behind those streets, the so-called “10th Street.” There, with bikes propped near the windows, a chocolate store beckoned us.

Chocolátl. It’s a beautiful little store. Clean white cabinets hold shelf after shelf of gourmet chocolate, sourced from all over. It’s an around the world in 80 bites dream, from Venezuela to Belgium to Missouri to a gorilla refuge in the Congo.

Then we saw this nestled in the corner:

Do you see it? It’s a poster of the Bridges of Portland, Oregon, sometimes known as Bridge City. When asked, the owner said, why, yes, he is from Portland! And we all marveled and made small noises of astonishment at the wide small-ness of the world, and the chances of finding someone from your home town, so far away from home.

Erik, the owner, and his wife have lived in Amsterdam for about three years now, and their store opened in December 2010. We chatted about Portland, about Amsterdam, about chocolate and more, and then he brought us our orders: two “shots” of smooth silky melted chocolate mixed with milk. Pure deliciousness. We relaxed at a long wooden table in the corner while another woman chatted with folks she had apparently just met. Chocolate brings people together.

Portland has it’s own similar shop, Cacao, but personally, I like Chocolátl better, if only for the encyclopedic passion Erik has for his treasure-filled store, and his happiness to share samples with you. We missed the sauna, but a Valentine’s Day date in a cozy chocolate store couldn’t have been planned more perfectly.

Check out a cute video of Chocolátl here. Find them on Facebook here. And best of all, visit them at Hazenstraat 25-A, Amsterdam.  Valentine’s Day not required.

Goodbye, Ice

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, Netherlands

Temperatures have gotten a little warmer, and the ice is beginning to melt everywhere. It’s becoming all chunky and broken, with pieces sticking up here and there. Some of the sheets are sinking below the surface, creating the perfect platform for ducks to practice walking on water. It’s a duck playground out there!

As for me, I’m saying goodbye to the frozen canals we had so much fun with. Thanks for coming. It was a good time.

Before the ice disappears completely and my mind makes room for spring flowers, I wanted to share a few pictures I snapped of random things on the frozen canals. It makes me think, if all this stuff is on top of the canals now, how much stuff goes under the water the rest of the year? It must be a treasure trove under there! A really gross one.

Stuff on the Canals

Bikes, and balloons:

A broken chair:

A Christmas tree:

It’s Valentine’s Day today! We already had some fun, and will be off to have more later. Hope your day is full of love, chocolate, and candy!

More Winter Fun

Tags

beer, Day Trip, Haarlem, Netherlands

We’re still running wild and having fun in the snow! Before we both buckle down and try to be productive, we had one more day of frolicking in winter’s white beauty. On the streets the snow has long ago turned to blackened mush, but outside the city it remains pristine and welcoming. How can one resist?

Nationaal Park Zuid-Kennemeerland is a swath of sandy dunes and beach scrub between Haarlem and the North Sea, a mere 20 minutes away from the city. It was scheduled to be not only the last sunny day for awhile but also the last day cold enough to keep the ice frozen, so we passed hundreds out skating on the canals.

Our goal was a nice hike, though, so we found the entrance to the park and headed out on an exploration. Of course, right away, we came across a frozen lake. A little ice-skating track had been set up, with families taking full advantage. We left the path and walked right across the lake instead of all the way around. So daring!

The path wandered through patches of trees, sandy dunes, scrub, and snow, taking us far away from the crowded streets of Amsterdam. Who knew this was so close to us? And who knew cows were ever this hairy?

We finally reached the beach, and I experienced my favorite moment of cresting a hill to be welcomed by the blue sea. We made it! Frozen sand encrusted the beach even though the waves kept rolling. The sun shone bright as it lowered in the sky. Life was good.

After a good 8km hike, we rewarded ourselves with local Haarlem beer at Jopenkerk brewery, toasting our sore feet and cold bodies. Hooray for winter fun!

{If you’re interested in going, we took the train from Amst Centraal to Overveen, the stop past Haarlem. The entrance to the park is a short walk away from station, but check a map–there aren’t many signs. The park has maps and routes posted, and we chose to walk to Cafe Parnassia, about 5km. Then we walked down the beach to Bloemendaal an Zee, and took bus 81 back to Haarlem! About 8km in all. Not bad.}

Slipping on the Canals

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, frozen canals, Netherlands

Ever since it started getting chillier in November, I’ve been holding my breathe, in a way.  Doing little ice-dances. Hoping against hope that the canals would freeze.

The gods in Siberia must have noticed my snow dances, because cold wind swept across Europe bringing -30 degree C temps to Ukraine and Poland, snow in Rome, and frozen canals to Amsterdam. We spoke to one gentlemen who said he’d lived on the canal his whole life, and never seen it this frozen. This was it! The quintessential Dutch winter experience, right in our backyard!

I couldn’t wait to get out on it! I was like a giddy little girl, I swear. I literally had dreams about it the night before, and I rushed Jesse out the door that morning as fast as we could go.

Most Dutch have ice skates already, and there aren’t many places to rent them, so we went for the ancient ones at the flea market. €10 isn’t bad for fulfilling a dream! They’re the kind you strap right on to whatever shoes you’re wearing, then glide away.

Unfortunately, the minute we tried to glide, the ancient straps broke. Boo! Honestly, I’m not convinced these would have been fun to skate on anyway. They were so wobbly I probably would have broken my ankle. We contented ourselves with walking around on the ice, scooting, spinning, and joining in the fun slip-sliding times.

The city of Amsterdam banned boats from going through the Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht canals, letting the ice freeze to an impressive thickness. On a few clearer spots we could peek down and see at least 6”!

I love the different perspective you get on the canals. Suddenly, it’s a different city. The houses are bigger, the bridges more important. Street names become useless, and the canals become the streets.

I feel like my life is slightly more well-lived, being able to slip around on the frozen canals. Hot chocolate afterward didn’t hurt, either.

{And thank you for the nice comments on my yellow coat earlier! Jesse gave it to me for Christmas one year. I’m more and more convinced that he has better fashion sense than I do.}

Lovely Object #6

Tags

Czech Republic, drinks, home, Olomouc

It’s still cold and icy here, and we’ve been keeping warm with lots of tea and soup. One of my favorite ways of keeping warm is heading to the brown cafes of Amsterdam, ordering a shot of something strong, and sipping it by a fire. Of course then you have to face the cold again, so it’s even better to do that at home, which is a perfect lead-in to this week’s Lovely Object post.

What: Set of six crystal cordial glasses

Where: On our bookshelf, next to our Dutch gin

How: Found at an antiques booth at the Christmas market in Cologne, Germany, 2011

This makes me look like an alcoholic, I know. I’m not! I promise. But I love the idea of filling these cordial glasses with something special and sharing it with friends.

I was convinced of the magic of this last August in a little Czech town called Olomouc. Jesse and I were couchsurfing our way through the Czech Republic, and our host for a few nights welcomed us to her living room with beautiful crystal glasses filled with slivovice, a plum brandy. The clear, sweet liqueur was made by her neighbors with plums from her own backyard, and she shared it with us while we talked about traveling, history, and literature. I loved that feeling of intimacy and conviviality!

So I jumped at the chance to have my own set of cordial glasses, though I’m not making my own brandies yet! These are the perfect size for just a dash of something to sip while you sit around a table and nibble at the remains of a meal.

This one is full of a Spanish brandy called Rey de Oro, though I also like to fill them with Dutch jenever, and sometimes aquavit. Not all in one night, though. (Yikes!)

When It Snows in Amsterdam

Tags

Amsterdam Blogs, Netherlands, snow

When it snows in Amsterdam,

our familiar streets are made strange and new

and we bundle up to tackle the adventure.

The canals turn white,

and the houses huddle together for warmth.

Some people still ride bikes

and some walk.

After it snows, the city is quiet and white.

Things feel untouched.

At dusk the sun burns with no heat, and swans brave the harbor.

Inside I light candles, drink mulled wine, and stay wrapped in a quilt. Because it’s cold when it snows in Amsterdam, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Finished Dresden Plate Quilt

Tags

finished project, quilts, sewing

I did it! I stitched the last stitch on my massive by-hand quilt yesterday. What a job.

I think I should call it my “Holland Plate Quilt.” Dresden Plates are the name of the circular-star pattern, but since I finished this in Holland… it makes sense.

This is so not perfect. I know it looks pretty good from these pictures over the interwebs, but this thing is just riddled with mismatching seams, things that don’t line up, places I didn’t measure well enough. And my poor hand-quilting skills make me sure this is just going to fall apart. But hey, whatever. It’s done.

This is a queen size quilt, with 30 blocks. I mostly followed the Dotty for Dresden pattern found in Material Obsession II, with some of my own tweaks (probably would have been better just to stick to the pattern…).

I checked back on my own blog and found out that I ordered the fabric last February–this took me almost an entire year to make! With breaks. I cut out all the fabric and sewed the blocks and plates together in Portland (with a machine, not by hand) then I shipped everything out to Amsterdam, which took a few months to receive. Once I got it, I started appliqueing the dresden plates to the quilt. Then I made the “quilt sandwich” and started the actual quilting. Finally, yesterday, I finished!

I put a few fun secrets in, like the tiny Christmas tree I stitched on Christmas Day. And when I ran out of fabric for the border, I threw in a swatch of Liberty of London I bought in London. My favorite part was an afterthought, actually. I stitched a row of Amsterdam-inspired canal houses on one edge, and I’m pretty much in love with how that turned out. I also added a “signature” to the back.

I finished this just in time, as we are currently experiencing a cold snap all across Europe–a frozen wind from Siberia has been sweeping down and turning everything to ice. Seriously, it is. That’s not even a metaphor. This quilt was perfect to cuddle under last night, making everything warm and toasty.

I’m so in love. And do dang proud of myself for finishing!