Amsterdam, Netherlands
I still remember how full I was after our dinner at Comme Chez Soi. It was more of a 5-course dinner than a 3-course if I were to count the amuse bouche and petite fours. I really appreciated the stroll back to the hotel. The plan for the next day was to be in Amsterdam. The distance between Brussels and Amsterdam is about 2 hours by train. We took the Thalys train. The scenary along the journey was nice and I think this is the best way to see a country.
2 hours was quick. In a blink of an eye, we arrived at Amsterdam Central Station, Centraal Station Amsterdam. As usual, we started our adventures the organised way to i) save time – as we have only about 5 hours to explore, ii) to see what we wanted to see, iii) to avoid running around like chicken without a head.
I have to admit that it was a different feel in Amsterdam – the people, the pace of life, the structure of buildings, the beautiful canal, the mostly used transportation – bicycles….. ah not to forget the weather – we were lucky that it was sunny and warm the day we were there. Amsterdam is a scenic place. There’s no excuse not to have your camera ready at all times!
Needless to mention, the Red Light District is worth checking out. In this area, the women parade/pose themselves in the red-fringed windows parlours. I found this a bit too much for me (me being narrow minded?!) It feels like they are the ‘live’ products, being displayed on the shelves. Bunch of men – young or old walked pass each display and chose.
After much of sight-seeing, we sat down to enjoy a drink before heading to the train station. On the way, a shop caught my attention. It’s called Royalvkb. In this shop, you could find designed products that are beautiful and smart to use at home. I got myself a french carafe. What makes it different is that you could stack the glasses in the neck and transport them with only one hand!!
So, that was the last minute shopping. We finally had to take the train for another 2 hours to go back to Brussels. It was quite an enjoyable short trip to Amsterdam!
Back to Brussels, after a quick shower, it was time for dinner. We went to Le Vistro in the St Catherine area. There are quite a number of seafood restaurants in this area and they all look good. We had Les Moules Au Curry as starter. I know it’s unusual, but we can’t seem not to have mussels again, so we shared the dish! As for the main, oh my, we both had lobsters! I had Homard au Champagne a la Truffe, Lobster cooked in Champagne and Truffle and Arnaud had Homard a L’armoricaine. Both are really good. Of course, to finish off the dinner with a dessert, Tarte Tartin.
It’s time to call it a day….
