Today is Saturday and my usual routine at home would be to go to Betty's Cafe and have a breakfast of eggs, sausage gravy, buttermilk biscuits, coffee and a OJ. Then come home and get ready for college football. There is no college football here, but the locals are watching their local professional football (soccer to those of you in the USA) clubs in action.
In the square today there is a very large Farmer's Market. Every food group is represented today. Cheese booths lead the way, also I find fresh everything: eggs, honey. olives, meat (even a guy that is rotund like a butcher), spices, dairy, bread/bakeries and various fruits and vegetables. Ive already had my apple pancakes but can't resist the freshly baked chocolate croissants (I know someone in the family loves these) and then I go after the freshly squeezed blood OJ. Now Im ready to watch Ajax (not the cleanser) match up in football (soccer) with Rotterdam. Go Rotters!
I check the US college football scores today rooting for the Marshall Thundering Herd to stay undefeated. I see my cousin Sid, his daughter and other Herd maniacs on FB are tailgatting and send a greeting from Amsterdam to "Go Herd". San Diego State Aztecs, my other adopted team, since I lived there most recently, plays college football but they are not playing this week.
After I finish, I take my fully carb'd body back to the apartment to take a shower. After that, I decide just to lay down for a breather. Big mistake, I fall asleep for the next five hours. You know one of those naps where you wake up periodically and tell yourself, just a few more minutes. Well now its after 8PM and I'm fully wired for the remainder of the night at this point. I step next door to the Gusto restaurant where I had dinner the first night I was in Amsterdam and have another great dinner. This time its veal scaloppine, grilled egg plant and chick peas, hold the bread...have to watch my carbs. I try the house red table wine and proceed to down a full carafe...no carbs right?
Tonight I'm walking north toward the Amsterdam Centraal (yes its spelled correctly) Station to be sure I know how to get there Saturday for my train trip to Paris. WOW the station outside is a huge brick and mortar structure with that same architecture style as most of the other larger business and government buildings. I walked inside and its a mammoth glass and steel domed covering the 15 train tracks already with speedy looking trains coming and going. I walk back to the square where the Green House is in full throttle and check with the manager. As I walk in he is already shaking his head nada...no iPad. He waves me up to the counter. He says he feels awful what happened last night and offers me 5 ounces of his best product, about $400E. Tempting but those days are behind me..... I find a yogurt shop nearby and have a night cone. I do find something interesting about these "coffee-houses" they always seem to have a pizza parlor, candy/sweet shop or ice cream/yogurt place next to them. I guess people need that munchie fix. :) I get back to my apt, I find now that crawling on all fours is the best way to ascend the stairs. Oddly enough I feel tired and fall asleep.
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