…..And that’s where we spent our birthdays when Nicole screamed…. “VACATION!!”…..last year was Amsterdam….hey, we have a thing for Holland….the people we meet are cool….you’ll see…..anyway….
TRAIN:….I like them but some people do not know how to pack….if you’re lugging a suitcase the size of a Mini Cooper car….you have way too much shit….but sitting, reading, watch a film….whatever…we’re good…..anyway….
THE CITY:….I can’t explain the country….but the vibe is cool….yeah, every city has the “other side” of the tracks….but I don’t see it….not really my problem….because I’m here for a minute…but the people are…..cool!….we stayed at the Park Centraal Hotel (Molenstraat 53)…….and it wasn’t bad….we only slept there…..the room was nice…..they seriously have to figure out a way to make checking in…..a tad quicker….anyway,….get to the room….give it the once over….a safe, bathroom’s cool…with tub….Nicole’s happy……bed is nice….great, a terrace…I’m happy…..ok, let’s go!……first things first….after a six-hour, two football games….Nicole’s doing her trip thing ….it’s time to eat!….when you walk out the hotel and hang a right….first you see a pink joint that makes pancakes and stuff….a yellow burger place next to it….hang another right and you’ll see…..Confetti….(Prinsestraat 63)….beautiful 40’s, 50’s 60’s furniture you can relax in while you eat….the lemon cake is nice to have….after first eating….and I don’t know how she cooked them….but her scrambled eggs with cheese….and mushrooms….with a salad….on a croissant….was smoking….now, the first thing we noticed was this….the Dutch didn’t give a shit about wearing a mask ….seriously!…..people were walking around, crowded next to each other in outdoor places……some stores had restrictions but many…..no..….some people wore mask….we also did when there were situations arising where we thought we should….but other than that we didn’t….and we were good with that…we took a COVID test every morning just to be sure and found out that more than 75% of the people are vaccinated……anyway,….we love side streets…..people were just hanging, smiling, polite, friendly…..and it’s like 5 in the afternoon….. weather’s great.…but what we didn’t know was that many stores start closing between 5 and 6….so we walked…. programing our inner GPS….when we started heading in the direction….that was morphing into a replica of Amsterdam’s city center….we turned around and hit the side streets again…..and ran into a restaurant named…. Mogogo (Prinsestraat 66)…..a serious Eritrean/Ethiopian Restaurant….run by a kind and wonderful woman….she was all by herself because her friends was running late….we’re like…. “Take your time – we’re on holiday”….the place wasn’t full…..but this is my wife….she asked if she could help her chop or something?….she smiled and said; “The next time you’re here you can help.”…..there were a bunch of kids sitting near us….beautiful family…..we later learned the oldest one came to The Netherlands for a better life while escaping some serious shit in his homeland….and in time, he brought his entire family here…..and all of them are so beautiful and so happy…..so, burp and back to the hotel….the one right around the corner from the restaurant…..no matter how late it is, my wife takes a serious bath and sleeps like bear…..while I’m on the balcony….checking out the latest products from the corner….coffee shop.
MORNING:…..The plan was….we always have a list of spots we want to hit…..but first we headed towards a place we passed yesterday for breakfast….Giambonini – Gusti d´ Italia….the best damn coffee on the planet….fresh-baked Cornetti, muesli…..killer fresh squeezed OJ…..fresh home-made Piadina……and definitely try the….Vitello Tonato….a spot right on the street….where you can watch live….HTV go on right in front of you…..and enjoy a great breakfast…..HTV is what I call…..Human TV….lots of different characters out there…..anyway,…..Julia and Livios (who are the owners of Giambonini)…..if you see the couple again….with the sweet newborn young man named Gabriel…..tell Gabriel we said he chose two loving people to make sure he’s ok while he’s growing up…..and please give your princess a big hug from us….so burp….and start the day….what we also didn’t know was…..that most stores opened at around 11…..I found that out when I saw the record store across the street was still closed…..and one of the things I started to enjoy….was how the city woke up….it was relaxing….not that morning rush….very slow….you could see the morning grow when people started filling the streets…..I loved it…..and around 5 or 6….they slowly merged into their nightlife……we headed towards a place Nicole wanted to visit called……Yogisha (Prins Hendrikstr. 138)……and Sevenster (Piet Heinstraat 84) in another area with small side streets, cafes, shops….one thing is definitely for sure in this city…..if you’re hungry….it’s your own fault….because there are plenty of places to eat….different nationalities from everywhere…..plenty of vegan cafes…..and we wanted to try them all….me, I’m into bookstores and vinyl shops….so, back to the record store…..3345 (Noordeinde 87g)…..I walked in…..started searching and damn near screamed….he had five records from a 70’s label called….Black Jazz….a rare label to find….he had two Doug Carn LP’s….Revelation and Infant Eyes….Infant Eyes I saw in Amsterdam for 60€…..I got both of them for 57€….he also had Charles Mingus Live at Carnegie Hall…..and The Awakening….but I didn’t get them…..now I wish I had….go online and see what they have….it’s a nice store….at The American Book Center (Lange Poten 23)…..I found a book I’ve been looking for called…. Inside Black….published by Black Planet Books….and you can only get the book in this country….I’d order it if I were you….and for some reason we thought walking for over 45 minutes to the beach was a great idea on a sunny day….we probably walked 5 K’s already….so why not?…..and we did….through a nice tree-lined path….people looked at us as if we were out of our minds when we asked for directions and said we wanted to walk…..and Nicole came across a shop selling Mala’s….called..…La Caldera (Keizerstraat 112 in Scheveningen beach)…..they have the best Mala’s from the brand called….Mala Spirit…..anyway,….found the beach and had drinks at….BooNoonNooNoos (Strand Noord 15)….plenty of lounge chairs right there on the beach…..good food and just chill in the sun…..heading back towards the city center on the #1 streetcar….and looking for a nice place to have another great dinner….we ran into……
GIANNI…..He is straight up 1,000% Italian….he is a man with a wonderful heart, beautiful soul and a charming spirit….he is not only a true Napolitano….he is also a recommended chef….who has traveled and worked around the world….he is Roberto Benigni on speed….the man is so funny….and he’s an actor….I enjoyed sitting there sharing stories about Italy and Sicily….we loved listening to him tell one..…hell, many…..in part English and part Italian….all hand gestures….we sat there drinking wine and laughing the night away….you have to stop by Sapore (Molenstraat 30)…..everything is home-made….and trust me…..the Spaghetti Carbonara and…the Penne Arrabiata…..then Tiramisu (a recipe from the famous restaurant Cipriani in Venice) it’s worth it…..one thing is for sure….when CNN came up with the idea to send Stanley Tucci Searching for Italy….they blew it….that show was for Gianni….I would not have missed one episode….we three had an espresso together before we headed for the train back home…..we love this guy!…..and sitting across from us…was a great woman who works for the King….in the King’s work palace….the one next door to the hotel….I guess the King’s work palace is…. “Royal-nese” for….office?…..anyway,…I’ll take into consideration that….saying her real name might intrude on some….royal secret thing….so I’ll call her….Ms. Q…..because she was so “Qute” and friendly….we met the next day and she showed us the Parliament Building….it’s been around since the 1600’s and is now undergoing a 5-year renovation process….part of the property includes a lake and an island in the middle of it….Ms. Q told us one day some kids went out to it….and planted some marijuana seeds….and it grew like crazy…..and the Government was pissed…..definitely my kind a kids……if you happened to be here on a Saturday…..there’s an antique market going on….near the King’s work palace….you can reach it if you walk down…..Lange Voorhoot….it’s a promenade filled with Dutch artists sculptures…..a promenade the King and Queen would ride down in their carriage….towards the work palace.
SO…..Are we going back?…hell we’re going back…..and stay longer….I don’t know if it’s a Dutch thing or what….Den Haag had the same feel as Amsterdam….but not the intensity nor was it over crowded with tourists….we were only there for three days….and it felt like we had been there for over a week….and the 11 to 5-6 thing is a hit….cafes open around 9 or 10….you can have a breakfast….and then slowly start your day….yeah, I’m for that….and the apartments….if you can afford anywhere between….1,400€ to 2,400€ a month….there are some good ones….and this is the first city we’ve been in where we both said,…. “Yep, I’d move here.”