Dam day two

On day two in Amsterdam I had a very nice breakfast on my boat where I got to chat with both my Airbnb hosts.

It was time to head off early for the free walking tour I booked Free Dam Tours. It was an informative introduction to the city and worth the 20 Euros (Free but it is customary to tip).

After the tour I was starving so I decided it was time to try a pancake for lunch. Of course I had to do a savory one because I am weird like that and rarely get sweet cravings.

Next up is Pozenboot.

I arrive at Poezenboot at 1:30 PM and it was good thing I didn’t arrive any later since they just about distributed all the visitation tickets for the day. Poezenboot is only open 13:00-15:00 PM and only on certain days. Visits are first come first served and limited in size. Luckily I got in.
What we have is a cat rescue and sanctuary on a boat house in the Amsterdam canals. It is kitschy and fun. It was a good visit but most of the kitties were sleeping.

After kitty town it is time for the long walk to Moco where I can see artists such as Banksy, Kusama and also below.

Keith Haring

Daniel Arsham

Finally I decided to wander through Vondelpark before going back. It is a pretty park.

It was a long walk back. Phone is dead luckily I made it to the circular road that directs me to my airbnb. It is still about a mile away but luckily it is straight shot- no more veering off in the wrong direction by following the canals.

Poor feet so beat up. I have the best sleep I have had in a long while.

Eating my way around Amsterdam

Bitterballen at Waterkant. Gooey fried meat balls.

Frikandel (more meat snacks).

Savory Salmon pancake

Apple pie

Haring on bread

Ossenworst (tastes like Lebanon Bologna)

Apple pie (This one from Winkel 43 is definitely better)

Peru 2018! Aguas Calientes

After our day at Machu Picchu we journey down to Aguas Calientes or Machupicchu town to meet for a celebratory meal and get our bags. I arrive early because I am beat and a cold is starting to take me down. I look around for some medicine and water and find a nice place to sit after wandering for only a few minutes.

Luckily where I chose to sit has a great view of a parade coming through town.

Soon it is time to meet up with the group again. There are pisco sours and there are congratulations.

We try some guinea pig. It is amazing.

For my meal I chose the trout. It was very good as well.

The tour leaders just discovered that we have a newly engaged couple (at machu picchu) in our midst. We toasted this adorable couple!

A couple drinks later and we are running with our bags to catch our train.
From the train we take a bus back to cusco. Many got beers but of course I had a headache and was already buzzing so I skipped getting more drinks.
Music was playing on the ride. We sang aloud. So much fun and great way to wind down.
2200 Steps

The next day in Cusco was a waste. I am so tired and so sick at that point. I did almost no sightseeing.
Another one to add to the “I must return” list. We are now off to the amazon.

Peru 2018! Miraflores

Travelers arriving in Peru will probably fly into Lima and if they are lucky they get a stay in posh Miraflores.

Miraflores is a relatively safe part of the city Lima. Located by the water, you will be amazed at the steep cliffs that lead down to the ocean. I would assume it gets pretty sunny and warm there due to its location but maybe because I was there off season there was a long lasting morning fog the few days I was there. The afternoons were perfect though.

My hotel was a short walk to this fancy outdoor mall with water views. I didn’t go shopping but I did eat breakfast there one morning.

Miraflores itself doesn’t take that long to explore by foot. There are plenty of good ceviche opportunities to take advantage of as well. I also enjoyed my journey of pisco sours.

Miraflores is a nice peaceful start to a Peruvian vacation, especially if you plan to do some hiking or high altitude activities.

Out West 2017! Heading to Vegas

A big trip of the year is heading west for my birthday.
I started in Las Vegas to visit my aunt and ended in Colorado to visit my friends.
We had many stops along the way.

While in Vegas I got my fill of Babystacks Cafe with 2 separate visits. Needless to say it was very good but probably very unhealthy.