One of our absolute favourite things to do in a city, especially Amsterdam, is get out very early and wander the streets. That way we have the place pretty much to ourselves apart from the street sweepers and some other visitors doing a similar thing. It’s a great time of the day to take in the character and ambience. So that is how we started the day. We took in the street displays at de Bijenkorf, I remember the history of these displays being explained in Russell Shorto’s book about Amsterdam but the details are escaping me at present so I’ll get this right for when we publish the book of our travels.

Anyway, our early morning walk was enjoyable and gave us the appetite to cook up a hearty breakfast at our home.

At 10.30 or so we caught the train out to Hoogkarspel which is where Nick and Charlotte have recently purchased and renovated their new home. Lia and Piet greeted us at the train station and we walked the 5 minute trip to Nick and Charlottes.

Their home is sensational and they have done an amazing job renovating the place. They are located on a corner block which is directly across from the main town square of their village. A perfect location in a beautiful village.

We shared a coffee and some tompouches at Nick and Charlottes. This is the first time we have met Charlotte, she is very lovely and it was great to get to know her, we really enjoyed her company. Nick and Charlotte met in India during Nicks epic backpacking journey around the world. Around that time we also met Nick for the first time when he visited us in Australia, in fact Nick came out to Loxton and got to see our town in all its glory as the Christmas lights were on display.

We all wandered across the road and enjoyed lunch at the Restaurant Van Dis Hoogkarspel, the food was delicious and of course I had the Kroketten op Brood. After lunch Nick and Charlotte gave us some local tips of things to see in Amsterdam and we will do these on Monday.

Later in the afternoon Lia and Piet took us into Hoorn to have a walk around. We visited the place where my opa was born and looked around the markets, very tempted to buy some oliebollen but that is something we may enjoy tomorrow.

We adjourned for a drink at the Cafe JP Coen, a bar that I could spend many hours in. The cafe is named after Jan Pieterszoon Coen who lived from 1587 to 1629. There is also a statue of him in the main square at Hoorn. He was an officer of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the early 17th century. He held two terms as the Governor General of the VOC and founded Batavia the capital of the Dutch East Indies. He is renowned for providing the impetus that set the VOC on a path of dominance in the East Indies and is considered a national hero in the Netherlands. However, apparently he was a strict and harsh person and consequently since the independence of Indonesia he has been looked at in a more critical light.

Our timing was impeccable when leaving the bar as by the time we arrived at the train station the train arrived within 2 minutes of us getting there.

Once back in Amsterdam it was back home to put a few warmer clothes on and out again to enjoy the city. There was 4 times as many people out and about tonight and the place was very busy. We wandered past our favourite Chinese restaurant only to find is full so we continued to wander around for another hour or so before going back and timing our run to perfection. Some people were just leaving the window seats so we made a bee line for them and landed the best seats in the restaurant.  We have eaten there 3 times now and managed to get window seats every time.

We enjoyed the banquet again and their Peking duck soup is one of the most delicious soups we have ever tasted. We will likely go back again at some stage and enjoy it again.

We are back home now at around 10pm and ready for a good nights sleep.

Tot ziens.