Amsterdam: Day 4, Part 2...
I decided to go out for dinner and then check out the Torture Museum. I was intrigued by TerraZen Centre as it's Japanese-Carribean food fusion and all vegan. Yum! I hopped on Minty Fresh and went back out towards Amsterdam Centraal. On the way, I found a cute little boutique called La Rosa Curiosa which has new and vintage items. I decided to stop in because they were having a sale on vintage items. ;)
The lower portion of La Rosa Curiosa where the vintage items are kept
From my Facebook:
On the way to dinner, I found La Rosa Curiosa. It's a charming little boutique and I found some great vintage (as the Dutch refer to thrift) finds. I got a black shorts romper that has little French bulldogs on it, a fitted black blazer, a grey with white polka dots faux wrap dress, and a cute little beaded hair clip with a dragonfly. The boutique owner loved my fancy collar from Andrea Pelletier and said it makes any outfit "look special". She also commented that I look creative.
TerraZen is tucked in a side street so it was a bit of a challenge to find it. The food and atmosphere is absolutely worth the exploration.
TerraZen from the outside...
TerraZen from the inside.
The chef there is amazing. He's got a great sense of humour and a really warm, friendly spirit about him. He's also great because he reminded me of Bob Marley. I was looking over the menu when I asked, "What is 'Rasta Pasta'?" He happily replied, "I'm the Rasta!" I asked, "And then there's the pasta?" He burst out laughing and said, "You're a great woman, I can tell!" I immediately adored him and ordered that because why not. I also got an avocado and carrot sushi roll which I think had a slight jerk spice in it which was divine!
A couple came in and I heard them talking about the Rasta Pasta. I told them that I was just about to have it and they were welcome to try it. They joined me at my table and we had a great time. They're a lovely couple from Australia who were in Europe for a conference so they decided to go to a few different cities to make the long flight worth it. It was shocking how much we had in common: we used AirBnB for our trips, feminism, how scary religion is, we're all vegans, thrift shoppers, sustainability, etc. They were absolutely amazing and I ended up staying at the restaurant 2 hours getting lost in conversation. So great! They even paid for my meal as a belated birthday present (I told them how I had decided to go to Amsterdam to celebrate a new decade). I'm so lucky our paths crossed.
On the way towards the Torture Museum, I stumbled upon Abraxas, a coffeeshop I really wanted to visit. The whole design is like something out of Harry Potter's world. I loved it! The staff were friendly and super helpful, they explained to me how pre-rolled joints there are mixed with tobacco. So, in all likelihood, the shitty weed I had from Cheech & Chong's was filled with more tobacco than weed which would explain the awful taste. I got a strain called Haze at Abraxas and they even put it in a plastic joint-shaped container which I thought was grand.
The Torture Museum was kinda meh, to be honest. I liked that I was the only one in there and I took a fair amount of photos, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Most of the devices weren't behind cases so it was neat to be able to touch them. The main feature seemed to be drawings of how the devices were used. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting - maybe mannequins put in some of them, like the iron maiden? That could have jazzed it up a bit.
The bike stand where I parked Minty Fresh
Getting late on a Friday night, the partygoers and foreign college kids were starting to crawl the streets towards Centraal and Damrak. Not being into the bar scene, I decided to head back to the flat. Much to my delight, I finally saw the canal bridges lit up! They don't light up all the bridges throughout the city. They seem to focus more towards the areas around the center of the city. It was enchanting and beautiful.
From my Facebook:
Day 4 of Amsterdam is complete. Today Amsterdam reminded me to be thankful for this wonderful pixie able-body. It has powered me all around this city and the aches remind me of that (which is not a bad thing). We heal and move on.
Amsterdammers are starting to think I'm one of them. They approach me speaking Dutch then ask if I moved here recently. I bike like a Dutch, though I don't run through as many red lights as them, with ability, confidence, and calm. I make a "tsss-tsss!" noise at tourist-cyclists taking up too much room or pedestrians walking on the bike path.
I was told earlier in the day that I have a good energy which will attract similar people. How lucky I was to have that proven right by meeting that couple at the restaurant.
The lower portion of La Rosa Curiosa where the vintage items are kept
From my Facebook:
On the way to dinner, I found La Rosa Curiosa. It's a charming little boutique and I found some great vintage (as the Dutch refer to thrift) finds. I got a black shorts romper that has little French bulldogs on it, a fitted black blazer, a grey with white polka dots faux wrap dress, and a cute little beaded hair clip with a dragonfly. The boutique owner loved my fancy collar from Andrea Pelletier and said it makes any outfit "look special". She also commented that I look creative.
TerraZen is tucked in a side street so it was a bit of a challenge to find it. The food and atmosphere is absolutely worth the exploration.
TerraZen from the outside...
TerraZen from the inside.
The chef there is amazing. He's got a great sense of humour and a really warm, friendly spirit about him. He's also great because he reminded me of Bob Marley. I was looking over the menu when I asked, "What is 'Rasta Pasta'?" He happily replied, "I'm the Rasta!" I asked, "And then there's the pasta?" He burst out laughing and said, "You're a great woman, I can tell!" I immediately adored him and ordered that because why not. I also got an avocado and carrot sushi roll which I think had a slight jerk spice in it which was divine!
A couple came in and I heard them talking about the Rasta Pasta. I told them that I was just about to have it and they were welcome to try it. They joined me at my table and we had a great time. They're a lovely couple from Australia who were in Europe for a conference so they decided to go to a few different cities to make the long flight worth it. It was shocking how much we had in common: we used AirBnB for our trips, feminism, how scary religion is, we're all vegans, thrift shoppers, sustainability, etc. They were absolutely amazing and I ended up staying at the restaurant 2 hours getting lost in conversation. So great! They even paid for my meal as a belated birthday present (I told them how I had decided to go to Amsterdam to celebrate a new decade). I'm so lucky our paths crossed.
On the way towards the Torture Museum, I stumbled upon Abraxas, a coffeeshop I really wanted to visit. The whole design is like something out of Harry Potter's world. I loved it! The staff were friendly and super helpful, they explained to me how pre-rolled joints there are mixed with tobacco. So, in all likelihood, the shitty weed I had from Cheech & Chong's was filled with more tobacco than weed which would explain the awful taste. I got a strain called Haze at Abraxas and they even put it in a plastic joint-shaped container which I thought was grand.
The Torture Museum was kinda meh, to be honest. I liked that I was the only one in there and I took a fair amount of photos, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Most of the devices weren't behind cases so it was neat to be able to touch them. The main feature seemed to be drawings of how the devices were used. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting - maybe mannequins put in some of them, like the iron maiden? That could have jazzed it up a bit.
The bike stand where I parked Minty Fresh
Getting late on a Friday night, the partygoers and foreign college kids were starting to crawl the streets towards Centraal and Damrak. Not being into the bar scene, I decided to head back to the flat. Much to my delight, I finally saw the canal bridges lit up! They don't light up all the bridges throughout the city. They seem to focus more towards the areas around the center of the city. It was enchanting and beautiful.
From my Facebook:
Day 4 of Amsterdam is complete. Today Amsterdam reminded me to be thankful for this wonderful pixie able-body. It has powered me all around this city and the aches remind me of that (which is not a bad thing). We heal and move on.
Amsterdammers are starting to think I'm one of them. They approach me speaking Dutch then ask if I moved here recently. I bike like a Dutch, though I don't run through as many red lights as them, with ability, confidence, and calm. I make a "tsss-tsss!" noise at tourist-cyclists taking up too much room or pedestrians walking on the bike path.
I was told earlier in the day that I have a good energy which will attract similar people. How lucky I was to have that proven right by meeting that couple at the restaurant.