This and That - Amsterdam

Judy and I spent just over a week in Amsterdam. She went off to Mont Bkanc on her Roads Scholar adventure and I'm heading to Belgium. 

We had a great time exploring the city and countryside. We discovered a few fun facts about Amsterdam. 

We saw XXX all over the place and finally asked a local what those were. It's the Amsterdam flag and the X's represent Meecy, Determination and Courage. 

Amsterdam coat of arms

We also saw these signs posted in the windows of certain cafes. It turns out those are marijuana hotspots, cafes where MJ can be purchased and consumed.  The establishment has a limit to how much MJ they can have on hand, so there is a system of runners who cycle around town making deliveries so that no one goes without but they don't exceed the limit either. 

Heineken, which owns Amstel, has been marketing a new beverage called the Radler which is beer mixed with lemon juice. It's in the 0-2% alcohol by volume. It's a very effervescent drink and quite tasty. Traditionally beer has been mixed with 7-up as a summer drink. So the Radler is straight out of the bottle and gaining in popularity. I checked and it's available in the US.  Check it out. 

Judy and I were told that the Dutch make the best Dutch pancakes so we went on a quest to find the real deal thinking it was going to resemble the following. soufflé-like delicacy that the pancake houses in the US serve up. 

Much to our disappointment they're simply a thicker version of the crepe. But we decided that they were yummy anyway.  This one has strawberries, whipped cream and Nutella drizzled on top. Quite filling, too.