amsterdam

ben and i arrived back home last night after a fantastic trip to amsterdam. this was truly the get-away we'd been needing, as it was full of beautiful sites, delicious food, and continuous laughter. and, as with all trips, i'm armed with many more 'benisms...'

amsterdam is a beautiful city with many trendy neighborhoods as well as the 'old city' parts and, of course, red light disctrict-y parts. we enjoyed walking through them all (and, literally did, as my legs will attest), despite the frigid weather. i loved walking the streets and viewing the beautiful homes-- all of them with huge windows you could see in and enjoy the tasteful decor. this is of course my favorite activity, though ben calls me a 'peeping tom' for it. i'm just looking at the decor!

my other favorite part was... the FOOD! of course, everywhere i go i need to find out what the locals are eating and how it tastes. amsterdam was no exception. the french fries were amazing, especially when topped with curry sauce. they had a great assortment of international fare as well, which we really enjoy coming from ankara where it's fairly limited. we had a great dinner at a small indian restaurant that's been around for 30+ years for valentine's day... tres romantique!

the rest of the story can be told by the pictures & captions, with the ben-isms mixed in... enjoy!

canals everywhere

:: upon leaving the hotel while putting on his leather gloves: i feel like oj.
:: while walking, after i asked him what he was thinking about: john stewart. i think i love him.

here's ben making fun of my

girly beer... a sweet cherry (quite tasty!)

::while drinking my sweet cherry beer, discussing something i can't remember, but that was most certainly totally irrelevant:

ben: this will be good for me to remember when our daughter comes to me and wants to marry that sonofabitchasshole...

me: why is he a sonofabitchasshole?

ben: that's just the way it is, honey.

really loved the name of this bar... this one's for my sisters:

view from the back of the tulip market

the tulip market

::what ben texted adam of his first impression of amsterdam: i thought everyone would be high & wearing wooden shoes. not the case.

the night before valentine's day somebody decorated every

bike in the city (that i saw, at least) with a heart.

after a loooong day of walking in the cold, we found this cozy spot to get warm.

:: after explaining to me that 'lost' airs in holland the weekend before it airs in the us (still not sure this is accurate): the dutch are WAY ahead in terms of 'lost,' honey.
:: a valentine's serenade: i don't know much, but i know i love you.... actually, that's not true. i know a LOT. and, i also know i love you.

one of many house boats we saw along the canal

:: in response to one of my smart-alec comments: you know what i want to do right now? i want to challenge you to a duel. with my glove.

the red light district at night. these swans ain't no fools, they

clearly chose this neighborhood for a reason!

cheese... all of the glorious cheese!

:: while leaving a pretty, old bar and commenting on why it was better than anything in ankara, according to ben: this door is old for a reason. it means, the door has not tried to be aged.

:: zoozeneezenzeyzen... what? you act like you don't speak dutch.