Adventures in Amsterdam, continued

Yesterday morning we planned to meet the Kimbros for a canal boat ride at 11:00.  It looked like a long walk, so to spare Charlie’s knee, he set up an Uber ride. The app instructed us to walk to a pickup spot about five minutes away, which we grudgingly obeyed. Our car didn’t show up, and Charlie’s phone chose right then to lose all connection. Finally, the driver called him, and she was right outside our hotel.  She drove to get us, but was a very gruff 50-ish Dutch woman who was not amused at the glitch.  Stay tuned for more Uber issues.

The canal boat ride was delightful! Rachel booked it with Those Dam Boat Guys, and we were happy to have a boat all to ourselves. This is the Jackson 2, of the Jackson Five. In the background is one of the many houseboats permanently moored along the canals.

I failed to take a pic of our delightful guide, Mark, an adorable Irishman with accent to match.  He told us he’d moved to Amsterdam several years ago “for a job and a girl,” but no longer had either.  He also mentioned getting his master’s degree while here, and when pressed said it was in literature and philosophy, “and that’s why I’m a boat driver.” He took us along many canals and under low bridges in the 90-minute tour. Here are some scenes that caught my eye.

Mark also pointed out the houseboat featured in Ted Lasso, where Rebecca ended up after falling into the canal. It’s not a great pic, as we were right alongside when I took it.

There are amazing flowers everywhere! I especially admired these.

After our canal ride we found a sidewalk tapas restaurant and enjoyed trying several dishes, including the ubiquitous patatas brava.  We managed to walk back to the hotel, but were glad to rest in the afternoon.

For dinner, Rachel had booked The Duchess, a Michelin-starred restaurant about a 25-minute walk from the hotel. We again opted to call an Uber, which involved another snafu.  The app again instructed us to walk to a pickup point across a busy street, but we stayed put outside the hotel. Yep, the driver went to the pickup spot. Charlie called him, and we waved so that he saw us, so he eventually drove up to get us.  But! As we neared the restaurant, we realized it wasn’t the right place.  He said that getting to the right spot would involve going way around, due to lots of one-way streets. He pointed vaguely in the direction we should walk, and we got out.  I checked Google Maps and we set out. Charlie called Rachel to confirm that the restaurant was in the W hotel, and we did manage to find it.  

The Duchess is incredibly elegant, featuring “Nouveau-Niçoise” cuisine — a blend of southern French and Italian flavors.  The menu is designed for sharing, so we were able to try many dishes.  Some standouts among the appetizers were the clams with garlic butter, beetroot tartare , and fennel pistachio salad. For entrees we tried several house-made pasta dishes that were all delicious, and Eleanor’s mushroom risotto was amazing.  

For dessert, Eleanor and I insisted on the crème brûlée with caramel ice cream, which was so good they must serve it in Heaven.  We also ordered Chocolate Dream, which you can see in one of the pics below, and the Duchess cheesecake, which includes Camembert  and is topped with chocolate-covered cherry ice cream.

But the real winner was Thomas’s choice, The Ice Cream Lady. To our surprise, that involved quite a tableside production! 

Here’s one of the resulting dishes of ice cream, garnished with two kinds of chocolate bark.

We strolled home, with Rob ably navigating a route through a couple of narrow alley walkways to shorten the trip.  It was definitely an epic experience at The Duchess!