Due to a rainy forecast, almost everything being closed on Mondays, and a desire to buy tulip bulbs, we headed to Amsterdam Central.
We wandered to the Waterlooplein flea market but most stalls weren't open (we imagine due to rain). Shelby did manage to find a gift for her sister however.
We followed the flea market with a trip to Kitten Kabinet, a quirky little cat museum. They had the most random cat displays and art, and a few cats including an adorable one fascinated with a feather.
Then it was time for Bloemenmarkt to find tulips. The Bloemenmarkt is the only floating flower market in the world. It's AMAZING how inexpensive flowers are in the Netherlands. Gorgeous bouquets that would cost us $50+ were only €10!
Alas, sadly there were no tulips we could take home as you need a valid certificate for USA or Canada. You couldn’t even buy the bulbs in a can for USA/Canada consumption.
But we did visit a shop that sells only rubber duckies, and we went to The Happy Pig Pancake Shop for lunch based on a recommendation by Ellen Patton. Shelby got the bacon syrup. Kristy got banana and powdered sugar. And Shelby discovered a new favorite soda, Fritz Kola, here.
Afterward, we went to an artisan and preservative free amazing chocolate shop called Puccini Bomboni. The smells in this place! Shelby got a raspberry, caramel, and pecan. Kristy got hazelnut, caramel, and walnut. Might be the best chocolate I've ever eaten.
After the chocolate shop, it was a visit to the tulip museum and cheese museum. The tulip museum had beautiful ornaments.
It was again confirmed to us that tulip bulbs would come available in June, and we'd gotten thru our Amsterdam list, so we hopped on a train to Haarlem.
It had been a coldish and wet day, so when I found a soup restaurant with amazing reviews on Yelp for dinner, I jumped at it. Shelby got a big bowl of the Greek lemon, chicken, and spinach soup with bread while Kristy got a sampler of two small soups, the same Greek one Shelby had and a pumpkin veggie. The bread was hearty and the soup was delish. I highly wish I could recreate the Greek soup.
After a yummy dinner, the skies were clear and temperatures were lovely for a wandering stroll around Haarlem.
Haarlem is so green with so many trees along the canals. It seemed like every tree had a different variety as its neighbor. The town feels lived in but loved. Super clean. We didn't have nearly enough time to explore before heading back for the evening.
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