I'm sitting in the lobby bar of our hotel while David catches a few more winks. It's a really nice little bar, very clean and nice scandavian furnishings - from from Ikea and Copenhaagen stores in San Francisco. It's true that service employees don't work for tips. And it shows in their attentive to their patrons. But then again, from their perspective, I'm sure they're used to people who just shout out what they want or at least speak up. Ah there. A capuccino on the way.
David B. took the reins (and the map) yesterday and if you can imagine, it included some walking.
Starting off from our neighborhood Leidespline (I think that's right), we walked to The Dolphin coffee shop and then our favorite Coffee Company (David's finally gotten the Cafe Americano formula perfected and is quite content now). We found a cute little Christmas shop on the way.
Next it was on to the flower market, which is a series of greenhouse storefronts along the one of the grachts, or canals. Lots of bulbs and seeds for sale as well as large number of fresh ones, of course.
Our tourist guide from the other day said to never buy bulbs until July, when they are perfect and freshly picked. But the market was of course filled with bin after bin of tulip and other bulbs. I just don't know. Maybe when I get a yard again, I'll check it out.
Next, it was off to find the Amsterdam Zoo. I just love all the little cars all over this city. So cute. 
But first, it was time for a little shopping, some food, and of course, bier. Mmmm. Chicken Tandoori sandwich with bean sprouts. I can't remember what David had, but I remember that he cleaned his plate! And more fries with mayo, too, and of course, the fries were perfect.
Thanks to David B.'s expert map reading, we made it to the Zoo without getting lost. It's a pretty large zoo, and a very old one. Be sure to check out that link to learn more about it. Meanwhile, here are some photos from the journey.
And then we all know what happened, right? Yes, that's right. Say it with me - davidmahr's camera ran outta batteries. Sigh. Next time I take a whirlwind European tour, I shall buy a spare battery. So I spent the rest of the day trying to squeeze out just one more photo out of the camera.
We were pretty wiped out after the Zoo (well, I was), but we decided to power through and go see the Heineken "Experience" at the old brewery, where I managed to coax a few more pictures out of my dead camera.
When we arrived, they told us that because of a special event, they were closing early -- at 6pm. It was already 5pm, but we decided that we could get through it quickly. And we were right. It was like going on a little interactive Disney ride. Each room had little placqards with info, some rooms had interactive features (when talking about water in the brew, if you looked up, you'd notice that the ceiling was water, etc.).
We went on the one "ride" -- a movie from the point of view of one of the Heineken bottles from start to finish. Very, very, very silly. But a little fun. Each part of the ride had a different theme song, and of course, once the bottles arrived at their final destination (your house), the box was opened up and the song "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang bursts into play. Which of course makes you laugh out loud. Very silly and a healthy dose of cheese.
And we had our three beer tokens, of course. The tour featured two bars - one in the middle of the journey and one at the end. Incentive to complete the tour, I suppose.
After that, we were done for the day. We went back to the hotel room to drop off our chattles (and recharge that damn battery). Then it was off to a coffee shop, the little lion, April (another gay pub that features a rotating circular bar in the back -- something I'm not sure is a good idea if you're a bit woozie. Not that I was, mind you). Then it was back to hotel with a quick detour for dinner. I do love those croquettes! Not sure what we're doing today. I think we're going to get a day pass for the Canal bus and maybe see the neighborhood of Jordaan. But it's our last day and we need to be awake early tomorrow, so nothing too tiring, I think. Our last day...sniffle.
It has been a great trip.
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