A weekend break can be just the ticket for lifting late-winter spirits ...
We flew from London on Friday - finally - after a Regrettable Incident involving forgotten passports (no, don't ask: it was mea culpa, so I don't even have the satisfaction of tutting and sighing at idiots who leave the house for the airport having remembered to pack a slew of unnecessary items but sans passports)
... and were just in time to catch the last light of the day ...
Amsterdam was freezing, a bitterly cold wind coming off the North Sea, but the canals in winter have their own kind of beauty
and the interiors seem the more cosy and inviting ...
I love the human scale of this part of the old city, the Grachtengordel - the narrow, gabled homes, the absence of traffic (though an onslaught of cyclists can make you fear for your life) ...
(hey, there's a green pedestrian light showing!)
... the abundance of funky little shops ...
Happy Socks, above, and other quirky little shops below, in the Negen Straatjes
the perfect outfit for one's flower and food-shopping excursions by bicycle, non?
... and an amazing profusion of great little restaurants and coffee shops...
Busy chefs in the open plan kitchen at Bussia, below, where we had delicious food and a warm welcome. Thank you Tara for this recommendation!
It's tot ziens for now, as I have some work to catch up with, but another post to follow ...
