Alice Adores Amsterdam Part 2: Exploring The City

Oh heeeey! Welcome back to Alice Adores Apparel! It's time for another instalment of my Amsterdam adventure.

So lets pick up from where I left off in my first post. After settling into our beautiful apartment during the day on Saturday, it was time to feed ourselves. I suggested we checked out an Indonesian restaurant my sister recommended from her recent inter-railing adventure, called Kantjil De Tijger. The food here was delicious and very reasonably priced. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo. I would recommend choosing a Nasi Rames or a Nasi Kantjil meal which consists of a combination of either noodles or rice, with two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a massive prawn cracker. I've seriously never seen a prawn cracker so large- it was the size of my plate! The portion sizes were very generous so I didn't manage to consume the mountainous pile of deliciousness on my plate, but the guys did a pretty good job at demolishing their's. The only criticism I would make it that they did mess up our bill and overcharge, so make sure to double check the total. It was all sorted out in the end. Have a read of my sister's review of the restaurant here.

Fast forward to Sunday, and it was time to explore our surroundings. First up we decided to check out more of Vondelpark. My housemate Bilal and I had a stroll around the streets surrounding our apartment and stumbled upon the adorable Brasserie de Joffers. Located on Willemsparkweg 163, this gorgeous eatery is the perfect brunch destination. After perusing the menu, I went for the banana pancakes and syrup with an iced green tea. They were some of the best pancakes I've ever had, super light and decadent. I would definitely recommend checking the brasserie out if you are in the area. It has a really relaxed atmosphere, and it's the kind of place you can spend hours and hours relaxing in.

Fully fed and satisfied, we moved on and made our way to the actual park in Vondelpark. A magnet for runners, this park was pretty busy because it was the weekend. Unfortunately I think it looks much more beautiful in the Spring or Summer when the trees have their leaves, otherwise it's a little bare and bleak.

The Fish by Pablo Picasso

'Findfence' for lost property

Bilal sneakily photographed me photographing using his camera!

As a fashion sidenote I'd just like to say that my Doc Martins have been invaluable while I've been in Amsterdam. They've kept my feet so cosy in in the bitter cold and they are great for walking around for hours in.

Vondelparkpaviljoen- Vondelpark Pavillion

After leaving the park we carried on walking around Museumplein, or The Museum District, and further into the centre of the city. I couldn't resist taking a snap of the store opening below- so much gold!

I'm a complete sucker for cheese, and Dutch cheese especially. When we ended up having a nosey in one of the Amsterdam Cheese Company shops, after eating a copious amount of free samples, I decided to pick up a tangy young goats cheese. The lady behind the counter was lovely and even drew us a map of the area and where she recommended to check out during our 3 months in the city. Unfortunately all the cheese has been eaten and I forgot to take a photo, oops!

My inner fashionista could not resist taking a photo of the seal outside the Victor & Rolf office. It was so subtle that most people would walk past unaware it was even there.

Lastly I want to share with you my first official Cisco social. In the evening of our second induction day we went to... wait for it... underground glow-in-the-dark 3D mini golf. It was as trippy as it sounds. The course featured dinosaurs, pirates, spacemen, rockets and more. While we putted we wore glasses that caused the glow in the dark paint to become 3D on the walls and obstacles. As ridiculous as it sounded before we began, we actually had so much fun. In my group, this crazy Swedish guy call Andre, cheated his way to winning! It was a great opportunity to bond with the rest of the people on the course. If you're interested check out the website.

That's it for Part 2 of my adventures in Amsterdam. Make sure to check back soon for Part 3! Thank you very much for reading my blog!

If you have any suggestions of where to check out in this amazing city, please leave me a comment below!

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