American Woman

So, after dinner tonight, we head over to a local Folkestone pub.  Yay!

There is a couple getting ready to perform with a guitar and a fiddle.  I'm psyched.  I love me some fiddle. 

We wait around for a bit until they start.  I'm excited and expecting some great foot tapping pub music. 

They start up, we listen attentively and applaud appropriately.  

About song #4 they make a comment... "blah, blah, blah, I'm sure there isn't anyone in the crowd from the States, blah, blah, blah". 

Proud to be the American that I am, I holler "Whoop!!  Texas!!!"  They look at me awkwardly and break out into the following song.  

Oh GI Joe put your gun away
The sun is setting on another day
Why don't you leave us alone?
Yankee go home!

They're burning effigies out in the street
Man the life boats, sound the retreat
Pentagon's on the 'phone
Yankee go home!

You can't just kiss and run away
There ain't enough money on a sergeant's pay
When the dancehall girl you banged's in the family way

Oh you turned my sister into a whore
With a pair of silk stockings from the PX store
Why don't you leave us alone?
Yankee go home! Yankee go home! Just go home!

My girlfriend still won't talk to me
Since she met with a sailor from the land of the free
I'm tired of being alone
Yankee go home!

I lost count of the chewing gum that I've had
And coca-cola make my teeth go bad
We'll handle this on our own
Yankee go home!

Dow Jones going into a stall
Spray paint saying it on every wall
The climb was fine, now it's time to decline and fall

Over-paid, over-sexed and over here
Get smart, gringo, disappear
The Hun's at the gates of Rome
Yankee go home! Yankee go home! Go home!
Go home! Go home!

Seriously?  

It's a horrid, little anti-American ditty.  And not just anti-American, but anti-American military.  I must say, I'm just a little shocked.  My daddy was in the US Air Force for thirty years.  

I grew up on U.S. military bases.  And I can't hear the National Anthem without my eyes welling up with tears.   I could not be more proud to be an American. 

That has nothing to do with any other nationality.  I don't think I'm better than anyone else.  I am simply and desperately proud to be from America.  Always.  

And I don't  think you would ever go to a bar in the US and hear "Cute English guys with your adorable accents, go back to where you came from. "

I realize, it's a war song and in reaction to something that happened years ago.  But, I must say, I'm a little perplexed tonight.  How do I respond to this?

I thought the US and the UK were buddies?  Call me naive.  

 

Am I being sensitive?  If the song was anti-anybody else, would I feel the same?  Or if it was anti-anybody else, would it be acceptable to play on a Thursday night in a pub?  

I'm sure I'm learning a big lesson here, I'm  just not sure what it is.  

But... God bless America.

xoxo

Selena

Proost! Eet Smakelijk! Amsterdam!

(Disclosure: I'm going to try to get through this whole blog without using the word "nummy".)

One of the best things about traveling is the wonderful, new dining experiences.  

We aren't big foodies, so probably don't do enough research to find the best places to eat.  We just kind of go with the flow.

But, we do know when we find something that tastes great.
There were several things on our list of must try
while we were in Amsterdam...

Frites with Mayo

Pancakes

Indonesian Food

Ollebollen (donuts)

Appeltaart (apple pie)

I actually got my frites with ketchup.  I'm a wuss.

Can you believe the size of that pancake?  It had bacon & cheese in it.
I ate less than half but it was go-ood!

We were also lucky enough to stumble upon a terrific little restaurant that I can't recommend enough.
We even went back for dinner on a second night.

Kop Van Jut was around the corner from the hotel and they had THE BEST FOOD!!

The Indonesian chicken with peanut sauce was 

rich a tasty.

The lemon sole was light and lovely.

The steak was tender and perfect.

The baked cheese served with bread was

earthy and rustic.

The french fries were PERFECT.

I want to go back now!

 

The staff was so friendly and helpful.  They have their own craft brew that TE enjoyed. 

It seems to be pretty popular with the locals, too.  

Classic Amsterdam architecture, it's probably 10 feet wide.

Be careful visiting the bathrooms.  That spiral staircase is like a fire pole with a few steps to help out.  

How the waitresses run up and down all day, I don't know.

There was also a carnival in the middle of Dam Square.  It was surreal to see a fair like you'd see in any southern town in the middle of these 17th Century buildings.  

But, who can resist fair food?  Especially when it's Dutch fair food. 

And we certainly can't leave out the wonderful beverage options in Amsterdam.
TE has worked in the Drinks Industry
 and I'm, well... I'm a devoted customer of the industry,
so we considered it our duty, really, to visit both the
Heineken Experience and the House of Bols.

We realize they are just
interactive commercials for the products,but they are both great fun with a few drinks thrown in
for the price of admission.

Everything is in English.
Huh, wonder who their target market is?

Me, apparently.
I'd forgotten how good a cold Heineken tastes. 

Bols produces flavored liquors and Genever, 

which is a juniper-flavored liquor from the 

Netherlands and Belgium, which eventually evolved into Gin.  

We got to smell all 36 flavors of liquor 

and visit the bar at the end to taste a few of our favorites

and have a cocktail.  

It was a great way to spend a few hours.  

Old habits die hard and while in Amsterdam we couldn't resist a few of our old stand by meals...

A full English breakfast for TE and a good ol' American hot dog for me.  Don't judge. 

And, if all else fails,  there's always this place...

I bet it's pretty popular with the Amsterdam Coffee Shop crowd.  (wink, wink)

I still have a few more posts about our weekend planned.

There's just so much to share.  Thanks for joining in on the fun!!

Cheers from Amsterdam!!

xoxo

Selena

As always, all the pictures are taken by me or the hubby.  And no sponsors were involved in this post.  (I wish!)

Canals & Cobblestone in Amsterdam

I'm not sure where I got my idea of Amsterdam as a calm, slow moving city.

But who knows where I get most of my ideas. 

I pictured strolling along quiet canals and stopping in at a cafe for traditional Dutch apple pie.

And we did both of those things. (More on the apple pie later this week.)

But Amsterdam is certainly not quiet and definitely not slow moving.  

It was a bustling city full of colorful characters and tourist from all over the world.  

It's a city that can both shock and awe (more on that later, too).

We stayed at the Eden Amsterdam American Hotel which was perfectly acceptable, clean and comfy. 

However, it's best perk is its location, location, location.

It's located next to the Leidseplein which is a bustling square at the Southern end of the central canal ring.

It's a perfect spot for people watching.  (Stayed tuned for I Spy Friday this week.)

A great choice of restaurants and shopping is close by (Pandora, yay!).

The Leidseplein has a fun, festive atmosphere.  

We purchased weekend passes and used the trams to venture around Amsterdam, 

but this was the perfect home base for the weekend.  

The trams can get pretty crowded, so be prepared to stand.

(Someday I'm going to write a post about personal space issues in Europe.)

The gorgeous Vondelpark was just a few minutes walk from the hotel.  

Being new to this running thing, I wanted to stick to the plan and not miss my run.  

So on Saturday, I headed over to the park to join the hundreds of other bikers and runners. 

It was so pleasant.  I wish I could run there every week.

(Who am I? I'm supposed to hate running!)

Amsterdam is such an interesting, beautiful and unusual city.

The 17th Century houses are all snuggled in tightly together, leaning every which way.  

The first thing you notice is how narrow the buildings are.  

Property owners used to be taxed based on frontage, so the lots became very narrow.  

The most narrow is just as wide as a door. 

You'll also notice that all of the houses have  pulley hooks on the gables.

Because the stairways and halls are so steep and narrow,

they get furniture into the house through the windows using these pulley systems.  

 We actually didn't visit any of the art museums the city has to offer.  

The line for the Van Gogh Museum was probably an hour long and the admittance fee was a little steep.

We've become spoiled by the many wonderful and free museums that London has to offer.

Although this one was pretty tempting.

 I couldn't convince the Englishman to go for it.  

However, we did visit a very special history museum.  The house on the left is the Anne Frank House.

We were actually able to explore the rooms where she and seven other Jews hid from the Nazis for two years.

It's superbly done and an extremely moving experience.

It's hard to believe the horrors they and so many others experienced were less than a lifetime ago.

The picture on the right is the spire of the Westerkerk.

It is just around the corner and can be seen from the attic of the Anne Frank House.

In her diary, she mentions the spire and the chiming of the clock tower, 

which you can hear today, as a source of comfort to her.

We waited in the cold and rain for over an hour and it was worth it,

but you can purchase advance tickets online to avoid the wait. 

We also took a canal tour.  It's a great way to see more of the city and the canals.

However, I would suggest that you put a little effort into selecting which vendor to go with.

Ours just had simple descriptions of sights along the route (Gray Line 1 hour tour).

It was pre-recorded, repeated in four languages and not terribly informative.

Pick one that has live, interactive commentary for a more interesting experience.

The dinner cruises also get pretty good reviews.  

Here are some more pictures of beautiful Amsterdam.  

I have several more Amsterdam posts planned for this week... 

stay tuned for more about bicycles, flowers, food, drinks

and of course we can't leave out the Red Light District.  Yikes!

 

Thanks for joining me on our Amsterdam Adventure!  More to come. 

xoxo

Selena

p.s.  Mental Note:  Ballet flats, while cute, are not the best choice for a five hour walking tour on cobblestones.   



All pictures were taken by me with the Nikon.