9 hours 40 Minutes

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Hi All,

Well after months of planning and years of liver training, we are finally all set for our venture to Europe. The thing that keeps hammering in my mind though is 9 hours 40 minutes. What the hell are we going to do for that long? Sung's cool and all but I don't think I could talk to George Lucas for 9 hours 40 minutes. Which I thought was an interesting question, if you had to talk to 1 person for 9 hours straight who would it be?

We head to Amsterdam first, arriving at 7AM tomorrow morning and despite my suggestion we head straight to the Heineken factory, Sung wants to check into our hotel first like every other ugly American tourist group before hitting the slopes (typical). Here's where we are staying:

NH City Centre

Should be cool, it's the most expensive hotel on the trip so, like our sobriety things are only going downhill from here, it's all good though, at least we won't be sleeping in the gutter (on purpose anyways 😉

Here's a list of some of the things we are scheduled to see while in Amsterdam:

18Twintig
The title is Dutch for 1820, although given the sleek design of the place, 2020 might be more appropriate. Just opened in De Pijp, it?s a bar-lounge-restaurant for the hip set. Sultry banquettes in soft purple and mint green hug the walls, and square-shaped wood tables circled by booth-like seats dominate the floor. The ceiling has beautiful art deco-style swoops and curves and a painting of a rose looks down from a wall. Cocktails are top class and the open-plan dining area seems like an extension of the bar. This means you can order grilled tuna and still keep one eye on the more beautiful fish at the counter.

De Still
This unique bar has stamped its mark on the area by being the only watering hole to stock over 150 different whiskeys. Most places have an engraved glass or tacky tankard for each of the regulars, but here they have their own bottle. You’ll never work your way through the lot unless you’ve moved here, but that's no reason to stop you trying.

Wolvenstraat
Mish-mash of a city centre bar where 70s style décor vies with exotic modern drinks and a tasty Oriental menu. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they serve up spicy Asian delights like Thai curries and Japanese noodles, while regulars tend to avoid the food and lounge back on plush sofas sipping Mojitos and martinis and tapping their feet to the beat. The crowd is mostly of the moneyed post-work variety early on, with hard-living party goers coming later, drawn to the eclectic mix of 70s sounds and strong well-poured spirits. Art on the walls adds to the hip urban lounge feel.

Heineken Brewery
They make beer here. We like beer.

Anne Frank House
To show you all we are not devoid totally of social awareness we will be checking this out too. I had a whole host of funny one liners to include in this section but my girlfriend/lawyer/consiecence/good taste meter explained why that might not be such a swell idea.

Anyways, that’s a small taste of what we are expecting, time to head to the airport and those lovely 9 hours 40 minutes. Wish me luck and I'll fill you all in as we go!
Matt

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Photos

Amsterdam
This boat could be trouble after the Brewery tour...

Comments

[anonymous]

why?
Why the american flag guys? We know what it looks like. Maybe you should submit a design for the new EU flag though- it's kinda lame. And I don't mean that in an Ugly American kind of way, I mean it soley in an aesthetic sense. Have a safe flight guys! - dani