albert cuyp markt

Bennett was up early this morning.  He must be excited to go shopping.  We are headed to the Albert Cuyp Markt later today.  We enjoyed the beautiful view from the guest room before getting ready.

And, spending time together.

Isla was going to school for the day.  She is such a good eater.  I couldn't be more impressed.  After dropping her off we took the train to the market and made it there around 11.

The market began trading in 1904, now over 300 stalls are lining both sides of the Albert Cuyp street.  Stalls sell everything from fruit, vegetables, cheese, fish and spices to clothes, cosmetics and bedding. The prices are among the cheapest in Amsterdam.

Traditional Dutch refreshment is available as well including freshly-made waffles, poffertjes, harings and cheese of all kinds.  And, we couldn't help ourselves but taste them all.  First came the poffertjes, or tiny dutch pancakes, best eaten when they are made fresh per order served with a slab of butter and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Second, was the freshly-made caramel filled Stroopwafel.  Albert Cuyp Markt is famous for having the best Stroopwafels made by this same vendor in the picture below. 

These are very thin waffles unlike the waffles in the States.  And, they have a thin layer of warm caramel sandwiched in the middle.  They are incredible. 

We passed by André Hazes (30 June 1951 – 23 Sept 2004), a well-loved Dutch singer, statue.  His specialty was the levenslied (life song), a type of emotional folk music about everyday life sung in Dutch. Hazes was one of the most successful and prolific singers of this genre, with 31 albums and 54 singles. Exactly one year after his death, his statue was placed on the Albert Cuypstraat.

We saw some funny shaped chocolates.

And, tasty Belgian waffles.  We did not buy any as we are heading to Belgium tomorrow and want to buy them from the place they are actually named after.

Our third treat was a herring sandwich.  It is 100% Dutch.  The sandwich is very simple.  It is fresh herring, diced onion, mustard and a pickle on a bread roll.  Herring is hugely popular in the Netherlands.

We loved it!  I wanted a second helping. The herring practically melted in your mouth.  The man that made our sandwich took 3 seconds without a single smile or word.  He took his job very seriously and we could tell when we tasted his sandwich.  A much needed walk was in order after all of our treats.  We took off for the Flower Markt which was nearby Tami and Matt's house.