Amsterdam Day 4

After such a busy day yesterday (about 27,000 steps of exploring) we took our time this morning. We puttered out the door shortly after 9:00 and headed toward Centraal Station for a little trip to Haarlem. We got back into the city in the mid-afternoon and headed directly to Winkel 43 for their infamous apple pie. We did some further wandering around before back to our place for a little break. 

Areas visited 

Haarlem, Negen Straatjes

Coffee

• Morning Coffee: A quick, serve yourself coffee from a shop in Haarlem powered the earlier part of our day. 

• Afternoon Coffee: On a short break back at our Air BnB we made some coffee ourselves to enjoy while catching our breath and planning the evening. 

Food & Drink

Overall, we’ve found that with trying local snacks and treats throughout the day, we tend not to be sitting for full meals. This has meant a lot of bitterballen to accompany our drinks in the evenings. 

• Jopen Brewery. One of our pegged destinations for Haarlem was Jopen. This brewery is in an old church and was named the most beautiful bar in the Netherlands in 2013. I had the Blurred Lines NEIPA and my husband had the Mooi Nel IPA; both delicious beers. 

• Winkel 43 Apple Pie. This is listed as a top food destination in Amsterdam, not surprising me at all. 

• Le Patron. We took a seat by a canal to enjoy a beer and the warm evening. 

• Cafe Flamingo. A final evening drink on a nice corner in De Pijp. I had the Thai Thai from Oedipus Brewing. 

Highlights 

• St. Bavo Church. Again, an unplanned gem while exploring. We decided to drop into St. Bavo Church for a visit. It was a stunningly beautiful structure, it’s truly phenomenal the amount of detail that went into the building of these historical churches. The construction St. Bavo’s started in 1370 and finished in 1538, the floor consisted entirely of gravestones. 

• Apple Pie. I am not kidding, this was so tasty. I often worry that when there is high anticipation of a well-known food I will be disappointed. That was not the case with Winkel 43’s pie. We arrived to a long line and hastily scooping up a table as soon as someone vacated. My husband and I were originally going to split a piece of pie but change our minds at the last minute and I am so happy. Not only was the pie itself delicious but, the mountain of cream on top was phenomenal as well. 

Photo 1: Ceiling a St. Bavo Cathedral

Photo 2: Jopen Brewery 

Photo 3: Winkel 43 Apple Pie  

Photo 4: Diggin’ in!