On our first night in Amsterdam, we were a jet-lagged mess. At about 4 or so, we fell into our (squallid-ish) hotel room to get a few hours of sleep before dinner. At about 7:30 we woke up and discovered that while we were sleeping, somebody had replaced our limbs with sandbags and our heads with packing peanuts. But we rallied and managed to go out in search of dinner. We wandered around Vondelpark which is a lovely park. in the evening (which is at 8:30 given that sunset is well after 9:30) it is filled with young people kicking around a soc– football, playing guitars, and smoking lots of pot.

We came out the other side and decided to see about something on a nearby street. Ann looked across and saw a restaurant that was semi-crowded, warmly lit and looked promising. I long-ago learned to trust her instincts and agreed to give it a shot. What she found was an authentic Italian Trattoria (Trattoria Toto) run by actual Italians with a mostly Italian clientele. In short, we found what we truly needed and wanted: Italy. You see, I was worried that this trip would break Italy’s hold on us and keep us from returning there for many years. But as we walk around, throroughly enjoying Amsterdam, we both admit that we will love Italy best. So, this place was a natural fit. And the food was incredible.

Today we walked about and enjoyed Sunday markets (art, trinkets, cannabis products) and then took a boat tour.

Here are today’s pictures.

Tonight? Who knows. Maybe we’ll have Italian food again…