We didn’t hear a lot of good stuff about Dutch food, but I found some popular items rather amusing. Frites (French fries) are commonly served with a big glob of mayonnaise. Pickled herring is a very common food found at shacks all over town. Here are a few other food items I found amusing.

We use sprinkles on donuts, cakes and ice cream. The Dutch sprinkle it on toast for breakfast.

Aside from mayo, curry sauce is a popular condiment for fries.

We taste-tested the Lay’s Roasted Chicken with Thyme flavored potato chips. It tastes like potatoes that are roasted with chicken, like they’d soaked up some of the juices. Not great, but not gross either.

FEBO is a Dutch chain of automats you can find all over Amsterdam. You just walk up to the little windows, insert your coins, open the little door and pick up your food.

They sell mostly fried foods, like kroket (croquettes, pictured above), fries, and kassoufflé (cheese soufflé). You can see more pics of what they have to offer on the FEBO site.

A mod Big Wheel with shocks!

*Found in Amsterdam, along Prins Hendrikkade

Dutch street names have so many letters in them, you can’t pronounce them or remember them when you’re trying to follow directions. Check it out.

I would love to see Amsterdam in the spring, when all the tulips are in bloom. But in October, one has to settle for all the bulbs and other plants (including cannabis!) at the Flower Market. It’s definitely meant for tourists, as all the markets are stocked with packages of bulbs that can be taken to other countries, as well as all the hideous cheesy souvenirs you could ever want. I bought some tulip bulbs for my grandma.

I’ve never seen a black tulip before!

Dam Square is the town square, or the center of the city. It’s where the city got its start, when a dam was built around the Amstel River in the 13th century. On the west side is the Royal Palace, which was the Town Hall until the early 1800s, when the royal family took residence. Next to it is Nieuwe Kerk, or New Church. And across the square is the National Monument, which was erected in 1956 in memory of victims of WWII.

The Royal Palace, formerly Town Hall

Nieuwe Kerk (New Church)

Madame Tussaud’s

National Monument

Dam Square and the Royal Palace at night