я не понедельник: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good...

The early metro ride to the Аэроэкспресс was a hoot. Even though it was only three stops away, there was entertainment in the rail car. Apparently being drunk at 6:45AM(but certainly not disorderly) was distasteful to the бабушка in the car. She took it upon herself to scold and berate the two boys who were riding the circle line, probably in order to stay warm while the effects of the previous night’s drinks wore off. I particularly enjoyed when she picked one guy’s hat off the floor and plonked it back on his head with enough force to rattle his teeth; all the while tut-tutting. This is when I knew that the adventure had begun!

Thanks to my sister’s generosity (she used points to cover my flight), I waited for our flight in the business class lounge while Mr. U sat patiently in the terminal chairs. At least the entire terminal has free wifi so no harm, no foul and Mr. U enjoyed a few moments of peace and quiet before getting on the plane. A comfortable flight later (well, for me at any rate) we found ourselves in Terminal 3 of the Schiphol airport, breezing through a passport and document check. My sister was there to meet us and whisked us off to the train into town. We had 3 minutes to spare. Our timing was brilliant.

A brief walk from the Centraal Station brought us to our hotel where we were thankfully able to check in and drop our stuff in the room. Not wanting to waste one single moment, we were out the door and wandering about the city, eventually heading over to MM’s flat (by way of a yummy take-out place) to play with Crash and chill out for a bit. All I can say is: cinnamon hummus FTW! I thought I had died and gone to Heaven.

Crash surveying his domain

A beautiful day -view from MM's back porch

Wooden clog

Little did I know that shortly I was going to be introduced to my new friends the “Funky Monkey” and “Getto fries”... A Funky Monkey is a deliciously decadent libation made from vanilla vodka, creme de cacao, chocolate milk and fresh creme. I can’t even describe how happy my taste buds were when they met with this little gem of a cocktail...well, 5 of these cocktails and the vodka shooter at the end of the evening (the last was courtesy of the Getto’s owner). Getto fries are a house specialty and they are tender and tasty wedge fries smothered in melted cheddar cheese. Mr. U had an order of those and I had a salad of fresh greens and warm goat cheese. YUM!!! I have no idea how we got back to the hotel room. I think there were cobblestones, a few alleyways, a full moon and lots of giggling. Great food, great drinks and even better company (thank you so much, R&MM), our first night in Amsterdam was just great!

What a dynamic and exciting city...