The conference hotel was super luxurious, so my downtown hotel (NH Carlton) was a bit of a culture shock when I switched from 'paid for' to 'paid for by me' and moved there. The website presents it as a smart modern 4* hotel, the reality is a bit 80s-tastic and not in a good way - the giant triangular mirror that faces the bed is reminiscent of the Clockwork Orange film poster...
Having overindulged on the previous two nights, including a superb reception at the jawdroppingly beautiful The Dylan, I decided to take an afternoon nap then have a fairly chilled evening.
The first part of this blog writing took place in a stunning new Starbucks concept store - not a chain I usually frequent, but it was raved about at the conference and has the added benefit of free wifi. The store is amazing - it's in a bank basement and reached by sweeping twin staircases from the street that are edged in kelim throw cushions for lounging on; the raw exposed concrete structure and cracked and beaten tiled floor contrast with the beautiful old delft tiled walls, coffee sacks and sculptural wood - there is also hardly any branding - just a simple chalk version of the mermaid logo in the window.
Not feeling that hungry, dinner was eaten on the go at Burger Bar, a hole in the wall place where you choose your meat and preferred weight, then the burger is made fresh in front of you from a bowl of meat - the weight flashes up on an LED screen as it is weighed before shaping and pressing. I had 200g (the smallest size) in black angus. The burger was delicious and served medium rare (dripping blood), with a small side of fries. Way too much for me so I ended up leaving nearly half the burger and most of the fries.
Up early the next day I walked through the bulb market to Spui a square surrounded by bookshops, with a second hand book and print market in the middle - though nothing much is open early (9.30). Breakfast is latte and a croissant at Coffee Company, taking advantage of the free wifi that seems to be provided everywhere.
On to the 'nine streets' that form a grid over the western canals - lots of quirky stores and cafés including Screaming Beans (time for another latte stop). Over coffee I plough a little further into Iris Murdoch's 'the black prince' - our latest book group choice - now half way through (page 205) but finding it tedious in the extreme. I think it is meant to be parody of a farce, but there is precious little to laugh at so far and all the characters seem to combine dullness with unlike-ability.
Back on the streets there are lots of people on bikes coming at you from all directions - most ring their bells to avoid collision but it is quite disconcerting nonetheless. Many of the bikes have a coffin like box on the front containing a small child or shopping.
I head in the direction of Anne Frank's house but the queue is depressingly long and doesn't appear to be moving so I leave it for another trip.
I wander on to the Boerenmarkt organic street market - the cheeses and meats are amazing and a woman walks towards me eating a yellow pepper like a lollipop - holding it by its stalk. There is also a museum of cheese, which basically just seems to be a shop but pretty much everthing can be sampled - twenty odd samples later I move on...
In a window I spot a flyer for a photographic exhibition on the ruins of Detroit by Yves Marchand & Romain Meffre, I have coveted their book for a long time, having seen it reviewed in a magazine, the chance to see the full size pictures was not to be missed. The gallery doesn't open until 2pm so I seek out somewhere for lunch settling on a tiny bakery café that specialises in quiche and tarts. The olive quiche is delicious - as is the chocolate tarte.
The exhibition is as good as anticipated and is held in a wonderful gallery space.
I pass more random shops as I wend my way back to the hotel, I am intrigued by the Febo hot food takeaway shops that sell burgers, croquettes and other local delicacies from vending machines - apparently they are a local tradition - I'm not tempted!
There is an amazing art deco / art nouveau cinema called Pathé Tuschinski - I am tempted to watch a film, just to see the interior but decide to have a drink instead!
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