CHOCOLATE HEAVEN…

There is so much I had forgotten since yesterday, perhaps more tired than I thought I was. We had to wear red or green bands depending  on the add ons for the trips. We were green, so it was access all areas. So when we did the boat trip, the others were driven over by the bus. Red bands versus green bands, it felt like the blue eyes/brown eyes experiment. We were certainly made to feel a cut above the terrible red band wearers.

By the evening in the food hall I was quite exhausted and not a great deal made sense. When buying fried sweet potatoes, I asked asked how big the large portion was. I was convinced  he said they were a satanic size, not gigantic, so the ensuing conversation was quite surreal. They were very tasty.

I may have mentioned the coffee maker, Peter had spent some time explaining how to use. Added to that he had more instructions in plastic wallets, including the specific bean we had to buy. So yesterday I bought a pack of the specified type, which set me back nearly 10 pounds. Being a tad miserly I am working my way through it so not that much is left.

With that in mind I had 5 expressos, which sent me flying! Perhaps I was far too diligent on the coffee drinking.

We were meeting Jane and Karl at Tony Chocoloney’s. Their superstore where you can design a label and invent your own flavour. There was a bit of a queue but not too overwhelming.  Jane sat on the window seat and got chatting to a lovely grey haired 60 something assistant with the Tony Chocoloney T Shirt. I was convinced he was THE Tony of Tony Chocoloney. I googled later and was really disappointed that he wasn’t.

Jane told him that it was my birthday treat and I should get a treat. The Apprentice  contestants should take a leaf out of her book ! She secured the deal and he approached me later giving me two bars of chocolate and promising to take a photo of us with a ‘giant bar’. We didn’t physically make the chocolate but selected a variety of options on a screen and the same with the colour etc of the wrapper, which could be personalised.

Hoping Annie and Joab like our designs and creations.

Following that excitement we headed to a bruin cafe, a brown bar. Local watering-holes that are considered quintessentially Dutch, often full of characters. I did take some great photos but they didn’t come out, which is sad. However, the landlady was pleasant and had a decided Yorkshire twang, coming from Selby but keen to highlight she hadn’t been back for years.

The food fest continued and we had a cheese platter.

I opened one of my dark chocolate bars, Pete was feeling experimental and tried it with the leftover chutney. Pure genius as it was delicious!

Now what to do after eating a platter of cheese….go to a cheese shop with lots of free samples and chutneys. So yet again a cheese fest was had.

Flavours I had never encountered, such as coconut cheese. The assistant later said the owner was very inventive, I said he must be the willy wonka of cheese making as the flavour really worked.

The lavender one was OK but odd.

She told us that she was in her 50s and in her small village she would do traditional dancing fir the tourists. Remembering the pain at 10 years old of breaking in clogs. Her feet bleeding until they had been broken in after three weeks.

She popped up with a ball of young edam and cheese slice. Expertly slicing slivers for us. My friend Sara,  who is half Dutch seemed other worldly, exotic as she would get her Edam out and the cheese slice. It was so out of the norm, but not nowadays.

After all that it was lunch time and we headed to an overly priced pizzaria.

We played 2 frenatic games of Bananagrams, without any tears. Getting up to leave I managed to smash a few glasses. The ones that shatter into 100s of squares. Apologising over and over again the waiter said, just imagine this is a Greek restaurant, it’s all good. It didn’t feel good, I felt like the biggest, clumsiest person ever.

After having an absolutely smashing time we went to the cat barge.

The Poezenboot – The Catboat takes in 200-250 cats per year. Strays, foundlings, abandoned and dumped cats who desperately need help and shelter.

On the boat they are cared for, vaccinated, chipped and castrated, and they receive the necessary care in case of illness or injury. If they are okay again, The Catboat is always looking for a loving and suitable home for their cats. Thousands of cats have already been taken in, cared for and provided with a new future.

But after 45 years on the Amsterdam Singel, The Catboat has been replaced. Which is good as the other one had seen better days.

We gave them lots of love and attention. The white one had no eyes but was happy to be stroked.