another checkmark on the amsterdam bucket list

for dinner that evening, we decided to check out another tip from the front desk clerk at our hotel.  he'd said that it was a must-do, and when a local gives you a suggestion like that you follow it.  it was a pretty good walk from where we were, but we hadn't hit our 15,000 step average yet so it was all good. 

here's where we went - amsterdam's foodhallen.

i was super amused at the little graphic sign on the restroom door:

inside there was pretty much everything you could possibly want.  kind of reminded me of the farmer's market at home. 

the hub ended up ordering a couple of rolls from the sushi booth:

and we shared some delicious meats and cheeses from jabuco bar iberico. 

i still dream of the little crunchy sausage slices from that plate.  it was so, so, so good.

once we'd filled our bellies, we headed back out to walk it off.  there was something i'd promised the old lady i'd seek out,  and this was the perfect opportunity to do just that.  it was a beautiful day, and i wanted to soak in as much amsterdam as i could.

did you see the movie "the fault in our stars" with shailene woodley and ansel elgort?  parts of it were filmed here, and fans of the movie always seek out the bench that they sat on in this scene:

google pulled up its exact location, along with the fact that the actual bench used in the movie went missing at some point.  so weird.  and i guess there was such an outcry that the city replaced it with a new bench - so it's not the same, but close enough, i suppose.  we weren't the only ones who were on this mission, and we ended up waiting while a couple of groups of giggly girls took photo after photo on the bench.

and then it was our turn.  since there wasn't anyone else waiting behind us, the hub happily took pictures of me sitting on the bench from different angles, even going across the canal to snap another shot.

the bench was covered with handwritten messages and notes left by fans.

we were amused at the disposable gloves at the gas pumps.  although i guess it's not a terrible idea.

these cars are so tiny and cute, the hub wanted to just put one in his pocket.

and on our way back to the hotel, we passed this art gallery that is most definitely not kid-friendly.

i ended up relaxing up in our room in my pajamas while the hub went out to have a cigar.  and yes, we definitely hit our step goal that day.  gotta keep working off the delicious grub as we go!