Category: Travel

During Queens Day while we were stuck in the crowd I looked up and spotted this sign. You probably think he was joking but when you realize the only other option is the public urinals (pictured below) 5 euros sounds like a good deal for a real bathroom.

The sun goes down around 10PM here in Amsterdam so it always feels like its still early. The picture above was taken at 9:33PM.

We took the train to the Hague in the morning so we could get there at noon when all the shops open up (its Sunday). Once there we decided to pass by the seaside towards the pier where there is a bungee jumping place. Nat ended up bungee jumping and I am trying to upload the video online but the connection here is pretty slow. It was a beautiful sunny day but it was FREEZING cold.

Lots of munchies here in Amsterdam and Chipsy King is one of my favorite places. They just serve fries with the topping of your choice. I always go with ketchup but mayonnaise seems to be the popular sauce here.

Update: Added more pictures!

During the Queens Day celebration I spotted a group of Hare Krishna. I’ve never seen them live before and they are just as colorful and musical as they were in the original Grand Theft Auto. [YouTube]

FEBO is a Dutch fast-food restaurant that has automats built into the wall. An automat is kinda like a food vending machine, you put some coins in and you can take a burger, or whatever from the machine. I’m addicted to their chicken and hamburgers, every time my pocket fills up with change I just pass by a FEBO and pick up a sandwich.

It was soo packed everywhere that we could barely walk. And thing is it wasn’t just one square or one street that was packed, it was all of Amsterdam, EVERY single street! [YouTube]

I am going to Amsterdam with Nat at the end of the week and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on things to do and places to visit. I am going to be there on Queens Day which is cool and I already have an idea of some cafe’s I want to pass by (thank you Cannabis Cup 2008), and maybe go bungee jumping or take a wetland safari but what else can I do or see? No museums please!

McDonalds here in Madrid have something called McFlurry Fusion. Basically its like the normal McFlurry we have in Kuwait except they also had chocolate sauce before they mix it up. I tried the Oreo McFlurry Fusion and it was amazing! I am coming back to Kuwait tomorrow (a day early) so the food posts “should” end and everything should get back to normal here. I actually have a few Kuwait related posts pending which I will get around to once I am back.

Tried paella today for the first time at a place that was recommended called La Paella Real. It was delicious! Someone needs to open up a Spanish restaurant in Kuwait if there isn’t one already, they’ve got some amazing dishes here…

While in transit at the Frankfurt Airport I met up with a friend of mine who told me to try out a restaurant in Madrid called Sobrino de Botín. The place is the oldest restaurant in the world, established back in 1725! So I passed by tonight and had dinner there. The place is pretty cool, I didn’t like the food but that was my fault, should have gone with the seafood. The idea the restaurant existed 500 nearly 300 years ago is just crazy.

I love the Duffman characater on the Simpsons but I had no clue they actually produced the Duff Beer! It looks exactly like the one on the show. I checked wikipedia and couldn’t find any info on this. They actually sell Duff beer here in Madrid!

Found a small place in Madrid that specializes in fried calamari sandwiches. It’s such a simple idea, I loved it.

Just got to Madrid and the weather here is great unlike what I just saw on CNN about the dust storm in Kuwait and Saudi. I am staying at Hotel Urban and so far it’s super cool. The area around the hotel also looks pretty cool but haven’t seen much of it yet. My first impression is that Madrid looks a lot like St Germain and St Michel in Paris, except with a lot more graffiti.

I am leaving to the airport in a bit. Going to fly out to Madrid for some work and should be back Saturday. I am taking both my Nikon FE and my Sony W300 cameras. My posting habits should be normal although they will now be either late in the evening Madrid time or early in the morning. I don’t know what to expect in Spain, everything I thought was Spanish I realized was Mexican which means no Jarabe Tapatío for me!