My Name is Patt & I'm an Over Eater

  Travel is hard--jet lag hits around 3pm, body systems not working like normal, hoping for and not getting a good night's sleep, overeating and eating out most meals, walking on cobblestones, though these are way better than other countries, and spending 24/7 with the same person.
 So why travel? Because it's wonderful to see new places, eat new things, people-watch, and mostly learn about a culture and enjoy their hospitality. It's a trade-off, as are many things in life. And when everything is easy, it becomes boring.
 I wrote all that to remind myself why I'm here. I am hoping today, Tues--day 3, is better. We have a 4-hour food tour planned and paid for, then I would like to return to the Jood area we visited yesterday and try again. We bought tickets that are good for the museum, Portuguese synagogue, holocaust memorial and museum. Yesterday we were in the museum and I felt awful--sweaty and sluggish, then jet lag hit and I couldn't keep my eyes open. The museum was fascinating and I loved their many varied display monitors where each told a story about different aspects of Jewish life pre and post war.

Titled Jet Lag on the Tram

Dinner last night was near our hotel and not bad. Gorgonzola and spinach pizza

Add caption

Add caption

Not my beer, of course. I had water.

Met our food tour group at Cafe De Spiegel not far from where we were yesterday. We knew exactly how to get there, though we did have to use google maps to help after getting off the tram.
The group was varied--several people from the States, one Aussie woman, and an American woman teaching in Amsterdam at the International School with her mom who was visiting from FL. We walked for 3 hours, ate some Dutch foods and drinks, then finished with the last hour on a canal tour. The canal part was what interested us most, which was a great way to see the city.

Started with Dutch pancakes, which are considered street food. They're tiny and chewy and goooood.

 Started us off with herring, then we each got an oyster on the shell, then finished here with deep-fried cod. 

Aileen explaining why the cookies are heart-shaped.

  A Dutch food that is flavored gravy inside a deep-fried ball. I guess the lighting was red, but I didn't realize when taking the photos. The balls are served very hot with mustard and red chili sauce on the side along with pickled vegetables. We each had 3--vegetarian coconut, veal, and cheese. Not my favorite dish. I thought they were weird.

 Ended with wine tasting before the boat trip. We had a white and a red from the Netherlands. This husband and wife team import some wines and use local wineries as well.

Our ride on the canal.

 We made it back to the Jood area after the food tour and saw the famous Portuguese Synagogue. They have many rooms on display with listening devices to guide you through the property. All the men are expected to wear yarmulkes.  

 The interior of the synagogue is surprisingly plain. 

  Art in a gallery along our route today. The shoes below were on a woman walking her large black lab. I couldn't take my eyes off those shoes.

Left the apartment around 9:30, returned after 5:30.  We would have gotten back a little sooner, but we saw a gelato place from the tram, so jumped off and headed there. We were looking to buy a nice loaf of bread to go with our gouda in the morning, and found a bakery near the gelato shop. It's great having these tram passes which allow us to get off and on whenever and wherever and as many times as we want.
Stayed at the aparthotel for a bowl of asparagus soup tonight. My feet and back would only let me go that far.