Walk a Bit Further

                                  

                                               You never know what you'll find 

While Amsterdam might be better known for its other kind of edibles (also delicious!) I was fortunate to find a quiet place on a quiet street (a real rarity in Amsterdam) that served up some delicious homemade hot chocolate. As is the case in much of Europe, The Netherlands is known for their chocolate. However, if your looking for a hot cuppa coco in the city center, most shops will serve you an instant-nesquik-like powder mixed with boiling water. That will be 4 € please.

Fortunately that wasn't my experience. With a little bit of searching, Brian and I managed to find a real gem and paid less then we would at any tourist trap. See, walking is good for you! 

                                     

When we walked into Black Gold (specialty coffee & vinyl shop) we were greeted warmly by the gentleman behind the counter (sorry I wrote down his name but have now misplaced it, sorry nice man who makes amazing hot chocolate!!!) we ordered two cocoas to go for our canal tour and were pleasantly surprised to find someone who actually took the time and effort to melt down real chocolate! Sure it took a bit longer, but in the mean time we made chit chat, learned about the neighborhood, and exchanged foodie talk.

The cherry on top, well actually the cream, was that our freshly frothed cocoa was smothered in it; chemical free, hand-whipped cream that is. There were no swirly hearts or fancy designs as you can see in the photo above, but both Brian and I agreed it was the best hot chocolate we tasted throughout our travels.

 We were freezing our buns off in front of our hostel, "The Clink", but that didn't deter us from our mission.

Rather than a sit down dinner, we walked and walked and walked and eventually stumbled upon several foodie finds that proved to be satisfying, usually in more ways than one. 

 Nutella covered waffle and jelly donut. #DeliciousLunch.

    

   Rainbow Space Cakes. Enough said.

     And finally later that evening After 45 minutes of walking... dinner at Jacketz! where you can enjoy 

    a massive baked potato stuffed with a filling of your choice. On the left: sweet and tangy pulled pork

    in whisky maple sauce. On the right: Beet root with an ensemble of mixed nuts.

    

 

   A close up of my grub, which was locally produced without pesticides or hormones.

   This photo is of me trying to look like a serious journalist in front of tantalizing chocolate. Well I tried.

Overall I was delighted with all the "edibles" we discovered while in Amsterdam, many of which, we would have never found if not for a desire and willingness to literally go that extra mile and explore our surroundings. Our long walks led us to some delicious encounters, not to mention helping us burn off the extra calories (nutella waffles aren't exactly "diet" food). I'm so glad we decided to put forth some effort and not simply settle for overpriced, underwhelming tourist traps; our tastebuds were too!

Next meal? Belgian waffles...

    Brussels here we come!