Amsterdam: Our Very Fine House
Our apartment is on the Herenstraat, which is a short street between two of Amsterdam’s principal canals, the Herengracht and the Keizersgracht. I think we are officially considered part of Amsterdam’s Jordaan neighborhood, although we straddle the border between the Centrum and the Jordaan. We are definitely living in the heart of the city.
Google maps marks the spot (yellow star).
Home Sweet Home.
The area is historic and picturesque. It’s at its most beautiful in the early mornings and late afternoons. Walking around in the evenings is especially beautiful because the soft light makes the buildings sort of glow.
During the day, particularly on the weekends, it can be very congested. Our first week here, it felt almost overwhelmingly crowded. But, between our getting more accustomed to it and a sense that peak summer tourist season has passed, it has felt more manageable the past week or so.
View from our front steps, looking down the street towards the Keizersgracht.
Just out exploring.
Our neighbor’s cat enjoying a fine Dutch afternoon.
The ground floor of the building houses a shop called Deus which is a motorcycle, surfer, skateboard brand from Milan. They are tied, via a back passageway to a restaurant by the same name which has a front on the Herengracht. The shop and restaurant are both new and celebrating their grand opening officially tomorrow. The store manager shared an invitation with us and we feel a little bit like Cinderella must have felt when she was invited to the ball.
Our apartment is on the first and second floors (the second and third floors by American counting). The first floor is an open living room and kitchen. There is a spare bedroom at the far back that we use to host guests. (Come visit!) The second floor has two additional bedrooms.
The apartment is beautiful and came furnished, although I would say it’s more “furnished.” We’ve done some things to make it more functional and cozy and I’m definitely becoming attached to the place – and its quirks.
Speaking of quirks, European appliances are often multi-function because space is such a premium in homes. So, for example, we have a single unit washer/dryer and a single unit oven/microwave. Both have been totally vexing. So far, no matter what buttons I press, I can only make the oven function as a microwave.
Our first try with the washer dryer was a total fail where I just baked our clothes with soap. The last few tries have involved washing and then partially drying the clothes before partially washing and totally drying the clothes. The process took six hours. I finally googled, “Help, I cannot figure out my European washing machine” and watched several You Tube tutorials. Today, I believe, is the day that I am doing it (mostly) right.
One last unexpected feature is that we have a back deck. From here, we can see all the back gardens and patios that are hidden from street view. It adds quiet and serenity to the apartment and is a striking contrast to the noise and activity at the front of our house.
From our back patio to the labyrinth of other patios and gardens out back.
