Day 3 - Orange Is the New Black: Netherlands v. Chile

One of the main reasons we came on this trip - this time of year and to these cities - was to be here while the World Cup was going on. Heading to Brazil for the actual World Cup was a bit pricey and out of the way, so we figured the next best place would be Europe.

Monday was a big day all over the Netherlands, and especially in Amsterdam as the beloved Dutch national team played their third and final match of the FIFA World Cup group stage. They needed a win or a draw against Chile to win their group and advance to the knockout stage as a top seed. We did what we could to dress the part (as much orange as you can find), cheer the team on and be Dutch for a day.

The streets, bars, cafes, restaurants and public areas were all lined and decorated with soccer balls, orange and blue flags, lights, signs, TVs, and more...soccer fever was in full effect.

All orange all the time...Hup Holland Hup!

But first, breakfast. These quick stop-and-eat spots are an Amsterdam staple. It's basically a vending machine with hot food.

Even the street cleaners were orange today...okay, it's orange all the time, but it felt like everything in the city was orange on Monday

Orange buses...

Even the scaffolding tarp was orange...come on, a coincidence?

The Dutch even had neon orange cars for game day

We started our festivities at Hanneke's Boom, a fun outdoor bar/restaurant on the main Amsterdam harbor

We popped in for a pitcher, made friends with a few locals and then headed to the Red Bull Amsterdam office for the special game-day viewing party.

On the ferry to the Red Bull office across the IJ, Amsterdam's waterfront area, you could see some of Amsterdam's modern buildings such as this space ship looking structure which is the EYE Film Instituut of Netherlands

I'm sailing...

Red Bull Netherlands headquarters

Hup Holland Hup!

Red Bull helmet lamps, sweet!

Game time! About 20-25 people from the Netherlands office shut off their computers at 5:30pm and gathered in the main area to take in the match

Beers, booze, food, football, and a bunch of orange Nederlanders, what a perfect setup

Heineken bottles in Amsterdam, and all over Holland I assume, have special orange caps during the World Cup

Along with a fridge full of Heinekens, we also had a special Netherlands Red Bull cocktail which consisted of the Silver Edition and Aperol, an orange liqueur...tasty

Goal celebrations consisted of jumping into the bean bag chairs

Carina from the Red Bull Amsterdam office was the hostess with the mostess

After the big 2-0 victory for the Dutch, we relaxed at the office and mingled a bit...see how social we're being

After the game we headed back into downtown Amsterdam. Still can't get enough of the beautiful canals, especially at sunset.

We grabbed a few post-game beers outside the famous Waag building in Nieuwmarkt Square in the heart of Amsterdam. The 15th century building originally served as the city gate and part of the city walls.

A great day all around with beers, food, football, colleagues, friends, a victory for the Dutch, and of course lots and lots of orange 

It was a fantastic game day in Amsterdam. To no surprise, the Dutch get after it when their team is playing, and pretty much all the time to be honest. It was exactly what we were hoping for when we booked a trip to Europe to enjoy some matches Euro style. Tuesday is our final full day in this great city. We have some actual site seeing planned such as museums, parks, etc. so the soccer viewing will take a day off, but only for a day.

Day 2 - Exploring Amsterdam; U.S. v Portugal

We woke up Sunday at 1pm. As we said, this trip is supposed to be a nice break from the everyday work life so we needed the rest...plus we got in the night before at 5am.

The late start eliminated our morning plans, but we still managed to have a productive day of walking around the famous canals, feasting at some nice restaurants, and of course enjoying the midnight match between the U.S. and Portugal.

We started the day with a little art fair outside our hotel in Rembrandtplein...Greg sported his new U.S. kit, which was well received by local fans

A sunny Sunday meant folks were out on their boats cruising the canals including this dude who had a boat in the shape of an old wooden beer keg

Breakfast at Chipsy King, a fast food doner kebab spot...greasy, salty and fried, perfect after a night out

Greg making friends in Amsterdam

We've been told a main goal in Amsterdam is to meet people who own a boat and then go out on the canals with them...no luck yet, but we're starting to eye the folks with the nice boats so we know who to befriend

Matt enjoying the canal life. The canals are lined with trees, sidewalks and little cafes to pop into for a beer, coffee or snack, making Sunday strolls in the Canal Ring very relaxing.

Some canals are also lined with residential buildings. These buildings give a solid idea of the old traditional Amsterdam architecture with the pitched roofs. 

We did manage to get lost a few times, but getting lost in Amsterdam can be a good thing

When in Rome...we stumbled upon The Bulldog Coffeeshop, but apparently it's one of the more 

famous spots in Amsterdam

Be aware of the space cakes...they sneak up on you

Around every corner is a new canal, bridge, tree-lined walkway, cafe or shop to enjoy

We eventually made it to Winkel 43, a spot in the Jordaan part of town known around Amsterdam and beyond for it's apple pie and rightly so

We managed to actually see some historic sites as well including the Royal Palace in the heart of town

Since Amsterdam is built at or even below sea level in some areas, the ground is not very stable so what happens over time is buildings begin to tilt or slant. You see it here in this shot and you see it all over town walking down alley ways.

We kept it classy and had dinner at Kitchen + Bar in the Rembrandtplein. We both opted for the steak and frites...delicioso!

It was a couple hours until the U.S. v Portugal match so we made our way back toward the hotel where we knew an Irish pub called St. James that would be showing the match in English

We were nervous early when the U.S. went 1-0 down, but were pumped up at the comeback...until the last 30 seconds :( 

None the less, we were pleased with the 2-2 draw so we did a little celebrating

Day 2 in Amsterdam was well rounded with food, shopping, exploring, site seeing, World Cup and a bit of celebration. Day 3 we're switching team jerseys and supporting the Netherlands as they take on Chile. It's going to be awesome to be here in Amsterdam watching with all the locals and hopefully celebrating a victory.

Day 1 - New Amsterdam to Old Amsterdam

Press Play. That's the general theme at the start of this little European excursion. It's been a busy first half of the year and this vacation is a well needed break. It allows us to get off the hamster wheel for a bit, reset, and enjoy some travel and leisure. It's time to Press Play.

We arrived Saturday in Amsterdam around 3pm local time. We were able to get some sleep on the overnight flights - Greg from LA, Matt from NY - so we weren't exhausted when we arrived. That allowed us to enjoy the remaining part of the day. Plus, with the Amsterdam sun setting around 10pm, it felt like we had a full day to explore and enjoy.

Icelandair from JFK to Reykjavik, Iceland and then onto Amsterdam; 8.5hrs total travel time

Rise of the European sun

Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, literally meaning the dam of the river Amstel, which is how the city began back in the late 12th century. It started as a small fishing village but eventually grew to become one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th Century). Today it is still one of the financial centers of Europe as well as a cultural hub for art, music, food, design, and fashion. 

Central Station, appropriately located in the center of Amsterdam. A lot of the city's architecture dates back to 16th and 17th century, considered to be the Dutch Golden Age. There are a variety of modern structures and buildings, but the streets are dominated by a historic look and feel.

Sun setting over the Amsterdam canals around 9:45pm

The view of Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Plaza) from our hotel room. Rembrandtplein is a main square lined with bars, restaurants, clubs and shops. It's also a nice spot to relax on the grass and enjoy the sun.

Enjoying Rembrandt Plaza with the man himself

With the sun shining we popped into Cafe Monico, one of the many cafes lining Rembrandtplein to grab a few beers and get this trip started.

Beer one of the trip...

Amsterdam is an amazing city. It doesn't take long to realize that. It's a lively city great for people who like to get out and be active, but unlike most lively cities, people are not in a major hurry to do things. It's similar to NY in that it has bars/restaurants/shops on every corner. However, it's very different because not everyone is in a rush to get somewhere. People take their time here. Amsterdam is also unlike NY in that it's circular so it's difficult to navigate. And we can't pronounce the street names. However if you were to get lost in any city in the world, Amsterdam would be it. The canals, architecture, boats, people, shops, plazas, and so much more will keep you stimulated for hours and you won't even know your lost. 

After walking around town, enjoying some beers, and catching a surprise concert on one of the canals, we showered up and headed out for our first night.

Outdoor street urinals...so convenient...this needs to be brought to the States ASAP

We headed to the nightlife part of town called Leidseplein. We hit Suzy Wong's for a drink and then jumped next door to the Chicago Social Club.

DJ Rachel Green on the turn tables

Greg boogieing

We left the club around 4am and grabbed a bike taxi home. The sun set around 10:30pm and you can see it's already starting to rise, so it's only dark for about 6hrs a day at this time of year. 

I told you these street urinals are convenient 

Solid first day and night in Amsterdam. Big U.S. match vs Portugal on Sunday night. Kickoff here in Amsterdam is midnight. There's been no problem finding bars and restaurants showing World Cup matches; in fact just about every place we've been thus far has had the games on. The trick is going to be finding a place that shows it in English.

Travel In Sandals Is Back on the Road...To Northern Europe!

Today Travel In Sandals is back on the road. The 2014 trip finds us venturing back to the motherland, Europe. We're hitting Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen and Stockholm to be exact. No real main purpose for these cities other than we haven't been there before, we've been wanting to get to northern Europe, we have a few friends in a few of the cities, and with the World Cup going on we figured these big European cities will be hot spots with fun lively festivities going on.

Per usual, we'll do daily posts on our adventures, feasts, friends, and festivities. We're going to try to tell the stories via photos and videos as opposed to words, but sometimes things need to be explained a bit beyond photos.

Thanks as always for following along.

Here is the itinerary:
* June 21-24 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
* June 25-28 - Brussels, Belgium
* June 29-July 2 - Copenhagen, Denmark
* July 3-6 - Stockholm, Sweden