Brother & Beer!

On Tuesday, September 29th, Jon and Kristin arrived! (Jon = Greg's brother, Kristin = Jon's girlfriend). Greg had been hounding Jon to visit since we moved to Amsterdam, and with a little over 2 weeks until we move back to the U.S., he finally made it! Timing didn't matter for us, we were thrilled to have them come and to have one last set of visitors to share our beloved city with. It was a rainy evening when Greg met them at Central Station, so they got a taste of Amsterdam weather right away. :) Ben was in love with Kristin and her long blonde hair in no time. We stayed up late chatting and hearing all about their previous 3 days in Paris.

The next morning, Greg and I quietly celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary while our guests were snoozing. A pair of cufflinks for him, and a watch from Zurich for me. Greg had been sneaky and planned ahead on his last work trip to Switzerland. :) Jon and Kristin spent the day seeing the sights - Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum. They enjoyed dinner out that evening in the Jordaan, and we spent another late night catching up.

On Thursday, October 1st, Greg was at work (poor guy) while the rest of us enjoyed lunch at the Pancake Bakery. Jon and Kristin loved their pannekoeken and poffertjes - big fans of the savory pancake. Ben and I came home for naptime, while Jon and Kristin explored. Halfway up Westerkerk tower (nerves kicked in with the narrow, steep steps so they didn't make it to the top), shopping in the 9 Streets, canal cruise, and tomato soup at Cafe Thijssen. In my opinion, I'd say that was a great Amsterdam day! They were home by 6:30 p.m. - in time to babysit the nephew. :)

Jon and Kristin were very sweet to offer to babysit Ben that evening so Greg and I could celebrate our anniversary with a dinner out in the city. We helped with bathtime before we left and gave a quick diaper lesson. :) The walk to the restaurant was great - the air was crisp and the canals were beautiful with the lights and their reflections.

We enjoyed dinner at Brasserie de Poort. Brasserie de Poort is located in the building across from the Royal Palace where Heineken began brewing in the 1860's. It is known for its steaks and "typical Dutch" fare, especially the Dutch pea soup. We considered ordering steak, but then agreed that we could get steak in the States. So, we went "typical Dutch" and ordered the pea soup and Captains Dinner, which was a sampling of three Dutch meals - "meat and potatoes" kinds of things. We were beyond stuffed by the time we rolled out of there - we didn't even have room for dessert if you can imagine that!! (So sad!) Got home, and Jon shared that Ben had a poopy diaper about 5 minutes after we left - hee hee! Good thing we gave that lesson, huh?! :)

Friday, October 2nd was breakfast pie at Winkel. Delicious! The weather has turned cool and rainy already, and it is dark in the morning until about 7:15. Jon and Kristin (and their umbrellas) spent the day in Dam Square, Red Light District, and just shopping and walking around the city. Greg met them after work at the Heineken Experience around 5:30 p.m. I was at home watching Chicago lose their efforts to host the 2016 Olympics...boo hoo. I had already envisioned taking the kiddos to events. I guess we'll just have to go to Rio instead. ;) After the brewery tour, Ben and I joined the crew for a "last" dinner at - where else? - Pancake Bakery. They were hooked!

Jon and Kristin had to say goodbye on Saturday the 3rd. They were headed to Brussels for a day before flying back to Chicago on Sunday. Sad to see them go, but we loved having them visit and spending time together. And, it won't be long now before Ben can compete for Kristin's affections in Chicago. :) We spent the rest of the morning working on packing up the apartment. :(

That evening, we traveled to Amit and Michelle's house. "Miss Charel" watched Henley and Ben while the four adults went to the Heineken Experience. Yes, this is twice in two days for Greg. :) The 'experience' takes place inside the former Heineken brewing facilities dating from 1867. Before the brewery stopped functioning in 1988, it produced more than 26 million gallons annually. Wow, that's a lot of beer. It stopped producing beer in this factory because it was unable to keep up with demand, but now visitors can learn about the brewing process, marketing process, and of course, drink beer!

Cute little photo op before we began our tour.

Coasters through the ages, and there was a room showing all of the awards and honors that Heineken has won.

Brewing process...ingredients and huge copper fermentation tanks. Amit enjoying some "barley water", and I admit to snapping some random photos of the building itself because it was beautiful. (Maybe I was the only one who noticed...you know, being pregnant and sober.) :)

Gorgeous (but stinky) Heineken horses and Brew You Ride. Was hilarious! You stand on a moving platform facing a video screen and get to see and feel what it's like to be a Heineken beer brewed and bottled.

Greg enjoying his first free sample in the tasting bar. A friendly bartender explained what to look for and taste in a good beer. I have to admit, although I didn't get a taste, I did learn something new today! (Did you know that the foam is on the beer to keep it tasting fresh, not to rip you off by giving you less beer? Who knew?! And, have you ever noticed that the E's in the word Heineken "smile" at you? Cute!)

Beer bottling process. We could even order bottles with our names on them! We did get a few for others as gifts, and then got one for ourselves...Zamsterdam's Heine as a tribute to our blog!

Watching Heineken commercials from years past. Pretty funny stuff!

Last, but not least, enjoying a Heineken with friends! It was packed in there; some people were clearly drinking more than their 2 free glasses. :) We stayed for a bit, made a rocking Dutch video, and then headed for the Roy's house. Ordered some Thai food and ate and talked. Didn't get home until 10 p.m.; we were all exhausted from such a fun day!