More Starbucks Are Coming

It's not there yet, but it's coming!

I can honestly live without Starbucks, usually only enjoying it when I return to America, but it's been interesting to watch for the last few years this all unfolding: Watching Starbucks slowly grow in the Netherlands.

Up until now, it's been a slow progression with rumors of locations to come in various spots. Up until now, the only locations of Starbucks found in the Netherlands have been the three at Schiphol in Amsterdam. And, of course, the Starbucks only for Nike employees at Nike Headquarters in Hilversum.

I spied this above photo online yesterday when I was looking for any news updates about Starbucks coming to other locations in the Netherlands. This particular photo was taken at the Utrecht Centraal train station. The sign says:

Apologies for the inconvenience.
In the near future we're serving you here with pleasure delicious coffee.

I have yet to see a similar situation for Starbucks at the Amsterdam Centraal train station, but I did find online these reports about these Starbucks coming to the Netherlands:

• Reportedly two Starbucks locations, in train stations Utrecht Centraal and Amsterdam Centraal, are set to open in August of 2009 [click here].
• From April 16, 2009, report says two locations will open within a few months, in both Utrecht Centraal and Amsterdam Centraal [click here].
• Fodor's reports also about this [click here].

What are your thoughts about Starbucks? Will you visit a Starbucks while at a train station while in the Netherlands? Have you visited a Starbucks found at Schiphol?

For more blog entries of mine about/containing stories about Starbucks in the Netherlands, click here.

Special thanks to Gijsbregt for the permission to use here above his photo.

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Amsterdam Must-Do: Bruin Café

If you come to Amsterdam and you wish to have a cup of coffee on a terrace or indoors, I strongly suggest you visit a brown café [Dutch: bruin café].

What is a brown café? The brown cafés of Amsterdam usually offer a gezellig atmosphere; cozy, warm and friendly. They are a neighborhood café which is casual, they are found all around the city and are typically open until 1 or 2 AM. They are called "brown" because of their interior being usually dark wood and/or due to years of patrons smoking indoors. Smoking is no longer allowed indoors in the Netherlands, except for in designated smoking rooms or outdoors on the terrace.

In a brown café, you will not find live music unless the occasional passing accordionist comes by the terrace outside. The menu is typically breakfast foods, cold and warm sandwiches, soup, salads, snacks [Dutch: hapjes] and dessert treats such as appeltaart or poffertjes. Be prepared to pay with cash. Some brown cafés won't accept anything but cash. Also, tipping is not necessary, but it is appreciated. You can do so by leaving change behind on the table or rounding the bill up.

What do I like best about the brown cafés? Service is slower and more relaxed. When I'm not in a rush to eat, I enjoy being able to sit for more than an hour without the feeling that I am being rushed away. I find this at all cafés in the Netherlands. I've sometimes sat for up to 2-3 hours talking with a friend, and it's never felt like or been a hassle. It's a great place to seal off the day of shopping or sightseeing with visiting friends, to relax and read a book or to do some people watching.

I'll be sharing much more soon about cafés and restaurants I've visited over the last few years in Amsterdam, but for today I wish to share about a specific brown café: Café 't Smalle. I've eaten there a few times but never indoors, so I can only rate the food, service and the terrace seating. To me, the café looks welcoming and casual year-round. Especially at night when the lights are on, which I heard recently on the news they've been asked to make changes to their establishment soon, such as removing the string of lights hanging above the entrance [seen above in the photo]. The string of lights has hung there for 30 years.

The café is located in the Jordaan-area of Amsterdam, sitting canalside along the Egelantiersgracht. It is nearby the Prinsengracht, very close walking distance to the Westerkerk and the Anne Frank House. The food and service has always been good, and the food/drink is reasonably priced. They offer a large menu of the similar food I've listed above, and they also have a large menu of beverages including beer and wine. The staff is friendly and they can speak English.



Address: Egelantiersgracht 12
Telephone: 020 - 623 96 17
Hours: Sun - Thurs 10 AM - 1 AM, and Fri and Sat 10 AM - 2 AM

· For the location via Google Maps, click here.
· More visitor information here.
· For a few other suggested brown cafés in Amsterdam, click here.

A view from the café terrace, looking down the Egelantiersgracht:



Have any experiences at a brown café in Amsterdam which you care to share? Or perhaps you have an experience at the 't Smalle café you wish to share?

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Pieces of Amsterdam: Part Four

I need to become creative now about sharing these photos because I have so many to share from Amsterdam! This time I'm sharing in alphabet-style. . .

And before I begin, I want to share an interesting guide I've found of various interesting historical places to find in Amsterdam. Click here for the guide.



A is for art. [Dutch: kunst]

The photo above I spied on the Bloemgracht. It is street art/stencil graffiti tribute to Michael Jackson. The artist is IVES.one [click here]. There are various artists, and Fake is another similar in Amsterdam. I look for these stencils whenever I visit Amsterdam. Typically I am finding these where a temporary barrier is up over anything [in progress of construction], but you may see them elsewhere. . .



B is for bulbs at the flower stand [Dutch: bollen bij de bloemenkraam].

Stands where you can buy fresh flowers, flower bulbs and flower seeds usually have the bulbs tourists can buy. These are bulbs which customs approve, and these were very clearly marked for the American tourists to find. If you forget them during your visit to Amsterdam, you can also buy them on your way out of the Netherlands at Schiphol airport.

From a flower stand, Bloemenman 't Lievertje, located on the corner of Spui and Kalverstraat in Amsterdam. More information about this location can be found here.



C is for church [Dutch: kerk].

For Sandy, one of my readers!
This church is the Oude Kerk [Old Church] and it's located in the edge of the Red Light District. This is the view of the church tower seen from Damrak. Click here to view via Google Street View.

· Click here to learn more about this church via Answers.com.
· Click here to visit the church website.

D is for donuts or doughnuts. [Dutch: Donut or Amerikaans frituurgebak]

Aside from Marge and Duff Beer, donuts are the love of Homer Simpson.

In this photo: chocolate, in between everything else tempting. You won't find a Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme in Amsterdam, but you can find donuts sometimes at a bakery [Dutch: bakkerij]. But while visiting Amsterdam, you really ought to try some other type of pastry.



E is for eclectic [Dutch: eclectisch].

Each piece of Amsterdam seems much different than what I find in Small Town, NL. In this case, an eye-catching bicycle [Dutch: in het oog springende fiets] with leopard print.



F is for façades or facades [Dutch: gevels].

The front of all the canal houses in Amsterdam are unique from top to bottom. Some are adorned with more detail than the other. Some also declare the year it was constructed [for instance: Anno 1647]. These homes pictured are on the Singel [click here to view Google Street View].



G is for garbage.

In Dutch, there are many words for garbage: afval, huisvuil, rommel, rotzooi, vuil and vuilnis. In this case, above: household trash. For those who live on this particular street, they are to place their household trash on this spot marker for the garbage truck on their trash pick-up day.



H is for house [Dutch: huis].

Along the canals [Dutch: grachten] in Amsterdam, this is where you will find a canal house [Dutch: grachtenhuis or grachtenpand]. These pictured above are along the Egelantiersgracht.

The Egelantiersgracht is named for the eglantine or sweetbriar flowering plant.



I is for inside [Dutch: binnen].

This is the American Book Center in Amsterdam and inside you'll find more than 3 levels of books, magazines and more. There are more book stores in Amsterdam which sell English books. This one happens to be my favorite.

· They have another location in Den Haag.
· Their website is here.
· And you can find the American Book Center here.

J is for juxtapose [Dutch: naast elkaar plaatsen or contrasteren].

In contrast to the other two buildings, this home is much smaller in height [Dutch: hoogte]. But it's character is just as great! I loved the detail around the window. Seen on the Egelantiersgracht.



K is for Kees de jongen.

This is a Dutch book written by Theo Thijssen [information about]. Rosa Overbeek is a character in the book, the first love of the main character Kees Bakels. Title translates to "Kees the boy." There is also a movie made from this book [information about].

Brug is bridge in Dutch. This bridge is over the Bloemgracht.



L is for lovely [Dutch: mooi].

This view is from the above Rosa Overbeekbrug. A very mooi uitzicht [English: lovely view]. Click here to see more about this location.

To be continued. . .

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