Journey Juju

One Perfect Taste: Choc-O-Lait Hot Chocolate

One of my favorite creative travel keys invites you to savor one perfect sip or bite. You know when you've come across a food that you want to last in your mouth forever.

When this happens, slow way down and savor that one perfect bite or sip.

One day in Amsterdam, I savored a perfect sip of the most delicious hot chocolate in the world...

The chocolate is a cube on a stick that you dip in hot milk...

Of course, it's recommended to lick the cube while it's all hot and milky...

then top with accompanying whipped cream for the perfect Amster-treat. 

I wanted to bring a case back but settled for a few of these Choc-O-Lait hot chocolates.

mmmmmmm..........

What's one perfect taste that you've experienced on the road or at home? What one perfect taste will you savor today?

Curious Amsterdam Information Gathering

Curious about my upcoming Curious Amsterdam Excursion?

Please join me for a telephone call to quench your curiosity about this unique creativity workshop.

The free call will take place on Wednesday, February 24th at 9:00 am MST (8 PST, 10 CST, 11 EST, 5 pm in Amsterdam). I will record and publish the recording so you can listen if you cannot come on Wednesday.

Call this number 1-218-936-4700. When prompted, enter this secret code: 194333.

There's a lot to talk about so please send me your questions in advance. Or just show up curious.

E-mail me your questions or leave them in a comment below. I look forward to sharing my excitement with you about this excursion.

Curious Amsterdam: Tap Your Creative Juju June 13 - 19th, 2010. Early registration discount ends February 28th.

All the details are here.

Curious questions answered here.

Sign up here. Bring a friend and save $100 - enough for bike rental and a meal or two in Amsterdam!

Stay tuned for more information about Amsterdam for creative travelers, including my biking tips, market recommendations and shopping gems.

Renting and Riding Bikes in Amsterdam

I don’t own a car, and I thrive on bicycling, walking and public transportation as my means of travel. It keeps me fit and in touch with my surroundings much more than if I were in a car.


I tell you this because it means I’m comfortable either biking or walking in cities. If you do not bicycle regularly, I recommend doing some pre-excursion biking.

Amsterdam isn’t a small city but having a bike makes is super easy to navigate and change your mind any time. You can hook onto a canal-side street and go from one end of the city to the other on bike in under 30 minutes, enjoying the city as you float past.

If you’re new to biking, don’t let that stop you from joining the locals in the pleasurable bike lane. Just practice being comfortable on bike for a couple of months.

Please pay attention when the person renting you the bike gives you the lecture of how to lock the bike. Your bike will be stolen if you do not do the double lock method. 

To make things easier for you, I’ve made a short film of an Amsterdammer demonstrating how to lock the bike properly.

Where to Stay in Amsterdam: Amster-lodging for the Curious

If you're considering coming on my June Curious Amsterdam excursion, you're probably thinking:

"Cynthia's given me an interesting piece of the puzzle to play with...where will I stay?"

I'm happy to offer suggestions for your Amsterdam lodging comfort.

One of the reasons I set up my excursions without lodging is that everyone has a certain standard for nesting while traveling. It’s a very personal decision and I think everyone should and can find the perfect lodging for them.

That said, I can make recommendations based on my taste and what I like when I travel. Be warned: I like quirky and unusual places to stay. If you’re more of a four-star hotel dweller, you won’t like my suggestions.

Live like a local

I prefer to stay in neighborhoods where the rhythms of daily life are apparent as opposed to a tourist zone where all I see are visitors with cameras and all the brightly lit joints that cater to that crowd.

To me, it’s more important to be around shops, cafes, grocery stores and street markets versus being near the museums or other attractions. I don’t mind being slightly away from the center, and you won’t catch me pitching up near Leidsplein. 

I rarely stay in hotels. I prefer to rent an apartment for a week or more. This saves money and feels more comfortable and private. I like to cook some of my meals, which allows me to buy sumptuous goodies from the local market.

Of course, whether you're in a hotel or otherwise, be sure to buy flowers from one of the hundreds of flower markets in Amsterdam.

I especially like to have lovely tea or coffee and breakfast at home in a leisurely fashion before I head out into the city. During my last stay in Amsterdam, we cooked giant American breakfasts that fueled hours of biking and exploring.

We’d been traveling for four weeks and appreciated the ability to eat the kinds of breakfasts that some Americans like. We made  a leek fritatta, roasted potatoes, toasted whole grain bread, yogurt (my favorite coconut flavor!), and endless cups of Earl Grey tea. 

Amster-lodging

In Amsterdam, I have stayed near Vondelpark, both across from the Rijksmuesem and in Oud-west, and in the charming Jordaan neighborhood, just near Anne Frank’s house. 

Most often, I  use craigslist to find apartments. One time in Amsterdam it didn’t work out so great, and twice it worked out just fine. I’ve used craigslist to find apartments in Paris since 2003 and it always works out very well.

I’m usually shooting to spend around 60 euros ($100) per night, which often results in really small apartments.

Paris shoebox>Amsterdam apartment 1> Amsterdam apartment 2

Finding an apartment online

You have to trust your intuition and be savvy when renting from people online. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, don’t.

There are tons of places online to rent apartments in other cities. Just search "apartment rental short term Amsterdam"

If you do want to rent a place via craigslist, here’s what I do.

Start by choosing what neighborhood you want to stay in. Go to the Amsterdam craigslist page, click on sublet/temporary housing. (Not vacation rentals, which will be a lot of overpriced apartments or bed and breakfasts.)


I look for listings with photos, and try to get the exact location. You can use google earth to see the place live. Look at least two months in advance.

Contact the person, ask questions about logistics, agreements, deposits, cost, making sure what you need is included. It’s vital for me to have good internet connectivity and to have that included in the cost, so I make sure to inquire about that.

You may also want to rent an art studio (often a workspace and not lodging). Transartists hosts studio rentals from all around the world.

Glancing at the list is fun – I can imagine myself on a Greek island, working on my next novel, or living outside of Istanbul in my own apartment. The possibilities are endless.

Here are a few other cool places to stay, as recommended by Le Cool Amsterdam. I'll be recommending this guide to you later; stay tuned.


Cake Under My Pillow in De Pijp

Want to stay on a former freight ship? Le Maroxidien is an ‘organic’ bed and breakfast near the Central Station.

De Windketel must be one of the oddest places to rent: a former property of the Municipal Water Company. Three stories of pure charm


Other ways to find places to stay:

•    Ask your network – tweet or make a Facebook request for info to ask for lodging recommendations.

•    Check out Couchsurfing.com. Good cochsurfing guests aren’t just in it for the free lodging. Expect to connect and make new friends.

•    Do a search for your desired neighborhood, perhaps you’ll find a houseboat or an artist’s studio or something interesting.

Other ideas? Share them in a comment below.

If you haven't signed up for Curious Amsterdam: Tap Your Creative Juju, there's still time to get the early registration discount - enough to buy you at least two nights' lodging in Amsterdam! Check it all out here.

Amster-Biking

I love bicycling in Amsterdam and want to share a short video with you. Come ride with me in Amsterdam!

Watch closely for Vondeldog!

Want to go biking in Amsterdam? Join my Curious Excursion for a unique creativity and writing workshop in Amsterdam, June 13 - 19th, 2010.

Curious Amsterdam: FAQ

When you read about Curious Amsterdam, you were curious, right? Of course, which means you’re in the right place. I’ve answered some common queries here, but if you have other questions, please contact me. CynthiaAToriginalimpulseDOTcom.

Will I enjoy this if I don’t have a traveling companion?

That’s one of the great things about these excursions – the creative tribe bonds very quickly. The group dynamic is one of sharing, fun and adventure.

The people who come on these excursions are very likely your new friends, also traveling the creative path.

Isn’t Amsterdam all about sex and drugs? Is that what you mean when you talk about a ‘sensual experience’?

That’s for sure a tour I could see in Amsterdam, but that’s not what Curious Excursions are about. We’re about feeling the breeze on our face as we ride bikes along the canals, about the absolute impression we felt when we saw Van Gogh’s work in person, about relishing the palpable buzz of life in the city’s open air markets and cafes.

Of course, sex and drugs are part of the allure of Amsterdam for some. Our itinerary allows plenty of free time for you to explore Amsterdam according to your whims.

Curious Amsterdam: Tap Your Creative Juju

Curious Excursions from Original Impulse

Amsterdam June 13th - 19th, 2010

You see inspiration for art in the world all around you, but you haven’t picked up a paintbrush or even a piece of sketching charcoal in months. You know that you want to be a writer – but you have pages of notebooks left unfilled. You’re starting to question your creative capabilities. Maybe you don’t really have the magic to create art inside you.

Don’t despair. If you’ve lost your creative juju, we know the perfect way to gather more.

Curious Excursions is a creativity workshop hosted in beautiful, mad, eclectic, unflappable Amsterdam, a city full of feasts for your senses. You’ll join an adventurous tribe of artists just like yourself – people who badly want to give in to the impulse to create, but lack the inspiration, the fire, the hidden magic.

#best09 - Best Advertisement

In Paris in February, I saw a poster ad for Ray Ban. Of course there was a hottie in shades, with the slogan:

Never Hide.

I like that. It jives with my efforts to live an authentic life and to share it with others. But I have a confession to make.

I use my sunglasses to hide. Living in sunny Colorado, I've gotten used to wearing sunglasses all the time. But there are overcast days in Paris and Amsterdam and elsewhere where one doesn't need sunglasses.

And I still wear them.

So I thought this would be a good time to thank my shades. I've been through five pair in the last two years. Here they are, and no, none of them are Ray Bans.

Lisbon May 08 > Berlin June 08 > Panama December 08 > Hvar, Croatia September 09 > Vernazza, Italy October 09

Thank you, shades!

P.S. Which are your favorites?

#best09 - Project I'm Proud Of

I'm proud of completing my novel in February, but I'm most proud of conceiving and completing and launching my e-book, The Graceful Return: Relish Your Journey After You've Come Home.

After I came back from my year-long trip, I found it hard to get a grip on my new reality. I sensed that others might go through the same thing.

People returning from the Peace Corps or other service abroad, those being returned home after a stint in the company's international office, students coming home from a year abroad...we all face that challenge of integrating what we just experienced with our new lives back home.

I'm also proud of the cover that I designed. It's been my challenge to bring a more visual element into my work, and this wasn't easy. I observed the creative process full-on:

• getting the idea that I could do the cover myself
• my insistence that it had to be artistic, in order to reflect the premise that art-making approaches can help process the journey
• realizing I had no clue how to do that
• trying a few things
• getting feedback that indicated I was striking out
• brainstorming with Elizabeth to get a better sense of what I wanted
• trusting it would work out
• bringing it all together
• executing it, photographing it
• getting positive feedback on the cover
• finally, celebrating.

I believe that living the creative process through making things is such a valuable experience. I want others to have the gift of their creativity as a path to self-understanding.

That's why I wrote this book.

#best09 - Best Shopping

When I travel alone I don’t shop much; it already costs enough to travel and with the weak dollar I try to keep my shopping urges in check.

Still, window displays in Europe are killingly tempting and it’s hard to resist the lure of a stunning garment artfully displayed. The clever and classy windows of Florence and Paris are part of the urban art and demand to be appreciated. It’s free to look and slowing down for leche-vitrine (window licking, in French) is part of slowing down to relish the city’s artfulness.

Furry shoes in Florence; Chocolaty Shoes in Amsterdam

But traveling with Mr. B was different. A self-avowed metrosexual, Mr. B dresses well and loves fine clothes. With him I breached the inner sanctum of Italy’s designer shops. Sniffing colognes in Ferragamo, trying on sports jackets in Armani, pants in Geox, Mr. B’s shopping gave me license to enter these previously avoided fancy pants shops.

Boots and shoes in particular became the focus of our shopping. Florence, famous for leather goods, flaunted an abundance of footwear. I scanned shop after shop for boots because I’d decided that I could stand another pair of boots.

I didn't find boots in Florence, but I did get a pair of leather gloves that I absolutely love.

I had better shopping juju in Amsterdam. The style there suits me more than that of Italy. The clothes are more casual and comfortable looking. I had the addresses of some second-hand shops in Amsterdam but they were disappointing.

Second hand deals require that the clothes were halfway decent in their first life. I was looking for a sweater, and in most of the shops I saw (Laura Dolls….) the acrylic sweaters looked like giant Dutch women in the Dutch countryside had worn them in the eighties. Ick.

But I discovered two great shops: one with new clothing and De Kleedkamer, a high-end consignment shop. I found tons of great stuff here including the sweater I wanted.  I also scored my boots here, gray Italian leather and plus a sassy skirt to wear with them. 


In the first shop, Liens and Linnen, I tried on a bunch of cute dresses that weren’t quite right. Then I found this sweater and fell in love immediately “Cut the tag off,” I told the shopkeeper. I’m wearing it out of here.

Somehow I made it out of Europe with a new outfit, scarves to sweaters to jeans to boots to gloves. I usually buy paper goods: journals, cards, and bookmarks, so the clothes shopping was a fun departure for me.