Day 2 was amazing. We started off the day at about 8:00 AM, showered, and headed down to the lobby for breakfast. Breakfast consisted of tomatoes, boiled eggs, and yogurt, which were some newer choices for me! After breakfast, we took the metro to Nieuwmarkt, where we would walk to Cocoa and Spice, a local chocolate store right next to the old red-light district.

This chocolate store was truly enlightening, and the most informative tasting experience I have ever encountered. Every chocolate sample had a story to go along with it, which described how the ingredients were ethically sourced, raised in biodiverse environments, supported local initiatives, and contributed to the origin country’s economy and culture. Not only where the stories behind each sample riveting, but the taste of the chocolate was distinct and different between different countries of origin. Something that was very apparent to me was the apparent and obvious sustainability of the products, which was not just a selling or boasting point about the product. In the U.S., it is so popularized to buy “sustainable” products, not even because they are helping the environment, but because it has become trendy. Oppositely, this chocolate store really cared and valued the sustainability and the truth behind all of their products. They did not just take fair trade standards and run with it, they pay farmers up to 4x fair trade prices because they found fair trade wages are still not livable and will not stand for that injustice. They make sure every part of the cocoa bean is used, even making juice from the shell, and creating the actual floor of the building from leftover parts of the beans. Some of their chocolates are even truly zero emissions and use sailboats and bicycles to transport them from origin to delivery point, making sure not to emit any emissions along the way. The tasting was incredible, and the knowledge and stories behind each sample really made the experience. Below is a quick picture of a sailboat made entirely of clove, which takes a little sprit of water to activate its scent and was sent to Amsterdam by the chocolatier’s uncle.

The chocolatier’s husband Ian then gave us a one-hour walking tour of the old city center, which was extremely informative and interesting. He talked to us about the leaning houses, which is derived from the 18-foot house width rule and making houses too tall for their own good. He also explained the pulley system on top of the houses which are used to hoist furniture up to the top of the buildings because they are too small in width. It was very interesting to me how rooms and houses were scattered on top of shops in order to make more use of the space, which all just contributed to the sustainable urban development. The history of the city was amazing. The name Amsterdam came from a dam named Amstel going through the oldest street in the town, and the name just became shortened to Amsterdam. We also learned about Majoor Bosshardt, and her contributions to helping Jews during the Holocaust and exposing the early evangelical Salvation Army to the LGBTQ community, which was really impactful to me. I included a picture below of the street in which her museum is located, just because I thought it was beautiful. There was so much information in the tour, but what really struck me was how well the policymakers understand human psychology, enough to enact useful change on a large scale and make real differences over time.

From there, we ate a quick lunch at TokoMan, a local sandwich shop that our tour guide Ian suggested to us. Then we walked through Waterlooplein, took the Metro back to our dinner spot, had a quick dinner, and took the metro back to the hotel where I am now writing this blog. I am super tired, but excited to keep seeing the city and for our visit to Royal Floraholland tomorrow. Goedanavond!