Hallo Amsterdam and Vaarwel Holland!

Next stop- Amsterdam! Yes you heard right my mom and I decided to incorporate Amsterdam in our trip! Now I know what every one thinks, Amsterdam is a place where you shop for women in windows and go to coffee shops to enjoy recreational weed. Ok yes you can do this but we discovered Amsterdam has so much more to offer then what most people think! Our first night in Amsterdam after we settled into our B&B we hopped on the tramline- hello convenient and decided to stop at a place along the way that caught our eye. This place was called Moeder's or Mother's in Dutch ( Rozengracht 251 1016 SX Amsterdam). We somehow stumbled upon a very well known restaurant and it was packed with locals! We somehow got a table just in time and had one of my favorite meals of the trip. Not only were the waitresses so helpful but they were so friendly! The best part about the unique restaurant was the tradition they had started- customers from all over the world were invited to tack a picture frame with their mother on the wall and the walls were covered! I absolutely loved it!

Now for the food- We started with two different beers made in Amsterdam- one glass will actually have you buzzed it's so strong! For an appetizer we got Mama's Happas- which was a plate with various small appetizers- delicious would be an understatement. Then for dinner we got Vegetarian and Regular Hotchpotch- I recommend the Vegetarian it was cheesy and rich. We definitely went to bed with a full stomach and a great first impression of Amsterdam!

The next morning we woke up and had a very European breakfast- my favorite!

And headed to the Dam square to explore and meet up with our bike tour guide. Well turns out we had chosen the new tour and it was just my mom and I- So we scored a private tour through downtown Amsterdam and the Dutch countryside! The weather couldn't of been better and we even visited a 300  year old pancake house! Because who doesn't need a food break!

Fresh Mint Tea

Rebecca was an amazing guide and knew exactly how to navigate us and was very nice! I absolutely loved seeing the countryside and overall the bike tour was the highlight of our time in Amsterdam. I have a new found respect for the Dutch because it is much more difficult then it looks!

 Next on our agenda was the Heineken Tour- Ok this is an absolute must when staying in Amsterdam! Not only do you get two beers, but the tour is so fun and who doesn't love learning about the best thing on earth- BEER! For example who would of known that the foam has a purpose and shouldn't be frowned upon, or how to properly drink a beer!


Next we were off to the Anne Frank house which we had tickets booked for ahead of time- but seeing as our trip was off by one day due to our layover we didn't know if they would let us use them! Sure enough the dutch pulled through yet again with their friendly ways and let us skip the entire line and start the tour! Although the tour was quite depressing it was amazing to me how much larger the annex was then I had imagined when reading the book! After Anne Frank we were feeling ambitious and went to the Van Gogh Museum- and learned that on Friday nights they have a band accompanied by cocktails! The Museum was a very nice collection of his work, but our feet were about done for the day so we headed to go find somewhere to rest and more importantly EAT.

What I love about European dinners is the pace. Yes some may say it is slow, but that just means they're an American in a hurry. On vacation the only hurry should be the flight or train your about to miss. Besides that, sit and enjoy dinner at the locals pace, go through the garden and take time to smell the flowers, and wander through that street market even if it's only to look. This is one thing that differentiates us Americans from many Europeans; we like to hurry to our next task and are always looking ahead to what is next- instead of just enjoying the moment which is in my opinion the better way to do it! Obviously I am an American at heart and have countdowns for just about everything in my life but I still manage to enjoy the little things and not rush to the point of insanity.

Having said this we found a very cute Italian restaurant called Bon Apetite. Our waitress was absolutely hilarious and humored with us on how most Americans could not understand her accent and was a real pleasure! So after a glass of wine, or two, or three we ordered our main dish- deep dish lasagna and I had spaghetti bolognese. We even had quite the entertainment with a bachelor party outside at the bar and one was even in a wedding dress. Yes, a big fat man in a wedding dress- something you would not forgot, but made for a memorable dining experience! After dinner was when we decided we felt like grabbing some desert. Ok disclaimer- DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT aimlessly wander the streets of Amsterdam late at night. Lets just say 1) We found no desert 2) We ended up doing circles through the red light district- talk about creepy! Somehow we managed to make it back mapless thanks to my new found direction skills! Ok might be a stretch I'm directionally challenged but somehow manage to navigate through Europe quite well!

Skip ahead to the next morning, we're sitting at a cafe enjoying our coffee and ham and cheese croissants eager to get our day started and I realize this is the life. Not only do they have better coffee and hello it's acceptable to eat croissants and cheese for almost every meal but there is always something new too see- sounds like paradise to me! I again reflect on our last day in this country I never want to leave (think this thought crosses my mind every time we leave- guess I am easily impressed?) So after our quick breakfast we hopped on the tramline to the Rijksmuseum to be there right when it opened! I was very excited because I am an art history minor and many of the works I studied last semester were inside this huge museum! So of course we first took the obligatory Iamsterdam pictures before venturing inside.

In my day I have been to a fair amount of museums- Inlcuding MoMa, Louvre, Getty, Lacma, Uffizi, etc, but this museum had the best tour system we had come across yet! Sometimes those audio tours get so long and boring all you want to do is put it on mute, but then your like wait I paid 15 euros for this I better keep it on just in case I miss something important. No this place had a highlights tour which was the perfect length and gave us just enough time to explore the flower district- which had the added bonus of cheese shops with free samples- before catching our train to Paris! 

Link for Moeder's
Bike Tours with Rebecca

Copenhagen- sure why not?

I recently had the opportunity to travel to five different countries in a short 13 days- yes 13 days. To say the least my mom and I know how to power through Europe and make the most of every destination. The start of our journey began at LAX, where upon our arrival we were told we had a two hour delay. Problem one already had arisen because our layover in Copenhagen was two hours to catch our flight to Amsterdam.

Regardless of this small speedbump we landed in Copenhagen completely clueless as to whether we had missed our flight or not. So we preceded to run back and forth in the airport trying to find the Norwegian Airlines counter. Needless to say I think I now know the layout of the Copenhagen airport like the back of my hand! Finally we found the counter and were informed we would be spending the night in Copenhagen to catch the next flight to Amsterdam the following day at 4 PM or as in Europe 16:00- lets just say the military time involved a lot of counting on my fingers- yes I'm 5 years old! So we headed to our hotel which was conveniently located across the street from the airport! It got even better when we were told we had all meals included at the all you can eat buffet which was right up my alley after only airplane food for the past 12 hours! We decided to make the best of our impromptu layover and went sightseeing the following morning after our dutch breakfast! We started by walking through the Botanical gardens and practically had it to ourselves it was so empty!

Botanical Garden

Then we went to the National Gallery of Denmark to fill time until the Rosenborg Castle opened to the public. The castle was so full of history and I loved seeing all the royal artifacts and where they lived- and I learned that I get to close for comfort to the art because I was scolded on more then one occasion- whoops!

Rosenborg Castle

 

Nyhavn Street

Finally we headed to the famous and picturesque Nyhavn Street! This street was absolutely breathtaking and I never wanted to leave. I probably took 100 pictures and was so sad we had to head back to the airport to catch our flight. Thankfully we had ample time because the security isn't quite as extensive as our lovely LAX so we had time to enjoy some dutch beer called Carlsburg. Overall my experience in Copenhagen was amazing. The people were beyond friendly, patient and not to mention beautiful- like hello blonde model population with gorgeous dads- I am moving to Copenhagen. I even got mistaken as a local- I was sorta excited until I realized I couldn't respond in Dutch! I will definitely be making Denmark part of my next European trip!

Fig & Olive

We are all back from another year of college and I can't believe we're half way done! Last night we celebrated Elise's 20th Birthday, she's the baby of the group and one of the last to enter her twenties! Her two decades down soirée was held at the restaurant Fig & Olive. First impression was it was beautiful inside and quite packed for a Monday night! Apparently it's the new hot spot for cougars, which could explain why the bar was so lively? But the real spectacle is the food. I had heard countless people rave about the dishes they served and couldn't wait! We started with an assortment of Crostinis that ranged from Shrimp, Avocado, Cilantro and Tomato to Prosciutto, Ricotta, Fig, Olive and Walnut (my favorite).

Also for an appetizer they served bread with three different olive oils, Verdial Cracked Fennel Pink Pepper, Cuquillo Herbs de Provence, and Cordoba Lemon Thyme. All three variations were unique and delicious! For the main entree I ordered the Provence Roasted Chicken, which was seasoned with rosemary, garlic and paired with a fresh lemon ratatouille, and heirloom potatoes bathed in basil olive oil.  Need I say more? All in all the meal was to die for and I wish every meal I ate was this exquisite! And a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout out to Elise, only 365 days till she is legal!

Adoro la cucina Italiana

In honor of going back to Europe in two short weeks, I thought I would reminisce on my last trip! We started our trip in Paris and after we headed on an overnight train to Venice, Italy. For me this was my first train experience and it was even better then I had expected. We had one little stop in the middle of the night because a student lead group was also on the train and some boy liked some girl, and one thing led to another, and the train actually came to a halt! It was actually quite a scene. Thankfully we made it to Venice and headed to our bed and breakfast to check in. I will say Venice is one of the more difficult places to navigate especially when lugging a suitcase on ferries and through tiny streets! After we checked in we headed to Basilica di San Marco and the Campanille. Both were beautiful and the weather outside was gorgeous. What we witnessed outside of the Basilica is something I will never forget.... A man got down on one knee and proposed! Here's the kicker, she said no and made him put the ring back in the pouch! Yes it was a drawstring pouch not even a box, and by this time a crowd had formed, lets just say we made a quick escape after the whole ordeal.
Later we went to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum which was such a fun garden and museum to go to and had a beautiful view!

 I can't wait to go back to Venice next spring for Carnevale and possibly track down the most delicious Gelato of the entire trip, it was absolutely delectable!

 Next stop was Florence. I am going to start off by saying I could probably write a whole novel about Florence because I fell in love with the place! Everything about it appealed to me! And I absolutely loved that you could walk virtually everywhere, because I am not exactly a mastermind when it comes to public transportation... especially when it's not in English. My favorite part of the trip was climbing up to the top of the Duomo. Lets just say it is not a climb for the weak, but after facing a mere 463 steps we made it to the top! (picture below says it all)

The view from atop the Duomo was spectacular! I probably took 100 pictures. I loved how you could see the entire city, and the countryside that surrounded it! It made me even more excited for when I could call Florence home for 4 months next spring!
 

The following day we went to the beautiful Uffizi Gallery, Statue of David (much bigger than I had imagined) and walked along the beautiful Ponte Vecchio. For dinner we ate at a very quaint restaurant and stayed for probably three hours. We started the meal with the freshest bruschetta and a bottle of wine. Did you know often times wine is cheaper then water in Italy? I can't complain. Then for dinner I had the best pasta al dente I have ever eaten. Needless to say the plate was most definitely empty along with our bottle of wine. What made the evening even better was the people sitting next to us, the couple had just gotten married and was on their honeymoon, and it pretty much was a table for four that evening (it helped that our tables were probably 8 inches apart to begin with). As I have said I could go on for days about Florence, but I'll keep it short considering in less then a year I will be there every day! Only 256 days left!

Continuing our journey through Italy we headed to the adorable seaside town of Cinque Terre. It was straight out of a postcard! Each of the 5 villages were so unique and extremely colorful! It was also nice to sit down and enjoy the beach in Monterosso considering we had been non stop walking the past 10 days! For dinner we ate in Vernazza, which was where we were staying the night. The highlight of the dinner was the Anchovy salad. Yes ew anchovies, but this wasn't your run of the mill canned anchovies. These were so fresh and actually had been caught that day! They were drizzled with lemon olive oil and garnished with cherry tomatoes and greens. By far one of my favorite meals of the entire trip!

The last stop on our itinerary was Rome. My dad has boasted how great Rome was and how it was his favorite city in the entire world so I couldn't wait to explore it for myself! Right from the start it was blistering hot, which made seeing the Ruins and Coliseum a short lived trip. I even had people coming up to me asking me where I got my mini fan or if they could use it! Let's just say I coveted that fan with my life. Overall Rome was beautiful and we saw just about everything! From the Spanish steps, The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Fountain of the Four Rivers, but the most memorable visit was the Vatican. I have done countless reports on the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica so I couldn't wait to see it in person. It was GORGEOUS! I even snuck a picture of the Sistine chapel! Regardless of our record fast talking tour guide, pretty sure everyone put her on mute, everything was spectacular! When I go back to Rome the Vatican most definitely will be on the list of things to do!

Eating our Way through Paris

 

Our First meal in Paris of course consisted of Escargots Bourguignonne, which was situated right around the corner from our hotel on the Champs- Elysees. Oh and not to mention we were the only ones in the restaurant eating because it is not customary to eat at 5:30 PM whoops!

      After a long morning at the Eiffel tower we were in desperate need of some food. So like typical American's in Europe we got a little lost trying to find a place too eat. Finally we settled on this quaint cafe, after drooling and excessively staring at a tables food. Not only was the fromage plate up to snuff, but I even made the waiter laugh when I asked if I could have a to-go box for the cheese... In France they don't put preservatives in their cheese, and it would spoil quite quickly in the hot summer sun. Needless to say it was a delicious meal!