Monday, November 9, 2015

Around (Another) Town: Amsterdam


One of the initial reasons I started this blog was to chronicle my family's simple living journey. Simple living can encompass many things, but for me it's largely about minimizing expenses and consumption, in order to provide more time and resources for the things that matter most. About a year ago we hit a major milestone in our journey and paid off all our debts (except our mortgage). It took years of saving, working multiple jobs, eating out less, and saying no to many purchases, but we did it! Goodbye to student loans, credit card debt, and car payments FOREVER. To celebrate we treated ourselves to our first full fledged family vacation, a trip to Amsterdam.

We all had a great time as Amsterdam is an absolutely wonderful city with much to see. There's beautiful architecture.




Along with breathtaking canals that run throughout the city.



If you decide to visit make sure to take at least one BOAT RIDE, as they provide the best view of the city and a closeup of all the lovely houseboats.





Another feature that makes Amsterdam distinctive are all of the bicycles. The Dutch ride everywhere. I have never seen so many bikes in all my life. There are 1.5 times more bikes than people in the city. It was cool to see entire families, babies and all, riding together.



While visiting we learned that Amsterdam is a city of immigrants. Half of the population is not native born. It's multiculturalism makes for some delicious food options. You can get Belgian chocolate at CANDELA.



Or phenomenal (seriously.....phenomenal!!!) Turkish food at SHOARMA MESUT.


By the way, they have the best fries and Turkish coffee in town.

For those of you who are into fashion history, I'd highly recommend visiting the MUSEUM OF BAGS AND PURSES. It's the largest purse museum in the world and housing some truly amazing bags.







The museum also has a fabulous gift shop and tea room worth taking a look at




My absolute favorite thing about our trip was a visit to the countryside. It was so magical. I've seen impressive pictures of it in the past, but to see it in person was truly a blessing. Unfortunately, when we went it was very foggy so my pictures are not the greatest :-(














I'm sure it's even more beautiful in the spring, when the flowers are in bloom.

A part of our countryside tour included stopping by a cheese factory and clog workshop. It was very interesting to see the local craftsmen at work.









Well, that's all for Amsterdam, a lovely city indeed.

If  you are planning a visit I highly recommend staying at HOTEL DE HOLLEN. The accommodations are wonderful and the staff if very friendly. Plus as an added bonus they have the most amazing French toast during breakfast.















15 comments:

  1. Good for you that your family got to take such a wonderful trip. Well deserved, I'm sure! I've only been to the Netherlands once in my life, when I was 12, but I remember it vividly and hope to go back someday. It really is a beautiful place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I hope to go back again as well. It's absolutely gorgeous. I'm so glad I got to visit.

      Delete
  2. Oh! question (as a first time mama!): how did your little one do on the flight to Europe and everywhere else?? Any tips for traveling with a baby?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was really nervous about traveling so far with her but she did well. I was so happy none of my worst fears came true :-) My tips would be to schedule the plane ride for when they would normally be sleeping, that way they can just sleep on the plane. This worked for us on the way there, but on our return flight it was not her sleeping time. We just let her play with a few small toys we brought, and we also let her walk up and down the aisles, which really seemed to help her tolerate the ride more. My other advice would be to bring a baby carrier. We found it to be a total lifesaver, as we did not bring a stroller. It was easy carry around, and came in handy often. Also, I'd recommend packing some Tylenol in case your little one gets an earache on the plane.

      Delete
    2. I just thought of one more piece of advice. Don't go anywhere without a sippy cup :-)

      Delete
  3. Welcome back! Now we know where you've been! And you've come bearing the most glorious pictures from your experience.

    Just so compelling!

    I hope you're well, friend ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Linda! Yes, I've been away from blog land for quite sometime. A lot has been going on lately, but I hope to be back more often.

      Delete
  4. Amazing photos! My husbands family is Dutch. We do hope to visit someday.
    Carla

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Carla. Yes, you should definitely visit if you can. It's a wonderful place.

      Delete
  5. This is breathe taking!
    It is so beautiful, capturing the world through your lens...
    Thank you for sharing this moments.
    I appreciate you stopped by Faith'n'Friends and left an encouraging word there too.
    God Bless friend

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much. I'm glad I had an opportunity to stop by.

      Delete
  6. Gorgeous, love that place! My brother lived there for many years and met the nicest people there. Like many living in Europe, I think they are an example of simple living, not having loads of clothes, wearing the same outfits over, not eating an excessive range of things every meal time, walking or cycling. And they have a grace of presentation that I love

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the people were so nice in Amsterdam. I miss it already :-( Your brother is lucky to have lived there. I observed that the culture was simpler than American culture as well. It was refreshing to be in a place where simplicity is valued.

      Delete
  7. Wow! What beautiful photos! I actually loved the fog and more "mysterious" pics. I'm not normally a fan of that weather, but these are simply lovely. It surely looks like you had a wonderful time. And how wonderful to have the opportunity to experience this. Like I always tell the youngsters...if you can, enjoy it while you can! Thanks for sharing. xoxo Diana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Diana. We try to enjoy our lives to fullest extent we can.

      Delete