Category Archives: weekend

Life Abroad / Travel / weekend

A Trip to Zaanse Schans

August 17, 2016

img_9529This weekend we took a quick trip to Zaanse Schans. It’s only a 20-minute drive from Amsterdam and such a cute small town full of windmills and that classic Dutch charm. 
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When we left the house it was sunny, so of course by the time we got to Zaanse it quickly turned overcast and then started raining. Luckily Prim didn’t seem to mind, even though we’d neglected to bring the rain cover for the stroller. (That bag in front of her was my jerry-rigged attempt to keep her lower half sort of dry.)img_9534

My Tom’s shoes were not the smartest footwear choice for the sudden downpour either, but oh well. We still managed to have a great time. We saw sheep, goats, ducks, and huge swans. img_9531

img_9533The only bummer of the trip was that the town is home to a Cocoa processing plant so the entire town smells like chocolate. (You’ve heard of Dutch-process cocoa, right? Well, they make it here.) Let me just tell you that parading a pregnant women around a town that smells like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is TORTURE. The smell seriously made me want to swim in a chocolate river à la Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.img_9532

 

We stopped at a local pub on our way out for a quick drink and a snack. It wasn’t the swimming pool full of chocolate that I really wanted, but a glass of orange juice and a plate of bitterballen was fine. (Heartbreak. Pregnant heartbreak.)

We also happened to share a table with an older couple who were visiting from Arizona and who had met working for KC’s company back in the states a super long time ago. The guy even knew a partner in KC’s office — such a small world! img_9535

And don’t let P’s serious face fool you, she had a great time.

Life Abroad / weekend

This Weekend Was

August 8, 2016

img_9444This weekend was Pride in Amsterdam! We went to a BBQ on a friend’s rooftop near the city center. We were feeling very Dutch, as KC biked Prim and I over to the party. Prim sat in her little seat on the front of KC’s bike while I hitched a ride on the bars on the back of the bike. In case you don’t already know, the Dutch bike around with all sorts of people and things on their bikes — they’re basically like their cars. I’ve seen moms and dads who have an infant seat on the front, an extra bike seat on the frame, and another child on the back of the bike — 4 people on one bike!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of the three of us on our family bike. I was too busy trying to look relaxed and not to fall off while KC rode us through town to take out my phone and snap a pic.

After the BBQ ended we walked through the center and took in all the festivities. There were people everywhere and bars and restaurants were spilling out into the streets with loud music and rainbow decor.

We headed over to one of the canals and watched part of the parade pass by. The place was packed with people, which made getting a decent photo pretty difficult, but it was really fun to be out with all the other locals and tourists. img_9486-1img_9485-1

After watching a bit of the parade we headed to a local cafe at Heinekenplein for a quick drink and snack. We had a very American/European moment when we ordered the nachos and asked for extra chips on the side (because the chips on the bottom always get soggy, obviously) so of course when our nachos came out we had a plate of nachos and a side of… fries. Haha. We should have known!

There was a little someone who was not at all sad about our miscommunication…img_9447

Fists full of fries. This girl takes after her mama with her love of food. (As I write this, she is stealing bites of the leftover Indian food I’m having for lunch. And yes, she already ate her lunch.)img_9452 img_9453

I honestly don’t know how many fries she ate (way too many, I’m sure). And at one point we caught her using a fry as a way to spoon straight mayonnaise into her mouth (since they serve mayo with the fries here). Parenting win.

After our snack we headed over to Museumplein and hit up the Banksy/Warhol exhibit at the Moco. img_9445

The biggest news of the weekend though is that I got a bike! We stopped at a bike shop on the way home to get a cushion for the back of KC’s bike (because those metal bars on the back are not the most comfy things to ride around on all day… trust me.) Instead I ended up finding a cheap used bike which we purchased on the spot and I rode home.

I’ll post some pics of my new bike later this week. Just wait until you see it… it’s very Dutch and kind of hilarious.

How was your weekend?

Life Abroad / weekend

This Weekend Was

June 21, 2016

img_9149This weekend we had some typical Amsterdam weather, meaning that it was gray, cold and rainy on Saturday, then sunny and wonderful on Sunday.

On Saturday KC and I steam cleaned the entire apartment. I somehow stumbled across this website that does peer-to-peer rentals here (to be honest, I didn’t know that was what it was when I found it, I actually just thought I was renting a steam cleaner from a store), so a guy who lives nearby stopped by on Saturday morning to drop off his steamer that we had rented for the day. The whole concept is kind of random but totally genius, I think.

We steam cleaned the couch and all of the floors (and OMG, you should have seen the amount of dirt that came off these floors!) KC did most of the steaming, while I vacuumed and cleaned every surface in the apartment. This place was supposedly “professionally cleaned” before we moved in, but yeah…. not so much. I don’t know what “professional” cleaned this place, but it wasn’t up to my OCD standards, that’s for sure. (The first thing I did when we moved in was wash every single dish in the kitchen here.)

After Prim’s nap and our marathon cleaning session, we headed out to Albert Cuypmarkt. It was kind of crazy because it was Saturday, but we picked up some peonies for the apartment (they’re so cheap here. So. Cheap.) We headed over to Par Hasard to try their “famous fries,” but I can’t honestly say they were any better than our go-to cheapie Chipsy King fries here.

After fries we wandered around in the rain (P was snug as a bug in the Cameleon with the rain cover — such a local!) and picked up a few groceries. That evening we had some friends over and stayed up way too late chatting and drinking.

img_9147On Sunday Prim woke up super early (because kids always know when you’ve been up too late!) so we hung out for a bit and then all took a nap a few hours later. After family nap time we headed over to Haarlem and wandered around, which was so fun. We hit up IKEA afterward, because we apparently can’t go one weekend without needing something from that place.

The best news is our apartment is so close to finished now! Our main floor is done and we just have a few more things to deal with upstairs in the bedroom and bathroom (water pressure in the shower is an ongoing battle here, and I’m not giving up without a fight!)

A few photos of the main floor are coming up later this week — stay tuned!

Life Abroad / weekend

This Weekend Was

June 15, 2016

img_9035This weekend we moved! After almost 9 months without our own place, we are finally settled for a bit. It feels so nice to have our own space again!

We spent the weekend bringing stuff from the hotel over to the new apartment, building IKEA furniture, picking up more IKEA furniture, building IKEA furniture… img_9033To be honest, KC built most of the furniture while I attempted to keep P away from the millions of tiny pieces. I did manage to put together our kitchen cart though, complete with tiny helper in my lap. (Right before these photos were taken, P was hanging all over me and I was asking KC to come and take her somewhere away from the chaos. Right as he walked over to grab her, she climbed into my lap and of course I couldn’t hand her over then! Such is motherhood.) img_9034img_9032The best news is that our stuff from the states was delivered on Monday, and we are almost fully moved-in and organized now. I’m hoping that we will be totally done by the end of this weekend, including cleaning. (Because this “semi-furnished” apartment needs a steam clean like woah.) img_9036-1Once the apartment is together and organized (and clean!) I’ll post a tour so you can see our new place. And get excited, because there’s not one but TWO sets of terrifyingly steep stairs. So Dutch!

Life Abroad / weekend

This Weekend Was

June 7, 2016

img_8929This weekend was a good one. KC’s mom was still in town, so KC and I were able to scoot out while P napped on Saturday and hit up IKEA for some stuff for the new apartment. We found pretty much everything we were looking for, and even more impressive — managed to fit it all into the back of KC’s new European car (his work gives him a car here — he’s so fancy.)

All of our newly acquired furniture is now residing in the entry hall of our hotel/apartment, staring at me like, “This is going to be so many hours of your life that you’ll never get back.” Those damn allen wrenches and instructions without words! The good news is that I’m going to feel so smart and accomplished after spending 3+ hours putting together a kitchen cart.

My brain hurts just thinking about it.

We are very much looking forward to our move in date next Monday. I can’t wait to fill you guys in on the details of our place and post a tour (y’know, once I’ve actually unpacked and organized. Which, with a toddler, should be like in… February? Of 2018?)

On Sunday the weather could not be beat. It was sunny and in the high 70’s — bliss. We ventured out to the center and walked through the flower market, which was so fun. There’s tons of fresh flowers to buy (and so cheap! Literally it was €3 for a bunch of 50 tulips. FIFTY TULIPS FOR THREE EURO.)

img_8928We wandered up a little ways to a cafe and had a drink and some snacks, including “bitterballen,” which sound totally gross but are actually weirdly delicious. Prim behaved marvelously which was such a treat, and the four of us got to just sit and watch the world go by for a bit. It was definitely one of those moments where all I could think was, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

I assumed we would head home after the cafe, not wanting to push our luck with Prim, but she was doing so well that we decided to wander through the Jordaan a bit since the weather was so nice. img_8916KC gave P a little break from the stroller while we walked and wandered through the shops. She pointed out every dog she saw from up there, and when confronted with real-live horses drawing a carriage she just about lost her mind.

I have to admit that one is a tough age (so many opinions! so many feelings! so few communication skills!) but watching her take in the world around her and know that she’s really processing it now is really just the best.

img_8930We ended up staying out until past P’s dinnertime, and she held up just fine (even when our train was delayed and I was sure that the meltdown was imminent.) I don’t think we could have asked for a better day.

Now we just have to get through the rest of this week and then into the new place! Here’s hoping that everything goes smoothly and our move is decidedly uneventful. (insert those “goal hands” emoji here, haha!)