after a brief hiatus in the europe posts from last summer, i’m back with the second part of our trip in which mom, mimi, and i adventured to amsterdam!  we had had such a lovely time in paris with the ladies [click here to see all the different posts on that portion of the trip], and saw sooo much during the week that we were there.  it really was an amazing trip.  but after lots of busyness and crowds and the chaos of traveling with a larger group and packing a million activities into the time we had, our time in amsterdam felt very chill and relaxing.  it was just mimi, mom, and me, and although we had some things in mind that we wanted to see, we didn’t have everything planned out, so we just played each day by ear and did whatever we felt like, checking things off our list as we went.

additionally, as much as it surprised us, we had some really fantastic meals in amsterdam.  i wish i knew the names of all the restaurants we went to [i wrote down some of them, which you’ll see below and in other posts, but not all], because we really didn’t have a bad meal.  the food surprisingly turned out to be pretty spectacular.  the weather was great for most of the days [and it was warmer and sunnier than paris had been, in general].  also, all three of us completely fell in love with amsterdam… mimi had been there before, but she told us that on this trip, she realized just how much she loved the city.  it is such a wonderful place.

{at the train station in paris, getting ready to leave for amsterdam.  we had a good laugh because mimi ordered a large american coffee to go, and this is what she got!  i’d say it was pushing doll-sized!  typical for europe though…}

{hello, amsterdam!}

{that train station just looked so amsterdam} 

{i was pumped to see the canals!}

{this little shop made me laugh… cowboys & …indiana?!  i kinda hope they thought they were naming it cowboys & indians because that little translation mistake would just be cute.}

{on our first night, we ate at this awesome little restaurant called palladium near leidseplein and we all ordered the same fantastic entree – marinated salmon with black tagliatelle [which kiiiiiiind of stole the show].  i’m pretty sure there was LOTS of brown butter involved.  it may have been some of the best pasta i’ve ever eaten, if you can believe that.  sooo good.}

{and just like we found in paris, you can bring your dogs wherever you want in amsterdam – even in nice restaurants.  this pup was sitting in a chair at the table inside palladium, and after a little while, he got tired, so he rested his head on the table and went to sleep!}

{the mix of [very] old and modern is such a fascinating aspect of europe, at least for me.}

{we died laughing at the words above these old-looking columns: “HOMO SAPIENS NON URINAT IN VENTUM.”  we were totally thinking it meant, “do not urinate in the square” and was built hundreds of years ago, but it turns out that it translates to, “a wise man doesn’t piss into the wind,” and was built in the 1990s, which is actually equally as funny.}

{morning tea}

{the dam}

{exploring the city}

{doesn’t it look medieval?  it’s so different than anything in america}

{the royal palace of amsterdam… it’s the building in the background in the picture on the left, and on the right, i’m looking up at it.}

{we took a tour of the palace.  i loved the beautiful floors with maps on them…}

{…and those gorgeous chandeliers!}

{this photo gives perspective on just how enormous those chandeliers are.}

{…and then we took a canal tour and the weather couldn’t have been better.}

{i felt like i was in the middle of a storybook.}

{…and of course i had to take the obligatory selfies because I’M ON A BOAT.  in amsterdam.}

{we stopped at this bar, cafe mokum, after the canal tour because it looked fun…}

{…and ordered beer and french fries since these are two things that apparently you just HAVE to have when you’re in amsterdam.  they serve french fries with mayonnaise there [surprisingly good], and it goes without saying that the netherlands makes some nice brews.  we obviously weren’t dieting or anything.}

{from mom’s phone}

{we had to get a picture of mom next to the twin brother of the wall street bull since she teaches finance!}

{we ate dinner in this tiny little basement restaurant that i wish i knew the name of…}

{i had saffron risotto that was divine.}

{mom’s and mimi’s meals}

{and we shared this cherry “parfait” for dessert.  and some heart-shaped after-dinner mints.}

{we loved the walks home at night through the neighborhoods and back to our hotel because we got to admire the architecture, the flowers, and the loveliness of the city.  it’s a relaxing time when you can really just take in all the details of everything around you.  the photo on the right is a door of a church.}

{as we walked by, we could see a beautiful library inside that building with the turret-looking thing in the picture on the right.}

{our hotel was right near the gorgeous vondelpark, and we were surprised to see SO many people of all ages out there at 10 pm on a weeknight [which is when the photos above were taken], picnicking, laying in the grass, playing soccer, running, walking, everything.  i suppose that when the days of light are less frequent, you take full advantage of them.}

{the sunset from our hotel window.}

more of amsterdam to come!