10 things I learned on my trip to Holland

Oh, hai you guys! I missed you!! Taking a bloggy break to visit Amsterdam was much needed and incredible (more on that below), but I’m happy to get back into some semblance of a routine today. Also I need to fit back into some of these pants again. For the love of poffertjes, I may need to invest in a new wardrobe.

We stayed in a hotel called Hotel V which was a short stone’s throw from the Rijksmuseum (which we visited) and the Van Gogh Museum (which we did not). Since this wasn’t our first time in Amsterdam, it was nice to skip some of the “must sees” to simply wander around aimlessly and discover haunts we may never have seen/experienced otherwise.

I’ll provide a better, more coherent recap in my next post (as well as additional photos for your viewing pleasure), but in the meantime, here’s a top 10 list of things I learned on my recent trip to Amsterdam.

• Always leave room for dessert; the gym will be there for you when you come back. Besides, you can never have enough stroopwafels
• Don’t go to Kings Day, unless your idea of fun consists of listening to orgasm boom boom music float through beer bottle-strewn streets. I may be in the minority here, but it reminded me of all the things I used to hate about living in Hoboken on St. Patrick’s Day
• Invest in a warm sweater, regardless of the weather report. Initially I was upset that I spent 30 euros on a weird blue side-zip sweater from H&M but after layering every item in my suitcase multiple days in a row, I was grateful for an additional item in the rotation

  

• Leave the city! My favorite, favorite, FAVORITE day was when we went on a windmill/countryside tour to the Kuikenhof (famous Disneyland-esque tulip field), and the smaller towns of Zaanse Schans, Marken, and Volendam. I mean LOOK at these photos! 

  

• Eat all the foods! I suppose this could piggyback off of point #1 but it’s worth it’s own bullet, imo. Here is just a sampling of the delicious culinary international cuisines we ate (and why we are both now beyond broke. And well, rounder): Indian, Mexican, Thai, Indonesian/Tibetan, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, vegetarian (well, obviously everything we ate was BUT we went to a dedicated veggie restaurant, too!)… Every dish we ate was delicious; expensive, but totally worth it
• Mind the bikes. They are EVERYWHERE. I was particularly fascinated by “rush hour” Amsterdam traffic when bikes rule the streets (imagine! Hundreds of bikes whizzing by at once)
• Get around by foot. Not only because the tram is kind of expensive (at 3 euros a pop), but it’s a great way to work off all the things you just ate. OMG, I’m talking about food a lot in this post. My bad
• Check out the Rijksmuseum! The last time I was in Amsterdam (nearly 20 years ago, GAH!), I had zero desire to go—and if it wasn’t for my uncle’s gentle prodding before I left (he’s an art gallery dealer in NYC), I may have missed it. And this. 
• I realize it’s a photo opp, but skip the “IAmAmsterdam” sign located just behind the Rijksmuseum because everyone and their mother will be there, too. I literally heard someone next to me shout “YOU GET IN THAT D, NOW!” Jesus, lady, settle down

  

• Try to remove your thumb from pictures or you’ll end up with an album that looks like this (taken on Kings Day in Amsterdam)

There’s of course more to add, but I’m still jetlagged and catching up on 9 days of missed work. Hope all is well with you all; more to come shortly! XOXO