Amsterdam:
The city of… sin? Freedom? Bikes?
Yes all three are at large in Amsterdam. The city is very chill and laid-back. Most people know it for its marijuana smoke shops and legal prostitution at the Red Light District but Amsterdam is so much more than that. The Netherlands is rich in culture (check out the booming Dutch trade industry of the 1600’s) and takes pride in the Great Outdoors. The Dutch do everything outside, so you won’t see many cars here. Everyone walks and rides bikes around- no matter how gloomy of a day it is. The air quality is great here, too- wind and solar power energy takes precedence over other forms. For a dose of history (my favorite dose if you can’t tell from my other blog posts), check out the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum.Definitely make sure to grab yourself some homemade Stroopwafels while you are in Amsterdam- you won’t be disappointed:
ALSO, the best hot chocolate ever. You get to pick out the chocolate chips by country of origin and taste. Then the waiter gives you hot cream and a whisk and you make the hot chocolate yourself:
Tip: Check out the tulip fields in bloom in April and May. Tulips I brought home from The Netherlands (shh! Don’t tell customs) :
Rainy stroll down the in the Red Light District:
My favorite bucket list check-off while in Amsterdam was visiting the ice bar. Everything from the cups your whipped vodka was served in to the chairs you sat on were made out of ice:
Really pretty smorgasbord:
Belgium:
Okay… so I have a confession. My Belgium experience COMPLETELY revolved around food. And literally nothing else, so here goes
.I can’t tell you why until you have tried Belgian food for yourself- then you’ll know. Belgium has “the bests” of tons of foods and in a day, I just about tried them all. Fresh cheese, Nutella cakes, fresh-grown strawberries, Belgium Waffles, French Fries, chocolate, and Belgium Tripel Ales. All amazing. Two things you may be wondering-Is the Belgium Waffle really all that?Yes. Yes, it is.But French fries come from France, right?No. No, they don’t. They are originally from Belgium and are so much better than the ones in America.
My absolute favorite beer- The Westmalle Tripel:
Chocolate boobs! :
Oh yeah, and the city of Brugges was stunning too:
