Category: Amsterdam

Vidareidi, Faroe Islands

We woke up early again, this definitely means vacation is over….but the boys were delighted that there was some snow on the ground. Too bad they didn’t have time to play, we didn’t even have time to eat breakfast at the hotel. So they were trying to make snowballs out of the tiny bit of snow in the planters at the airport. They were happy that it was lightly snowing though and didn’t want to go inside. Of course I was freezing, I’ve seen enough snow in my life! Thankfully we got through the airport and into the lounge pretty quickly. Leaving us time to eat, have a Bloody Mary and relax. The boys were sad to be going home and the snow turned to rain so the dreary weather didn’t help. They were fascinated with the fact that sunrise wasn’t until around 8:30-8:45am so I reminded them of how the tilt of Earths axis causes the changes in amount of daylight and darkness. The science teacher in me never goes away, always looking to apply it to everyday situations. Our 11 hour flight back was uneventful, no one slept, although we tried. So we took off at 10am and landed the same day at 11:45am…ugh! How are we going to get through the day? By the time we got home it was 2pm and we were all asleep by 6pm! It was another amazing family adventure we will never forget. So where to next? We have our ideas but never know until a month or so before….we will have to see! Thanks for following our journey 🙂

Amsterdam, The Netherland

We got up early and boarded a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam. We were sad to leave the Middle East, we had such a great time. We decided to make the trip home a little easier by spending a night in Amsterdam to break up the long flight. Wow I forgot what real cold feels like, it was damp and chilly and raining a bit. We bundled up with hats and gloves and coats and I remembered how much I hate this weather! Of course the boys didn’t mind much but I did. I wanted to show them so many things in Amsterdam that I love, but with one night it wasn’t possible. We ate at Café Hoppe, a traditional Dutch pub known as a ‘brown café. They are a quintessential part of Amsterdam’s culture and are known for their dark wood and smoke-stained walls. The atmosphere is cozy and this one is one of the most famous and founded in 1670. It was pretty awesome to drink an Amstel while standing in a National Monument. We ordered some traditional food like savory Bitter Balls, they are battered in a crunchy breadcrumb coating and filled with a gooey mixture of chopped beef, beef broth, flour, butter, herbs and spices. They were served with mustard for dipping and really good but super hot inside! Tasted amazing with the beer. Kaasblokjes are bite-sized cubes of aged Gouda cheese. They are firm and almost crumbly and served with mustard for dipping. Of course Stroopwafels for desert, it’s a waffle cookie made from two thin layers of batter with a sticky syrup filling in the middle, soft and crunchy and so good! I really wanted the boys to try the herring, since they love any kind of raw, cured or smoked fish. It is raw, gutted and the head taken off. You hold it by the tail and put your head back and put it in your mouth and bite it off by the tail. They are usually served from outdoor carts throughout the city. If you don’t think you can eat it like that, they also cut it up and serve it on bread with chopped onions. Unfortunately we didn’t see any, maybe next time. Home tomorrow…