During my first week in Amsterdam I signed up to go on a weekend trip to Gronigen with CIEE, the program that organized my study abroad experience here in the Netherlands. At the time, I had no idea where Gronigen was or why we would ever want to visit... but hey, it's a free trip right?? So two weeks ago, the special weekend finally arrived. I packed an overnight bag and loaded a giant bus filled with sleepy students at 8 AM. I still had absolutely no idea where we were going, what we would be doing, or why we would want to go. Yes, I could have easily done a little research on the city, or even opened the itinerary sent to me by CIEE, but what's the fun in that? Much better to be 100% COMPLETELY unprepared... (My futile attempt at sarcasm)
SURPRISE. It turns out, we were to go kayaking through the canals of Gronigen.
Well...I would have dressed a little differently if I had known, but at least I got in my morning workout, right?!
Thank goodness it was an absolutely beautiful day!
Friend on a houseboat.
Soaking up a little sun and enjoying the view.
Later that afternoon we ventured out to climb the clock tower and explore the little town of Gronigen. Thankfully CIEE took us to a delicious pancake brunch after our kayaking adventure, providing us with the energy we needed to get to the top of the tower. There were so. many. stairs.
View from the bottom...
After a steep spiral staircase on a full stomach of pancake...the stunning view from the top!
After dinner we decided to check out the Gronigen nightlife of course! Much to our surprise, it was so fun! Apparently, Groningen, which is in the northern Netherlands, is home to a large university with lots of young people and a vibrant nightlife scene. Our favorite spot was called the Three Sisters, which had a rotating bar, a great DJ and a room full of hot Dutch boys. Yet another surprise from good ol' Gronigen. :)
Our CIEE leader Erik with a classic photobomb.
Annabel and Renee, two of our other CIEE leaders, dancing the night away. I love them!
The awesome bartenders dancing on top of the rotating bar.
The next morning, after a few somewhat difficult hours at the Gronigen Art Museum, we hopped back on the bus and drove as far north as we possibly could. We drove until we hit the coast, or as I like to call it, the edge of the world.
Where are we? The CIEE group looking a little confused.
The farm we visited produces their own Dutch wine and grows a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables. They let us sample the wine and pluck a few fresh carrots out of the ground. Why not?
One of my favorite parts of the day...
Fresh squeezed juice and homemade bread.
Carrots!!
We washed them in the creek nearby and had a healthy snack!
Standing at the edge of the world... (More specifically the northern coast of the Netherlands)
Just being me :)
I don't know if I'll ever make it back to Gronigen, but I had a wonderful time! Thank you to CIEE for a weekend of great friends, great food and great memories!
Hello again! I'm so sorry it's been such a long time since I last posted here. I've been gone traveling the past three weekends and finally have a little free time to catch up!! (Well...not exactly free time but I DO NOT want to write my paper.) The good news? Now I have lots to fill you in on! I'll start with my weekend in Belgium.
Three weeks ago, I spontaneously decided to take a trip to Antwerp, Belgium. My friend Hannah and I booked our train tickets on Thursday and 24 hours later we found ourselves in the land of strong beer and delicious chocolates!
Now I know what you're all thinking: Antwerp?? Where is that? Why in the world would she want to go there?! I will admit that I had never heard of the little city of Antwerp before coming to Amsterdam. When I got the travel bug and decided literally last minute to go somewhere, a quick trip to visit my neighbor Belgium seemed like the perfect destination. And when I asked for advice from my Dutch friends, everyone seemed to give the same recommendation - Antwerp and Brugge are WAY more fun than Brussels (the touristy, well-known capitol of Belgium). Hannah and I did a little research and found that Antwerp was closer and less expensive. Next thing I knew, I was on my way to an adventure in Antwerp.
The first thing I noticed upon arriving was the train station itself. It was INCREDIBLY beautiful. For those of you who remember the Sound of Music flash mob to Do Re Mi that went viral on YouTube...it was THAT train station!!! I love the Sound of Music. I love dancing. I love singing. And I LOVE flashmobs. So naturally, I freaked out. I wanted to start dancing right then and there, you know, recreate it? But then I realized that no one would be there to join in...
Here's the flashmob! Picture me doing this alone in the middle of the train station....
This is INSIDE the station!
The stairs from the flash mob dance...
The rest of the architecture in Antwerp was just as breathtaking! I was honestly so surprised. Who knew that Antwerp was so magical? We got lucky because the weather that Saturday was practically perfect. It made seeing the city even more enjoyable.
The old Church.
The streets in Antwerp were straight out of a fairytale land!
Still not quite sure why everyone was taking a picture with this giant hand statue? But being the good tourist that I am, I had to join in.
Beautiful City Center.
Such a gorgeous day!
While exploring Antwerp we couldn't help but try a famous Belgian waffle. Let me tell you....they were fantastic. I don't know what they did to make that waffle so delicious (probably like, double deep fried it with extra butter and sugar?), but it was so good we had to get another the next day. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!
In Belgium, they don't have fast food. But they do have waffles.
So. Yummy.
That night we went to a famous pub called the Kulminator. It's famous among beer connoisseurs for its incredible selection and quirky atmosphere. Seeing as my dad's practically a professional beer taster now, I knew I had to check it out. It was SO fun!! We expected the bar to be crawling with tourists, but much to our surprise it was full of locals! We were incredibly overwhelmed at first... On each table was a HUGE binder of beer types - maybe close to 200 beers? Not a Corona or Coors in sight. Lucky for us we made some friends! Yes, they were about 40 years older than us, but THEY KNEW THEIR BEER. They saw how uneasy we looked and invited us to their table where they proceeded to write us a list of their favorite Belgian beers and the order in which we should drink them. So sweet! Of course, we couldn't try them all. Some of the beers had up to 13% alcohol content!! Hannah and I split most of the beers in order to taste more, but (with our stomachs practically empty aside from the delicious waffle) we just couldn't get to them all. The Belgians sure know how to drink!
The list (written on a coaster)! The last beer, Quercus, has an extremely high alcohol content. Our friend recommended drinking this last - "to sleep?"
Our helpful new friend!
A local Belgian favorite: De Koninck!
The Bush Noel - a Christmas beer!
The damage...
Our friend gave us a gift when we left! It's a beer opener that allows you to open a bottle without destroying the cap, so beer tasters can save them as souvenirs or memories. And he made it himself!! The ABC engraving stands for "Antwerp Beer Company." How sweet is he?!
We had to end our trip with one more Belgian delicacy - chocolate of course! I bought a small box containing an assortment of my own personal selection of dark chocolates to bring home. I made myself promise that I would not eat them all at once. I usually have zero self control but somehow I managed this time. ;) They were both beautiful and delicious!! I wish I could have bought some to bring home to the States for friends and family!! But the sales girl told me they wouldn't last.
Belgian Chocolateee!
Until next time Belgium!! Thinking of my friends and family at home - love you guys! xo
Last weekend I took my first mini trip to....drumroll please....BARCELONA! The city exceeded all of my expectations. Gorgeous architecture, 80 degree weather and clear skies, beautiful beaches, tall, dark and handsome men, amazinggg night life...what more could a girl want? I was only there for four days. And although I returned to Amsterdam absolutely exhausted and happy to be home, I really didn't want to leave Barcelona. Take me back please!
Our first walk through the city! On La Rambla and excited to explore.
On Thursday, we arrived in Barcelona at 8 AM after traveling by bike, train, plane and bus (We left Amersterdam at 3 in the morning). I traveled in the first group (me + 3 girls) who stayed Thursday through Sunday. The second group arrived Friday night and stayed through Monday. The four of us spent our first day exploring the neighborhood. Our hostel was located in the perfect spot - right on La Rambla, which is the main strip for shopping, bars and sightseeing as well as a 15 minute walk from the beach. It was amazing! We walked EVERYWHERE. So when we finally made it to the beach, we couldn't have been more relieved. After a few hours in the sand, one very large mug of Sangria to celebrate our first day and a WONDERFUL afternoon nap, we went out for the most delicious dinner of tapas and sangria. (starting to notice a trend yet?) Straight from dinner we went out to a club called Sutton. Even though we arrived around 1 AM, the club was deserted. Literally EMPTY! We were warned that people in Spain went out later than people in other countries, but we didn't realize just how late! Barcelonians don't go out until around 2:30 am and stay out until 7 in the morning. We learned our lesson. But don't worry..we didn't let our first night go to waste! We swiped a free glass of champagne from the bar (our gift for being so early) and snuck down to the bathroom where we proceeded to nap, yes NAP, on the couches in the lounge for a good 30 minutes. When we woke up and returned upstairs around 2, the club was packed and we were refreshed and ready to party!!! All I can say is thank goodness for siestas...
Walking through the Gothic (Barri Gotic) district!
The sun on our first day couldn't have been more perfect!
The Cathedral!
OVERJOYED to finally make it to the beach.
Can you spot anyone topless?! We saw plenty...
Afternoon treat. Salud to Barcelona!
Reemerging from the bathroom in Sutton...
On Friday we slept in until 12 pm. (like true Spaniards!) After a late lunch we set out to visit some of the top sights in the city. It was a day of Gaudí!We spent the afternoon at La Pedrera, Casa Terrades, La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. La Sagrada Familia, designed by Antoni Gaudí, is a large Catholic church most famous for being incomplete. Gaudí died before its completion in 1926, and while the construction has slowly progressed since then, the project will not be finished until 2026! We also traveled to Park Guell, a garden complex once again designed by Gaudí. Park Guell was one of my favorite places in Barcelona! It was like a giant Dr. Seuss world situated on a hill with an incredible view of Barcelona.
Casa Terrades
La Sagrada Familia
Standard tourist shot!
Such an incredible work of art!! Can't wait to see it completed.
Welcome to Park Guell!! It was huge!
View from the top of the park.
Gaudi's house.
Another beautiful view <3
One of Gaudi's genius works of art.
My favorite spot!
That night the rest of the group arrived. It was so great to be all together again! After another superb siesta, we began to get ready for the night. Our hostel room turned into one big pregame with travelers from all over the world! Such a fun experience. Around 1 AM, the group ventured to a bar called Chupitos. It was CRAZY. Anyone ever heard of a Monica Lewinsky shot? I hope not. I'm going to refrain from putting up most of the pictures from this bar.... After Chupitos we went to a gorgeous beach club called Opium (around 2:30 am). The cover charge was supposed to be 20 Euro per person, but by some miracle Haley, Makenzie and I got in for the price of one! (Haley has serious skills...) Unfortunately, we all got separated in the club line and most of the other girls couldn't get in. The three of us inside the club didn't even realize what had happened until way later! I felt soo terrible... BUT the club was packed with attractive people and so much fun! After a few solid hours of dancing until we could barely stand, we decided to get some fresh air in the outdoor section of the club. It was literally right on the water - so beautiful! We were all having a great time splashing in the shallow part of the sea and relaxing on the sand. While Haley was holding my camera, I got a little TOO brave and decided it would be a wonderful idea to join the British men in the sea for a picture... I'm sure you can all guess how this ends. Three hammeredddd men holding a California girl in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea? Yep. They threw me in. Club attire, shoes, bag and all. I WAS THROWN INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA AT 6 AM AT A BARCELONA CLUB. Thank goodness Haley had my camera!!! When I approached the bouncer 10 minutes later ready to go back inside and keep partying (looking like a wet rat), he unfortunately refused to let me back in. Surprise surprise. So, that was the end to my night. I left in a cab with a smile from ear to ear (and turned some poor man's cab seat into a complete lake...oops!) Honestly a night to remember forever!
The Balcony of our hostel! Peter's model face...
The only picture from Chupitos that's appropriate for the public eye.
Haley galavanting through the sand at 5 AM.
My first mistake....
Still in shock...
Realization has now set in. RIP Dutch phone.
After a wild night, the group decided to spend the day relaxing at the beach. On our walk over we stopped at a highly recommended little restaurant called Bo De B. FAVORITE FOOD SPOT OF THE WEEKEND! We all got ginormous and incredibly delicious sandwiches to take to the beach (along with a few bottles of wine)...pure bliss! That night, after another siesta of course, the group went out for a late dinner of tapas and sangria. A few of the girls went clubbing after, but Anne, Tessa and I went to a crowded street and stayed up until about 3 AM laughing and people-watching while we sipped on a second round of sangria. It was a perfect way to end my wonderful weekend in Barcelona. Plus when my original travel group had to wake up at 6 AM to head back to the airport, Tessa and I were in A LOT better shape than the two who went clubbing. Poor things were miserable on that flight home...
This picture doesn't even do the sandwich justice. I will forever love Bo De B.
Celebrating our last night with a group dinner!
Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better trip!! And I'm already looking forward to an opportunity to return to Barcelona. :) As always, sending my love to those at home!! xo
