On the Road Again…

Hello from 32,000 feet. I am currently en route from AMS to DC for a very quick weekend trip for my niece’s 2^nd birthday! There are some things I am just a sucker for, and that child is one of them. I mean, can you blame me?! Look at this face:

 

While it may seem absurd to some, life is too short to miss out on certain things – plus United was having the ultimate sale. So, here I am. Traveling across the Atlantic for 48 hours to celebrate Alani’s birthday at the National Zoo.

What a perfect opportunity to recount some travel (and visitor) adventures from September…

September Travels

After a summer of adventures, it would only seem logical to…continue the adventures! The first trip of the month was back to the US for the wedding of two good friends - Amanda and Jeff. Before the wedding, I was able to get some good, quality time with my nana. We celebrated her 93rd birthday (one week late). How special is that?

As luck would have it, one of my best friends, Emily, was in town from LA for her sister's wedding. I got to grab some quality Em time over manis and pedis. And while our time together was all too short, I always love our catch ups!

 

Next up on the whirlwind day - dinner with some of my best gals. Nothing like it. These friendships are 29, 24 and 15 years strong! One quick dinner is never enough, but I left so happy with my heart (and belly) full :)

And then came the wedding! A beautiful venue out in New Jersey called Born to Run farms. Fresh air and trees abound, it was nice to escape the city and reunite with family and close family friends. Amanda was absolutely stunning, and you could feel the love radiating off of these two. There are many reasons why I love Jeff and Amanda, and I am so glad I was able to be there to celebrate with them!

 

 

 

 

The next day we have a lovely brunch outdoors at a nearby lake, and I got to spend time with my favorite little munchkin! Alani was a big hit at the park.

In mid-September I joined the Desperados brand team for their unprecedented, epic musical festival in the mountains outside of Barcelona. The event was called Skyfest and it was a festival for 1500+ people that totally remixed the festival rules by placing DJs and VIPs in hot air balloons. It was one of the coolest brand activations I’ve seen, and an awesome environment to host media.

Have no idea what I'm talking about? The video just launched -- check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3A5_ZIuPW0

 

 

 

After the festival I got to enjoy Sunday morning in Barcelona before heading back to Amsterdam. It was a picture-perfect morning – blue skies, temps in the low 70s (~23°C). After a stroll on the beach I grabbed brunch which consisted of all my Spanish favorites: fresh paella and sweet sangria with a side of incredible ocean views.

I absolutely love Spain. It’s a beautiful country, has amazing food and friendly people. Seville and San Sebastian are both high on my list. Hoping to visit these places next year!  

The weekend after Spain I travelled to Maastricht with two girlfriends, Jonelle and Caroline. It was a bit spontaneous, but happy we pulled it together so quickly and got to go. Maastricht is a historic city in the south of the Netherlands. It’s very close to the Belgium border to the south and the German border to the east. Because of this, the city feels like a mix of all cultures instead of being distinctly Dutch. It is also a university town, so the city was buzzing with collegiate energy.

We arrived midday on Saturday and went straight to check out the town. We walked around catching some of the highlights including Hell’s Gates (the original city walls), historic cathedrals, and the many town squares that bring together locals and tourists alike.  

We were super lucky with the weather – a true Indian summer type of a weekend with comfortable temperatures in the low 70s and clear blue skies. Exactly the way you want to explore a city!

Maastricht is also considered to be the gastronomic capital of the Netherlands. We were not disappointed by the two delicious brunches we had in town at Café Zondag on Saturday, and ‘t Wycker Cabinet on Sunday, and our fantastic dinner Saturday night that had us rolling back to the hotel. Thanks to my friend Anouk, who studied there, for the fab recommendations!

On Sunday we walked from one side of the city to the other to the fortress and caves. The fortress was built to protect the city centuries ago mostly from French invaders. The caves were also built in the ~1500s as a way to protect farmers, and most importantly, their livestock, from invaders. We spent the morning exploring the kilometres of caves the sprawl out under the city and are decorated with chalk images that depict the city’s unique history and heritage.

All in all a fantastic weekend in Maastricht, and a wonderful weekend with friends! I highly recommend any visitors or locals take a trip here. It’s a quick ~2.5 hour train ride from Amsterdam, and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

September Visitors

The first weekend in September I was excited to host my sister and brother-in-law in Amsterdam! They came after an action-packed trip to Iceland. It was so nice to show them around my ‘hood, and always a great time when we’re together.

 

One of the highlights of the visit was going to Librije’s Zusje in the Waldorf Astoria for dinner. I was lucky they let me crash their 4^th anniversary dinner J It’s a 2-star Michelin restaurant and was a truly incredible culinary experience. The food was exquisite. Course after course of delicate masterpieces that looked too good to eat. But, eat (and drink) we did. And we enjoyed every bite.

 

After a fun weekend it was sad to see them go. I hope my convincing to return to Amsterdam with Alani next year was strong! I hear there’s a great zoo here in Amsterdam, too. Just saying…

The last weekend in September I was so happy to host my family friends, the Gruskin’s! Matt and Lara went to Oktoberfest prior to coming to AMS to celebrate Lara’s 30^th bday. Lara’s best friend Sydney and her boyfriend met up with them there, and then they all came to Amsterdam!

It’s always such a fun time with this crew. A weekend of good food, good drinks, and lots of laughs. I had a great time showing them around the city…and also trying to convince them all to move here.

Since I moved, I have been looking forward to October for several reasons. Now that it’s almost over, I can happily say this month did not disappoint. But, more on that soon!

Until next time…