A Pre-Thanksgiving November

The Worst Best Worst Host in Amsterdam

Upon returning from Tel Aviv, Steph and Lexie came back to Amsterdam for the weekend and we were joined by my best friend from college, Casey. Casey was in between work trips to Brussels and Berlin and I am SO glad she was able to stop through Amsterdam for the weekend!

So, with some of my besties in tow, I was the absolute worst host ever…dragging my friends around to all the things I wanted to do that weekend in Amsterdam… 

·         My friend Ana’s Halloween-themed birthday party – I met Ana through my friend Andre who I used to work with in the US. I now get to work with Ana in Amsterdam and I absolutely adore her! From music festivals in Spain to dinner dates in Amsterdam I am so lucky to have made such a great friend. And super happy we made it back from our trip in time to celebrate her birthday. Thanks for letting me bring three American hippies along!

 

 

 

·         Brunch at Morgan and Mees – one of my favs – and a trip to Albert Cuyp market for fresh stroopwafels

 

·         Shopping in the Negen Straatjes

·         Museumnacht – a really fun night when about 30 museums in Amsterdam keep their doors open until 2am. Each museum has a different type of entertainment (i.e., DJ/live music, specialty drinks, hands-on activities, etc.) and one ticket gets you access to as many as you can fit in. We started our night at Van Gogh, paused for dinner at Los Feliz (a great Cali/Mex restaurant in De Pijp), and then ended at the Nemo, which is a hands-on science museum that has something for everyone, including an interesting ‘Teen Facts’ exhibit…which teaches teens about sex. Welcome to Amsterdam.

 

·         Drinks at the Andaz – who doesn't love a great hotel bar? Having recently tried the Pulitzer, I also really wanted to try the Andaz. The vibe felt more like an NYC cocktail lounge than hotel lobby bar, which was exactly what we wanted. The floor-to-ceiling windows flooded in what was left of the daylight as we watched boats cruise up and down the Prinsengracht and I blissfully enjoyed the company of my good friends in a truly ‘gezellig’ setting.  

I quickly went from worst host to best host as they enjoyed all of the above (I think!). And then, at the very end of the weekend, whilst my friends stopped to take that iconic canal/bike-on-bridge shot (ok, I took one too. There was a pink bike!), Steph got completely nailed in the back by a frustrated Amsterbiker who undoubtedly was fed up with ‘tourists’ blocking the streets to take their pictures. Sorry Steph, I should’ve warned you better! #hostfail #comebacksoon

 

Riga or Bust

The week after the girls left it was back to the grind. Dutch lessons began that week (read back a blog post or two to find out how that one is going…), work was busy (everyone wakes up on 1 November and realizes there’s about 5-6 weeks left in the working year and SO much still to get done!), the rain in Amsterdam started to fall again…and didn’t stop.

But two great things happened this week: a dinner with my friend Anouk who made a delicious stew (I still need the recipe!!), and a phone catchup with the lovely Steph Dexter, another HUSA colleague-turned-friend who is killing it in London at HEINEKEN UK.

And it wasn’t long before wanderlust struck again. This time to a destination not on many people’s radar: Riga. Why Riga? My friend Ben decided to leave London after 3 years and head back to the States, and while we could’ve met up in London or Amsterdam, that would’ve been boring.

We showed up in Riga on Independence Day weekend. Riga is a beautiful city - slightly creepy with men in uniforms and tanks in the streets for Independence Day - but still beautiful.

 

 

We stayed right in the Old Town which is quaint as quaint can be. It reminded me a lot of my trip to Tallinn, Estonia this summer - makes a lot of sense as both are major capitals of Baltic states. In a weird way, it feels like I am inching ever-closer to my roots as my papa claimed we are Lithuanian 11 years ago. It’s a hard-to-trace story – and at some point also puts these ancestors in the Netherlands - but you can imagine my surprise to hear this the night of my high school graduation after years of doing heritage projects in school and thinking this side of the family was Russian.

Anyway, unfortunately for us, it was the first real frigid weekend of the season and most of the charm of the city is outside. We tried really hard to take a Saturday afternoon walking tour, but after 45 minutes, an imminent rain shower and some frozen toes, we had to give up. We did manage to take our own walking tour of the art nouveau district on Sunday though!

All in all it was a really nice weekend and I’m glad we got to spend time together before his big trip back across the pond.

As fun as the beginning of November was, I couldn't wait to get back to Amsterdam to start planning for my very first Thanksgiving in Amsterdam. Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. More to come on that soon...

Until next time!