On the road: Amsterdam

Have to start this with a canal photo.

Well, it's time to wrap-up our 2013 European journey. It feels like a lifetime ago that we were in Europe, even though it was only four months ago... and it has been increasingly hard to write about our experiences without turning to a guidebook or asking Sergio, "Did we do X in Barcelona or Paris?" or "Where was that crazy guy who was bothering us?" It makes for a less-engaging blogging experience, though it is happy to relive the fun memories. So it is with great joy -- and a little bit of sadness -- that I finish sharing our European trip stories with you. But fear not, friends. We're off to Europe again in just a few days to create more amazing memories!

Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities to visit in Europe, though it's certainly not the prettiest or the most steeped in interesting sites. And we're not the sort of people to take part in some of their, shall we say, hedonistic pleasures. Maybe Amsterdam makes a good crash city at the beginning (or in this case) end of a trip -- or maybe it's the laid-back, relaxed vibe and abundance of English-speakers that makes it feel a bit more comfortable. Whatever it is, Amsterdam is lovely -- even in the rain.

Waiting at our B&B -- in the rain! 

And boy, did it rain.

We arrived midday in Amsterdam Central after a nice little train ride from Paris, though unfortunately we arrived into the city too early. We grabbed sandwiches at a cute little shop near the station, then decided to buy tram tickets to head towards our B&B. We hopped on the tram that was correct, according to my map, but as the tram trip progressed and I tried to follow along on my map, I thought something was wrong. And -- it was! The map was out-of-date because of a lot of construction -- so we got off as soon as I noticed and started a much longer walk towards the B&B. Amsterdam, if you've never been there, is a relatively confusing city-- if you don't speak Dutch, the canal and street names can be a bit confusing. We managed to find the B&B -- but the door was locked and no one was answering the bell! We couldn't get free WiFi nearby, and then it started to rain! I sat on a bench outside of the house with our bags while Sergio ran off to buy an umbrella for us (it had a tulip handle!).

After about thirty minutes in a slight rain shower, the owners' daughter, Winnie, arrived -- out of breath, she threw down her bicycle, apologizing for being late. She was super-sweet. Our room was very nice, just inside the house's front door. After a bit of rest, we decided to head out into the city and walk around the shops, and then we went to my favorite restaurant in Amsterdam -- Kantjil! I was very surprised initially to find great Indonesian food in a land of herring and thin pancakes, but man oh man - Indonesian food is the best! It was so good that we went two nights in a row!

The many faces of Indonesian food

The next morning dawned semi-sunny, so after a huge breakfast at the B&B, we started a long (though we didn't think it was actually that long based on the map) walk towards the zoo. We stopped for some photos alongside a canal, soaking in the early sun and laughing with one another.

Pausing alongside the canal

We walked together, then separately, examining what was around us. There weren't many pedestrians out, just people on their bikes. At some point, Sergio stayed behind and started photographing birds. I continued walking, consulting the map as I went. Oh wait -- Sergio forgot the map. So we were flying blind -- other than my amazing sense of direction, of course.

Wandering ahead on the way to the zoo.

As we got closer, we also enjoyed a bit of local scenery -- a roller-blading man in a gold bikini! Only in Amsterdam, I think...

Doesn't a roller-blading man in a bikini make your day?

We had a fun morning in the zoo -- much better than our trip to the zoo in Barcelona. The zoo is very, very accessible, with many animals almost within arms' reach! The bird and monkey exhibits in particular were fantastic, allowing us to get close and allowing Sergio to capture a bunch of photos without wires or bars or cages in the way.

Pensive.

The zoo was a bit overrun with schoolkids, all laughing and joking and being generally rowdy and loud. It made us laugh and reflect on what we were like when we were little -- if you can't imagine it, we were opposite in many ways. I was the quiet, sweet one, and Sergio was a little wild and free-roaming, getting into mischief. I guess I always had a concern for safety whereas he climbed trees with reckless abandon. The best part of these discussions, though, is finding that sweet, sweet middle ground and deciding that yes, we could have a little bit of both in our kids some day.

A long some day, in case you think I am holding something back. We have more adventures to have. Even though we celebrate with much joy when family and friends move to that phase of their lives, we're not there. That's the magic for me with Sergio -- for the first time in my life, I'm not rushing to the proverbial "something better." Better is right here. Better is right now. Those times will come soon enough -- no need to rush them by wishing they would be here sooner.

Sergio enjoying his Racket Rocket popsicle.
I love him more than I can say.

As the evening wound down, I sorted and re-sorted through all of our things, trying to cram our souvenirs into our bags, tossing out extra items or shirts that I had planned to ditch anyway. I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I watched the BBC and relaxed in bed while Sergio ran off to do a bit more museum-hopping. It was a quiet, calm night, and I knew we were ready to go back home.

What a journey -- and so many good memories. I'm thrilled to have shared our experiences, good and challenging, with you! I've been working on a photo blog from my birthday trip in November that I hope to post tomorrow, and then later in the week I have an update about our fun travel plans for 2014! Thanks for reading and sharing in our joy :)

xo,
Sarah

I was not in the mood to pose that day.

Stereotypical bicycle shot. In B&W. Obv. 

This bird posed for us for some time.