{holland-days}

{The Heineken Experience is a must see}

{traditional danish porcelain was everywhere in the city!}

{one of the coolest places we found for lunch}

{Iamsterdam sculpture in front of the Rijksmuseum}

hello lovlies. yet again, a city took my heart this weekend. elliot & i visited amsterdam, and had absolutely no idea what awaited us. i was delighted to find every building and canal to be postcard-perfect. the trees glowed a vibrant yellow, and the gables on each house resembled gingerbread artwork. with the chilly weather, it was a winter wonderland.

after taking time to explore the city (which was easy to do since it is relatively small and compact), we decided to stop in at the Heineken Experience. for anyone with an interest in beer, the museum was incredible. it was interactive and very hands-on. situated in the old brewery, the museum also detailed the whole history behind the company and its unique origins.

our other stops included the red light district, the Iamsterdam sculpture, and some local restaurants/street stands to try local Danish food. the bitterballen, frittes, and oliebollen were definitely my favorites. i also managed to find my favorite starbucks of all time (which is saying quite a lot). it was the epitome of a dutch coffee shop, with large, rustic wooden furniture, vintage books & boxes, and warm lighting. i never wanted to leave.

after spending the weekend in holland, we left for a school visit to the EU in brussels. i don't have much to say on the subject since the city was my least favorite part of europe. however, it made me very excited to come home to our cozy Torino apartment. 

tomorrow, we are off to the eternal city. yes, we may have just arrived home this afternoon, but we are already off to the great city of rome tomorrow evening (i think this back to back planning may have been a result of over-excited travelers back in september). this will make 11 consecutive days of travel! this should be interesting.

 in case i forgot to mention, the christmas season is coming to europe quickly. though its lovely getting to experience different cultures' decorations and celebrations, i cannot wait to be back in california to celebrate properly at home.

enjoy your week

xox