amsterdam

On Tuesday night, my mom and I headed off to London to begin our mini European vacation. I was not only totally psyched to continue my travels in Europe, but couldn't wait to meet up with Irene, who was meeting us at Heathrow from Ghana, where she had spent the last month working in a sickle cell clinic. After slugging through customs at Heathrow, my mom and I went down the escalator to retrieve our bags, and lo and behold, Irene was standing there with not only a huge smile on her face, but with all of our luggage! Aren't little sisters the best?!

The three of us then boarded our plane bound for Amsterdam, our destination for the next two nights. This ended up being the perfect amount of time to get our fill of Amsterdam, which included visiting museums, shops, and restaurants. The coffee shops (marijuana cafes) would have to wait for another visit, i.e., one without my mom. (Just kidding, mom!)

I loved the laissez faire vibe of Amsterdam, not only in terms of the open availability of certain indulgences that are illegal in most other countries, but for the simple and practical way of living that seems to be embraced there. Hands down, my favorite sight was the Van Gogh Museum, which would end up setting up the perfect backdrop for our upcoming trip to Provence.

Unexpectedly, we had some amazing pig-outs in Amsterdam, including dinner at Nam Kee, a Chinese restaurant famed for its oysters with black bean sauce. I loved the framed posters of blown-up house specialties hung up on the walls.


Here are photos of some additional highlights from our visit.




Touring the red light district. I think that we were the only women there.


Cool bridge in front of Nemo, the science museum.


Maintaining our daily ice cream/gelato intake.