A few days in Paris: Eats + Sweets

Last month, one of my best friends from home, Jolie, came to visit me in Amsterdam and we headed to Paris to celebrate my birthday and her first visit to Europe! Of course, we weren't the only visitors looking forward to munching our way through Paris, but oddly enough, that's not exactly how it went...

This may shock you but, we just weren't all that thrilled with eating in Paris. I suppose, too much hype inflated our expectations. Thinking back to previous trips, I fondly remember eating yummy falafel and drinking lots of wine so, there you go.

Stuck with mostly grey, cold days our dreams of picnics in the park were quickly destroyed.
In fact, we hauled a bottle of wine around for an entire day in hopes the sun would shine
so we could sit, sip and watch the world go by. But instead, it drizzled. All day!

Oh, and can we talk about how expensive that city is!? Our eating experience in Paris was definitely more a of a comedy of errors than a gourmet treat but, that's all part of the travel adventure
and luckily we were able to find humor in it all. 

By far the best meal we had in Paris was a delicious falafel in the Marsai district. We origionally aimed to eat at the famed L'As du Fallafel as recommended by fellow blogger Kate, but we arrived a few minutes too late on the shabat and it had already closed! 

For those who make the same mistake, simply head a few feet over to the (apparently unorthdox) falafel vendor who happily served us up a monster meal. Delish!

With the two of us on a primarily plant based diet, we struggled as French cuisine isn't exactly known for being all that veggie friendly. Although I've incorporated some fish in the last few months, Jolie leans more towards the vegan side of the spectrum and we found very few budget friendly or on the go options. Frustration got the best of us and in the end, we opted for bringing back veggie couscous salad and eating at our hostel the first night. How glamorous! 

Fortunately, crepes are always a good thing and we got definitely got our fill...
cheese or banana + nutella were our favorites!

For more exciting tastes, we dished out big bucks to sample sweets like macrons from Pierre Herme and even dedicated a Saturday afternoon to battling a ton of super enthusiastic Japanese tourists at Laudree (aren't those kids adorable!) We couldn't say 'no' to the delicate crunch and rich flavor of gourmet macrons in Paris. 

   

Since this was Jolie's first trip to Europe we felt less guilty about blowing far too many euros to satisfy our sweet tooth. After our fair share of macarons we unanimously decided that my neighborhood Poptasi Pastry in Amsterdam serves up a tastier (less expensive) batch! Sorry, Lauduree!

One of our favorite (rainy) afternoons was spent sampling wine, a genius plan suggested by my friend Emma. We arrived with cold fingers and toes and walked out with a warm, boozy buzz.
Finally, a successful foodie stop!


On our last day, we discovered a fantastic, tiny bakery in Montmarte and had our fill. Then, popped into a yummy Italian gelateria. Finally, something yummy, we thought luck was on our side! Except, later, we stopped for a "veggie burger" at an adorable corner cafe, we were served some kind of undercooked omelet (gag) for 15 euros a pop! Nothing else to do but laugh it off (again and again).

 

At the end of our long, last day, we randomly found a Subway and we made our way back to the hostel feeling unauthentic while walking through the streets like an American cliche. But man, that sandwich was cheep and yummy. Ironically enough, that was our last meal in the city!

What are some of your unexpected food encounters while traveling?
Feel free to share your stories in the comments below!

Biking through the Dutch countryside

Here in the Netherlands we had a bank holiday during the week, so my Dutchman and I made the most of the (much needed) day off with an afternoon of cycling through the country.

One thing we both love about Amsterdam is its close proximity to the country scenery. I love what city life has to offer but living in but the countryside holds a special place in my heart too. It's my dream to keep pet chickens again one day!

From Amsterdam's city center, we just have to follow the Amstel River out of the city center and a few kilometers later suddenly, we're transported to another world of farms, windmills and lots of cows.

It's no surprise that my Dutchman is a big fan of cycling (as so many Dutch are) and he takes the whole thing pretty seriously, busting out spandex shorts, fancy cycling shoes, a speedy racing bike, the whole nine yards! During a spring bike ride last year, I learned a hard lesson... that my yellow, perfectly accessorized bike is adorable, but it is not a bike for racing. At all.

So, this week, my sweet handyman added yet another bike to his collection and fixed up a nice vintage racing bike just for me! Needless to say, he's been waiting for the day I can race along the river and (try to) keep the pace.

I tried my best to race him but, my speed isn't up to par with his. He cheered me on to keep racing and even treated me to a mid-afternoon beer in the sun (which for the record did not in any way help my speed increase).

In total, our trip was 40km (25 miles) and boy, were my legs burning! In all honestly, I wouldn't have minded a few more stops to take pictures- so many cute windmill, tulip and sheep photos were missed as we zoomed by but I did manage to snap a few. Enjoy!

  

 

Now that spring has arrived we're all about getting outside, enjoying nature and getting some exercise! What outdoor activities do you enjoy?

Celebrating my well adventured Mama

With footprints in 55 countries (and counting!) my Mom, Nancy, is definitely the one most responsible for my wanderlust. She has always encouraged me to live a passionate, creative life and constantly seek unexpected opportunities to grow and challenged myself. Thanks Mom!

In case you didn't already know, my mom is awesome. But seriously! She hauled me around the world since I was a baby, often along with my travel loving Granny, and those experiences undeniably shaped the person I am today. My mom taught me to always choose adventure and independence.

  No wonder I ended up living abroad!

With flights to nearly any destination at her fingertips, I've tagged along on numerous work trips with her, while she has also met up with me on during my own travels and even while studying abroad in China. These days, she frequently visits me here in Amsterdam, a special treat during this chapter of my expat life.  I'm a lucky kid!

A day in Strasbourg during our canal boat trip in France

Mom, your laughter is infectious, your courage is inspiring, and your positive attitude and curiosity for living life to the fullest impresses me. Your life is a life of constantly changing scenery and you always inspire me to make new discoveries and overcome challenging situations. I can't even imagine my life without the adventures, lessons and comedy of errors we've shared not traveling around the world together but in every day life. The unique opportunities you have shown me endless and I'm forever grateful! What I'm trying to say is, thanks Mom and Happy Mother's Day!

Traveling together in France, Turkey, China, South Africa, Greece and the Cayman Islands

As long as I've had this blog, I've wanted my Mom to write guest post about traveling. She frequents multiple continents on a weekly basis but always seems to be too busy sipping wine in South Africa, dancing the night away in Paris or catching up with jetlag to write for this blog of mine.

But, today is Mother's Day and so I interviewed my dear Mom her about amazing life of travel. After 30 years as a flight attendant she's what I'd consider an expert. It was a lot of fun reading her responses and I hope you'll enjoy it too!

Visiting Amsterdam together in the 90s and celebrating Queen's Day together two decades later!

Happy Mother's Day, Mama!

Check out her interview after the break...

The Last Queen's Day (for now)

Koninginnedag or Queen's Day is now officially King's Day as Queen Beatrix resigned earlier this year making way for her son, now the new King Willem-Alexander to take the throne. On April 30, The Netherlands celebrated the (last) Queen's Day and welcomed a new King, the first in more than a century! It was a fun, exhausting day of celebration and also my first time to see the royal family in person. Well, technically we were behind a thousand other people, but whatever...

If you aren't already familiar, Queen's Day celebrations are known for being over the top with street parties (think live music, dancing and lots of booze), orangjegekte, (participants who dress up in orange, the official color for the Dutch royal family), and vrijmarkts (rummage sales where everyone hawks there unwanted goods on the street for low prices).

Looking for more? You can read more about the holiday in this article by yours truly or check out my previous Queen's Day celebrations here and here.

Everyone (myself included) predicted that Amsterdam would be a complete madhouse while the annual celebration of Queen's Day took place on the same day as a change in royals. But, this was not the case. In fact, my Dutchman (who loves all things vintage and thrifty) was a bit disappointed in shortage of virjmarkt participants. The streets were eerily quiet for what's expected to be a chaotic, crazy celebration! 

This year, I got up early to wander the sidewalk sales for good bargains with my Dutchman...

 Then, we headed into Dam Square to catch a glimpse of Willem-Alexander's inauguration, quite a sight to see but again, not nearly as packed as we'd expected.

Of course, what's a day in Amsterdam without a bit of wandering along the canals? We roamed around the Jordaan with friends and finally met up with a fun group for some biertjes along a quieter waterway. The festivities continued with finding my Mama amongst the orange masses at Nieuwemarkt and naturally, that included a few more drinks, laughs and dancing in the street.

I love celebrating Queen's Day, not just for the party but also because it's a great chance to learn more about the culture and history of my home abroad. Plus, drunk people are much more entertaining to speak Dutch with, ha!

Check out this fun Queen's Day video made by my friend Christian!

Have you ever celebrated Queen's Day or a national holiday in a country different from your own?
Feel free to share your stories in the comments below.

[May] Expat Blogger Brunch

Happy Sunday, my friends!

Guess what...it's time for the May edition of the Expat Blogger Brunch!
Kaitlin and I are putting details together for our upcoming meet up
and we would love it if you joined us.

Are you looking to expand your social circle, just settling into life abroad or in need of a creative boost? Our aim for the group is primarily socializing, networking
and exchanging ideas with other bloggers.

Curious? Have a look at our previous (and first!) expat blogger meet-up hosted by Kaitlin in Utrecht last month. Such fun!

This round, I'm hosting the blogger brunch brunch over here in Amsterdam on Sunday, May 19! 

Interested? Great! Shoot me an email blog[at]lilywanderlust[dot]com for more details. 

We have 15 spaces available, please RSVP by Friday, May 10.

See y'all in a few weeks!

We created the Expat Blogger Brunch to...
-Generate a creative, social forum
-Expand experiences abroad through a network of expat bloggers in the Netherlands
-Cultivate social media contacts into real life connections
-Exchange ideas, suggestions and support about and within the expat community
-Inspire each other through topic discussions and special events
This group is open to expat bloggers both novice and seasoned, we encourage bloggers different backgrounds to participate.

Ps. Last round, we had a lot of responses from expat bloggers outside of the Netherlands. To clarify, the invitation is open to any expat blogger so, if you're going to be in town feel free to join us, the more the merrier! You can also follow along on twitter and instagram with #expatbloggersnl

Friday Link List

Happy Friday, friends! 

This week we finally got to move in and even cook in the new kitchen (ta da!), quite an exciting task after two months of construction. I mean, not to brag but check out that fine craftsmanship. My Dutchman is still finishing a few small details here and there but I was able to a yummy veggie risotto and pasta with lemon sauteed kale and peppers.
It was so much fun to cook at home again!

Are you looking forward to the weekend as well? Because I sure am. Spring rains are on their way, so here are a few fun links for reading on a lazy or rainy weekend,
 although, I hope it's sunny wherever you are!

See that big burrito? It was only €2! The California Burrito Company opened shop in Amsterdam today and they're running a tasty special for the next few hours. I just happen to be eating mine while typing this and frugality aside, it's pretty tasty!

My pal Nicole finally let me sample one of her tasty red velvet cupcakes. It was so good! Check our her baking company Cake Lab Amsterdam.

Rooftop view of the newly renovated and recently reopened Rijksmuseum.
Curious? Read an article I wrote about it here.

- Falling fruit! Have you ever picked fruit in your city?
Apparently there are some locations in Amsterdam as well. 

- Check out a few stories of San Diego coffee culture.

-When it comes to social media are you are lurker or a peacock? 

-I can't wait to try making mango salsa and lots of other Mexican inspired dishes in the new kitchen! 

-Speaking of the new kitchen, I'm excited about making pizza at home and this new Southern Vegetarian cookbook! 

If you've also done a link list feel free to share it in the comments below. Have a great weekend! 

Around Town: Walking Tour in Amsterdam

Earlier this month, one of my very best friends from Florida, Jolie, came to visit for two weeks on her very first trip to Europe! We had a brilliant time together, as good friends usually do, and it was especially fun to show her about this darling city I happily call home.

Although Amsterdam is known as a bike friendly spot (actually, that's one of my favorite aspects of living here!) it's nearly impossibly, especially for visitors, to properly take in the sights while steering and peddling their way along the fietspad. 

Cycling in Amsterdam is great fun and a definite necessity for locals, but everything whizzes by so quickly! That's why I recommend all visitors to take more time to stroll the streets and enjoy the picturesque scenes.

Let me get to the point, walking tours are a good thing!

That said, it's no surprise I also love a leisurely walk in the city because it's simply a relaxing way to see a new perspective of life happening around you. You'll never be able to catch the details of Amsterdam's historic canal houses, cute window scenes, or little spring flowers while rushing along on a bike! Plus, walking offers great opportunities for picture taking, which is an absolute must.

We chose Sandmans Free Tours for extremely biased reasons as my colleague Mark, a witty ginger from Ireland, just happens to be a guide for them (Hi Mark!)

Although I've been along the same tour a few years ago, this round did not disappoint. We spent a few hours learning the history of Amsterdam, while wandering the streets, peaking around tiny alleys and chucking at our guides entertainingly off color jokes. While I'm already acquainted with the history of Amsterdam, it was great fun to hear Jolie's unfamiliar point of view, observations from a fresh perspective are so interesting. Our tour was great combination of history and humor!

Yes, that's a boob, Amsterdam's Oudekerk is located in the heart of the Red Light District.

Oh look, it's Amsterdam's thinnest house! Can you believe someone really lives there?!

A few snapshots around the Jordaan neighborhood in west of the city center

If you're visiting Amsterdam, showing friends around the city or just curious to explore a bit of history definitely check out these tours. And don't forget to tip generously if you found it fun,
the tours may be free but the guides still gotta eat!

Speaking of eating, our tour ended in the Jordaan and after browsing a few overpriced cute boutiques I took Jolie to one of the tastiest vegan restaurants in town, De Bolhoed. You may remember it from my Friday Pieday series and although it's been ages since I visited their food was yummy as ever!

Note: If are are brave enough to hop on a two wheeler in Amsterdam here's a little secret...
The locals exactly don't appreciate amateurs taking their sweet time frivolously cycling and pretty please don't ring your bells obnoxiously, it's just annoying. While you might be leisurely cycling along be warned there's a chance swarmed by dining bells and angry locals zipping past.
Just stay to the right, be aware and everyone's happy! So, now you know.