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...