by Karen | Jan 30, 2018 | Amsterdam, Europe, Holland, Local Guides, Sustainable Tourism, The Netherlands, Travel
I’ve been putting off this guide to secret Amsterdam for a while as living in Amsterdam has made me worry about sharing my secret places in Amsterdam where I go to avoid the tourists. However, it’s not nice not to share.
In this guide to Amsterdam off the beaten path, you’ll be visiting some Amsterdam secret spots as well as some really non-touristy things to do in Amsterdam. Keep reading for information on the interesting things to do in Amsterdam that you won’t read elsewhere as well as a map.
by Karen | Nov 16, 2018 | Amsterdam, Brabant, Day Trips from Amsterdam, Europe, Holland, The Hague, The Netherlands, Travel, Weekend Trips from Amsterdam, Zeeland
I’ve been lucky enough to call the Netherlands my home. Visiting family and friends will ask me what is the one thing that they must do in the Netherlands. That answer isn’t so easy. We’ve came up with 55+ things for you to do in the Netherlands to add to your Dutch bucket list based on our time living in the Netherlands. Not everything will be possible (due to weather) during your trip, but I hope that it inspires you to revisit this beautiful country.
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by Karen | Nov 14, 2018 | Austria, Europe, Travel
One of my most emotionally raw moments of this year was unexpected: A friend offered me her house to catsit at. I readily accepted, however my research into the area led me to discover that the Mauthausen concentration camp was nearby.
Visiting a former Nazi concentration camp for the first time was difficult, however it was something that I had to do. I hope that this article helps you prepare for your visit.
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by Karen | Nov 13, 2018 | Couples Travel, Expat Life, Moving Abroad
As many of you know, we eloped last year. It was perfect in its own way, but not being able to celebrate our wedding with our families bothered us. We were saving up for a wedding in the States, but eloping threw off some of this.
Our elopement was small, intimate, and romantic, however I knew that I still wanted to have a proper reception and a ceremony despite eloping. I’ll include some lessons learned from our post-elopement party, which was planned from abroad.
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by Karen | Nov 12, 2018 | Amsterdam, Europe, Holland, The Netherlands, Travel
One of my favorite neighborhoods in Amsterdam is the Jordaan. If you’re looking to escape some of the crowds of center and experience some of the charm of Amsterdam, you can follow this self-guided walking guide to the Jordaan, one of Amsterdam’s most charming neighborhoods, to see a few secrets of de Jordaan that you might not see otherwise. It’s based on my time living just five minutes away from the Jordaan.
I do my best to discuss history as well as some charming cafes, restaurants, hofjes and streets that I always love to stop into. The walking tour of de Jordaan should take about 1.5 hours. The total distance covered is 2 kilometers (~1 mile), but I encourage you to slow down. Map at the bottom of the post.
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by Karen | Nov 11, 2018 | Food and Drink Adventures, Recipes
As a born and raised New Yorker, one of the things that has driven me crazy about living abroad is not having access to good bagels. In a crazy attempt to rectify this, I’ve tried making my own everything bagels at home and trust me, they delivered. I’ve adjusted some other recipes in trying to get the right taste to my bagels as I love a bagel with an extra taste of garlic and onions. Keep read for my real New York bagel recipe!
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by Karen | Nov 9, 2018 | Couples Travel, Day Trips from Amsterdam, Europe, Sustainable Tourism, The Netherlands, Travel, Weekend Trips from Amsterdam
One of the things that I love most about living in the Netherlands is how easy it is to travel around the Netherlands. Amersfoort is a charming city just thirty minutes from Amsterdam (and only 15 minutes from Utrecht) with a stunning medieval center. Although I’ve been to Amersfoort briefly before, this past weekend gave me the chance to explore this beautiful Dutch city. Keep reading for your perfect weekend itinerary for Amersfoort, the Netherlands!
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by Jacob | Nov 6, 2018 | Day Trips from Amsterdam, Europe, The Netherlands, Travel, Weekend Trips from Amsterdam
In the center of Amersfoort, standing 98.33 meters tall, is the most distinctive and noticeable landmark of Amersfoort: Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren (in English, “Tower of Our Dear Lady” a common reference to Mother Mary). Not only is the height impressive, being the third largest tower in the Netherlands, but this tower, known as Laang Jon, houses an impressive collection of bells and marks center point for all surveying done in the Netherlands. Read about the history of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwetoren, the carillons of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwetoren, and the Rijksdriehoekscoördinaten.
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by Karen | Nov 4, 2018 | Amsterdam, Day Trips from Amsterdam, Europe, Holland, The Hague, The Netherlands, Travel, Weekend Trips from Amsterdam
Now that Halloween is over, we can shamelessly shift to Sinterklaas. Just kidding, we’re ready for Christmas. Although the Dutch Christmas markets are not as famous as their German counterparts, the Christmas markets in the Netherlands are absolutely charming. I ended up not ranking these strictly as people look for different things in different Christmas markets, but I’ve grouped it based on the opinions of friends. I’ve included ten Christmas markets in the Netherlands and I’ll be updating this post with more experiences/photos this year!
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by Karen | Nov 2, 2018 | Expat Life, Netherlands Expat
It’s been about three and half years since I moved to the Netherlands and until this time last year, I lived in Amsterdam. I’d like to think that this has given me a bit of perspective on what is unique about living in Amsterdam and what is more typical for the rest of the Netherlands. I came into this process fairly blind, so I hope that this can help others determine if living in Amsterdam is the right decision for them. I say this as someone who is a little less biased than the average Amsterdammer.
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by Karen | Nov 1, 2018 | Expat Life, France Expat, Moving Abroad, Netherlands Expat
It’s funny: It’s been over three and half years since I moved abroad, however restarting my life last year multiple times in two cities (Paris and the Hague) reminded me how isolating expat life can be. I don’t always write about my personal life, but it’s hard making friends as an adult, especially as an expat. I’ll be including some tips for making friends as an expat.
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Karen & Jacob. American expats and cat lovers from 