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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Karen & Jacob. American expats and cat lovers from 