Big Summer Blow Out!

Remember in high school sports when you'd be training in the summer and there was always the dreaded week of "hell" week? 

Ya, here we call it the continent week.

• 2 cities
• 6 days
• 41 girls

I don't think we were ever running slower than a sprint as we dashed across those glorious cities, Amsterdam and Paris! Also I'm not using hyperbole here, with our professors we were always walking at a hastened clip through those cobbled streets, nothing short of a jog, and we covered roughly eleven miles on foot everyday!

But when its negative three degrees Celsius, you're grateful to be walking so quickly. Keeps the blood moving and the body warm; its when you stop that you realize how cold it is outside.

But even in the crisp air you can't deny how beautiful it is.

The Netherlands: canals, bikes, itty-bitty streets, and the tallest, smallest, quaintest houses.

I repeat, the tallest, smallest, quaintest houses.

The inside of a church in the Begijnhof, beautiful!

Looks like a palace right? It used to be the post office, now it's a mall. What?!

Come on, even at night with those twinkle lights you can't help but just fall in love with Amsterdam! And don't get me started on their bikes!

(Definitely more likely to get hit by a bike than a car; though I almost got hit by a train twice -- there is no telling the difference between the sidewalk and the street so keep your wits about you!)

Now we all remember in When in Rome when Will Arnett's fake Italian character brings his car over and says that it is a very big car in Italy? Okay, I found it's working counter-part:

Fingertip to fingertip! This car is only 5'6", and that's on a good day! Thank you Fisher Price for your contribution.

Even though we may have looked like we were doing a revival of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World by our running through the streets of European cities we did indeed have class. And I found myself, again, in front of some very impressive and beautiful masterpieces

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp by Rembrandt

(an absolute favorite of mine)

Self-Portrait by Rembrandt

Not to mention these two wondrous contemporary beauties on the ceiling of the Mauritshuis (museum)

Though it is not a masterpiece of fine art this was probably a huge highlight of my trip to The Netherlands. The Dutch do breakfast right, chocolate shavings atop your toast. Delicious.

As we wrap up these glorious two days I share my two favorite parts:

The iconic tourist sign I couldn't not take a picture in front of!

I amsterdam

And the most delicious thing I've ever consumed. I may or may not have eaten my weight in these delicious stroopwafles, as shown by the ecstatic brightness of my gigantic eyes!

The street ones are far better than the grocery store ones by the by.

Days 1 and 2, check. 

Days 4 to 6 in Paris to follow!

xoxo