One of the flower stands I pass by on a daily basis. Never ceases to brighten my mood.

I admit, I’ve not been so good about updating this blog. When we first booked our trip to Amsterdam, I had grand visions of all the writing, reading and emailing I was going to do, but the truth is, I’ve been so busy ramping up my job search and running around savoring Holland that I’ve fallen a bit behind.

Foggy day on the Amstel River.

So here we are: beginning our fifth week in this magical city and I have so much to catch you up on.

First, there’s the food. On a daily basis, Jimmy and I remark to each other that we would love to just eat our way through Europe. How is it that the food is so good here? And not just restaurants. We do a lot of cooking at home (him, mostly) and everything from the eggs to the produce to the butter tastes infinitely better than in New York. And the best part is that groceries cost a fraction of what they do back home.

Our favorite local fruit stand on Keizersgracht.

When we do eat out, we try to pick places that are fun and healthy. A few of our favorite places include Lavinia Good Food, G’s (Really Nice Place), and Your Health Store for smoothies. When we’re in the mood for something sweet, we head to local crêperies or Metropolitan Deli for yummy Dutch pancake puffs known as poffertjes.

L to R: Staying healthy with a homemade kale and apple salad, a truffle and egg pizzette from Lavinia Good Food, and an Ibiza Salad from G’s (with a side of challah cinnamon french toast).

And when we’re not eating our way through this magical city, there’s no shortage of sites to see.

Canal crossing on Prinsengracht.

I’ll save the art for a separate post, but one of our favorite things to do on date night is to walk along the canal belt or take in a film at one of Amsterdam’s beautiful old theaters. On Tuesday night, we saw Mr. Turner at the De Uitkijk, a delightful little theatre built in 1929. They only have one or two showings a day, and moviegoers gather in the tiny cafe/lobby before heading into the theatre. During the film, you can ring a bell to request more coffee or tea, or a snack from concession.

Cafe/lobby at the De Uitkijk.(Photo courtesy of iAmsterdam)

Balcony at the De Uitkijk. (Photo courtesy of Life in Amsterdam)

A couple of weeks ago we saw The Theory of Everything at the Pathé Tuschinski, another old theatre in the city centre. We highly recommend seeing the movie if you haven’t already (but you can skip Mr. Turner).

Jimmy and I exploring the city on a very cold afternoon.

Another highlight from the last few weeks was a trip I took to the Hague (or Den Haag as the Dutch call it) to visit one of my talented artist friends, Maaike. Together we spent the day exploring local galleries and savoring a delicious lunch near the House of Representatives. The Haag is a beautiful and quiet city about 50 minutes away from Amsterdam via train.

House of Representatives, Den Haag.

But perhaps the best part of this journey has been knowing we have a little one growing along with us. I love wandering around Amsterdam knowing we’ll have all these stories to share with our baby when they’re old enough to listen. And in case you’re counting, this Saturday marks 16 weeks, so I’ll be sure to post another bumpie 🙂

Hugs & Kisses,
Meagan