Category / travel

by Meagan

Savoring Holland.

Some serious blooms to brighten up the cold January day.

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.

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.

Fruit stand on

Our favorite local fruit stand on Keizersgracht.

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by Meagan

Now this is how you Yoga.

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Practice room at Delight Yoga, Weteringschans . (Photo courtesy of Delight Yoga)

Today is my favorite day of the week. And not for the obvious weekend-is-a-coming reason, but because it’s my prenatal yoga class. I know what you’re thinking: lame. Super lame. But hear me out for a second.

I’m a big believer in routine when it comes to fitness, and even though my usual hot yoga is on the “strictly forbidden” list of pregnancy exercises, I knew it would be essential to find a studio I liked in Amsterdam to continue my practice and keep my sanity. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined finding a studio like Delight Yoga. Just look at this place:

Prenatal practice room.

Practice room at Weteringschans (where I take prenatal yoga).

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by Meagan

From Holland With Love.

Our 17th Century Canal House.

Our 17th Century Canal House.

On New Year’s Eve, Jimmy and I left New York for a two-month stay in Amsterdam. In some ways this trip has been years in the making, and it’s with warm hearts and ample gratitude that we’re here writing this from our very own canal house.

In just 48 hours in this perfect little village of a city, we’ve adopted a few rituals that will be hard to abandon once it’s time to leave…

First, there’s our local coffee shop Two For Joy. It’s just a few doors down from us and serves a sumptuous vegetarian bean chili with lime (yes, lime!).

Then there’s the shopping. Between Hotel Droog, Hay Amsterdam, Sukha, and Friday Next, I’ve literally stepped into my fever dream of modern concept stores. Amsterdam is a hotbed of young European design talent and lacking all the pretense (and hefty price tags) you often find in New York.

Visiting Hotel Droog yesterday.

Visiting Hotel Droog yesterday. I have about 5 layers on underneath my coat (hence, the stuffed sausage look).

Last but not least, there’s our home. This might be the very best thing about Amsterdam so far. Jimmy found us the perfect little house in the main city center, on a quiet canal, just steps from dozens of restaurants and shops. We rented the place from a lovely Dutch couple who renovated the 17th century canal house into an elegant, modern retreat. The home is four floors, one for each of the primary living spaces (kitchen, living area, bedroom and office), and it boasts huge windows, heated floors and a cozy fireplace we’ve become keenly attached to. In the two days since we arrived, we’ve already gone through 4 logs!

Our living room.

Doing a little Saturday work from our living room.