I loved The Netherlands! In fact, if it didn't get so cold there, I would consider moving =) Delft was probably my favorite destination that we visited ... so picturesque Europe and with hardly any tourists. I would also like to give a big thanks to Annelies, John, Nadine & Vincent for welcoming us into your home and giving us a taste of true Dutch life. I just may start putting sprinkles on my toast now! I also must find a place here in the states that makes a tompous ~ the most delicious Dutch pastry. But for now, Eric and I will take a stab at making some of the recipes from our Dutch cook book from Annelies (perhaps minus the raw herring). But yes, the "homeland" was spectacular.
After leaving S'Gravenzande in The Netherlands, we trained to Paris. Oh Paris. I was intimidated at first and very much overwhelmed by the city which I found curious since I fell in love with New York the moment I stepped foot in it and Paris is very reminiscent of New York ... just with European style. But I did grow to love Paris and especially the language. First off, the weather could not have been more perfect as we explored the city by foot our first day. Throughout the next few days, Eric and I became pros at the metro system and soaked up Paris ~ we visited all the tourist attractions, picniced in the park next to the Eiffel Tower while eating fabulous french bread sandwiches from a Rue Claire market, ate gelato in the park (a few times), gawked at giant Monet paintings, squinted at the tiny Mona Lisa, sipped espresso at cafes, ordered food in French (butchered French no doubt), watched the final EuroCup soccer game at a pub (apparently the French love the Spanish ~ lucky for us, it made for a great time), visted the gorgeous Palace of Versailles and finally spent a day in Montemarte, which was described to me as "old Paris" and it really was the most charming. Van Gogh, among other famous artists, lived and dined here and it is the backdrop to a few lovely films, such as Amelie and Midnight in Paris.
Fun tidbits: Eric and I stayed in a studio apartment on the 3rd floor of an old building in the heart of Paris (so much fun and surrounded by locals), but it did come with some quirks (but that's what makes traveling such an adventure, right?) When we arrived, it was so hot inside so I swung open the big picture windows only to have a view of everyone else's apartment in the courtyard. Oh right, city living. Within the half hour, we got a knock on the door and a French woman was standing there looking very frustrated. For the next 10 minutes, we had a "conversation" mostly made up of hand motions and loud, annunciated words (as if the other person MIGHT understand our language if we slow the words down, haha). We finally figured out that she was there to clean the apartment (hmmm, good thing we didn't touch anything yet) so we left her in peace and prayed our luggage would still be there when we returned. Later on in our stay, Eric broke the lock (ahem, just being honest) on the shared toilet room so using it was a real joy now that the entire door wouldn't close completely (you know the feeling ~ "please nobody come around the corner ...") And lastly, when we attempted to wash our clothes in the washer, a few things went awry and we ended up with sopping wet clothes that took days to dry. A lovely smell for our future travels. Awww but so much fun! Waaaay better than a hotel ;)
~ Heidi
After leaving S'Gravenzande in The Netherlands, we trained to Paris. Oh Paris. I was intimidated at first and very much overwhelmed by the city which I found curious since I fell in love with New York the moment I stepped foot in it and Paris is very reminiscent of New York ... just with European style. But I did grow to love Paris and especially the language. First off, the weather could not have been more perfect as we explored the city by foot our first day. Throughout the next few days, Eric and I became pros at the metro system and soaked up Paris ~ we visited all the tourist attractions, picniced in the park next to the Eiffel Tower while eating fabulous french bread sandwiches from a Rue Claire market, ate gelato in the park (a few times), gawked at giant Monet paintings, squinted at the tiny Mona Lisa, sipped espresso at cafes, ordered food in French (butchered French no doubt), watched the final EuroCup soccer game at a pub (apparently the French love the Spanish ~ lucky for us, it made for a great time), visted the gorgeous Palace of Versailles and finally spent a day in Montemarte, which was described to me as "old Paris" and it really was the most charming. Van Gogh, among other famous artists, lived and dined here and it is the backdrop to a few lovely films, such as Amelie and Midnight in Paris.
~ Heidi
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