Amsterdam

We arrived into Amsterdam a bit later than expected. First because we missed our flight, and then the train was delayed about 30 minutes. It had been quite a long day, so we decided just to grab a taxi to our hotel. When we got in line at the taxi stand, we noticed that at least three out of four taxis were Teslas.  We hopped in a Model S which Josh was pretty excited about.  We heard that the city provides incentives to taxi owners that choose to buy a Tesla over a gas vehicle.

We finally made it to our hotel, The Hotel Espresso City Center. It was a great location and there was a cafe in the lobby, but it was the smallest room we've ever stayed in. After talking with a few other people, this seems to be quite the norm for Amsterdam. Our room had a king size bed, but with our suitcase on the floor, we basically had to scoot sideways around the bed. So when visiting, expect to have a pretty small space. Other than the size, the room was quite nice. Luckily, the city is so great that you'll not want to spend much time in your room.  After getting settled, we decided to crash for the night and make a full day of it the following day.

The next morning we headed out to grab some breakfast. The Dutch are famous for their pancakes so we decided that we had to try some. We found a place that was just a few blocks from our hotel called De Vier Pilaren (The Pancake Place). It was right on one of their famous canals, and we got a seat by the window overlooking the water.

We had delicious pancakes at this cute place right on the canal

The pancakes were amazing, not like anything I've had before. We tried savory dutch pancakes. They are very thin, similar to an open face crepe. We also had some sweet mini pancakes called poffertjes served with butter and powdered sugar; they went especially well with the deliciously strong coffee.

We had savory and sweet pancakes with a view

One nice thing about Amsterdam is that almost everyone speaks English, so ordering at restaurants, buying tickets to tours and museums, or asking someone on the street to take a photo for you are all very easy.

After breakfast, we walked along the canal to the Museum District. The Museum District is basically a park near the canals with famous museums sprinkled throughout it. It is also where the famous I Amsterdam sculpture is.

The iconic I Amsterdam sign

We made a bee line for the Van Gogh museum shortly after it opened in order to beat the rush. We were told to get there early as the lines get pretty long in the afternoon. We were glad we listened because the line seemed to double or triple behind us in the short time we were waiting. The tickets cost 18 Euros each and it's generally recommended to buy them in advance because they often sell out. If you can't purchase them in advance, try to go early in the morning.

Once we entered the museum, we had to wait in line again to leave our backpack at the coat check. They do not charge for this service and require you check anything larger than a handbag. You can also check coats there as well.

There museum featured many of Van Gogh's famous paintings including Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, Almond Blossoms (which hangs in our home), and several of his famous self portraits. However, it was some of his lesser known works at the museum that became our highlights.  One painting called Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette was one of our favorites.  It's rumored that Van Gogh painted this as a self portrait in reaction to his self-inflicted declining health. 

One of our favorite paintings at the Van Gogh Museum

After the Van Gogh museum we walked underneath the Rijks Museum but didn't have time to go in and explore. It will be on our list for next time. Next, we hopped on a canal cruise and headed north to take in the beautiful sites along the way including the Langlois Bridge that Van Gogh featured in several of his paintings.

Langlois Bridge

The canal tour we booked was a hop-on-hop-off tour. Pro-tip: This is a great option for getting around a new city while taking in the sites, especially if you aren't quite sure what you want to see. If you see something interesting, hop off and explore.  In most cities, the hop-on-hop-off tours are double decker buses, but in Amsterdam it's a boat. That is exactly what we did, so we hopped off at Central Station and decided to check out the area and grab a bite to eat.

On the hop-on-hop-off canal tour

We wandered around the streets a bit before stopping into a little shop for lunch. It's worth mentioning that service in Amsterdam doesn't seem to be a priority. It takes a little getting used to but if you know what to expect, it's fine. Servers don't tend to come check on you as frequently and you will usually have to request your check. Also, they do not offer free water, only bottled and it's quite expensive. It was often cheaper to drink a beer than water in Amsterdam.

After lunch, we hopped back on the tour and got off near the Anne Frank Museum. The lines were just too long for us to handle on such a short trip, so we didn't get to go inside. We walked around the neighborhood a bit before jumping on the canal tour back toward the Museum District.

Near the Anne Frank House

There are so many bicycles there

There was a Banksy and Roy Lichtenstein exhibit at the Moco Musuem that didn't have much of a line since it was only about an hour before the museum closed. We are both big fans of Banksy and Josh is a big fan of Lichtenstein as well. We decided to walk through it since we wouldn't have to wait in line to get in and it was a rare opportunity to see some of our favorite artists' works.

Banksy Works

Part of the exhibit included a 3-D room that made it feel like you were actually in a Lichtenstein painting. The room is Lichtenstein's interpretation of Van Gogh's famous painting 'The Bedroom.' This museum turned into a highlight of the trip, so we're very glad that we stopped in.

3-D Lichtenstein Room

That evening we headed to the Red Light District (De Wallen) just to see what all the hype is about. We caught the last run of the canal cruise as the sun was setting and the city is especially beautiful at twilight.

Twilight along the canals

Sunset over Munttoren Clock Tower

The red light district is actually an area along a few canals. Walking around the area was quite strange although it did make for some interesting people watching. It was quite apparent that many people had come there to party. This wasn't really on our agenda that night, so we wandered through the area and then made our way to the Royal Palace at Dam Square.

National WWII Monument at Dam Square

We did a bit more wandering, then finished up the night with a waffle covered in pistachio/white chocolate coating that was nothing short of heavenly. After that, it was time to head back to our hotel because we had an early flight back to the states the next day.

Paris

We arrived into Paris from Dublin in the early evening and took a cab from Charles de Gaulle Airport to our AirBnB in Montmartre. We intentionally booked an AirBnb with washer and dryer so we could do laundry halfway through our trip and pack much lighter than we could have otherwise. Pro-tip:  AirBnB's can often provide amenities hotels cannot, like laundry.  However, they are often missing amenities like luggage storage before check-in or after check-out. Make sure to plan accordingly. 

Once we were settled in our AirBnB we headed out to explore the area and make our way to Moulin Rouge. It was raining a bit, but we were prepared with jackets and umbrellas so it didn't bother us too much. We stopped in Le Chat Noir for a light dinner since we only booked the show tickets and not dinner at Moulin Rouge. We checked a few things off the bucket list there: drank some champagne, ate some french onion soup, and relaxed.

The Iconic Moulin Rouge Windmill

We headed to Moulin Rouge where unfortunately they do not allow photography. The place was very eclectic and had an old school paris vibe. The show itself was even better than we expected. It wasn't just the famous can-can girls, but the show also included all kinds of variety acts including a couple on roller skates that really amazed us with their skills.

After the show was over we decided to hop in a cab to the Eiffel Tower so we could check it out at night. We walked around a bit, but Josh started to feel sick, so we headed back to the AirBnB for the night.

The Centerpiece of the City of Lights

We had lots of activities planned for the next day, but everything got put on hold so we could head to the hospital. We won't go into too many details here, but this is a good time to mention that things don't always go according to plan. This is why it's a good idea to book travel insurance. Pro-tip: Check with your credit card companies and health insurance provider to see what coverage they include for travel. This may help determine what additional coverage you need.

The hospital detour took a bit of time out of our itinerary and made us miss our flight to Amsterdam as well. Pro-tip: Make sure to research back-up options in case your travel plans don't go according to schedule. Over the years of travel, we've missed flights and trains, so it's a good idea to make note of other transportation options when you're initially booking your trip. We were lucky to be able to book last minute train passage to Amsterdam that left us a few hours to sight-see before we had to leave Paris, so we decided to fit in as much as we could.

We left the hospital and took a cab back to the Champ de Mars to see the Eiffel Tower in the light of day. This cab ride took us past the Arc de Triomphe.  We took some more photos at the Eiffel Tower and then stopped at a little cafe for a late lunch.

Drive-by Arc de Triomphe

From there we headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral and got to drive along the Seine river and pass by the Louvre museum. Once we made it to Notre Dame, we each took a turn going inside while the other watched the luggage outside.

The famous Notre Dame

Notre Dame Interior and Sculptural Detail

After Notre Dame, it was time to head to the train station and make our way to Amsterdam. We definitely plan on another trip to Paris though so we can see it properly. What are some things we should make sure to see next time?

Ireland

Ireland Day 1 - Dublin

We have always wanted to travel to Ireland. It's been on the list for quite some time and when we saw a cheap airfare sale, we decided to book. Of course, that meant we would be going during off-peak time in the early Spring. Our flights ended up getting moved around a bit so we ended up with a long layover in Washington DC. (Pro Tip: if you end up with a long layover, book a airport lounge. Many times you don't even have to be flying on that airline. For instance we bought day passes for the Turkish Airlines Lounge even though we were flying on Aer Lingus. It worked out great and gave us a comfy place to lounge and have a few glasses of wine on our six hour layover. The food was superb!)

Since we were traveling in early March, we ended up barely missing some pretty serious weather. Dublin got hit by the worst snowfall in over ten years the day before we arrived and the East Coast of the US got hit by a Nor'easter the day after we left. That may make it sound like traveling off peak is a bad idea, but it does have its perks. Of course the cost savings is the main one. But you also avoid many of the crowds the peak travel season bring.


Once we landed in Dublin, we were quite tired from our travels and went to our hotel. It was about 6:00am so we didn't think we would be able to check in and were just looking to store our luggage for the day. We were surprised to hear our room was ready when we got there, so we headed there to freshen up. Three hours later when we woke up from our impromptu but much needed nap, we decided we needed some Irish Breakfast. After some internet research we ended up at Hatch & Son's. They had a bit of a modern take on the traditional Irish breakfast which I appreciated, but Josh who is a connoisseur of blood puddings, was a little underwhelmed. The soda bread was very good as was the hot tea.

Once we were rejuvenated by the food and caffeine we were ready to start exploring. Our first stop was Dublin Castle. From 1204 until 1922 it was the seat of British rule in Ireland. The castle was originally developed as a medieval fortress but has undergone many renovations and expansions over the years. You can enter the museum inside for a modest fee, but honestly it was not as impressive as we'd hoped. So if you don't have much time in Dublin, we suggest skipping it and just exploring the exterior. 

Dublin Castle

Details of Dublin Castle

Our memory is a little foggy when it comes to the Temple Bar district, but we'll do our best.  We visited the area almost every night we were in Dublin, so everything starts to blur together a bit. Temple Bar is the popular bar district in the center of Dublin. It's made up of dozens of bars and restaurants, mostly the traditional types of pubs that you visit Ireland for.  Most have great live music, interesting characters, and plenty of Guinness, cider, and Irish whiskey flowing.  Some of the places that we visited include The Temple Bar (which shares its name with the district), The Auld Dubliner, Oliver St. John Gogarty, Leo Burdock's famous fish and chips, and the Hairy Lemon. 

The Temple Bar

The Hairy Lemon was the first bar that we visited in Dublin, where we enjoyed our first Guinness from one of their snugs. A snug is a small area within the bar similar to a booth that is separate from the rest of the bar, almost in it's own room. The snug we claimed was actually under the stairs.  We enjoyed walking down the cobblestone streets of the area and popping into any bar that looked interesting to enjoy a drink. If the bar had a great atmosphere or if there was live music, we stayed for a few. The craft beer movement is even hitting Ireland, so there were many options besides your traditional stout or cider.


Ireland Day 2 - Dublin, Cliffs of Moher, Burren National Park, and Galway

For our second day in Ireland we decided to get out of the city and booked a tour to see the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. (Pro Tip: if you don't want to rent a car to get around, booking coach day tours is a great way to see another part of the country. We often book through Viator which is part of TripAdvisor.com.  Often times these tours include bonus stops, in addition to the primary destination, which often become highlights of our trip.)

The Cliffs of Moher are several hours outside of Dublin, but the tours generally leave pretty early to get you there by a decent time. You can catch up on a bit of sleep on the way and they usually make plenty of stops to hit the restrooms and grab a snack too. The best scones we've ever had we actually from a truck stop on the way to the Cliffs. Maybe we were half delirious from lack of sleep, but man those were delicious.

The Cliffs of Moher are everything you'd expect; massive, beautiful, craggy cliffs extending above the Atlantic. Be advised, weather can play a big part in your views of them though. We had a bit of fog the day we visited and were still dealing with snow drifts from the previous storm, with that shared, we can just say, photos don't do them justice.

The Cliffs of Moher towering 500 feet over the Atlantic

Castle Outlook up close at the Cliffs of Moher

Castle Outlook from across the cliffs at Cliffs of Moher

After checking out the Cliffs of Moher, our tour headed to the small town of Doolin where we had lunch at Fitz's Pub. It was nothing too special; a buffet meant to serve the masses of tour groups. But with food in our bellies and perhaps a cider too, we were ready to move on to the next stop.

The coach then continued on through Burren National Park along the Atlantic Ocean. (One of the aforementioned bonus stops that become a trip highlight)  This made for lots of scenic views and we stopped along the way at a spot they called the "mini cliffs'. Mind you these cliffs were still 200-300 feet above the Atlantic. With less fog there it was quite beautiful, almost more so than their big brother.

Mini Cliffs at Burren National Park

We finally made it to Galway, but I got a bit distracted when the zipper on my coat broke. It would not go up or down and just remained connected in one small place with the poor zipper holding on for dear life. When it was apparent there was no fixing it, Josh just broke the zipper off. We stopped into a couple of shops to try on new jackets but nothing was quite right (or quite in our budget). You can imagine Josh was quite annoyed at this point and ready to hit a pub. (Editor's Note from Josh: This is accurate.)

Once I was over the whole zipper debacle, we were ready to do a bit more exploring in Galway. We both really loved Galway, and it is definitely on our list of places to visit again. We only got to spend a few hours there, but the city has a very unique vibe. There are lots of quaint pubs and shops and buskers playing music throughout the streets. We stopped into a pub called the King's Head that was huge and had all kinds of snugs and beautiful stained glass.

The King's Head in Galway

Galway Streetscape

After Galway we headed back to Dublin where we hit up Penney's which used to be Primark. (It's basically like H&M) so that I could buy a new jacket on the cheap. This was the only real shopping we did on the trip.


Ireland Day 3 - More Dublin

On our third day in Ireland we decided to hang out in Dublin and see a bit more of what the city had to offer. We hit up brunch at a spot in the Temple Bar district called the Boxty House. Josh was happier with his Irish Breakfast here. After that, we headed to explore Trinity College. We traversed the grounds and found an old cemetery, but one regret is not going into the library and checking out the Book of Kells. We were a bit tight on time though as we had booked tickets for the Guinness Storehouse Connoisseur Tasting.

Trinity College

The Guinness Storehouse was one of the places that we did not want to miss. Josh has always been a fan of Guinness, and we had heard that the Guinness in Ireland is supposed to be better, thicker, and colder than anywhere else in the world. Besides, how could we pass up getting our picture in front of the famous St. James' Gate? 

St. James' Gate

During the experience, we learned that Guinness regulates every bar in Ireland that serves its beer to ensure the quality. They require storage at a certain temperature, regular cleaning of the lines, and usage of a particular Guinness-branded pint glass. The storehouse is the primary brewery for Guinness throughout the world. They've also created a state of the art modern museum detailing the brewing process and their famous advertising.

Our visit started with the Connoisseur experience. This included a private tasting of several variations of Guinness from throughout the world in a custom built pub hidden inside the brewery. Our bartender explained how they tailor their recipe slightly for different countries' tastes. We also were taught how to pour a perfect pint, and we were able to get some practice pouring one for ourselves. We were also each given a certificate to prove our newfound skills.  

Pouring the perfect pints at the Guinness Storehouse

Afterward, we toured several floors of of the museum, which was interesting, but I wouldn't consider it a highlight. The tour ended at the Gravity Bar, which is a bar at the top floor of the storehouse that has 360 degree views of Dublin. We were also each given coupons for two free beers at the Gravity Bar, which was a great way to end the tour. Sláinte!

The Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse

After the Guinness tasting and tour, we headed back to the Temple Bar District and actually ended up at a place just to the North of Temple Bar right on the River Liffey. It was called the Ha'penny Bridge Inn. It's named after the Ha'penny bridge, a pedestrian bridge crossing the River Liffey that was built in 1816. It was the first bridge to cross the river and cost a half penny to use when it was first constructed. At this bar, we met a sommelier from San Francisco that took us to several of her favorite bars in the area.

Ha'Penny Bridge over the River Liffey

Ireland Day 4 - Belfast, Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede, and more Dublin

For our last full day in Ireland, we booked another tour to get outside of Dublin. This time we were heading to Northern Ireland, UK. We started in Belfast with a very interesting black cab tour where our driver told us all about "the troubles" which refer to the violence between the Protestants and Catholics from the 1960s-1990s. The tour stopped at various significant sites including churches, community gardens remembering the dead, and murals commemorating them. It was an incredibly sobering experience that turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. (Another aforementioned bonus stop without any expectations).  The tour ended at the Titanic museum, which we didn't have time for, but we did get to see the shipyard where the Titanic was built.

Bobby Sands Mural

Our Black Cab Driver and Tour Guide

Our Black Cab Driver Took This Pic

Next, we drove past Dunluce Castle which was the filming location of Greyjoy Castle for Game of Thrones on the way to Giant's Causeway. 

Dunluce "Greyjoy" Castle

Giant's Causeway is a Unesco World Heritage site with over 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns resulting from ancient volcanic activity. Legend says that the columns were actually a result of an Irish giant building a path or causeway to Scotland so that he could challenge another giant that lived there. The rock formations were a geological wonder that are pretty amazing to see.

Giant's Causeway

After Giant's Causeway, we headed to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bride where we took a short hike along the Atlantic up to a bridge that connects to an island that used to used for fishing. The rope bridge swings about 100 feet above the ocean and was a bit unnerving to cross (especially with all the wind which you'll hear in the video below), but the views were totally worth it. The bridge was also used in several scenes of Game of Thrones.

A quick selfie on the island

The water was a beautiful bluey-green at Carrick-a-rede

Once we were back in Dublin we stopped for dinner at Madigan's Drinking Emporium. Then we headed to the Cobblestone Bar for some truly traditional Irish music. It was very informal with a group of locals playing instruments and having a pint. The bar also had a great selection of Irish craft beer so we were able to try some interesting beers beyond the Guinness we'd been drinking all week. 

The doorway at the Brazen Head was a little too short for Josh.

We finished up the night at the Brazen Head, Ireland's Oldest Pub which legend says has been there since 1198, but can only officially be documented back to 1668. Either way, we had a good time there and did our first whiskey tasting with a flight of Teelings Whiskey. After that, it was time to stumble back to our hotel and get some rest before our flight to Paris the next day....Stay tuned for that in the next blog post.