Hello again! It has been awhile, hasn’t it? Let’s recap a bit. In my last post we were in the mountains of Huaraz and did a little visit to the coast in Lima before it was time to head home. We left Peru at the end of April, and after just a few days I was off for Europe to travel with my sister, but more on that in a minute. After I returned, we spent most of the summer travelling around the state visiting friends, family, hosting our wedding reception, and taking a little jaunt to Colorado. We kept ourselves busy in between visits planning out our next few adventures. We are currently tucked into the French alps for a little relaxing and catch-up before the next adventure truly begins! So, I hope you are ready for more regular reading. Alright, back to the sister trip.
As I said before, after just a few days at home, I joined my sister and 12 others from our hometown on an adventure in Europe. We flew into Amsterdam and had a round trip cruise out of Rotterdam visiting a few cities in Norway and then Copenhagen, Denmark before returning to the Netherlands.
Amsterdam
After a layover in Minneapolis and an overnight flight, we landed at 6am in Amsterdam. I purposely chose a hotel that might let us do early check-in for free since I had status and thankfully they had a room for us! We didn’t get separate beds but with how many setups are in Europe, we each had our own Duvet, so there was no sister fights over blankets as we tucked in for a few hours’ nap.
Windmills
We awoke refreshed and ready to explore the windmills in Zaanse Schans. Mr. Wander and I had been there before but it was in early November and was a much different experience!
This time it was early May, and temperatures were already reaching between 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was so BUSY! There were tour buses arriving, plus the train was quite full.
This time we did go into a few buildings and managed to navigate the crowd and try some free cheese samples. There were so many interesting colors and flavors, our favorite was a lavender gouda and close second was the black garlic. The lavender was such a pretty color of blue.
We walked around awhile and then found there is a ferry to take you across the river for a few Euros. From there we walked back through the neighborhood and got a bit of ice cream to cool off before returning to Amsterdam Centraal.
From here we walked towards the main plaza and found a restaurant for a late lunch and drinks including bitterballen, an appetizer made from leftover stew that is breaded and fried into balls. This might just have to make it into a regular rotation once I’m cooking for myself again.
Once we were done with exploring the city we headed back for a small supper and more sleep, as we had to be up early for the next adventure.
Tons of Tulips
Bright and early the next morning we packed up, stored our luggage, and made our way to a bus that would take us to the Keukenhof Tulip gardens and fields. I am glad we decided to do this so early as it was already pretty busy, but wandering around the grounds allowed us to find some areas that weren’t quite so crowded.
Not only are Tulips are Netherlands biggest export, 75% of tulip bulbs traded around the world were grown in the Netherlands.
The biggest draw to this area is getting to take a picture in the fields, where you are surrounded by tulips, as far as the eye can see! Unfortunately, we were a bit late in the season for that as the flowers were cut earlier in the week to let the bulbs grow a bit bigger before harvest.
Thankfully, they maintain beautiful garden grounds that showcases so many of the 2000+ tulip varieties grown commercially in a variety of combinations and landscaping.
I tried to capture as many different colors as I could find, and of course a few fun selfies.
Finally the crowds were getting a little much so we decided to head back towards Amsterdam once more, enjoying a pancake lunch right on the water.
After picking up our bags at the hotel, we took a tram to get us to a nearby train station, and onto Rotterdam.
Rotterdam
If you remember our trip to Netherlands last fall where we visited Rotterdam for a few days, one of the highlights was the food hall. As my sister is a fellow foodie you can bet that was our first stop after dropping off the bags.
We had fun trying different things and sharing dishes as we explored the various cuisines. I did make a beeline for the stroopwafels, of course, and the croquette was a fast favorite, but we got to try the Arepa, something Mr. Wander and I didn’t get to have last time as we were too full before we found it.
After having our fill we heard from the rest of our group as they were hanging out at a nearby bar so we went over to join some of them. My sister worked with the woman who had all of the connections to bring this group of 14 together, neither of us knew most of the group very well. After a few beers and sharing about each others’ adventures thus far in the Netherlands, they were hungry so we went back to the food hall.
I was able to help them figure out the train system and took us to the food hall, Unfortunately it was getting late at this point and not everything was open but they at least found something so they weren’t too hungry.
As we headed back towards the hotel we heard from the last few members of the group that they were hanging out a cocktail bar so we all got together. One of this group I knew from high school so it was fun to catch up. The cocktails were delicious with several whiskey options that made my evening. We made it back to the hotel and purchased a few snacks from the lobby market as we had the munchies after all the cocktails!
All aboard the Rotterdam
The following day we checked out of the hotel and then headed across the street to start the boarding process. It was a bit confusing and not nearly as streamlined as my last experience, but eventually we made it on board where we enjoyed a cocktail as we watched our boat, the Rotterdam, set sail through the harbor.
Over the rest of that day and the following sea day we enjoyed getting to know the rest of the group, played games, and embraced our drink packages as the ship made our way through the North Sea towards Stavanger, Norway.
My favorite was this smoked bourbon cocktail that several of us ended up trying, so good!
Port 1: Stavanger, Norway
The following morning we awoke in Sandnes, or at least nearby. After a quick breakfast we board a bus that took us to the train station, and then a train into the heart of Stavanger.
I had a list of points of interest and ended up being a bit of a tour guide for a few of us as we wandered between a church, a small lake, and this neighborhood of cute houses. They were filming something along the streets, which they didn’t properly block off but thankfully let us pass through.
We next headed up to the main walking street and popped into a little cafe. We were surprised by their beer collection and realized all the beers we really liked were from a local brewery. I also had one of the best caramel rolls, the dough was so soft! I might need to learn the secrets of Norwegian baking.
After we were properly fueled we walked up to a tower that looked over the harbor and then made our way to the Petroleum museum. They had an interesting video that talked about a kid’s perspective of being the son of a petroleum worker, and all the different implications on the economy of the town, especially when there was a disaster.
There was an interesting setup where they had you walk out to something that was like a platform, and you could do the quick escape down a sort of cargo net chute, but I opted not to this time. Soon we started to head back and thought about stopping at that brewery but the train stops were a bit too far away, and we didn’t know if we’d have enough time to visit and make it back to the last bus to the ship.
We stopped for kebabs near the bus pickup and while delicious, it was massive! My sister and I were glad we split one kebab! Once back on the ship we changed and got ready for dinner, where we decided to join some of the group in the dining room. The rest of the 12 had a seated dinner at a certain time each evening, but we didn’t realize that and were just in anytime dining, but one couple weren’t going to the dinner and did the buffet instead. So we took their seats and enjoyed getting to know two of the couples a bit more.
Port 2: Mandal
Today’s port we used tenders to get ashore, and they took us right next to our first stop: a red salmon egg in the harbor! We had a slightly larger group today and were on a mission to find raspeballen, something close to bitterballen but despite asking a few restaurants they seemed to only have it on special days, which this was not one. So, we headed toward a beach where we could see our ship and wade into the very cold water. I was a wimp and could barely stay in it! Thankfully the sand was warm.
We started toward a hiking area but ended up cutting that short and going inland towards an old wooden church. I really loved this giant tree they had between the graves in the churchyard.
We were all getting pretty hungry and could only find a kebab place for lunch, so we ate quickly as a few of us had a private tasting at the local brewery. On the tender over one of our friends invited someone from the Netherlands to join us, and I’m glad he did as it only ended up being three of us as my sister isn’t as into beer.
It was a small brewery but he talked about the different Norwegian laws such as the percent of alcohol and where they could be sold. He had so many great stories and was so excited to share, it was a very enjoyable afternoon. We even got a taste of something still in the tank, and ginger blonde. It was so refreshing. Finally it was time to get back on the tender to get to the ship.
Port 3: Oslo
Today the ship docked directly in Oslo, but we had a very short day, so we all got off the boat early. We had a great view of the Munch museum across the harbor and got to a coffee shop for a bit of caffeine and snacks.
Then we started walking up the pedestrian streets toward a church for some pictures. Despite the streets being empty, a random lady swore at me, calling me the “worst tour guide” just because she almost ran into me. It was a very strange encounter.
We kept on down the street where we found a few gardens outside the Parliament building and the theater. Finally we made it to the front of the palace where our group split up a bit. Some decided to continue around the palace grounds and the rest of us got on a tram to get to the sculpture garden.
This garden is full of over 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, one of the more famous being the angry baby and the monolith.
There was a really nice fountain, and on the bridge with the angry baby were other emotions and several scenes of both fathers and mothers in relatable experiences.
After taking the train back, we took it all the way in to be closer to the port, and did a little detour to a castle by the harbor and walked around. We managed to find a quick lunch where we tried reindeer meat and pomegranate on our pizzas!
After getting back on the ship, we found a spot on the back deck because they had made a big deal about watching the fjord as we made our way out but the views were maybe not the picture we had all expected. I think the taller, rocky, and more dramatic views are with some of the fjords farther north, but I have yet to see them for ourselves.
Tonight they had an orange party to celebrate Holland, as we were cruising with Holland America. Some of our group had tutus, fun socks, feather boas, bow ties, and of course some glitter!
We took some pictures together but unfortunately I must have had something bad because I started to feel pretty sick. I headed back to the room early and slept for at least 10 hours. It sounded like the rest of the group had a great time though!
Port 4: Copenhagen
It was already time for our last port! We were a bit from the city but managed to figure out a bus ticket and find the bus stop to get to the subway. Our first stop was to visit Ariel, or the little mermaid statue just off shore near a park. Hans Christian Anderson, who wrote “The Little Mermaid” was born in Denmark.
After navigating all the tour buses (and seeing a few tours via boat) we walked up into a cool fort area that had a grassy hill for walls with surrounding moat, but it was in the shape of a star! Up on the wall you could walk and it had a lovely view of this really pretty church.
Since we had slept in a bit we were already hungry for lunch and found this interesting restaurant that looked fancy once we first entered. However once we were shown to our table we realized the dining room floor was sand! The theme of the restaurant was an area in Denmark called Skagen where the North Sea meets the Baltic Sea. Nearly everything was seafood on the menu, and thankfully my sister, who cannot stand any type of fish or seafood, picked the only fish-free menu item.
As my stomach was still recovering I didn’t intend to get seafood and thought I got something with fries. She almost got this as well and she was certainly glad she changed her mind when a bowl full of mussels appeared in front of me! It was very delicious and my stomach seemed fine now so for that I was grateful. We did find some tasty rhubarb beverages here, both alcoholic and a homemade type of soda that we absolutely loved!
We walked to a souvenir shop so I could find some post cards to mail for my nephews and others could buy some things. This was the most postage I needed to put on for an international postcard, they offered the envelope with the stamps on it already so I actually had enough room to write a message to them! After getting them mailed off we walked around the town a little bit until we were all tired and ready to head back.
We made it back to the ship and some of us enjoyed dinner and some more gaming that evening, but unfortunately a few others seemed to have gotten a similar sickness to me!
Returning to Amsterdam
The next morning most of us slept in but we did make it to a last minute brunch. As the ship made its way back to Rotterdam, we all spent the day chatting and playing games now that everyone was feeling better.
After disembarking, we all got back to Amsterdam on our own and we checked into our hotel. I relaxed a bit while my sister went in to join others until I met up with them later. We got a drink until it was time to get into the Anne Frank house, which we were all coming together to experience.
Anne Frank House
Our ticket included a program with a private presentation. This is the only spot inside where you can take pictures, which is why I have any at all from inside.
The presentation was a really good overview of the life of Anne Frank and her family, as they had initially escaped Germany and then their slow removal of rights after Germany had taken over Netherlands. I had never remembered that the attic where they lived was above the factory that was for Otto Frank’s company. He had to relinquish it in name when Jews were no longer able to own businesses, but he still worked at night and it was his friends that helped him run the business that had helped to hide them and bring them food.
We were able to get into their living quarters, walking through the bookcase that hid the doorway. The stairs are SO steep! There were 8 people living in just 2 bedrooms, the Frank family of 4, another family of 3 with a boy about the same age as the Frank sisters, and another man that had worked in the factory. Out of the 8, only Otto Frank survived, and it is still unknown how they were found out before they were sent to labor and then onto concentration camps across Germany.
Distillery and Brewery tour
After the sobering tour and reminders of the darker parts of World War II, My sister, myself, and another couple we had been hanging out with the entire cruise headed towards the eastern part of Amsterdam, leaving most of the other tourists behind. We visited a distillery in the middle of a park with a nice spot on a small lake.
The drinks we got initially were not our favorite so we decided to go to a brewery that the other couple had visited in their time before the cruise. It is in the neighborhood of Weesp, and it was converted from a church. It was such a cool building and their beers were very tasty. We ordered some food for dinner as well. We made one more stop to a bar along the canal, as it was such a beautiful night and we weren’t ready to end our trip.
The following morning we were on different flights as others in our group, but at least 3 of the couples were on our flight. Unfortunately, ours was delayed due to loading cargo, so and we had a short layover back in Minneapolis. We nearly ran across the airport after we finally got through customs, waiting mostly for our baggage before dropping it for connecting flights. We made it onto the flight where we were reunited with the rest of the group that were headed to our hometown!
The Next Adventure
This summer flew by, so many catch-ups with friends and family and a bit of a domestic road trip. I hope to share a little of our time over the summer in an upcoming post, but for now I want to give you a taste of what is coming up over the next few months. We have just about 6 weeks planned in Africa, visiting Tanzania, Morocco, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. We have Safaris planned in most of those countries and will actually be doing a little camping with a group tour that leaves from Cape Town.
In between some of the African countries we will head back to Europe, where we’ll get to visit with friends we met last year and in Peru. We will have a few people from back home travel with us, including Mr. Wander’s immediate family for the first few weeks in Africa. Also, we’ll play tour guide for a daughter of a close friend of ours that is studying in Europe for the semester. We’ll explore several European cities as we visit some enchanting Christmas Markets before heading home in time for the holiday. What country are you most excited to hear about? Let me know in the comments, it is always lovely to hear from you.
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