Last month the Mr & I travelled to Amsterdam for an early 15 year anniversary celebration. The whole trip was done on a whim which is so very not like me. I will say even though planning a last minute trip is out of my comfort zone, the actual trip itself was exactly what I needed. Getting there in itself was a miracle altogether. Just a couple a weeks beforehand I could barley walk let alone wear any shoes. I honestly thought a broke all my toes as my feet where blue and the bottoms were continually and painfully bruising. After some digging, my dr discovered my body was going toxic with B6 due to some genetic mutation that was rearing it’s ugly head. It was causing my liver to not function as well and shutting down parts of my body. Every dr appointment prior to our trip I kept on saying I was not cancelling this trip and my chiropractor put great effort in getting my circulation going. Alas we made it happen and I could not be any more ecstatic. As we were there I began to heal and counteracted the B6 with B2 and happy to say my feet are functioning again. Hallelujah. All that to say I know God was the one who truly made this trip happen and I am so grateful for my prayerful friends and my dr’s who take my health seriously. This trip was more than I could have ever imagined. It was cold, rainy and absolutely perfect. We walked miles on end soaking in all the architecture, landscape & culture. We ate well, broke out of ordinary routines and just enjoyed each others company.
We broke our trip into three parts. First we explored Amsterdam. The old streets, rows upon rows of homes, and the intermingled waterways left me dreaming of becoming European. We stayed at The Hendrick’s Hotel and it may be the best hotel I have ever been to. It was beautiful, had a wonderful breakfast, and the people were superb. We actually changed the last day of our trip in which we were in the countryside to come back to Amsterdam and stay in this hotel again. It really was that good. From Amsterdam we travelled to Antwerp and a few other surrounding cities as the train system is fairly easy to navigate. We already decided that when we do this trip again we will just stay in Amsterdam and train out if and when we want to explore new cities.
Our next leg of the trip was to Rotterdam. It’s what they consider to be the modern city and the architecture proved that to be true. I was just in awe over the blend of modern lines against architecture that was centuries old. We stayed in a Cube House which was rather fun. It was more for the experience than for luxury. The houses were close to the large indoor market which you get a glimpse of in the last image. It was a larger than life glass dome with housing, restaurants and an open air market. It is also where we discovered that Jamie Oliver has a chain restaurant called Jamie’s Italian and I am still dreaming of eating there again. They took my gluten allergy seriously and the food was the best I have ever had. We actually ate there three times, it was that good.
We then spent a day and a half exploring the countryside. We rented a car from the airport and took to the narrow roadways and soaking in all the sights. We were suppose to spend two nights in the country, but decided for our final night we wanted to be back in the city. I cannot express how grateful I am to have had an experience like this. I came home fully inspired and ready to adopt a slower life that relies heavily on experiences that are both big and small. One that savors moments instead of always skipping ahead. One that reminds me to take a big deep breath and even enjoy the rain.
*You can see more images and details from our trip in my Instagram Highlights.
