Zuid Holland: Rotterdam
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Zuid Holland: Rotterdam

Plenty of people kept telling me to go to Rotterdam, but I didn’t understand really why. It wasn’t until I did my research before my trip to the Netherlands that I completely understood the significance of the city. Rotterdam was one of the devastated cities in the Netherlands by the second world war, and by many almost entirely demolished. What you see now is the courage and resiliency through its modern architecture and iconic skyline.

Playlist: Zaanse Schans

Playlist: Zaanse Schans

The windmills are calling and the alluring smell of chocolate leads you to local chocolatiers. Thirsty? There’s plenty of sinaasappelsap (orange juice) to go around. This playlist was inspired by my day trip to Zaanse Schans. Please enjoy it and share!

Amstelveen and How I fell in Love with Albert Heijn
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Amstelveen and How I fell in Love with Albert Heijn

I kept seeing people with large, bright blue shopping bags with the initials OH, or so I thought they were OH. A group of girls almost got impaled by a BMW driving too fast right in front of me, and my stomach was less than sympathetic. The store location was about the size of a typical liquor store back in the States; however, it had Whole Foods quality items at Trader Joe’s prices.

Noord Holland Part III: Haarlem

Noord Holland Part III: Haarlem

“Where are you going today?” Haarlem. Thanks to Rick Steves, during a late-night PBS binge-watching session I came across the Netherlands episode, which included Haarlem.  What stuck to me was eating pickled herring and how it would be foolish not to rent a bike for the day. Mental notes. The way he described Haarlem was that it was where you went to for more a small town feel, to get away from the bustle of Amsterdam, and where tourists rarely visit. That’s all I needed.