AMSTERDAM! What an amazing place. Nick and I stayed at a beautiful Airbnb that included a balcony and a sassy cat named Paillete. The first day was spent exploring museums and coffee shops. The second day was pretty much a repeat of the first but Nick and I found a restaurant that was strictly dedicated to baked potatoes called Jacketz. We explored the red light district, spent time in the botanical gardens, and went to the Heineken Museum! It was a wonderful place to end our Europe trip. We will be returning to Amsterdam in the near future!

I have had limited access to the internet here, but that is ok! Nick and I had an amazing time with family. We went to see the places that Nick's Nanny and Papa grew up, climbed the Martini tower, visited Voldendam, and road our bikes everywhere. The pictures can speak for themselves. The one thing I MUST say is that I had the opportunity to see some beautiful places and people here, but one of my favorite parts was THE PUPPY. I was welcomed with so much love here and I can't wait to come visit again.  

Today we arrived at Nick's family in the Netherlands! Cor and Jo have a beautiful home and are letting us stay with them for a little over a week. It is nice to be with family! There is an overwhelming amount of bikes in this town!

We did not have much time to enjoy Frankfurt, but we took a river boat tour on the Rhine. Beautiful castles and wonderful food, and of course, Apfelwein ;)

Exploring Strasbourg.

Yesterday, it was storming all day. Nick and I stayed in to catch up on some laundry and recover from our wine tour the day before. Today was a day for exploring Strasbourg! The Cathedral was our first stop. It is one of the most beautiful gothic style churches I have had the pleasure of seeing. After the Cathedral, we walked to the Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art to view the permanent collection and photographer Pierre Mercier's work. We stopped for lunch to eat some more Tarte Flambee and worked it off by climbing to the top of the Cathedral for an amazing view. Later in the evening, we had the most amazing Alsatian dinner. I can't describe the type of "full" that I experienced from yesterday. We are leaving for Frankfurt Germany tomorrow, and while I am sad to leave, my stomach needs a break from the incredible Alsatian cuisine. 

Alsace Wine!

Yesterday was a long day of travel and settling into our place in Strasbourg. Today was a wine tour of some wineries in Alsace. Rows and rows of vines are everywhere you look. Words do not do the area justice. We drank a good amount of wine.

First stop was a small town in Barr where we tasted wine from Domaine Noelle Bachert. Second was in Dombach-La-Ville where we tasted wine from Schaeffer-Woerly. We stopped for lunch in a small village called Ribeauville where we tried Tarte Flambee with Munster cheese! Third stop was Zellenberg where we tasted wine from Becker. Last, but not least we tried wine and bubbles in Riquewihr from Dopff.

Our last day in Caen. 

Drinking, drinking, and all the cheese. Today was one of my favorite days so far. Nick and I woke up early for a cheese and cider tour with an amazing educator named Etienne. I learned so much about the art of cheese production! If you are ever in Caen, please, please, please take a tour with Etienne. He is a wonderful educator and you will learn so much! I will post a link in a few days to this post to his website. This might not be a surprise to anyone who knows me but I LOVE cheese and I have become obsessed with camembert cheese. We were lucky enough to visit one of the few places remaining that produce the cheese by hand, Fromagerie Durand. After a few cheese stops, we visited three different cider producers and tasted not just cider, but some amazing pommeau and calvados! 

After a long day of eating and drinking, our Airbnb host took us to one of his favorite spots, Honfleur. For the art history nerds, this is the spot where all the impressionists would chill. Claude Monet might have stopped there once or twice ;). Of course, it was gorgeous. After exploring Honfleur, we had dinner with our host on the water. I tried whelks for the first time and we ate plenty of moules and frites! I am sad to leave Normandy but I am so grateful for the time spent and all the wonderful people we met. Can't wait to come back! 

If you want to have an amazing cider and cheese experience you can find information below!

http://www.lacompagniedesterroirs.com/pages/our-tours/full-day-cheese-and-cider-tour.html

The town of Caen is amazing. This morning, Nick and I spent the day with our Airbnb host. He was kind enough to show us around town and take us to the market! We ate galettes and drank cider on top of an 11th-century castle, Chateau de Caen (no big deal). The town has so much history, and I encourage everyone to research. Later in the evening, Nick and I took a walk through Caen to explore the architecture and botanical gardens.

Nick and I left Paris and arrived in the beautiful town of Caen. Our Airbnb host Guillaume, is literally the sweetest Airbnb host we have ever had. He made us feel so welcome and was super helpful. After we got settled in Caen, we took a 20 min train ride to the town of Bayeux and spent some time tasting Calvados and Pommeau! After exploring and drinking, we had the privilege to go on a tour of Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Since our visit is close to the anniversary of D-day (June 6th) the beaches had planes flying overhead. I can't tell you what kind of airplanes they are, but, everyone was excited about them. I snagged a few pictures. ;) 

ALL THE MUSEUMS! We started at the Louvre and ended at Musee d'Orsay. Our last night in Paris ended with a tour of the Eiffel Tower! The short 3 day visit was not nearly enough time to see everything we wanted to see! Au Revoir Paris! 

Versailles and Saint Michel-Notre Dame! We had a beautiful day walking around Paris,eating all the bread, and seeing the amazing VERSAILLES! 

Today we arrived in PARIS! The city is amazing. Our Airbnb is located near Republique station and we are staying with an amazing couple named Juliette and Francois.