Amsterdam

Our final stop before heading home was Amsterdam.  We arrived the day after Queen's Day, which this year also happened to be the day the new king was crowned.  Needless to say, the city was full of people, and it was obvious that all those people had enjoyed the night before.  But despite the trash covering the streets, the city proved to be beautiful and charming.

We spent a good amount of time simply wandering the streets and taking in the canals, but we also made sure to visit several museums.  On our first evening we toured the Anne Frank House, and while they didn't allow photos, it was a fascinating tour and very thought-provoking.  And of course I couldn't come to Amsterdam and not go to the Van Gogh Museum.  It did not disappoint - one of the best museums I've been to.  We also swung through the flower market, which, as you might imagine, was full of flowers in all forms, from bulbs and seeds to fresh flowers to dried bouquets.

Even after our quick two-day trip, Amsterdam has made my list of favorites.

Belgium: Brussels and Bruges

I'm slowly working through all the pictures from our April trip, all while trying not to think about the fact that it was three months ago and I'm just now getting to blogging about it.  I'm almost caught up though, just Belgium and Amsterdam to get through.  And then I promise we'll talk about more recent things!


Anyhow, lets get started.  From Paris, we took a train to Brussels.  We spent the afternoon and evening taking in the sights at Grand Place (the main square), window shopping at all the chocolate shops, and of course, eating some delicious waffles.

Grand Place

Historic downtown in the distance

Museum of Musical Instruments

Best waffles ever

For our full day in Belgium, we took a side trip to Bruges, which is an hour train ride from Brussels.  Bruges is a smaller, quieter town with a distinct medieval feel.  We wandered around, Donovan patiently waiting while I took a picture of every single building, and capped off the day with a break for tea and waffles. 

Paris: Notre Dame

Our last stop in Paris was a quick visit to Notre Dame.  As it so happened, it was the 850 year anniversary of the cathedral, so it was a bit crowded to say the least.  For this reason, we opted out of touring the inside, but we still took plenty of time wandering around the outside.  The details in the exterior are fascinating, from the flying buttresses added for support after the walls started getting stress fractures, to the famous gargoyles.

Versailles

The one big thing we missed on our first trip to Paris was Versailles.  It's not too far from the city, only about an hour by train, but it is definitely an all day excursion.  We had gorgeous sunny weather the day of our visit, so we were able to see the palace and gardens in all their glory.

The palace and gardens

A small corner of the extensive gardens

More of the grounds

The palace in the distance

The Grand Trianon, Marie Antionette's escape from Versailles

The gardens of the Grand Trianon

Paris: Montmartre and Sacre Coeur

In continuation of our two-week jaunt through Europe, we followed up Barcelona with a week spent in Paris.  This was our second time visiting the city, so we were very excited for the opportunity to see some of the things we missed the first time, plus revisit a few favorites.  One place in particular that was new to us this time around was the charming little neighborhood of Montmartre.  Montmartre is actually the name of a hill, which is topped by the Sacre Coeur basilica.  While the basilica is certainly gorgeous, the area is best known as a gathering place for artists.  Picasso, van Gogh, Renoir, and Degas all congregated here, to name just a few.

Sacre Coeur Basilica

Sacre Coeur Basilica

A narrow street in Montmartre

The last remaining vineyard in Paris

One of two remaining windmills

Le Bateau Lavoir - the studio where Picasso worked

Barcelona Revisited

We kicked off a two-week European tour with a return visit to Barcelona.  On the itinerary this time was more of Gaudi's architecture, and of course just wandering the city.  First stop was the Sagrada Familia, a huge church designed by Gaudi that was began in the late 19th century and is still not completed (hence all the scaffolding and cranes).  However, when you notice the extreme detailing, it's not surprising that construction is taking so long.

We also toured Casa Mila (also known as La Pedrera), an apartment building designed by Gaudi that's known for its undulating facade and unique rooftop design.