Hello 2018!

New year, new blog post! It’s mind-boggling to think that all 31 days of January are already moments of the past. For us, January was full of activities and actually ended up flying by very quickly.

Some highlights:

  • Ringing in the New Year after a delicious brunch at DTF
  • Fun moments with Nolie while waiting for Syd in car line

  • Gymnastics: waiting with friends and practicing our moves

  • Tom and I embarked our first Whole30 journey, and I dove into cooking new and delicious healthy recipes.

  • Lao Lao and Lao Yeh visited for a week of fun family time. Great-aunt Wendy joined us for the last weekend, and we celebrated everyone’s birthdays with a relaxing dinner.

To The Zoo We Go!

Our first London adventure after Amsterdam was a trip to the ZSL London Zoo. It’s quite a nice zoo, with good-sized enclosures and thoughtful exhibits. My favorite one was their newest one, Land of the Lions – so colorful and vibrant with multiple good viewing areas.

The kids loved the Animal Adventure play area, where we also picked up cute kids’ meal bags for lunch (a sandwich, drink, jelly pot (Jello in a cup), and two snacks). There were areas for climbing and running around, as well as a petting zoo. The meerkat exhibit was a crowd fave! There was even a tunnel for kids to run through and pop their head up in a clear plastic bubble, getting up close to the meerkats. Giraffes, in the part of the zoo that’s across the street (and accessed via a very exciting tunnel!), were also a big hit. Fun fact: their house is the oldest original giraffe house in the world!


After the zoo, we walked along the Regent’s Canal Towpath to the KERB Camden Market in search of delicious churros. The walk was relaxing and interesting as we passed some pretty decked-out houseboats. And before we knew it, we arrived at our final destination, which was truly a Willy Wonka-esque food-lover’s heaven. There seemed to be a stand for any type of food you could desire, and the blend of smells was intoxicating. We indulged in churros, liquid nitrogen ice cream, and pulled pork French fries, and will definitely be back for more!

My Amsterdam Favorites

And to round out my posts on Amsterdam, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share pictures of the mesmerizing canals, stunning houses, and the delicious food. On an afternoon stroll to the charming 9 Streets neighborhood, I couldn’t help myself from taking snap after snap of each canal I crossed and charming narrow buildings I passed. They’re just so entrancing! Equally as tantalizing was the delicious food we enjoyed during our visit. I have to say one of my favorite things was the real-deal Dutch apple pie we had on our last day, at the cutest hipster brunch place ever.






Museums, Playgrounds, and Poffretjes

That pretty much sums up our family time and experiences in Amsterdam. Our lucky kids experienced both world-class museums and impressively creative outdoor play spaces and large parks. We all enjoyed the delicious Dutch mini-pancakes made of yeast and buckwheat flour.

We fell in love with the city, its unique beauty, and hope to return one day. Until then, we have some pictures to shape our memories.

Amsterdam, A Gorgeous City

We traveled 4+ hours on two trains through multiple cities to arrive in Amsterdam, most certainly a city worth arriving in. First, a London black cab to St. Pancras to catch the Eurostar to Midi Brussels, then the Thalys from Brussels to Amsterdam Centraal. The trains in Europe are impressive – clean, efficient, fairly comfortable, and fast. Nolie loved this part of the adventure and eagerly watched the passing scenery.



On our first full day, we had a leisurely lunch at the cutest corner cafe that we just happened upon while looking for a more popular spot recommended by guidebooks. There was too long of a line for three hungry kids, so we decided to try this little place and were rewarded with cozy, delicious, homemade drinks and meals. We sat at a large, rustic wood table and had the entire place to ourselves. It couldn’t have been a lovelier way to start the day. 


Then, off to NEMO Science Museum it was! Imposing and impressive, it was fascinating to walk towards. We visited the amazing and scenic roof first, and the kids had a blast running up and down the steps, and playing with the different energy-related activities. Then, we spent a fun and interesting few hours inside, exploring bubbles, physics, dykes and farmland, perspective, gears, and even watched a huge Rube Goldberg machine. The museum was well-organized and easy to walk through.