Cheese and Chocolate Contentment

The term  "I ate my way through the city" has taken on a brand new meaning. Before, always in a more extrapolative, imaginative sense. Now, I can literally say that I ate my way through Amsterdam and Brussels! My diet starts....tomorrow? ;)

I visited Amsterdam with my family at age 9 and remember visiting the Anne Frank and Van Gogh museums but not much else. It was nice to be able to return and get a different perspective from a much broader world view now that I'm older. While I must admit that Amsterdam does not rank high on my list of favorites, it was a delight to spend the day with two of my favorite people, Emily and Erik, in such a pretty place!

The city itself is gorgeous with its many canals and quaint streets. A highlight of the day was venturing onto the canals on a boat cruise; what a cool view of the city from the water!

Of course, a blog post is not complete without a comment on the food ;) I have never seen or been in so many cheese shops in my entire life!! And so many who are so eager to give out free samples!!! For this cheese lover, that was a dream come true!! Our favorites were pesto Gouda, smoked goat, and Old Amsterdam. I may or may not have bought a log of goat cheese for myself and may or may not have finished it in a week and a half ;p

The Dutch are famous for their pancakes and it would have been a crime to miss out on enjoying the culture's best! Erik had a yummy apple pancake while Emily and I enjoyed Poffertjes, tiny balls of fluff doused in powdered sugar, yum!!

Our highlights of the day, however, were the famous Dutch stroop waffles--tiny, pressed waffles with a gooey caramel interior between. Between free samples of that and cheese, we almost didn't even need to eat lunch (but we did anyways with a sweet potato goat cheese pie ;) Below are pictures from our visit to Milk and Honey, a delightful little waffle shop with the neatest owner!

We spent the day wandering in and out of cheese shops, taking pictures in front of the iconic "I amsterdam" and absorbing the city vibe. We finished the day with delicious Indonesian food after a tip from our friends that it was some of the best here! And it did not disappoint :)

Amster! It's my nickname! :)

We were given some big shoes to fill...

The weekend was a bit heartbreaking for me though. As I am sure you know, Amsterdam is famous for its "red light district" and my heart was shattered at the brokenness of the people in the city who don't know how much God loves them and how precious He sees them! The day was a sweet and sad reminder to pray for the people of Amsterdam. It also spurred a lot of neat conversation between the three of us, which I treasured most. What a blessing God has given me in these travel companions that we can grow and learn from each other and share in each other's burdens and sorrows.

It was also an incredible reflection on how incredibly blessed we are to grow up in homes with parents who love us, families who dote on us, a country that offers endless opportunities, and to have access to education, health, safety, and anything we set our minds to! May we never take the Lord's blessings for granted and may we use those blessings to be a blessing to others who haven't experienced the same lifestyle we have.

~~~

Our hostel was located a bit out of the city in one of Amsterdam's national parks, it was such a lovely journey to get there and the accommodations were so cute, reminiscent of camp cabins.

The view on the way to our hostel :)

Day 2

Off to Brussels for the day! We love Brussels!!!!! (As Emily says...We love Brussels...SPROUTS! Hehe)

This place is a chocolate lover's dream come true!!!! What cheese shops are to Amsterdam, chocolate shops are to Brussels. Almost every other shop on the street is a chocolate shop and they LOVE to give out free samples!! I never thought I would ever say it, but by the end of the day I had made myself sick from eating chocolate (don't worry, it only lasted for a few hours...I still crave and enjoy it as much as ever ;p). I have literally never eaten so much chocolate in my life! 

Brussels is also reputed for its waffles, so naturally we had to try some! I had a delicious savory gouda pesto eggplant mozzarella pressed waffle, Emily went for a speculoos filled and Erik for strawberries with whipped cream. 

Afterwards, we ventured to Frederic Blondeel for the best hot chocolate of my entire life! I had the Safron, Erik the Ghana, and Emily the Venezuela.

Safran

Venezuela

The richness of the flavors in what was almost purely melted down chocolate was enough to do our sweet capacities over! 

Did you know that Brussels is the home of the French fry? Me neither! But upon learning that, we had to try them. When in Rome, right? The birthplace of the French fry has certainly lived up to the name: they were delicious!

Okay, okay....you're probably wondering, do you do ANYTHING besides eat? Well, yes. We walk! (In order to eat more? Maybe... ;) ) The city of Brussels itself is quite beautiful and the architecture, especially in the main square, is lovely! It has such a charming feel, so much joyful activity :)

Home sweet home ;)

I will admit though that for this little foodie, this trip was highlighted by the goodies consumed. Amsterdam and Brussels will forever reign in my mind as my favorite places for cheese and chocolate :)

Thank you to my incredible travel companions for the memories <3

Galavanting in Germany

The Adventures of Amy and Emily, Part Zwei (Two)

The theme of this weekend: gratitude

God certainly has a wonderful way of showing his love through his people. This weekend He spoiled us in the form of the von Brenem family. Truly, German hospitality knows no bounds! Both Emily and I were blown away by the generosity and kindness that was given to us by this sweet, sweet family. Emiliy met Wiebke in high school when she came to the U.S. to study. To have the opportunity to be reunited and stay with Wiebke and her family this weekend was too wonderful for words!

We just finished Physics Session 1 and were excited for a long 4-day weekend. Starting the trip with an early morning flight into Dusseldorf, Germany, Emily and I wasted no time upon landing to find a delicious pastry shop to start the day off right. For me, a plum danish streusel and for Emily, her new favorite pastry in the world, a poppy seed Mohnstrudel (and that is saying a lot because this girl knows her pastries!)

From the city center we worked our way to the Rhine, enjoying the cute storefronts and pastry shops along the way.

Dusseldorf's streets are straight out of a fairytale storybook! I especially love the cobblestone and festive flags hanging.

Our day was, of course, highlighted by food: a sweet refreshment along the Rhine, currywurst on a delightful outdoor patio, and our favorite: Spaghetteis! A specialty I have only seen in Germany so far, you start by choosing any flavor of gelato (we chose hazelnut and amaretto) which is then pressed through a machine with holes to form "noodles" (reminded me of those playdoh tools we had as kids :) )
The "noodles" are topped with a red sauce of strawberry puree, dusted with "parmesan" shavings of white chocolate and toasted almond bits were added to add some of that "bolognese" crunchiness. Who knew I'd be able to say that spaghetti is one of my favorite desserts!

(I bet can read your mind...."did those two girls finish that entire thing?  You betcha! ;) )

And of course, who can resist all the food! The outdoor market captured us and we got baskets of unique fruit--the green goose berries are DELICIOUS! This was my first time eating them--they're like little fig-flavored, seedless cherries/grapes.

The biggest treat was our visit to Hinkel Bakery. When he caught us drooling over the bounty of bread in the window, a man in an apron came out and offered us a piece of the sweet-raising streusal bread we had been gazing at--so sweet of him! Learning he was the head baker, I asked him how long he had been the business: "Oh, four generations....My grandfather started this bakery, all family run!" He pointed at his chest, "you see this? Hinkel. That's me! It means chicken in German!" He then proceeded to explain and point out the different breads, picking out his favorites and generously cutting off slices for us to try! What an incredible gift!!!

It was such a delight to enter into his joy and his evident and genuine love for his bread. Yay fellow foodies! And what an honor to be taken in by the head honcho himself! All the ladies in the shop knew him by name and were singing his praises. I love the German culture of having a bread shop and a small community :)

With bread in tow, a unique sweet flatbread for Emily and a bit of seedy traditional German bread for me, Emily and I wandered to the park to enjoy the rest of the afternoon of sweet time in the Word and rich conversation. It could not have been more perfect! This is my kind of afternoon!

After a beautiful and rejuvenating two hours, we left to cross the Rhine to catch the festivities at Dusseldorf's summer festival! We were lucky enough to catch the last day of the fair, which meant fireworks!!! Enjoying some delicious bratwurst on a crunchy roll, Emily and I enjoyed people watching until later meeting up with Wiebke and her amazingly sweet friends!

I am pretty sure that EVERY single person in Dusseldorf came out to the fair that night because it was POPPING! Overwhelming and squished but oh so fun, it was definitely an experience!

The fireworks at the end of the night were incredible! What a way to end the night :)

Wiebke and her wonderful friends :)

Day 2

Mornings in the Von Brenem family are probably my highlight of the whole trip. This family blessed us SO much in the best way possible: food!

Each morning we were there, they spread out this incredible feast! If anyone knows how to do breakfast right, it's the Germans! Multiple different kinds of bread and loaves (and truly, German bread is the BEST in the entire world! That's no exaggeration!), a cheese plate, meat plate, fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden and farmers market, homemade jams from Wiebke's mom (a master canner! My favorite was her gooseberry jam :) ), and banana milk--a delicious purée of ripe bananas and milk, so simple and SO good! 

Emily and I were absolutely blown away by the amazing spread and more so by their amazing kindness for inviting us so warmly into their cherished family weekend meal. I love the German tradition of big brunches with the family every weekend; definitely going to carry that into my own family someday :)

The day entailed an adventure into rural Germany for a glimpse into Wiebke's life :) the Von Brenem family lives in Bottrop, which is a good 40 minutes from Dusseldorf. It was such a treat to be with a family in the countryside, away from our usual city tourist routine.

We visited Wiebke's local farmers market, literally 500 steps from her door-- they know each vendor personally and never go grocery shopping---what a dream! We also visited the church Wiebke's parents got married in, she and her sister got baptized in, and where her mom currently works :) There was a kids program going on at the time and it was fun to see how much they loved Wiebke.

Afterwards, we drove to the Krupp house, a giant countryside mansion owned by the Krupp family who made their money through the steel industry. The house and its landscaping were stunning and we had fun taking "model shots" outside on the patio.

Next we visited the Ruhr Museum in Essen, a fascinating and very well done museum on Rural Germany, literally walking you through every bit of history and life there--people, culture, animals, food, buildings--their collection was outstanding and each exhibit was so unique! The coolest part is that the museum is a converted coal mill and its atmosphere was unlike any other! The view from up top was AMAZING too! Germany is beautiful! I loved getting a glimpse of life outside of the main city :)

We enjoyed lunch at Wiebke's favorite restaurant in the museum and went back home to nap before the night's activities.

Wiebke's boyfriend Tristan was leaving for school and she was throwing him a surprise farewell party. Emily and I were so honored to be included in the elite guest list. We waited in his uncle's side house until he arrived and the surprise on his face was so fun, greeted by the applause of 30 of his closest friends.

German barbecue parties are a blast. I loved sitting back and watching all the friends catch up. It was fun to see everyone enjoying each other just like we do--laughs, fun conversations, memories, but all in German! 

I will add, however, that German barbecues out-compete those in the U.S. when it comes to food:  bratwurst in a crunchy roll and corn on the cob....yes please! 

Emily and I were so blessed to be included in the group and made lots of new, fun friends :)

Day 3

The next morning was just as wonderful as the last with a large breakfast with the family again, such a treat :)

Today was a hot one in Germany, perfect for the lake! Apparently, everyone else in Bottrop thought so too because it was sooooo crowded!!! I don't think I have ever been in that high-density of people before (save the fair two nights before ;P )

It was so fun to go and live life in the day of a German college student, relaxing on the beach, swimming in the lake, talking with friends :) THIS completes my European experience! I would trade any city any day for this :)

For lunch, we chose the healthy, nutritious option of....ice cream sundaes! Haha
Germany, I like your style! On a hot day like this, that was the thing to do. What a fun culture to see everyone sitting at tables in the shade in front of every ice cream shop (there were quite a few) and enjoying what I think must be a German specialty because I have never seen sundaes so elaborate! The perfect way to spend a day!

Later that night, we had dinner along the dam with Tristan and Wiebke's sweet best friend Lara. I tried schnitzel for the first time: foodie bucket list, check!
It was a fun evening just relaxing by the water and enjoying good company.

To top it all off, we watched a gorgeous sunset over the hills of Bottrop....unbeatable :)

Day 4

Our last day in Germany. We woke up to a jar of homemade cherry jam on our doorstep by Mrs. Von Brenem!! Wow!!!! WHAT a gift! This family, going way above and beyond in showing us so much kindness and love :)

Wiebke and Lara are two of the sweetest girls on the entire planet. Emily and I were hoping to go to the city of Cologne nearby during our visit... little did we anticipate it to be a 1.5 hour car ride in 103 degree heat with no air conditioning! We felt so bad when it ended up being such an ordeal, but those girls were so unbelievably sweet and did it all so graciously! The Lord has certainly blessed them each with grace and hospitality!

Cologne itself was such a lovely city--there is so much energy and the architecture is gorgeous! Emily and I especially loved the main cathedral :) We were able to eat lunch along the Rhine which was quite nice, grabbed some pictures by the lock bridge, and explore (ps the city hall in Cologne is the oldest still-in-use city hall in all of Germany!). 

Emily and I also checked a German pretzel off our foodie bucket lists, splitting a chocolate almond pretzel. Mmm mmm good!

 



The girls were so incredibly generous with their time and sweetness that day, ending it by graciously driving us to the airport to catch our evening flight.

What a lovely trip it was indeed with my dearest friend and favorite travel buddy! It was such a blessing to stay in a home with a wonderful family and to get an experience so unique. I look forward to returning the Von Brenem's kindness someday when they hopefully come to visit California!