Girls Weekend in Amsterdam!

Friday kicked off a long Girls Weekend away in Amsterdam! While I love travelling with Wayne and the kids, girls weekends are super special because they mean non-kid-friendly museums, nice restaurants and leisurely strolls through a new city. Three friends and I planned this trip awhile back to coincide with tulip season, which we heard was amazing in Holland. Turns out the rumors were true and Amsterdam is an amazing city in the spring!

We arrived after a very short flight (less than an hour!) to rainy weather but broke out the umbrellas and set out to explore the city on foot. It is an amazing city with 1500 km of canals running throughout the city and 1,500 bridges! Bicycles are everywhere and you would be amazed to see what people can carry on their bikes....multiple children, furniture, boxes and all while texting and eating! We lived in fear of the bicycle bells that indicated we were in the way (again!) and spent the weekend dodging bikes and apologizing! Oops!

Bike mania....one lady is eating a banana, another is carrying chairs and the third has a wheelbarrow baby holder!

Our first day brought a nice leisurely lunch, tons of walking, a visit to the Anne Frank House and an amazing dinner! The highlight of the day was the Anne Frank House, which I highly recommend if you're not travelling with young kids. It was incredibly moving to see the home where Anne Frank hid along with her original diary entries and family photos. The biggest shock was how dark it must have been...all of the windows were covered with room darkening shades and the only natural light came via a very small skylight. To imagine over two years of hiding there was terrifying. I found myself wishing I could bring Riley here in a few years time, when she would be old enough to appreciate Anne Frank's story without being too afraid or scarred by it.

We meandered around and found a yummy restaurant for dinner, where we discovered Jillz, the most amazing sparkling cider. I must find this in England and the US!

We were thirsty!

We spent Saturday walking, walking and walking some more. It was a beautiful sunny day and we took advantage of it by visiting a canal house, the flower market, several street markets and tasting Amsterdam favorites like mint tea and apple tart at Winkel. Yum! The day finished with another amazing meal...we were really digging the food in Amsterdam!

I found about 2 million houses I would like to live in!

Say cheese!

Even the wooden tulips were beautiful!

Yummy cheese!

Lori being a tourist at the market with her map, camera, wooden tulips and cheese! 

Pretty canals

Our yummy restaurant from the first night

Mint tea and apple tart! Yum!

Sunday was the day we had been waiting for...a trip to see Keukenhof Gardens and the tulip fields in Lisse. It was every bit as special as promised! We hit up a market and bought some beautiful art before heading to the bus, where we had a bit of a snafu (read: our seats were stolen and our things thrown around because we were too busy eating french fries to notice. Oops!) Luckily, all of that didn't matter when we finally reached Lisse because the tulips were amazing! Everything was in full bloom and the colors were literally spellbinding.  The tulip season was late this year because of the cold winter so people going a week before us (which was predicted to be the height of the season) left disappointed. I guess it's very difficult to get the timing right and we certainly lucked out! I could definitely have spent much more time exploring the Keukenhof...next time I would rent a car and skip the tour bus, which made us feel a bit rushed. But it didn't really matter because WE SAW THE TULIPS and we still had time to enjoy another wonderful dinner and some last drinks before we had to head home on Monday. Truly an amazing weekend that surpassed all expectations...great weather, great city, great friends and great memories!

Pretty windmill

Clogs in all shapes and sizes!

Fields of flowers

The flowers made beautiful stripes of color!

I would like to follow this path forever...

There was even a beautiful stream!

We each took turns posing with the tulips

So pretty!

Neda needed her picture in the giant clogs...

So I got one too!

 What a fabulous trip! Amsterdam really exceeded my expectations and I now find myself trying to squeeze in a return trip next April with Wayne and the girls! I can only imagine the cuteness of them posing in the tulip fields!

Spain!

There are many wonderful things about living here in England. The weather is not one of them. After growing tired of the freezing temperatures and endless rain, Wayne proposed a last minute trip to Spain for a long weekend. Since the girls were still on break and we found a great last minute deal, we decided to go for it! We booked our trip on Tuesday night and flew out Thursday morning for four nights in Costa del Sol. Best. Decision. Ever.

We stayed in a resort in Benalmadena, which turned out to be just what we needed. It wasn't super fancy or amazing but food was included and it was incredibly nice to go away and not have to think or plan at all! We spent alot of time hanging out at the hotel pool and playground and took a family siesta every afternoon and still managed to see some nearby sights as well!

Even Wayne enjoyed the sunshine!

Swinging in the sun!

The outside pools were still cold but we dipped our feet in!

Everyone had fun in the indoor pool!

Being silly on our balcony

Ready for dinner!

On our first day we took a nice walk around Benalmadena and found a great bar on the beach that served ice cream and sangria...heaven! The girls were even able to play in the sand while Mommy and Daddy relaxed with their drinks! 

Lyla enjoyed the walk and didn't mind posing for pictures!

Representing the Orioles in Spain!

We bought buckets and shovels (or spades as Riley now calls them) so the girls could build.

Ice cream, beer and sangria...everyone's happy!

The girls played until they dropped while Mommy and Daddy relaxed with their drinks.

The next day we took a taxi to the Benalmadena Puerto Marina, which has won the Best Marina in the World award several times. We enjoyed walking around the marina and found another restaurant with ice cream and sangria before boarding a boat for a short ride. 

Check out the fish swimming in the marina!

Yum!

The girls were excited to go on a boat ride!

Riley was looking very closely for dolphins but we didn't spot any!

The girls!

Benalmadena has a huge marina with shops and restaurants.

Super excited!

The mountains in the background were gorgeous.

On our last day we took our biggest outing to one of Spain's famous white villages, called Mijas Pueblo, which was located on a beautiful mountain side almost 1500 feet above sea level. We skipped the donkey taxi ride and opted for a horse and carriage ride through the beautiful town, enjoying the gorgeous views, cute shops and friendly locals. There was a beautiful cave chapel, Ermita de la Virgen de la Pena, which was like nothing we'd ever seen before! The girls each bought a fan that has quickly become their most prized possession, which you will see throughout the photos since they haven't put them down!

The view from Mijas

The cave chapel was amazing.

It was tiny but gorgeous inside!

Amazing!

We should have carved our names into this tree...next time we'll be prepared!

The girls checked out the donkey taxis...

but chose a horse and carriage instead. Divas!

At least we still got to ride a donkey...sort of!

Riley is becoming quite the photographer!

Happy girls!

The trip was exactly what we needed! It was great to have a relaxed, easy vacation that we returned from feeling rested, cheery and ready for work/school. I think a return trip is in order before we leave Europe!