Once you begin anticipating the beginning of something time seems to move at a glacially slow pace.  Today in Buenos Aires it is one of those dreary winter days:  cold, cloudy and a bit rainy which means Friday cannot get here soon enough.  It also means I have been revisiting my past EuroAdventures trying to hurry the clock along:  though time seems to be something that cannot be controlled even by me.

Last Summer for my birthday I had the opportunity to take my first trip to Europe which included:  the Netherlands (Amsterdam and Den Helder), Antwerp, Belgium, Austria (Vienna and Salzburg) and Paris, France.

Netherlands:

Den Helder is a small seaside town on the North Sea (yes that is not an ocean as I was informed on this day) in the very north part of the Netherlands.  The town is a very idyllic Dutch small town where everyone seems to know each other and the whole town is incredibly warm and friendly.  I felt so at home and loved the town so much that I quickly decided it was my new hometown.  But most importantly it is the hometown of my incredibly tall Dutch friend and if we are going to be in Europe on his birthday it is in everyone’s best interest (well mainly mine since I prefer his family actually like me and not refer to me as that girl who didn’t let Paul visit his family on his birthday) to spend it with his family.

Super Sweet (literally)….there was a bonus in the middle of this storybook town (aka. my new hometown) the 1st appearance of Pastry Heaven and since it was birthday celebration it is only customary to begin the day with cake right??!!  Yes I know I will use any excuse to eat cake at anytime.   There was only a small issue of the menu was all in Dutch and the waitress which started laughing when I spoke English.  Come on new home town work with me here I am just trying to get cake and coffee.  When the “save the day idea” comes to me… right beside me is an incredibly tall Dutch guy who speaks Dutch…score I have my own personal translator.  Well that and the universal problem solver: point while holding money works every time.  Now that I have a tummy full of caffeine and yummy goodness it is off to meet the family……Maybe we can just hang out here at pastry heaven for a bit longer.

Now with birthday celebrations and meet the family coming to an end the next stop is Amsterdam.  The train system in Europe makes it extremely convenient to move around easily and without a lot of hassle or delays.  Since patience is a virtue I do not possess, this is a huge discovery for my world.  The hotel I choose was the Radisson Blu Amsterdam (http://www.radissonblu.com/hotel-amsterdam) in the city center.  I tend to shy away from large chain hotels in favor of smaller more charming Boutique hotels or Bed and Breakfast; however, this time due to limited time in the city I wanted to be close to everything without hassles.  The manger Sam checked us in and when she discovered it was birthday celebration in Amsterdam she upgraded us to the Ruyschen Suite which was one of the most incredible rooms I have ever stayed in complete with 360 degree canal views.  I have since returned to Amsterdam several times and each time stayed at this hotel.  The location is perfect, the staff is awesome and the hotel itself is spectacular.

There was not enough time to explore the city fully and well since there was a few instances of getting lost even less time.  Though now I am completely enamored with the city and return every chance I get.  Highlights from the Amsterdam part of the trip include, aimless wandering around the city from one place to the next just to see what was waiting around the next corner, a visit to the famous Red Light district, a canal cruise, contact highs from the infamous coffee shops and falafel and hummus pitas way too late at night or way too early in the morning however you choose to look at it.  It was also at this point of the trip I became incredibly addicted to European coffee, there is a distinct possibility that the late nights and addiction to coffee are positively correlated.  Thank goodness Nespresso allows me to have European coffee every morning and pretend I am back in Europe for a few minutes before ultimate reality kicks in.

Antwerp, Belgium

Next stop on the agenda is Antwerp.  I will admit the only reason for this stop was Duvel and Belgium chocolate but really I can think of no better reason:  beer and chocolate seriously good enough reasons.  There is now a third reason to visit Antwerp shoe capital of Europe:  every shoe you can ever imagine here in this town.  The town is beautiful and charming and has a wonderful waterfront area.  Here I choose to stay at the large Hilton (http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/belgium/hilton-antwerp-hotel-ANRHITW/index.html)  yes this hotel reconfirmed for me that large hotels are very stuffy, large and boring.  The room was very nice, the staff was friendly enough but there was no personalization and the hotel was extremely large for my liking.

Checked into the boring cookie cutter same old same hotel a bit disappointed now time to explore the city….upon exiting the hotel my mood became instantly oh so much better as directly in front of me there appeared an international food festival.  Yes the smell of freshly baked coconut macaroons which were the size of softballs and the booths full of begium chocolate  quickly made me forget the hotel disappointment or perhaps it was the incredible sugar rush that came from consuming large quantities of the international delights.

This hot July Sunday afternoon in Antwerp seemed to be super busy which confused me:  Sunday afternoon, crazy hot and everyone outside in the sun…..OH I see now it is the weekend of the IronMan Triathlon wow people really do do this…all this exercise being done by other people is wearing me out.  Also, by this point incredibly tall Dutch man is starting to get a bit cranky and needs a time out.  No better place to stop and rest and have snack time then one of the wonderful sidewalk cafes.  Antwerp has several…the coffee is great and best of all comes with homemade cookies and yep you guessed it belgium chocolate.  I am really starting to like this town:  charming, historical, beer, shoes and chocolate with every meal and snack.

Austria to be continued……….