A little food for thought...

I don't know about you, but I believe, life only gets better.....

Travel Diaries: Favorite Bits from Holland

I'm still reeling from my awesome excursion to Holland. I loved my time there and soaked up as much culture as I could in the short time we were there. What sticks out in my mind is the Dutch way of life. Bikes and boats feature prominently in a country where the land is flat and there are canals everywhere. In Amsterdam alone there is over 62 miles (that's over 100 kilometers)of canals!My next trip to Amsterdam will definitely include my husband, renting bikes, and visiting more museums.
Here are just some of my FAVORITE bits, in no particular order...


1) Great hosts - Joelle and Jorik, as well as Sadie who hosted our girl's weekend!
2)Donning red lipstick to the Red Light District with Ingrid.
3)Refreshing facial at Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Center at the hotel.
4)Bike culture -  cars are discouraged by the government, with around 1 million bikes in the city and about a third of all journey's being completed by bike.
5)Boat culture - So many canals, so little time! I can't of anything more relaxing than tooling around on the water with friends, a picnic and a bottle of wine, can you?
6)My amazing suite at The Conservatorium. I know I have already gushed about my accommodations, but seriously, it was sick! 
7)Joelle's daughter, Indah made portraits of the 4 of us ladies. I love mine:

8)The coffee - I don't know that they're known for their coffee, but it was so refreshing to have rich brewed coffee instead of instant for a change. 
9)Canal tour of Amsterdam with Ingrid - what a great way to see the city!)
10)Enjoying a picnic on the grass with Ingrid and new friends.

What We've Been Listening To Lately..

 I am always listening to music, whether I am in the kitchen, at the gym or or travelling. Both Barry and I have eclectic taste in music and can be heard listening to everything from classical, folk, and rock to pop, country, and the blues. Here is a taste of what we have been listening to lately (Mainly oldies with a sprinkle of new tunes). The Songs of Summer 2012 playlist is located on Spotify for your listening pleasure.

Travel Diaries: Holland

I was invited on a girls only excursion to Amsterdam and jumped at the chance to cross another country off of my Bucket Travel List. On Friday we departed from Luton Airport and after a short flight of about 40 minutes, we landed in Amsterdam. Our first night we planned to stay with friends who live just outside the city, in beautiful Maarssen. Joelle and Jorik were great hosts who made us feel at home. On Saturday morning, we made sandwiches and enjoyed breakfast on Jorik's boat as we toured some of Holland's MANY canals. It was a bit chilly but the sun was shining and the landscape was lush. 

Saturday afternoon we made our way to Amsterdam and checked into our hotel, The Conservatorium (sounds too much like Crematorium, I think). The hotel is located in an old building but has a  contemporary interior. Our suites were AMAZING, with 2 floors, 2 bathrooms and great views! It was at this point, after a concierge had given me a tour of my suite, overwhelming me with instructions on how to work all of the gadgets in the room, I looked out the huge window onto the busy Amsterdam street, and thanked my very lucky stars for this opportunity. If anyone had told me last year at this time that I would be married to the love of my life, live in England and travelling to all of these stunning places I would NEVER have imagined it. It is beyond crazy, galaxies beyond. 

  On Sunday we walked around the city including the Museum district, Leiden Square, The Jordaan, and did a little shopping in the Nine Streets area. Later in the day we enjoyed a boat tour of the canals of Amsterdam. After dinner we ventured towards the Red light District. Unable to find it earlier in the day, by the time we did stumble on it the sun was going down, which provided the perfect setting. With the glow of the red lights and their reflection in the canals, the district didn't feel seedy but rather subtly sexy.

During our last day in Amsterdam we had the great fortune to enjoy spa treatments and then headed to the museums. Unfortunately the two that I were interested in visiting (Van Gough museum, and the Ann Frank house) had incredibly long queues (lines), instead we opted for the Rijks Museum. It is a Dutch national museum and features art, and history. 

Stay tuned for My Favorite Bits of Holland blog post....

 Our hosts' home in Maarssen. The exterior, although new, is in traditional Dutch style.

With so many canals, it isn't any wonder that Holland is a boating culture. 

 Apparently most of the homes located along the canals and accessible only by boat, are holiday homes. I'll take this one please!

picture courtesy of Ingrid Hann

During our boat trip we stopped off at a park where the kids swam and enjoyed ice cream. Note Indah with her cone, sitting behind my two travel companions, Ingrid and Sadie with Joelle, one of our hosts.

The Royal Palace is located in Dam Square in the center of Amsterdam and was built in the 17th century. Although it is open to the public, we didn't tour it.

Photo courtesy Ingrid Hann

 Our Dutch captain.

 With the incredible weather, the canals were filled with people enjoying their Monday.

  

 My apologies for the quality of this picture in particular, but at least you can see the glow of the Red Light District, and the light reflecting in the water.

photo courtesy of Ingrid Hann

That's all folks! Thanks for taking a look! 

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A little food for thought...

...and Friday inspiration! Enjoy your weekend, I'm throwing off my bowlines and am headed to Amsterdam this weekend!

English Heritage Journal

 Back in the Spring Barry bought us an annual membership to English Heritage, a non-profit organization set-up by the British government to preserve historical buildings and land as well as encourage their use and understanding.  It provides access to the over 400 historical sights in the UK. There is no shortage of castles, palaces, manor homes, gardens, and ancient ruins. I never seize to be in awe of their history and grandeur. We both like to imagine what it must have been like to live there in that period of time.

I have compiled some highlights of the places we have visited so far. I will try and do better at providing some historical context for the pictures, which is usually my husband’s shtick. While I am busy taking photos he is dutifully listening to the audio guide provided. Then he shares with me any of the interesting bits. (I am too easily distracted to pay attention to the drone of the audio I admit!)

As we venture to more English Heritage sites we will continue to share our experiences. 

These first few pics are from Wrest Park, located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire.  The last heir died in the first World War. This french style mansion sits on over 90 acres and includes beautiful gardens and landscapes.

One of the things I remember about our visit to Kirby Hall and Garden were the abundant peacocks - so beautiful!This English heritage site is one of the greatest examples of Elizabethan and 17th century homes in England and was once owned by the chancellor to Elizabeth I, Sir Christopher Hatton. Although part of the mansion's roof was missing, other parts were intact and can be rented out.

This sign and the next few photos were taken at Minster Lovell Hall and Dovecote in Oxfordshire. 'Any reasonable time' makes me smile because it is one of the many reasons I love the English - for their stoic civility. The Hall is a 15th century riverside manor house that belonged to Richard III's henchman, Lord Lovell. 

This old church is adjacent to the Minster Lovell Hall. Both Barry and I admired the little village the Hall was located in.

Goodrich Castle was the first castle I visited, and was part of our long Easter weekend in Ross on Wye.  Located in Herefordshire, work began on the castle in the late 11th century. It boasts one of the most complete sets of  medieval domestic buildings that has survived among the English castles, including drawbridge, moat and dungeon!

These last few pictures were taken during our most recent English Heritage visit a couple of weeks ago. The original castle was built in the 1120's by the royal chamberlain Geoffrey de Clinton . In 1563 Elizabeth I granted it to Robert Dudley the Earl of Leicester, whom is thought to have been the Queen's great love. She subsequently visited the palace on several occasions throughout her rein. 

The Elizabethan Garden was recreated based on the one that Robert Ludley had built for Elizabeth I for the 19 days of festivities during the Queen's visit in 1575.

This is the Avery located in the garden, sadly Barry, nor I can recall the kinds of birds it inhabits, except canaries, Barry is certain about the canaries!