Alone in Europe!

Fortunately we've survived our 3 days alone in Europe! 

On Saturday we took the train to Amsterdam and spent the day exploring the city! 

We found a really cool flower market along the canal, and did some final souvanir shopping! 

We also made our way to the Museum district and got to see the Van Gogh museum! 

Finally, we went back to the Redlight district and experienced our first Coffee Shop, which ironically does not sell coffee. 

We found our way back home (easily) and watched movies! 

This morning, we got up early to pack our things and then cleaned the house. 

Kiana is flying to Denmark tomorrow and I am flying home. 

We spent our last evening in Haarlem and found a great pizza place, and ended our meal with fancy coffee! 

I'm really sad that today was my last day in Europe, but I'm so unbelievably thankful for every family that we've stayed with! And all the people that we've met! Everyone has been so generous and we greatly appreciate it! I'm so glad that I could experience this trip, it has truly been the trip of a lifetime! And I'm so thankful for everyone that made it possible! :) 

The Netherlands!

Thursday, we spent the day relaxing as Yael packed for Africa. In the afternoon we rode our bikes to the beach which takes about 30 minutes! We swam in the ocean, and then met Yael's family for dinner at a restaurant on the beach! 

Friday was our last day with Yael and her family, they left for Africa this morning! 

Yesterday, we went into Haarlem and did some more shopping, then we took a canal tour through the city! 

For our last meal with the family, Yael's dad made his famous French fries and they were delicious!

This morning we got up early to say our good byes :( And we experienced our first day in Europe completely alone! It was very exciting! Although it was pouring down rain for most of the day, it cleared up enough for us to bike to the lake! 

We also went to the grocery store on our own and cooked our own dinner! We're very proud of ourselves! 

Amsterdam and the Holland Countryside!

On Monday we took the train to Amsterdam and spent the morning on a canal ride though the city!

Then we walked around, and had lunch at a cafe that overlooked one of the canals.

After lunch we went to a museum and saw paintings from Van Gogh and Rembrandt! 

We had a relaxing snack in the park before heading to the Redlight District, which surprisingly wasn't as awful as we'd heard, thankfully we were there too early for the real thing.

 After a long day in the city we took the train back to Yael's house and had a relaxing evening

On Tuesday, we went on a drive with Yael's father who showed us the Holland countryside, complete with a tour of the old windmills 

When we got back we rode our bikes to the lake and had a very nice dinner on the dunes next to the lake. However, we only had two bikes so Kiana and I took turns sitting on the back of Yael's bike, which is apparently a very Dutch thing to do :)

This morning we went back to Amsterdam and visited the Anne Frank house, where she and her family hid during the Holocaust

After the museum we had lunch at a very good cafe, and did some shopping. 

Finally, we climbed to the viewpoint of the tallest church tower of Amsterdam! 

Now, we are getting ready to go to a festival in Haarlem!

Holland day 1!

Today was our first full day on Holland! We woke up and got on our bikes (because everyone bikes in Holland!) and rode to Harlem, a city neighboring the one Yael lives in. We walked around looking at all the shops and saw all the towns monuments! Several stores were closed because it was Sunday, so we plan to return again for more shopping soon! Then we headed up to the very top of a department store, where there is views of the entire city. We had lunch up there and then headed to Yaels favorite spot for ice cream! We headed back home soon after, and had dinner with Yaels parents. Then, we got ready and hopped on our bikes again, and headed to the beach where we went to a beach party! 

The Louvre and Champs élysées!

Today we woke up and headed to the famous Louvre museum! We really enjoyed looking in the Greek exhibits and of course seeing the Mona Lisa! But one of our favorite things was copying the poses of the Greek gods/goddesses! Then we had lunch in the Luxembourg park and headed to the champs élysées, the very famous street known for its expensive stores! We went to the most famous macaroon store in all of Paris and of course had to get some, and looked in shops such as Louis Vuitton and Dior. It was lots of fun and ended with the arc de triumph at the end of the road! Clearly exhausted after a long day of walking, we headed back to the flat and watched moulin rouge together! Then a few hours later we realized how hungry we were (and also lazy), so rather than our plan of cooking we went out to eat. We had onion soup and Croque Monsieur, both famous French dishes. Then we went back to the flat again and watched Alex's favorite movie, the phantom of the opera, before going to bed!