Utrecht, Nederland (With Snow!)

March 5, 2021

I can’t believe I haven’t posted any pictures of Utrecht. Thank you Lia for reminding me! Hope you continue enjoying my blog! Here was our snowfall a few weeks ago, February 2021.

*The Dom and Stadhuis from the Oudegracht. February 2021.*

I think I got a lot of Dutch/Utrecht pride into that picture.

Geertekerk Remonstrantse Utreg

Snow on Stadhuisplein

The Dumb Tower

Utrecht is a fantastic place to live. The people are amazing, the city is beautiful, and once avondklok and corona are gone it will again be a wonderful place to visit (and live)! If you have any questions just send me an email of comment and smash that like button below!

*This is Rhodes. There are lots of stray cats. If you feed them they like you.*

Ródos, Greece

March 5, 2021

I’m told on various podcasts and media talking heads that vitamin D boosts your immune system. So in the midst of the Summer of Corona, a Greek vacation seemed like the perfect idea. Ródos is the almost the easternmost of the Greek Islands (the exception being Kastellórizo and a few islets) and sits within view of the Turkish mainland. As a bonus, there are direct flights from Amsterdam Schiphol. So in July of 2020 we bought some tickets, grabbed our sunscreen, and packed our bags for an ancient Mediterranean paradise.

Blue on Green

Italy Tower

A Moat without Water

Palm Tree

The major city on the island of Ródos is called Ródos. This is not all that surprising. Also, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World used to stand in the harbor. Strangely enough, it was called The Colossus of Rhodes.

The old town section of the city is still surrounded by the old city wall, and I’d be damned if we stayed anywhere else. Who doesn’t want to stay inside an ancient fortified seaside city? Since cars are mostly banned within the old town, we parked outside and our amazing host picked us up on a golf cart for a bumpy, but thrilling, ride to our accommodations within. I tried to take a video of the ride under the city gates, but we were on a golf cart, on cobbles, so it didn’t turn out well. So I’m not going to post it.

*Boats docked in Kolona Harbor in the city of Rhodes. July, 2020.*

Just walking around the old town is a fantastic experience. I mean, it is pretty much my MO at this point so nothing different should be expected. But the city is impressive. The city walls, the harbors, the absolutely beautiful water; they all blend to put you immediately into that ancient Greek beachgoer state of mind. And if you need a place to call home during your stay (and you want to live like a king) check out the Zacosta Villa Hotel. It’s an old building renovated into a few amazing rooms, with a great outdoor patio and exposed stone interiors that are just really really cool. The owner is a helpful and cheerful local who went out of his way to make us feel comfortable, and since Greece had just relaxed travel restrictions we were his first guests since March. When I go back to Ródos I’m going to stay there again, so just don’t take my spot please. Also, the nearby Mama Sofia restaurant is fantastic if you are looking for some home-style Greek cuisine. And why are you in Greece if you aren’t here for the amazing food?

Zacosta Villa Hotel

Dinner at Mama Sofia

Ródos Alley

Arches

The following day we explored the walls and harbors of the old city. Just look at the pictures. It was amazing.

Fishin'

Dolphins

Tug

Marine Gate of Rhodes

Marina

Lighthouse

*Rhodian Deer Statues, Rhodes City, Rhodes, Greece.*

City Gates on the Harbor

Garden

Magenta

Boatz

Lighthouse of the Fort of St Nicholas

Εκκλησία Ευαγγελισμός

Somewhere around this time I had a craving for pizza. In Greece. I know, I know, but good pizza is hard to come by in the Netherlands. Same with tacos. Il Borgo ended up having some fantastic pizza, the views were great, and they brought plenty of water. Five Stars for them!

*The infamous Windmills of Rhodes. July 2020*

*Did I mention stray cats earlier? Here’s another one. This is Thomas.*

Inner City Wall Gate

Παλάτι του Μεγάλου Μαγίστρου των Ιπποτών της Ρόδου

Interior of the Palace

Let’s talk about the Palace of the Grand Masters of the Knights of Rhodes. It fell into ruin, it was destroyed, and now it’s been rebuilt. And it is a must visit when you are here. They have cannons you can sit on. You can explore all of the rooms and see suits of armor and mosaic tiled floors and high wood-framed ceilings and swords!! Plus there are some great views of the city and the harbor. Plus plus you get to feel like a (the?) Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes! Who doesn’t want that?

Palace Interior Statues

Chandelier

I'd Work Remotely Here

Palace Interior From the Second Floor

To the Window....

*View of the Palace of Rhodes from the nearby community garden.*

Medieval Clock Tower Roloi

Ronda Beachside

Nightlife! Given that it was the Summer of Corona, nightlife was pretty hard to come by. But the northern beaches of the city are lined with some places that I imagine would be pretty amazing during a normal year. Beach chair service, warm water, and fun cocktails were still out in a few places, and a great time was had by all despite the lack of crowds. There is even a diving tower out in the water when you need that little extra drunken kick of adrenaline. Just head towards Elli Beach and check out places like Ronda, Baia, and the Thalassa Beach Bar. Just remember to practice safe drinking and diving, dear readers.

Ródos Recommendations:

Zacosta Villa Hotel - Each room is unique. The rooms are dope, the location is dope, the owner is dope, the service is dope, the breakfast is dope, the coffee is dope. Stay here if it happens to be available.

Mama Sofia - Amazing home-style Greek food. Cheap drinks. I’m pretty sure Mama Sofia’s whole family works here, so you know it’s good.
Palace of the Grand Something Something Lots of Words - It is hard to miss and it is worth visiting.
Il Borgo - I confess that even amidst all of this amazing Greek food, I was craving pizza at one point (several points probably, but I can only suppress so many cravings) This place has good pizza, and good pasta. The outdoor seating is also adjacent a main old town gate and several shops, so it is fun to relax and people watch from the porch.
City Walls - There are plenty of parks and trails that take you around various portions of the old city walls. Explore them.
Fort of Saint Nicolas and Windmills of Ródos - There are some really cool views along this section of the harbor, and you can see Turkey in the distance.
Elli Beach - A large area of nice sand that connects to the Mediterranean Sea. Probably one of the main reasons you came here.
Ronda Beachside Bar - Several different types of bars all woven together created a fun interesting atmosphere even during a very lowkey time. Most of the people were flocking here at night for drinks.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the City of Ródos. Please like and email or comment below if you have questions! The potato product of the day is vodka, because I’m currently trying some silly low-carb diet and it’s the only potato product I can currently use. Plus it’s Friday night.

Campanile di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale from San Giorgio. August, 2020.

Venezia, Italia

January 19, 2021

Welcome to Venice. As I am now a canal-loving Dutch resident, it was a dream for me to finally visit the most famous water-logged city in the world. As usual when traveling within Europe, it was a quick sub-two-hour flight from Amsterdam-Schiphol for a wonderful three-day weekend vacation. And because of limited tourism due to Covid-19, we enjoyed a relatively tourist-free experience for the trip, and lucked into beautiful weather the whole time. Hotel Firenze hosted us for the weekend, and its central location right near Piazza San Marco was great for exploring the city (top-notch guest services too, more on that below).

We arrived after nightfall, and I had read a tip somewhere about taking a water taxi from the airport into Venice proper. What an experience. Zooming across the water towards the city and navigating the empty canals at night was absolutely incredible. It is far more expensive than taking a bus, but worth every penny. And since the hotel was on the opposite side of the Venice from Marco Polo Airport, we got to see quite a lot of the city this way. If you are splurging on your trip, I cannot recommend this enough. After checking in, we grabbed some late night pizza from Pako’s (10/10 recommend) and take-away beer from Bar Al Campanile (also 10/10 recommend) we sat in a completely empty Piazza San Marco and enjoyed the warm night air before turning in.

As per usual, we spent the following day wandering:

Cracks

Piazza San Marco

Doge Palace and Campanile San Marco

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

San Giorgio Maggiore

Bridge of Sighs

That evening was also spent wandering, mostly along the water at sunset. The views were breathtaking:

*Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute at sunset. August 2020.*

San Marco Campanile

Gondola at Sunset

San Giorgio Maggiore

Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci

Throughout breakfast the next morning, we heard heard a Venetian local who worked at the hotel (Ricardo) going over a map with another couple and pointing out all of the best places to explore/eat/visit in Venice. He mentioned something about a really cool tower that wasn't nearly as busy as Campanile San Marco, so I asked him about it after he was done with his presentation.

Thirty-five minutes later I had a map with a hundred X's (don't go there), thirty circles (definitely go there), and the names of roughly fifty restaurants ("TripAdvisor has 1500 restaurants listed in Venezia, I've narrowed it down to 50 for you.")

"Have you ever heard of Noma? It is a restaurant in Denmark that was rated the absolute best in the world for several years in a row [Anthony Bourdain did an entire show about the restaurant/owner]. One of the chefs there was a Venice local, and eventually left Noma to open his own restaurant in Venice. That was temporarily closed due to Coronavirus, so he opened a pop-up at one of the hotels on the Grand Canal with Michelin star quality food for half the price. The Risotto di Gò is a very traditional Venetian dish, and there it is made by one of the best chefs in the world. And the beef carpaccio is maybe the best in the world."

So shout out to Ricardo at Hotel Firenze for the advice and for the best carpaccio and risotto [not pictured because I inhaled it instead of taking a picture] I've ever had.

*Santa Maria dei Carmini, 08 August 2020.*

Chiesa di San Geremia

Labirinto Borges

Brunch

Palazzo Bernardo

Ponte di Rialto

Chiesa di San Stae

The following day, looking to make the most of the perfect Sunday weather, we took a water bus to Lido, where the beaches are. Again taking Ricardo’s advice, we stopped at El Pecador, a double-decker bus converted into a food truck (with seating on the top deck!) parked right by the beach entrance (10/10 recommend)! The hotdogs covered in cheese may be the best I’ve had outside of America. The beach was an expanse of paid rentals of chairs and umbrellas common to many parts of the Mediterranean. We bought a few towels and walked out to the free section, getting some much-needed vitamin D and salt water. If you are looking to swim in Venice, this long skinny island is definitely the place to be.

As any guide book will tell you, the Palazzo Ducale (Doge Palace) is a must see. Prepare to spend hours moving from room to room looking at paintings, beautifully carved woodwork, medieval armor and weapons, and golden everything. The statue below is actually in San Giorgio across the water, but hey I needed a filler for an even number of pictures.

Statue

Inside Palazzo Ducale

Sala del Collegio

Sala del Maggior Consiglio

Chiesa di San Zaccaria

Basilica di San Marco

*Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, August 2020.*

Canal Tower

Stillness

I Gesuati

Boat

Hilton Molino Stucky

Basilica Santa Maria

Carmini Bell Tower

Boat in Front of Stucky

Placid Canal

Since we happened to be in the Piazza San Marco area already, we decided to grab a quick bite from Pako’s for the second (third?) time. That might be my favorite thing about Italy. Small, hole-in-the-wall places that have some of the best pizza/sandwiches/pasta in the world. Lekker!

Also, three seagulls dive-bombed Aus in Piazza San Marco and stole the tomato straight from the sandwich she was holding. They followed up a few minutes later by trying to grab my pizza. But I was (mostly) ready for them. So just be warned, those gulls are huge, and that’s probably because they are very good at dive-bombing in pairs to distract, while a third bird comes from another direction to snatch. We retreated to the safety of some covered steps between two small glass shops.

The tower Ricardo had mentioned turned out to be the Campanile di San Giorgio, and his advice was excellent. It is another “can’t-miss” in my book, because it is less crowded the San Marco Campanile and you can see the whole of Venice from the top. There was absolutely no line for us, but your mileage may vary in post-Covid times:

*Dome of San Giorgio Maggiore from the Campanile di San Giorgio. 10 August, 2020.*

Grand Canal Houses

Gold Inlay

Venice was amazing. Just go and wander around for the most part, because the city is truly unique. I do have a few recommendations when you find yourself there:

Hotel Firenze
Pako’s Pizza and Pasta
Bar Al Campanile
El Pecador
Lido Beach
Water Taxi from the Airport
Water Bus through the entire Grand Canal (just buy a Venice Pass for the trip and you can ride all you want)
The church/tower of San Giorgio
The Generator Venice. If you are looking for a cheap way to see Venice, this hostel is awesome. It is across the water from the city center, but if you get a Venice Pass you can boat across all you want and you can’t beat the price. There is a water bus stop just outside and it is right on the water. The bar is great too.

I love Italy, and Venice was no exception. 10/10 recommend. I hope you enjoyed my pictures, comment or like and let me know if you have any questions! Salute!

*Blarney House, Ireland. September 2020*

Blarney, Ireland

September 26, 2020

I took an afternoon trip from Cork and headed out to Blarney, a solid eight kilometer drive-slash-walk, to visit it’s eponymous castle (I hope I used that word correctly. I saw another travel blog that used it no less than twenty times in one post, so I figured I’d give it a shot.)

Walking up the claustrophobia-inducing staircase was almost as big of an adrenaline rush as leaning backwards over a 90 foot drop to kiss a rock. But the Blarney House and all of the surrounding gardens and forests were a very welcome surprise. And I think this picture of the Blarney House outshines any of the shots I took of the actual castle. In fact, I almost had the entire castle to myself due to the Covid tourism factor. The only other soul in the castle was Patrick, who was tasked with sitting beside the Blarney Stone all day and sanitizing it after each kiss. What a guy.

Blarney is absolutely worth a visit. The town is lovely, the castle is impressive, and the forested grounds are perfect for wandering. Plus they have a poison garden AND a carnivorous plant garden.

Blarney Castle

Butterfly

Church of the Resurrection

Genève, Suisse

January 10, 2020

Here are some pictures and words from a weekend trip to Geneva, about as far west as you can go in Switzerland (and surrounded on 3 and a half sides by France).

*The former Collège de Genève, founded in 1559, and now Calvin Middle School.*

Crystal Clear Waters

Monument Brunswick, Le Richemond

Southern Shore, Lake Geneva

Monument Brunswick

Stop Lookin' at Me, Swan

Lake Sunset

*Atop Cathédrale Saint-Pierre Genève. November 2019.*

Geneva is a beautiful city, and one of the most expensive places I’ve ever been. When people tell you that Switzerland is expensive, that is not a joke at all. But the distant mountains are striking, and the water is crystal clear. We spent a Saturday wandering around the city (as usual). The landmark that really stands out is the St Pierre Cathedral. Since it’s up on a hill, you can see it from almost anywhere in the city. So of course I had to check it out.

St Pierre’s is easily one of the most accessible cathedrals I’ve visited. Not only can you tour the interior, but you can go up into the belfry, the “attic” and both towers. The views from the top were incredible. Even cooler, there is a rather extensive museum underneath the building. You can see tombs and the foundations of the various buildings that have existed in the same spot for almost two thousand years. It’s a “can’t miss” attraction.

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre Genève

Geneva from Above

Le Môle

Pipe Organ

All of this walking around obviously makes you hungry. Especially because Switzerland actually has hills (unlike a certain mostly-below-sea-level country we had flown in from…) Across the lake from the hotel Google led us to a fantastic Italian restaurant called “Da Paolo”. You should eat there. We ate at Da Paolo again the following day because there were so many things I wanted to try. Then we watched the sun dip below the buildings.

Day Two consisted of another walkabout. Morning coffee came from the insanely charming Cottage Cafe, right beside the Monument Brunswick. Literally placed in a tiny cottage in a peaceful park, this place turned out to be a great find. There weren’t very many cafes on the northeast shore of the lake and we almost settled for Starbuck’s (please no.) but walked up to the Cottage just before serious caffeine withdrawals set in and things got ugly. It’s been notoriously hard for me to find a big American-sized cup of coffee in Europe, but this place helped me out (and served with Swiss chocolate!).

I had two.

The Rhône

I'm Mossy

Cemetery Tree

Cimetière des Rois

Other highlights included a walk down the Rhône River, visiting a beautiful ancient cemetery, checking out bridges and lochs, and a floating shopping center in the middle of the river (Da Paolo for lunch of course. Also, cemetery has too many “e’s”. One of them should definitely be an “a”.) On the southeast bank of Lake Geneva there was a playground made of bouncy recycled tire remnants. Swings made of tires, climbing rubber tire strands, and a tire swing held up by other strips of tire rubber. Kids be damned, swinging on bouncing swings on the shore of a clear lake is just as fun for adults. Also noteworthy was the nearby Villa la Grange, an extensive open park area with a central villa and an amphitheater.

*Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). November 2019.*

If you’re ever in eastern France and want to check out Switzerland, you could do far worse than Geneva. Coffee, Chocolate, Cathedrals. And Coffee.

*Prinzipalmarkt, with St. Lamberti-Kirche in the background*

Münster, Deutschland

December 6, 2019

Welcome to Münster, the land of cheesy goodness and beer. It was another weekend with nothing planned, so we decided to take a drive to Germany. I looked at a list of the 10 best cities in Western Germany and landed on Münster. We booked a hotel in the old town area, hopped in the car, and made the quick 2 hour drive from Utrecht. After dropping off our bags at the hotel (H4 Hotel Münster, a very nice hotel that doesn’t cost much) we wandered out into the night on a schnitzel hunt. A quick Google search landed us at Grosser Kiepenkerl, a semi-posh restaurant with delicious classic German fare.

The schnitzel was amazing, and we tried two different kinds. Grosser Kiepenkerl is definitely a good spot to go if you ever make it to Münster. After dinner we walked over to St.-Paulus-Dom to see it lit up at night and headed for some drinks. We ended up at a beautiful old pub called Gaststätte Töddenhoek. There were delicious beers and plenty of locals sitting around large tables playing coin games. Overall it is a great German pub, covered in old wooden carvings and Christmas decorations. We didn’t know how to play the coin games, so we just made up our own and played with coasters! It was a great night.

*Schnitzel with Mushroom Sauce from Grosser Kiepenkerl*

St. Lamberti-Kirche

Carriage

Elephant Lounge Sign

Side Doors to Überwasserkirche

Überwasserkirche

Old Statue

Beautiful Churches are all over the city. These are just a few that we walked by.

The next morning we went out for our usual wanderings. We visited several churches, drank some really good coffee, and walked along the small streams and rivers. Münster has plenty of green paths that wander through the city center. One minute you could find yourself beside a row of stores and pubs, the next you are surrounded by trees and water. The city has a very relaxed, non-rushed vibe.

St. Lamberti-Kirche

Überwasserkirche

Münstersche Aa

Petrikirche

Sand

Dancing

Überwasserkirche over Bistum Münster

St.-Paulus-Dom Cemetary

Of course we had to check out a few Catholic services in German. I have no idea what was being said, but people seemed to enjoy it. Afterwards, we took a tour of the cemetery and looked at the cool statues. After refueling with more coffee, we headed towards the water.

*A dock on the much wider portion of the Münstersche Aa*

St.-Paulus-Dom

Bran Stark

Münstersche Aa

Dock on Münstersche Aa

University of Münster

Tower

If you go to Münster, make sure to stroll around the Münstersche Aa. Technically it is a river, but at one point it is large enough to be called a lake. There is a walking/biking path that goes all along the circumference, and its a great walk. And if you are looking for a peaceful German city to relax in, I would highly recommend Münster.

Leiden, Nederland

November 7, 2019

Welcome to Leiden. I had been trying for over a month to coordinate a trip to Rotterdam and using my friend Carolien as a guide. We finally found a day on the weekend that we both had available and the weather was nice and decided that would be the day. But as you can see from the title of this post, we ended up in Leiden instead.

There is a direct route from Utrecht to Rotterdam by train, but on the weekend we chose the way was shut due to maintenance on the tracks in Gouda. For no particular reason, we settled on Leiden. Leiden is a smallish city in The Netherlands northeast of The Hague.

Hartebrugkerk

Gemeente Leiden

Neiuwe Rijn

Evangelisch-Lutherse Kerk

Leiden is a very interesting city. The Hooglandse Church is built with a variety of different bricks, making for very appealing visuals. The nearby hill is topped by an old stone circular wall that offers excellent views of the city from all angles. We even stopped in an old record shop for a quick browse. If you are in need of a peaceful city with some amazing architecture, look no further than Leiden.

Hooglandse Kerk

Zijlpoort

Abandoned

Kerkbrug

*On the Docks of the Herengracht. October, 2019*

Haarlem, Nederland

November 7, 2019

Pick a number, end up in Haarlem.

With no plans for the weekend, I decided to hop on a train. Armed with my trusty OV-Chipkaart, I headed to the central station. I picked a track at random and boarded the next train. After passing through Amsterdam, I arrived in Haarlem and jumped off, my camera in tow.

*Sint Bavo Kerk ("Saint Bavo Church") from the Grote Markt, Haarlem's Central Square.*

A beautiful Dutch city, Haarlem sits about 20km (12.4mi) west of central Amsterdam. The only attraction I knew of in Haarlem was the large church in the middle of the old city. It was hard to miss. the church is tall and beautiful. Inside the spectacular organ was playing. The grote markt outside was bustling, and a very nice contrast to the towering old building.

After visiting the church and the market, I wandered around the canals. The buildings lining the canals are colorful and interesting. I even found a sailboat. After wandering for several hours, I finished the trip off with some bitterballen and a crazy strong smoked Russian Imperial Stout at the Jopen brewery on the west side of the old town (at the recommendation of my friend Carolien). A solid end to a random Saturday in the Netherlands.

Hope you enjoyed this small tour of Haarlem.