101 in 1001 Update

I first wrote about my 101 in 1001 list last August. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, it's exactly what it sounds like. From the date of when I started the list (August 25th, 2013), I have 1001 days to complete the list. My end date is May 22nd, 2015. 

Over the course of the last year, I've completed some of the list and have worked to complete various portions of some tasks. 

Here are some of the big accomplishments on the list:

Visit 5 New Countries  (Netherlands, Czech Republic, Germany)

Almost done with that one...

Live in a foreign country for one year (Officially completed 12 months (over several years) of living in London)

Visit 5 New Museums
 (Hermitage Museum, Anne Frank House, Reiksmuseum, Cheese Museum in Amsterdam, The Queenstown Story in Cork, Checkpoint Charlie Museum, and many more!)

Take a free online class (Completed my first #MOOC in August 2013)

Check out the rest of my list & consider making your own!

Amsterdam Recap: Day Two

On our second and last day in Amsterdam for the short weekend away, Nicole and I woke up to head to see the Reiksmuseum.  This museum houses a bunch of Rembrandt pieces as well as being home to one of the 10 best libraries in the world.  Before heading to the museum though, we stopped and grabbed breakfast. Since I was still on my Dutch food eating spree, I had a lovely peaches and cream pancake.

After breakfast, we found ourselves at the iconic I.am.sterdam sign. It's a huge tourist draw- so much so that we ended up counting three different versions of the sign around the city. Here are some fun photos from it:

Famous Sign

I am Katie! 

the "m"

As we made our way into the Reiksmusuem, we found that the majority of it was also under renovation. Nevertheless, we got to see quite a lot of famous paintings. I will have to make another trip back to see the library...

For the rest of the day before we had to head to the airport to make our flight, we found ourselves indulging in mayo french fries, visiting the cheese museum, and walking along the canals. The cheese museum while somewhat cheesy (!) was full of laughs and wheels of cheese. I picked up some herb cheese, and it has made a great snack throughout the week! 

Mayo Fries

Quintessential Amsterdam

Say Cheese! 

Cheese man!

Even though I only got to spend two short days in Amsterdam, it was well worth seeing a city that has been on my list for quite some time. It was so calm and peaceful to be along the canals.  I will definitely be making another trip in the future!

Amsterdam Recap: Day One

On Friday evening, Nicole and I jet-setted off to Amsterdam. Our plane was delayed, so we did not get to our hotel around 10pm. We ordered room service and crashed, so we could get a good head start on the tourist activities.

Saturday, we started off getting our I.am.sterdam passes. These passes were for 48 hours and allowed us free or discount admission to a lot of museums and exhibits. From there, we grabbed breakfast.  I had the apple strudel...it was vacation after all!

Apple Studel

Our first stop of the day was to check out Dam Square where the Palace is located! It was a quick walk from where we had breakfast, and it was already buzzing for the day!

Palace

From there, we headed to the Anne Frank House. As we anticipated, the line was quite long as we had not bought pre-sale tickets. Note to those headed to Amsterdam in the near future, buy your tickets ahead of time. While we only waited an hour, it was a bit chilly. It reminded me of all those games at Syracuse I waited outside for.

You couldn't take photos inside the house, but the tour brought you through all four levels. Starting in the warehouse to the office and then up to the areas of the secret annex. While the furniture had been removed and some modern things added, the posters Anne had put on her wall were there along with a few other goods that were left by the occupants. From there, the museum focuses towards what happened after they were captured and sent to concentration camps.

While the Van Gogh Museum was under renovation, some of his paintings were on display at the Hermitage Museum which is where we headed next. Luckily, we got to walk along the canals for part of the journey across town.  The views were incredible. I know I live along the Great Union Canal in London, but nothing compares to the system of canals that Amsterdam has.

At the Hermitage Museum, the temporary Van Gogh exhibit featured seven themes from his life. Again, no photos were allowed. But, we did get to see the famous Sunflowers, several of his self-portraits, and many of the landscapes that he painted in his later life.

With our passes, we got to take a river cruise on the canals. After stopping for a mid-day snack and coffee, we boarded the hour cruise through the harbor and the famous canals. While the commentary was limited, we got to see much more of the city that we would not have gotten to see without the cruise.

Leaning Houses 

Sunset

For dinner, we had some traditional Dutch food before heading home for the evening. The first day was jammed pack with trying to see some of the major sights, but well worth the fatigue! Stay tuned for day two re-cap tomorrow!

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

I'm leaving for Amsterdam tonight. Stay tuned for a re-cap of  my last minute deal that Nicole and I snapped up! If you have any tips for places to eat and see, let me know! Especially off the beaten track ones...

On the Move Again...

I'm headed to Oxford for a day trip tomorrow, and next weekend, I'm taking a short trip to Amsterdam! Stay tuned for recaps on both!