Bonjour Europa! This is what honeymoon Dreams are made of (Part One)
Most of my European dreams and inspirations, as I’m sure is the case for others as well, derives from famous movies and tv series like The Lizzy McGuire Movie, Luca, Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars, James Bond, Emily in Paris, etc. Thus, we saw it fitting to visit various parts of Europe, for our once in a lifetime (always the goal) honeymoon!
We took the untraditional route and decided to plan our honeymoon roughly 6-7 months out from our wedding. While there are pros and cons to waiting some time after the wedding to vacation, we figured there were more benefits in our situation. It gave us the opportunity to pay down some of the credit card costs accrued from our wedding before we spent thousands more on our honeymoon, I was provided a few additional months of planning for activities/restaurants/sites, and we were able to re-charge our batteries after the wedding and before voyaging onto our itinerary-packed honeymoon vacation.
In terms of planning, we spent a number of months figuring out honeymoon logistics. We booked our flights first, then the hotels, then public transport. After travel/hotel accommodations were arranged, I started booking restaurant and site/activity reservations. I highly recommend making reservations in advance as things book up quickly, especially during the height of The Eras Tour, Olympics, and busy tourism months.
Because our itinerary was so packed, I am going to cover each location we visited, starting with The Netherlands and France. I will focus on the Italy portion of our honeymoon in next week’s blog post!
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Day One:
Because our overnight plane arrived in Amsterdam around mid afternoon the next day, we were able to spend the first half of day one exploring the Anne Frank House and Jordaan District. We even had time after dinner to check-out the Red Light District.
The Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House is one of the most famous landmarks in all of Amsterdam, so it is important tickets are purchased once that window opens (I believe I was able to purchase tickets a few months to our visit date/time). The museum is dedicated to Jewish WWII diarist Anne Frank, who hid with her family and four other people in the Secret Annex, as a way to flee Nazi persecution. Though Anne Frank did not survive the war, her diary was preserved and published in 1947, and the Anne Frank House went on to became a permanent exhibition to locals and visitors alike.
Pesca
After touring the Anne Frank House, we worked up an appetite and made our way over to dinner reservations at Pesca, a local seafood restaurant in the Jordaan. The restaurant was an experience in itself, as there were different elements to ordering food/drinks. The Theater of Fish has patrons choose their own fish (daily selection) and side dishes from the market. From there, a wine or other beverage is paired. The food/wine was fresh, delicious, and absolutely one-of-a-kind!
Wondering the Canals
Of course, a trip to Amsterdam is not complete without wondering around the many canals. Because of this, the area is often lovingly referred to as the “Venice of the North.”
Red Light District
De Wallen is the most well-known and largest red-light district in Amsterdam. It is known for its alleys and one-room cabins rented by prostitutes who offer their services from behind an illuminated red glass window. While Evan and I found strolling through the area interesting, and not the typical exposure we would experience in the states, it wasn’t really our thing (though, it might be for others).
Day Two:
Keukenhof
Because Evan and I visited Europe late spring, Keukenhof was one, if not the main, reason we chose to add Amsterdam to our travel list. Keukenhof is known for their vast tulip fields and botanical gardens, which are in bloom March-early May. The garden sits just outside of Amsterdam in the country-side, and is accessible by car or bus (we took the Keukenhof Express Bus to and from Amsterdam RAI). Since Evan and I visited on a Tuesday morning, it was relatively unpopulated, which made for an enjoyable stroll!
Small bites at Vlaams Friteshuis and Van Wonderen
If you love fries and fixings, as well as stroopwafels, as much as we do, then Vlaams Friteshuis or Vleminckx de Sausmeester and Van Wonderen need to be on your to-do! For my fries, I ordered the Dutch mayo sauce, while Evan smothered his fries with the cheese sauce. Van Wonderen is also pretty well-known from places like Tik Tok for their stroopwafels and fixings. I ordered the m&ms, which were tasty and made for great photos, while Evan got the Oreo topping.
Bloemenmarkt
Bloemenmarkt is a floating flower market, and it includes floral, garden, and other souvenir shops. The market is one of the largest suppliers of flowers to central Amsterdam. While we did not purchase flowers, we did start the trend of collecting travel ornaments at every city we visited.
The Jordaan & 9 Streets
Some of the best shopping and restaurants are located in the Jordaan. Though it was originally a working-class neighborhood, the Jordaan has become one of the most upscale and expensive areas in Amsterdam.
Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum is a national Dutch museum dedicated to the arts and history of this historic city. We had the opportunity to roam around the gardens and check-out the amazing architecture. Of course, there are other proximate sites like the Van Gogh Museum (I have been to this before and it is such a cool day activity), the Stedelijk Museum, and Vondelpark.
Restaurant Ambassade
I absolutely cannot recommend this restaurant enough! Restaurant Ambassade’s menu highlights a creative take on classic French dishes. I ordered the risotto but Evan’s dish definitely took the cake (I mean look at that picture… insert drool emoji).
Easy Times
Since a trip to Amsterdam is not complete without a trip to a coffee shop or two or three, Evan and I found Easy Times. Though I don’t really partake in said extracurriculars, Evan was flouting on cloud nine!
Paris, France
The next few days, we ventured off to Paris, the city of light!
Day One:
We arrived on Victory in Europe Day, aka when the Nazis surrendered, so many shops and restaurants were closed, which meant planning for pre-reserved activities and dinning options that were still open.
Picnic Tour Eiffel
The first thing we did was take a train from our hotel over to the Eiffel Tower, where we found a cute shop with charcuterie items. We ordered cheese, bread, and some bubbly. Because the surrounding parks around the Eiffel Tower were blocked off to the public in preparation of the Olympics, we brought our items over to the side of the Seine River, and enjoyed our picnic at a table.
River Seine Cruise
After we enjoyed our charcuterie, we boarded our reserved cruise with Bateaux Parisiens. We found this enjoyable as it gave us a different vantage point of the city. Though we weren’t able to cruise the entire river, due to the size of the boat, high tides, and bridges, we were able to see a good portion of the Seine. This is highly recommended for a visit (especially first-time) to Paris.
Perruche
As a night-cap, we had dinner at Perruche (again, I made reservations here). The restaurant specializes in Mediterranean cuisine, is located at the top of Printemps Haussmann, and offers STUNNING views of the Eiffel Tower, which we got to see sparkling in the night sky.
Day Two:
Le Vrai Paris
This cute little cafe/brasserie is located in Montmartre, 18th arrondissement, which is one of the prettiest arrondissements in Paris (but I may be biased). Of course, we started the morning off with croissants and cafe du lait, which translates to milk coffee.
Montmartre
Again, this is a neighborhood in the 18th arrondissement. We walked around and checked out various sites like Le Mur des Je’ t-aime, Rue de l’Abreuvoir, La Maison Rose Cafe and The Ivy House, Le Consulat, and Moulin de la Galette.
Le Marais
Located in the 4th arrondissement, Le Marais is home to Place des Vosges, Square Georges Cain, Nicolas Flamel’s House (for Harry Potter fans), Passage De l’Ancre, and several shopping areas. It was once an aristocratic district, to it encompasses many historic buildings. It is also where your girl scored a noir beret (tres chic)! Also, because we did a lot of walking around (and I wore shoes for looks, not comfort), I took a wine o’clock break at a cute winery near Nicolas Flamel’s House.
Saint-Germaine-des-Pres
This neighborhood is located in the 6th arrondissement and is known for sites like Jardin du Luxembourg, Champs Elysees, and Pont des Arts.
Le Bistrot d’Henri
By the time we walked several arrondissements, we were incredibly hungry. This was a sweet little cafe nestled in the 6th arrondissement that served some of the best pasta we had our entire trip!
Strasbourg, France
Day One
From Paris to Strasbourg, we spent roughly a few hours on the train. Strasbourg is located in Eastern France along the border of Germany. It is the historic region of Alsace, and is known for its Christmas markets during the holidays (we stumbled upon some of the cutest Christmas stores here, and of course, purchased a few ornaments).
Grand-Ile de Strasbourg
Upon our arrival, we explored the Grande-Ile de Strasbourg, Canal du Faux Rempart and the River Ill.
We then walked over to the Protection des mineurs and Pont Saint-Martin. We also explored La Petite France, which is one the trendiest neighborhoods in all of Strasbourg.
Au Petit Bois Vert
This restaurant offers rustic charm, common to the old winstubs. I enjoyed an Alsace wine, and we split the flammekuche (essentially a flatbread), which is characteristic of the Alsace region.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg
The Cathédrale Notre Dame is not just located in Paris, but Strasbourg, too! In fact, though the movie “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” says it takes place in Paris, I think they borrow illustrative elements from the Strasbourg Notre Dame.
Lycee International des Pontonniers
The best photo spot is, without a doubt, from the other side of Canal du Faux-Rempart. I mean, check out this beautiful building and sunset in the background!
Day Two
On our second day in the region, we took a short train ride to the village of Colmar.
We started the day off with fresh pastries, then adventured from there.
Fontaine Schwendi
Colmar may sound or look familiar to you, specially Fontaine Schwendi. Fontaine Schwendi is the fountain where belle sits and sings her desire to leave this poor provincial town.
Colmar Old Town
In Colmar Old Town, we walked around the market area, Maison des Tetes, Dominican Church, Saint Martin Collegiate Church, Maison Pfister, and the Old Customs House. We even checked out Marche Couvert, a market in Colmar, for lunch.
Afterwards, we walked along La Petite Venise, then found an e-bike shop, where we were able to rent electric bikes to a nearby town called Eguisheim.
Eguisheim
It took us roughly 30 minutes to ride from Colmar to Eguisheim. Along the ride, we passed through other small villages and vineyards. Though my hands got sunburnt (super weird place to burn, I know), it was such a lovely way to see the area.
Because our honeymoon was a full two weeks, and there is a lot of content to cover, stay tuned for part II, where we journey to Italy. Au revoir pour le moment!
