Vienna and Amsterdam
We changed course from Asia and headed to Europe to meet up with my family for Thanksgiving.
Vienna
Our first stop was Austria where the cold shocked our systems. Transitioning from the chaos, crowds, and heat of Vietnam to the sophistication, charm, and snow of Vienna was about as extreme as it gets.
Vienna is a city where Mozart and Beethoven lived and where scientists like Freud, Schrödinger, Mendel were from. There is a thriving cafe culture to nurture these creatives. We saw architecture from Hundertwasser, an eccentric guy similar to Gaudi, who did all his work with no straight lines.
Most important of all, we went to our first Christmas markets. It was charming with all of the stalls and we consumed our fair share of gluhwein (mulled wine).
There was an ice skating course where you got to wind through the market rather than being confined to repetitive circles in a normal rink. Ice skating rinks will be forever disappointing after this one. Sinead thinks she is bound for the next winter Olympics with her crazy skating skills.
Amsterdam
Next the whole family went back to Amsterdam where we stayed at my sister's apartment. My cousin, Allison, and her husband, Jon, also met up with us there for the week long Thanksgiving festivities.
Melissa taught us that "gezellig" is the Dutch term for a convivial, cozy, quaint atmosphere (it has similar meaning to the Danish word "hygge"). We all fully embraced this feeling throughout our time there.
We had a blast playing laser tag together. To no one's surprise, my mom was not good at it.
We wandered around the red light district where Sinead knocked on some of the windows and chatted with the ladies about the logistics of the business. None of us actually went behind the windows.
The Hague is where the Dutch Parliament is located and is about 1 hour from Amsterdam. We took a day trip there to explore the Parliament building, the Peace Palace, and royal homes. My surprise favorite activity there was the MC Escher museum.
Throughout our stay we had some good food and drinks. From the Dutch pancakes to the notably better gin and tonics and endless gouda, we had no shortage of good meals.
Sinead's good friend, Kyle, also lives in Amsterdam with his partner, Julien. They prepared the most amazing dinner for us of raclette (fresh melted cheese poured over mushrooms, veggies, and potatoes) that Julien had brought fresh from France followed by creme brûlée with vanilla bean that Julien had brought fresh from Madagascar. It was honestly to die for.
We rented a boat and sailed around the canals for hours. We brought plenty of snacks and booze and played Christmas music as we explored. It was very gezellig.
Melissa is part of a weekly rowing club and I got to join her one night to go around the Amstel River. It was really fun but my skills could definitely be improved.
We also rented bikes and bike through the countryside along the outer canals passing by windmills and farms. Amsterdam is so scenic and everything looks so picturesque.
The real reason we all went to Amsterdam was so that we could be together to celebrate Thanksgiving. We had a big dinner at Melissa and Billy's friends' house (who was a big Cowboys fan - hence the jerseys).
We have a lot to be thankful for. I've had such an amazing trip and year and I feel so happy.
Vienna
Our first stop was Austria where the cold shocked our systems. Transitioning from the chaos, crowds, and heat of Vietnam to the sophistication, charm, and snow of Vienna was about as extreme as it gets.
With my mom, dad, sister, and brother-in-law we explored grand palaces and wandered the streets where literally all of the buildings look like they should be museums.
Vienna is a city where Mozart and Beethoven lived and where scientists like Freud, Schrödinger, Mendel were from. There is a thriving cafe culture to nurture these creatives. We saw architecture from Hundertwasser, an eccentric guy similar to Gaudi, who did all his work with no straight lines.
Most important of all, we went to our first Christmas markets. It was charming with all of the stalls and we consumed our fair share of gluhwein (mulled wine).
There was an ice skating course where you got to wind through the market rather than being confined to repetitive circles in a normal rink. Ice skating rinks will be forever disappointing after this one. Sinead thinks she is bound for the next winter Olympics with her crazy skating skills.
Amsterdam
Next the whole family went back to Amsterdam where we stayed at my sister's apartment. My cousin, Allison, and her husband, Jon, also met up with us there for the week long Thanksgiving festivities.
Melissa taught us that "gezellig" is the Dutch term for a convivial, cozy, quaint atmosphere (it has similar meaning to the Danish word "hygge"). We all fully embraced this feeling throughout our time there.
We had a blast playing laser tag together. To no one's surprise, my mom was not good at it.
We wandered around the red light district where Sinead knocked on some of the windows and chatted with the ladies about the logistics of the business. None of us actually went behind the windows.
Throughout our stay we had some good food and drinks. From the Dutch pancakes to the notably better gin and tonics and endless gouda, we had no shortage of good meals.
Sinead's good friend, Kyle, also lives in Amsterdam with his partner, Julien. They prepared the most amazing dinner for us of raclette (fresh melted cheese poured over mushrooms, veggies, and potatoes) that Julien had brought fresh from France followed by creme brûlée with vanilla bean that Julien had brought fresh from Madagascar. It was honestly to die for.
We rented a boat and sailed around the canals for hours. We brought plenty of snacks and booze and played Christmas music as we explored. It was very gezellig.
Melissa is part of a weekly rowing club and I got to join her one night to go around the Amstel River. It was really fun but my skills could definitely be improved.
We also rented bikes and bike through the countryside along the outer canals passing by windmills and farms. Amsterdam is so scenic and everything looks so picturesque.
The real reason we all went to Amsterdam was so that we could be together to celebrate Thanksgiving. We had a big dinner at Melissa and Billy's friends' house (who was a big Cowboys fan - hence the jerseys).
We have a lot to be thankful for. I've had such an amazing trip and year and I feel so happy.
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