Allow me to weave a small and uninteresting tale. My interest in Japanese animation started way back when I was a small girl. My father had brought home a copy of My Neighbor Totoro, and ever since then I was hooked. When I was in high school, I attended a few conventions. But this phase ended when I went to college. In college I took several Japanese appreciation and culture classes. For my language I choose Japanese. Although if they had…
The last day of the season, is what I mean. We’ve been so busy that we couldn’t attend until the very last day of the season. Disappointing, I know. We missed out on lots of beautiful blooms, but there was still so much to see that we felt like we didn’t miss much! And what exactly is the Keukenhof? Situated in Lisse, it is one of the world’s largest gardens and has grown to house over 7 million various flowers…
ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo is nestled in the heart of, you guessed it, Amsterdam. It’s not only the oldest zoo in Amsterdam but one of the oldest in Europe, although it’s hard to tell. The entire zoo is so well maintained and decorated! It features lots of outdoor exhibits and animals but also has small houses. There’s the the Reptile house, Small mammal house and even a butterfly room. It also boosts an amazing aquarium and a planetarium. ARTIS also…
I cannot believe my eyes. The sun is out! I was born in the “sunshine State.” Autumn and winter was a bit of a culture shock. It’s been months since I’ve seen the sun but it’s finally here! I repeat, spring in The Netherlands is here! I used to brag about how I loved the rain and despised the lack of it but being here was a bit different. On rainy days I used to snuggle up and spend a…
I asked Sander if there were any local aquariums we had not visited and his eyes lit up. For a few weeks now, we’ve toyed with the idea of visiting Artis, a zoo in Amsterdam, but something has always come up. The great thing about the Zee Aquarium, is that it was not too far away (a little over 50 minutes away) and it wasn’t too large. Unfortunately many of the reviews for the place were negative because it’s so…
I was an art student in school but our classes often focused on art history or the conceptualization of art. I don’t have to study theory anymore, that doesn’t stop me from exposing myself to new forms of art. I want to discover new artists and appreciating their work. One such artist is the infamous Banksy. Banksy’s origin story is one of an anonymous graffiti artist from Britain. His message promotes strong and mindful social and political commentary. Many of his pieces…
We’ve been meaning to go ice skating as soon as the winter season hit but it’s been a bit difficult. For the first time in our lives, both as singles and a couple, Sander and I have had a social life. We’ve been busy every weekend with either date plans or family plans. This past weekend we decided that procrastination would not get the better of us. The trip out to Haarlem and our destination, Kunstijsbaan Kennemerland, was short and…
Christmas time is the best time for family and travel! This isn’t a problem if you enjoy seeing your family and enjoy traveling though. We headed down south to spend the holidays with Sander’s brother. Our new temporary home was a house built back in the 1830’s and looked like it came straight out of a Harry Potter book! Immediately we emerged into a winter wonderland. From what I’ve seen, most cities make the most of this time with Christmas…
While the Netherlands is well known for celebrating Sinterklaas in early December, they do also celebrate Christmas. Lights hung from every lamppost and ran up and down the main street for miles. The displays in the larger department stores were fantastic and marvelous to see. In Amsterdam, Christmas is a fantastic time for tourists. The entire city is alight and magic hovers everywhere! The streets were busy, as usual. This is common for Amsterdam any time of the year. We tend…