Amsterdam with kids

Last April we went for a long weekend to Amsterdam. Mr.A and I had been there a few years ago to meet up with friends. We had had a great time browsing art at the Rijksmuseum, walking the streets, bridges & canals following an audio tour by our favorite – Rick Steves & getting a glimpse of the happening night life. A solemn experience was the visit to the Anne Frank house. We could say we had covered most of the significant features of the beautiful city but had majorly missed out on the legendary tulips at Keukenhof. Plus, we wanted to experience Amsterdam with LittleA this time & hoped to still love it. & still love it, we did 🙂

Keukenhof Gardens

This was spring and the gardens were in full bloom. Flowers everywhere! It was a joy to be there and take in all the beauty. Even though LittleA was just a few months over three, we can see the tulips made an impact on her too as every time Amsterdam comes up within her earshot, she is sure to mention tulips or garden 🙂 So cool that we could make a beautiful early memory together for her to cherish.

The Upside Down

This is a must see, not only if you are into social media like Instagram or Tiktok, but also if you love quirky, unusual things. A lot of fluorescent colors, neon lights, illusions, funky mirrors, an entire swimming pool full of plastic balls, a walk-in closet with a wardrobe full of flashy clothes to play dress-up, half of an airplane, yeah the list goes on! The cafe is a cute place to sit down too, with a bunch of equally snap-worthy colorful sandwiches. We sure smiled a lot & took way too many pictures 😀

Amstelpark

We stayed at the Novotel Hotels which was right across this park so we took a stroll expecting to simply find some greenery & open spaces but pleasantly surprised by the extras we found. A little open train chugged along and for 3euros a ride, took us around the park at a leisurely pace. We then came by a petting zoo and a mini amusement section for the kids, complete with a merry-go-round, a toy-train for children, a set of toy cars & lots of bubbles, ice cream and cotton candy. Could one ask for more?!

Canal Cruise

We took a canal cruise to catch a different perspective of the city. It was a balmy afternoon, lazy sunshine and the quiet laps of water accompanied a gentle audio guide onboard pointing out buildings & landmarks of significance. Very pleasant indeed. On the other hand, the banks were alive with action, people had come out in droves, also to enjoy the sun, but mostly with a beer in hand. We even saw a bunch of people fishing out a bike from the water!

Malaga murals

Seeking out magical murals with Mr.A on the sunny streets of Malaga this summer… perfect vacation treasure hunt 🙂

 

You may also like other posts about street art from:

• Street art from Melbourne
• The Icelandic capital, Reykjavik
• Zagreb, from my road-trip through Croatia two summers ago
• The East Side Gallery, some remains of the Berlin Wall
• Stockholm, a city with a strict view on graffiti
• Copenhagen’s Freetown Christiania
• Lively neighborhoods of Plaka & Monastikari in Athens
• Graffiti on the by-lanes of Barcelona

Azulejos / Blue-and-white murals

Azulejos are beautiful blue-and-white tiles adorning many a mural in Portugal. While traveling around Lisbon, Porto and Faro, we’ve come across several churches, restaurants, train stations and such, covered with gorgeous scenes in blue and white tones, each telling a different story, each unique in its details. You know how I love collecting pictures of street art over my travels. These murals were in a category of their own. I immediately fell in love with these works of art.

Have you been to Portugal? What did you think?

 

Street art from Melbourne

One cannot talk enough about Melbourne’s street art culture. It is vibrant, it is energetic and it is everywhere! Don’t be surprised if you stumble upon a gorgeous geisha staring you down, find a wall of multicolored squiggles when you turn the corner, walk alongside fantastical six-legged beasts or meet a monochrome gang of six-year-olds practicing graceful ballet moves. Although I’ve lost many photographs from my year-long stay in Melbourne, thanks to a broken hard drive 😥 I remember those long walks around town discovering a new scene almost every day and clicking away photos to my heart’s content. My favorite spots were Degraves Street & Hosier Lane in Melbourne, as well as the funky Fitzroy & Brunswick neighborhoods on the edge of town. I could spend hours looking at these beautiful expressions of art.

You may also like other posts about street art from:

• The Icelandic capital, Reykjavik
• Zagreb, from my road-trip through Croatia last summer.
• The East Side Gallery, some remains of the Berlin Wall.
• Stockholm, a city with a strict view on graffiti.
• Copenhagen’s Freetown Christiania.
• Lively neighborhoods of Plaka & Monastikari in Athens.
• Graffiti on the by-lanes of Barcelona.

Enjoy reading!

And then came Spring

Hardly three weeks ago Stockholm was dumped with heaps of snow. Thankfully that slowly melted and then came Spring! These are the first flowers I saw sprouting up along the sidewalks. Lucky for me, these purple blossoms fit right into today’s prompt up at The Daily Post. Have a lovely week ahead!