Amsterdam!!

Last weekend Ron and I went to Amsterdam to meet up with my girlfriend Ryane and her boyfriend Chris since the two of them were traveling to Berlin and then Amsterdam before heading over to London. So, we told them that if they ended up in Amsterdam that we would meet them there.

Even though Amsterdam seems really close, we still had to take a train (4 hours) and then take a plane (1 1/2 hours) and then get to our hotel near central Amsterdam (30 -40 min.) so we felt like it took an eternity to get there...but it was definitely worth it!

First of all, Ron booked us a room at this amazing hotel called HotelV, it's this really hip hotel that was a townhouse converted to a hotel and so we got to stay in one of those cool old buildings but it had been completely remodeled and had all modern furniture and it was really cool! Here are some pictures of the hotel....

Here are pictures of me and Ron at a train station in Sweden on our way to Amsterdam. It was raining...

We arrived in Amsterdam at 9PM last Friday and spent all day Saturday with Ryane and Chris. Ryane suggested that we meet up at 8AM so that we would have all day to sightsee - and we did! We walked all around Amsterdam from 8AM to almost 10PM!

We met up with Ryane and Chris in their hotel lobby and then started wandering around looking for places to eat breakfast and came across some cool places...

This is a picture of Ron and Chris looking at us like "Stop taking pictures and start walking faster!" haha.

After we ate breakfast we went to the Van Gogh museum. It was pretty cool because we got to see his paintings evolve and change and see what makes his paintings different. What is so depressing is that Van Gogh was convinced he was a failure and that he would always be one so he shot himself in the chest and died two days later. And whats super weird is that there are only three known photos of Van Gogh and one of them was in the museum and his back is facing the photo so you cant even see his face! haha.

Then we walked over to the Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam for lunch...

We originally sat outside on the deck but decided it was too hot so we went inside - and sure enough in the middle of eating it randomly started pouring rain for about 15 minutes! So, its a good thing we moved inside! :)

Ron and Chris were navigating us all day while we took pictures and followed along. It was really fun because Ryane and I have been friends since 9th grade so it was really funny for us to be hanging out years later in Amsterdam together. :)

After the Van Gogh museum and lunch, then we decided to go to the Anne Frank House. This was Ryanes favorite part - she had really been looking forward to being in the actual house. Luckily she bought our tickets online so we walked right in, because there was a line around the block - it was sooo long!

We couldnt take any pictures inside of the Anne Frank House, but it was really interesting. We were in the actual office building that she lived in with I think 7 other people. We got to walk through all the rooms and see the pictures she hung on the wall while she lived there and got to watch videos of people who knew her and even a video of her father.

I guess she died days after her older sister died and one month before her camp was liberated by British troops. One of the videos was one of her friends who was in the camp next to her said that she didnt know her dad was still alive and so she thought that Anne had lost hope. :( Which is really sad!

It seems like these places would be really sad to visit, but it was just really interesting. We got to see her actual diary (she has really cute handwriting!).

After the Anne Frank House, then we decided to go on the Heineken Brewery tour! Which was really fun. ;)

Then we wandered around some more and ended up eating at this super yummy Thai restaurant that Ryane read in a tourist book. :)

We had a really fun day and were really happy that we went. :)

Before I end this post, there is one more thing worth mentioning...."poffertjes". These tiny pancakes are AMAZING!!! We ate them at a breakfast place on Sunday morning and I dont think either of us have eaten something so fast! haha, it was delicious! While I didnt take a picture of it at the restaurant, here is one I found on the internet...

Definitely our best Amsterdam trip yet.....

Icelandic Horses

So, last week a Swedish girl named Ulrika invited me to go and ride Icelandic horses on this ranch that she had been going to since she was young. I looooove animals so I could not wait to go see these horses. I guess they have a special trott and they grow more hair than normal horses - usually fluff around their feet, so I could not wait to see the horses and pet them and the girls who had gone there before said the horses were really nice and gentle so I wasnt scared .... until I got there.

The horses were HUGE. Not compared to normal horses - but compared to the other animals in my life, like cats and dogs. And of course the night before I went Ron lectured me about not standing behind the horse or else it could kick me. So, I didnt know what to expect and I was a little afraid that I had not thought this through completely.

When I got there this Swedish lady who owns the barn asked about my riding level - level zero. I have never ridin a horse - at least not that I can remember. So they gave me Dimma, that means "Mist" in Swedish. She was a really friendly horse, as soon as I walked up to her she started butting her head on my side and rubbing her face on my back - at first I thought she was attacking me but she was actually scratching her face. :p

This is me in the stable picking out a helmet and posing with the saddles...

This is Dimma.....

We have the same hair color.... :)

Here we are on our horses ready waiting for the instructor to start on our path...



There was a Danish family at the barn too for a ride, there were two small girls with their group - probably about 8 years old.

Okay, so when I got on the horse a lady came by to check on my stirrups and ask how they felt - of course, I had no idea what those were for so I sat my feet on them and since my feet could reach them I figured they were good to go. Well, not so much....

Anyhow, before we get to the part where I figured out I need those stirrups for balance....we headed off onto this trail. I didnt even have to tell my horse what to do, as soon as she saw the other horses walking she started walking right behind them and we followed this really pretty trail into the forest...

My view.....

When I first got on the horse I felt REALLY high in the air and unbalanced, and then as soon as I got the hang of it and had my balance going and we were walking steady then I felt more comfortable...but then we got on this one trail that had flat dirt and the leader said "TROTT" and all of a sudden all the horses started trotting!!!

I did not know what to do! At first I felt bad for my horse thinking that I must be heavy for her, but then when she started galloping I began flying into the air and thought I was too light! I couldnt balance at all - I was just bouncing on the horse and holding onto the straps for dear life! My feet slid right off the stirrups and were boucing around on the sides of the horse uncontrollably and I wasnt strong enough to stop the horse so finally my friend called out to the leader because if we didnt stop then I was definitly going to fall off and once the front horse stopped - they all stopped (thankfully).

I ended up getting through the whole two hour tour without falling off, but the whole group had to stop about 4 times because I was bouncing around and going off trail. haha. It was fun - all I kept thinking was that I just wanted to stay on the horse...haha

We took a break in the middle of the tour to have coffee, tea and cookies.

Look at these horses scratching each other! :)


I ended up realizing that I got a horse that was just like me. She got really upset and shook her head around whenever flys got near her face because she didnt like that, and every time we slowed down or stopped she would start eating berrys and flowers nearby (even when the other horses were standing in a straight line...yikes).

I had a really fun day and I think I will definitly go again. This time I will make sure my stirrups are adjusted correctly and that I take more control (my horse knew I was a pushover...). BUT, I dont think I will ever try to ride on a full size horse - that is just crazy!

Thank you Dimma for the memorable day!!