Gay Pride Parade Amsterdam 2011

This past weekend, I had the chance to experience Amsterdam for one thing its known for. Gay Pride. I met up with Lindsey and we went to the canal, Prisengracht where her friend Jelle owns a boat to watch the parade. Lucky for us, we had front row seats to THE gay event of the year. And it was FABULOUS.

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It is estimated that one million Dutch people are gay. Luckily, I have had the privilege to know many gay people from all over the world, and am so thankful for the rights that are becoming bestowed upon them such as legalized marriages. Life is too short to do anything other than exactly what you want to do. Love one another, and accept each other for exactly who you are. In the end, does anything matter other than love? 

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Saturday at the parade in Amsterdam, all I saw was love, laughter and fun. Here's the thing.. no one knows the recipe for a happy marriage or union, whether it be one man, and one woman or two men and two women. No matter the orientation- I hope there is an abundance of happiness and love. Party on Gay folk, continue to stand up for your rights.. Be happy. Love and be loved. I applaud you.

Weekend trip to London..

Not long following my trip to Paris with the host family, I was responsible for traveling with my two youngest to London to meet up with Jack and Christiaan who were already there. It was the first time I had traveled with Emma and Jacob alone and I was slightly stressed; okay, I'll be honest, I was freaking out a little bit. Not because I thought they were going to misbehave, but because its scary to be responsible for two children who aren't yours, going through passport control, and boarding a plane with the weight of knowing you are their temporary guardian. You are solely responsible for getting them back into their parents care safely.. I adore these children and would be heartbroken if anything happened to them on my time. That being said, we arrived with absolutely no problems- they were wonderful, like usual, and we were all reunited at the flat in London in no time. We were off to dinner at an extremely good Chinese restaurant near Baker Street where we indulged in amazing duck (I'm starting to see a duck pattern) and foie gras scallops (which should be translated as heaven in your mouth) Following dinner, I went to meet my good friend Alex who just recently moved to London with her host family, and Ash. Now, Ash is one denim and jort wearing fool who we met in Madrid and thankfully have kept in contact with because he is SO much fun.. A wonderful surprise to see them both in my favorite city.  Not too long after, Ash had a few friends of his meet up with us and off we went to Shakespeare Pub to indulge in the finer things that London has to offer- Pints.

The next morning, I was awoken by an amazing Starbucks coffee run by an eager 11 year old who just recently bought five lattes for us all. God bless Starbucks across the street, and the fact that she is so happy to fuel my caffeine addiction. Thank you Emma. I went to meet my very good American friend Kait for lunch, and drinks- which turned into Pimm's, her boyfriend Ash, who I adore, and them meeting my friend Alex for more drinks. Thankfully, Kait and Alex share two things. They are both Americans, and they both love, love, love Taco Bell. (Road trip in the works) and discussing all things American. I went home after an amazing day filled of my new favorite drinks - Pimm's, and Pizza Hut (which lord knows we can't get in Holland).

www.artofdrink.com

On Sunday, Jack, the kids and I went for brunch, then to a museum for an art exhibition- followed by a day at the London Zoo. It was so incredibly hot outside that most of the animals, if they could be, were inside. It was still a lovely afternoon, with a walk through Regent's Park and Primrose Hill with Christiaan as our tour guide (we're working with the children on their geography skills).  Following our afternoon, it was time for the eldest, Christiaan and I to return to Holland. Heathrow Express train, and a nice dinner at the airport- hangman on the plane and we were back in Holland safe and sound.

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Have I ever mentioned that I love London?

J'adore Paris..

Lines at the Musee D'Orsay -thankfuly we didn't have to wait!

A few weeks ago, I embarked on a day trip with my host family to Paris for the Manet Exhibition at the Musee D'Orsay. I had traveled to Paris once before with my Mom when I was 20 but it had been six years since I was in the city, and I missed the Parisian way of life- Hands down, the culture, the museums, and the unforgettable Eiffel Tower, I love Paris. We woke early, 4:45am to catch our train at Schiphol at 6:30am.. the public transportation in Europe is a love/hate relationship might I add. Although we had booked tickets, you can never know what your day holds for you if you're at the mercy of public transportation. There was a problem with our high speed Thalys train, therefore, we had to take a train to Rotterdam via Schiphol to, fingers crossed, make our connection into Paris.. We also had tickets booked for the exhibition.. miss one, miss them all type of thing. Did I mention the exhibition was our sole purpose of traveling to Paris for the day- therefore not being admitted to Manet would have been a detrimental downer of the trip. Thankfully, the transportation Gods were on our side because we made it to Paris in just over three hours from Holland. Arriving at Paris Gare du Nord we were off to the museum, which lead us to a four hour stroll around the beautiful museum.

Interior of Musee D'Orsay

Illegal Photograph of Manet work- compliments of Emma

Inside the Musee

My Dutch boys in Paris

After the museum, we went for a walk to go catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. The children have never seen it before and were extremely excited, I too shared their enthusiasm. Even though I have been fortunate enough to experience it before, it still is beautiful. How ironic that it was built as a tower for practical use and over the years has become a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. It's a staple of Europe, a trademark of the Parisians, and one of my most favorite sights in Paris.

Does this need a caption? 

Following our photo shoot at the Eiffel Tower, we walked to have an early dinner of amazing duck breast, rosemary potatoes and french wine. After dinner, we were back on the high speed train and home before midnight. One day- traveling through Holland, Belgium and to France. Dutch breakfast, French dinner. This could become a dangerous habit. 

View of the River Seine