Amsterdam Adventures

As promised this is the first of my travel series posts featuring the lovely city of Amsterdam. I will try not to over share on the photos & ramble on aimlessly. My travel series will be brief encounters of each country & I am more than happy to answer any questions you have about that city/country.

Amsterdam was our first stop on our Euro-tour & we had planned only a couple of things. We later found out that we ended up having the most fun in the cities/countries in which we planned nothing & had a chance to explore for ourselves with no timed agenda :-)

The first night that we were in Amsterdam we ditched the 'Red Light District' as that is not our thing (not that I judge-each to their own) and explored the back streets. We visited in April (Spring) and the sun didn't go down until around 9.30pm. Amsterdam by night is a beautiful place. We walked along the backstreets that were beautifuly lit with street lamps and sparkling lights.

Midnight was approaching & it came time to get back to the hotel. We were instructed to find the 'Dam' station. We waited at Dam station, not knowing that there were 6 other Dam tram stations! We spent about an hour walking about trying to find the station. We asked hotel reception and they would keep pointing us to the another Dam station, but it was always the wrong one. We eventually just jumped on a few trams and tried asking the tram drivers, but to no avail....Two lovely local ladies asked their tram driver where the right station was & it turned out that the right Dam station was hidden behind the Royal Palace. We were so close, yet so far! Mr. B & I still joke about not being able to find the Dam (Damn!) station!!! lol

The next morning we traveled out to the beautiful fishing village of Edam. I was so in love with this place-I want to move there one day! We did a morning bike tour through the village and we even saw a elderly couple (about 70yrs old) out for a morning bike ride. You can see from my ski jacket and ear muffs that it was a freezing cold morning!

Back in Amsterdam we grabbed lunch at Vleminck X-a tiny hole-in-the-wall establishment that makes the best fries in Amsterdam. They have been cooking up delicious hand cut fries since 1887, so you know they are good. This is a well known spot for locals & is off the main streets. But it is well worth the short walk. I had the traditional serving-fries with mayonaise and Mr. B had fries with curry sauce. I recommend the mayo :-)

Fries with mayonnaise, fries with curry sauce.

It is a hole-in-the wall place with no seating. These fries are made for eatin' while walkin', or you can stand in the pedsetrain street & watch others devour their delicious fries.
Vleminck X
Voetboogstraat 33
1012 XK Amsterdam
Read the reviews on TripAdvisor

I was definitely in my realm in Amsterdam: there were so many vintage shops to explore, too many for one afternoon. Perhaps I will return one day.... ;-) I will be doing a separate post detailing my vintage finds shortly, but here's a sneak peak at a beautiful 1950s dress that I found:

Next up we did the touristy thing & saw the famous 'I Amsterdam' sign, that's me posing like a fool....

Much to our surprise behind the sign was a beautiful park with a pond and garden. Because it was such a long and cold winter the tulips were only just starting to bloom. We got to see some of the 1st tulips of the season, which I thought was pretty special :-)

 Please note: I am not urinating behind the tulips! :P

Mr. B & I chilled with the locals on the grass. There were lots of dogs & frisbies-very entertaining :-)
This was a lovely picnic spot as there is a big Aldi-style supermarket at the end of the park near the road. 

Hauntingly beautiful house near the park-this is my dream home!

After the park Mr. B & I spent the rest of the afternoon strolling through the back streets seeing locals in cafes, playing scrabble and drinking on their balconies soaking up the Sunday sun. A man passed us fully dressed as Mario (from Super Mario Bros.) We smiled & turned back to stare & he smiled & waved. I wish we had got a photo with him...For dinner we went to a pancake cafe/restaurant appropriately named 'Pancakes!' Pancakes! had gluten free options, super friendly service and if you flip the menu over it's entirely in English :-)

Mr. B had a smoked salmon pancake for 12.80 Euro. 

I had a buckwheat pancake that normally comes with goats cheese & roasted veges, however I opted for fruit on mine. I also had the most amazing pear juice that I have ever had & I even ordered a 2nd bottle-it was that  good. My meal was 10.50 Euro for the pancake and 3 Euro each for the juices. Well worth every cent!

It's no wonder that the food tasted so great: Pancakes! uses sustainable fruit & veges and organic meat & juices. When paying I was eyeing up a cute Pancakes! wooden clog keyring on the counter and the lovely waitress said I could have it :-)
Pancakes!
Berenstraat 38, 1016 GH Amsterdam
http://www.pancakesamsterdam.nl/

Now extremely full, we walked along to Anne Frank House. Visiting Anne Frank House is essential when you visit Amsterdam, not only out of respect, but to open your eyes to the everyday life of a family in hiding and to truly appreciate the world we live in today. Took about 1.5 hrs to walk through with watching all of the videos and looking at the fascinating documents and artefacts. It was a very moving experience & something that I feel is a must see for everyone when visiting Amsterdam. Book online prior (you have to choose a day & time) otherwise there is a wait of around 40minutes. Photography is not permitted inside.

Anne Frank House
Prinsengracht 263-267, 1016 GV Amsterdam
9 Euros entry fee.
www.annefrank.org/

Statue of Anne Frank, by Mari Andriessen, outside the Westerkerk (Western Cathedral) near Anne Frank House

Amsterdam was our favourite city of our entire Europe & Great Britain trip. If you are apprehensive about visiting because of what you have heard about pot smoking & debauchery, don't be. Amsterdam is a truly beautiful place that is filled with so many wonderful streets to explore-day or night. There was a little bit of smoking down the main street at night, but this was mostly tourists trying it out or groups of men on bucks parties. If you stay away from the main street & explore the back streets you will be pleasantly surprised! We never felt unsafe in Amsterdam at any point, in fact it was one of the most friendly & safe places we went to in Europe :-)

If you would like me to go into further detail on anything, please comment in the comments section below. Don't be shy to post questions :-)

miss_tash x

What She Wore: Summer dreaming on a winters day

Yes, I know, I know-it's the middle of winter & I'm wearing a dress! I'm not crazy, just embracing this wonderful sunny day & pretending it's a summer again :-)

This is what I wore to work today for 'casual Friday'. It's a lovely blue gingham dress by designer, Knitted Dove from Modcloth. I love gingham dresses, but I love this dress even more because it has cute squirrels and owls riding bicycles around the trim. And it has pockets! :D

If this dress could talk it would tell stories of endless summers riding bikes along the beautiful canals of Amsterdam....Take me back to the Netherlands!

I am excited to share my travel stories and vintage finds from Amsterdam with you soon :-)
miss_tash x

What She Wore:
Dress: from Modcloth
Shoes: old wedge sandals-pretty much vintage
Wicker Purse: old Christmas gift from Dad
Necklace: diamond key necklace from Tiffany & Co.

A souvenir from each country

On my adventure overseas I set myself up a little challenge: to find a souvenir from each country. I almost didn't succeed (sorry Austria), but a swarovski card saved the day :-)










Our first visit was Amsterdam:

(Clockwise from left:) A cute little clog key ring that the lovely waitress at Pancakes! restaurant gave to me, a visit to Anne Frank Haus, an embroidered handbag showing the countryside, a pair of wooden clogs, a porcelain thimble.

Berlin:

Information stubs on the Reichstag building, Brandenburg Gate, our well used map of Berlin, entry ticket to the Berliner Dom, the Siegessaule statue, Checkpoint Charlie & a postcard of the Brandenburg Gate.

Prague:

This is a beautiful painting of the Charles Bridge by a local artist (not a print). We brought it from the artist himself!

Munich & Bavaria:

(Clockwise from left): A beautiful sketch of Neuschwanstein Castle, a snow globe that Mr. B brought me-it plays the song 'Edelweiss' & the castle turns, map of Munich, a handcrafted porcelain swan (also a gift from Mr. B), entry tickets to Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau Castles, wooden tree ornament, a mini pill box with a girl & swans on the front, a postcard of Neuschwanstein in the snow & a gorgeous black lace hand fan featuring both castles.

Austria:

We visited beautiful Innsbruck in Austria & all I got was this Swarovski card...

Venice:

An Italian leather handbag & a map of Venice.

Rome:

A pop-up postcard of the Colosseum, entry ticket to the Vittorio Emanuele II monument, entry ticket to the Vatican Museums.

Florence:

A gift for a friend from Leonardo Leather Works (can't revel as she maybe reading this), flyer from the most amazing gelateria in Florence (& all of Italy in my opinion)-Percheno!, business card from an amazing family owned restaurant-Ciro & Sons.

Luzern, Switzerland:

A tin of Swiss sweets featuring the Chapel Bridge, guide from our adventure in the snow up top of Mount Pilatus, ticket for the mountain gondolas.

Paris:

Clockwise from left: box from my gorgeous Chanel brooch, ticket to the Palace of Versailles, Bateaux Mouches boat cruise ticket, tickets to the Notre Dame Cathedral towers, Arch de Triomphe ticket, Eiffel Tower ticket, macaron box from Laduree, place mat from the restaurant that we ate in at the Palace of Versailles, a gorgeous scarf from Laduree & a Paris postcard.

England:

Clockwise from left: pink Harrods carry bag, lace dress from Top Shop, Harrods mini makeup purse, Roman Baths entry, Tower of London entry, Paddington Bear notebook from Harrods, postcard & info from St Paul's Cathedral, English countryside animals tin filled with sweets from Harrods & a Nandos colouring in picture from my friend Jo :-)

Scotland:

Cute Scotty dog from Edinburgh.

Ireland:

A beautiful frame from Killarney, cute purse, a Avoca Irish wool scarf & a Claddagh ring from the Claddagh jewelers in Killarney (a gift from Mr. B.)

and that's it-mission accomplished!

I will gradually be doing a post on each country & can't wait to share some of my many photos, vintage finds & funny stories with you!

Stay tuned lovelies,
miss_tash x

Well hello there!

It's been a bit quiet around here lately as there have been some big changes in my life. My fiance, Mr. B & I have just got back from venturing all over Europe & Great Britain & Ireland :D But more on that later...

Yes, you read right-my fiance!!!! :D I'm a little late on announcing it to you all, but Mr. B popped the question back in January & I said "YES!"

It's such a lovely engagement story & I won't bore you with all of the details here, but in short:
It happened up top of a hill that is a special place for us in Toowoomba. It was a terrible storm & poor Mr. B had been trying to take me up to the hill all weekend to propose, but there was constant storms & flooding. The weekend ended & we were driving out of Toowoomba when we were forced to turn around as the town below had flooded & all of the roads back home were closed. I was devastated, but little did I know Mr. B took this as a chance to propose that night!

It was a really special moment, just the two of us up top the hill. Mr. B still jokes & says that everything was working in his favour that night-the rain stopped just as we got up the hill, that 1 street lamp was working & the diamond ring sparkled so brilliantly under it and there was a 3 minute window where the mist cleared for Bobby to propose. If he had of waited a few minutes longer the mist would have set in & the moment would have gone. So, as they say, it was meant to be! :-)  I was so surprised that I bawled my eyes out for ages (how embarrassing!)

Mr. B proposed with the most stunning white gold & diamond ring that is over 1 carat. He designed it himself & got it shipped from the USA. I still find myself staring at it during the day & can't stop smiling :-)

My attempt at baking B & N initial cup cakes

I will be doing lots of posts about our big Euro Trip in the coming weeks-so stay tuned!

miss_tash x

My 1st Time Hosting Christmas!

I know it's a bit late for a Christmas post, but better late than never, right? (and this way I can pretend it's still the festive season, lol) I had a wonderful time hosting Christmas lunch for Mr. B's family & also doing Christmas Eve dinner for my family. It was busy, stressful & at times crazy, but most of all magical & fun! :D

I woke Christmas morning a buzz of excitement & ate a lovely gluten free & diary free croissant (baked fresh then brought online from Choices Gluten Free). I filled it Toblerone (I figured it's Christmas so I'd deal with the pain of having dairy for this one special day :P) folded it & warmed it in the oven so the Toblerone melted inside. It was yummy! :D

I'm not going to post about all the many gifts that I received this year (I was very spoilt), although they were all so lovely, it was more of a day & night to get together with family, chat, eat & enjoy each other's company. I loved playing host. Decorating the house was fun!

The Christmas Tree:

This Mr. & Mrs. Claus decoration has been on our family Christmas tree since I was a child. This is a special edition to Mr. B & my Christmas tree in our home :-)

This cute Santa decoration is actually a snow globe! (for those of you who don't know I am mildly obsessed with snow globes)
A lovely gift from my friend, Jess :-)

This tin cupcake was a gift from my sister x

This gorgeous Hello Kitty hand blown glass ornament is a favourite!

Our tree is not complete without an angel on top :-)

This hand made reindeer has been a trusty 'present guard' since I was a child. Another special Christmas decoration I can't bear to part with :-)

This gorgeous ceramic 'Cookie' decoration was a gift from Mum x

Christmas is just not complete without my sequined reindeer & Henry the chicken :-)

...and let's not forget my Helly Kitty stocking!

The Table Settings:

Even though we had traditional Christmas bon bons as well, I couldn't resist these cute bunny bon bons:

Keeping up with my snow globe obsession I got this cute Christmas train for the table. Each carriage is a snow globe!

We brought this pretty detailed table centrepiece from Prouds the jewelers

I visited my family for a fun-filled Christmas Eve family dinner. I wore this emerald green maxi dress from Modcloth:

My sister made this amazing 3 layer jelly:

The layers are: strawberry, coconut & pink lemonade. It was so sweet & yummy & also gluten free! :-)

My Christmas Day Outfit:

It didn't take me long to decide on this Portmans white dress for my Christmas day outfit. I had purchased it (on sale) a few months prior & had been resisting temptation to wear it as I was 'saving' it for this special day. I paired it with a old red bow belt & my trusty old Target red shoes (a perfect mix of old meets new, I thought).

Christmas Day lunch was absolutely delicious! Mr. B's family made so many gluten free versions of Christmas favorites that I have missed out on in previous years. Mr. B's sister made an amazing gluten free stuffing, there was gluten free gravy, leg of ham, roast veges and of course two roast turkeys stuffed with orange, sage & gluten free stuffing:

Me being stupid about to carve the turkey :P

I baked a few Christmas treats this year including gluten & dairy free gingerbread men:

and a gluten free twist on a family favourite, New Zealand lolly log/lolly cake:

I will do a separate post about the lolly log & the gingerbread men, including recipes later :-)
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas & that 2013 has been wonderful for you so far!

miss_tash x