Welcome to the Netherlands people! Home of Clogs, Dutch cheese, and bike riding locals. Having only visited Amsterdam less than a year ago, I was rather looking forward to returning.

We started our visit by staying in the quaint student city of Utrecht. With a population of around 316,000 the city has a easy going, relaxed attitude. Perfect after our visit to the populated city of Brussels.

Utrecht was more of a rest time for myself and Nick. There weren’t many tourist attractions, so it was handy to have those few days to recharge.

Utrecht was one of my favorite stops because I was also able to catch up with my good friend Patty, whom I worked with at summer camp in the United States in 2011. Having lunch with Patty on my last day was absolute bliss, nothing like catching up with an old friend in their home country.

Oh and I feel as I need to tell everyone that I had THE BEST sandwich I have ever eaten. The cute little cafe is called Keek, located near the center of Utrecht and they specialize in organic homemade food. Now for the good part, the sandwich - Goatcheese, dried fruit, walnuts & chutney with salad, tomato & roasted seeds. It was absolute perfection! One which I’ll have to start making when I arrive home!

Anyway, moving on to Amsterdam brought a new level of excitement. Having fond memories from last year, it was great (and somewhat surreal) to be back again. It truly is a gorgeous city. And remarkably easy to get around. Visiting the Vincent Van Gogh museum was a real highlight, definitely one of my favorite museums.

Up next….Copenhagen!