Sweet Home California

Hello there! It seems like just yesterday that we stepped off the plane from Amsterdam to California...but it wasn't, it's been over a month since we officially made the move to California. During our long trip across the pond we couldn't believe that our 6 month adventure was officially over. But we had to concentrate on a whole other chapter of our lives that is starting: life in California.

So what have we been up to for the past month?

Winding down from our trip...

Spending lots of time with family and friends...

Trips to the beach...

A trip to Alaska!!!! (more on that later)

Going back and forth to San Francisco...

Job-hunting...job-hunting...job-hunting...lots of job-hunting

...and guess what, after a few weeks of interviews, Christian landed an awesome job right in the heart of San Francisco :). #proudwiferighthere :)!!

In the next couple of weeks we will pack up yet again, rent some Airbnbs for the summer, I will continue my job hunt and eventually we will apartment hunt too. We are looking forward to some mini trips around California, a few more So Cal beach trips, ofcourse watching the Dutch team dominate in the World Cup and tons of new adventures waiting for us up in San Francisco.

 For now take a look at our first few days back in the good ol' USA, in Northern California.

And stay tuned...I'm working on a big recap post of our 6 month trip!! 

{Cruising Shasta Lake}

{Burney Falls}

Weekend in Portland

Wow it’s hard to believe that it’s been 2 weeks since I left Amsterdam! With catching up with friends, hanging out with my family, my bachelorette party and spending the last weekend in Portland, Oregon, these last 2 weeks have been pretty busy! But more on my sweet Cali bachelorette party later ;).

Last weekend I spent a few days in Portland visiting my best friend’s dad. It was a bittersweet weekend which was spent sharing our favorite photos, talking and laughing about funny moments with Julia and exploring waterfalls decorated with colors of the autumn. I can’t believe it’s been 6 months since she passed away but I knew I wanted to pay her dad a visit as soon as I was back in town.

I never knew just how amazingly beautiful Oregon is! And Portland…oh man…don’t get me started. What a cute city…and everyone is just so damn friendly and happy! I spent several hours sipping on Portland’s famous Stumptown coffee at cozy coffeehouses while I trip-planned, wedding-planned, life-planned and just enjoyed the fact that I had no where in particular to be except in that café sipping on some java. As an extra special treat, I joined my Amsterdam friends, Liz and Carly, for dinner at Oven & Shaker. I’ll be seeing them (very!) soon at our Mexico wedding in just TWO WEEKS! EEEEP!

Snacking in Camden, Lounging in South Kensington

A few months ago I found dirt-cheap overnight bus tickets from Amsterdam to London for last weekend--I scooped them up before I could give a second thought about what an overnight bus to London actually entails (which I found out later was 5 hours to Calais, 1.5 hours on a ferry to Dover, and 2 hours to London..ugh...but on the bright side, they still sell pints on the ferry at 4AM...eh why not?). I justified it by saying it would be great training for overnight bus travel in Asia, although I'm sure this bus is a luxury. Although I have heard Thai buses are pretty fancy too. This bus to London also meant I could visit my favorite Aussie friend!

I had 36 hours in London with Courtney and we really no had plans on the agenda. As in no. plans. whatsoever. We walked around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens (which is where Will, Kate and lil George live! I love Kate!), ate lunch at Camden Market (my god, the choices!), got afternoon tea around the corner, ordered Indian takeaway at the hostel and just chatted about anything and everything while walking around South Kensington and Notting Hill. 

TRAVEL TIPS

Hostel: Astor Hyde Park...fun staff, perfect location by Hyde Park and pretty fancy

Bus: Eurolines.com, only 18 EUR...just couldn't pass it up. I also took a roundtrip bus to Bruges, Belgium, for only 25 EUR

Camden Market: come hungry and snack away!

Soon, I was back on the bus en route to Amsterdam (then off the bus, to metro, to work...why do I always do that to myself?). The best part of the weekend wasn't only seeing my fave Aussie, snacking on warm scones with cream and jam or chowing down on Venezuelan arepas at Camden Market--it was at the end of the weekend, before I hopped in a cab driven by a jolly Englishman, when my Aussie friend and I got to say 'see you in Mexico!'

Because that Aussie friend o' mine is one of my bridesmaids! So the 'See you in Mexico's' have begun...

Polish Wedding (& a few hours in Berlin!)

When Christian and I studied abroad in Finland, we weren't the only exchange students who met and fell in love. Our favorite travel buddies Denis (French exchange student) & Emma (a local Finn! aka Denis' souvenir from Finland) were another couple and Bob (Dutch exchange student) & Agnieszka (Polish exchange student) were too. 

Considering 3 couples came out of our semester abroad in Finland, we're convinced Lappeenranta is the place for love <3.

Anywho, just a few weeks ago...our dear friends Bob and Agnieszka got married!! It was a no-brainer that we were definitely going to travel East to Poland for the wedding. 

Christian flew out a few days early to hang out with his best friend (who lives in Wroclaw) and I came out later via overnight train (I love trains!). I left The Netherlands and 9 hours later I woke up in Poznan :). Shortly after, Christian and his friends arrived too. 

It was only a quick weekend in Poznan but we were able to squeeze in some Polish nightlife and chilling in the sun. Once wedding day came, we walked to the church and oh myyyy what an elaborate church it was!! At the reception, we toasted to the bride and groom, pigged out on a table full of Polish food, sipped on chilled vodka (there was a bottle at every table!) and well...later in the night, did some more pigging out...on a roasted pig! It was incredible and met every expectation I had about the sheer awesomeness of a Polish wedding (and it was in THREE languages: Dutch, Polish and English). 

It was quite incredible to be able to study with these two as they fell for each other then to be able to be a part of their wedding day.

The next day, I had to head back to Amsterdam pretty early. I had no complaints though because I flew out of Berlin and, after taking the 3-hour Warsaw-Berlin Express, I had a few hours to kill before my flight. Two words: Prater Biergarten! I loved this place when we first visited Berlin years ago and just knew I had to return--and I'm so happy I did. I'm now convinced that no pre-flight meal is better than a German bratwurst, kartoffelsalat (potato salad) and a couple white beers (carb overload anyone?) in a shady biergarten! But when in Rome...errrr Berlin, right?

TIPS

*Drink a beer at Brovaria brewery in Stary Rynek (Poznan's main square). I got the beer sampler--delicious!

*Walk into a vodka bar for a quick shot between bar-hopping (only 4 zlotys or 1 EUR)

*Rent an apartment near the main square, there are tons to choose from--we booked via Air BnB (we are big Air BnB fans)