A day for a Queen!

Celebrating Queen's Day on April 30 is one of my favorite holidays of all time. And this Queen's Day was the last one! Queen Beatrix has held the throne for about 30 years. Before her, Queen Juliana. Before her, Queen Wilhelmina. Now, we have a King! King Willem-Alexander. Next year, King's Day will be on April 27, the new King's birthday.



Queen's Day is just a super day. It starts early in the morning with garage sales. It's the only day out of the year when you don't need a permit to sell your goods (or services or talents). If you take the time, you can find some great deals.

The sidewalks are full of people selling things (anything from old records, books, clothes, to homemade cakes and cookies) and the parks are full of parents and kids, also selling things like their old toys. Lots of youngsters trying to make some money playing their musical instrument, painting nails, doing silly dances, etc. It's hilarious and super cute.



In the afternoon, street parties take over the city. Bands and DJs take over the plazas. And boats take over the canals. It's a sight to see. Everyone is having a good time. Hoera!

Eindelijk!

I've been hearing this word a lot around here. It means finally. And it's usually said with an emphasis on each syllable, as such: eind-uh-lik.

Yes, we're talking about the weather. It's finally spring! The birds are chirping, the trees are sprouting new leaves, flowers are blooming, the winter coats are stashed. You can feel the elation. Now, don't get too excited--it isn't warm yet. We're still sporting gloves and scarves some days, because it's still about 41ºF in the morning. With highs of 52ºF to 56ºF. So, ya, not warm.

The best part about spring here is that the sun comes up at 6am, nearly reaches the top of the sky, and goes down around 9pm. Plenty of time on the weekends for going to our local park, Sarphatipark. I really love it because it's a locals kind of place. People jogging, walking with their kids, playing with dogs. Just a normal, gorgeous park.

 

Spring is (almost!) in the air

Seeing Amsterdam by boat is one of the best things to do in the city. So, as a general rule, when you're invited on a boat in Amsterdam you almost always say yes. Especially when there are pancakes involved!

We met Koen and Alex sort of randomly and it's a good story. Elliot and I had just moved into the neighborhood and we decided to check out one of our local cafés, Gambrinus. This very nice Dutch guy served us at the bar and chatted us up, in English. We talked about California and Holland and why we're here, yada yada. He mentioned his girlfriend from Colorado is moving to Amsterdam in a few months and he was super excited to show her the city. Not knowing what would come of it, I wrote down my email address on a napkin and told him to give it to her, in case she'd want to meet for a coffee when she got into town. I didn't really think about it for a couple months, until she emailed me! We met up in December at some point and the rest is history.

So Koen has a great little boat and they invited us out on the canals for the day. It wasn't a sunny day, but it also wasn't raining and it wasn't freezing. With fresh coffee, orange juice, and (oh ya!) pannekoeken, we all jumped aboard and got cozy. He took us out to the outskirts of the western canals and we made our through the center. We saw some really amazing houses (with yards and docks and porches!). When we got hungry again we just docked up to a café for some broodjes (sandwiches) and people watching. It was a perfect Sunday!

  

A countryside drive to Bilbao

From San Sebastian, we took the long way to Bilbao. We went through the mountains and stopped at two small towns. The first stop was sort of by accident. That is, we were forced to stop because of a 100-km bike race going on at the same time. Luckily for us, the bike race was coming through this small town in about 20 minutes from the time we arrived. And when the cyclists came, it over in a flash! So quick around that corner!

Our next stop was Elanxobe, a hillside village that our Lonely Planet claimed to be a "Cinque Terra of the Basque region." I wouldn't have called it that, but it was very charming. Since we were delayed with the bikes, we arrived right in time for siesta--absolutely no one was around. The only 6 people awake were the 2 bartenders at the only café in town (and they were wrapping up the last few pintxos) and the 4 people eating the last of the pintxos. We immediately ordered the remaining food and sat in the lovely sun.


It was about an hour and a half to get to Bilbao. Gorgeous drive with rolling hills and dotted with small villages. We arrived around 6pm, with just enough sun left to see the Guggenheim in natural light. All of us were immediately impressed with Bilbao. The guidebooks gloss over the city as Basque's second-best to San Sebastian. What a shame! It's equally exquisite, charming, clean, picturesque, and generally lovely. The old city has old-world charm and the new city is modern and hip. Totally cool and we all wished we had one more day to explore.

After seeing the outside of the Guggenheim (note to self: check opening hours of famous museums before planning a trip!), we walked through the new city and found another enticing pintxos spot for some dinner. The last of the trip! It was all quite delicious, and none of us were ready to leave Basque--or each other either!

I'm so grateful for the wonderful girlfriends in my life. You never how close you really are until you're 5000 miles apart! Love you B! 

Pinxto me! I think I'm dreaming!

We left Barcelona in our snazzy little rental at around 11am. Our first stop was around 2:30pm, at a small camping area nestled in the Pyrenees for a long, Spanish lunch. No siesta for us, though, we kept going. We had to make it to our next apartment by 7pm. Our next stop on the way was Ainsa, a small and very old village dating back to the 11th century. It's perched on top of a hill with breathtaking views over the valley.

The rain was pounding down by the time we got back in the car. We still had quite a ways to drive. Getting in to San Sebastian was a bit difficult, but we finally made it to the apartment in the city center at 8:30. We were all hungry, tired of the car (thanks Kevin for all the driving!), and ready for some pinxtos (peen-chos)--San Sebastian's version of tapas. Just down the street we found a friendly place and had our first round. Fish, octopus, patatas bravas, asparagus. They were good, but not mind-blowing.

The next morning we all were very healthy and went out for a jog on the beach. The weather was crisp and beautiful. I was immediately enthralled with this city; it's just stunning. The gorgeous Belle-Epoque architecture, super clean sidewalks, and so many bike lanes it rivals Amsterdam.


Once cleaned up, we were ready for another round of pinxtos, this time in the old center. We easily found the restaurant we had reservations for that night too, and couldn't help but check out the menu. It was going to be a good night.

Pinxtos are basically in every bar, presented to you in a very appealing way. A variety of goodness lays atop slices of baguette: Serrano ham, cheese, fish, mushrooms--you name it, it's on a slice. Some of them require heating, but most you can eat cold. You get a plate from the bartender, load it up, pay and then enjoy. You also must have a refreshing beer or txacoli (chya-kolee), which is a low-alcohol, effervescent white wine from the Basque region. It goes well with any pinxto. As do good girl friends...


After two more pinxto bars, it was time for a walk. It seemed like the whole city was on the same page. Everyone was heading for the beachfront promenade, even those on two wheels.



I didn't bring my camera to dinner that night, but I can assure you it was a delicious feast!

In the morning, we enjoyed our gorgeous apartment with a quiet morning, sipping coffee and reading up on where we should go for the day. We decided to take a drive to France, and stop at one or two of the small towns along the way. Hondarribia was adorable.



Lunch turned out to be around the corner, in the center of the town. Yes, more pinxtos. They don't get old!



On the way back, we took the longer route through the mountains. It was gorgeous.



By the time we got back, it was promenade time. I loved how all the older women dressed up for this time of the day. Pantsuits and blazers, and gossiping away.

Monday morning, we packed up and stopped at the cutest café for espresso and special Easter almond cake.


Onward to Bilboa, our last stop on the journey!