A visit from mijn moeder

We've had the loveliest of weekends, hosting our very first visitor, my incredible mum. who - not put off by missing her first flight, travelling the length of the UK and arriving 12 hours later than planned - adventured her way all the way to us in the Netherlands. I can't tell you just how brilliant it's been to see her!

The weekend was preeettty much spent eating our way around all of our favourite foodie finds (I'm talking about you, De Bakkerswinkel), but we'd also planned a day trip to Amsterdam to see the sights and visit the Anne Frank House. The Netherlands had other plans though - Mum may have successfully travelled the 498 miles from Swansea to Utrecht, but one of the most powerful storms I've ever experienced meant we couldn't make it the 27 miles from Utrecht to Amsterdam. I'm not even kidding - walking to the train station, the wind was so strong we actually got blown SIDEWAYS, something I'd honestly always thought could only happen in cartoons. I stand corrected...but only because the wind finally subsided!

Determined to make it to Amsterdam, we tried again the next day and came to realise just how bad the weather had been. The sight of fallen trees crisscrossing the canals was really quite something to see - seems like we'd had quite a lucky escape.

Thanks to a recommendation from my globetrotting sister, we found a brilliant little spot for a quick lunch, De Laaste Kruimel, just off Rokin (so a great central location). Now, the Dutch bloody love a sandwich, but let me tell you, I'd eat sandwiches every day too if I could get them from De Laaste Kruimel! I went for a local cheese (Sloterdijk) with pesto and salad and it was just gorgeous, really fresh and completely full of flavour. It was a real treat and left me so full I some how managed to resist the window full of cake, something I'm deeply regretting now!

Marching on our now full stomachs, Mum and I strolled around, soaking up Amsterdam until it was time for us to head back to Schiphol (thank goodness for the left luggage lockers at Centraal Station!). It's always hard to say goodbye, but this time, we didn't have to! We all jumped on the same flight home, ready to enjoy a few more days together back in Swansea! See you soon, Netherlands!

De Laaste Kruimel, Langebrugsteeg 4, 1012 GB, Amsterdam

Autumn leaves and summer salads

I'm absolutely loving the gorgeous weather we're getting at the moment - isn't this Indian summer just incredible? I hope it's as lovely back in the UK as it is in Utrecht as we are getting well and truly spoilt!

It does sometimes take my brain a moment to catch up though. Check out the beautiful trees I get to look out at every day...and then look at the delicious summer salad I ate outside for my lunch today. Is it really nearly November!? 



Hey ho - I guess I'll take a bit of a confusion if it means we get to enjoy summery fresh air at lunchtime...it'll be winter for long enough!

I can see a rainbow...

Back home, one of my favourite things to do is to head outside and go for a walk along our beautiful seafront. More often than not, it's a very blustery walk, but rain or shine, it never fails to blow away the cobwebs and just make me feel refreshed and...awake. 

The bay is so mesmerising that it's pretty hard to drag your eyes away from it, but I always make sure I do when I walk past this little row of pretty cottages. I've always had a thing for rainbow colours, so these houses just never fail to bring a smile to my face. Too, too cute.

Canals in Utrecht

The beautiful summery autumn weather is continuing here in Utrecht, creating the most gorgeous snapshots across the canals as the light plays on the water. I couldn't resist stopping to take a view photos on my way to buy a few things for dinner. Gorgeous.

Then, it was on to Albert Heijn, our local supermarket and the minefield that is Dutch bread. I'm so used to either just grabbing a loaf of the usual, adding in something a little more rustic looking if we're having soup, that the multitude of different shapes, names and colours of bread here is exciting but mind boggling - where to start!? Well, with a trusty iPhone and Google Translate, that's where!

And what did I go for, I hear you ask? I sort of bottled it and chose a few slices of rozijnenbrood - raisin bread which I've found is completely delicious for a treat at breakfast time. Does this earn me at least some Dutch points!?