Let's (Bale)al Go Surfing

In early July, while I was living in Lisbon for two months, Azzurra flew in from Milan so we could spend the weekend in Baleal (ball-eh-all), just north of Peniche (pin-eesh), and just south of Nazaré, infamous for its gigantic waves.  We were rather giddy to kick off the summer together, in a (wannabe) surfer's paradise.  We stayed at Surfness Lodge, a friendly guest house that one could think of as a grown up hostel, making space for guests to come together and build a community - if only for a couple days.

Tinier-than-usual Kelly

Fantastic first meal, at Taberna do Ganhão

To best honest, it was still pretty chilly on the west coast of Portugal in early July.  There was a brief window in which bathing suits felt doable...on the sand.

We had rented a car for the weekend (its own entire adventure; oh my God, the Lisbon roundabouts), which enabled us to easily check out Peniche nearby.

Azulejos in the small church

We drove out to Cape Carvoeiro for sunset, lamenting our stupidity at not bringing beers (and jackets).  The geology of the site was fascinating - one could climb up and around and all over the wavy landscape, taking care not to fall through the sections that went straight down into the ocean.

Our Danish friends from the guesthouse came out to join us for dinner at Sabores & Peripécias, a fantastic wine and Portuguese tapas spot in the heart of Peniche.  I found out the the owner had lived in Lisbon for many years, working at a famous bar, Pavilhão Chinês, just a few minutes from where I was living in Principe Real.  We loved this spot so much, we went there twice during the weekend, enjoying his wine recommendations and buying up tinned fish as souvenirs.  

at Sabores & Peripécias

Saturday was our big day: it was time to try surfing!  Azzurra had pulled me into it - it's not something I would've signed up for of my own accord.  But I loved it.  Between having a fantastic instructor, being with Azzurra, and standing up on my third wave, how could I not?  It was exhilarating.  

Pre-lesson, total posers, a little nervous, awkwardly trying to hold boards twice our size:

Post-lesson, wet dogs, completely high on life, and with little strength left to yet more awkwardly carry huge boards:

With Guillermo, our surf instructor - 

can't recommend him highly enough!

Saturday night, the Belgians organized a BBQ at the lodge for us and various friends of the lodge.  We all contributed something, from sardinhas to watermelon salad to pan con tomate.  It was a beautiful evening with new international friends.

Roel (pronounced rule) and Kobe, our Danish friends

After dinner, some of us headed to Danau, the (only) place to party in Baleal, to dance.  It was extremely comical for two main reasons: 1) the COVID-19 social distancing signs posted in a shoulder-to-shoulder dance bar, and 2) the women who were dressed like they were at a club in a cosmopolitan city, and not at a beach bar.

On our last day, we took the ferry to Berlengas, the natural reserve island off the coast of Peniche, and Roel joined us.

Roel (pronounced rule) 

It involved a hike up through the reserve, along the way spotting the birds using the island as a breeding ground, a walk through the 17th century fortress, a boat tour into some of the caves dotting the island, and finally resting with our feet up and a beer while waiting for the ferry back.

Forte de São João Baptista

Baleal with Azzurra was absolutely one of the best weekends during my time abroad this year.  I would love to be able to explore more parts of the country outside Lisbon next time, especially the natural ones!

Britt in Holland: Ring my Bell

Towards the end of my time in Amsterdam, Brittany came to visit for about 10 days.  We packed a lot in considering I was still working!  Here are the highlights.

Wandering the Town

It is difficult to tire (emotionally) of wandering the streets and canals of central Amsterdam.  

Excited to explore with Britt!

At the steps of my apartment on the Amstel

We lost count of how many dachshunds we encountered;

Britt seemed to be a magnet for them

The voyeurism Amsterdam enables sparks the imagination-

who are these people?  What is their story?

How can they afford this magnificent canal house?

At the surprisingly delightful Our Lord in the Attic museum,

admiring the antique Delft tiles

Why are bridges always fun?

A walk through Vondelpark is always a treat; we upped the ante by strolling at dusk:

What setting is more beautiful than this?

New Friends

One of her first nights in town, we decided we should try to "be young" and "go out."  We found a free club in Rembrandtplein and settled in with a view over the square.  A very gregarious American expat at the table next to us engaged us in conversation, the women next to him meanwhile stole his table (who does that?), and before we knew it we were asking him to join us and embarking on a journey with CJ that would last all night.  He and his partner in crime for that night, Berbee, were so fun and open about their lives that we couldn't help but become instant one-night friends.  Throughout the night, we adventured through drag bars (Bar Lellebel) and gay bars (Cafe Montmartre) and just had a fabulous time chatting and dancing with them.  The best thing we learned about our new friends?  Berbee is actually a Dutch Duke.  He even gets special perks on KLM!

With Berbee and CJ

Early in my stay, I had gone to a Meetup for expats at a bar one Saturday night.  I had to muster courage to go to an event like this on my own, but I ended up having a really fantastic time.  I met people from all over the world, and everyone was welcoming and inclusive.  After talking to one group for about an hour, I realized I didn't know where one of the guys was from.  When he responded, "Napoli," I switched to Italian and he almost dropped dead.  How satisfying that was!  After that, we attracted all the Italians present, had many conversations about the best pizza in Amsterdam, and shut down the bar with promises to meet up and find out who was right on the pizza front.  

Soon, we'd started a "Best pizza in Amsterdam!" Whatsapp group and were finally able to get us back together for dinner while Brittany was visiting.

With our friends Marcello (Rome), 

Alessandro (Sardinia), and Raffaele (Naples)

It's safe to say we went with Raffaele's suggestion.

Bike Lanes 

I finally got up the courage to rent a bike a couple weeks into my stay in Amsterdam.  I needed that time to observe how traffic worked, and to try to solve the seemingly minute yet infinitely vital detail of how, on a bike, one turns left.

When I went into Swapfiets (highly recommend if renting for more than a few days) to rent my 20 euro a month bike, I asked the young guy adjusting my bike to the lowest setting, "Any recommendations for someone who's not used to city biking?"  His response: "Just don't die."  Alrighty then.

I can't remember the last time my mind worked as hard as it did biking through Amsterdam.  Understanding the traffic rules, observing and learning from other bicyclists, holding the map and directions in my mind, predicting traffic lights and matching my speed to them to avoid stopping - it was a fascinating puzzle to solve, all while taking in the most delightful, soaring views.  I adored it.

Needing to scope out the scene was the same for Britt but on an accelerated timeline.  About a week in to the trip, she was ready to rent a bike for a day at Westerpark.

I was seriously so proud of her.

We must've biked 40 minutes through the city on her first go!

We stumbled upon "Rolling Kitchens" 

- an annual food truck and music festival

Trio Bier: Boot-stomping Amsterdam songs

We ate our way around the park and 

gobbled up yet another serving of poffertjes

The festival was so fun and unexpected!  We got to try so many different kinds of foods, people watched some interesting characters, and listened to a wide variety of musicians before biking our way back home.

One final cruise on Brittany's last night, stopping often to take in the various views:

Biking Amsterdam is not for the faint of heart, but oh, how it can make your heart soar.  

Unique Restaurants & Delicious Food

I already posted about our red carpet experience at de Lindenhof in Giethoorn, which quite literally takes the cake for the best dining experience I had in the Netherlands (and second best in my whole life; shout out to Alinea).  Here are a few other dining experiences that stood out while Brittany was visiting!

An array of delicacies at Zoldering

Blauw Indonesian food

Lots of great choices for Indonesian in Amsterdam 

due to a sordid past with colonialism-

definitely worth a try (the food, not the colonialism)

Moeders (meaning "Mothers")

Kitschy spot covered floor to ceiling in pictures 

of peoples' - you guessed it - mothers

The opposite angle - our taste of real Dutch comfort food. 

We ordered the bountiful combo platter which included 

stewed beef, red cabbage, apple sauce, and more.

Don't skip Pancake House Upstairs:

Their no-nonsense restaurant naming gives you 

a sense of how seriously they take their pancakes

At d'Vijff Vlieghen

This place really wowed me.  They are an extremely traditional Dutch fine dining restaurant, and while the food was nice, what stands out is the unparalleled setting.  This place is a labrynth of historic rooms and artwork, including four original sketches by Rembrandt.  I felt like I was in a time-warp, and I was sad to leave it when dinner was done.

If only I remember what she said to invoke this face

Apple pie at an adorable hidden basement cafe in De Pijp

called Bij Paul - the coziest, homiest little breakfast spot you 

can imagine.  They also sell reasonably priced Delftware!

Apple pie model

And that was our trip together!  While juggling work with Brittany visiting was challenging (and jealousy-inducing since she was on PTO and I wasn't!), looking back, we made so many lovely memories together.  I will forever be able to close my eyes and return to the feelings of peace and delight we had in the garden of de Lindenhof, or call back the hilarity of hearing Brittany ringing her little bicycle bell behind me for no reason at all but the fun of it.