Fortis

Breukelen: aka where the richies live!

Earlier this summer we received a letter from our Dutch bank inviting us for a day cruise in the countryside. It was free and sounded fun, so we thought why not! Little did we know we were getting a sneak peak into THE rich enclave of the Netherlands.

We arrive at this beautiful mansion turned Town Hall after a 45 min train and bus ride.

We hopped onto a small wood and brass cruise boat and we're surprised to discover that we were the only people under age 45 and two of a handful who did not have grey or white hair. Thankfully we had dressed up a little, as everyone was dressed very chic in very expensive clothes. We were kindly sat at the "Dutch is not your first language" table, where everyone spoke English.

After a typical Dutch lunch (rolls, sliced cheese, deli meats, and pate, in case you're curious- but don't even think about making it into a sandwich- that is NOT Dutch!). All along on the sides of the river were gorgeous homes on small estates. We could help but wonder- where are we?!?

Apparently, during the 17th century a number of Amsterdam merchant families built these opulent mansions along the Vecht River near Breukelen. The New York borough of Brooklyn was actually named after this area.

We disembarked at one of these amazing houses that also had several barns. In addition to thoroughbred horses there was another barn full of antique carriages. I think most of them were from the 18th and 19th centuries, I enjoyed seeing what Jane Austen called a barouche actually looked like! Everything was polished and even in the stables, there wasn't a piece of hay out of place.

We went inside a reception hall to a room with a concert grand and were treated to a private piano concert from a semi-famous (we think) Dutch pianist. While we were lisenting we heard this whirling in the background. In the pasture next to us a brand new private helicopter landed- we're still in the Netherlands right?!?

As we were walking back to the boat, we saw a beautiful classic Porsche (not pictured, Brent drooling).

I'll take this one....

One our way back we saw another of these beautiful mansions that actually had peacocks strutting on their lawn! Again.. where are we??? The peacocks were the cherry that put the whole experience over the top!

It was fascinating to see where the wealthy merchants of past (and present) live! And a wonderful experience all courtesy of our bank! I'm convinced that our name got on some list by mistake, but like the card in the Monopoly game, "Bank error in your favor" works for us.

Lake Como

Lago di Como

We needed a little taste of Italian sunshine before Amsterdam's grey rainy fall commenced. Off we went to spend a long weekend in Lake Como in the most northern part of Italy. We stayed in the darling town of Varenna, a sleepy little village that is perfect for seeing how slow our pulse could get.

Lake Como is famous for its elegant 19th century villas which nestle at the foot of mountains. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years and is full of charm. A visitor during that time wrote to a friend- "When you write the story of two happy lovers, let the story be set on the banks of Lake Como."

Cute promenade with a tiny harbor- there wasn't much to do here which was just fine by us.

We spent our days traveling by boat to other small towns around the lake, including Bellagio (yes-the same name as the hotel in Vegas and thankfully nothing like it!).

Bellagio

We also hiked up to a ruined castle and spent a heavenly afternoon wandering the grounds of a beautiful villa. In one of the gardens Brent had a cuppuccino and then a nap, lakeside while I had a glass of wine and read a book. It was so incredibly peaceful.

Villa Monastero

We stayed at a little hotel with sweeping views of the lake. Before it became a hotel was once an orphanage and then a convent.

The view from our hotel. There are lots of olive trees on the hills behind me. Supposedly it's the farthest north where olives grow in Europe.

One of our favorite memories was dinner at a little trattoria. The owner/chef picked us up in town and off we zoomed up the mountainside on crazy curvy roads, honking at every corner to warn cars flying down on the one lane road. Driving in a car with an Italian is a thrilling experience! We told the chef/owner "just make us happy" so he chose all the dishes for us. Silky pates, handmade ravioli, squash risotto, sage lamb chops... can you believe we were able to scarf down dessert too? It was an incredible meal and made even more special by the personalized service. When we were finished his wife drove us back to town.

The Villa at the end of 007: Casino Royal- my favorite movie!

Our time at Lago di Como was the perfect weekend antidote to stress. Poets have said "The precise location of heaven on earth has never been established but it may very well be right here." We couldn't agree more.. Ciao!

Seattle '09

Seattle: Home Sweet Home

At the end of August, Brent and I finally went back to Seattle for a relatively quick visit. It had been almost a year since I was last in the US and I was ready for a shopping overdose in the land of plenty. Kaitlyn, my twin from jr. high & high school, got married and I was honored to be a bridesmaid. It was a blast catching up with girl friends from high school- definitely better than any 10 year reunion!

What a handsome guy!

It's always crazy when we do go back "home" with lots of Target runs, late night grocery shopping (just because we can) and trying to catch up with a few friends (never seeing everyone we had hoped to). Fortunately, we were able to slow down at my parent's cabin outside Leavenworth and relax.

Brent by the river

A scenic vista with my parents- it was a little hike up there and I had to borrow my Mom's shoes which were many sizes too small!

The Destination Shopping for Plain, WA. If you haven't been to Plain Hardware you are missing out. I'm not kidding! It's so much more than plywood and heating coils- I bought several chic bracelets.

While we were at the cabin our close friends from college, Steph & Tim, came to visit. It was so wonderful to see them and finally meet their adorable daughter Ava. Last time I was in the US, Ava waited until the morning I was flying back to Amsterdam to make her world debut. Nothing is more nourishing than laughing and reminiscing with old friends (especially when it's in person!).

What do we miss most about the US? Obviously family and friends. But also friendliness & Mexican food! It can be annoying not having a car sometimes, so it was a good reminder to sit in traffic on I-5 and remember how convenient it is to bike across Amsterdam in 15 minutes.

Now that I've stocked up on chocolate chips, pumpkin pie filling and microwave popcorn we won't be coming back until next summer when both my brother and sister get married! It was wonderful finally meeting my brother's fiancee, Jessica, and we're excited for all these new additions to the family.