Amsterdam - Part 4

Woke up on our last morning in Amsterdam to beautiful blue sky! We had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport so we went on a little wander, got some breakfast and enjoyed the sunshine. I thought Amsterdam was beautiful when it was raining but against the blue sky back drop it was even more 'woah'... I think the photos speak for themselves so here you go:

It wouldn't be a trip anywhere without a few obligatory selfies and I had to take advantage of the cool snapchat stickers at the airport!

So, until next time Amsterdam, I definitely hope we meet again, but maybe in the summer so that I can ride around on bikes and sit outside drinking until the sun sets...

AMSTERDAM - PART 1

So in November I turned 21 (*gasp*) and I now feel suitably old.  I actually found my first grey hair last week, ran downstairs hoping it was blonde, only for it to be confirmed as grey by a housemate and then not knowing how to handle the situation, burst in to tears.

Anyway... so I turned 21 and my lovely boyfriend took me to Amsterdam in December as my birthday present!

I had never been to Amsterdam before so it was pretty exciting and to be honest I didn't know that much about the city before going except that it is mostly famous for it's red light district, weed and canals.

I can tell you there is a lot more to Amsterdam that just that so i'm going to post a few of my highlights and really interesting things that we did and that I would recommend.

Anne Franks House

I didn't know a great deal about Anne Frank's story before and it was incredible so see the actual attic that she spent all those years hiding in! I didn't realise that her father survived the concentration camps either and the whole museum is so tastefully and informatively done. I think I am going to have to read her diary one day because she seemed like such an insightful and intelligent person for such a young girl and it's just awful to think what she had to miss out on whilst in hiding and then endure once captured.

As you can probably tell from these photos we didn't have great weather. In fact it was horrible, cold and raining but it allows you to appreciate the beauty of the architecture, and almost my down jacket and fur trimmed hood! 

I love how some of the buildings are just leaning slightly like "hey i'm just gonna take a break and lean on you, i'm tired of standing upright". I also love the huge window panes and quirky little roofs. I would love to live in Amsterdam with a bedroom overlooking a canal through those huge windows. 

Bastille Day - Vive la France!

Last year I spent Bastille day in Paris, watching the 14th July fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. This year I spent it watching fireworks in our less glamorous little village of Entrevaux, which has a significantly smaller budget for les feux d'artifices than the country's capital. However the setting of the citadel and our quaint medieval city made for a beautiful display of fireworks and a still enjoyable Bastille day.

I was digging around in our garage earlier and I discovered this beauty of a flag. Looks like something out of Les Mis (which we have the soundtrack of on repeat in the car at the moment) and was perfect for being patriotic on Bastille day.

Above, me and my beaut younger younger sister. 

Below, our little medieval "city" Entrevaux. 

I could intrigue you with a whole load of history about the village but I actually don't know that much. Except that it was once the port, designed by the famous Vauban, which defined territory owned by France on one side and Italy on the other. So this often unknown medieval village was once very influential and important.