Top Takeaways (Twenty Three) - Western Europe

We've covered a lot of ground during two months in Western Europe but we feel like there is still so much more to see! Here are our top takeaways from our time in the Netherlands, Spain, France, Portugal, England and Italy.

One of our favorite spots: The Amalfi Coast.

1. Tourism is alive and well. While we knew that the countries we visited in Western Europe appealed to many tourists, particularly Americans, we still weren't prepared for the hoards of people we encountered near ever major sight. We tried to adjust to waiting in lines and fighting for the best view but we never really enjoyed the experience as much as some of our previous sightseeing.

2. Having said that, it's still possible to get off the beaten path. If you are comfortable missing some of the "must-see" places, you can easily create a unique and enjoyable travel experience, even in crowded cities. We bypassed the Uffizi gallery in Florence and didn't venture inside St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice but instead found empty side-streets and perfect hilltop views. Our preferences have definitely evolved over the past year and we now actively seek the road less traveled.

3. Besides maybe Japan, Western Europe is the most expensive area we've visited. Portugal aside, we found most places to be very pricey. If you are looking for a more budget-friendly trip, we would recommend Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe first!

4. Unfortunately, crime can happen anywhere. Of all the places we've been, we didn't expect France to be the sight of the single worst occurrence during our journey. We consider ourselves pretty tough New Yorkers and are constantly alert, but the truth is no one is immune from opportunist criminals.

5. Paris remains the city of romance. Alex and I had both separately been to Paris in our teenage years and didn't have particularly fond memories of the city; coming back together was a completely different experience. Given the city's size, we found it easy to just wander around and get lost in the charming streets and neighborhood parks. Even after five days, I felt like we didn't get to see everything and now I can't wait to come back!

6. England's reputation for disappointing food is unwarranted. Seriously! We admittedly had excellent hosts who directed us to the best restaurants but we had some of our best meals in the land of the British. Alex and I can definitely get behind the local pub food and traditional Sunday night roast!

7. Italian food really is as delicious as advertised. Speaking of food, we really can't deny the appeal of Italian cuisine. In addition to the perfectly cooked pasta, oven-baked pizza and fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, the local seafood and cured meats were equally tasty. Certainly not the healthiest way to end our journey, but probably the most delicious!

8. Nearly everyone speaks English. Alex and I rarely encountered a serious language barrier - the major cities in Western Europe attract so many tourists that English is widely spoken. My favorite example of this was an American mom and teen who commented (negatively) on my outfit in English while I stood next to them at a crosswalk in Rome; I assume my deep tan implied that I was an Italian, but seriously the Italians speak English too!

9. Traveling within the Eurozone is very efficient and highly convenient. In complete contrast to the US, train travel in Europe is fast, easy and relatively affordable. We were most surprised that no one checked our passports between countries (until we got to the UK) - guess we'll just have to come back for those passport stamps!

10. There will always be a reason to come back to Western Europe! We still feel like we barely scratched the surface and we are excited that we still have so many future trips to take. Completing the France road trip we didn't get to take and visiting Scandinavia are probably the two standouts for us.

Peak: Celebrating the wedding of our friends Blythe and Cody with our friends in Levanto

Pit: Getting robbed in Marseille

Next Stop: Japan (by way of New Jersey / New York)

Amsterdam

Having only a hazy memory of the whirlwind weekend I spent in Amsterdam while abroad ten years ago, I was excited to return with Alex.

We got to our hotel by 8am and were once again thankful to be allowed an extremely early check-in. Reviews of Amstel Corner had mentioned the steep stairs - typical of many older Amsterdam homes - and they weren't exaggerating! In addition to the incline and narrow steps, the walls were freshly painted so we really had to focus to avoid falling and / or ruining our clothes!

After resting for a bit we set off to grab some coffee and wander the streets and canals. Admittedly I had forgotten just how beautiful the city is and Alex and I enjoyed slowly strolling about and taking it all in.

Pretty much the view down every street!

It is tulip season in Holland!

We stopped for lunch at the crowded Omelegg and immediately realized why the place is so popular - they make delicious, huge omelettes with just about any ingredient you desire. Not standard Dutch food but something we hadn't had in long time!

We went to check out the floating flower market but were a little disappointed - in addition to being overrun with other tourists, the stalls sold mostly tulip bulbs and other tchotchkes, not fresh flowers. Oh well!

One of our favorite "houseboats" - these things definitely cannot fit under the low canal bridges with masts like that!

But these smaller ferryboats cruised around just fine.

Not sure whether we saw more boats or bicycles!

We were feeling pretty tired from our 3:30am wake up so we went back to our hotel for a nap before dinner. After a little rest, we walked to a cute outdoor bar filled with locals, many of whom were drinking our favorite US beers! Alex ordered a Brooklyn Lager and I had an Anchor Steam - great reminders of home after a month of pilsners. For dinner we walked down the block to Oresti's and enjoyed a casual meal of Greek small-plates before heading back to crash at our hotel.

Tuesday morning we grabbed coffees and enjoyed yet another beautiful stroll around the city. Given the looming clouds, I made a mental note to stop back into a few shops if the weather turned nasty later on. We had an amazing lunch at Broodje Bert – highly recommended for delicious sandwiches – before we indeed needed to dodge the pouring rain at a nearby café. We then tried to visit the Anne Frank House but weren’t really up for a two hour wait in the rain. Since I had visited during my previous trip and Alex and I agreed we have both had a lot of recent exposure to the Holocaust, we decided to skip it this time around. Instead we headed back to our hotel to catch up on trip planning and wait out the weather. We headed to dinner at The Pantry and snagged the last available table, which was outside! Even though my feet were a little cold, I was glad we decided to stay as our traditional Dutch meal (heavy on the meats and carbs) was incredible.

I started Wednesday by dropping off our – long overdue – laundry and went for a run. Unfortunately, by the time I returned it had started raining again so we took our time getting ready for the day. After a quick lunch we returned to check out some of the shops I had seen earlier but again were caught in the rain. We grabbed a drink nearby and waited until the rain passed to head to the Van Gogh Museum.

After a few hours exploring the museum, which is definitely one of our favorites, we filled up on wine, meats and cheese at Van Hoeck and called it an early night.

The traditional types of meats in Amsterdam were often served raw and uncured, which was a very different take than the Italian and Spanish-style meat plates we are used to. Also, we had no idea Dutch cheese was such a thing, but there were shops selling massive cheese wheels everywhere.

Today we woke up early and picked up coffees and sandwiches to go before heading to Keukenkof Gardens to explore Holland’s famous tulip fields. While the “fields” themselves weren’t much to see – at least those open to the public – the park itself is gorgeous and well worth the three modes of public transportation required to get there!

What a beautiful place to stroll around.

Rows and rows of colorful tulips.

Despite the crowds and sometimes maddening hoards of tourists, we still managed to steal some quiet moments due to the massive size of the park!

We may not have found the endless fields of colorful tulips, but the gardens were still incredible.

So pretty.

Even though the tulip fields were largely depleted (it's the end of the season), the views were still pretty great.

Hard to believe this scene only lasts for two months out of the entire year.

I'm so glad we dealt with the hassle of getting to Keukenhof - it was definitely worth the trouble. We are heading to Madrid tonight and excited to spend the next two weeks in Spain. Ole!