Our Amsterdam buurt (neighborhood)

So, the Riga trip this weekend fell through because apparently the reservation was never confirmed. However, we re-booked and got even cheaper flights in December...60 euros per person to be exact - gotta love those bargains! Instead, this weekend, I am visiting the same friend I will be traveling with, in Brussels, which should also be nice, of course. Brussels is a beautiful city and I love the mix of 'Dutchness' and 'Frenchness' you find there.

Anyhow, the point of this post is to actually show you a bit of our neighborhood, the 'Indische Buurt', in Amsterdam. We live nearby a large, beautiful park, called Flevopark, which is where most of the photos are taken. We often go for walks or runs here. Considering I always post photos of other places, I thought I'd show you a bit of our immediate surroundings - including some typical Dutch sights, such as random abstract art, a large canal still used for shipping freight, a standard bike path, road signs, and bicycle madness. Enjoy!




Our building (we are just left of the tree) and bike parking madness on our street

Question....

...why do some of my friends come to Europe, sometimes for the first time, then not tell me until it's too late?? Really, what's the deal? Hmmm...I feel like I am missing something....it's a tad annoying and disappointing, to say the least...

Riga, Latvia in 2 weeks!

Well, in the last month of free time, before I start a new job on November 16th, I decided it would be prudent to take a small European trip. Since Arno can't go with me, it had to be somewhere that he wouldn't be envious of ;) Actually, a few days prior to me booking a trip to Riga with my friend, Arno and I had made a loose list of priority countries we want to visit in the coming years. The Baltic States weren't one of the priorities. Luckily, there are very affordable flights with RyanAir from Brussels (where my friend lives) to numerous locations, so alas, I settled on Riga!

I don't know really what to expect, except that it's still apparently very 'Russian-esque' from so many years spent under rule of (among others) the former Soviet Union. The two largest ethnicities are indeed Latvian, followed very closely by Russian.

Check back in sometime after 1 November for some photos!

Atā! (apparently that is Latvian for 'bye'!)