Super excited!! Booked a flight to Amsterdam via Iceland Air for May!
Hopped the King street car to MEC and Europe Bound (it was raining hard or I would have biked!) to check out packs, tents, sleeping bags, and books- Amsterdam & the Netherlands.
A couple of months ago I found out about Airbnb.com kind of a social network where people list their extra bedroom, couch, guest apartment, hammock, etc., for travelers looking for inexpensive accommodations. People leave reviews of their experiences staying in these various ‘b’n'b’s’ which for obvious reasons helps when you’re looking for a quiet, off the beaten path, non-smoking place to stay (or maybe you’re looking for a loud, smoked filled party house!). Regardless of your preference you can find it!
So, I’ll be staying next to the Vondelpark in what my ‘host-to-be’ calls, The Garden House 
it looks and sounds amazing! With a beautiful garden-patio off my room.
It’s ground floor which is fantastic bc we’ll be renting bikes and wanting to bring them in over night for the first couple of days before we venture out of Amsterdam to Gouda on our way to Brugges!
Work Cycles!! I’ve been coveting these bikes ever since I purchased my Batavus several years ago.
At this point we’re uncertain of whether we will really have the time to bike all the way to Bruges however, we will most likely cycle to Rotterdam and then catch a train to Ghent and cycle from there.
Chocolate, cheese, waffles & beer, here we come!! 
I’m hoping to check out local metalsmiths and glass blowers/flame workers while I’m there….I don’t know of any but maybe someone out there does? 
maybe even rent a space for a couple of hours at a local flea market & sell some hearts!
Meanwhile, it looks like I’ll be visiting a dear friend in Iceland in a week or two and, fingers crossed, heading to Finland later in the summer or fall.
More to come!
Check out the Etsy treasury I made ‘imagining’ my trip ahead:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/OTE3MDh8MjIwMjM0NDUwNw/iceland-amsterdam-brugges-berlin
