World Traveling Trio

Visitors! Hi Everyone! Sorry again for the lack of blog posts...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:16:59 -0400

Visitors!

Hi Everyone! Sorry again for the lack of blog posts the last few weeks. We had two visitors, one week and then the next. We had such a great time with Lindsey and Mike! We showed them both around town and took them to all of our favorite spots. We rented them each bikes and showed ‘em how true dutch get around Amsterdam. Here are some pictures from the past couple weeks. We didn’t use the camera much when Linds was here (the weather was terrible) but we got some great shots with Mike.

Just 2 more weeks… Enjoy!

I drew this and thought it would be fun to post, its supposed to...

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:26:31 -0400

I drew this and thought it would be fun to post, its supposed to look kind of like the street we live on here.

MARCH IN AMSTERDAM Sorry everyone, I’ve been slacking on...

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 16:26:00 -0400

Produce @ the market

Cheese @ the market

Super Stroopwaffles, YUM

Our favorite croissanterie

Street painter

MARCH IN AMSTERDAM

Sorry everyone, I’ve been slacking on the posts a little bit! To make up for it here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

As I’ve mentioned a few times, my sister Lindsey is coming to visit in about a week. We also recently found out that our friend Mike Gold will be making the trip out as well! To say that we are excited about both of these visitors coming is an understatement, we can’t wait!

Not a whole lot else new to report… we have been enjoying going to the outdoor fresh market every Saturday morning. The flowers are beautiful, the produce is unreal and the snacks along the way are every bit as enjoyable. The weather here has been getting better day by day. The past couple weeks it’s been in the mid 40’s and sunny for the most part. We ride our bikes a ton, pretty much everywhere we go and its really been a great addition to our days.

Ross has been playing lots of poker and its been going well. The time is really flying by, we have already been here over a month and a half and have truly been loving every second of it.

Other than that, not a whole lot going on. We miss all of our family and friends, but we’ll be home before you know it! Enjoy the pics and keep checking out the blog :)

Happy Birthday Linds!

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:34:36 -0400

Shout out and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best sister in the whole wide world. Linds, I love you and can’t wait to have you here! 10 days and counting. XOXOXO

Taken with instagram

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:13:55 -0400

Taken with instagram

We were at the market and this guy takes off on his vespa with...

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:06:00 -0500

We were at the market and this guy takes off on his vespa with his awesome dog along for the ride. I couldn’t help myself, had to take a picture!

Our Rides This post is long overdue considering we bought bikes...

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:03:31 -0500

Our Rides

This post is long overdue considering we bought bikes a couple of weeks ago, but we finally got a couple good shots to share. Bikes are the main mode of transportation in Amsterdam and we have been getting around much more quickly and easily since purchasing them. I’ll admit, as terrifying as bicycling can be here with all of the busy walkers, bikers, trams and cars, it is also a wonderful way to see the city of Amsterdam.

Taken with instagram

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:27:33 -0500

Taken with instagram

Organic Street Market: Every Saturday there is an organic street...

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:31:30 -0500

Organic Street Market:

Every Saturday there is an organic street market down the street from our apartment with 5 blocks of vendors selling everything from fresh produce to flowers, candy, spices, nuts, meat, fish, cheese, baked goods, clothing, jewelry, etc. They also have plenty of places to stop and eat a delicious snack on the go, like profiteroles (tiny pancakes with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar), stroopwaffels (2 thin waffles with a carmel sauce sandwiched in between), piping hot pompoen soep (pumpkin soup), and fresh squeezed orange juice to name a few! Enjoy the pictures :)

There is a chocolaterie around the corner from our apartment and...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:24:54 -0500

There is a chocolaterie around the corner from our apartment and they have these incredible bon bons. These are caramel (on the left) and butterscotch (on the right).

Best Pancakes in Amsterdam

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:32:00 -0500

Best Pancakes in Amsterdam

Here are some pictures I like from walking around the past...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:24:07 -0500

Hi Ross!

Locals skating the canals

Here are some pictures I like from walking around the past couple of days, enjoy!

Deliciousness …. Or in other words, some of the tasty...

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:56:19 -0500

Chocolate Pumps in the window, wow!

Wok to Wok, easily one of my faves

YUM

Tiny pancake puffs doused in chocolate

Fresh Mint Tea - SO GOOD.

Singel 404

Mozz, tomato, pine nuts, pesto, rucola

Bacon, smoked chicken, cheese, chives

Easily the best sandwiches ever made

Deliciousness …. Or in other words, some of the tasty stuff we’ve been stuffing our faces with since we got to Amsterdam.

* Side note, Singel 404 was recommended to us by good friends Lauren & Todd Kessler. Thanks you Amsterdam connoisseurs! Best suggestion ever and we love you for it. This will, without a doubt be a weekly lunch stop for the two of us. *

Here is a little sampling of shots I’ve gotten since...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:35:01 -0500

Here is a little sampling of shots I’ve gotten since we’ve been here. One week today! As you can see, It was very snowy when we got here and all of the canals are completely frozen. If you look, you can even see ice skaters in some of the pictures. Yesterday and today were mostly sunny days…hoping for more to come!

My wonderful brother-in-law surprised me with this awesome logo...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:06:45 -0500

My wonderful brother-in-law surprised me with this awesome logo for us and I love it! And in other news, I found out yesterday that my beautiful sister is coming to visit us at the end of March, I cannot wait, I am SO excited! Love you Linds! :)

Welcome to 187 Brouwersgracht! Check out what will be our new...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:30:00 -0500

Welcome to our apartment!

This is our street (Brouwersgracht)

First flight up

From our apartment looking down...

More scary stairs up to the lofted bed

Inside

Bedroom

Other side of bedroom

View out our window of the canal, etc.

Welcome to 187 Brouwersgracht! Check out what will be our new home for the next 3 months, click on the pics and scroll through. Enjoy!

World Traveling Trio Goes to Amsterdam!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:34:25 -0500

Hi, my name is Jessica and I am 25 years old. Originally, I am from Milwaukee and went to Indiana University where I met Ross. After graduating, the two of us moved to Chicago where I was working at a school and Ross was playing poker. He has played online poker professionally for 2 years. One day while I was at school, I got an email from Ross saying “Ummm…I just got fired”. I, of course, am thinking to myself “How can this be? Since when can you get fired from playing poker?” When I got home later that night, Ross explained to me that the Department of Justice shut down the three major online poker sites in the Unites States. And so it was, on April 15, 2011 Ross was out of a job.

Being that Ross is dedicated to, and passionate about his game, he made the huge decision to travel abroad in order to continue his work. Ross was in Toronto for 5 months playing. While I stayed home, worked at school and got my Masters Degree. Finally, after a long 5 months, Ross returned to Chicago. Then began the conversation of what to do next. After MUCH deliberation and plenty of convincing of our families, the two of us decided to spend the next year traveling together; him playing poker, and me working for a friend’s social media managing company. The decision of where to begin this little adventure was anything but difficult for either one of us. If you know Ross and I, you know that Amsterdam is with out question our favorite place in the world. Between us, we’ve been to Amsterdam four times. I went once in college on a five week trip through Europe and fell in love with the city in a heartbeat. Ross also traveled to Amsterdam in college and declared it his all-time favorite place to be. Then when we began dating we took a trip to this metropolis together and it was wonderful, yet again. Some people, given the option of temporarily living ANYWHERE in the world might have chosen a place they’ve never been; somewhere exotic with warm water and turquoise beaches….but not us! Off to Amsterdam we go! And to make things slightly more interesting, I made Ross promise to let me bring our cat, Jacks. From the time we decided to go to Amsterdam, we had just under 2 months to get everything we needed in order. I quit my job, we got Jacks to the Vet for all of her shots and pet passport, we found an apartment in Amsterdam online and we packed up our apartment. We left Chicago on January 31st and arrived here in Amsterdam on the morning of February 1st (yesterday). The flight was direct from O’Hare to Amsterdam and was relatively easy. As a matter of fact, Jacks flew the best of the 3 of us, and without any drugs! Upon arrival, we jumped in a cab with our 5 suitcases, a cat and 2 carry on’s. We settled into our lovely apartment on Brouwersgracht and have been enjoying ourselves since we got here. Amsterdam is just as beautiful as always, but much colder than I remember it! We have been eating lots, seeking warmth in the many coffee shops, cafe’s and pubs and making our home for the next 3 months our own. Added bonus, Ross came in 1st in a tournament last night, so we are off to a great start! To those of you that we know, we miss and love you and are thinking of you all of the time. To those of you who just happen to be reading, please enjoy and keep following for more post’s to come! Cheers!

- Jess & Ross (And Jacks!)