April 07, 2015

Exploring Amsterdam

April 07, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

After we finished our visit to the Anne Frank house, Mitch and Carrie and Aaron and I had a couple of hours to explore Amsterdam. We started by grabbing lunch at a small cafe near the Anne Frank house. We all had a famous Dutch dish: half smoked sausage with bread and french fries. It was delicious! Let me tell you, these Europeans really know how to cook a potato.

After lunch, we decided that one of the best ways to see the city was from its famous canals. We hopped on one of the canal tours that departed from near the Anne Frank house. From there, we traveled around the city and saw some of the more famous sites. Amsterdam looks much the same from the water

April 02, 2015

Visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam

April 02, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Perhaps one of the most famous historic residents of Amsterdam is Anne Frank. Nearly every school aged child in the States reads the diary she kept during the war years. Originally published by her father, Otto Frank, in 1947, her diary has since been translated into 67 languages and sold more than 30 million copies world wide. She has become the voice for so many of those that did not have a voice.

March 31, 2015

Keukenhof Tulip Festival in the Netherlands - The World's Largest Outdoor Flower Expo

March 31, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Warning: this post is chock full of pictures of pretty flowers. Hope you enjoy!

Spring is coming in Europe. A couple weeks ago, the weather was in the 60s and the sun was shining every day. What better way to celebrate spring than to visit the world's second largest flower garden in the Netherlands?! Each year for about six weeks from the end of March through the middle of May, Keukenhof gardens come alive and are full of color!

March 27, 2015

Tips for Planning a Dog Sledding Trip in Northern Sweden

March 27, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Last week, we told you all about our dog sledding tour in the Arctic Circle in Swedish Lapland (click here to read about it!) When we booked our dog sledding trip, we weren't really sure what we were getting in to. As a result, the owner of White Trail Adventures, Daniella, fielded a LOT of questions from me. What do we bring? Is there power? Where should we stay the night before our tour starts? These were only a few of the questions that she answered for me. I also did a ton of research to figure some of my questions out for myself. So, to help others that may be planning a dog sledding trip, we have compiled this list of tips and questions that we had during the planning process.

March 24, 2015

6 Things to Do in Kiruna in Swedish Lappland

March 24, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

The main reason for our visit to Kiruna was to go dog sledding (read about it here), but we also had some time to explore the town a bit and discover a whole host of other things to do in and around the city. If you find yourself in Kiruna, and are looking for things to do, the visitors center in the middle of town is a great resource. Bonus, thez speak flawless English. Actually, everyone in Sweden speaks really good English (I dare say better then the Germans). I think it's because English language TV and movies aren't dubbed like they are in Germany. Rather, there are just Swedish subtitles. I supposed after watching a lifetime of TV like this, you might speak the original language pretty well.

March 18, 2015

Bucket List: Dog Sledding in the Arctic Circle

March 18, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Ok, I can't even begin to describe how awesome this whole experience was. Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to go dog sledding (just ask my Mom), and on this trip, I finally got the chance! We booked a 3 day tour with White Trail Adventures located in Kiruna, a small mining town in Swedish Lapland, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. From the minute Aaron and I stepped off of the plane at the small airport, we knew we were going to love this place.

March 16, 2015

Visiting Gothenburg, Sweden

March 16, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

We finished our tour at Poseidon Diving Systems (click here to read about it) and still had a couple of hours until we needed to be back on the plane for Kiruna, so we decided to do a little bit of city exploring. I had done some research on things to do in Kiruna and had a couple of them tucked in the back of my mind in case we had time, and thankfully we did!