The Azores and Amsterdam 2024

The Azores… I had to look up where this place was after seeing it on the cover of a magazine that read “Destinations Of A Lifetime”. The pictures looked dreamy and the location sounded exotic; an archipelago consisting of nine islands between North America and Europe. All was true except for the temperature. We packed and dressed for beach vibes when we really needed a warm sweater and a wetsuit. I think the first picture below says it all… Charlotte not enjoying the cold hike on our first day. With that being said, it was as picturesque and quaint as the magazine described. The rolling green hills lined with hydrangeas and dairy cows felt like a storybook. The color of the ocean was a new deep blue I haven’t seen before. We enjoyed the small towns lined with cobblestones, delicious food and even ventured into the thermal pools. Our hotel was located on an amazing surf beach with soft sand and gorgeous sunsets. It was truly an adventure and our wanderlust was fulfilled. However, I would recommend going to the Azores later in the summer if you want to be warm 🙂

Things to remember: Johnny laying down on the moss beds, the tour guide our first day, the ocean swimming pool, the green and blue lakes (Sete Cidades), dairy cow traffic, the abandoned hotel at the top of the mountain, the jellyfish day, all of the yummy cheese, cobblestone streets, Johnny ordering two lobsters (and devouring both), our anniversary and the 8 course dinner (or was it 9?), a dance party in our hotel room to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, canyoneering, coasteering, thermal pools, lunch and the “milkyshakey”, the local steakhouse on our last night, sunsets, rainbows, Johnny’s sandwich from the vending machine, dolphins, riding the speed boat forever to get to the Islet of Vila Franca do Campo, the church lit up at night, our hot tub, Johnny feeding the ducks, Johnny’s bruises from his bike crash the day before we left.

We ended our summer Europe vacation in Amsterdam for three nights where we ran into rain and more cold weather (not our best weather trip in general). We stayed at one of our favorite hotels, The Pulitzer, which made up for any bad weather. The lobby and breakfast alone is Europe at its best. We toured the Anne Frank House for the first time; a very poignant moment as Charlotte was still reading The Diary of Anne Frank. We found amazing food once again, saw the Van Gogh Museum and bought Johnny and Charlotte some sweatpants. Our last day was spent at the Efteling Amusement Park where pants and an umbrella were very necessary. It was fun and adventurous… and we were ready to come home.