Visiting The Hiding Place / The Corrie ten Boom House

Last May, Josh and I had the privilege of visiting the ten Boom house in Haarlem, about a 15 minute train ride outside of Amsterdam. One of my main reasons for wanting to visit The Netherlands was to see the home and city that Corrie ten Boom originated from. The Hiding Place is one of my favorite books of all time and if you haven't read it then by all means do so! It will leave you inspired, uplifted, and in awe of God's grace.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the story, Corrie, along with her father and sister, created a safe haven for Jews during the Nazi occupation in Holland during World War II.

When in Amsterdam...

Last summer I had the privilege to travel with my husband, Josh, to The Netherlands. We had just spent the week before in Paris and had crammed so many things we wanted to see/do into that week that by the time we arrived in Amsterdam we were ready just to kick back and relax. Amsterdam was the PERFECT city to do just that.

The Time of Our Lives

A Very Parisian Christmas

This Christmas was definitely one for the books. Josh and I have been talking about going to Europe together since we first started dating. I've been a few times but Josh never has. There is so much we would like to see and explore and experience together. We had decided awhile back that for Christmas this year we were going to gift experiences instead of a bunch of materialistic stuff. After all, experiences are what make memories. 

So this Christmas Josh gifted me with a trip to Paris and Amsterdam! Many friends have asked me if I was surprised. No, but I wasn't sure how he was going to present it. Josh loves to buy presents so of course he had to pick me up a few little things that make me smile. I didn't protest. :) Almost every little gift had a connection to our European adventure. A box of socks from Madewell that had French phrases on them, a book on Paris, a striped shirt and black beret, and a shiny gold Eiffel Tower ornament. He surprised me a beautiful, vintage map of Paris with the different streets and landmarks to frame and hang in our living room so that every time we see it we can dream of our upcoming adventure and one day remember the memories we made there. Of course, Josh had to include some kind of puzzle or mystery for me to solve in with my gifts. He slipped a sheet of paper in my stocking with a bunch of French words printed on it. I quickly googled it and discovered it was an allotted amount of money for me to buy clothes for our trip because "you have to buy some pretty new clothes for Paris!" Every little gift was perfectly me and well thought out.

I am so full of happiness and excitement for our adventures that await us this next year! We plan on spending a week in Paris and 3 or 4 days in Amsterdam. Residents, tourists, or once inhabitants - lend an ear! I would love to hear any advice you have or tips on must-see cafes, bookstores, parks, shops! 

Until next time, lovelies!