It’s a curious thing
To travel away from home
And ending up
Feeling more at home
When arriving
☼
©Christina de Vries
Tag: wanderer
Vegan in Amsterdam
Being a vegan when traveling can from time to time be a bit challenging, so it’s always interesting to travel to a new city and explore their vegan options.
When I was planning my Amsterdam trip, I had already done quite a lot of research around vegan places I would like to try out. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to all of them, but the ones that I tried was absolutely amazing!
Juice by Nature
Warmoesstraat 108, 1012 JJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
On my very first day in Amsterdam, while wandering around in the city, I stumbled across this place. I almost walked right past it actually, but I’m glad that the sign on the other side of the road grabbed my attention.
It’s not a big café, but it has a really calm and nice vibe to it. The staff that worked there made me feel very welcomed and at home.
I ordered a hummus wrap, black coffee, and a carrot cake, then I found myself a table and enjoyed the hell out of it! Up until that point, I had eaten the vegan options from Starbucks and local stores, which were surprisingly good (kudos to Dutch Starbucks for serving vegan food options), so it was to sit down somewhere quiet and have a proper meal.
The hummus wrap was good, but it could’ve been a bit more spiced up. But the carrot cake was divine! A vegan, no bake, no sugar cake that just melted in my mouth! Holy moly was that a wonderful experience!
I left the place feeling very satisfied and happy, and I went back several times for juice/smoothies (which were amazing!) and salads.
A really good spot for a lunch or a snack. They did have soups and other hot dishes too, but I did not have time to try them out. Next time!
If you want to know more about Juice by Nature, you can visit their website here:
VEGABOND
Leliegracht 16, 1015 Amsterdam, Netherlands
When I came across Vegabond while doing my research, I knew that I had to visit the place! First off, it looks super cozy! Second, VEGAN DONUTS!
I had been craving donuts for weeks but did not have the time to go in search of them here in Oslo, so Amsterdam was donut time!
Vegabond is located in a quiet area, with a view of one of the many canals. It’s quite small though, so don’t go there and expect to get a very private table. But I loved that part too. It was a great way to meet new people and easily interact with fellow vegans.
Vegabond is not just a café, it’s a shop too. You can buy lots and lots of vegan products like snacks, food prep ingredients, sodas and more.
I was met by a kind, smiling and welcoming staff that had plenty of recommendations for food and cake options.
So let’s talk about the donuts! It was well worth the wait! I think it’s actually the best donut I’ve ever had, and that’s not even an exaggeration. When vegan donuts taste that good, and they’re sprinkled with good conscience, why would one ever opt for having any other kind??
The first day I was there I had a wrap, the second day I went there we tried a “mozzarella” sandwich, “brie” sandwich, spinach pastries and several cakes, plus snacks, coffees, and sodas.
Their vegan mozzarella and brie tasted so like the real thing that if I didn’t know that everything they serve is vegan, I would’ve thought that it wasn’t! Amazing!
It’s fair to say that we stuffed our faces and had absolutely NO regrets!
I got to enjoy the view from the table at the window both times, and I got to meet and talk to some really amazing people while I was there. It’s a great place to go as a solo traveler, or to enjoy food/desserts that will make your taste buds have a proper party! And don’t leave the place without having tried the donuts! You can thank me later!
Vegabond is definitely my favorite vegan spot in Amsterdam, and I can’t wait to go back there for my next visit!
If you want to know more about Vegabond, you can visit their website here:
I found Amsterdam to be a city where it was easy to be a satisfied and happy vegan traveler! As long as you do a little bit of research, then there are quite a few places that are completely vegan, or at least has vegan options on the menu.
I also found that being a vegan on the go was quite easy too. Most of their food markets/retail stores had a good variety of vegan options and every single one that I tried was tasty.
I already miss all of the wonderful food and the vibe, and I can’t wait for my next trip there❤️
Home is where the heart is!
I’ve been traveling quite a bit, and my parents moved around a lot when I was a kid, so I don’t really have one particular house that I think of as my childhood home. I have my hometown that I’m very fond of, and I always enjoy coming back to it, but there are other places that feel more like home to me. The weird thing is that the places where I’ve traveled to that feel the most like home are not places that I have any relation to. It’s more of a feeling that just comes over me whenever I’ve visited the first time, and that feeling persists for every visit.
London has always been like that for me. Every time I arrive in London city, I get this feeling of utter bliss. It’s heartwarming in a way I find hard to explain.
Copenhagen is the same.
I remember having that very same feeling when I used to travel to Amsterdam with my dad as a kid, and the very same feeling came over me when I arrived here yesterday. I’ve now been here for almost two days, and it feels like being in love. I small all the time, my heart beats a little bit faster, and it feels like I don’t have a worry in this world.
So maybe the saying is completely right, but for me, I travel with my heart on my sleeve and sometimes the destination is a perfect match. Maybe I have a stronger connection to some places more than others because it was somehow meant to be. I’m a strong believer in everything happening for a reason, and I think that some cities and I were meant for each other.
So here I find myself in Amsterdam, totally, utterly, unbelievably in love with a city. A place I hope to someday in the future be able to call my home for a while.
For now, it is home though, for a few more days at least❤️
That Airport Feeling
There’s something so magical about airports to me, and I marvel at the wonderful feeling of it whenever I experience it. It fascinates me that this feeling never goes away!
Maybe it’s the strong feeling of Wanderlust that I always carry that keeps this magic alive. Knowing that being at an airport is the first checkpoint for a new adventure to a destination far from home. It’s especially exciting whenever I’m headed to a place where I haven’t ventured before.
This time around, I’m not traveling to a completely new destination, but in many ways, it will be a totally new experience. I’ve traveled quite a few times to Amsterdam as a kid, together with my dad. The last time I was there was about 18 years ago. I remember it as a place where I felt very much at home, and the vibe was fantastic. Maybe it’s an unconsciously feeling of going back to my roots? I do have a Dutch last name, but it goes so far back in the family history that we have no other connection to the Netherlands, other than feeling at home there and carrying the name. But even so, I have come to love the language while learning it, and I always seem to easily connect with the people and now I get to experience it as an adult for the first time. Maybe my Dutch heritage is what made my dad and I live on a boat when I was a kid and has me dreaming of living on a houseboat on the Amsterdam canals (which I totally plan on doing sometime in the future) while being a free soul and live off of my creativity? Who knows?!
But here I am now, ready to finally explore and experience Amsterdam in a new way and I’m all giddy with excitement! I’ve been wanting to go back for such a long time!
So I’m sitting here at the airport, filled with Wanderlust and excitement while I’m taking in all of the impulses of the airport around me. The people, the sounds, the music, the coffee and the smells. But most of all, I’m very mindful of the feeling of gratitude for being able to travel on a trip like this. I feel incredibly lucky and for every time that I go on a new adventure like this, it becomes more and more clear that I’m meant to wander and to explore. This is one of the many ways that I grow, and like I’ve mentioned, 2018 is all about growth! So let’s go on a new adventure!
Zie jullie in Amsterdam💛
Goodbye, Hello
I’ve written about this before; about how I tend to have to say goodbye to a lot of people. I am a wanderer, and I believe that because of my wanderlust I tend to attract other people who love to travel and explore too. I love that, but the downside to it is that my life as a mom makes me a bit more stuck in one place than most wanderers.
So this often results in me making new relationships with people who at some point or other moves on to their next destination. And no matter how much I would’ve loved to maybe join, I can’t.
So that’s how I’ve ended growing very accustomed to saying goodbye and watch people leave.
But sometimes, those goodbyes are not forever. Sometimes I get to say hello to them once again, and it’s a bittersweet thing.
To see them, to hug them, to actually be able to have them next to me again, it is the most wonderful thing.
Knowing that it often comes with a Deja Vu like feeling of having to say goodbye once more, it can be so sad and painful.
But I am grateful for the time that I get with the person, no matter how short, and I know that every encounter shapes me and the life that I lead. Sometimes it even ends up pushing me in a direction that I never saw coming.
Some days though, I can’t stand the goodbyes, the waves and the backs of the people walking out of my life.
One day, it would be nice to have someone coming into my life with the intention of staying. Someone to go on adventures with, instead of watching them going off on their own.
Here’s hoping!
I’m a LIVE Ambassador!
In my post The Story of My New Tattoo I briefly mentioned the Live A Great Story Community and that I’d become a LIVE Ambassador. If you want the story of my tattoo and how I came to know the Live A Great Story community then I would recommend you read that post first and then head on back here 😊
I’ve always believed that all things happen for a reason, and I find it to be so amazing that what started out as just a sentence that popped into my head, turned into my wall decor and then a tattoo, was something that lead me to this community of so many creative and wonderful people all around the world! I don’t think this was a coincidence! Some things are just meant to be, and I believe that I was meant to end up on this path and to find this amazingly inspiring journey.
So, what does it mean to be a LIVE Ambassador?
Being a LIVE Ambassador means that you are part of a community of awesome creative and hardworking people! It means that you are focused on living a great story, and you want to inspire others to do the same! Weekly challenges! And a whole lot of love!
I’m super excited about the next three months of the Season 3 Ambassador Program that I’m a part of, and I can’t wait to share it with you guys!
If you’re interested in reading more about the Live A Great Story community, you can do so HERE ✌🏻
And if you think that being a LIVE Ambassador might be something for you, then I’m happy to tell you that Season 4 Applications are open now! You can find out more and apply here!Lots more to come! Talk to you soon Lovelies!
Christina de Vries 