I promise next week… back to the recipes. Today is the last day of our trip, and I just have one last while-traveling travel post… Last week, Jack and I celebrated our third anniversary in Amsterdam. At dinner, I surprised him with this little detour I had planned to Barcelona for the last leg of our trip. I love a good surprise … and Jack is so oblivious to everything, which makes these things incredibly easy to pull off. We have a special place in our hearts for Barcelona – we were here about four years ago (he proposed to…

We’re onto our next destination, but I wanted to share some quick snapshots of our few days in Amsterdam… (we had a little snaffoo with the Berlin photos, I’ll share those later). A whole bunch of readers mentioned Cafe Winkel for the best apple pie in Amsterdam… (thanks readers!) It was the perfect stop while walking around the city on a cold and rainy afternoon. And it did not disappoint – it’s not as pastry-ey as American apple pie… it was more of a cross between pie and cake. Which I loved because, well, I like cake. Two nights ago,…

We’re in Berlin now, about to head out to dinner… we’ve walked about a million miles, and it feels nice to sit down and rest for a few minutes. Here are some snaps from our first night in London at Nopi… Ottolenghi’s newest restaurant. A big thank you to all of the readers who left comments recommending it! Jack started with a bourbon sour (pictured above). I had wine, but if I had been a little less jetlagged, I would have gotten a cocktail called The Saffron Chase (gin, elderflower liquer, lemon juice, saffron syrup & champagne). I’m still kicking myself a little bit…

I have to admit, I always used to enviously read Heidi’s posts about the food she would make and bring on long airplane trips and think, “really, how the heck does anyone have that kind of time before a big trip? She must really have it together…” My mom is going to read this post in disbelief because I promise you this kind of prepared-ness is so not me. Running for flights and just barely making them… is me. But in recent years, I’ve gotten a little bit better just because it’s no fun traveling for 20 or so hours…

We’re leaving next Wednesday and I would love love love your suggestions and recommendations if you live in or have traveled to one of these cities… Restaurants, markets, cafes, shops, galleries… some “not-to-miss” sights… some that are off the beaten path and a little less touristy. We’re also open to meeting up with some fellow bloggers if time allows. I’ve been to London a few times before and I’m excited to go back for more curry, and of course a stop at one of the Ottolenghi restaurants. Amsterdam & Berlin… I’m not so sure what to expect (especially for veggie food…

Having grown up here, it feels weird to categorize this as a “vacation.” Yet we don’t make it back very often and when we do, so much has changed. This trip was part business trip, part visiting family, and part mini-getaway. This is by no means a comprehensive list or a city guide, just some highlights of what we did and where we went this time. follow the jump to continue reading (and disregard that it says “recipe”):