The Journey Begins
Jennifer and I had planned on going to Europe for a while, and 2025 was finally the year! We decided on a multi-city adventure, starting in New York City for some Broadway magic, then hopping across the pond to London, followed by the charming canals of Bruges, and finally, the vibrant city of Amsterdam.
Days 1-2: New York City 🗽 🎭
Sunday, June 15th - The Adventure Starts
Phil drove us to our 7:50 train from BWI, and from there we took the subway (with lots of stairs for luggage!) to the New York Hilton Midtown. Meeting up with Brandon, Meghan, Seth, and Amanda, we kicked off the trip at an Irish pub for lunch.
The Shows
- The Last Five Years: Unfortunately disappointing - Nick Jonas felt more like Nick Jonas on stage rather than truly inhabiting the character. The highlight was honestly the pit orchestra up in the balcony. When that’s your standout moment, you know the show didn’t quite work.
- Cabaret: Absolutely wild and incredible! The whole experience felt immersive from the start with performance art in the hallways and the theater setup in the round. Eva Noblezada was phenomenal, especially hitting that massive note while doing a backbend. Even though I’m not sure I actually like the show as a story (felt more like disconnected performances than a cohesive narrative), it was expertly done.
Monday, June 16th - More Broadway
We skipped mass and “slept in” until almost 8:30, then picked up bagels at 30 Rock with the whole crew. After Amanda and Seth left for their train, we went to TKTS. We had assumed Six would be an easy get, but ended up “settling” for the Tony Award-winning Sunset Boulevard.
While it might not have been for everyone, the production was very inventive and unique. Playing into the idea of the show being about the world of Hollywood movies in the era of transition from silent to “talkies” the entire costuming and lighting was all black and white. A massive video screen shows us people live on stage. The live camera work was very cool, and the acting was superb - Nicole deserved the Tony for sure. However, the show and story was a bit of a downer. It’s a dark story, and while the production was brilliant, it wasn’t the most powerful story on Broadway.
For lunch, we had Italian sandwiches at our favorite spot by the Richard Rogers Theater in Hell’s Kitchen. After the show, we said goodbye to Meghan and Brandon and headed to Newark Airport for our flight to London.
Days 3-4: London 🇬🇧
Monday, June 16th - Landing in London
Took the Heathrow Express train to Paddington. Since our room wasn’t ready, we walked down to Westminster Bridge and Big Ben, doing a Rick Steves walking tour up Whitehall past Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Number 10 Downing Street, and the King’s Life Guard.
Evening dinner at Hawksmoor steakhouse was wonderful, though their payment system was completely screwed up and we had to rush to make our show, then return afterward to settle the bill! We saw The Devil Wears Prada - cute enough but nothing to write home about, with a severely underutilized Vanessa Williams.
Tuesday, June 17th - Parliament and Westminster
After a lovely hotel breakfast, we decided to visit Parliament Square. We managed to get into Parliament to see the House of Commons at 11:30 and bought timed entry tickets for Westminster Abbey.
Later we crossed Westminster Bridge to ride the London Eye, which offered incredible views across the city. Back to the hotel for a nap and shower, then dinner at The Bear and Staff (a Nicholson restaurant) for fish & chips and meat pie. The evening ended with Hadestown - tickets we’d bought the day before. It was fantastic!
Day 5: Travel - London 🇬🇧 to Bruges 🇧🇪
Wednesday, June 18th - Afternoon Tea & Eurostar
Breakfast at the hotel, then left our bags to take the Underground for afternoon tea near Buckingham Palace. It was at a classic department store with everything you could dream of - we could have spent all day exploring the store itself.
Then came the adventure: back to pick up bags and head to King’s Cross Station, where we saw Platform 9¾ before standing in a MILE-long line for the Eurostar. An earlier incident in France had caused delays, so we stood with a mass of humanity for over an hour. Finally made it to Brussels, caught the train to Bruges, took a cab to our Airbnb, and had dinner at an Italian place. We were surprised how late it stayed light outside!
Days 6-8: Bruges 🇧🇪 🧇 🏰
Thursday, June 19th - First Full Day in Bruges
Found a cute bagel place for breakfast with brie and apple on a bagel, then explored the south part of town and the Church of Our Lady.
De Halve Moon Brewery was a highlight - lunch followed by a brewery tour featuring their 2-mile-long beer pipeline that the city crowdfunded! The beer is named after the nickname for Bruges residents (who are considered a little crazy) - Bruges Zot. The narrow stairs weren’t fun, but the rooftop views were incredible.
After sampling unfiltered beers and browsing chocolate shops (air conditioning!), we took a nap before dinner at a little restaurant with “the best hidden terrace in Bruges.”
Evening Ghost Tour with Sofia from Ambassador Tours via Viator was fantastic! Stories included:
- The nun and priest who lived across the canal - he’d sneak over trying to convince her to love him, eventually murdered her, and their ghosts still haunt the area
- An Italian merchant whose devil pants (complete with tail hole) were stolen by locals who tried to burn them but burned down the house instead
- The golden eel that dragged a traveler into the canal with its “golden hand” (probably an albino eel), giving Golden Hand Street its name
Friday, June 20th - Canal Tour & Koen’s Kitchen
Slept in, then took the canal boat tour - walking around town and having real Belgian waffles for lunch!
The evening’s highlight was dinner at Koen & Marijre’s home restaurant. Koen cooks over an open wood fire while Mary serves lots of beer. They even turned away customers to only serve the number they could handle properly. This was definitely a trip highlight - loved the space, the food, and the company!
Saturday, June 21st - Rest Day
It was so hot and most places don’t have A/C! We had a lazy day of rest, only going out for one meal with “Aircon” as they say… and ice cream!
Days 9-10: Amsterdam 🧑🎨 🪁 🏛️
Sunday, June 22nd - Travel to Amsterdam
First wake up alarm we set this trip! Free shuttle bus from Mill Bridge by our apartment to Bruges train station, then train to Brussels, then Brussels to Amsterdam Centraal Station, then tram to our apartment. Early check-in allowed us to go straight to a traditional Dutch lunch!
Monday, June 23rd - Windmills and Hidden Churches
Took the tram to the train station for Starbucks, then a little bus to Zaanse Schans - windmills, clogs, and cheese! The historic buildings had been relocated together into this little green village. We watched the limestone mill making paint pigments, sampled LOTS of cheeses (learned that Gouda is pronounced “How-da”), and saw clog-making with both modern and historic tools.
Back in Amsterdam, we did another Rick Steves walking tour down Damrak, had gin at the old bar from 1672, saw the flower market, and discovered two hidden Catholic churches - definitely a highlight!
Evening visit to the Anne Frank House (no photos allowed, rightfully so) was very moving and interesting.
Tuesday, June 24th - Museum Day
Traditional Dutch pancakes on our way to the Rijksmuseum. Saw Rembrandts and Vermeers, but the highlight was the library that looked like it belonged in Beauty and the Beast! The free museum app with audio about various exhibits was excellent.
After lunch at the café (with more bitterballen), we went to the Van Gogh Museum with an audio tour to see his paintings and artists he influenced. It was a fantastic experience - the perfect way to end our cultural journey.
Already planning the next adventure… 🗺️
Want to see more photos or have questions about any of the places we visited? Feel free to reach out!
