In September of 2017 we enjoyed a few days in Amsterdam after attending my cousin's son's wedding in France. While there, we commented to each other that we would love to come back on a home exchange in order to spend more time and explore more of the Netherlands.
But, life happens (various weddings, becoming grandparents, a major kitchen remodel, etc.) and we put home-exchange on hold. Then COVID extended that "hold."
To our pleasant surprise, a few months back, we received a request for a trade - from Amsterdam! We (me) quickly got over any COVID fears about travel and after email exchanges and a FaceTime visit, we booked our flights. We head out on July 29th, and will be there until August 26th when we will fly to Ireland to visit Jim's cousins, returning home on August 31st. Alex will be joining us for the last three weeks.
Unlike other home exchange arrangements, this time we were able to meet the family in person as they are in the Bay Area for a few weeks before they move into our house. We had the family (dad, mom, and two teenage sons) over for a barbecue and they are delightful.
Here is our home-away-from-home for the month:
It is in Amstelveen, a suburb on the southern edge of Amsterdam.
We have been very busy getting organized for the trade as well as the details of travel. While the blogging skills are rusty, we will do our best to chronicle the trip with travel stories and photos. We hope that you will join us virtually on this adventure!
Tot we je in Amsterdam zien...
That is Dutch (per google translate) for "Until we see you in Amsterdam..."
Lisa and Jim
