Guest Post: Explore.Dream.Discover

As you long-time readers of Betsy Transatlantically know, it took me quite some time to completely embrace the full blogging community.  I found it all a bit overwhelming; there was so much out there, and I didn't know how to sort through all of it.  So I started by just focusing on blogs written by American expats in England - believe it or not, there are a lot of them! - and then, once I felt comfortable wading out a bit further, I began exploring expat blogs written by women all over the world.  Explore.Dream.Discover was one of the first I stumbled upon, and Liz's gorgeous photography and dreamy way with words hooked me immediately.  Even though I've been living in Europe on and off for the past five years, I still haven't made it to Amsterdam - but, because of Liz, I'm determined to hop over for a visit!

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Hi, Betsy Transatlantically readers!

I’m Liz, from the blog Explore.Dream.Discover.  One year ago I moved from Portland, OR to
Amsterdam with my husband and Frenchie/Boston pup. We’ve been traveling like
crazy people ever since – visiting at least one new place a month!

One of the best parts about living in Europe is having visitors – and traveling
with them. Getting to spend a weekend in Paris with a friend or take a trip to
Barcelona with my mom is surreal. But the best is just showing them around Amsterdam
and giving them a glimpse into our life abroad.

Luckily Amsterdam is a pretty small city and you can see
most of the popular sites in 2-3 days. Though I’ve got a nice list of places
I suggest everyone should see and do while visiting the city, I have one
hands-down favorite: A canal cruise.

Roughly 24% of Amsterdam is below sea level. In fact, if
there weren't any dikes, about a quarter of the Netherlands would disappear
into the North Sea! So it’s no surprise that one of the best ways to see the
city is from the water. There are so many boats and companies to choose from
for a canal cruise – and there isn’t really a bad choice per se, but if I could
make one recommendation it would be that you choose a smaller boat that holds
10-30 people as opposed to one of the giant covered tourist boats (although these are a great option in the chilly winter months). You get a
much better experience this way. Floating down the canals is absolutely
enchanting and I’d highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in Amsterdam!