I'm sure regular readers have noticed, that I'm blogging about events that are over a year old! We are just too busy running around and enjoying life, that these amazing activities that we've done rack up and I don't have a chance to write about them in a timely manner. I actually hope that I'm never current, as it will mean that we have a travel dry-spell. I love blogging about our lives, but documenting is certainly not as important as simply living and enjoying the moment.

Our amazing friends Bill and Melissa took it upon themselves to make sure that we enjoyed local Oregon activities during our year of living in Portland. One of these activities was a trip to Woodburn to the Tulip Festival at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm. We did a day trip with them last May to see the tulips, eat ice cream, and visit a few of their favorite wineries.

My first tip for visiting the Tulip Festival is to arrive early. Luckily, Melissa and Bill knew this and we avoided long waits. Be there when they open, because it's popular. When we left, just a few hours after they had opened, the line of cars to get into the dirt parking lot was enormous. We probably would have spent more time waiting for parking, than enjoying the flowers.

Before seeing tulips, we saw some old farm equipment.

There are a few rules to keep the flower beds safe and pretty.

When I visited Holland a few years ago, I visited a windmill farm, but it was after tulip season. They only tulips that I saw, were fake ones at the Tulip Museum in Amsterdam. I knew that tulips came in many shapes and colors, but seeing them in person was gorgeous. The entire farm was awash in color.

Pictures of us!

Another tip: Wear rain boots or shoes with good traction that you don't mind getting dirty. It had rained ( it's Oregon) and the fields were very, very muddy. A lot of people brought their dogs, which were having a great time playing in the mud!

Tulip close-ups.

The Tulip Festival had a large craft fair, live entertainment, and food. Of course, there were several tents where you could purchase tulips.

Being Oregon, they had a tent with wine tasting too. No, ten in the morning is not too early for a little taste, not even on an empty stomach.

After getting our fill of flowers, we spent the afternoon visiting local wineries. Oregon has A LOT of wineries. So, so, so many....that even a search for where we might have visited, doesn't leave me with any names that rang a bell. I remember that they were very good and at one, people were throwing a birthday party for their dog on an outside patio. You don't forget things like dogs having a party!

We also didn't take a single picture at the wineries. We did however, take a picture of this amazing ice cream truck that was parked outside of one of the wineries. Ice cream always trumps wine. Cream NorthWest was delicious. I vividly remember the scoop of Coldbrew Coffee & Caramel that I devoured. Yummmm

We had a wonderful day out with friends enjoying local activities. If you're visiting Oregon in the spring make sure to add the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm to your itinerary.

Amsterdam has a lot of museums. I'm not sure if this is an actual fact, but I was told that Amsterdam has more museums per square feet than any other major city. I walk by multiplemuseums dedicated to cheese. As if there can be too many cheese museums, right?

I left the hotel around eight-thirty on Friday morning, and made my way to the Jordaan district for a food tasting tour. Here are pictures that I took on my walk. Again, I noticed the absence of people on the streets. Besides construction workers, I was often alone. T

My favorite Amsterdam graffiti.

My original plan was to visit the Anne Frank House before the Jordaan Food tour, but the line was around the block. I soon learned a valuable Amsterdam lesson, the Anne Frank House is the single most popular attraction in Amsterdam. It's always busy and there is always a wait. I didn't have time before my tour, so I went across the street and discovered the Amsterdam Tulip Museum.

It was inexpensive ( 5 euros), absolutely empty, and it only took thirty minutes to visit.

The first part of the museum is comprised of a single room with a continuously looping museum introduction video. The walls are filled with colorful photos showing a wide variety of tulips. I had no idea that there were so many different types. I wouldn't have even realized that some are varieties are tulips: they look so different than what I know a tulip to be. The Amsterdam Tulip Museum is educational!

Downstairs, I learned about "Tulip Mania". During 1634-1637, people went nuts over tulips. Seriously bonkers. The value of tulips was inflated and people were sinking fortunes, mortgaging real-estate, to get their hands on rare bulbs. Tulips were a status symbol. Here is a cartoon to explain it in modern terms.

Here are some other snaps from the lower level of the museum. Besides "Tulip Mania" the lower level explored how tulips came to the Netherlands from the Ottoman Empire, and the general fascination with the flower.

I bought a tulip magnet and headed off to find a snack before my food tour. I know this sounds crazy, but I had not eaten breakfast and I had no idea that I would be served several pounds of Dutch delicacies on the tour.

Along with the quiet streets, not many businesses were open. This was about ten am and the only place with an open door was the Cafe de Zon. I don't speak Dutch and nearly everyone that I encountered in Amsterdam, spoke excellent English. Cafe de Zon was my first encounter with a language barrier. Luckily the man working at the cafe ( possibly the owner) was very patient and friendly: a kind smile and hand gestures go a long way!

At Cafe de Zon, I enjoyed a latte and read my book, while sitting in an empty neighborhood sports bar.

Cafe de Zon was wonderful, unfortunately, I would soon regret the valuable stomach space that the latte occupied. Coming up, Eating Amsterdam's Jordaan Food Tour!