So I realized that it would take me forever to catch up in detail on all of our trips the past year. So what I decided to do was to just post my favorite photos from each city and a quick highlight/lowlight of each trip. So here it goes!

Right after Christmas in 2013, Cole and I flew with his family over to Europe for a Scott Family European Vacation Part Deux (the prior year, we visited Brussels).

We flew into Cologne due to flight availability and spent a day there before heading to Amsterdam. Cologne was a beautiful but quiet city.

Here are the highlights & must-sees:
1) Gorgeous Gothic Cathedral in the center of town – Cologne Cathedral (Dom)
2) Beautiful bridge with great views looking back on the town – Hohenzollern Bridge
3) Panoramic views of the city and surrounding towns by visiting Koeln Triangle – one of the highest buildings in Cologne
4) Wiener Schnitzel & Koln beer – we had a delicious meal at a beer house Brauhaus-Sion

Lowlights of the city:

1) Brutal wind – especially on the bridge – dress warm!

2) Quiet city – I wouldn’t plan on spending more than a day or two in the city of Cologne, although there are many other nearby cities if you want to explore more!

After a wonderful day and night in Cologne, we headed to Amsterdam via train. Of all the cities I have had the opportunity to visit, Amsterdam is one of my absolute favorites, if not my all time favorite. The charm of the city with its never-ending waterways, gorgeous architecture and tree lined streets make it something straight out of a story book.

Here were some of our favorite things (hard to choose the best because everything was amazing!):
1) Jordaan – the Greenwich Village of Amsterdam – the most charming neighborhood of the entire city, full of quirky boutiques, unique restaurants and much more.
2) Architecture boat cruise around the city – there are many options, but they are all basically the same
3) Boom Chicago – improv comedy drinking show that was very entertaining and a good late night option after dinner
4) Exploring the city by foot or bike – as I mentioned above, it is absolutely picturesque and you can spend an entire day just soaking it all in!

Lowlights:

1) Long lines for Anne Frank Museum and others – plan ahead if possible and buy prior to your visit to skip the lines!

I hope sharing our favorite things to do in Cologne and Amsterdam helps if you ever find yourself in this part of Europe!