Europe in the summer = Love

We are back from the most fantastic summer holiday in Europe! After a few visa issues (grrrr), we finally arrived in Amsterdam - albeit 3 days late... Anyhoo, we hit the ground running and did whirlwind museum visits, beer stops, Genever tastings and even a picnic on the lawn at the Rijksmuseum. 

We spent most of our vacation in Spain, and we absolutely loved it! When can we go again?? We stayed in Barcelona for 5 nights where we walked (and jogged!) the streets until after midnight, drank too much sangria, learnt how to cook a traditional seafood paella, became obsessed with Jamón ibérico (and green olives, and white anchovies, and gazpacho...), gazed at Gaudi and fell in love again as the sun set over the magical (musical) fountains. 

We then traveled down south and road-tripped in the Andalusian province. Here we had the best tapas, discovered Tinto verano, drank too much beer, cooked fabulous meals in our little kitchen with local produce, spent hours in the pool and on the beach (it was 42°C!!), wandered through the Alhambra and got a bit of Mediterranean colour on our skins ;)

We ended off our trip with a few days in Versailles and Paris... magical as always! 

Here are a few of our Instagram foodie highlights. 

Herring in Amsterdam (slippery, yet satisfying)

'Kleine biertjies' in Amsterdam

One of the best meals we had in Spain! At the Mercado de Santa Caterina, on high chairs, sipping ice cold white wine. Fantastic ingredients directly from the market; simply and perfectly prepared. 

Sangria on the beach

Jamón!!

Our Spanish picnics mostly consisted of Jamón (and some other cold cuts like Chorizo), manchego cheese, green olives, white anchovies and a fresh bread. 

Green olives stuffed with pimentos wrapped in white anchovies - yum!

Ice cold cervezas.

Tinto Verano (red wine with a dash of lightly sparkling orange soda and a lemon wedge)

- the perfect poolside drink! 

Beer and Tinto Verano stops are a necessity in 42°C heat! 

Moules frites in Paris.

We went all gourmet for our last French picnic; Foie gras, caviar, salmon pate, jamón, baguette, cheese, fresh peaches, radishes, tomatoes and rocket. 

Now to start planning our next adventure.... :)