Pass that Dutch: Episode I've Lost Track

So our very last (full) day in Holland we woke up to a beautifully overcast, freezing and rainy day. I was really excited to find a free tour of Utrecht before we went on the trip--and we were thinking about ditching because it was so cold. But come on! It's Europe! YOLO amirite?!?! So we bundled up, got our umbrellas and headed out.

So the tour was lead by this total baller named Jasper, and he took us around Utrecht, and told a bunch of stories and history about the place. It also included a lot of folklore and just all around really fun facts. If you are ever in Utrecht (seriously? i doubt it but still) go on the free tour, even if it is pouring!

One of the original fortress walls of the city of Utrecht

Ok, so this is a sculpture of a dog right in the middle of a walking trail around the city. The story here is that there was a famous artist, who lived right across the street and owned this little dog who would just go and lay in the middle of the street. this dog lived FOREVER, and when he finally died, the artist was heartbroken. So his neighbors pooled some money together and made a tribute to the dog. Totally awesome neighbors right?

This is a good story! So Jasper took us to this little public courtyard. This is how he explained it "Ok, so this is one of my favorite spots in the city. This building surrounding it used to be a prison, where bad people were executed. Then it was an insane asylum, where they put, you know, crazy people? And then they turned it into apartments."

Me: "Ugh, so what you're saying is that this place is mega haunted."

After that, the whole group took a 30 minute break for lunch. We went to this adorbs little place down the street, but then realized we were 10 minutes late to meet the group again. So we lost our tour group! We were both so bummed out, and also totally soaking wet, that we decided to just go back to the hotel. Now, honestly, the rest of the day was a blur. I might've taken a nap? While Cameron read Jack Reacher books* but who can be sure? I think at one point we realized that we would need to eat dinner, but just couldn't get ourselves to go back out in the rain. Yolo--not. So we did the totally awesome American thing, and went to the hotel restaurant, where I got some Dutch pea soup (totally killer) and then we ordered Wreck it Ralph from our hotel room. Sadly, but honestly one of my favorite nights.

The next day we woke up to snow, drove to the airport and spent the rest of the day just traveling! I almost cried when we landed in New York! I don't know, it just felt so good to be back in the states! Even the grouchy kind've lame customs guys were just the coolest to me. Here's an example:

I get to customs and hand the young man my passport

He looks at the passport, then at me, then at the passport

Me: "Yeah, I chopped all my hair off"

Him: "why did you do that?!"

Me: ::silence:: ::death stare::

Him: "I'm just kidding!"

Me: "I bet you are"

Him: "Welcome back home!"

We went into a zombie like state of rest after getting back to Erinn and Andrew's and started the next portion of our vacation in New York!

I think on our way to the Staten Island Ferry

Go America!

On the Ferry! It was so so so so so cold! So yeah, that's why I'm screaming

Lady Liberty!

It was so funny, but both Cam and I got choked up when we saw the statue of liberty and Ellis Island. I kept thinking of all my ancestors that passed through there, and there were also a lot of emotions going on, but we got a little teary eyed!

We made the pilgrimage to Wall street for my man's man

Cam gets really good shots of me. Also, I basically just relied on him the entire time in New York to navigate us around. He did a great job

Such a beautiful place

Street performers that were awesome but after 10 mins of asking for money I was like, dude, just do some tricks! I clearly did not get the point of street performers

The 9/11 memorial came highly recommended and I'm so glad we went! It was so beautiful, and touching and heartbreaking all at the same time. There was such a melancholy yet beautiful spirit there.

Cameron was an awesome husband and made sure to feed me lunch, because he learned his lesson in Holland. We gained a complete love for food trucks while we lived in LA, so I was pretty excited to hit some up. 1. Go to the empanada truck. You may be tempted by the philly cheese steak place, but forget that! Get the empanadas! 2. they are also way cheaper than a restaurant so way to go us

What church is this again? I also aged 30 years?

Ok! I was DYING to hit up the MOMA and Cameron was a stud and acquiesced...again. Love Monet!

The next few shots I like to call "Katie and Cameron photo bomb the MOMA"

"How am I supposed to pose! I feel foolish doing something in front of all these asian people!"

what up Picasso!

Mondrian

Basically one of my favorite paintings ever. La Danse by Matisse. Maybe it's the feminist in me, but I just LOVE it

I'm supposed to be mimicking the girl on the bottom right

Munch's The Scream

What..the...creepy?

Get it girls, i mean, Picasso 

Yay! One of our favorites! Starry Night by Van Gogh

Sue me, but I'm completely blanking on who and what this is. Cam Cam LOVED it though

Pollock! Love him

Ok I need to insert here, real fast. I need to let you all know that I love modern art. I truly do. Whenever I hear someone say that they hate modern art I'm like "because you have no soul? or no taste? both?! WHICH ONE IS IT??!!!" Modern art really touches and speaks to me. So I was totally ready for the contemporary exhibit in the MOMA. I jokingly said to Cameron that all contemporary art is usually genitalia. I proceeded to point to the pink diving board--thats a penis. Balloons?--thats a vagina, for sure. So Cameron thought I was joking, until he started reading the descriptions of the pieces of art. Which is fine! But seriously, some of the stuff I was like...for real?

Interactive piece

A bunch of V's touching...lesbians. Duh. So obvious. (not kidding.) I think this is titled "African Queen"...what that has to do with lesbians I have no idea

This section of the contemporary art got uber creepy. I wanted to pose by this one, because I thought it was supposed to mean the plight of the housewife: you know, shiny, new, perfect vacuum living in a glass cage? Ugh, no. The artist said it represented both a penis AND a vagina. What?! I thought my description was WAAY better.

It pretty much went downhill from there. Like videos of the aritsts dancing around with bare boobs in fast forward, lots of bleeding genitalia and real, real, real creepy stuff.

We high tailed it out of there and saw Times Square!

30 Rock, only where my idol Liz Lemon worked. Also, there were some really really fab ice skaters down there. We watched them for like 20 minutes.

Oh. My. Magnolia Bakery. Forget the cupcakes. Get the banana pudding. It will change your life.

Yay! Pilgrimage!

Got distracted by awesome New York stuff.

Later that night we met Brett (Cam's older brother) for some Ethiopian food. It was my first time, and it was pretty good! The super hot Ethiopian waitress was trying to hit on Cam until I sent her the "back off b" body language/signals. She responded really well!

All in all, I fell in LOVE with New York right away. I love that city so much.