Netherlands
Travel to the Netherlands. First trip post pandemic, child-free [Miles had a fun time camping and visiting with both sets of grandparents]. We survived the airports with only mild annoyances. We began our journey in Leiden to attend the International Society of Ocular Oncology meeting. Followed by a relaxing vacation in Bloemendaal, Haarlem and Amsterdam.
Leiden
June 16-21
An Easy 20 minute train trip from Amsterdam airport. Location of the 2022 ISOO conference. Beautiful historic University town with lots of Dutch charm. Leiden made for a good choose for a medical conference allowing for the needed features a conference requires with a good mix of tourism and professional setting. Everything was in walking distance and we always managed to fined a place to reset for the next day.
Bloemendaal and Haarlem
June 21-24
We chose the town of Bloemendaal due to is location away from the hustle and bustle and allow a reset after the conference. The area stuck out due to its proximity to the Kennemerland National Park - a wonderful seaside and dune-filled park with lots of bike paths and nature. We stayed on a quiet central street with lots of quaint shops and restaurants that truly had a local feel with essentially no other tourists in sight.
Amsterdam
June 24-26
We could not leave without spending two nights in Amsterdam and seeing what all the hype was about. We were both glad we kept this part of the trip short as we did not want to miss out but felt we got just enough time in the city. Corey coined it the Vegas of Europe due to the types of tourists whom populated the city. Given the late June timeframe, lots of grad celebrations, bachelor and bachelorettes. Amsterdam is truly massive and the core is like a mall that goes on forever. You could walk for 30-45 min in any direct and never leave “the main strip”. It was unlike any other city we have ever experienced - wall to wall party and people with little to no escape.
