The One Where We Had a DAM Good Weekend

AmsterDAMMM that was an amazing weekend.

Welcome to Amsterdam!

As one might be able to conclude, Cassie and Jodi travelled to Amsterdam, Netherlands/Holland (we pulled a Joey Tribbiani and had no idea what the Netherlands were)! The trip started off luxurious with a direct flight from Seville to Amsterdam #UnheardOf #FlyingWithClass

The moment we stepped out of the airport (and was greeted by a faux-IAMSTERDAM sign) we knew this city was something REALLLL epic! The city is a beautiful village that made us forget all about the rain and chilly weather! We were warmly taken by shuttle to The Grand Amsterdam Marriott Hotel! It definitely lived up to the hype! Our beds made us feel like the queens we think we are! While the non-free wifi made us feel like the peasants we ACTUALLY are.

Thursday night we sought out an authentic Danish restaurant called Pantry that gave us a rich and delicious understanding of why people love Amsterdam so much! After circling the same area for 30 minutes, the Pantry came at us like a wrecking ball and served some of the best food we have ever eaten!

Cinnamon Ice Cream FTW

Friday morning bright and early, Jodi and Cassie were able to reunite with their respected friends! Jodi’s besties Phoebe, Sydney, and Ali all took the pilgrimage over to Amsterdam as well. Similarly, Cassie’s home bestie Lauren came from Florence to spend some good QT with her BFFAEAEAE!

Cassie and Lauren sharing a brewsky at the Heineken Factory!

Jodi, Ali, Sydney, and Phoebe (left to right) all reunited on the Marriott hotel beds!

The weekend was spent laughing way too much and reminiscing on old times. Here are some highlights of the weekend:

1. Everyone was very honored to be able to see the Anne Frank House. It was definitely a very moving experience and taught us how proud we should be of our Jewish religion. Anne Frank said it best, “We can never just be Dutch, or just English, or whatever, we will always be Jews as well. And we’ll have to keep on being Jews, but then, we’ll want to be.” (April 11,1944)
2. The food was delectable – all brunches were delicious and gluten free! Jodi was even able to find a gluten free bagel (not pictured due to her overwhelming excitement to consume it like a mad man). Each morning brought us incredible breakfasts – those of which are lacking in other cities in Europe – but we are NOT complaining! Other foods we tried: Chispy King (try satay sauce FO SHO), Wok to Walk (again- UNREAL), Peri Nas (dank Indonesian food) and too much more to write down/admit we ate!
3. The AMSTERDAM sign proved to be an endless game of “How did they get up there?” and “Can this girl move already- no one is taking her picture!”
4. The Red Light District brought out the Jewish mother in all of us, causing as to ask ourselves “why they didn’t bring a coat out” and “what their father thinks of this career choice.” But as type-A college students, we thought “do they offer internships? #Work9To5JustToStayAlive”

Things We Saw:

1. Cheese Museum

The Home of Endless Free Samples!

2. IAMSTERDAM Sign

3. Van Gogh Museum

4. Anne Frank House

Anne Frank Haus

5. Red Light District

(we felt it would be best to not include pictures of this area) 

6. Boom Chicago Comedy Show

7. Heineken Factory

Followers, thank you for continuing to read our blog! We appreciate it more than you know!

P.S. to make you all laugh – Jodi got her first eyebrow wax in Europe…and no, it was NOTHING like European Wax Center. To put it lightly, let’s just say one of Jodi’s eyebrows looks like she is always curious/pondering something important. No pics at this time, too soon and she is feeling a little self-concious #classic !

See you soon for our words on London/Paris and all the rest!

The One Where Life Was a Climb, but the View Was Great

GOOD MORNING LISBOOOOOOOONNNN!!!

The quote above is a shoutout to our amazing hostel experience (no sarcasm) at Good Morning Hostel in Lisbon, Portugal this past Valentine’s Day weekend. (Lisbon)honest, we were a little (a lot) nervous to stay in a hostel. Horrible images of sharing a bathroom with naked ladies walking around and all of our stuff being stolen and getting bed bugs were quickly laid to rest when we walked into the quaint and joyous Good Morning Lisbon hotel. As they will be the first to tell you, we were greeted “with a smile” and instantly felt at home (well, not at home, but better than we had anticipated, so “home” works).

The Beautiful Good Morning Hostel Lounge

The hotel was clean and adorable, we were ready to set out on the town! Thanks to TripAdvisor, we were awarded a delicious dinner at Bico do Sapato with a view of the water (aka Atlantic Ocean, aka so close to home!) The food was delicious, the pastries were divine (and gluten free) and the waitress was super sassy (classic)!

Moving onto Friday, we decided to paint the town red (literally, as we got around town in a red tram car)! With a slight mix up with our tickets for the tour, all was set to go and we felt as if we were in San Francisco. We say this due to the bridge which looked the same as the Golden Gate Bridge (shoutout Full House theme song), the trams everywhere, and the oh so many hills that did wonders for our calves (disclosure: we write this blog with ice on our calves to sooth their soreness). We got a beautiful look at the ancient city and then went on to explore the wonderful area of Belem (aka the pastries). The pastries, known as Pastreis de Nata, were surprisingly gluten free and one of the best desserts we had ever tasted. We guess Nata meant “NATA gluten” (Jodi thought this was hilarious and clever- who knows why). No picture can do this treat the honor it deserves, but we will show you one any way, cuz like come on, you know Cassie took 20 minutes getting the right angle/lighting/layout so let’s give her some credit.

A typical Portuguese dessert: Floating Islands

The Red Tram Engine that could!

The doppelgänger of the Golden Gate Bridge

Pasteis de Nata

Unfortunately, as most young tourists do, we got lost. Jodi found it hilarious while Cassie was furious and exhausted. The phrase “We Will Cross That Bridge When We Come to It” was proven false this weekend as we walked for over 30 minutes trying to arrive at the bus station that was “right after the bridge” aka didn’t exist. We swear the bridge got further away from us the more we walked. It was definitely needed post-pastry, but not enjoyable in the blazing heat (okay- that was Jodi being dramatic- it was like 60 degrees out #ClassicJodiExaggeratingEverything).

We were also able to ride the Santa Justa Lift which provided a gorgeous view of the entire city.

The View from the Santa Justa Lift

Finally, a bus driver picked us up and we immediately deemed him a Saint (are Saints a thing in Judaism? Fact check with Rabbi David Seth Kirshner please- BZ we are all looking at you for this one)! Finally we got back to home base and were starving for lunch. The only place that seemed appetizing had the world’s most annoying and pushy/flirty waiter in the world that either had something in his eye or was just constantly winking at Jodi #unclear #WeHopeItWasSomethingInHisEye.

Dinner was delicious at a place called Sacramento, only confirming the feeling that we were in California. Coming soon to Lisbon, the HOLLYWOOD sign (we kid, we kid).

Fastforward to Saturday in which the exploring of beautiful Lisbon continued. We took a tour of the old city called Alfama with our precious tour guide André. Did he wear a pink vest? Naturally. Did this cause us to sing the classic hit from Legally Blonde the Musical “Gay or European”? Again, naturally yes of course. Despite the rain and André serenading us with his eyes closed, the tour was very educational! We concluded the day by checking out Saint George’s Castle. The view was spectacular but the stairs were not (reminder of the sore calves).

Relaxing at Saint George’s Castle

A late flight on Sunday allowed us some time to explore Barrio Alto, a lively and hilly part of the city that offered us some odd food but cute markets!

All in all, our travels to Lisbon were extremely satisfying and definitely one for the books. Although our two roomies on the trip most likely got e-coli from Seville, we managed to lighten the situation with a few jokes and a lot of delicious food.

Hope everyone had a romantic Valentine’s Day back in the States!

Sending our LOVE from Portugal!

Things We Learned:

1. It is never a good thing to start cracking up laughing when asking for directions from an already sassy tour guide.
2. People in Lisbon/Lisboa are not what one would call “friendly” – giving New Yorkers some competition.
3. Never look for food when hungry – can result in dangerous decisions such as eating white rice and french fries instead of trying new food #WorthIt
4. When asking someone to take a simple group photo, assume he will without-question take individual shots of you with no warning.

Laugh of the Week:

Jodi tripped over a garbage can while dancing Flamenco in her class and everyone starred, the teacher laughed and continued to ask her multiple times if she was okay until Jodi got red in the face and hid behind her friend. DON’T TRY FLAMENCO AT HOME. You will fall into a garbage can and die.

Catch up next week in AmsterDAMMM !!!

The One Where No One Stayed at Hotel Copenhagen

This weekend proved that the third time isn’t always the charm (except in the case of the third daughter in a family)!

Through three methods of transportation each way, Cassie and Jodi arrived in Copenhagen with their winter coats, gloves, hats, and scarves in hands ready to explore the city. Unfortunately, Hotel Copenhagen had other plans for them. Upon arrival at the hostel at 11:30pm, it was clear this place was closed for the evening. On to the next one! Luckily the cab driver stayed around and took us to his recommended hostel where he “always stays” which turned out to be a construction site with a not-so-mench of a man who tried hard balling with us over the price of this rundown shack that had to be only slightly nicer than a poolside shed. Homeless and afraid that a park bench would be their new place of residency, these girls walked to the closest Marriott hotel. To calm all your concerns, (and our parents wallets) we want to confirm that we did NOT stay at the Marriott for 2,000 Danish Kronas a night #peasants. Did we feel like we were in the popular 90s film Pretty Woman walking into a 5-star hotel with nothing but 20 dollars in our pocket? Yes. However, the very nice man at the Marriott found us a deal at a hotel nearby, Cabinn City. Despite the fact that we prepared ourselves for the shared bathroom experience at Hotel Copenhagen (“it is just like soul cycle” – JZ), our anxiety was never needed as Cabinn City was where the party was at.

Turns out the Cabinn is where it is AT! The mention of “cabin” did bring back some rough Camp Summit memories for JZ, but the beds more than overcompensated. Did we feel like we were on a cruise sans-nausea (well except for Cassie’s gastro-turmoil after a questionable dinner Friday night)? Yes. Did the shower and bathroom share a floor? Naturally, of course. Were the beds the best things since sliced (gluten free) bread? No doubt. The Cabinn life is the only life we ever want to live.

FRIDAY

We woke up the next morning excited to start fresh in this beautifully chilly city! First stop, Kalaset for brunch. The home of hot chocolate that would make the notoriously-picky-eater Barry Zingler himself a very happy boy. It was a pleasant surprise to have breakfast food for a change! #EggsForDayzzz

Off to explore! We sought out for the streets and let the city guide us through. Although the spotting of an Urban Outfitters made us feel at home, we rejected the warm invitation to enter as we agreed a break from American culture can be a good thing! We saw the beautiful colored houses on Nyhavn street, saw the #HAPPYWALL where we felt like Pharrell, and of course stopped for gluten free danish pastries, because like how can Jodi Zingler resist anything gluten free, or “glutenfri” as the Danish say- ugh you just learn something new everyday.

Colored Houses on Nyhvan Street

#HAPPYWALL

 

Gluten free Carrot Cake, Bread, and Cinnamon Roll oh my!

SATURDAY

After a great sleep with the unreal down comforters (#neverforget), we began our last day in the Cope. We made the obligatory stop at Torvehallerne, or the glass markets in which GROD (oatmeal) was the only thing in site. Alright, enough of the food talk because like it’s about the CULTURE people!

Glass Markets, its a perfect fit!

We met up with Cassie’s friend, Georgia, who is studying abroad in da Cope! She gave us the ins and outs of the city and was a truly great host! SHOUTOUT TO GEORGIA for taking us on all the touristy adventures!

We saw the Little Mermaid (yes- she who began the story for the instant Disney classic) on a boat tour. We learned that people have gotten pretty frisky with her by removing her head, putting a bikini on her, and some other raunchy activities that takes away this blog’s PG-13 rating, poor Ariel!

It’s mer-MAN!!!

And who could forget our trip to Christiana, the area of Copenhagen in which the civilians do not believe they are part of the European Union. The green light district, as it is known, is a place where a drug pronounced mari-ju-ana (what’s that?) has a large presence. It was unlike anything we have ever experience and were truly amazed at all the artwork! No pictures were allowed, so we will leave it up to your imagination!

SUNDAY

Finally, we arrived home and ready to start our week back up again until we go to Lisbon, Portugal next weekend!

THINGS WE LEARNED:

1. English is as prominant as the common cold in Copenhagen.

2. Danish Kronas don’t grow on trees.

3. Cassie self-proclaimed a new rule that “we must get a Toblerone bar each trip”! #sorryjeans

The One With the Broken Hip, Too Many Tapas, and JOBO

Disclosure: We wrote this blog with a broken hip joint and a belly full of paella!

Welcome back to our beautiful city of Sevilla!

Glad to be back to report to you all about our first week in the enchanting land of Sevilla! A lot to report, and even more tapas consumed!

Okay, enough with food jokes- let’s get to the big events of the week. It was apparent this week that Jodi is Benjamin Buttoning and has the internal age of an 87 year old; please call her Ruth or Althea from now on. For those of you who are confused, our good pal Jodi realized she is too athletic for her own good and got the first Zingler of Tenafly sport-related injury! It seems running on the treadmill was too intense for her tiny itty bitty body (I hate that some of you are laughing right now when reading that line)! To sum up the pain (since we all know the Dr. and Nurse Zingler duo do not appreciate Jodi complaining), Jodi could barely walk and took an easy 45 minutes to walk up stairs – causing multiple laughs from her “new” friend Cassie. Cassie made Jodi feel better by tripping down steps – and then complaining about the pain she was in from that small fall, Jodi was not pleased by this as one can assume.

Jodi at the Sevillian hospital.                    Camera Shy: Dr. McGuapo

On the way to the bone doctor, Jodi and Cassie realized they did not have sufficient funds for the cab and were screamed at in Spanish; I guess you can say they learned some new curse words – their sisters should be worried. The day turned around when they met a Spanish McDreamy/McSteamy combination (known in Spanish as McGuapo) as Jodi’s sexy doctor. He asked her to bend over (insert classic inappropriate joke here), and knew instantly there was an issue. He put Jodi on steroids and she should be fully recovered quickly (we hope)!

Okay so moving on because like how much does one really care about Jodi and her grandma hip? In food news, Jodi and Cassie were criticized for ordering too many tapas at a restaurant and were told “that’s enough- no more” in the middle of their order. No worries, they just added more tapas later on in the meal – don’t fret! Additionally, Wonkaland, a self-serve candy store, was located and is now the new residence for these two lovely ladies; please direct all mail to here.

Tinto de verano is the new vodka soda. For those of you silly Americans, tinto de verano is red wine and lemonade. Does it have too much sugar? Most def. Is that going to stop us from ordering 3 rounds at every meal? Unlikely.

Tinto de Verano (round 1)

In school news, Jodi and Cassie began their first week of classes! It had a rocky start when they unknowingly walked into a class that was taught only in Spanish. 10 minutes in, they walked out in the middle and Jodi had to explain in broken Spanish how they do not know enough Spanish to be in the class. Aca-awkard to the max.

The girls headed to Granada for the weekend (for free- shoutout to our parents)! They saw the Alhambra, ate falafel (apparently it’s popular there), and went to a club in a shopping mall (no exaggeration). Let’s just say the club, Mae West, was a bitching good time.

 

Lessons Learned This Week:

1. Life’s a climb but the views great – see Giralda

2. One should not assume their class is taught in English – triple check the schedule always #SillyAmericans #WeGotTrappedInTheRoom

3. Not having enough money for a cab driver can lead to what we an only imagine were insanely sassy comments about Americans

4. Jodi’s hip certainly doesn’t lie (about being in throbbing constant pain)

5. The hot doc fantasy holds true in America (shoutout Dr. Masa)

6. One should not assume that their social media professor is capable of using PowerPoint

7. JOBO IS BAE (our teacher that would rather us travel than sit in his class!)

Places We Saw:

1. Plaza de Espana

Plaza de Espana

2. La Giralda

The Geralda Tower

3. Metropol Parasol

Metropol Parasol

4. Alcazar

Making new friends at Alcazar!

5. Jewish Quarter of Sevilla

Feels like home in the Jewish Quarter!

6. Arab Quarter of Granada (Albaycin)

7. La Alhambra

La Alhambra in all its glory

For a good laugh: Jodi is now in a Flamenco class in which she has to dance for 2 hours every week. One can imagine what that looks like and it isn’t pretty nor on beat.