After much procrastination, true to form, we’ve finally decided to get started on our blog. It’s only been 6 months…already a quarter of our time here! We can’t believe how fast time is going by. Everyone warned us, but seriously, so fast. We’re living in the Oud Zuid (Old South) district of Amsterdam. We LOVE living in this neighborhood. At first we thought we might be too far from all the action of the center of Amsterdam, but public transportation is so convenient that it takes no time at all to get anywhere in the city. We can hop on our fietsen (bikes) and be anywhere in 10 minutes. The size of the city took us completely by surprise. It’s small, and very crowded.
Netherlands compared to Kansas
Huis (house) Hermes Location
Real estate is highly competitive; we looked at around 15 places and made three offers before we found the right apartment for us. There is lot of green space around for the dogs and we are on a canal (although some rather loud geese occupy it’s shores). The apartment was unfurnished so we’ve had a lot of fun making it our own. We put our marriage to the test by building IKEA furniture together and try to keep an eye out for special, unique things when we’re out and about.
Nearby are some really terrific shops and restaurants. There is an organic produce guy just around the corner that we shop at frequently and a great restaurant, Marathonweg Coffee-Grill-Bar, with a cozy interior and fabulous patio that we like to visit for a glass (or a few) of wine. We’re also just a few minutes away from the Old Olympic Stadium where the games were hosted in 1928. Fun fact: It was the first time that the Olympic flame was lit in a tower. There is always something to do or a new place to see; it seems like we’ll never be able to do it all!
There are a lot of Expats that live in Amsterdam. The city is incredibly diverse with lots of English speakers, so our transition has been very easy. Our upstairs neighbors are from Vancouver, Canada and both work for PwC; that was a fun little surprise! In fact, we’ve met a lot of really great people through PwC. Several of them are around our age and have been here for about 1-3 years. They have been helpful in every possible aspect of our move (even before we flew over). We’ve made fast friends with many of them and made some great memories already.
We’re comfortable and happy in our new home! Making this move was scary and exciting, but the nerves have worn off and we’re really doing our best to make our time here count. There are so many things that we’re looking forward to- including having some visitors to show around now that we mostly know what we’re doing (hint, hint). Come and seeeee ussssss!
-Jill and Jon
P.S. For more photos you can click on the menu in the upper left corner and select another page.
#hermesinholland 
Great pictures! We love your apartment! Looks like there’s so much to see and do . . . can’t wait to experience it with you.
Love,
Papa & Nana
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