Skylar M. Beck

Amsterdam For Coffee Lovers

Published on July 8, 2017January 9, 2025 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

As I mentioned in my previous post on Amsterdam, I had some amazing food throughout my entire visit. Therefore, I thought a separate post dedicated to all of the delicious cafes I found was necessary.

Pluk

I could not get enough of Pluk. It was SO good. Not only was the food and coffee delicious, the interior of the cafe was so cute, it made me want to stay all day. They also sell products such as small decor things and stationary items. My favorite meal to order was their smoothie bowls, they were amazing…so much so that I went back multiple times during my two days in Amsterdam.

COTTONCAKE

COTTONCAKE also sells products inside similar to Pluk, but they also sell clothes. The shop is downstairs and the cafe sit down area is upstairs. The atmosphere here was so calm it was a nice stop to relax at after a morning full of walking. COTTONCAKE also uses organic products and everything is made fresh everyday. I tried their fresh orange juice, avocado toast, and banana bread. It was all so yummy.

Pancakes Amsterdam

Pancakes Amsterdam was right next to the Anne Frank house so I decided to try it for dinner after my visit. They give you the option of ordering typical American pancakes or Dutch pancakes. I wanted to see what a traditional Dutch pancake was like. As you can see, they are huge! I wasn’t expecting it. I added bananas inside mine and it was so great. It was filling but the good news is Dutch pancakes are very thin so it is possible to finish the entire plate without feeling sick.

Stach

Stach is located all over Amsterdam, there are multiple especially in the center of the city. It’s an easy stop to grab coffee and a pastry to go. Their coffee was so smooth, I loved it.

Some other coffee cafes I loved:

Il Momento

Screaming Beans

Sweet Cup

Kessens

48 Hours in Amsterdam

Published on July 7, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. Beck1 Comment

Amsterdam…the city of bikes. For the longest time I have always wanted to visit Amsterdam and I’m so thrilled I was finally able to. Amsterdam had so much to offer. Some of my favorite things to do were visiting the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, and walking down the canals admiring all of the houses. I was also pleasantly surprised at how amazing the food was. I don’t think I had one bad meal! Definitely a trip to remember.

Photo Diary: Dublin, Ireland

Published on July 4, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

I’ve spent the last two days in Dublin, Ireland and have loved every moment. Dublin is a beautiful city with great people, great food, and great things to do. I highly recommend visiting the Book of Kells exhibit located on Trinity College’s campus. Also, try a Guinness…I honestly did not think I would enjoy the taste at all but with a good burger I actually enjoyed it. Can’t go wrong with an Irish pub!

A Day Trip Across Ireland

Published on July 3, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. Beck4 Comments

Happy Monday! I left Paris yesterday and took a short flight to Dublin. Today, I went on an incredible day trip across Ireland. I was able to see the Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, Burren, and Galway all in one (long) day. I booked a bus tour through Irish Day Tours. I usually never prefer to site see by bus tours because most are strict with time because of the schedule and there are a lot of other tourists involved… which can sometimes take away from the experience. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this bus tour, it was wonderful. My tour guide/driver told Irish stories along the way and talked about the history of Ireland. If you are planning to visit Ireland, I highly recommend the Irish Day Tours company. They offer a lot of other tours throughout Ireland, but I was most interested in seeing the Cliffs of Moher.

Speaking of, the cliffs were INCREDIBLE. I have never seen anything more beautiful. As I mentioned, the tour consisted of other stops after the cliffs, which were equally amazing. Burren has a lot of rocks and smaller cliffs along the Atlantic, so extremely beautiful. Galway was the cutest town. We didn’t stay here long but I did have some time to walk around the city center, I instantly fell in love.

Ireland’s beauty is beyond what I imagined, I am in awe.

Cliffs of Moher

Burren

Galway

Photo Diary: Paris, France

Published on July 1, 2017March 29, 2019 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

“Paris is always a good idea”

Paris, France, where do I begin? Paris has been at the top of my bucket list for years now and I am so happy I was finally able to spend time in this magical city. I spent four days exploring all the tourists sites, filling my belly with lots of baguettes and macaroons, and watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle every night. There were so many things I wanted to do but didn’t have the time, which only makes me believe I’ll be back soon Paris. Au Revoir!

A Trip along the French Riviera

Published on June 27, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. Beck1 Comment

I left Rome two days ago and now I am on my way up to Paris…with a few stops along the way. From Rome I went up to Milan and took a train to Monte-Carlo, Monaco. Monte Carlo is incredible. There are no other words to describe the atmosphere. The best part about Monte Carlo is the surrounding area. From Monte Carlo, I was able to take a bus to Èze Village and Nice, France.

I highly recommend taking a bus ride to Èze Village if you are ever traveling along the French Riviera. It was such an enchanting town. It is up on a giant hill top which offers amazing views from every angle.

From Èze Village, Nice, France was a short thirty minute bus ride away. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time here but from what I saw, it was beautiful.

Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Èze Village, France

Nice, France

My Favorite Cafés in Rome, Italy

Published on June 22, 2017March 27, 2019 by Skylar M. BeckLeave a comment

Other than pasta, pizza, and gelato, before coming to Rome I was really looking forward to the coffee. I am a huge coffee gal. I’m happy to say I have not been disappointed with the coffee here, it is incredible. I’ve really enjoyed trying out different cafés in the area, each one is so unique inside. Aside from just coffee, the cafés also offer yummy pastries, snacks, and even small meals. Here are five of my favorite cafés in Rome:

Caffè Settimiano

This café is definitely one of my top favorites. It is located in the Trastevere neighborhood. I love stopping here for a typical Italian breakfast (croissant + cappuccino) in the mornings. Also, the staff here is always super sweet and welcoming.

Caffè Lungara

Caffè Lungara is also located in Trastevere. I come here often for a small lunch. They have the best fruit salad I have ever tasted, it is always so fresh and beautifully displayed…as you can see from this picture.

Bar del Cappuccino

This cappuccino bar is towards the city center of Rome. I originally went because I read that the man who works here specializes in cappuccino designs! His favorite designs to make for customers are hearts and apples.

Esco Sazio

Esco Sazio is a small organic juice and fruit café. I’ve never ordered coffee here because I always want an acai bowl. These acai bowls are refreshing and filling. I also appreciate how beautiful the fruit display looks in the bowl.

Don Nino

Don Nino is located in several parts of Italy, I first discovered it in Florence. There are three scattered around the city center of Rome. Their cappuccino and croissant are some of absolute favorites! Also, the interior design of their café is adorable.

Rome Bucket List

Published on June 20, 2017March 12, 2018 by Skylar M. Beck2 Comments

Ah, Rome…the eternal city. I have been lucky enough to live in this historic city for the past month. With this amount of time, it gave me the opportunity to see and do a lot of things throughout the city. Here are some of my favorites:

The Trevi Foundation
The Spanish Steps
The Pantheon
Walk across to the other side of the Tiber River to the Trastevere neighborhood
Climb to the top of Gianicolo Hill
The Sistine Chapel
The Roman Forum
Piazza Navona
Piazza Venezia
The Colosseum

A Weekend in Lugano, Switzerland

Published on June 19, 2017March 27, 2019 by Skylar M. Beck4 Comments

Happy Monday! I just returned from a weekend trip to Lugano, Switzerland. To me, Switzerland has always been a place that seemed amazingly beautiful and my expectations were not let down. Lugano was a heavenly sight. I chose Lugano because it is about an hour north of Italy’s border so from Rome, the train fares were not too expensive. I was fortunate to find an apartment rental through airbnb that was right on the Lugano Lake. If you are ever in Lugano, I highly suggest staying near the lake. Being by the lake was so relaxing, it felt like time stood still for the weekend. The central area of town was about a 10 minute taxi ride from my lake rental. In town, there is so much to do and amazing food everywhere! Make sure you try some Swiss chocolate ice cream or just Swiss chocolate!!