Metal Meredith

Phil’s Day

We missed breakfast, again. It was 9am when I woke Phil up this morning. We got up and got dressed and went to the Ship Museum. We had a tiny breakfast snack at the museum and them walked around and looked at the exhibits.

Phil thought it was pretty cool. I thought it was ok. There were a lot of model ships and boats, a lot of maps and seafaring tools. The best part was the replication of a real ship that you could board and tour. Phil and I both acted the part of the captain for a few moments.

We them took a tram to the Royal Palace Square and ate lunch at this little café called St Paul’s. I had a Salmon, Mozzarella and Pesto Crostini. It was so good that I wanted to eat three of them. I also had ‘fizzy water’ with cassis to drink. Essentially, it was a soda water with syrup. But, it was fancier than a Coke, so it was nice.

We braved the cold again afterwards to go see the teeny house, a house that is only as wide as the front door. I can’t imagine living there, as you wouldn’t be able to have a sofa or a double bed.

Phil wanted to go to the Rijksmuseum, where there was a Rembrandt exhibit. I went along and looked at all the fancy art. We got stuck behind an Italian tour group of teenagers that seemed very bored. It was interesting to a point, but by then my feet felt like they would just fall off.

We had Thai food for dinner for our last big meal of the vacation. In all this eating out, we realized there are many differences from eating in the US. Mostly, the waitresses leave you alone until you ask them for something. It works well when you want to sit and enjoy your company without the constant interruption of the staff. We had to adjust our way of thinking in order to stop a waitress and not feel rude. But all in all, we like this system better.

We are all packed now and ready to leave in the morning. I am not looking forward to our 8 hour plane ride with the 2 hour car trip before getting home. But I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, cooking in my own kitchen and being alone for more than a few minutes at a time. I am excited to see my Vivienne and hear about her week without her parents. Although I don’t have much faith that she will tell me about it. She tends to keep those secrets to herself.

Phil is already planning our next vacation. He doesn’t want to go home because he doesn’t want to go back to work. I can’t blame him. I don’t really want to work either. But we must. So tomorrow we make our way back home.

I must take a moment to thank everyone who made this possible. I now not only have a passport, but it already has two stamps in it. I am looking forward to getting many more.