Metal Meredith

1. I hate to fly.

2. In Phil’s words, “The whole city looks like it needs a good power washing”.

3. I wish I had more time to spend here, and much more money.

4. I hardly miss my kids today.

5. Phil is almost sleeping on the bed right now as I am feeding my computer addiction.

6. All I want to do here is eat.

7. It is pretty cold and eve snowed a little bit.

8. Phil wants me to walk the 8 blocks to the theater tonight.

9. It will be 25 tonight and windy when we have to walk home.

10. I think he is nuts.

11. I am so excited to go see this play!

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.

Another busy day

Phil and I woke up at a relaxing 10am this morning. Both of us woke up between 7 and 730, only to fall back asleep for another few hours. Although we are enjoying the sites, I was enjoying getting a good 9 hours of sleep a little more.

We started our day with a 75 minute boat cruise along the canals. It was a great way to get our bearings in order to set out on foot. The boats are long and shallow, with glass windows and ceilings. You go through many of the canals into the port. Phil’s favorite thing was the houseboats, many colorful and decorated with plants and curtains; others look like a retirement home for a cantankerous sea captain, dingy and dark.

I was told that everyone here rode bicycles everywhere, but I was not prepared to see so many at Centraal Station, the train/ tram/ metro hub. It was just absolutely unreal. Phil and I think that there must be 10 bikes per person and you just take one and drop it off somewhere else to be used by someone else, much like our ‘give a penny, take a penny’ idea. When crossing the roads, you have to watch for bikes/scooters then trams, then cars. It is a never ending game of chicken.

We had pannekoken for breakfast, mine with apples, cinnamon and whip cream and Phil has raspberry. They were really filling and well worth the money. Phil hasn’t had a good cup of coffee since we left the US. He was overjoyed when his coffee arrived this morning, thick and creamy. Phil thinks there is a conspiracy in London to punish the coffee drinkers for not having tea.

Finally we got up the nerve to get on a tram, which is like their above ground metro/ streetcar. It was so confusing that even the ‘easy’ pamphlet of public transportation couldn’t make it simple to understand. It does seem that many of the people in the city are more than willing to help out those lost and confused travelers such as Phil and I. The tram conductor was nice enough to explain it to us a little better. He then told me that no one really gets it, so just wing it.

We took the tram to the central station and ate a hot dog. Then we found the other tram to take us to the flea markets. Phil bought me a super hat to keep my ears warm. We walked through the red light district, which was much less sexy in the daylight. We bought some cookies; Phil bought a beer and a few gifts.

The city is beautiful. The houses and buildings are either really old or very new. The mix makes it a fascinating walk. We took lots and lots of pictures but our lack of an internet connection is preventing me from putting them all up. I will try to get some more loaded and one last update tomorrow evening before we come home.

We had the biggest dinner of my life tonight, as we tried Indonesian food. We went to Saba Sebo, reportedly a famous local restaurant. We ordered sampler dinner for 27,50 Euros each. The plates of food were unreal. So much so that Phil decided to take a photo for those who didn’t believe us.

For anyone who is wondering, Vivienne seems to be having a blast. She certainly won’t be satisfied with our boring home life anymore. Grandma and Sissy kept her busy at Chik Fil A’s indoor playground and she didn’t sleep much. Grammy has just reported in that she went to the bathroom all by herself and informed Grammy after the fact. Follow that by her falling asleep at 530 Saturday night and not waking up until 7am Sunday morning. She is one tired baby. I am really enjoying my time away, but would be lying if I didn’t add that there is a pang or two of missing her these past few days.

Tomorrow will be more walking, more exploring and more eating and more tram riding. We are going to do our best to wake up at a respectable hour and enjoy our last final day of vacation.

Travel Day

We woke up at 630am, Phil jumping out of bed and me trying my best to keep my eyes open. We made our way to the Underground in a very chilly 30 degrees and waited for trains for a good 15-20 minutes. The airport was confusing and a real pain in the ass. By the time we boarded the train, we had been on elevators, escalators, stairs, subways and a bus. When we arrived in Amsterdam, we rode a train and a tram to our hotel. We are the reigning King and Queen of Transport.

Amsterdam is COLD (see photo above, right). We must have looked like lost puppies at the GVB station, their version of the metro. We are trying our best to be apologetic when asking directions in English or saying “excuse me” first to see if they are open to speaking English. I know that most people do, but it just seems nicer. Our hotel is gigantic with a pleasant mix of comfortable and cheezy. It is my early opinion of the city. Phil thinks it is super.

I must admit that the canals make even the dingiest places appear very nice. We studied our guides in the room and ventured out for lunch. Unfortunately, we started down the street with all the premium shops that we can’t (and don’t have the need to) afford. I kept thinking about how my sister would have loved it and we couldn’t get out of that area soon enough. So we took a sharp turn and ended up in Volden Park. There are bicycles everywhere, trams whizzing by and lots of people just walking around. From our window, we can see boats and one canal, a big sign that says “CITY” and immediately in front of our window is a Hard Rock Cafe.

We only made it outside for about an hour before both of us were dead tired from the lack of sleep and travel. I uploaded my photos and Phil took a tiny nap. We found some internet access in the hotel bar/lounge area where I am currently enjoying a cheese plate and a not-so-what-I-would-call a club sandwich. The cheeses were somewhat identifiable (for Dad - Edam, Roquefort, old cheese, young cheese, fig compote and some crusty bread). Phil thought all of the cheeses were stinky and smelled like diapers. He reluctantly tried the Roquefort due to its mold content. All of it just made me laugh out loud. The club had eggs, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and red pepper, some kind of pickled spread, cheese, and maybe bacon. It was great just not like any club sandwich I have ever known.

Phil is drinking a Heineken and has announced officially that it ‘doesn’t suck here’. Smoking is everywhere. In the airport, right under signs clearly making “NO SMOKING”, people were puffing away. It was comical but very annoying. It seems everyone here smokes all the time. Speaking of, Phil and I will not be partaking in any of the “smoking festivities” or eating “space brownies”. Sorry to anyone who wanted me to give it a go since it is legal.

Tomorrow we will be doing a boat cruise and then checking out the Scheepvaartmuseum. It is Phil’s “One Thing”. Mine is shopping for silly things that I can’t get at home. I don’t know what those are, but I will know them when I see them. We are paying for our internet connection, so I am unable to put many photos up. I will add a few of our journey and the city that we saw today.

Hopefully I will be able to update tomorrow as well!