Four: No Matter Where, There You Are

It's about that time where "normal" life has fallen into place. Parking permit, utilities, internet/cable, dinner making, movie watching, and lots of dairy consumption. We had a bout of nasty weather - really wish I had my rainboots and warmer clothes. That should be coming in our sea shipment due to arrive in about a week! Work is tedious and boring, especially knowing that Jesse is at home! I just want to play. I think we're going to hit Belgium this weekend, if this decent weather holds.

We went to the Satellite Sports Cafe in Leidseplein - scary, frequented mainly by expats, but with giant flat screens mounted on every wall with every sport imaginable! Yes, the baseball playoffs. *sigh* Eventually we couldn't take the atmosphere anymore and left. We will most likely visit again during the week where it might not be so scary.

We keep renting depressing movies and reading depressing books...There Will Be Blood, The Last King of Scotland, Into the Wild. Good god, fill a warm bathtub to slit my wrists please. I also just finished reading Infidel, the life account written by a controversial ex-Muslim female in the Netherlands. Now I'm reading Ten Thousand Splendid Suns.

Did you know that 92% of the Dutch population drink coffee? They come in 4th in the world for coffee consumption - only behind Finland, Norway and Sweden. Mmmm....cold weather must breed the need for coffee.

Three: Look! Another Windmill

Drove aimlessly around the eastern Netherlands on Sunday. Through many small villages with confusing roundabouts and one way cobblestone streets on which you are not supposed to drive. Saw some windmills and very cute houses. Ate some cheese and drank some beer (a recurring theme). Even on the smallest one lane country roads (which are very well-maintained), there are bike lanes. They REALLY like to ride their bicycles. We passed many racing groups in full gear and families out for leisurely Sunday rides.
There seems to be no wilderness in the Netherlands; every inch has been domesticated in some way or other. Villages, farmland, polders. Not surprising, as this is the 3rd most densely populated country in the world.

Polder: a tract of low land, esp. in the Netherlands, reclaimed from the sea or other body of water and protected by dikes

Two: Fried Balls of Gravy

Week two has been about getting used to things; the apartment, the neighborhood, the city, the EY office, the roads. Grocery shopping is an adventure and takes two hours - is this whole milk? Two percent? Skim? Buttermilk? Where the hell is the half and half (they don't have it)? Crossing the street is challenging; a sidewalk, a bike lane, a car lane, a tram line, a car lane, a bike lane and then finally, the sidewalk again. Humiliation and frustration are par for the course for me, though I think Kim is unphased (as usual). She swapped the Ford Focus wagon EY gave her for a very tiny Pugeot convertible. Now we have a go-kart! We may take it somewhere or other (Germany? The Hague? Belgium?) this weekend.

There are a lot of street markets. There are a ton of cafes. We've decided to try bitterballen at every pub/cafe we go to. Fried balls of meat and gravy. It's better than it sounds.

Things the Netherlands do well: dairy, beer, lunch meats and fried stuff.

Kim bought a used bike, which makes getting around easier; I bought giant saddle bags for it and take it to buy supplies and groceries. Because the refrigerator is small, you have to shop at least 3 times a week.

It turns out our neighborhood and apartment are great. Everything you need is nearby, it is serviced by plenty of tram lines/buses, and it's an easy bike ride to city center and other destination neighborhoods. I currently sit in a nearby cafe in a square by a fountain drinking capuccinos and using the wi-fi. My new gym is right across the canal from our apartment, which despite being white white white (white floors, walls, cabinets, appliances) and therefore difficult to clean, is a great space. We have two levels, about 1,000 sf, and a rooftop deck (three, actually). The landlords, an architect who designed the place and a psychologist, live on the first two floors.

One: This Must Be the Place

I never thought I'd blog, because I'd determined that blogging is for assholes. Oh well. Week one has been weird. A lot of walking, a lot of getting lost, a lot of butchering the language, a lot of noting the differences in amenities and conveniences. We have been living in a weird hotel in a weird part of town. We have been in search of good food and good coffee, to little avail. We've had bacon and peanut butter for breakfast every day so far. We have discovered several interesting neighborhoods, good tea, good Heineken on tap, a fully functional tram system, great parks and of course lots of cool bicycles piloted by fashionable riders of all ages. The weather has been beautiful. You can sit at a cafe for half the day ordering only a single cup of of coffee and no one seems to mind.

Today we got word that our offer on an apartment in the most Amsterdamy neighborhood you can imagine was accepted, cats and all. Yey! Good bye Tulip Inn.