Eighteen: Please Visit Us

Our other neighbors from Seattle - Erin and Anthony - came through town on their way home from Barcelona. It was a last minute thing; they'd not realized the layover was overnight until a few days before the flight. They e-mailed to say they'd be in town, and would we like to grab dinner or drinks? We were psyched; company!! We insisted they cancel their hotel and stay with us. We said we had plenty of room and that it would just be easier. We said we'd come grab them at the airport. That we'd love to go to dinner. How could they refuse? So they accepted. Of course we conveniently forgot to mention that the "room" they'd be sleeping in was not exactly private. Nor was there any way to shut out our cats. We held this info close until we got them into the apartment. "Oh, we forgot to mention..." They took it in stride, having three cats of their own (though theirs are cats that can be locked out of the bedroom). We took the tram downtown where we ate at a locals' favorite specializing in Dutch cuisine. Hearty fare; kale and potato mashes, sausages and meatballs. After our good meal we walked around the canal district, then hopped a tram back to our apartment. The next morning we dragged them out to our favorite Dutch pancake house (in the "nine streets" shopping area) at the crack of dawn. It was Sunday and most shops were still closed, so we strolled the neighborhood - braving the cold - before our breakfast spot opened. After breakfast it was back to Schiphol.

It was fun having them in town, however briefly. Despite the cold and dreary weather we managed to cram in some good selling points, not the least of which was the hugely evident cycling culture (Anthony is a cycling nut). There were offers of cat/apartment sitting in the future (which would allow Kim and I to go traipsing through the south of France, Italy or Spain, anxiety-free). We should've gotten that spur of the moment offer in writing!

Seventeen: Bottlerocket

So we were pretty lame and stayed home on New Year's Eve. We had half-assed plans to go down to Dam Square where everyone gathers, but... "it's so cold! And the trams will be packed with obnoxious drunks! And Dam Square will be packed with obnoxious drunks. And it's kinda late..." So we stayed home, but managed to pick up a half-bottle of champagne. Staying in ended up being a pretty good idea because even though we missed the revelers we witnessed one of the most spectacular fireworks extravaganzas ever! They weren't super fancy fireworks - just the standards, but they were absolutely everywhere. From our little pop-up room on the roof, which is mostly glass, we got a 360-degree view. As far back as we could see in every direction, fireworks were being set off in the streets. And not those measly little roman candles, ground spinners and bottle rockets you see amateurs setting off in the States. These were the real thing. Apparently most fireworks are legal here, and everyone takes advantage of that on New Year's Eve (they also set off quite a few "illegal" ones, but in typical Dutch fashion no one cares). A couple of guys were setting them off in the street directly in front of our door, and they whizzed up within feet of our vantage point. This went on, non-stop, for half an hour. When you stepped outside the sound was deafening! It elicited a few involuntary ducks, "whoa!"s and "aaaaahh!"s. The poor birds. Rollie, as usual, was unfazed. Toward the end of the display, a giant paper lamp floated up from the street. Kim said, "Is that someone's lamp??" We ran out to take a look as it floated up and away. Looking around we noticed that they were everywhere! They looked like Japanese lanterns, red and gold. I guess they work like mini hot air balloons. It was eerie and beautiful and not very environmentally friendly (everything probably ends up in the canals).

Anyway, Happy New Year everyone! Feest Nieuwe Jaar!