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.