Is It a Sign?

So, last weekend was the big wedding weekend. Doris’ cousin Heidi married a wonderful man from Guatemala, Mexico. If there are two cultures who know how to throw a great party it is the Mexicans and the Germans. We weren’t disappointed. Well, maybe when the band stopped playing at 1:30. His close family was able to attend but that was all. His mother was so pretty and done up. She wore a gorgeous pink dress and cute little peep toe silver pumps. Very proper but very festive.

They had a catholic ceremony in a small town near Munich. I saw next to Doris’ cousin, Uwe, and he is a ton of fun. We all had a great time at the wedding, making small jokes, and listening to the mariachi band play. They were so wonderful and they sounded so great in the church. It was just the perfect touch to the wedding to have them. Here is a picture of Doris and I with the band. The day was a bit windy…..

The reception started with an abundance of cake. It is tradition that all of the cousins and aunts bring a cake. Let’s say there are 21 cousins plus aunts to go with them so there is always a TON of amazing food. The cake time leads into coffee and then the dancing began. Oh, and the drinking. There was great beer, homemade schnapps, and tequila. The Mexican heritage had to be represented also!! The party got started right by Miguel’s parents dancing to a traditional Mexican song played by the mariachi band.

Part of their traditional weddings (and it is more of the Romanian/German heritage than current day German traditions) involve many games. One of which is kidnapping the bride and the groom must go and find her. At the last wedding I went to during my exchange year we went a bar and he had to try to figure out which one we were at. Every time he went to the wrong location, he had to do something, like put his shoes on the wrong feet, roll up his pant legs, or wear a wig. This time, since it was such a small town, we went out to the patio where they had sangria waiting for us. Miguel eventually showed up wearing a dress, wig, and breasts. It was quite the site! They made him do certain tasks to get her back, such as saying 5 words to describe the bride with a mouth full of wine, or finding a ring in a bowl of flower. He eventually got her back then everyone else got to play in the games as well. I got called up for a game where you have to take either a tennis ball or a ping pong ball and fish it up one pant leg of a unsuspecting guy and down the other. I lost, horrible. I also lost my ball. Everyone was laughing at me. I have no idea who this guy was since he was wearing a Rastafarian wig. Did I mention how great a comforter sangria makes when 10 tables of people are laughing at you?

After the games ended and we headed inside it was time for dinner. They had a great spread of food. I have no idea what all they served but everyone’s plate had something different. It was amazing! There was also more cake and even later, they brought out plates of ice cream with crepes. The ice cream was so delicious! They were big slabs of all different flavors. Caramel, hazelnut, chocolate, vanilla. I couldn’t pass on a taste test of those either. After dinner we all changed into clothes a bit more comfortable for dancing. Here I am with Rosi (Doris’ cousin) and Doris after the costume change.

The dancing was great. The band played great songs, but their sets weren’t very long and they had really long breaks. At the beginning this was ok because the mariachi band in between, but after they left it let the mood die down. We weren’t very happy with that. All of the younger cousins had planned a game for everyone. The audience participation wasn’t very good but that probably had something to do with alcohol consumption and the noise. But the King and Queen were on a chariot lead by a driver and 2 horses. There was a story that went a long with it and every time someone’s “position” was said, such as “the driver” he had to run around his chair. Everyone had a roll and it was a lot of fun. I really like how they all play games and have so much interaction. As it got later, it was time to throw the bouquet of flowers. There were plenty of single ladies there so the competition was tough but I’m not one to back down from a challenge. I’m not exactly in a rush to get married, but I really don’t like to lose so the result….

I caught the flowers. Woo Hoo! I also caught them at the last wedding I was at and that I’m still nowhere near close to being married. Doris said since these are German flowers it now leaves me the opportunity for a German man.

On Sunday we all woke up decently early and had breakfast down in the parents kitchen. It was fun seeing everyone the next morning and some people were definitely in better shape than others! Shortly thereafter we said our good byes and headed home. My flight left at 3:30 so we had to get back. Doris’ mom made an amazing lunch then Doris and I headed off to the airport. I go to check in only to learn my flight has been cancelled. I am supposed to go through Munich which was apparently close shortly before we arrived due to this annoying ash cloud. I got lucky and caught the KLM direct flight back to Amsterdam. I only arrived an hour later than scheduled and got to spend a few extra hours with Doris’ family and see her brother and future sister in law. I am still recovering and due to all of the partying I have come down with a cold.

I will not let this cold stop me though, because tomorrow I fly out to Copenhagen for my first solo trip ever. I will then travel to Stockholm and meet up with my cousin, then fly back to Amsterdam on Sunday. Therefore, I will not be able to blog the rest of the week but expect some great stories and pictures next week. I will also try to get a few more pictures of the wedding from Doris. Have a great week and pray the winds keep the ash cloud away!!

Prague

Mom and I arrived safely in Germany on Thursday afternoon just in time for a dinner with Doris' family and a small celebration for my birthday. Doris' mom makes amazing food and cakes so we got treated very well. My mom also got to meet Klaus' (Doris' brother) new fiance. They will be having a wedding in September, I hope I can make it back!

Doris looked up the Prague special online and called the train station to confirm. You can buy the tickets at the automats and they leave about every 3 hours. We decided the 9:20ish train would work perfectly for us so we headed to the station with a good 30 minutes extra so that we had time to buy the tickets. What the lady didn't tell Doris was where to find the tickets on the automat. Since it was a holiday, hardly anybody was working and the train station was packed. Time was ticking away and we still hadn't found out how to get the tickets. They were tucked away in some odd little area on the machine and we couldn't find them. We were on the verge of missing the train and about to give up hope but I found a nice man helping stranded travellers and he showed us how to get the tickets. We had about 7 minutes till the train left, it was already waiting up on the platform. That started our 5 hour journey on a cramped, hot train to Prague.

Minus being squished between people, we were happy to have a seat. The train was an older one with cabins that contained 6 seats each and a hallway that ran the length of each car. There were 3 of us travelling and there wern't a lot of seats open in 3s. We got lucky and found some but that didn't leave much room. We were happy though, because as the train went on it only got fuller and people were camping out in the hallways by the end of it.

We finally made it to Prague!

Doris, Mom, and I in front of the Charles Brige, the Vtlava river, and the city's Castle.

We checked into our room at the Olympik hotel. It wasn't in the main part of the city so that we could keep it cheaper, but the hotel also lacked a bit of "elegance." The hotel was a bit out of date and after looking at 2 rooms we chose the "suite." We got a room with a king (two singles pushed together) and a couch that pulled out into a bed. The cute little bell boy that helped us didn't speak English or German so we were left to basic words and actions. He split the king bed apart to two single beds and told us "No Sex!" We all laughed. Then he pulled out the couch and showed us how that worked and how "soft" that was. Mom tested it, it wasn't soft. The little man went and got some cushions (similar to couch cusions but the size of a twin bed) to put on top of the couch bed. He put 2 side by side then informed us that that bed was the "Good Sex!" bed. We were happy to have that clarified, it was a very confusing fact we were pondering. Mom gave him all her change as a tip and he seemed happy.

We decided to head off into the city. You could buy tickets at the metro stop or the lady sold them. Well she only sold day tickets and wouldn't give us change for buying gum. I actully wanted gum! So I bought a bottle of water and gum then she had to give us change. We finally got enough for tickets and headed into the city to see the bridge and the old plaza. Everything was packed! Not just busy, but unpleasantly, elbow throwing packed. It was aweful! We made it 1/4 of the way across Charles bridge then decided to turn back and headed to the square where we just fought more crowds. We wanted a restuarant and tried to find one but it was booked up the whole night and asked for a recomendation and he sent us to one around the corner. It was quite tasty!

My mother and I on the Charles Bridge. The weather was amazing the whole time!

Doris and I on the old plaza where the Easter market was taking place

Doris and I with our duck

For dinner at the restaurant we had a started with duck. It's quite popular here and Mom had heard that it was tasty so we got a plate. I have never really had it but it was very declicious! We all had traditional food consisting of goulash, potato paties, sausages, and cabbage.

We wondered around the square more and saw the historical astrological clock. We couldn't handle the crowds any more so we headed back to our hotel. Since it was out of the city we had to take the subways everywhere. Their system is pretty good but they decided to build it 6 miles under the ground! These were the steepest, fastest escalators I have ever seen.

The tunnel going down. It would have made a great ski slope!

On Saturday we headed up to the castle. It's a bit of a hike up and Mom and Doris were a bit tired we we took it slowly. We apparently had the same plan as the rest of the tourists and by the time we made it up there it was packed with lines coming out of every which way. There was a HUGE line for the info office! Last time Doris and I went there were no crowds. We visited the castle at night and were the only ones there. It was almost creepy. Not this time, people after people after people. We didn't go into the church or museums or anything with a line. It wasn't worth it.

Doris and I at the castle.

A view of the city from the castle. It was so beautiful!

Doris and I with a view of the Charles bridge and castle in the back ground.

After fighting the crowds at the castle we walked down and headed the direction of the Charles bridge. We had to walk across it at least once for mom. On our way we found a cute restaurant near the water with a great view of the bridge. The sun was shining and we wanted to take advantage of it and sit and enjoy it. We had some wine, beer, and hot coco and wanted to split a cream brulee. Well minus the fact it took an hour for the desert, it was very enjoyable. We then walked across the bridge and headed to the plaza for a look around. Doris wanted to take us to her favorite restaurant but it turned out to be closed down. There was a place in my book, 1000 Places to See Before You Die, called U Fleku. The book said to go, that the beer was brewed and only served there (not bottling or distribution) and they just serve you. You don't order, or have a choice. You sit down, get a schnapps (similar to Goldschlagger) and have a beer. It is a dark beer but light and tasty.

We made it to U Fleku!

We all ordered something for lunch and it turned out to be pretty decent. Mom got more duck, and I went for sausages. Doris munched off our plates. There was more than plenty of food for all of us! An older man came and played old classics from different countries on the acordian. It was a great time.

An ancient Jewish cemetary

After lunch we wanted to see an old Jewish cemetary in the Jewish quarter but since it was Saturday, everything was closed (Sabbath). We did get a glimpse of it though, from a museum window. It was an odd museum that had old clocks and clothes, and advertisements from hundreds of years ago. There was also and exhibition of the lady who created plastic blow up toys such as pool rafts. Yup, somebody had to invent those, and she was from Prague.

On Sunday we just hung out in the square. We wanted to go see the cemetaries, but there was a line so we just went and had some ice cream instead. It was a great time. On the train ride back, we got there early and was able to secure a cabin for ourselves for the entire journey home. The window worked so it never got too warm and we were able to snooze and read and enjoy the company.

Doris' mom had dinner prepared for us on Sunday evening when we returned and we got a sneak peak that the cake she had prepared for Easter lunch. It was a great trip and I'm glad Mom finally got to see Prague, after Doris promising to take her there for 10 years. It has become more expensive since it has become a tourist destination, but definitely still a place to see before you die!

Party Time!

I survived my first Dutch party! Around midnight Erik and I head out to this party at another fraternity house. Rumor had it that it was “sold out” but someone also said this is usually the rumor with their parties, but it is not normally the case. We jump on the subway and then Erik’s friend gets on at the next stop. I feel like I can survive the night hanging out with 2 local guys. I don’t think they’ll let me get lost and die. We ride to our final destination then enjoy a short walk in the cold, fresh air to the house. There is a line outside with everyone standing around in their t-shirts. Apparently, there isn’t room for the coat check inside the house, so they have a container sitting on the road where you drop your coat off then have to wait in the line freezing while they check our IDs. We do as we are told and I give Erik my coat and find us a place in line while he checks our jackets. On the walk to the party Erik’s friend (we are going to call him Niels. That isn’t his real name, but that is what I heard the first time Erik introduced him to me, so that is what stuck in my mind) was telling me how he lost/someone stole his jacket at the bar a few nights ago. It is one thing to lose your jacket, but quite another to have to walk home in winter in the dark with no jacket. We were discussing how horrible of a situation it was and how I never want to experience it.

Well, we check our coats and I have this disappearing coat story in the back of my mind. So we give the bouncer guys our IDs and he lets Erik and "Niels" in and stops me. I try to plead with him to let me in because I’m 1) cold 2) will be left 3) will get lost 4) might cry but none of the reasons are good enough for him. So I stand in the cold, alone. He reassured me they would wait for me, but boys will be boys and I have been left before. Sure enough though, they waited for me like nice gentlemen. Thankfully! The Dutch fraternity bouncer guys are not as easily persuaded as an American boy. At this party, you give your money to a desk in the front and then they give you little green chips. Each chip is worth 1 Euro. Makes it easier, that way the bar tenders don’t have to deal with change and things go faster (in theory). We make our way into the first room and upon opening the doors I am met with loud remixed music. Now, it was quite as techno bad as I was expecting, but it wasn’t like an American party. It was definitely the dance mix version, being mixed by the DJ. What are the odds? I know, it’s amazing. We find the bar and get our first drink. They are serving none other than….Heineken. Smiling “e” cups and all! I do believe the beer tasted better when it was free though. I guess that’s how it always is though, right?

Well I decided I need to take some pictures with the boys to commemorate the evening, especially at the beginning. It is always safer that way. However, Erik wasn’t very corporative. He didn’t want the picture on the blog, but since I don’t have any others of him, I’m left with this.

This is "Niels." He was a bit more corporative but I won't say either picture would fall into "Best Picture Ever" category. But they are both tall and that makes me happy!

After a few hours, the party starts to clear out. It is now around 3am which, in my mind was still early because I was preparing myself for a 6am “bed time.” We have to wait for “Niels” to finish his cigarette then we were going to head out. The Netherlands instituted a rule that you can’t smoke just anywhere. There has to be a separate smoking area/section which makes it so nice because you can go out and don’t come home smelling like an ash tray! Now, you still stink but it is not as bad. Pick your battles!

So we head out into the coldness and Erik gives the coat check people our jacket numbers and we wait for our jackets. They bring his. They can’t find mine. I have the story of poor “Niels” losing his jacket running through my mind. I don’t know about other people, but I like my jackets. All of them. I don’t wear things I don’t like and being a jacket, they are generally not always the cheapest item of clothing I buy. They keep looking and ask me to describe it. Well, it’s a black pea coat just like the other 75% of jackets in there. Not so helpful. They ask me the brand. Still can’t find it. So then they invite me back there to look. I start rummaging through all of the jackets, freezing. I wanted to find MY jacket. They assured me that if we can’t find it, they would give me money for it. I appreciated the offer, but I wanted MY jacket. It also had my pink scarf tucked into the sleeve. They are just material things, but I have grown fond of them! I start to panic. Then finally…..I find it! I was so relieved!!!!!! I couldn’t wait to get it on, I was so cold!

After I get the jacket incident handled, the three of us jump in a cab and head back to Erik’s apartment. We grab a doner for our “midnight” snack and start eating. It was soooo tasty!!! I love those things, but after Kelly’s food poisoning incident she hasn’t exactly jumped on the band wagon to eat them again. I don’t blame her one bit, but I still miss them. This one was good too. It was nice and spicy! We make our way upstairs and all find our designated crash spots and pass out. Poor “Niels” got stuck on the tiny loveseat couch using Erik’s robe as a blanket. I had the futon and Erik got his bed. At one point I had to use the restroom in the middle of the night and I couldn’t get out of the door. I was locked in!!!!! After a slight freak out moment I woke poor Erik up and had him open the door for me. Apparently, the door knob had moved to the other side of the door. Who does that? I’m sure the alcohol consumption didn’t help either, but still! The door knob was on the wrong side!

Now, no fraternity house I have ever been to has been clean, and this one was no exception. The only difference was that there were girls who lived there. I would have thought they would regulate on the dirty stair ways and trash in common areas. They apparently don’t. And I also now know why there are mice. Good thing I visited “out” of mouse season.

I told Erik he had to give me a tour of Rotterdam on Saturday so we all had to rest up to prepare for our walking journey around the city.

A Historical Sunday Funday

After a late evening rocking out to Q.E.D. none of us really wanted to get up Sunday morning. We wanted to get on the road about 9:30 but I don’t think we left until about 10:30. Such is life. It’s nice to have a bit of flexibility. We figured since it was still early, we better t go to the Anne Frank house before the line gets long. We figured a cold, rainy Sunday in February there wouldn’t be a line. We were wrong. The line went out the building and around the corner, half way down the block. Well, we were going to see this piece of history no matter so we go to the back of the line. It moves at a slow but steady pace but it does get longer faster than people are let in. We’re glad we decided to bear the line. It did take about an hour or so but we didn’t completely freeze. The “fun” part of standing in lines: people watching. I found a car that if I follow it, will take me to Texas. I don’t know a lot about mechanics and what not but I’m pretty sure this car can’t swim.

You aren’t allowed to take pictures in the Anne Frank house so I have no evidence that I was there (besides the ticket stub I threw away) but it was such a great experience. This was the 2nd time I’ve been to the house but it was still emotional and humbling. I’m really glad Kelly and Stu got the opportunity to see it and experience a small part of history.

When the Germans found the hiding place, they cleaned everything out. When Anne’s Dad, Otto, came back after surviving Auschwitz he said that all the rooms should remain empty as a memorial to his family who all died in the concentration camps. There is a glass building built up and around the house so you can’t see it from the outside which is disappointing, but at least it has been preserved. The tour takes you through all of the rooms and artifacts left behind such as the actual diary and other hand written letters. It’s amazing the insight that she had at such a young age and going through such difficult things in life. Compared to what those people had to go through, our society has become a bunch of “sissies.”

Well, being the sissies that we are, we were hungry after the Anne Frank house. We were walking back to Dam Square to catch the tram over to the Heineken Brewery when we came upon a Dutch pancake house. Well, we are on a mission to make sure Stu gets to experience all things Dutch, so we decided this was a great lunch place. I love the simple Dutch pancakes with cheese and ham but I thought I’d get a bit crazy and order the Mexican Pancake. It wasn’t bad, I don’t think I’d order it again, but it had a nice kick and lots of veggies.



We finally made it to Dam Square where I’m walking with a map in my hand looking at it when we see a giant crowd of people standing around. Well, I decide to walk around the crowd towards the tram stop that we need and I get yelled at by some clown looking man. “YUP! YOU FOUND ME. I’M RIGHT HERE. THE SEARCH IS OVER!” I was, to say the least, a bit embarrassed and confused. I just got yelled at by a clownish man in front of a crowd of people for wondering around slightly lost.

Anyways, we get on the right tram and head off to the Heineken factory. This was our first time using the trams because usually we just walk (and get a workout in). The weather was cold though and the factory was pretty far away from everything so we figured we better suck it up and figure this out. It wasn’t too bad. You can get a day pass for unlimited rides for €7 or for €7.60 you can get a strip that has 15 “slots” on it. Each ride, though, uses 2 “slots” per person. We had 30, that’s good enough for what we needed to do. We even have some left over for the next person. They don’t expire in the calendar year. Each tram you get on, the driver stamps them and away you go. We arrive at the brewery with little issue to start taking some pictures of the outside. You can see my excitement.


They have recently re-done their “museum” so that now it is the Heineken Experience. And boy was it! When you walk in the first thing is a digital bar and bartender giving you the rundown of the history of the company and its founders. It is still to this day run by a Heineken family member, and a woman! We had to take advantage of the photo op that was available:


The next room had all of the huge copper vats where they used to heat up the hops and malt and all sorts of other stuff. They had a great idea and you could look into the vats and on some of them they had little projections on the dark insides showing what would have been going on. I thought it was such a neat idea! There was also a station where you could help out the brew master by grinding the barley and helping stir them. I couldn’t go without putting in a bit of hard labor:

Now, we thought it smelled like horses in there but we figured it must have been the barley oats that give it the horse-ish smell. Nope, there were really horses in the next room. It is where their stable was for the real Heineken horses. Apparently, they will still pull the wagons around town and deliver kegs. Another great marketing/promotional scheme. The horses were so pretty! You could only see them through the glass partition so I couldn’t get a good picture but thankfully Stu was along who happens to be in the 6’3” range and could hold the camera above the glass to get a picture. During my photo op Charly decided to scratch and Freddy thought it looked like a good idea so he wanted to copy. They are such pretty animals!


After the horses we got bottled. Yup, we as humans got bottled. Well, via the 4D experience. It was a lot of fun that people of all ages could enjoy. You walk into a little room where you stand on a little platform that moves and shakes as you go along the bottling process. The moving platform is complimented with spray, heat, and wind. I now know how beer feels while being bottled.

After being bottled we got to go have a little taster. They had neat star shaped bars where we all stood around and answered questions and got some more beer drinking tips and lessons. Since I paid attention another exibit I learned that the foam head on beer serves to keep the beer carbonated and fresh by keeping the carbon dioxide in and the oxygen out of the beer. It is also the lightest part of the beer, primarily made from hops which is why it tastes bitter. American and England aren’t big on serving beer with the head but I learned it is better; you just have to take bigger drinks to get below the foam head. I figured that wouldn’t be too difficult. So because of all of my great new knowledge, and not being afraid to speak in public I answered the questions right and got an extra sampler of beer. I knew paying attention would pay off someday!

The next stop is where we got to bottle our own beer. Well, I’m sure it wasn’t the exact beer, but we got to create a label that has our name on it. I now own a beer that says “Brewed in Amsterdam by Amelia Christensen.”

After that there was more interactive areas where you could create your own music video and send video messages. What a fun idea! There were also crazy chairs that you could sit in and watch commercials from the past 50 years. Such simple things, but so neat. They also had a bit of a museum set up that displayed all of their old beer bottles and labels. At one point Heineken wanted to make recyclable bottles so they created the WOBO, or the wall bottle. They are square bottles that basically interlock with one another so that poor people could use their empties to build a house! Now, if that isn’t helping out the world, I don’t know what is. I am standing in front of a small WOBO wall.

What makes Heineken beer so special is that “A” yeast that is used to create it. It was one of the first beers to come out with standard yeast so that no matter where it is made, it will have the same taste. A student of Louis Pasteur developed it. Those smart people seem to hang out together!

After the tour we got to enjoy 2 free beers. That’s worth half the admission cost right there! They have a great atmosphere created for the bar area and throughout the entire Experience. I wanted to post a picture of Kelly and I drinking, but I forgot and it’s so hard to do after the fact. Kelly’s blog has plenty of great pictures! After the Experience we wanted to take a canal cruise. I also needed to get my train tickets for my trip to Halle, Germany so that I could still get the cheap price. I told Kelly and Stu to go try the food in the wall (to continue Stu’s Dutch food experience) and I’d get the ticket. Well the ticket took forever and I ended up missing the canal cruise, but Kelly and Stu went and I take it they had a good time. I will have to go one of these days! I took the train back home, bought some groceries, and settled in to call my German host parents and tell them I am coming.

After a while into my call to Germany my cell phone rings and it is Kelly. I have no idea why she would call, but I figured it was important so I answer. She needs me to go pick her and Stu up from the other train station/stop in Haarlem. There is 2??? Apparently, there is. It’s by IKEA. Do I know where IKEA is? Nope. So I get in the car and pull out of the garage and try to find it on TomTom. TomTom can’t find it. I start to worry and the thought of driving towards the giant IKEA sign sounds slightly promising but I’m still worried Kelly and Stu might freeze to death. I have the bright idea to Google the address! Sure enough, Google has it and it gives me the proper address I enter it into TomTom and head on my way. I pull into the giant black, empty parking lot and wonder where in the world they are hiding. I call Kelly and she starts shouting that she can see my headlights and gives me turn by turn directions to their side of the parking lot/bus stop. I could hardly see 2 silhouettes’s jumping up and down in the darkness. I found them! They thoroughly enjoyed the warm car and we headed home. They grabbed their bags out of the car and I see a blue Doritos bag. Now, Kelly has been on the search for “Cool Ranch” Doritos since we’ve been here but she hasn’t had any luck. She finally found a bag of “Cool American” which is the Dutch version of “Cool Ranch.” There is some minor debate around the apartment whether they are made with real “American” or not.

It was an adventurous day. Monday and Tuesday we have taken it pretty easy. Monday we had ravioli at the house and watched some Olympics and yesterday, we went out for another 4 course meal. We wanted Stu to experience the Dutch 4 courses. The only downside, the Dutch are so slow! We were there almost 2 hours and none of us were prepared for that. Kelly and Stu still had to pack for their trip to Munich and I was just tired. They got home and managed to pack a bit and get to bed at a decent hour. This morning still came very early though! Their flight left at 7am which meant we left the house at 5:15. I gave them a ride so I had to be up too. It was really early! They are off and I’ve received the BBM that they made it and I haven’t heard anything bad, so I guess that means everything is good! I am happy they are getting the experience. They are going to have a tour of the Hofbrauhaus, Neuschwanstein Castle, the concentration camp Dachau, and a day trip to Salzburg, Austria. They are going to have such a great time and I’m happy they can see those amazing places together. I’m just going to be left alone for 4 days so I have to find something to keep my busy. I guess I can watch Olympics and start a new book. That should be enough. And sleep, I can always use more of that!

American Spicy or Dutch Spicy?

Last night Kelly, Richard, myself and another woman from work all met for a drink and then headed to dinner. This was enlightening because we always walk by this sign for the Whiskey Bar on a side door. Glancing through the beveled glass in the door it looked nice, but the outside looks a bit shady so we were always too skeptical to go in. Well, we met Richard and C. in the hotel bar before dinner, and guess what? It’s the same bar as the side entrance and it is very cute and nice! It's decorated in the Scottish plaids, has a long list of whiskey offerings, and some very tasty beers on tap. It was probably a bad thing we discovered this place so close to our apartment. I also now know where I'll be sending my mother if she starts to act up.

So after our drinks we headed to Wilma and Albert's, a cute steak house located near the Grote Markt. We have been told about it and have seen it but we haven't been because it was expensive and we figured we would wait till we could find someone to take us. That lucky day finally came. C told us how tasty the ribs were so I had to listen. They offer sweet or spicy so being the south westerner that I am, had to go with spicy. Kelly got a great steak so that we could split our plates and have the best of both worlds. I'm glad we did. Those ribs were AMAZING and SPICY. Not Dutch spicy which really just equals flavorful but American spicy. My lips were burning, my mouth was very, very warm and I was a happy, happy camper. They were so great. We are definitely putting that restaurant on our repeat list, whenever we start repeating restaurants.

It is also finally Friday, which means we get beer this afternoon. I thoroughly enjoy this tradition. We missed last week because we left a bit early so we could get a start on Paris. I really like the tradition and it is fun to have something to look forward to. I also enjoy how normal it is to drink beer at work. I guess everyone realizes that they can survive with just one or two and behave so they don't ruin it for everyone. The Dutch do have the moments of ingenuity. This would be one of them.