In no particular order
* They do not have diet coke here. They have something called "coke light" that is packaged the same as diet coke but it does not taste the same.
* Our apartment has a single cup coffee maker. This is an amazing invention. The coffee is phenomenal and ready in seconds. This makes up for the failings of the diet coke.
* People here are, in general, very nice. And very tall. It's comforting.
* Dutch bread stores are everywhere and are officially (so far), my favorite thing about Amsterdam. The bread and pastries are fresh, delicious, and cheap. There is also one right around the corner, which is already proving dangerous.
* Bread, milk, and meat are cheap and GOOD.
* The grocery store is really busy and fast-paced around the dinner hour. Not a good time to go in if you have no idea what you're doing.
* There are bikes everywhere and they go FAST. Walk with caution.
* Holy steep stairs. The stairs into our apartment and the stairs within our apartment are the most ridiculously steep stairs I have ever seen. I pray that Calvin is never anywhere near them unsupervised.
* I have yet to see a gym here. This does not surprise me. After one week here I already feel in better shape than I have in a long time. I don't eat as much because I don't know what anything in the grocery store is. I walk everywhere. I carry Calvin everywhere I walk in the ergo. I am getting stronger. No wonder the dutch are so healthy.
* The dutch always bring gifts and dress up when they come over. This is very nice as a host and a little scary as a visiting guest. We're hoping we don't screw up the protocol and offend someone.
* The internet is incredibly fast. It's amazing.
* There is no urban sprawl. The city is planned very well and very thought out. As a visitor and a pedestrian, this is something you quickly notice.
* So far, the few dutch people I talk to have said that their view of americans is that we like to eat a lot of bad food in unhealthy quantities. Odd that is the thing they choose to say ... and yet not untrue.
* Our apartment is great - but SO loud. It's old and the wood floors groan with every step and none of the windows or walls appear to be insulated. We are quickly bonding with our neighbors.
That's all for now ... I'm sure many more to come.
4 comments:
This is fascinating..keep posting these observations! Calvin is adorable, he looks like a little roomba (sp?) vacuum in the video clip!
So neat! Makes me want to travel more! I had Chris read this too and he agrees.
Keep posting! BTW the pics of calvin and henry on your blog on the right hand side are both ADORABLE!
So interesting. I love hearing about all these cultural things; it makes me want to visit! :) I would definitely agree with the food observations & the idea that you get healthy simply by walking everywhere & eating fresher food. (What is urban sprawl?)
Heatherbear ~ Keep these coming! I love reading about Amsterdam from your eyes... especially since my eyes haven't seen it yet! You guys seem to be doing well, an answer to many prayers. And I'm sure the rain you had this past week did a great job of cleaning off that pole Calvin was licking, so don't worry =) Love to you guys. Also, you gotta update your "About Us" since you are now abroad, wahoo!
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