Settling In

Wow, it's hard to believe almost 3 weeks have gone by already! The time has gone fast, and yet in some ways, it feels like we have been living here forever. These past few weeks have been full of activity, so I promise to try and keep the recap as focused as possible.

Ben and I were at home the morning of Tuesday, the 15th. All of a sudden, there is a man in our window! He was a window-washer, and Ben, naturally, made friends with him in a few short seconds and was sad when he disappeared. That afternoon was my first near-collision with a bike. Ben and I were out for a walk, and I had looked both ways, but not behind me, as I was crossing a large canal. Lots of bell ringing later, we made it safely across the street. Whoopsies! On Wednesday the 16th we set up our Euro bank account. Went smoothly, and our debit cards showed up this week. Just another way we are getting to be official Netherland-ers. Speaking of which, I feel like a true local - I gave my first set of directions to a tourist! We were walking to the grocery store, and a woman asked me where the Anne Frank House was...even better, I was able to tell her! Small victories...

We were waiting that week for Thursday the 17th to get here...our air shipment arrived at 8 a.m. that day. Hurray! (See a few photos of our disarray below.) I have never been so happy to see a highchair in all my life. You try feeding an active 1 year old spaghetti and other messy meals on your lap for over a week, then you'll know what I mean! All of our things arrived in great condition, and we spent the rest of Thursday unpacking and rejoicing over clothes, books, toys, dishes, screwdrivers, etc.

Back to work for Greg last Friday, and Ben and I finally found black beans (which we'd been hunting for)...for the low, low price of 2.50 euro - equivalent to $4! My goodness! I am ashamed to admit that I bought them, but we are clearly on the search for cheaper ones. Mailed a few letters, a stamp costs 0.92 euro - about $1.50. So, no complaining back home when stamp prices go up again soon! In general, things seem much more expensive here. (Found spray starch this week for 2.20 euro a can - about $3.50).

Saturday the 19th we booked our trip to Paris! Oh la la! Train tickets and hotel are all set from May 26th to the 31st. Now we are working on our agenda while we are there, along with booking our next trips - probably to Brussels/Antwerp, Belgium in June and then Lucerne, Switzerland in July.

We spent Sunday the 20th at Keukenhof garden to see the tulips in bloom. (See all of the magnificent photos below. Sorry there's so many, but they are all so beautiful, it was hard to choose). The weather was perfect - sunny and in the 60's. The flowers were gorgeous, and Ben loved making a ton of new friends (he's such a flirt!) and riding the train and bus to get there. He also loved an ice cream break in the afternoon before heading home. (Funny side note, most places charge 0.40 euro to use the restrooms, but they're very clean at least!) We had webcam chats that night with family. It was SO GOOD to see faces and hear voices of loved ones (and hurray for Skype being free!)

This week was fairly low key with running errands and such. I must admit that I had my first real "bad" day yesterday (Thursday, the 24th). I'm going to share the details, only because it's comical now that it's over. Ben and I were leaving for a walk around 11 a.m. We ventured out, and I decided it was a little too windy/chilly, so we should turn around real quick and go get his hat. We step in the elevator and the power goes out. Long story short, we were stuck in the elevator for about 45 minutes before a technician was able to pry open the door. Not being too flustered, Ben and I went to the store. I lugged him, the stroller, and groceries up 3 flights of stairs to get home. He was a MONSTER all afternoon! Grumpy, cranky, wouldn't eat, fought his nap for 2 hours. Finally went down at 3 p.m. I was emotionally wiped by then and feeling lonely with no one to share "the troubles I'd seen" (no phone, no email with power out). He woke up around 4:30, was good for 30 minutes, then a terror again. Power comes back on at 5 p.m. (OK, at least I could make dinner instead of getting a pizza.) We have dinner around 6:30, and he is throwing his food everywhere. Finally putting him to bed around 8:30, and he vomits a little in my hands after his bath. As Greg and I head different directions to clean things up, Ben walks into the living room naked and pees on the floor. We catch him just as he was stepping in it and running his hands through it. Back to the tub. Ugh! I was so happy to crawl into bed last night! I know some of you are giggling right now over my pain...I love you anyways. :)

I promise I'm wrapping up, but I am starting a segment I will call: Getting to Know Amsterdam. We have been learning so much here...there are so many tidbits to share! The first installment will be herring, naturally. Greg and I aren't sure how we feel about trying this local delicacy, but when in Amsterdam...right? And, I don't want to disappoint Valentina back home who told me it was a MUST. :) Amsterdamers eat their herring raw, which is really cured in salt. So, it's not wiggling around or anything as you put it in your mouth. Word is that it is best enjoyed with a handful of onions. Below is a photo of a herring stand that is on our way to Central Station. Locals have said that June is the best month for herring. Whew! That gives us more than a month to build up the nerve to try it!

OK, one more installment for this entry since there is so much to share. Chris, you asked about radio/TV, so here goes. We do get an American radio station that is being used as our alarm clock setting. Not too bad...woke up to a Coldplay song this morning. When shopping, we hear American 80's rock and soft, light music in the stores. Hilarious to me! We don't get too many English TV channels, and it's fun to catch yourself reading the Dutch subtitles flashing across the bottom of the screen. We get 2 to 3 year old MTV programming, Discovery channel (seen a lot of Orange County Choppers lately), and CNN news. Some shows we've seen - all old episodes obviously: Gilmore Girls (I knew I loved this place!), Friends, NCIS, Roseanne, Monk, Grey's Anatomy, Spin City, Will & Grace, Dr. Phil, Oprah. It's confusing though because you may see a show in English, and then the next show is in Dutch. So, except for a few channels, they switch back and forth.

Well, that should be plenty for now. We have a relaxing, low-key weekend ahead of us, hope you do too!

Tot ziens!

PS - Your Dutch word for the day is "engels", meaning English. I have been using this word A LOT when store clerks start chattering away in Dutch. I smile sheepishly and say "engels". :)