Beer, Pizza, and Packing

It's Sunday evening, and we are mostly packed and ready to leave tomorrow a.m. for Paris! We have one suitcase and 2 backpacks...pretty proud of how light we are traveling considering all the toys and diapers that are coming with. I thought I would share a few tidbits from this last week before we go, because you know I'll have a TON to blog about once we get back from La Ville Lumiere (the City of Light)!

Last Sunday we met some friends from AWCA for Beerfest. We had some good beer, and it was great getting to know some new people. There are several families here with Ebay. One of the Ebay men, Larry, has a best friend in San Fran that used to be a client of mine. What a small world!!

Tuesday evening was haircuts at home for me and Ben. I went first...not a great haircut. I went out Wednesday morning to the salon downstairs to have it fixed. Much better now. Oh well, live and learn! More importantly, it was Ben's first real haircut (not counting the snips from Mom every now and then)! He did fantastic! He didn't fuss at all, I think he even kind of liked it. He looks like a completely different kid to me...very much a little boy instead of a baby.

Not too much excitement the rest of the week - the park, shopping, started packing, etc. We tried out a new pizza tonight (in honor of Uncle Nick and Shipley Tobin's days) - ham and "ananas" (Dutch word for pineapple). Pretty lekker (Dutch word for tasty)!!

Until next week, when the author of this blog will have entered into a new decade (30's, here I come!)

Take care, and hope everyone got their stimulus package so they can afford gas! $4 for gas is nuts!!

Home Sweet Home

Greetings from Amsterdam!

First, let me welcome our newest reader...Clara Elise Armstrong who joined us late last Tuesday evening! She's beautiful, can't wait to meet her in person in December! Congrats Amy, Grant, and Lily!!

Last week was fairly slow in terms of new experiences, just a few trips to the park and zoo. I have been reading The Diary of Anne Frank, and one of her entries describes a typical day in the Annex. I realize her situation was very different than ours, but I thought it might be interesting (or boring, you decide) to show you some more detailed pictures of our place and shed some light on what has become "normal" for us. Please note that these times are all approximates - nothing is ever really "scheduled" when you have a 1 year old, right? :)

6:30 a.m. - Ben wakes up to start our day. Steph jumps in the shower, Greg is on DaDa duty - diaper, breakfast, etc.
8:00 a.m. - Greg leaves for work. This in itself is a huge change for our family as Greg used to leave home around 5:55 a.m. in Streamwood to take the train downtown Chicago. We love spending so much morning time together.

9:00 a.m. - Stephanie and Ben run errands. Grocery shopping is an every day occurence - because we have no freezer, our fridge is small, and it's easier to carry the basket (they have carts, but since Ben is in a stroller, that doesn't work). By the way, it seems that most things here are smaller than in the States. Fridge, oven, waste basket, washer and dryer. Also, most of the packaging is smaller - we finally found 2 liter containers of milk, and I feel like I am going through bottles of shampoo and conditioner about once every couple of weeks. Sounds like they do have a "Costco" called Hanos, but you need a car to get there. One of the AWCA women mentioned it, so I may have to hitch a ride one of these days to check it out. (Although, she mentioned paying $12 for a big box of raisin bran...yikes!)

10:00 a.m. - Snack time and get ready for playgroup or outdoor fun - park, zoo, whatever strikes our fancy for the day.

12 p.m. - Lunch, inside or on the patio if the weather is too beautiful!

13:00 p.m. (this is the way we see it, so you have to use your noodle and convert the time too!) - Ben nap time. Steph has some devotional quiet time and catches up on emails, blogs, cleans, balances the checkbook, etc. (whatever I can squeeze into 2 hours!)

15:00 p.m. - Ben's awake! Snack time, play time, coloring/painting, maybe another trip to the park? Start dinner around 17:00 p.m.

18:00 - 18:30 p.m. - Greg gets home, dinner time! Play time and books to follow.

20:00 p.m. - Pick up the toys, it's bath and bed time for Ben!

21:00 p.m. - Greg and Steph settle in with a book, a TV program, or do some travel research online. Bedtime around 22:30 p.m.

Here are some things we see every day:

-Coffee shops. This one is their version of Starbucks, called Coffee Company. Also included is a picture of the only Starbucks in Amsterdam, located in Schipol Airport.

-The above coffee shops are not to be confused with the below coffee shops. We don't have a version of these in the States...these are the places where it is tolerated (not legal) to sell marijuana. There are actually quite a few that we see (and smell) on our way to Central Station, but the one below is my favorite (from looks, not from personal experience!). The place is called Popeye's, and there is a sign in the window that says "Happy Breakfast?" Just makes me laugh...

-Jordino's. A yummy looking chocolate shop, and yes, those are chocolate high heels. :) (These heels wouldn't look too painful to indulge in though, right ladies?) This shop is also quite famous for it's gelato. We have yet to stop in, but someday soon...

-Flowers, beautiful canals, and urinals? Because this is the city and we have no backyards, people have "gardens" growing from their windows and up the buildings. The canals below are Brouwersgracht (the one we live on) and the Prinsengracht (the one very nearby that we see a lot). And yes, this last picture is a urinal alongside Brouwersgracht. Haven't seen anyone use it, although we did catch a man just peeing straight into the Prinsengracht the other day. Yuck! Lucky for you, I didn't catch this on film!

-Crooked houses. The lowest point in Amsterdam is 22 feet below sea level, so there is a lot of settling that has happened over the years... safe??

We'll leave you with a couple more funny photos...enjoy!

Looks like moving day in Amsterdam! (Yep, this is a couch being moved up to the 3rd floor via the window.)

This is a party bus we saw "drive" by. Yes, these guys are all drinking, but yes, they are also the ones doing the pedaling. :)

Tot ziens!

Connection, Camels, & Castles

Hi friends!

It's been another busy week here at Chez Zabikow. (The Dutch speak French too you know.) :)

Monday morning was the first American Women's Club of Amsterdam (AWCA) "Moms & Tots" playgroup for me and Ben. Each week a different mom hosts, so I will get to know the city very well this way. We had a few "learning experiences" with our travel on the tram (missed a train, got off at the wrong stop...nothing a map can't help fix). But, the group was great! It was good to spend time with some women who have "been there" in terms of being new to the city and who are on this same adventure. Everyone was very nice and welcoming, and Ben loved playing with their children. There were probably close to 20 women at the group, and Ben was one of the oldest kids there! So, lots of little babies to cuddle. :) One of the women, Kristen, invited us to lunch with some of the other moms and kids on Wednesday at Hard Rock Cafe. Very sweet of her to reach out to us so quickly. I admit that it was really yummy to have a big fat American burger and fries. I'm definitely feeling better now that I've met some ladies that we can spend time with. The AWCA breaks up for the summer, but it sounds like the moms and tots get together for walks, lunches, etc. Yeah, count us in!!

Our run last weekend took us to Westerpark, a park that is only about 5 minutes from our home. We knew it was within a reasonable walking distance, but had no idea it was really so close! It is beautiful, and Ben and I spent some mornings there this week - see photos. The weather here has been gorgeous - in the 70's and bright, sunny skies. Apparently this is not "typical Dutch" as they say, so we better enjoy it while it lasts. Ben enjoys the ducks, flowers, picking up sticks, and chasing bubbles (courtesy of Mom). He also loves pointing out the planes and trains that go by. It's a small battle with keeping the hat on, but his skin is so fair (wonder where he gets that?).

Friday morning was Ben's first trip to the zoo! I bought a yearly pass so that we can go and visit the animals whenever we want, especially since we will only spend a few hours there at a time (to accommodate lunch, nap, etc). It's a great zoo, lots of animals - and our pass includes the planetarium, aquarium, zoological museum, petting farm, and botanic garden. Ben really loved the birds and the waterfall. He also met a dinosaur friend (see below). He was saying "meow" when we saw the cheetah. :) My "ladies man" (onesie courtesy of who else, Uncle Nick) was zonked out on the way home from all the excitement. We went for a walk later that afternoon near home and relaxed on a bench overlooking the Prinsengracht canal (one of the 5 major canals of the city). Ben was watching all of the birds (pigeons) and boats cruising by. Maw Maw and Paw Paw Shipley will be proud that their grandson is becoming quite the bird watcher!

Today we traveled to Muiden (about 10 miles away) to visit Muiderslot (Castle Muiden, where muiden means rivermouth). The stone castle dates back to 1280 and is one of the better known castles in the Netherlands. Originally, it was used to enforce a toll on traders, but in the 1600's P.C. Hooft (a famous Dutch author, poet, and historian - also has a street named after him in the city) owned the castle and invited many other famous scholars, artists, and poets over for visits. At the end of the 18th century, it was used shortly as a prison. Finally, in the late 19th century, the castle was restored and is now a national museum. We thought is was really beautiful, and it was very cool to see some rural Netherlands.




Last bit of interesting news from the week. We went to church this morning via bus (a much better mode of transport - shorter walk) and found out that the drivers are on strike. They continue to work and drive the buses, but they don't charge any fare. I found it admirable and was appreciative that they would still be willing to do their jobs, especially since this city depends so much on it's use of public transportation.

I don't talk about this too much, but suppose I should since it is the reason we are here...Greg's job is going well. His team is pretty well assembled now, and he will be traveling to Brussels on May 22 for a meeting. How fun! His colleagues are great, one of whom has become our helpful travel assistant. Greg mentions someplace we are talking about visiting, and she helps us find the best way to get there and what to see/enjoy. Very sweet, and really invaluable having a local help us this way!

Getting to Know Amsterdam segment will be a smattering of things we have picked up along the way. Enjoy the random info!

-The hot water from faucets is scalding hot! I remember this from our visit in February also. (Unless of course I accidentally turn on the kitchen sink while Greg is in the shower, then the water is ice cold. Oops!)

-They only recycle glass and paper. No aluminum or plastic. It's actually hard getting used to throwing these things away because we are so accustomed to cleaning them out to be recycled.

-It's been an adjustment getting used to apartment living again. All the noises (doors closing, people chatting in hallways, etc) gave me a startle when we first got here, but we are getting used to them now.

-The sun rises at a normal hour (6 a.m.), but it stays light here until 10 p.m. Greg's coworker said that later this summer it will be 11 p.m. before the sun goes down!! We think it's about 8:30, then look at the clock to see it's really 9:45!

-The Dutch apparently can't get enough chocolate for breakfast. Chocolate croissants, lots of their cereals have chocolate, and they are just nuts about these sprinkles shown below (no, those are NOT ants). Basically, the idea is to put chocolate sprinkles on your buttered toast for breakfast. Perfect, I knew I loved the Dutch! And, don't forget they drink about 50 teeny-tiny cups of coffee a day, so these folks are hopped up on caffeine from morning til night!

-Sad news, we can't get Grey's Anatomy on abc.com. :( This is the only TV program that I was hoping to continue watching via the web while we were here. But alas, only viewers in the U.S. are allowed to see the full episodes. What?! Jenn made me laugh out loud when she told me that was one of the things I should have looked into before agreeing to move! Hee hee!

OK, that's probably enough culture for one blog entry. To all the Moms we know, we say:

"De Dag van de gelukkige Moeder" (Happy Mother's Day!)

Tot ziens! (We leave you with Tot ziens wishes as we were leaving Muiden.)