We hate to fly. We hate everything about it and this trip didn't disappoint. Delays, bad food, screaming babies, sick seat mates; this trip had it all. We had hoped to sleep on the way over, to minimize jet lag, but that was not to be. The only time Larsen managed to drift off, the flight attendant woke him up to ask if he wanted a pillow.
Here's what I learned about 18 pound backpacks; 1.). I'll have perfect posture by the end of the trip, 2.). NEVER squat down to look at something on the bottom shelf at the pharmacy. We had stopped at the airport pharmacy to pick up a few essentials. There I was, like a big water bug, and Larsen nowhere in site to assist. "Help! I've squatted and I can't get up!
We hadn't slept in 32 hour so I wasn't surprised when Larsen stepped out in front of an electric tram. Such quiet little devils!
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We couldn't check into our room until 2:00 PM so decided to spend the time taking a canal boat tour. It would have been great if we could have stayed awake.
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We were in full scale Bicker Mode by the time we got to our B&B. it's a great place on a quiet side street in the middle of everything. We were pleased to get a ground floor room. Remember what I said about the stairs in 17th century Dutch houses? Each tread is about 4" wide. I rest my case.
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Dutch people are some of the tallest in the world. They're also very friendly. We grabbed some really bad bar food at a neighborhood pub and Larsen admired this young lady's work clothes.
We walked past a little pub, open to the street, and saw all the patrons sitting in chairs facing outside. They were watching workers tear up the street out front. Looked interesting so we stopped in. Our new best friends explained everything from Celsius to the Food Fest being held tomorrow over on Haarlam street. Delightful people! Could have been because Larsen kept buying rounds. BUDGET Larsen, BUDGET!
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Walking along a canal on the way home, I stopped to take a picture of a row of typical bell necked Dutch houses. "Let me take it." Says Larsen. "You stand in front because you're never in any of our trip pics." I think it turned out well, don't you?
Got back to our room around regular bedtime. As I said, "All's well that ends well." Looking forward to tomorrow.