Especially last night was quite hilarious. I introduced Emily and Phizz and we went for dinner and some cocktails, we transformed into russians, saw some goat ghosts and ended up in a secret cocktail bar which you can only enter if you've called a mysterious number and then ring the doorbell. Quite exciting. I have to say, we spent a lot of time doubled over laughing, as Emily is very skilled at russian accents and also beat boxing. Multi-talented!
It was the perfect end to a lovely week away from Elsendorp. I spent most of the time hanging out with my good buddy Phizz, we saw some movies, we had some great conversations, laughed a lot, played angry birds, did an expense report and discovered several good places to eat in Amsterdam. To name but a few things.
I spent Friday in Utrecht with my good friend Renée, which was also wonderful. The weather last week was totally awesome and Renée and I spent a lot of time sitting on terraces drinking and eating and talking and laughing. She made me two wonderful milky coffees on her home espresso machine and lent me some great books. I also met her boyfriend and we had a nice dinner together, I finished my time in Utrecht with a delicious ice-cream in their lovely company.
Yesterday was an interesting day, as I had arranged to meet my sister for morning coffee at Screaming Beans (best coffee in Amsterdam) and since I was late last time we met there because the tram was detoured due to road works, I had looked up the tram times to be sure to be there on time. Except that when I got to the tram stop nice and early, I saw that there was a public transport strike through all of Amsterdam and so there would be no trams all day. Grrr! Thankfully the ever-generous Phizz gave me some money for a taxi and I still got there on time.
Stella and I had a lovely coffee and I told her I would finish hanging the shelves in her apartment that I started last time. I decided the only way to get around was to hire a bike (it really is the best way to get around Amsterdam) and it was wonderful to ride along the canals in such a quick, fun way. I asked for a bike with no rental advertisement on it, as I didn't want to look like a clueless tourist, I wanted to blend with the cool and bike-savvy Amsterdammers. Easy done, got a cool 'omafiets' (granny bike, the tall type with the bent handlebars on which you can sit up very straight) much like my own bike here, and off I went. Except that when I crossed the Dam Square (only the biggest and most famous and busy square in Amsterdam) my front wheel got caught in a tram track and I fell very ungraciously to the pretty cobbled
street. People rushed over and asked if I was ok, which I was, and thankfully so was my bike. I have some lovely bruises now, but that's all. Oh, and one extremely large embarrassment-related injury.
I rode all over town, got a present for my mother as it's her birthday next week, then to Stella's apartment to hang two shelves in her kitchen, and I decided it was also high time somebody fixed the drain of the sink in her bathroom, so I decided that person was me. I had never really done it before, but thanks to the very kind man in the local hardware store I was well instructed and bought the right pipes. I managed to fix it just fine and I felt quite pleased.
I was quite sweaty and sticky from all the handy woman's work I did, so I showered at my sister's apartment and borrowed some of her clothes so I was presentable for meeting Emily later. It is so very wonderful to have a sister who is very hospitable, gave me the keys to her house, and keeps telling me that her place is my place and to make myself at home. We were not very close as teens, we're just very different people and couldn't quite deal with that back then, we used to fight over clothes all the time! But now, I love my big sister so very much and am so happy to get to spend so much time with her here, and to be able to borrow her clothes and make myself at home at her place. I never really experienced that sort of relationship with her before now and it means so much to me. It is another reason why I really want to stay in Holland just a little bit longer.
Phizz and I went to see the World Press Photo exhibition in the Oude Kerk, which was very impressive and then we meandered back towards my sister's as we still had an hour to kill before Emily had said she was free, so we bought some stroopwafel (traditional thin dutch wafers with a caramel center) flavoured ice cream (yum!). I decided to send Em a text message to see how she was faring, but before I even finished it, I heard my name and there she was! She just happened to be out the front of the Bijenkorf where Phizz and I were walking. Nice coincidence!
All in all, a wonderful time. Mum and I were meant to drive to France on Friday, but plans have changed. We are now leaving on the 19th and first going to Italy where Mum has to do some business for her village's council (Elsendorp and a similarly tiny village in Italy are in a European Regional Partnership on Education) and then we will cross France to our usual holiday spot and to see our friends there. I'm really looking forward to that. But now, it's dinner and then to the gym for Body Jam. Also fun.
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