The question: What do you do when your delicates fall from the clothesline on the first floor (American second floor) to....

to your neighboor's ground floor patio??

The answer. Brooke wins.

This is Amsterdam at it's best. Mark, Todd and I went on a bike ride yesterday through the city and came upon this stage which had been set up for an outdoor concert. The boats, who also want to see the concert, cram into the canal until there is no room left. To get off of your boat, you must walk across everyone else's boat, and that is fine with them. Boats were filling the canal in both directions. On the left you can see people stopping along the street to watch the concert as well. Unbelievable.

The Amsterdam harbor, full of boats for Sail Amsterdam, a showcasing event for sailboats, naval boats, and everything in between which happens in Amsterdam once every 5 years. Over 3.0 million visits are expected for the 5 day event.

I wouldn't mind having the little boat attached to this huge sailboat!

French battle ship and the Ferris wheel in the background. The entire tour took 3.5 hrs and ended in fireworks.

One of the large boats - how many sails does this one have?? Alot!

Several of the boats on display - from large to small.

The Arabian navy sail boat was one of the boats which I was allowed to board and visit on.

Arty picture of the captian's hat

The Ferris Wheel. About 1/2 through the 3.5 hr walk, I needed to take a break, so I rode the Ferris Wheel. My partner was a local Dutch resident who was an artist with an exhibition of paintings of the men building the underground metro in Amsterdam. Cool scenery and a cool person to meet high above Amsterdam.

Looking up the inlet to the west as the sun is setting from the Ferris Wheel. Too cool.

Looking at the inlet to the east. Hundreds of boats!

Navy ship in foreground with tons of sailing ships across the inlet. The boats didn't stay docked either, they often left and rode around. It was crazy!!

Trying to cross both lines of both traffic on a ferry. We had 2 near misses. The boats are everywhere!!!!

The night ends in a huge firework display over the water. All of the boats honk their horns and people cheer at the sights!

Lesson in bike riding

The offices in Amsterdam are professional dress. Unlike the US business casual, or business appropriate in the Indianapolis office, this means that everyone wears a suit and tie (men) or similar for women. This morning I learned that when wearing a long skirt with no slit, it is impossible to peddle a bike unless you hitch the skirt up to your waist. That creates an interesting balancing act as you try to peddle carrying a backpack in high heels and trying not show the entire world your underwear. Never would have thought about that before, but now I know (and so do you).

Nothing new to post now, but just wait.....

Since Scott and Dave's visit, it has been a quiet week. I finally joined the gym (after months of deliberation), so I have no excuse not to go anymore. I find it much harder over here to maintain a consistent schedule (every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday) like I did at home due to constant changing and lack of consistency in my work schedule. Often working hours are dictated by what is going on locally and who you need to talk to in other countries - for example, Japan (7 hrs ahead of us) vs New York (7 hrs behind us). Sometimes the 24 hr clock comes in handy. But with classes in the morning and classes at night, I hope to be able to attend several times in the upcoming months (as an accountant, I know I must attend at least 50 times to meet my break even point for joining for a year vs paying as I go). Went to class last night and worked out this morning, so I have 2 down and only 48 more to go. Last night' body building class was extremely hard, but today I realized that was because the weights I was using were kgs and not lbs. The 5 kg weight which appeared easy was really (x 2.246) = 11.23 lbs. That might not see like alot to some of you, but let me tell you, it is when you haven't been to the gym in 3 weeks. So, weekend plans include a massage.. (details to come) http://www.acupressure.nl/ and a visit to the Sail Amsterdam event, one of the largest parades of sailing vessages in the world. http://www.sail.nl/english/ It happens once any 5 years in Amsterdam. Following the weekend, the countdown to vacation continues - 5 days from visiting Italy - a whirlwind tour of Venice , Lake Como, Italy (a lake at the base of the Swiss Alps), and Rome to meet our friends Erica and Erin on holiday from Fort Wayne, IN. After holiday comes a trip to London for training, so a couple of great weeks of traveling to come. Come back soon for pictures of all of the above!!!!

Scott and Dave sitting outside at a local bar on a canal enjoying Leffe beer and buitenballs! Can't say that I have even acquired a taste for these, but I had to introduce them to the local Dutch foods!

Scott and Dave visit

My first American visitors arrived on Thursday night from Belgium. I was so excited to see two friendly faces from Indianapolis, IN!!! Former "fav clients" and now good friends, Dave and Scott joined me after spending a few days working in Belgium. Thursday and Friday, I acted as the tour guide. Thursday night, we walked around the city seeing the canals, Central Station, some "red" lights, and people watching. We found an outside bar on a canal and enjoyed a fire eating street performance (which ended when the police arrived) and some local Dutch foods - cheese and Buitenballs. Even though Dave hated the idea of eating deep fried gravy, both were adventurous and sampled a few of the balls with yellow spicy mustard. After a great dinner at Casa di David, we finished our walk around the city and hung out at the Bulldog (chosen because that was the name of Scott's college mascot). Friday started with typical Dutch weather, rain, which resulted in the phrase... "it looks like it is breaking up". Unfortunately, the slanted rain fell almost all day, just to prove us wrong each time we thought it was letting up. Not to let the weather deter us, Scott and I (with raincoat and umbrella) visited the Muilderslot castle (thanks to Todd and Lonely Planet for the recommendation), the local grocery store (again to enjoy the "local experience" and purchase some very good cookies), bought souvenirs and walked around a little more. We ended the evening with a improv comedy show at Boom Chicago - which was hilarious - and drinks outside on the Leisplein Square (which included the famous street performance of "almost naked guy and pole"). The weekend was a blast and I really enjoyed seeing the friendly faces from home. That left the only question.....so, when you guys coming back???

Scott at the Bulldog. We had to go here because Scott is a Butler graduate - a Butler Bulldog!!

Scott and an Amsterdam canal...every tourist must have one of these pictures. This was after a rainy day of sightseeing in Holland.

Muilder castle. We enjoyed a tour of the rooms and history of the castle during a rainy day in Holland. The tour was in Dutch, however, the English info sheets were very helpful. This was Scott's introduction to living in a foreign country!

Scott prepares for battle - although afterwards we wondered how many people have put on this hat???

Scott shoots from a window, we enjoyed play acting and it wasn't raining in here!!!

Brooke prepares for battle

Picture of the men dressed for battle

The castle - this area is made for defensive purposes. Canons would shoot from the windows.

Muilder castle from the 1200's

It's English, so it must be American

The process of creating a new life in a new city (regardless of the country) will always include several similar questions. How do I live my daily life? How do I find a grocery store? Drycleaner? Car? Parking? Those questions are easily answered by walking around on the street, trial and error, and ultimately the survival instinct. Following these questions, come the next set of questions that include finding a doctor, dentist, hairdresser, and a masseuse. Now, I have not yet found the doctor or dentist (there is an extremely complex system in Holland for medical services, so I have my fingers crossed for an illness free 18 months). But I have found a hairdresser and a masseuse (a girl has to have her priorities straight...those stories to come). On Sunday, Derek and I attended church. By looking on the WWW we found a listing of all of the english denominated services in Holland and Amsterdam. Picking the only Catholic service in Amsterdam at the Holy Trinity Church, I was looking forward to attending and meeting other American Expats in the city. I thought it would be a great networking experience and a chance to make some new friends. Clearly my Americanism was shining through. Upon our arrival at the church, we were uncertain if we had found the right place. There were no other Americans, in fact, the majority of other attendees were African and Asian. The Africans were dressed in full ethnic attire with beautiful long colorful dresses and elaborate headgear (even the men). At first, I was confused, then I realized that as Americans, we were not the only ones that spoke English. English was a common language amongst several people who live in Holland who do not speak Dutch. It has been an interesting experience to attend services at Holy Trinity. It is definitely the first time I have heard bongos as part of the choir and have experienced the mixing of so many cultures in one place. I have enjoyed the variety of the experience and will never again assume that just because something is in English means that it is American....