Frozen canals means it's ice skating time

When I was in Amsterdam in 1997, it was so cold the canals had frozen. When I moved here in June I told my colleagues how much I was dreading the winter. They told me not to worry because winters were much milder these days.,

Guess who was lucky enough to be here the first time in 12 years that the canals had frozen? Ugh. Just my luck. Still, it was cool to see the skaters on the canals.

Gun Powder Green Tea

We saw this in a shop in Delft. I bet it has explosive flavor. Har har.

Relax! Cuddle a cow.

A few weeks ago we got a packet in the mail from Brett's employer. Inside was a gift certificate of sorts but we couldn't quite figure out what it was good for. It came with a catalog in Dutch with various pictures. Some of the themes were obvious like spas or sports - but others were a bit more difficult to decipher.

One picture was of a bunch of people in church choir robes standing in a pool. Another was a picture of a cow, while another was a picture of a hibachi grill.

Brett found a version of the web site in English and was able to decipher that one of the gifts was "cow cuddling" in the Dutch countryside. Apparently even the royal family has done it.

What to choose? Spa time? A dinner out? Or hugging a cow in a field? Hmmm.

Pay your fare!

You might think this photo is of our friend Mihir who was visiting from San Francisco. The reason I took the photo though was to remember the group of transit police behind him (look for the glare of my flash on their jackets). At one of the stops, 6 transit police boarded the tram and went through the cabin asking everyone for proof of a paid fare. They found 1 English speaking fare evader who claimed ignorance, but they still presented him with a 40 Euro fine. Afterwards they all went to the back of the tram and had a little conference together for about 5 minutes.

It seemed like a lot of manpower for 1 fare evader - especially as there are conductors at each of the 2 entrances to the tram who ask to see your fare card when you board. Doesn't make much sense to me, but maybe fare evasion is a big deal here and they have to keep people on their toes.

Delft

Delft is a pretty little college town just outside of The Hague. We enjoyed wandering the streets and taking in the beautiful architecture - including several churches.

The canals are smaller there and were frozen over, but what struck us was how close the doors were to the water line. If you look at the white door in this picture you'll see that the water level is only about 6 inches lower than the door step. Maybe for easier boat access?

It's hamster week!

It's hamster week at the Albert Heijn grocery store. I'm not sure why hamsters are part of the ad, but they're pretty cute and they even sell stuffed hamsters as part of the promotion. Definitely makes 30% off more exciting than just a price tag with a red line through it.

Warm Stroopwafels - Yum!

When we were in Delft this weekend we shared a large stroopwafel. It's two thin layers of waffle, held together by a warm cinnamon caramel. Delicious!