Day 3

Well, we've made it through 2 and a half days so far.

Yesterday we bought some food for dinner (pasta, olive oil, garlic and crushed red peppers), took that home and then scoped out all the shops after they had closed at 6pm. Yes, they closed at 6pm. Apparently this is some sort of standard practice. Nevermind that they're allowed to stay open later. They just don't.

I don't know what people do after 6pm yet, but they're not on the streets - at least not between 6pm and 9pm when it's still daylight and we've given up trying to stay awake and have decided to go to bed. So, yes, that means I've been through two nights in the Netherlands and haven't seen what nighttime looks like. =)

Andy went to work yesterday and found out about some cheaper bikes that we might be able to get. Hopefully the guy who told him about them will be able to tell him where they are today, though we probably shouldn't buy them until we get paid. Which will hopefully be very soon...

As for today, Andy stayed home this morning so we could go buy some towels - we have four sets of bed linens (remember the twin beds, that's two sets for each bed) - but no towels. Now we have towels. And shampoo and conditioner and lotion and soap all in normal quantities rather than hotel sized. =) We also got some sponges for cleaning in the kitchen and a brush for cleaning in the bathroom. All we need now is the stovetop espresso maker... I guess I should have followed up on the instinct that said, "Must have coffee. Bring maker." Too bad.

Did I mention before that we don't have a freezer? This is a travesty for a kid who has always purchased extra meat and then frozen it. Not to mention that the only ice cream we'll be getting has to be purchased in single servings. Doh.

My goals for the rest of the day are: buy more groceries so we can eat something besides pasta, garlic and olive oil; vacuum because nobody vacuumed before we moved in; do the dishes after dinner (I'll probably be doing dishes twice a day unless I get a job so we can buy more plates!). Tomorrow I hope to take some photos of the place so you guys can check it out (I'll be sure to take photos of my favorite parts too!).