It's Rarely Sunny in Amsterdam, So Embrace it While You Can

This past weekend brought weather practically unheard of in Amsterdam, especially in October: it was 75 degrees and sunny the entire weekend, which meant that everyone was outside picnicking and sprawled out across city parks.  On Friday, some of my friends and I soaked in the scrumptious weather from a little boat that we rented...SO COOL!  We biked over to the rental house, paid our deposit, and we were off with no instruction other than to "follow the signs" and "take the plastic off the engine if it starts to rattle."  Our first two captains--who shall remain nameless--were seemingly fearless and definitely brave to take the wheel, but we decided that, after hitting the canal walls several times and accidentally crashing into a house boat, it was time to pass along the captain hat to Aaron.  He definitely got the "hero of the day" award.  We had such a pleasant 3-hour cruise around the city; there is really nothing like seeing Amsterdam from the canals, so I highly recommend this to anyone who visits!  Our pre-packed sandwiches and assortments of snacks made the ride only more pleasant, and we got such a kick out of the whole experience.

Happy Camper #1

Aaron, our hero.

Only in Holland...this is a wooden clog shoe boat actually parked in the water.

Hannah's turn to have the bean bag.

Chilling out so hard.  The best. 

I couldn't resist adding this one, which documents Kyle's attempts to slow our crash...whoopsies.

After our boat ride, I couldn't quite seem to pull myself away from the sun, so I spent a couple hours reading outside.  Josh and I are reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard together, and it is already one of my favorite books.  Her writing is beautiful and the way she describes every little detail of nature while somehow also relating it to larger questions about life and relationships among living beings is incredible.  Definitely the perfect book to read next to a canal under the setting sun :)

The evening was equally lovely: we made quesadillas for a potluck with the rest of the dorm and chattered away as we watched the stars come out and the duck family (they live right outside our windows) come home to sleep.

I woke up on Saturday to yet another blue sky, and let the warm air pour through my window while I ate breakfast and read more of my book.  Kyle, Adrienne, and I then biked over to Vondell Park for a picnic and some great people watching.  Everyone and their second cousin was there, and I saw more adorable babies than I could handle.  We also had the opportunity to observe a blue heron for twenty minutes, debating whether it's strange minimal movements were trickster, battery-operated motions or real life action...it was real.

This was the perfect chance to update my "Reasons Why Studying Abroad and Being in Amsterdam Rules" list.

My magnetic attraction to the grass continued in the afternoon, so I spent several hours reading for class under a tree, tucked away perfectly so I could see lots of boats going by, but I wasn't visible from the street.  These pics are of poor quality because I took them with my computer camera, but they are a pretty good depiction of the serenity that continued throughout the afternoon...goodness, I had a relaxing weekend.

...And Sunday was the peak of a truly vacation of a weekend.  I just wasn't into doing my homework and felt guilty being inside when I knew it would be the last nice day for the rest of my time here.  Obviously, the beach was the logical alternative.

When we arrived, we were the opposite of speechless: we repeated, over and over, "Oh my gosh, this sand is so soft," and, "Guys, we're at the beach...in Amsterdam."  One of those moments when disbelief dominates but you don't question the magnificence.  I spent the next four hours basking in the sunlight and collecting little shells along the water.  And more reading (WOOOO) and lots of people watching.  And napping.  And being so happy.

Look how many cool shells there are!! 

Sun kissed and smiley.  

I was so proud of my ability to let go of the work and stay present for the whole weekend, and I don't regret my recent lack of sleep and intense work days to make up for it.  Speaking of which, I need to be up in 5 hours so I'm going to cut this short but more to come so soon!


Dutch phrase of the day:
Ik hou van mijn zus, Sarah, meer dan iets anders. = I love my sister more than anything else.  (Miss you, kiddo!)


Dutch word/phrase bucket:
Het is herfst, maar het weer maakt het gevoel dat het is zomer! = It is fall, but the weather makes it feel like it is summer!
Ik hou van de koffie in de ochtend. = I love having coffee in the morning.
Elke dag, heb ik een broodje met heerlijk kaas voor de lunch. = Every day, I have a sandwich with delicious cheese for lunch.

groen = green (Mijn fiets is groen = My bike is green)

geitenkaas = goat cheese (Geitenkaas is mijn favoriete voedse! = Goat cheese is my favorite food!)   

fiestpad = bike path
keo = cow
koffie = coffee
regendruppels = raindrops
goedenacht = goodnight