Scherezade was working a 4-day week, so we spent most of this working time making our own way through the Low Countries. Not that this was by any means a difficult task - Scherezade's sprinkling of Dutch helped us with tricky menus & street signs, but just about everyone we met spoke English. It got so that I wasn't even self-conscious; what I couldn't say with my Canadian mouth, I could point to with my Canadian hands.

lost on the dim streets

On our first full day in the Netherlands, I must report with shame that we slept until 1 p.m. When we finally staggered into Utrecht, it was just about time to meet Scherezade after work. D'oh. She had picked the easiest landmark in Utrecht for our meeting place (Dom Tour), but she hadn't counted on us getting lost upon leaving the station. Passerby saw our prominent maps & bewildered expressions, and volunteered to steer us in the right direction. Eventually we found the place. Scherezade was already waiting there for us.

touristy shot

Despite our trouble in finding it, I quite liked Dom Tour. We arrived with just a few minutes before it closed for the night, and when I saw the garden my breath literally stopped. It was like UC but better; stunning architecture that was almost familiar.

It was in Utrecht that I encountered my greatest regret: I found a pink Miffy shirt but didn't have my wallet. By the time I found my cash, the store was closed. B'oh. And because I'm a big loser, I spent the remainder of the trip scheming my way back to that tacky little souvenir shop. In my defense, I point out that it was a pink shirt with an impossibly cute bunny face on it. It's the logical completion to my pink bunny costume. But now it's the hole that can't be fixed. Sigh.

the well-deserved stinkeye

As the light dimmed, we wandered through canal streets and looked for a place to eat supper. We found a Thai place below street level that looked out on a canal, and although they had veggie options, I chose to share in the carnivorous feeding frenzy. This is the first time I had meat in 2003, and it was absolutely delicious.

gaw-jus canals

Unfortunately, this is the whole of our Utrecht experience: being late, being lost, and being fed. Very cool streets, though. I can see why Scherezade likes to hang out there.

On the way home we got on the wrong train and ended up in Rotterdam. Oops. While waiting for the next train back, a very persistent black dude tried like hell to pick me up. He told me he liked my 'style' (I was wearing braids, beret & my red candy-striped tights) which is a new one to me. After many minutes of pestering, I gave him one of my many email addresses and "promised" to call him if I was ever in Amsterdam.

"I'm married."
"He is in Toronto. I am here."

During this episode, my mother was increasingly uncomfortable. When he finally went away, she started to yell at me for something - I think it was because I didn't ignore him (yeah, like that usually works). She seemed to think that I was behaving in a fashion unfit for a married woman, and this tension followed us through the week (among many others). I dunno. I just can't ignore people. I'd rather diffuse the situation with honesty (of the "I'm married" type) that pretend that I'm alone on the platform.

Anyway, the ride home was punctuated by intermittent arguments that had their spark in this little confrontation. Fun time.

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