the netherlands, part 1: an introduction

I'm back in the sunny, humid confines of Philadelphia. But oh how much I have to say about Amsterdam. Stories, observations, thoughts, the works. It'll take a while to write about them all, but here's something to whet your apetite. In the past six days I've done the following:

- took a boat tour of the canals of Amsterdam.
- had coffee at a cafe with couches (though we sat outside). In the process, we had an hourlong conversation with some random guy.
- watched the news in Dutch while laughing at the newscaster's hair.
- went to a Dutch fraternity party whose theme was Dictators and Madonnas. I had no costume so I instead wore my Borgia t-shirt.
- browsed in the international film and theatre bookstore of Amsterdam.
- snuck in to a theatre to watch a few minutes of a rehearsal.
- visited the Rijksmuseum.
- visited the van Gogh (say it like you're clearing your throat. A lot) Musuem.
- ate falafel.
- wandered around on foot only to realize I couldn't remember where I'd locked my bike.
- found my bike.
- rode aimlessly around the city.
- smelled marijuana all around the city.
- watched a kid play computer games.
- talked about gun control, education, sexism in film, construction of identity, etc.
- visited the house where Anne Frank and her family (and four others) hid.
- ate patatje speciaal.
- went on a private guided tour of the Queen's Palace.
- rode bumper cars and some other carnival ride called, inexplicably, Beach party.
- ate oliebol.
- tried Dutch licorice. Yuck.
- walked through the red light district.
- rode on the back of someone's bike.
- saw Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle.
- did not fall off my bike.
- drank lots and lots of tea.
- ate poffertjes.
- took a train to Delft.
- saw both the Nieuwe and Oude Kerkes (Kerken?) in Delft.
- bought Delft pottery.
- took a train to Rotterdam.
- rode the Rotterdam metro.
- ate Tunisian food for the first time.
- drove along a dike.
- went to the Hague.
- saw an outdoor sculpture exhibition.
- had coffee at the most glamorous hotel in the Hague.
- visited the Jewish Museum.
- tried to blow a shofar.
- ate French fries with a peanut butter sauce.
- learned a few words of Dutch. My favorite: doei. You'll never guess how to pronounce it...
- bought cheese.
- bought a pickle in an outdoor market and proceeded to eat it as I rode my bike.
- felt short.
- experienced, er, the Heineken Experience.
- ate Indonesian food.
- saw Young Adam.
- rode trams without a ticket.
- played 3-on-3 voetball (i.e. soccer) including one stretch where my team won at least 12 straight games.

Whew. I think that pretty much covers it. More to come, and pictures, too!