A Week at a Time: Feb 19 - 25, 2011

Today, I went to Amsterdam, learned how to use the public transportation chip cards, navigated the trams and busses, and played two rounds of disc golf. I'll update you on the entire day shortly (maybe tomorrow, after I've had a good night's sleep), but for now, I'll just say that this beer from last Saturday is looking pretty good. Besides enjoying this Trappist beer, we also dropped off 2 bikes at the bike shop for repairs (my chain was about to break and the bike we shipped over needed some new tires).

Feb 19 - Trappist

Sunday's picture also looks pretty good. After Mr. Traveler left for baseball practice, I was feeling a little sorry for myself with him going off to play baseball and me stuck at home doing, well, nothing really. I decided that cookies would make me feel better, and I whipped up a batch using a recipe I found here. They were so good. I really could have just sat down and eaten every one of them. (I eventually limited myself to four for the evening. I thought that was quite an accomplishment.) While the cookies were in the oven, I watched a video my mother-in-law had posted on Facebook. I never open videos on Facebook; even if someone sends me a personal email with a video, there is about an 80% chance I won't watch it. Something made me click the link, though, and I'm glad I did. (By the way, if you want to watch the video, you can find it here.) The video was about a man who is feeling sorry for himself, basically wondering why no one is watching out for him. Then he is given special glasses that allow him to see the needs of others. Anyway, it sounds corny, and it is a little bit, but it made me think, "Why am I sitting here feeling sorry for myself when I have the opportunity to do something about it?" Immediately, I went through the sign up process for an English speaking women's group in the area and started researching other ways to meet people in the area and get involved.

Feb 20 - Time for a Cookie

On Monday, I went to pick up both of the bikes that we dropped off on Saturday. Unlike the Dutch, who can easily transport a second bike, holding the handlebar as the pedal along, I needed to make 2 trips to get both bicycles home. During one of the trips, I snapped this photo of the park, naming it "Another Canal?" as a nod to the desensitization I've experienced in regards to the beauty of the various canals around Utrecht. A helpful fellow Utrechter interpreted my question as less rhetorical, however, and shared the following tidbit on my Project365 wall: "This 'singel' is an old defense line. The park used to be a high soil wall to protect the city. The sign at the right of the picture tells more about the wall."

Feb 21 - Another Canal?

Tuesday, I headed to the gym. I hadn't been since before our trip to Paris (I've been nursing a bit of a sore hip and between that and the stomach bug I had the previous week, I just needed a break), so it was nice to get back into the swing of things. I noticed when I got to the gym, however, that the bicycle lot was relatively empty. My gym shares a building with a college, and I figured out later that it was Spring Break. Still wearing my heavy coat, it doesn't seem like it's quite time for the week long vacation normally associated with bikinis at the beach.

Feb 22 - Spring Break

Wednesday, I decided that I needed to do something different. Still thinking about my Sunday realization about getting out and doing things, I opted for a museum. While not completely social, it still was something to get me out of the house in a location with other people. I headed to the Museum Catherijnconvent, an adventure I've already shared with you. The following picture captures on of my favorite objects in the museum, a modern stained glass window.

Feb 23 - Modern Stained Glass

Thursday, I had plans to meet one of the ladies in the women's group for coffee. Even though I haven't been to an official event yet, we organized the coffee get together through email. It was foggy and misting, but I didn't let it ruin my excitement. In fact, I actually took the time to appreciate the fog and the beautiful picture it made hanging over the canals. I also truly enjoyed the discussion with my new friend, which morphed from a quick coffee to a nice long visit with lunch.

Feb 24 - Fog

Finally, Friday, I made it back to the gym. On the way home, I took a picture of a sign which has become symbolic for me. Although I haven't done great with the task of learning Dutch, I have picked up a few words here and there. Much of my Dutch vocabulary revolves around food (which is pretty self-explanatory), but the rest is random and picked up by nice illustrated moments such as the one depicted in the following picture.

Feb 25 - De Blauwe Walvis/Learning Language

Friday's picture, with its representation of learning and newness seems like a great way to wrap up a week that for me was all about making the most of my opportunities.